Cardinal: Church must embark on 'very serious process' before considering Sodalitium's dissolution

ROME (OSV News) -- The recent expulsions of members from Sodalitium Christianae Vitae are part of a long and serious process that is needed before the church can consider going the route of completely dissolving the controversial lay movement, said Peruvian Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno.

In an interview with OSV News Oct. 29 at the Jesuit curia in Rome, the president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon Region and archbishop emeritus of Huancayo said the expulsions of key members of the group -- including its founder, Luis Fernando Figari, in August -- were "a very clear sign of a church that wants to put the Gospel of Jesus into practice."

"I can't say that I'm happy. I can't say that because there are victims who have been suffering immensely for almost 25 years," the cardinal said. "But there is a serene calm in seeing that the church has very clearly taken on a process, which isn't finished yet but which is moving forward."

Cardinal Barreto was among participants of the Synod of Bishops on synodality, which took place Oct. 2-27 in Rome. He noted that although the synod discussed themes relevant to the universal church, issues such as interculturality, the role of women and the scandal of abuse and clericalism are particularly relevant in the Amazon region.

Reflecting on the discussions, Cardinal Barreto said that while there were moments of great enthusiasm, there were also most of "disillusionment" and "fatigue."

Nevertheless, he said, the "Holy Spirit entered with force" and "we foresaw that a final document would come out that could guide the universal church towards walking together with Christ."

Of the synod issues, Among the issues discussed at this year's synod, he said, the role of women in the church was of particular importance since "both in the Amazon and in the universal church, the role of women is predominant in the evangelizing mission, but it is not sufficiently recognized."

Additionally, he added, "the question of sexual abuse, abuse of power, clericalism came out strongly, but in a more proactive way, I would say."

The issue of abuse in the Catholic Church has gained much attention in recent weeks in the cardinal's native land following the latest expulsion of two more Sodalitium members.

Father Jaime Baertl, a former spiritual assistant accused of sexual misconduct, and Juan Carlos Len, a former temporal assistant, were among the expulsions announced by the apostolic nunciature in Peru Oct. 23 following a 2023 Vatican investigation of the lay movement.

According to the nunciature, "the seriousness of the sexual abuse" allegedly committed by Father Baertl and the "personal responsibility of these two consecrated persons in numerous irregularities and illicit acts committed by companies linked to the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae" led to the decision.

In an interview with Peruvian radio station Radio Santa Rosa in March 2020, Cardinal Barreto said that when an organization like Sodalitium has a number of cases of sexual and physical abuses, as well as financial irregularities, "it has to be dissolved."

Asked about his 2020 comments and whether he still believes Sodalitium should be dissolved, Cardinal Barreto told OSV News that his statement was "a very personal opinion" because if "a founder, like (Luis) Fernando Figari, is sanctioned by the church as a lay founder, there is no charism there."

"You can't say that the Holy Spirit has been present. And for that reason, in 2020, and before that as well, I said it should be dissolved," he explained.

Nevertheless, Cardinal Barreto said the decision to dissolve a movement or ecclesial reality involves "as is happening now, a very serious process that takes very, very clear steps."

The recent expulsion of Father Baertl and Len, he added, were significant in that they were heavily involved in the group's economic activities which involved a "web of companies."

"So, at this moment, the institution cannot be dissolved until all the corruption that also exists on the economic side is clarified," Cardinal Barreto told OSV News. "I don't know the details of this, but I know from a good source that there are many companies that, by using the church, have taken advantage to profit and this is inadmissible in a church institution."

Cardinal Barreto said that the investigation into serious allegations of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse, coupled with the evidence of financial corruption within the Sodalitium's economic operations, will lead to a decision on the group's fate.

"I am convinced that this process will not end there, but that in this time -- I estimate a few weeks -- a final decision will be able to be made, because it is heading towards that," Cardinal Barreto said. "An institution cannot continue with everything that has already been affirmed from the Vatican."

The Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon, known for its Spanish acronym CEAMA, was among fruits of the 2019 Synod of Bishops for the Amazon which recommended the formation of "an episcopal organism that promotes synodality among the church of the Pan-Amazon region."

However, instead of creating a regional bishops' conference, the bishops in 2020 formed the "ecclesial" conference to include representatives of all the church's membership.

Cardinal Barreto said that Pope Francis "always refers to CEAMA as 'a little plant that is growing.'"

He also told OSV News that due to its success, other church regions are discussing ways "to incorporate laypeople, religious, priests, and bishops" into a similar structure.

"I know they are working in the Mediterranean -- through a network with the archbishop of Marseille, Cardinal (Jean-Marc) Aveline -- to also be able to walk together, jointly, with structures from this spirituality of the Second Vatican Council, which for me has been the rediscovery after 60 years of the documents of the Second Vatican Council: The dream of St. John XXIII and St. Paul VI is being put into practice," the cardinal said.