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SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [Chicago IL]
March 27, 2025
March 27, 2025
Each cardinal, group says, is unfit to be the next pope
VATICAN CITY – After announcing a new initiative called Conclave Watch at a press conference Tuesday in Rome, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) formally delivered complaints yesterday against six cardinals to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See. The complaints, made under Pope Francis’ 2023 decree Vos estis lux mundi, charge each cardinal with covering up and mismanaging cases of abuse.
The six cardinals named in SNAP’s Vos estis lux mundi reports charged with enabling or concealing clergy sexual abuse call for immediate investigation, public transparency, and removal from office where warranted:
- Cardinal Péter Erdő – Read complaint
- Cardinal Kevin Farrell – Read complaint
- Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández – Read complaint
- Cardinal Mario Grech – Read complaint
- Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost – Read complaint
- Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle – Read complaint
The delivery marks the first time multiple high-ranking cardinals have been targeted under Vos estis lux mundi by coordinated, survivor-led action. Survivors argued at Tuesday’s press conference that the pope’s motu proprio is thoroughly insufficient to address the conduct of the most powerful members of the hierarchy, especially because the group has made complaints about Cardinals Fernández, Prevost, and Tagle, prelates whose dicasteries are the recipients of these very complaints.
“Survivors have done the work that church leaders refuse to do,” said Shaun Dougherty, SNAP President. “We’ve compiled the evidence, followed the Vatican’s procedures, and named the names. If Pope Francis is serious about his “zero tolerance” approach, he would appoint a truly independent investigator and open the abuse archives to that person – as he said he would in 2019.”
The complaints were previewed during a press conference held in Rome on March 25, where survivors announced SNAP’s new Conclave Watch initiative. This global effort is vetting potential papal candidates based on their handling of clergy sexual abuse and their support for the universal, legally binding zero tolerance law that SNAP has endorsed.
“While sympathy for Pope Francis in his declining health is understandable, we cannot ignore the tragic reality: the cardinals he has empowered include men who have covered up abuse,” said Peter Isely, SNAP Chair for Global Affairs. “Now some of these same men are being considered as candidates for the next pope.”
Survivors have also made a broader appeal to Pope Francis, warning him against issuing what they describe as a “misleading” papal exhortation on children that fails to mandate binding protections against their abuse under canon law. The letter, drafted by global survivors and personally delivered by Juan Carlos Cruz — a survivor, papal advisor, and member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors — urges Pope Francis to use his remaining time to implement a true zero-tolerance law that includes independent oversight of bishops.
READ THE FULL LETTER TO POPE FRANCIS.
“Vos estis lux mundi allows bishops who have covered up abuse to investigate bishops who have covered up abuse — it lacks enforcement, transparency, and consequences for the powerful,” said Isely. “If the next pope is serious about ending clergy abuse, we must ensure he hasn’t covered it up, and that he endorses a binding and universal zero tolerance law.”
SNAP is calling on Catholics and whistleblowers around the world to share evidence of misconduct by church officials. The organization plans to launch a webpage soon sharing information about the abuse cover-up and misconduct of cardinal electors.