Pope Francis has sent one of the most important members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to Bolivia at a time when a notorious pedophilia scandal shakes the Catholic Church in the South American country.
At the same time, the Bolivian president, Luis Arce, sent a letter to the pontiff asking for access to all files and files on sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests in Bolivia.
The Bolivian Bishops’ Conference (CEB) has announced the arrival of a senior Vatican official in the country “analyze” actions before reports of sexual abuse against various priests, some already deceased, who are being investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office.
Spaniard Jordi Bertomeu arrived on Monday from Paraguay, where he is investigating similar allegations. In 2018, it was he who led the investigation into child abuse by priests committed in Chile.
Monsignor Bertomeu will analyze “the progress made so far” in the work of “culture of prevention” promoted by Pope Francis, reports the Ceb in a statement.
“On this occasion, the reflection meetings that will take place in the coming days will take place in an atmosphere of profound closeness to all those in the Church who have been victims of the scourge of abuse”, added the Bolivian bishops.
“As a Church in Bolivia, we once again express our firm commitment to justice and to a pastoral care that is attentive to the most vulnerable,” the CEB said.
Bertomeu “is a very trusted person of Pope Francis, he takes care of looking at these issues and comes to give some indications on how we can manage this issue, listen to and accompany the victims”, said the secretary of the Conference, Monsignor Giovani Arana. .
The Spanish newspaper Village A few weeks ago he published in a newspaper of the Spanish Jesuit Alfonso Pedrajas an investigation which he carried out with testimonies from victims and relatives in which he recounts his life and seems to recount the alleged abuses of dozens of Bolivian children and adolescents, when he was responsible for Juan XXIII school in Bolivia, since 1971.
The case of Pedrajas, who died in 2009, led Bolivia to denounce other priests who allegedly abused minors as well.
In February 2019, the EFE agency publicized the case of Luis Roma, now deceased, through the denunciation of a former member of the Society of Jesus who requested anonymity and who based the allegations on thirty explicit photographs in which he said he had recognized the alleged attacker of several minors aged between 6 and 12 years.
The Bolivian prosecutor’s office has so far received eight complaints of pedophilia against priests and last week raided the facilities of the Society of Jesus in La Paz and ordered the investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of minors, which extended to various departments of the village.
The government has proposed the application of a “reparation mechanism” for the victims of these events and Parliament is analyzing the creation of a “truth commission” to investigate other possible cases of pedophilia and child sexual abuse.
government request
The Bolivian government expressed its “concern” on Monday about these “outrageous” cases involving members of the Catholic Church, Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta said.
“The matter is very sensitive,” Mayta told local media. “We don’t want to create an incident with the Vatican, but there are priests of the Catholic Church who have committed crimes and this situation was initially reported,” she added.
On Monday, President Arce asked Pope Francis for all the files and files on sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests in Bolivia, after the investigations opened by the prosecutor’s office.
Bolivia shocked by press revelations involving late Spanish priest Alfonso Pedrajas, who confessed to private newspaper abused more than 80 minors in Bolivia, where it arrived in the early 70s.
“I request that the Bolivian judicial system be able to access all files, files and information regarding these allegations and acts of sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests and religious in Bolivian territory,” reads the letter sent by the president.
President Arce stated in the note that “the Bolivian state reserves the right to admit the entry into the national territory of new foreign priests and religious who have this history of sexual abuse of minors”.
The provision will remain in force until the conclusion of the negotiation of bilateral agreements and conventions between Bolivia and the Vatican.
The Bolivian Bishops’ Conference has confirmed for its part the visit of the Spanish priest Jordi Bertomeu to address the issue of sexual abuse in the country. Bartomeu is a top official in the Vatican Department for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Source: agencies
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.