People who have been victims of spiritual abuse
within Catholic communities
write to Pope Leo XIV

Most Holy Father,

It is in response to the call set out in your encyclical letter Magnifica Humanitas to set right the ecclesial relationships and structures that disfigure the Church that we take the liberty of addressing you with our deepest respect.

We were particularly struck by the fact that, in listing the various forms of abuse that can affect the Church, the encyclical mentions spiritual abuse first. We have personally experienced its devastating effects, either as former members of various movements of Catholic communities, or as parents or relatives of people who have faced such abuse.

The spiritual abuses we are aware of are based on by now well understood mechanisms: control exercised by a human authority over a person’s relationship with God, conflating fidelity to Christ with submission to a person or an institution, using guilt to undermine personal discernment and any critical distance, instrumentalizing the notion of obedience, prohibiting independent thought and insight, and putting pressure on individual sense of conscience. More precisely, these abuses manifest themselves when doubt is equated with spiritual failing, when suffering is interpreted as a sign of a lack of faith or generosity, or when inner freedom becomes suspect. They also arise when emotional or “mystical” pressures orient vocations, and when a culture of secrecy, the idealization—or even the sacralization—of those in charge, or the fear of “harming the Church” make it impossible to speak freely.

We are either witnesses to all these departures or directly affected by their harmful consequences, which sometimes go as far as destroying those affected to the very core of their being, their conscience, their innermost selves, and their search for God, meaning, and truth. Many of us bear witness to lasting trauma: loss of faith, leaving the Church, a sense of having been manipulated in the name of God, psychological collapse, isolation, inner confusion, an inability to trust again, guilt… Yet this suffering is all too often downplayed or trivialized because spiritual abuse does not always leave visible traces and is inflicted using venerated religious language.

In October 2013, the bishops of France favorably received the “Appeal of Lourdes,” signed by around forty victims, which alerted them to sectarian deviations within certain ecclesial communities and movements. Following this warning, various measures were put in place: apostolic visitations and canonical investigations were conducted. Some communities were placed under supervision, others were asked to undertake far-reaching reforms, while a few were ultimately dissolved. Several religious leaders, both men and women, worked with courage and perseverance to implement these decisions.

Yet despite these initiatives, some communities continue their deviant activities, sometimes even after they have been dissolved. Others resist any scrutiny and deny access to their rules of life containing provisions expressly contrary to canon law. Still other communities continue to project a public image of exemplary, appealing, and reassuring religious devotion. Often encountered at large religious or festive gatherings, these communities naturally inspire trust. Young people, families, and other very generous individuals continue to get involved without warning about the continuing abuses that may exist in these communities and unable to recognize them.