(PERU)
SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [Chicago IL]
November 12, 2026
As Pope Leo makes his final stop on his Latin American tour to Peru, survivors and allies took to the streets today to demand that the pope take action to concretely support survivors’ healing and pay for their mental and physical health care needs.
“We are here because we want the pope to hear the needs of the many surviving victims of clerical abuse, who cannot be heard, whose complaints are ignored,” said Sara Carrion Mendez, 52, who protested outside the Papal Nuncio embassy in Lima today.
Although not a survivor herself, she considers herself an ally and feels it’s essential to stand up and be heard on behalf of survivors. “In many cases, they suffer persecution. They need to make their grievances heard regarding the abuse they have suffered,” she said. “We want to help them find justice and reparation.”
Survivor Q’ori Gomez Perez, 29, said she stands in solidarity with all clerical abuse survivors. “(Children) remain part of institutions where there is manipulation and control, as has unfortunately been the case in many religious institutions, not only Catholic but also many other religions as well,” she said. “Cases of violence—psychological, physical, emotional, and sexual—have been consistently observed, even to this day. (We need) to create a safe and supportive space for victims, both socially and politically.”
SNAP Executive Director, Angela Walker, joined Peruvian survivors and allies at today’s protest. She said she had heard similar concerns from survivors in Uruguay and Argentina.
“Survivors are demanding that the Catholic Church provide monetary compensation so that they can get the medication, health, and mental health care they so desperately need as the church is responsible for the survivors’ trauma that needs treatment,” Walker said.
Here in Peru, survivors and allies told her that survivors who tell their stories often face recrimination from others in their community and society as a whole. Even the media is targeted for bringing attention to survivor stories.
Last week, BishopAccountability published a list of 77 members of Peru’s Catholic clergy publicly accused of sexually abusing minors. The list documents sexual abuse cases perpetrated by priests, brothers, seminarians and consecrated laypeople who worked in Peruvian parishes and schools, as well as Church officials accused of allegedly covering up complaints.
“The Peruvian Church is stubbornly putting children at risk by covering up for abusers,” said Co-Director Anne Barrett Doyle at the Lima launch.
Meanwhile, back in Rome, the Roman Rota, the Catholic Church’s Supreme Court, in a disappointing judicial decision, condemned the practice of publishing lists of “credibly accused” clerics.
“The Roman Rota has taken a dangerous step backward,” Walker said. “All credibly accused clerics, no matter what country they are in, must be made public. It is the very least that the Catholic Church can do for survivor justice.”