The Vatican announced on Sunday that disciplinary sanctions against Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, the first cardinal from the Opus Dei, remain in effect following allegations of sexual abuse. These restrictions include limitations on his public activities, residency, and the use of titles, as stated by Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni. While there are occasions where he has been granted exceptions due to his age and family circumstances, the overall sanctions are still firmly in place.
Cipriani, now 81 years old and living in Madrid and Rome, acknowledged the sanctions after a report from a Spanish newspaper outlined the story of an alleged victim. He firmly denied the accusations, labeling them as “completely false.” In a letter shared by the Opus Dei office in Rome, he stated, “I have committed no crime nor abused anyone, neither in 1983 nor at any other time.”
The Vatican’s announcement did not delve into specifics of the accusations but did mention that these measures were implemented after Cipriani stepped down as the head of the Peruvian Catholic Church in 2019 due to the allegations. This suggests there may be multiple accusations against him, which Cipriani has accepted.
These sanctions reflect a trend seen with other high-ranking clerics facing similar accusations. For instance, former Archbishop Anthony Apuron of Guam and Nobel Peace Prize-winning Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo have also faced restrictions after abuse allegations.
Cipriani led the Peruvian church for twenty years before his retirement in 2019. He is notably the first cardinal from the Opus Dei, a conservative Catholic movement founded in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá, which embraces over 90,000 members in 70 countries. The group, well-supported by Pope John Paul II, includes clergy and laypeople who strive to sanctify everyday life.
Cipriani’s case adds to the unrest within the Peruvian church, particularly following Pope Francis’s recent decision to dissolve the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, another influential conservative Catholic lay movement in Peru, after a Vatican inquiry revealed cases of sexual abuse and financial mismanagement within its leadership.
Cipriani had just taken charge of the Peruvian church when the first allegations against Sodalitium came to light in 2000, as reported by former member José Enrique Escardó. By the time formal accusations were filed against Sodalitium in 2011, Cipriani was already in a leading position. While he maintained that he dealt with the allegations appropriately, a book published in 2015 by journalists Pedro Salinas and Paola Ugaz helped bring attention to the ongoing issues within Sodalitium.
Recently, Escardó met with the Pope to discuss the disbandment of Sodalitium and stressed the importance of centering the victims’ needs during this process. He voiced relief at finally being heard and viewed the conversation as an opportunity to uplift the voices of many who have suffered.
Frustration remains among victims, who have long accused the Peruvian church hierarchy of complicity in the Sodalitium scandal. The bishops of Peru expressed their support for the victims while also reaffirming their commitment to addressing the issues at hand, acknowledging the wounds caused by the past.
As developments unfold, the need for transparency and accountability within the church is ever more apparent, and the hope is that the voices of the victims will continue to bear influence in the path forward.
