Pope Francis is taking the highly unusual decision to dissolve an influential Catholic group from Peru which has been plagued by allegations of abuse from within its community, including allegations related to its founder,

The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae — which long based its U.S. presence in Colorado — on Monday confirmed the dissolution.

The Vatican did not immediately provide further details.It is rare for the pope to dissolve a Catholic religious community, even one mired in scandal. Faced with a similar scandal, Benedict XVI, who was pope from 2005-2013,

Pope Francis has dissolved a Catholic religious community with members across South America and the United States, following years of investigations into alleged sexual and psychological abuse by the group's founder and others.