Juan Luis Ciprianiwho served as Archbishop of Lima and it was him first cardinal of Opus Deiwas forced to leave the Order and leave Peru in 2019, after being accused of sexual abuse against a minor who is now 58 years oldaccording to information revealed by El País. The events were recorded in 1983.
Cipriani was prohibited from wearing habits and symbols of his position, as well as from participating in future conclaves. Currently, this possibility was ruled out, because he was over 80 years old and, in December 2024, he turned 81 years old. There was no canonical process, but rather measures accepted by the cardinal himself.
In the midst of his retirement from the church, on January 7, Cipriani returned to Peru and received from the mayor of Lima, Rafael López Aliaga, also a member of Opus Dei, the medal of the Order of Merit in the degree of Grand Cross. The former diocesan priest was not wearing a cassock nor was he wearing any cardinal symbol, according to the publication spread by the networks of the metropolitan municipality.
According to the information collected by El País, at the time of his dismissal in 2019, the Vatican simply communicated that the Pontiff had accepted his resignation, which bishops must present when they turn 75, however, it was notable that the resignation be accepted immediately, since it is normal to wait a few years. The real reason was the accusation of abuse by a minor, who is now 58 years old.
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Juan Luis Cipriani: the complaint that reached the hands of the Pope
In 2018, the complainant addressed the Pope Francis through Juan Carlos Cruza prominent activist in the defense of victims of abuse in Chile. In his letter, the sender made it clear that he was not seeking revenge, but rather wanted the Pope to know the truth about Ciprianiwho served, at that time, as bishop of Lima and cardinal of Peru.
“The only thing I want is for you to know the truth and for you to take it into account when you are going to make decisions about the future of the current bishop of Lima and cardinal of Peru. (…) I just want you to separate from the Church a pastor who “He has done harm and does not deserve all the privileges he has received in these years,” says part of the letter.
Upon receiving the complaint, the pope delegated the case to a trusted Jesuit in Lima, who contacted the complainant to gather information. During the conversation, it was revealed that the abuse was recorded during the sacrament of confession. News of the letter also quickly reached the ears of Opus Dei; However, far from admitting guilt, Cipriani and his circle tried to stop the process. In this way, the victim reported having been subjected to harassment by people close to the organization, who urged him to recant.
It was even known that people bounced messages from Cipriani and told him that they wanted to talk to him, but the victim refused. In this way, he also received up to 49 intimidating messages from a friend of the cardinal. “I was surprised by the amount of rejection and attacks I received, I had not done anything wrong,” the victim said when friends from Opus Dei stopped talking to her.
In the letter addressed to the Pope and accessed by the Spanish media, the victim confessed the experience with Cipriani. “I confessed to him (Cipriani) every week or two weeks for more than a year. They were very hard confessions. He harshly reproached me for my failures in studies or in my behavior. There came a point when I felt very bad and some Sometimes I cried. I was kneeling in front of him, between his legs. When he had me completely emotionally demolished, he hugged me. They were long, uncomfortable hugs (…) All of this was already very uncomfortable. between him and me so that he wouldn’t advance any further.”
Juan Luis Cipriani acknowledges the complaint and assures that they did not listen to his defenses
Hours after the complaint against him was revealed, Juan Luis Ciprianipublished a letter confirming that it was removed due to the sexual abuse complaint; However, he rejected the accusations and assured that his defenses were not heard.
“In August 2018 I was informed that a complaint had arrived that was not delivered to me. Then, without having been heard, without having known more and without a process being opened, on December 18, 2019 the Apostolic Nuncio informed me verbally that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had imposed a series of penalties on me, limiting my priestly ministry and asking that I have a stable residence outside of Peru. I was also asked to keep. silence, which I have done until now,” the letter says.
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“On February 4, 2020, I had an audience with Pope Francis and the Holy Father allowed me to resume my pastoral tasks (…) In these years outside of Lima I lived in Rome dedicated to my work as a cardinal member of the Discaterio para la cauda de los saints until I turned 80 and retired from all occupations in the Roman curia and moved to Madrid,” adds Cipriani.
Meanwhile, priest Ángel Gómez – Hortigüela, vicar of Opus Dei in Peru, acknowledges that he did not respond to a complaint from a victim of abuse linked to the former cardinal.
“As a regional vicar, I apologize with all my heart if I have not been able to fully welcome a person who wanted to be heard. In 2018, when asked for an interview with the complainant, I knew that I could not interfere in a formal accusation that had already been initiated. before the Holy See, which is the appropriate way when it comes to a cardinal,” Gomez said.