By Salvatore Cernuzio
In a message against all forms of abuse, Pope Leo XIV has called for a cultural transformation within the Catholic Church.
“[It is necessary to] radicate throughout the Church a culture of prevention that does not tolerate any form of abuse: abuse of power or authority, of conscience or spirituality, of sexual abuse”, he writes.
His words were read at the performance of the theatrical production Proyecto Ugaz, currently running in Lima, Peru. The play honours investigative journalist Paola Ugaz, known for her reporting on the now-suppressed Sodalitium, and who has faced sustained harassment for her work.
Drawing on Ugaz's example, the Pope issued a firm defence of press freedom: “Wherever a journalist is silenced, the democratic soul of a nation is weakened.”
