The Bolivian prosecutor’s office is investigating at least eight reports of pedophilia against Catholic priests, although the number of cases could rise, in a scandal that shakes the country after learning of the sexual abuse of the late Spanish cleric Alfonso Pedrajas.
the Spanish newspaper Village published on April 30 the personal diary of the Jesuit cleric Alfonso Pedrajas, better known as Father Pica, who died in 2009 in Bolivia of cancer at the age of 66.
A relative gave reporters his diary written on a laptop in which he says he has “hurted many people (85?), too many”. Moreover, he recognized that he was protected by superior clerics of the Society of Jesus.
In the midst of the complaints, the Vatican has sent to Bolivia its main expert on sexual abuse within the Church, the official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Jordi Bartomeu, already the protagonist of numerous investigations in the region, including the led to the dismantling of Chile’s entire ecclesiastical leadership.
History
Pedrajas settled in Bolivia in 1971 and carried out educational activities in various centers until a few months before his death. The greatest number of abuses would have been committed at the Juan XXIII school in the city of Cochabamba, in the center of the country.
John XXIII was a boarding school that welcomed disadvantaged minors and from rural areas and prided himself on having a high standard of education.
Hilarión Baldivieso, from the pupils’ association of that educational center, confirmed the abuses in a press conference and said she had reported “the cover-up” of the Jesuits, who were aware of Pedrajas’ activities.
Following the scandal caused by the revelations in the press, the Bolivian prosecutor’s office has received at least eight complaints of alleged abuses committed by religious.
The attorney general, Juan Lanchipa, said the complaints were filed in the cities of La Paz, Cochabamba, Tarija (south) and Santa Cruz (east).
Among those reported are, in addition to Pedrajas, the Spanish priests Luis María Roma, Alejandro Mestre and Antonio Gausset (Father Tuco), all deceased. Other defendants are still alive.
Some complaints have been presented by the Society of Jesus itself.
Silence
Lanchipa expressed his concern about “the negligence that this Catholic organization has had in not reporting these events and, rather, providing cover and protection to these aberrational events.”
Former Jesuit priest Pedro Lima revealed to AFP last Friday that not only were sexual abuses committed against minors, but even against Jesuits in formation.
Lima said it was expelled from the Society of Jesus in 2001 for reporting abuses within the orderand recently returned to Bolivia from Paraguay to join the complaints in the Pedrajas case.
According to the former religious, “among the victims there are former Jesuits who were trained by this person. In short: he not only abused students, but also Jesuits in formation ”.
Investigations and other complaints
The legal advisor of the Bolivian Bishops’ Conference, Susana Inch, acknowledged that since 2019, when an internal commission was opened to investigate the cases, 12 complaints have been received against priests.
According to an investigation by the Bolivian newspaper Page seventhere are more than 170 victims.
Last week, priest Milton Murillo was arrested on charges of alleged rape, while priest Garvin Grech fled to Argentina on similar charges.
Letter from the President to the Pope
After the swirl of cases, center-left President Luis Arce sent Monday evening a letter to Pope Francis to have access to all the archives and dossier on pedophilia in Bolivia.
Furthermore, he said that his country reserves the right to receive priests in case of complaints and that his government will try to sign a new relationship agreement with the Vatican.
A few days after the revelations about Pedrajas’ diary, the Bolivian Bishops’ Conference has expressed its regret.
“As a Church we condemn these actions, we stand in solidarity with the victims who have suffered acts of sexual abuse, we ask their forgiveness,” he said in a statement.
The Society of Jesus has also indicated that it will place all cases of its knowledge at the disposal of justice.
The Bolivian Church has confirmed the visit of Spanish priest Jordi Bertomeu, sent by the Vatican, to address the issue of sexual abuse in the country.
Source: AFP
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.