Investigation of sexual abuse in Pope's old Diocese was "severely deficient, superficial, and riddled with procedural errors"

The Church admitted Prevost's negligence in the Lute case: “The preliminary investigation was a farce. Very poorly conducted. Many errors. Very superficial.”

In a meeting with the victims of the abusive priest Eleuterio Vásquez Gonzáles, Giampiero Gambaro, the Church's official representative in the case of the pedophile priest from Chiclayo, acknowledged on April 23, 2025, the serious irregularities in the ecclesiastical investigation conducted under the responsibility of the then Bishop of Chiclayo, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, in 2022.

Gambaro, a canon lawyer appointed by the current Bishop of Chiclayo, Edison Farfán, as delegate to oversee the administrative penal process against Vásquez Gonzáles, openly admitted that the initial investigation was severely deficient, superficial, and riddled with procedural errors. This constitutes the first official confirmation of negligence in the Church's handling of the controversial Lute case.

“The preliminary investigation was a farce. Formally, it was more or less well done, with some formal errors, but oh well. And then the content of the investigation was... very... practically nonexistent, right? They practically asked similar questions to the complaints you filed, and the priest received practically no response. He didn't answer anything.”

The delegate himself emphasized that the lack of rigor and superficiality marked the entire process, even stating that serious errors were made within the Holy See in handling the case.

“I learned about many things, and many errors, a lot of superficiality, even among several figures within the Holy See... there are several complex situations here.”

An investigation lacking essential evidence

Beyond the formal deficiencies acknowledged by Gambaro, what is clear is that the Church did not investigate anything it should have. Multiple pieces of evidence remained to be gathered: eyewitness testimonies, a review of diaries, and statements from those who accompanied the priest on his trips with minors to the mountains, where he stayed overnight with them in the presence of a driver and several witnesses.

None of these investigative steps were ordered or carried out. The canonical investigation—as Gambaro acknowledged—was limited to a formal procedure devoid of substance, without questioning the victims or the accused himself, who “did not answer anything.”

The legal error that contradicts the Church’s own law

One of the most serious aspects revealed in Gambaro’s statements is the explanation for the case’s dismissal by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which closed it citing the statute of limitations under Peruvian law. The delegate described this decision as “extremely strange,” acknowledging that the Church never applies civil statutes of limitations to canonical offenses, and that Pope Francis had repeatedly waived the statute of limitations in abuse cases.

“This is the first time I’ve dealt with this type of situation… the first time they’ve invoked the civil statute of limitations… Really…? That’s extremely strange.”

Sending the victims to a civil process that had clearly expired after more than seven years was not only pastorally inappropriate, but also legally contrary to canon law, which establishes its own penal system and its own rules regarding the statute of limitations. Dismissing the case under this argument—as the Church delegate himself now acknowledges—was a blatant act against ecclesiastical law.

“The same person who signed this letter then signed another letter saying, ‘There’s no need to proceed with the process,’” he added, underscoring the inconsistency of the decisions made by the Church authorities.

“The victims’ anger is legitimate”

Gambaro not only acknowledged the procedural and legal errors, but also admitted the legitimacy of the victims’ outrage.

“I agree with their anger. Now, how do we repair all of this?”

His words confirm what the victims and their representatives have been denouncing for years: that the investigation led by Robert Prevost contained many serious errors, and that both the ecclesiastical authorities of Chiclayo and the Vatican acted, at the very least, with negligence, disinterest, and a lack of commitment in the face of the abuses committed by Eleuterio Vásquez Gonzáles.

Confirmation of what Infovaticana has been reporting

The statements made by Giampiero Gambaro —the Church's official delegate for the Lute case and the canon lawyer in charge of the file— prove that the Church itself recognises what Infovaticana has been denouncing from the outset and for which it has been singled out: that the proceedings against the paedophile priest Lute, conducted under the authority of Bishop Robert Prevost, Monsignor Cornejo and Edison Farfán, was an investigation lacking the rigour and minimum measures necessary to arrive at the truth.

And it is worth remembering: Infovaticana has not done so out of animosity towards anyone, but out of a conviction of justice. Because we believe that the Church must make amends to all victims and acknowledge any mistakes made in the proceedings. Only from this truth—painful but necessary—can it regain the moral credibility that the abuses themselves and their cover-up have compromised.

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