On June 20, 2025, Pope Leo XIV called for the defense of “free and ethical journalism,” which is not “only an act of justice, it is a duty for all those who aspire to a solid and participatory democracy.”
On the occasion of the performance of a play in Peru depicting a journalist's work against abuse in the Church, Pope Leo XIV thanked her for fighting for justice.
The Pope’s message was read during the presentation of a play in Peru recounting the story of a Peruvian journalist, Paola Ugaz, who fought against abuses committed by a Catholic community. The group, Sodalitium Vitae Christianae, was dissolved by Pope Francis.
Referring to the “deep institutional and social tensions” in Peru, Pope Leo remarked, “Where a journalist is silenced, it is the democratic soul of a country that is weakened. Freedom of the press is an inalienable common good.”
In his message written in Spanish, Pope Leo XIV recalled meeting hundreds of journalists who covered the conclave at the beginning of his pontificate. On that occasion, he also greeted Paola Ugaz, whom he knows well and who was present in Rome at the time.
“This meeting was more than a formal greeting: It was a reaffirmation of the sacred mission of those who, through their work as journalists, become bridges between facts and the conscience of peoples. Even at the cost of great difficulties,” the Pope wrote.
Specifically, the Holy Father noted the role journalists have played in helping the Church fight abuse.
“It is urgent to make a culture of prevention take root in the entire Church, one that does not tolerate any form of abuse — whether of power or authority, of conscience, or spiritual, or sexual.”
A journalist persecuted for revealing abuse
The play, titled Proyecto Ugaz – Project Ugaz – (named after Paola Ugaz) was performed in Lima, the capital of Peru, on Friday, June 20. While then-bishop Robert Provost was bishop of Chiclayo (2015-2023) and vice-president of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, he supported her in her work.
She was reporting on the many abuses of the Sodalitium community, founded in Peru in 1971. Its founder, layman Luis Fernando Figari, had already been expelled from his community in 2014 following accusations of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including against minors.
Ugaz is the co-author of an investigative book published in 2015. The revelations contained therein were an important step in the process of dissolving this community, whose other leaders were also accused of abuse and corruption.
The Vatican's suppression of this entity, which had nearly 20,000 members, came last April, three weeks before the conclave.
A papal message of support
During the performance of the play in the presence of victims of the movement, Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, official of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome and apostolic commissioner in Peru for the Sodalitium case, read Pope Leo XIV's message.
“I want to thank those who persevered in this cause, even when they were ignored, discredited, and even prosecuted,” Leo XIV wrote in his letter.
At the time, Sodalitium members had orchestrated a smear campaign against whistleblowers and victims. “Your struggle for justice is also that of the Church,” he emphasized.
Echoing the words of his predecessor Pope Francis, Leo XIV declared that “the pain of the victims and their families is also our pain, and that is why it is urgent to reaffirm our commitment to guarantee the protection of minors and vulnerable adults.”
The former prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops has often had to deal with sensitive cases concerning the handling of abuse by diocesan leaders around the world. In this message, he explains that “prevention and care are not a pastoral strategy: they are at the heart of the Gospel.”
He insists: “It is urgent to make a culture of prevention take root in the entire Church, one that does not tolerate any form of abuse — whether of power or authority, of conscience, or spiritual, or sexual.”
