(RNS) — A Peruvian woman who says she was sexually abused by two priests as a girl traveled to Pope Leo XIV’s hometown of Chicago in late July to personally tell media her claims of how the newly elected pope mishandled her case when he served as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru.
Organized by The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, the July 31 press conference was the first time Ana María Quispe Díaz, whose story has been amplified by advocates and rehashed in media, spoke for herself since Leo’s election.
Quispe Díaz told reporters she first met with Leo, then-Bishop Robert Prevost, in 2022 to report two priests that she and other Chiclayo women claim abused them as girls. Initially, she said, Prevost encouraged her to report the abuse to civil authorities, but, according to Quispe Díaz, he later failed to properly investigate, remove the accused priests from ministry or provide adequate support for survivors.
Despite Prevost’s initial posture of support, Quispe Díaz claimed he told her there was no way to carry out a church investigation and that they must rely on the civil system. She said Prevost and other diocesan leaders did not approach the situation with transparency and did not take sufficient actions …