Pope Francis has made the rare decision to dissolve a prominent Catholic group in Peru, the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, following decades of abuse allegations tied to its community and its founder.
While the Vatican has not yet issued an official statement, the group has confirmed the decision, noting that some details reported in the media were inaccurate without specifying further.
The Spanish-language site Infovaticana first broke the news of the suppression.
The Sodalitium acknowledged the core accuracy of the report, which highlights a papal decision stemming from repeated attempts to reform the group and a 2023 Vatican investigation that unearthed “sadistic” abuses of power and authority.
Founded in 1971, the group once boasted 20,000 members across South America and the United States.
The group’s founder, Luis Fernando Figari, has been at the center of numerous allegations, including sexual abuse of recruits and financial mismanagement, according to a 2017 independent investigation commissioned by the Sodalitium.
Although he denied the accusations, the investigation described him as “vulgar, vindictive, manipulative, racist, sexist, elitist, and obsessed with sexual issues.” Victims say they have been waiting years for justice, with complaints lodged as early as 2011.
The Vatican probe, led by Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, prompted swift action in 2024.
Figari was expelled in August 2024, followed by the removal of 10 other prominent members a month later.
Among them was an individual accused of “abuse in the exercise of the apostolate of journalism,” a particularly unusual charge.
One of Figari’s victims, who said he was abused three times in the 1970s at age 17, expressed hope that the Vatican’s response would provide some measure of justice.
Snother victim, journalist Pedro Salinas, co-authored the 2015 exposé Half Monks, Half Soldiers with Paola Ugaz, which was pivotal in shedding light on the group’s abuses.
Ugaz has described the pope’s decision as “unprecedented,” noting it is the first instance of a Catholic organization being dissolved for both abuse and financial misconduct.
Reflecting on her years of reporting, Ugaz said she endured “a tsunami of persecution” from the group but felt “invaluable gratitude” toward Pope Francis for taking decisive action.
Originally established as a lay group, the Sodalitium targeted young white boys from affluent Catholic families, leveraging political and business connections to build influence.
The group’s ideology opposed the rise of liberation theology in Latin America, blending Catholicism with elements of Spanish fascism, according to Salinas.
The dissolution marks a significant moment in the Church’s reckoning with its handling of abuse cases, underscoring the long and difficult road victims have faced in their pursuit of justice.
