Chile's high court asks Vatican for records in sex abuse case

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

World | Fri Nov 13, 2015 1:09pm EST

Chile's high court asks Vatican for records in sex abuse case

SANTIAGO

Chile's Supreme Court on Thursday formally requested that the Vatican hand over all records that Pope Francis has relied upon to defend a Chilean bishop whose alleged knowledge and cover-up of church sex abuse has provoked controversy in the South American nation.

Many politicians, parishioners, and abuse victims say that Bishop Juan Barros knew of and helped cover up abuse by Chilean priest Fernando Karadima over a period of decades.

In 2011, the Vatican sentenced Karadima to "a life of prayer and penitence" for abusing children as far back as the 1950s. A judge later determined the accusations were valid though Karadima was not prosecuted as the statute of limitations had expired.

In March, Francis appointed Barros as the bishop of Osorno, a small city in south-central Chile, provoking raucous protests both there and in the capital, Santiago.

In the face of strong dissent among many Chileans, Francis has repeatedly defended the appointment, saying the accusations against Barros are unfounded.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/13/us-chile-abuse-idUSKCN0T224X20151113

[Kelvin Mace]

1. It seems these accusations are always "unfounded"

until they are founded.

[struggle4progress]

4. It's hard for me to see how Juan Barros could have "helped cover up abuse by Chilean priest

Fernando Karadima over a period of decades"

Barros was military bishop of Chile from 2004 until earlier this year: this military chaplaincy seems to have first become its own diocese in 1983. Earlier this year, he was appointed bishop of Osorno, which is a small mountain diocese, far from the capitol; it is in the archdiocese of Puerto Montt

Karadima worked in El Bosque from 1980 to 2006; this is near Santiago. I find two Catholic churches there, both in the diocese of San Bernadino, so in the archdiocese of Santiago, which is why the archbishop of Santiago announced the Vatican sanctions against Karadima a few years back

This history doesn't indicate Barros ever had any direct supervisory role over Karadima; and it is therefore difficult to see how Barros could have "helped cover up abuse by .. Karadima"

Perhaps the fact that Karadima was once one of Barros' teachers accounts for some of the discomfort in Osorno over Barros' appointment there

[cleanhippie]

2. You just haven't had it Catho-splained to you yet.

Maybe when the vacation is over.

[Goblinmonger]

3. ooooh, "a life of prayer and penitence"

They better hope Amnisty Intl doesn't come after them for harsh penalties.

What a fucking joke.