Pope Leo XIV has advanced the beatification process for a deceased bishop who documented in his own published writings how he routinely allowed indigenous children and adolescents to touch his genitals as part of what he claimed was missionary work.
Story Snapshot
- Pope Leo XIV authorized beatification for Bishop Alejandro Labaka in May 2025, despite his own writings documenting inappropriate sexual contact with indigenous youth
- Labaka’s autobiographical accounts describe systematic nudity with children and allowing adolescents to touch his genitals, which he justified as “inculturation” theology
- The controversial excerpts from Labaka’s own published works were made public in February 2026, raising questions about Vatican vetting procedures
- The case represents a stunning institutional accountability failure, as the problematic conduct is not alleged but self-documented by the beatification candidate himself
Vatican Advances Sainthood for Self-Admitted Offender
Pope Leo XIV authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints on May 22, 2025, to advance Bishop Alejandro Labaka Ugarte to “Venerable Servant of God” status, a critical step toward beatification and eventual sainthood. Labaka, a Capuchin missionary killed in Ecuador in 1987, served as Apostolic Vicar of Aguarico among the Huaorani indigenous people. The Vatican’s action formally recognized Labaka’s “offering of life” and opened his path to official Church recognition as a saint, despite documentary evidence in his own published autobiography describing conduct that violates basic Catholic moral teaching on boundaries with minors.
Bishop’s Own Words Document Disturbing Conduct
On February 12, 2026, InfoVaticana published extensive excerpts from Labaka’s autobiographical writings, including his Crónica Huaorani, that explicitly document inappropriate sexual conduct with indigenous youth. Labaka described allowing adolescents to touch his genitals, which he framed as enduring their “natural curiosity” with “naturalness” and without “drama.” His writings detail systematic nudity with young people and children, sharing a bed naked under a mosquito net with a young Huaorani male, and developing a theological framework he called “blessed nudism” to justify these interactions. These are not allegations from critics but Labaka’s own published accounts of his missionary methodology.
Twisted Theology Used to Justify Boundary Violations
Labaka constructed an elaborate theological rationalization for his conduct, treating Christian modesty as merely a “civilizational costume problem” and framing nudity as returning to “Paradise before sin.” His approach to inculturation did not seek to introduce Christian moral boundaries but rather to idealize and integrate into indigenous practices without modification. This represents a fundamental distortion of Catholic teaching on human dignity, appropriate pastoral relationships, and the protection of vulnerable populations. Beatification requires examination of heroic virtues, doctrinal orthodoxy, and integral moral coherence—standards that Labaka’s self-documented conduct demonstrably fails to meet. The Church’s moral tradition explicitly addresses modesty and appropriate boundaries with minors, making his actions incompatible with sainthood recognition.
Institutional Accountability Crisis Deepens
The Vatican’s advancement of Labaka’s cause raises critical questions about the Church’s vetting procedures for beatification candidates. Church officials reviewing his candidacy had apparent access to these problematic autobiographical passages yet authorized the process to proceed. This case fits a disturbing pattern of institutional failures in addressing clergy misconduct, similar to ongoing accountability issues documented by advocacy organizations like the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. The Huaorani people, who directly experienced Labaka’s missionary approach, appear to have minimal voice in the beatification process despite being the primary affected community.
Pope Leo approved beatification process for bishop who let indigenous children touch his private parts – LifeSite https://t.co/fc3fFFxlC4
— Myra Lewis (@MyraLew66922786) February 17, 2026
Conservative Catholics Demand Standards and Transparency
This scandal exemplifies the institutional rot that faithful Catholics have long warned about within Church bureaucracy. The faithful deserve transparency about how Vatican officials could advance a beatification candidate who documented his own violations of basic moral boundaries with indigenous children. This represents not cultural sensitivity but the exploitation of vulnerable populations under the guise of missionary work. Conservative Catholics who value traditional moral teaching and the protection of children are rightly demanding answers about how such a candidacy advanced through official channels. The Church must clarify its beatification standards and demonstrate that heroic virtue, not merely dramatic death circumstances, remains the measure for sainthood recognition.
Sources:
Bishop Labaka, in the process of beatification by Leo XIV, recounted how he allowed young indigenous people to touch his genitals
Leo XIV Approves Beatification Process for Bishop who Let Indigenous Children Touch His Private Parts
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