When Zero-Tolerance Ends in Silence: Leo XIV, Chiclayo, and the Crisis of Credibility
What is a “zero-tolerance” Church worth, if its processes dissolve the very truth that victims seek?
This question hangs over the emerging scandal surrounding the former Bishop of Chiclayo — now Pope Leo XIV. The controversy is not about a single cleric, nor merely about the failures of one diocesan process. It reaches into the heart of the Church’s credibility.
The case of the Quispe sisters
In Chiclayo, Peru, Ana María Quispe Díaz and her two sisters report that they were abused as minors by two priests: Father Eleuterio “Lute” Vásquez González and Father Ricardo Yesquén Paiva. One of the accused, according to legal sources consulted in Peru, admitted to serious sexualised contact with minors, while attempting to justify himself by claiming the acts were not “complete.”¹
When Robert Prevost was bishop of Chiclayo, he met with the victims in 2022 and informed them that precautionary measures were taken while the file was forwarded to Rome.² The Quispe sisters, however, describe a process marked by silence: repeated requests to view their own dossier were denied; updates were sporadic or non-existent; and the canonical procedure stalled for years.³
When Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV in 2025, the case reached its turning point. Rather than proceeding to a canonical sentence, the Vatican granted Vásquez a dispensation from the clerical state — an “honourable discharge” — ending the possibility of a full trial.⁴
The victims were informed in person: a folded paper, without envelope, no protocol number, no seal.⁵ For them, this was the final injury — a closure without truth.
What the internal recording revealed
A recording obtained by a major Chicago newspaper contains a statement from the delegate-instructor appointed to investigate the case, Father Giampiero Gambaro, OFM Cap. In the presence of the victims, Gambaro allegedly described the earlier diocesan investigation as “full of errors and superficiality,” adding that the accused priest had been asked “practically nothing” and “did not answer anything.”⁶
These comments directly contradict public assurances by Church officials that procedures were rigorous. An advocacy group affiliated with SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), Conclave Watch, noted that the recording “stands in stark contrast” to official statements issued in defence of the process.⁷
To the victims, this is not merely administrative dysfunction. It is the mechanism of a cover-up: an investigation poorly executed, no opportunity for sentence, and an exit route that prevents the Church from ever ruling formally on what was done to them.
The canon lawyer who defended the victims
The canonical representative of the Quispe sisters, Msgr. Ricardo Coronado Arrascue, publicly accused Chiclayo’s leadership — including Bishop Prevost — of concealing abuse and protecting clerics.⁸ Within the same period, the Peruvian Episcopal Conference prevented him from continuing to represent the victims.⁹
Coronado Arrascue was subsequently laicised — a decision many observers believe was retaliatory.¹⁰
If that is the case, then the canonical system did not simply fail to protect the vulnerable — it punished the person who defended them.
How survivors interpret the pattern
For SNAP founder Peter Isely, the issue extends beyond Chiclayo.
“We cannot have another pope who has covered up child sex crimes. The only way the Church changes is when there are consequences.”¹¹
The logic is direct:
abuse occurs; victims speak; internal investigation is flawed; justice is never rendered; the cleric departs quietly; the system moves on.
In this pattern, the Church’s structures produce the effect of a cover-up even without explicit intent: no verdict, no reparation, no truth.
Defences of Leo XIV — and their limits
Bishop Edinson Farfán, Leo’s successor in Chiclayo, has publicly described accusations against Leo as “lies,” insisting that the then-bishop “respected procedures” and listened to victims.¹²
Vatican officials have not issued a substantive comment on the recorded remarks by Gambaro or on the details of the dispensation. Instead, Pope Leo XIV has offered broader statements promoting a “culture that does not tolerate any form of abuse” and praising journalists who expose wrongdoing.¹³
In interviews reported by Spanish and Peruvian press, Leo suggested that “manipulation of the case” by certain actors worsened the suffering of victims.¹⁴ It is true that one of the victims later criticised the intent of her former canon lawyer, suggesting he may have used her case for ideological purposes.¹⁵
Yet this does not erase the concrete questions:
Why was the canonical process so poor?
Why was there no sentence?
Why was the dispensation granted?
Why were victims excluded from their own file?
Even if some actors operated with mixed motives, the institutional handling remains indefensible.
Zero-tolerance versus the trapdoor of dispensation
The Church has spent two decades promising “zero-tolerance.” But the Chiclayo case demonstrates how easily that promise collapses when canonical procedures allow:
- an accused priest to leave without public judgment,
- a whistleblower canonist to be punished,
- victims to be isolated from their legal rights, and
- the truth to disappear into administrative silence.
When dispensation becomes the substitute for a canonical verdict, zero-tolerance is reduced to zero-transparency.
That is the moral paradox running through the heart of this scandal.
A credible response: what justice requires
If Pope Leo XIV is serious about protecting victims and rebuilding trust, a decisive course is available:
1. Reopen the Chiclayo dossier under an independent canonical commission with no prior involvement.
2. Provide the victims with full access to their file, and publish a summary of findings.
3. Re-examine the laicization of Coronado Arrascue, with reasons made public. If unjust, reparation is owed.
4. Enshrine a universal canonical norm: dispensation may not replace a judicial process in cases of abuse of minors.
These measures would honour the Church’s professed principles — and the Gospel’s command:
“Let your ‘Yes’ be Yes, and your ‘No’ be No.”
Conclusion
This is not a campaign against a personality. The integrity of the Church is at stake.
The faithful cannot simply be told to “trust the process” when the process appears designed to avoid the truth.
A pope is the guardian of unity — not the beneficiary of secrecy. If the system he inherited is broken, then his duty is to expose it, repair it, and defend the victims who entrusted their pain to God’s Church.
Until this happens, calls for resignation will continue — not because Catholics reject the papal office, but because they demand that the office be worthy of the name: Vicar of Christ, servant of Truth.
- Admission reported in legal correspondence cited by Peruvian sources and analysis by canon lawyers consulted by InfoVaticana.
- Victims’ account of meeting with Bishop Prevost, reported by advocacy representatives.
- Victims’ statement regarding repeated denial of access to the file.
- Reporting by InfoVaticana on the dispensation granted to Father Vásquez in 2025.
- Description of the notification as given to the victims during a meeting in Lima.
- Recording reported by the Chicago Sun-Times documenting remarks of Fr Giampiero Gambaro, OFM Cap.
- Statement by Conclave Watch, affiliated with SNAP, based on hearing the recording.
- Public accusation by Msgr. Coronado Arrascue regarding cover-ups within the Peruvian episcopate.
- Victims’ letter to the Holy See documenting removal of their canonical counsel.
- Subsequent laicization of Msgr. Coronado Arrascue.
- Public remarks by Peter Isely, founder of SNAP.
- Statement by Bishop Edinson Farfán defending Pope Leo XIV’s actions in Chiclayo.
- Papal speeches promoting “zero-tolerance” and praise of investigative journalists.
- Interview comments reported by Spanish press suggesting manipulation of the case.
- Victim’s later statement regarding the perceived motives of her former canon lawyer.
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