VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV made plenty of enemies helping dismantle a powerful Catholic movement whose leaders physically, sexually, spiritually and psychologically abused members. As Leo’s past record of handling clergy sexual abuse cases comes under scrutiny, victims of the now-disgraced group are stepping up to defend him.

These survivors say that starting in 2018, when Robert Prevost was a bishop in Peru, he met with them. He took their claims seriously when others did not. He got the Vatican involved and worked concretely to provide financial reparations for the harm they had endured.