VATICAN CITY (VATICAN CITY)
Crux [Denver CO]
April 28, 2025
By Elise Ann Allen
[See also the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, setting the procedure for the general congregations and the conclave.]
As cardinals meet in Rome ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope, a Peruvian cardinal accused of sexual abuse and whose ministry was restricted by Pope Francis has joined private meetings with his fellow red-hatters.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said April 28 that during a morning session of pre-conclave general congregations that day, cardinals discussed “issues of relevance for the future of the Church.”
These topics, he said, included “the relationship with the modern world and some challenges that are highlighted, such as evangelization, relations with other faiths, and the issue of abuse. They spoke about the qualities the new pontiff will have to possess in order to respond to these challenges.”
The discussion on abuse and who will be up to the task of credibly tackling it by the roughly 180 cardinals present, over a 100 of whom are eligible to vote in the conclave, came the day after a cardinal who had been sanctioned by Pope Francis for sexual abuse was seen at a public event with his fellow prelates paying homage to the late pontiff, and after he was seen leaving the hall where the meetings are taking place.
Peruvian Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, 81, is the former archbishop of Lima and for decades was a towering rightwing personality in the Church in Latin America.
For decades he was among the most prominent and influential prelates for the Catholic right in Peru and throughout Latin America, especially during his two decades as archbishop of Lima, where he served from 1999-2019.
In January it was revealed publicly in Spanish newspaper El Pais that Cipriani had been accused of sexually abusing an adolescent boy and sanctioned by Pope Francis in 2019, with restrictions on participation in a conclave and on donning cardinal attire.
An individual who chose to remain anonymous claimed that in 1983, between 16-17 years of age, he was sexually assaulted by Cipriani in the confessional and remained silent for years before finally deciding to make a complaint to the pope in 2018.
A previous complaint made against Cipriani to the Vatican in 2002 apparently came to nothing, while the 2018 complaint resulted in Cipriani’s prompt retirement in January 2019, shortly after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, and restrictions on his ministry.
These restrictions apparently barred him wearing his red cardinal robes and other symbols associated with the cardinalate, from returning to Peru without permission, and from participating in a future conclave. He is now 81, over the age limit for cardinals to participate in a conclave.
However, Cipriani is currently in Rome and was seen visiting Pope Francis while lying in state, and at an April 27 Vespers service in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where Francis is buried, after visiting his tomb.
He was also seen leaving the hall where general congregations are taking place, dressed in his cardinal attire despite having been banned from doing so.
After news of the allegations against Cipriani went public in January, Bruni confirmed the restrictions on Cipriani’s ministry to media, saying that after the accusation was made in 2018, and after the acceptance of his resignation as archbishop of Lima in 2019, “the cardinal was imposed a penal precept with some disciplinary measures.”
These measures, Bruni said, were “related to his public activity, place of residence and use of insignia,” and were “signed and accepted” by Cipriani himself.
Bruni at the time clarified that the restrictions “appear to still be in force.”
Cipriani has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them “completely false” and saying he never committed any crime, arguing that the alleged victims’ claims were a misunderstanding of his efforts to be pastorally close to the young man after he lost his father.
While acknowledging the restrictions on his ministry, imposed directly by Pope Francis, he also argued that the pope had not followed due process and compared himself to Australian Cardinal George Pell, who was imprisoned after being accused of sexual abuse only to be acquitted later.
In the wake of Cipriani’s denials and the backlash that the allegations against him created, Cardinal Carlos Castillo of Lima, Cipriani’s successor as archbishop of Lima, issued a statement supporting the alleged victim and the pope.
Two months later, on March 28, Cipriani published another statement in which he asked the Peruvian bishops to rectify their communique announcing the restrictions on him, which they said were imposed after “the proof of the facts was ascertained.”
He said there was no formal process with a presenting of proofs or a right to defense, no witnesses, and no judgement. He called the communique defamatory, especially given his status as a cardinal, and said it was the bishops’ responsibility to rectify their mistake.
In an April 7 communique responding to Cipriani’s statement, the Peruvian Episcopal Conference (CEP) said the pope in his decision to impose sanctions on Cipriani in the manner in which he did exercised by “pastoral charity” and justice.
They said the restrictions against Cipriani “remain in force” and had been agreed and signed off on by Cipriani himself.
“While Cipriani has every right to affirm his innocence, since guilt is proven in a criminal trial, however, it is no less true that a penal precept exists; for this reason, he should not forget the exquisite pastoral charity of the Holy Father,” the CEP said.
Despite Cipriani’s insistence on a lack of due process, the CEP’s confirmation that a penal precept exists, presumably with additional penalties for failure to comply with the restrictions imposed on his ministry, raise serious questions about his proximity to cardinals ahead of the conclave, especially in light of discussion on abuse.
Bruni during Monday’s press conference did not confirm whether Cipriani was participating in the general congregation meetings, and did not offer indications on whether the sanctions against Cipriani for sexual abuse barred him from participating.
“All cardinals are able to participate” in the general congregations, he said, saying the Vatican constitution outlining the rules of a conclave, Universi Dominici Gregis, is clear in this regard.
Follow Elise Ann Allen on X: @eliseannallen