Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, has created history as the first-ever American-born pontiff. However, he has a dark past that could haunt his legacy. During his tenure as Bishop of Chiclayo, he was caught in allegations of covering up alleged sexual abuse.
The Catholic Church, which has been dealing with many controversies over the years, could face real challenges as the shadows of this new scandal are cast.
It all began with three sisters – Ana María Quispe Díaz, Juana Mercedes, and Aura Teresa. As it is revealed, as children, the three of them fell victim to the dark machinations of Fr. Eleuterio Vasquez Gonzales and Fr. Ricardo Yesquen. They suffered years of abuse under the institution that was supposed to protect them. The two priests abused their power and positions to inflict extreme physical and mental violence on these minors.
As revealed by Ana herself, they were abused during the missionary trips and overnight stays in parishes. The priests reportedly made their sleeping arrangements, proving that the incidents were not just inevitable but planned.
The whole exploitation was revealed to the public through Ana María’s exposé on TikTok in 2020. “I have suffered enough. But the time has come for the world to know that the Church has failed me, my sisters, and many others,” she wrote on Facebook.
However, while the victims showed extreme courage by speaking up, the supposed protectors couldn’t, and one of them was Bishop Prevost. Rather than addressing the accusations and taking a stance, he decided to ignore them. The diocese, led by him, promised to provide support to the victims, but ultimately did nothing.
En el argot criollo, “pasearon” a las víctimas. Y movieron al acusado a otra comarca a seguir ejerciendo. Lo señala Ana María Quispe Díaz, una de las víctimas: https://t.co/a6Fjux63x6
— Cesáreo 🇵🇪 🇮🇱 🇷🇺 (@artistazx) May 8, 2025
Later, the Church urged the sisters to pursue civil legal action instead, proving that they only wanted to deflect attention from the very heinous abuse committed by two priests.
The whole ordeal was not just a failure of Prevost, but also of Pope Leo XIV‘s leadership, and it was an intentional evasion of proper justice that could have really helped Ana and the others. The Church also failed to conduct a proper investigation, and the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith ultimately declared that the case couldn’t proceed due to insufficient information. The accused, Fr. Vasquez, despite his admission to guilt, was allowed to participate in ministry.
This shows that Prevost was indifferent towards these systemic failures, like many other leaders in and around the Church, an incident that truly speaks volumes about what could be his journey as Pope Leo XIV.
This unresolved case from his Bishop days now continues to taint his legacy as a Pontiff. The question remains: could a man who once covered up heinous sexual abuse truly lead 1.4 billion Catholics around the world? At the same time, the Church that has actively silenced the victims, can it reform itself?
