Jesuits expel Francesc Peris from the priesthood over abuse of minors

The Society of Jesus has expelled Francesc Josep Peris Boixeda, 84, after confirming that he sexually abused minors from at least the 1970s. The decision follows a canonical process opened in 2023 in response to complaints brought by his victims. Peris received the maximum canonical penalties, which means dismissal from the clerical state and from the religious order. He is no longer a priest or a Jesuit.

The complaints, 24 in all, date from his time in Bolivia and at a school in Barcelona. The ordinary criminal courts never brought him to trial because the statute of limitations had expired. One of the cases was shelved for that reason in January of this year, even though Peris had admitted the abuse during the Church proceedings.

Supervision under restrictive conditions

Despite the penalty, the Society has reached an agreement with Peris that will allow him to live in one of its communities under strict conditions. He is barred from contact with minors or vulnerable adults and with his victims, from receiving visitors without permission, and from leaving the house without authorization.

Because he has been expelled from religious obedience, his superiors no longer have formal control over his conduct. The Society of Jesus's Spanish province said in a statement that the decision is intended to keep Peris in a setting where he can be supervised. It said the order has a responsibility not to disregard his situation.

Admission of errors and commitment to victims

The Society said it had made "serious mistakes" in its response to the victims, and asked forgiveness of them and their families. It said it will continue to offer care and reparation to those who suffered abuse.

Dismissal from the clerical state falls to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which delegated the decision to the superior general of the Jesuits, Arturo Sosa. The penalty amounts to a definitive finding that Peris was guilty of offenses against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue, that is, the sexual abuse of minors.

Comparisons with other cases

The case has drawn comparisons with other abuse cases in the Church, among them that of the priest Marko Ivan Rupnik, who was expelled from the Society but has not been dismissed from the clerical state. In Peris's case, the order has chosen to maintain a link with him and allow him to live in a Jesuit community under restrictive conditions.