Pope Leo XIV Faces Criticism Over Role Given to Convicted Clerical Offender
Pope Leo XIV is facing mounting criticism over revelations that a convicted priest, previously found guilty of child pornography offences, is now working within the Vatican’s Secretariat of State. The case concerns Reverend Carlo Alberto Capella, an Italian cleric and former Vatican diplomat whose 2018 conviction drew international attention and condemnation.
Capella was arrested in 2017 while serving at the Holy See’s diplomatic mission in Washington, D.C. U.S. authorities uncovered a significant cache of child sexual abuse images in his possession, leading the Vatican to recall him to Rome. Despite repeated requests from the U.S. State Department to waive his diplomatic immunity so he could be prosecuted under American law, the Vatican refused. Instead, Capella was tried by a Vatican tribunal and sentenced to five years in a Vatican prison.
Reports indicate that after serving less than four years of his sentence, Capella was quietly released in 2022 and returned to work in an administrative capacity at the Secretariat of State. The decision, apparently made under Pope Francis but retained under Pope Leo XIV, has drawn fierce backlash from survivors’ groups and Catholic commentators.
Peter Isely, a founding member of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), told the Washington Post: “Why not give him a job scrubbing floors, or bathrooms, at the Vatican? Why is he still an official member of the State Department? It’s wrong on every level.”
Capella’s attorney, Roberto Borgogno, claimed the decision was based on “good behaviour” and insisted the priest is not in contact with the public. Nonetheless, critics argue that any official role in the Vatican bureaucracy—especially one linked to diplomacy or statecraft—sends the wrong message, undermining the credibility of recent papal efforts to restore trust in the Church’s handling of clerical abuse.
Under Pope Francis, reforms were introduced to hold bishops accountable, increase transparency, and ensure justice for victims. Pope Leo XIV, elected earlier this year, has so far indicated he will continue these reforms. However, Capella’s reappointment casts doubt on that commitment for some observers.
Catholic bloggers have begun raising questions about the decision-making process, the standards applied to reinstated clergy, and whether genuine contrition and justice are compatible with bureaucratic reintegration. Critics argue that this is a test case for Pope Leo XIV’s resolve in confronting the clerical culture that historically prioritised rehabilitation over accountability.
The Vatican has not yet issued an official statement in response to the controversy.
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