In the run-up to the next conclave to elect a new Pope, leaders of the international network SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) — Shaun Dougherty for SNAP USA, Donald McLeish for SNAP Australia, Christopher Longhurst for SNAP New Zealand, Felix Fremlin for SNAP Fiji and the Pacific Islands, have assessed that Pope Francis’ reforms did not stop clerical sexual abuse and its coverup by bishops.

Pre-conclave meetings among cardinals have emphasized the urgent need for the next Pope to prioritise the issue of clerical sexual abuse. This reflects a growing understanding that Pope Francis’ reforms, while significant, were not sufficient to fully address the clergy abuse problem, including a culture of impunity and ongoing coverups.

Why Pope Francis failed

The SNAP international leaders report the following:

One of the reasons why Pope Francis’ reforms failed to properly resolve clerical sexual abuse is that the Pope himself was was a product, even a victim, of his own systems. Addressing systemic problems within an organisation often requires expertise from outside the organisation. Systemic structural failures can be complex, requiring external knowledge and skills to make the necessary changes. But Francis operated only from within his own systems.

Other failures of Pope Francis to resolve clergy sexual abuse involved his procedural rules Vos estis lux mundi, which placed investigations of bishops into the hands of other bishops, some of whom were accused of concealing abuse themselves.

Further, Pope Francis never enforced his public promise of zero tolerance. Only one abusive bishop, ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick, was removed from clerical status. In New Zealand, Francis kept disgraced Catholic bishop Charles Drennan in clerical and episcopal status after Drennan resigned the Palmerston North Diocese in 2019 for sexual misconduct. Appeals for Drennan’s laicisation were ignored by Pope Francis.

Further, Pope Francis never fulfilled his commitment to openness and transparency around dealing with abuse cases. Despite abolishing the "pontifical secret," he maintained the Vatican’s practice of withholding critical documents and investigative findings. A case in point is the Vatican’s 2024 handling of a purported investigation into historical child sexual assault allegations against New Zealand Cardinal John Atcherley Dew. Neither the investigative process nor its findings were disclosed by the Vatican.

Further, despite claims of independence, in 2022 Pope Francis placed his Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors under the authority of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, a Vatican agency operated by cardinals accused of covering up abuse. That advisory group has received ongoing criticism for not implementing its own recommendations, resulting in the resignations of all foundational members.

New Zealand bishops remain unaccountable

Over the past three years, New Zealand survivors reached out to Pope Francis on several occasions, imploring him to help them after New Zealand’s Catholic bishops were not delivering their promised “fair and compassionate response” to abuse complaints. However, Pope Francis remained silent.

Further, Francis continued to remain silent after the findings of New Zealand’s Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. He never acknowledged the widespread abuse of children, vulnerable people, and adults at risk in his church in New Zealand as found by the Commission. He never apologised to New Zealand survivors, their whānau, and support networks as recommended by the Commission. Neither did he show any sign of holding his New Zealand bishops to account for their lack of accountability and transparency as also found by the Commission.

While one of the most popular popes in modern history, a man who influenced global politics for society’s betterment, who was able to successfully make changes outside his church, Pope Francis was fundamentally ineffective on what mattered the most within his church—the care of his people sexually abused by his priests and bishops.

Despite his popularity and good works, Pope Francis never possessed the credentials needed to lead the global Catholic Church out of its autogenic swamp because prior to becoming Pope, he had covered up abuse in Argentina and even attempted to pervert the course of justice in the Argentine judiciary to shield accused clergy. Effectively, he was, himself, a victim of harmful autogenic systems and structures as identified in the scholarship.

Credentials for next pope

All cardinals previously under Pope Francis, who will shortly elect a new pope from amongst themselves, are now discussing the need to continue the reforms that Francis began. However, their persistence in operating solely from the perspectives of their own laws, teachings, and practices already identified by experts outside their organisation as major contributing factors to the abuse, will not help bring about the required changes. Concealing the truth, remaining silent to avoid scandal, not speaking against deceased clergy, and not prioritising justice for survivors, etc, all add to the problem.

As much as possible, the next pope must have had no history of wrongful conduct in confronting clergy abuse. He must be prepared to immediately enact a mandatory universal zero-tolerance law that instantly removes all abusive clergy from ministry. He must mandate full transparency and set up an independent supervisory board, preferably led by experts outside his church, to ensure his bishops are compliant, and hold to account those who refuse to comply.

However, autogenic victimhood will still be a problem for this pope. Cardinals rank among the most “victimised” of their own systems and structures. Therefore, electing someone from outside their inner circle and giving their people a say in who leads them would be the better road forward.

SNAP encourages Catholic Church hierarchs worldwide to put victims and survivors first, “not in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18)

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