Pope Leo XIV's visit to Argentina is drawing renewed attention to allegations of sexual abuse and other crimes involving Catholic clergy and lay members, with survivors urging the Vatican to take more decisive action against those accused or convicted.
Victims have voiced frustration over the Vatican's perceived silence on church proceedings related to priests convicted in criminal courts, seeking their defrocking, the Catholic Church's most severe disciplinary measure.
The papal visit, initially planned for November 8-11, has elicited mixed reactions. Some survivors hope to engage with Pope Leo XIV to share their experiences and advocate for action, while others, including members of a network of clergy abuse survivors, are protesting the visit, asserting that the church has not upheld its commitment to a "zero tolerance" policy for abuse.
Scandals in Córdoba and Opus Dei
Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Córdoba province, where priest Alejandro Nicola faces allegations of sexually abusing children at a Catholic school’s kindergarten, with incidents reportedly occurring in 2025. More than a dozen families have filed complaints, and while prosecutors are investigating, the local church has initiated a preliminary inquiry. Nicola's continued public appearances, including celebrating Mass at Córdoba’s cathedral in July despite the allegations, have angered the families of the alleged victims. Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit the same cathedral during his trip.
Florencia Navarro and Fernanda Agüero, who accuse Nicola of abusing their daughters, have criticized church and school authorities for their response. Navarro expressed a desire for the pope to offer explanations regarding the church's commitment to protecting the vulnerable, while Agüero hopes his message will translate into "concrete actions."
Cordoba Archbishop Ángel Rossi has invoked the principle of presumption of innocence regarding Nicola's case. Nicola himself has not directly addressed the allegations, stating that his lawyers would handle the matter, and his defense team has remained publicly silent.
Separately, a group of 43 women allege they were subjected to human trafficking and forced labor at Opus Dei centers in Argentina. Their allegations implicate senior members of the conservative Catholic organization, including its global leader, Fernando Ocáriz. Prosecutors have requested that several individuals, including three former Opus Dei vicars in South America, a former regional secretary of its women’s section, and Mariano Fazio, the organization’s second-highest-ranking official, be summoned for questioning. The women, some of whom were recruited as teenagers under false pretenses and worked without pay for extended periods between the 1970s and 2015, are seeking a meeting with the pope and have requested that Ocáriz also face charges.
Their lawyer, Sebastián Sal, is pursuing a meeting with the pope and has asked for Opus Dei leaders to issue a public apology. The women claim the Vatican has not responded to a formal complaint filed in 2021. Opus Dei authorities in Argentina have categorically denied these allegations.
Past Abuse Cases and Vatican Proceedings
Argentina has seen other significant clergy abuse scandals, including those involving deaf children at the Antonio Próvolo Institute in Mendoza between 2005 and 2016. In September, former nun Kumiko Kosaka was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing five students. In 2019, priests Horacio Corbacho and Nicola Corradi received lengthy prison sentences for their involvement in abuse at the institute; Corradi died under house arrest.
Survivors have criticized the Vatican for not publicly announcing the outcome of canonical proceedings against Corbacho, initiated in 2017. A Vatican-appointed judicial vicar had recommended both priests' dismissal from the clergy.
Survivors’ groups are also calling for the removal of clerical status from convicted priests such as Christian Von Wernich, Julio Grassi, and former Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta. Von Wernich, a former police chaplain, was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 for his role in murders and torture during Argentina’s military dictatorship. A church investigation was announced in 2007, but no canonical sanctions have been made public.
Grassi, convicted of sexually abusing a minor, is serving a 15-year sentence. Survivors state that the Vatican has not announced a decision on his clerical status despite a report from the Diocese of Morón. Pope Francis, then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, commissioned a study in 2010 that concluded Grassi was innocent, a finding that contradicted the trial verdict. Zanchetta, a former bishop close to Pope Francis, was sentenced in 2022 for sexually abusing two seminarians and was granted parole in 2025. This led to renewed calls for his defrocking. Francis had initially supported Zanchetta and facilitated a position for him at the Vatican, which allowed him to leave Argentina. A canonical criminal proceeding was eventually authorized in 2019, but the Vatican has not issued a public ruling.
The Vatican did not respond to requests for comment regarding the canonical status of convicted clergy, nor did the Argentine dioceses overseeing these cases.
The Vatican typically defers initiating canonical trials until criminal appeals are exhausted to avoid prejudicing outcomes, although it recommends precautionary measures such as removing priests from active ministry during investigations.