Justice. The Vatican formalized the dissolution of the Catholic group Sodalicio or also known as Sodalitium Christianae Vitae(SCV) – founded in 1971 – due to sexual, physical and psychological abuses against minors and others, who began with complaints against its founder Luis Figari and that, in 2024, he was expelled. The decree, which bears the signing of the Pope Franciscondemns all the facts denounced, as well as financial corruption within the economic operations of this group of sodálites.
With this decision, this religious group was extinguished, for many years, irreparable damage to dozens of people and hidden after the image of priests.
It should be remembered that the news of the extinction of this organization of Cures was announced on January 18 through the Infovatican portal and, two days later, it was confirmed by the same Christian life sodalicio through a statement in which they accepted that two people of them had violated the reserves of the case and filtered the information. “Two sodálites acknowledged having violated the reserves of the case and, after asking for those present, they were definitively expelled from the assembly,” they said.
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Likewise, financial corruption evidence within the economic operations of the Sodalicio would have been decisive to decide the dissolution. The continuity of this religious community was unsustainable to the serious accusations against him.
As recalled, a track that helped the decision of the Vatican and Pope Francis was the journalistic investigation of Pedro Salinas and Paola Ugaz, ‘half monks, half soldiers’, which narrate 30 testimonies of ex -women who were victims of abuse of Luis Figari and company.
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José Escardó, first complainant of the Sodalicio, is pronounced
The Republic was able to contact José Enrique Escardó, the first complainant of the abuse of the sodalicio, and emphasized that, despite the extinction of this group of religious, it is necessary that there be civil and criminal justice against those investigated.
“It is a measure that claims the victims in the sense of repair and prevention. But the connection with civil and criminal justice is needed, which is the real justice, which would also provide a greater reparation to the victims. The Peruvian State has shown its worst face in the Sodalicio case,” he said.
Along the same lines, he squeezed the Catholic Church responsible for damages to the victims of the abuses committed by the group of religious and that generated impunity to the members of the Sodalicio.
“What we ask is a health process in which the individual is recognized, their affectation and personal needs. Each victim has suffered differently and has different needs. The Catholic Church is also responsible for it because it generated the environment that allowed organizations such as sodalicio and thousands of aggressors of all kinds to arise in the entire world. In addition, it is responsible for the impunity of these aggressors,” he said.
However, José Enrique said that, in 2010, one of those expelled from the Sodalicio, Alejandro Bermúdez, wrote via email to apologize in the “name of the brothers” of the Catholic Church. However, time after, Narra Escardó, Bermúdez used that mail to lie in a university in Canada.
In the same way, it happened with José Ambrozic, who was his spiritual director, apologized, but the victim’s response was not the one he expected.
“I did not accept it and made it clear that forgiveness has to ask for the entire board of directors of the Sodalicio looking into the victims and telling them why they ask for forgiveness in their specific case and what each victim needs for their healing process. That has not happened with anyone,” he said.
Sodalicio confirms its dissolution
In a statement, the sodalicio of Christian life, informed that he signed the decree of suppression of his community at the headquarters of the Decaterory for institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life. It will also be Mons. Jordi Bertomeu in charge of performing suppression tasks.
“With pain and obedience we accept this decision approved specifically by Pope Francis that ends our society,” said the sodalicio.
Despite all the accusations, the religious organization apologized to the victims, the Church and the Society of Catholics for the abuse and abuses committed.
