We the undersigned members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) wish to report to you the conduct of Cardinal Robert Prevost, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, consisting of actions or omissions intended to interfere with or to avoid a civil or canonical investigation, whether administrative or penal, against certain clerics of the the Diocese of Chiclayo (Vos estis lux mundi, Art. 1 (b)). Furthermore, in our opinion, this conduct of Cardinal Prevost stands as an abuse of ecclesiastical power, office, or function that has harmed the vulnerable and caused scandal

The Case against Fr. James Ray

According to the 2023 Report on Catholic Clergy Child Sex Abuse in Illinois from the Attorney1 General of the State of Illinois in the United States of America, there are 13 reported victims of sexual abuse by Fr. James Ray.

Records released by the Archdiocese of Chicago show the diocese was made aware of allegations in 1990 . Restrictions were placed on Ray, including that he not be alone with minors.2 Ray was removed from his parish assignment at Transfiguration Church in the fall of 1991 and removed from further parish work.

From 2000 until 2002, Ray was permitted to reside at the St. John Stone Augustinian Friary in Hyde Park in Chicago near St. Thomas the Apostle Elementary School. Records from the Archdiocese of Chicago show that the Augustinians were informed of the restrictions placed on Ray and sought the approval of Robert Prevost who was then Provincial of the Augustinian Province of Chicago . The prior of St. John Stone agreed to serve as Ray’s on-site monitor of his3 compliance with the restrictions placed on him.

The administration of St. Thomas the Apostle was not informed that a man accused of sexual abuse against multiple children was residing half a city block away from the school. Records from the Archdiocese of Chicago include letters erroneously claiming the Friary was not in the vicinity of a school, despite the school being run by the Archdiocese.

Following the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” in 2002, Ray was removed from ministry and moved from the Friary . He was included on the Archdiocese of Chicago’s list of accused clergy in 2006 and laicized in 2012.

As the Archdiocese of Chicago had already placed restrictions on Ray being in the company of minors for nine years prior to his residence at St. John Stone Priory and communicated these when seeking approval from the Provincial, Robert Prevost, Cardinal Prevost was aware of the danger that Ray posed to minors when he gave approval. Nonetheless, Ray was permitted to live at the Priory in the vicinity of an elementary school without informing the administration of the school. By doing so, Cardinal Prevost endangered the safety of the children attending St. Thomas the Apostle.

The Case Against Fr. Eleuterio Vásquez Gonzáles and Fr. Ricardo Yesquen

On April 5, 2022, three women made complaints to the Bishop of Chiclayo, Robert Prevost, against priests of the Diocese, Fr. Eleuterio Vásquez Gonzáles and Fr. Ricardo Yesquen, accusing them of sexual abuse beginning in 2007 when all were minors. One of the victims, Ana María Quispe Díaz, reported that when she was nine years old the priests had sexually abused her . Public statements from Díaz claim the existence of seven victims with abuse dating back to 1997.

The Diocese of Chiclayo claims that Fr. Gonzáles was suspended from ministry following the complaints and that Fr. Yesquen’s age and health prevented him from being in ministry.

The Diocese of Chiclayo claims they sent a report to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on July 21, 2022 . The victims filed complaints with the civil authorities in December 2022, citing a lack of progress with the canonical investigation and following the failure of the Diocese of Chiclayo to inform the civil authorities. The prosecutors closed the case since the statute of limitations had expired, and the Diocese of Chiclayo forwarded this decision to the DDF on Jan 4,

The DDF delivered its decision to close the case in August 2023 based on the decision of the Peruvian civil authorities and after Prevost was appointed head of the Dicastery for Bishops. Bishop Guillermo Cornejo, the interim Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, later re-opened the case.

Following these complaints in 2022, the victims made public statements that then-Bishop Prevost failed to open a preliminary investigation, notify civil authorities, or properly restrict the priests from ministry. They report that they were not asked to testify for an investigation or called by any investigator to make a deposition, and were not offered any psychological support or assistance by the diocese. The August 2023 decision of the DDF was thus missing essential evidence had the Diocese conducted an investigation prior to the report sent to them . The decision of the civil authorities, used to justify closing the case in August 2023, was because the statute of limitations had passed in Peru and not under canon law and is furthermore not evidence of the merits of their allegations. The victims’ statements show photographs and screenshots from social media showing Fr. Gonzáles celebrating mass publicly at La Inmaculada de Santa Cruz and San José Obrero during the time his public ministry was supposed to have been restricted.

As the Ordinary of the Diocese of Chiclayo, there is serious reason to believe that Cardinal Prevost did not follow the procedures established by the Holy See for carrying out investigations following reports of abuse. There is evidence that the accused priests were not suspended from public ministry following a report of abuse and during the period of the purported preliminary investigation. The victims’ testimony was not gathered, Cardinal Prevost did not notify the civil authorities of the allegations, and the victims were not offered psychological support or assistance . The allegations of the victims indicate that under the leadership of Cardinal Prevost, the Diocese of Chiclayo did not investigate their abuse claims and misrepresented their testimony in the report to the DDF, preventing an accurate assessment of the case. Thus, we request Vatican officials conduct a thorough investigation of the situation, with the results of the investigation being made public.

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