Vatican expels founder of Peru’s Sodalitium religious movement after probe into abuses, corruption

Associated Press

ROME (AP) — The Vatican has expelled the founder of an influential Peruvian religious movement, the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, after more than a decade of downplaying allegations of sexual and psychological abuse and financial corruption. Wednesday’s decree from the Vatican’s office for religious orders came after Pope Francis last year ordered a high-level investigation by the Vatican’s top sex abuse experts to get to the bottom of the scandal, after previous commissions and investigations failed to fully address the group’s problems. The decree was posted on the website of the Peruvian bishops conference. It says Francis gave his explicit authorization to expel Luis Fernando Figari from the movement, even though canon law didn’t precisely cover his alleged misconduct.