Catholic Leaders Accused of Ignoring Sexual Abuse Allegations by Houston Group; Pope Leo Included in Criticism
New Pope Leo XIV Steps into the Spotlight
Frisky Friday mornings don't usually make headlines, but that changed when Pope Leo XIV conducted his inaugural mass at The Vatican's Sistine Chapel. His predecessor, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was tight with the late Pope Francis, and many anticipate Leo will carry on some of the same themes, such as championing migrants and championing the downtrodden.
But there's one issue on everyone's mind: how will Pope Leo address the church's centuries-long mishandling of clergy sexual abuse?
During his reign, Pope Francis addressed the church's shortcomings, apologized, and abolished "pontifical secrecy" in abuse cases. He also instituted church law enforcing reporting abuse, defrocking abusers, and holding leaders accountable for negligence in handling cases of abuse.
Eduardo Lopez de Casas, head of SNAP Houston, a local chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, thinks Pope Francis didn't go far enough. Lopez de Casas wants zero tolerance for abuse and believes it's yet to be implemented within the structure of the Catholic Church, a change he hopes Pope Leo will initiate.
"Catholic Church personnel believe, due to the numerous scandals, there's already zero tolerance. And there isn't," Lopez de Casas stated. "We're advocating for it to be a canon law, so we can truly make an impact on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church."
SNAP and similar organizations contend Pope Leo and other Catholic leaders looked the other way in past instances of abuse and should've taken stronger action to prevent priests accused of abuse from continuing to work within the church.
"It's not that we're accusing these cardinals of not doing enough, but they turned a blind eye to abuse. They knew about it, and they didn't do anything about it. That's a significant difference," Lopez de Casas explained.
Lopez de Casas believes the steps Pope Francis took on this matter were more symbolic than substantive.
"SNAP doesn't perceive any real difference, in our opinion, as a result of his efforts," he stated. "It's purely symbolic."
He cited instances where allegations were made, and his organization submitted complaints against church officials, including locally, where, according to him, "nothing was done."
Upon Pope Leo's election, SNAP proposed a roadmap of actions the new pope could take within his first hundred days to bring about meaningful change, which includes:
- Creating an independent "Global Truth Commission" to tackle the issue, supported by full Vatican cooperation
- Adopting a "Zero Tolerance Law" into canon law
- Forging international legal agreements mandating transparency and accountability
- Establishing a survivors-funded reparations fund supported by church assets
- Creating a survivors council with the power to enforce compliance
As of May 11, 2025, no specific actions or proposals by Pope Leo XIV regarding clergy sexual abuse have been reported, making comparisons with Pope Francis premature at this time.
Copyright 2025 Houston Public Media News 88.7
The new Pope Leo XIV has inherited the issue of the church's handling of clergy sexual abuse, which previously caused controversy. Though Pope Francis took steps to address the issue by abolishing "pontifical secrecy" in abuse cases and instituting church law enforcing reporting and accountability, organizations like SNAP Houston believe these efforts were symbolic and not substantive. Eduardo Lopez de Casas, head of SNAP Houston, advocates for a zero-tolerance policy against abuse to be made into canon law, and he proposes a roadmap of actions for Pope Leo to take within his first hundred days, including establishing a Global Truth Commission, adopting a Zero Tolerance Law, and creating a survivors-funded reparations fund. As of May 11, 2025, it remains unclear what actions Pope Leo will take regarding this issue.
