Vatican Purge At Sodalitium: Archbishop Eguren and Journalist Alejandro Bermúdez Kicked Out

Francis expelled on 25 September ten members - an archbishop, priests and lay people - from the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a kind of Peruvian "Opus Dei" which was founded in 1971 and counted at its peak about 20,000 members.

The group, which operates mainly in South America and the United States, is accused of "sadistic" abuse of power, authority and spirituality. Francis' punishment of the ten members was announced by the Peruvian Bishops' Conference (see Nota below).

It is the result of a visitation conducted by the Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna and the Spanish priest Jordi Bertomeu, both officials of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Among those expelled are the former Superior General, Eduardo Antonio Regal Villa, and the Archbishop emeritus José Antonio Eguren of Piura.

Also on the list of those expelled from the Sodalitium is the prominent member Alejandro Bermúdez Rosell, a respected Catholic journalist who served as director of the now EWTN-owned CatholicNewsAgency.com from its founding until April 2022. His friendly and devout coverage of Francis didn't pay off. Bermúdez is currently a consultant to Catholic media, including CatholicVote.org.

The Peruvian bishops' press release claims that there are cases involving "physical abuse, even sadism and violence". It also speaks of abuses of conscience, using sectarian methods to break the will of the subordinates and abuses in the "management of assets".

CNN.com repeats that the group's founder Luis Figari has sodomized his recruits and forced them to fondle him and one another. An outside investigation ordered by Sodalitium determined 2017 that Figari was "narcissistic, paranoid, demeaning, vulgar, vindictive, manipulative, racist, sexist, elitist and obsessed with sexual issues and the sexual orientation" of Sodalitium’s members.

Figari enjoyed watching them "experience pain, discomfort and fear" and humiliated them in front of others to increase his control over them, the report said.

In 2017, the Vatican ordered Figari to live apart from the community in Rome. He was expelled from Sodalitium in August 2024.

In 2023, it was revealed that Sodalitium had dubious financial dealings, including large offshore holdings.

Picture: José Antonio Eguren, Alejandro Bermúdez Rosell, #newsMpxmnzfxio