The Vatican ratified the validity of the disciplinary sanctions against the former archbishop of Lima Juan Luis Cipriani for accusations of sexual abuse. The announcement came through the spokesman, Matteo Bruni, and showed the lies present in the cardinal’s statement, who denied having committed pedophilia and assured that he was sanctioned “without having been heard.”
After the dissemination of said writing, the Holy See remembered Cipriani that he has restrictions “related to his public activity, place of residence and use of insignia” and that these were accepted by himself.
Likewise, he indicated that “although on specific occasions some permissions were agreed to accept requests due to the cardinal’s age and family situation, in the current state such precept is still in force.” This in response to Cipriani, who indicated that since 2020, Pope Francis allowed him to resume his pastoral tasks such as preaching spiritual retreats, administering sacraments, among others.
Also, the Vatican refers to “accusations” against Cipriani, however, the religious only mentioned a single complaint against him. “In August 2018 I was informed of a complaint that was not delivered to me,” he said.
Regional Vicar of Opus Dei in Peru did not attend to the complaint against Cipriani
The lawsuit he refers to is one presented, that year, before the regional vicar of Opus Dei in Peru, Father Ángel Gómez-Hortigüela.
According to the testimony of the complainant, to El País, he asked Gómez-Hortigüela for an interview for an alleged act of sexual rape committed by Cipriani to a minor in 1983, however, he was ignored.
The priest acknowledged this fact through a statement. “When a person trusted by the complainant asked me to meet with him, I reacted thinking that this meeting could not be positive. Today I realize that I could have offered him a personal, human and spiritual welcome, which I know he received. of other people from Opus Dei,” he mentioned.
Furthermore, he admitted that, at that time, the protocols of the Opus Dei to address accusations of this type were inadequate and did not guarantee the registration or follow-up of complaints, something that, according to him, has been corrected as of 2020.
Juan Luis Cipriani was in Peru despite the restriction imposed by the Vatican
On the other hand, Cipriani violated the restrictions regarding the place of residence of the Vatican and in January 2025 he was in Peru.
In our country, even with several complaints of pedophilia against him, the cardinal received, on the 7th of this month, the medal of order of merit of the Grand Cross degree, which was presented by the mayor of Lima, Rafael López Aliagawho is also a member of Opus Dei.
The highest distinction was awarded for his pastoral, academic and ecclesiastical work since his ordination as a priest in the prelature of Opus Dei, according to sources close to the Municipality of Lima.
Upon receiving the recognition, Cipriani thanked López Aliaga and urged “not to hate.” “Mr. Mayor, thank you very much for this distinction. I thank the councilors and all those who accompany me on this occasion. The mayor’s office is fundamentally a place of meeting, exchange, friendship, progress (…) Let’s learn to understand each other, let’s learn not to hate. May God bless everyone in this new year,” he said.
Days later, after the publication of the statement from the former archbishop of Lima, the mayor ratified his support through X: “I reiterate my support and gratitude to Cardinal Cipriani, whom I have known perfectly well for many years. It is unfair to accuse a human being and not giving him the right to defend himself,” he wrote.
Another link between López Aliaga and the Cipriani
The links between López Aliaga and the Cipriani do not stop there. According to the JNE’s registry of political organizations, Javier José María Cipriani Thorne, brother of the former archbishop, has been affiliated with the political organization Renovación Popular since May 20, 2024.
Furthermore, according to the information on the Government of Peru website, Javier José would be president of the General Meeting of Shareholders of the Municipal Real Estate Company of Lima, which is in charge of the administration of properties owned by the Municipality of Lima.
