Pope expels 10 men from scandal-plagued movement in Peru for abuses

Pope Francis expelled 10 members from a scandal-plagued movement based in Peru following allegations of physical abuse and other mistreatment.

The 10 men from the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae movement are accused of sadism and violence, as well as abuses of authority and sect-like methods.

The move was announced by the Peruvian Bishops Conference, which on Wednesday posted a letter from the diplomatic office of the Holy See in Lima.

Among those excluded are a retired archbishop, several priests and laypersons. The pope sent two special investigators to Lima last year to examine the litany of allegations.

The ultra-conservative Catholic educational organization was founded as a reaction to the left-leaning liberation theology that became popular in Latin America starting in the 1960s.

Children and young people are said to have been mistreated in the group for years. The first accusations date back to 2000.

Its founder, Luis Fernando Figari, was already expelled from the group by Pope France last month.

The statement said the pope and Peruvian Bishops Conference regret the abuse, ask the victims for forgiveness and call on the Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana to follow the path of justice and reparation.