"The 'allegations' of a cover-up against Cardinal Robert Prevost are absolutely false."

Peruvian journalist Pedro Salinas, along with his partner Paola Ugaz, was the one who uncovered and thoroughly investigated the Sodalicio of Christian Life, a movement that, before his death, was suppressed by Pope Francis following the proceedings conducted by the Scicluna-Bertomeu Commission. He has spent years exposing this Catholic sect and has suffered all kinds of persecution, including judicial proceedings. For all these reasons, he is a recognized authority on clerical abuse and is fully aware of the actions of all the bishops in his country in the face of this shameful scourge.

In an exclusive interview with Religion Digital, Salinas asserts that "the 'allegations' of a cover-up against Robert Prevost are absolutely false" and that they came from the ranks of the Sodalicio, "with the purpose of discrediting it, discrediting it, and delegitimizing it in the public eye."

Furthermore, he acknowledges that Prevost "always bought the fight and put himself in the shoes of the victims," ​​and that these false accusations come from the Sodalicio and the "extreme right-wing sectors of the Church" to discredit him.

What conclusions did you draw from the investigation into Prevost's actions regarding the abuses in Chiclayo?

My main conclusion regarding the accusations of a cover-up in Chiclayo, in which, according to the rigorists, Robert Prevost participated as the main cover-up artist, is that they arose from the ranks of the Sodalicio, with the purpose of discrediting it, discrediting it, and delegitimizing it in the public eye as a result of the events that were already beginning to happen in the Sodalicio case.

Are the accusations of a cover-up against Monsignor Prevost false?

The "accusations" against Robert Prevost are absolutely false. This has been verified, confirmed, corroborated, and proven to have no basis in reality.

Did Francis appoint him prefect of bishops when he realized that these accusations of a cover-up were false?

Clearly, and moreover, among the prefects of Dicasteries, Robert Prevost was the prefect or one of the prefects in whom Pope Francis trusted the most. This is something that has also been more or less demonstrated by the level of closeness and trust between Pope Francis and Prevost. This is something that we journalists who have investigated the Sodalicio case know. Those of us who have sued Sodalicio leaders before the Peruvian courts know this. And those of us who have survived the organization know this. Robert Prevost always bought the lawsuit and put himself in the shoes of the victims. He always put the victims first and was one of those who defended survivors and victims against the attacks of the Sodalicio.

Why do some victims continue to accuse him?

The fact that the accusations against Prevost have been reactivated at this time (when we're talking about accusations that, as we say in Lima, are rehashed and never had any basis in reality) is due to the context in which we are living, a conclave, a moment of election of the next Pope. And, therefore, a moment in which the far-right sectors of the Catholic Church are active through their satellite media and acolytes, to discredit potential papal candidates, who could follow Pope Francis's lead. One of them would clearly be Robert Prevost.

In your opinion, is Prevost a papal candidate who could continue Francis's cleansing work?

While I don't know the cardinals with voting rights and the right to be elected in depth, but only superficially, in the case of Prevost, who is a person I do know from his career in Peru and the Vatican, it seems to me that he is someone who could continue Pope Francis's path. Without underestimating the merits of other candidates for the papacy, who could also continue Pope Francis's path, I believe Robert Prevost fits the profile of a candidate who could succeed Francis.

What would his papal election mean for Peru and the Americas, if it occurs?

If Cardinal Prevost is elected Pope, although he is of North American origin, he is very beloved in Peru. He would be celebrated practically as if he were a Peruvian Pope, because he has always put the victims of abuse at the center. Having closely followed the Sodalicio case, I know that he is one of the five bishops who, when he held a leading role in the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, did things for victims, along with the Cardinal and Archbishop of Lima, Carlos Castillo, Cardinal Pedro Barreto, former Sodalit Bishop Kay Martín Schmalhausen, and former Bishop of Caravelí, Reinaldo Nann. The fifth was clearly Robert Prevost. Hopefully, he will be one of the most likely papal candidates in this conclave! It would be great news for Catholics if the new pope were someone like Robert Prevost, in whom Francis had so much confidence. But this is the opinion of an outsider, an agnostic who was impressed by Father Jorge, or Pope Bergoglio, with his Pontificate.

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