Pedro Arrupe, the late worldwide leader of the Jesuit order and a candidate for Catholic sainthood, was warned that an aspiring priest, Donald Barkley Dickerson, had been accused of sexually molesting two minors and making sexual advances on a third, according to records produced in a New Orleans court case. Despite this knowledge, there is no indication that Arrupe took steps to prevent Dickerson from being ordained.
Dickerson later faced further allegations of molesting minors through his ministry and died in 2016. He was confirmed by the Jesuits in 2018 to be among hundreds of their members with substantial claims of child molestation. The documents have emerged in a lawsuit accusing Dickerson of raping a 17-year-old student at Loyola University New Orleans, raising questions about whether Arrupe did enough to protect those who trusted the order.
Arrupe, who served as superior general from 1965 to 1983 and coined the Jesuit motto 'men for others', is a beloved figure with his name on numerous awards and buildings. The Vatican began the process to canonise him in 2019. However, the new scrutiny comes amid mixed signals from the Catholic Church on addressing clergy abuse. Pope Leo XIV recently condemned abuse, but the archdiocese of Toulouse appointed a convicted child rapist as chancellor, and a former Vatican diplomat convicted for child abuse imagery continues working at the secretariat of state.
John Armstrong, a Jesuit official and secretary of the US central and southern province, testified under oath that he found the order's admission of Dickerson 'appalling'. Attorneys for the plaintiff in the New Orleans case said Arrupe should not be canonised and his name should be stripped from all buildings and awards. The Jesuit central and southern province declined to comment on the pending litigation.
