Pope Francis dissolves South American Catholic group mired in scandal

Vatican City: Pope Francis has dissolved a Catholic religious community with members across South America and the United States, following years of investigations into alleged sexual and psychological abuse by the group's founder and others.

The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, based in Peru and once numbering some 20,000 members, confirmed its dissolution in a statement on Monday, without offering an explanation. The Vatican did not immediately provide further details.

It is rare for the pope to dissolve a Catholic religious community, even one mired in scandal.

Faced with a similar scandal, Benedict XVI, who was pope from 2005-2013, chose instead to restructure the Legionaries of Christ, a community whose late founder was accused of abusing at least 60 minors.

The Sodalitium, which consists of Catholic laymen and priests, was founded in Peru by Luis Fernando Figari in 1971. Pope John Paul II granted it recognition as an official Catholic religious community in 1997.

The group has been the subject of several investigations by the Peruvian prosecutors' office and the Vatican over the last decade. A report commissioned by the society published in 2017 concluded that Figari and other high-ranking former members had abused at least 19 minors and 10 adults.

Francis ordered an investigation by the Vatican's top sexual abuse experts in 2023, and expelled Figari from the group in 2024. Figari has denied any wrongdoing.

Francis has made addressing sexual abuse in the Church a priority of his 12-year-old papacy, with mixed results so far. He created the first papal commission on the issue, but survivor groups have questioned its effectiveness.