Sexual abuse: a newspaper in Italy warns of a “mysterious” appointment in the Zanchetta case

The Roman newspaper “Il Messaggero”, widely read in the Vatican and in the Italian capital, suddenly revived the case of the condemnation of bishop Monsignor Gustavo Zanchetta, who on March 4 was sentenced by a court of Oran, Salta, to four and a half years of imprisonment for sexual abuse committed against two seminarians.

Monsignor Zanchetta, friend of Pope Francisthat when he resigned from the diocese and went to Spain in 2017 he protected him by appointing him to an important position in the Vatican he is the first Argentine bishop convicted of sexual abuse.

The vaticanist of “Il Messaggero”, Francesca Giansoldatihighlights the “mysterious” appointment of the Vatican lawyer who defends Zanchetta in the canonical trial held in the Vatican, called Javier Belda Iniestaas a “preliminary investigator” in another canonical process open for Congregation for the Faith on what happened at the seminary of Orán, Salta.

Belda Iniesta, who accompanied Monsignor Zanchetta from Rome when the criminal trial took place in Oran, from 21 February to 4 March this year, was commissioned by the Vatican to carry out previous investigation within the seminary where sexual abuse was relieved.

the canonical advocate he participated in two canonical trials parallel to the Argentine criminal trial. Both are responsible for the Congregation of the Faith. In the first canonical cause, Javier Belda Iniesta is the defender of Bishop Zanchetta. In the second case, the canonical advocate is a preliminary investigator of what happened in the seminary, the scene of the sexual abuse for which the bishop friend of the pope was sentenced.

“Zanchetta’s former defender is now an investigator and he must listen to the victims whose testimonies sent the aggressor to prison, ”says Giansoldati.

“Il Messaggero” highlights this the “glaring anomaly” of the lawyer Belda Iniesta, former defender of the condemned bishop and now a preliminary investigator in a new canonical trial in the theater of the seminary’s abuses, has already been reported from the Catholic sites “Crux” and “Silere non Possum” (“I can’t shut up”).

A “secret” move.

Both point out that Belda Iniesta’s transition from one mission to another was involved by the Vatican “secretly”.

The whole canonical trial against the Argentine bishop, which showed “An indestructible friendship” with Pope Bergogliountil now it remains in the biggest secret.

The Oran trial has already entered its appeal phase and the lawyers have been replaced by other lawyers from the Argentine judicial system.

Zanchetta

Monsignor Gustavo Zanchetta lived in Buenos Aires and in 2013, shortly after his election as PopeFrancis consecrated him Bishop of Oran, the second city of Salta, a position he held for four years.

When the first denunciations spread (which also reached the Apostolic Nunciature, the embassy of the Holy See in Argentina) the scandal was set in motion the “impious” tendencies of monsignor.

Bishop Zanchetta he resigned in 2017 and left Argentina. It was learned that he was in Spain and that he was later summoned by the Pope to the Vatican. According to Francis himself, his friend defended himself “well” and the Pope appointed him a consultant to the APSA, the Vatican “ministry” which manages the properties of the Holy See.

It was an important position created for him. Zanchetta settled in the residence of Santa Marta, the internal hotel where the pontiff lives e received the Vatican passport.

After being sentenced to four and a half years of imprisonment by a court in Oran, Monsignor Zanchetta spent a few days in a police station and was then sent to prison but then transferred to the hospital in Oran with a health picture of stress and hypertension.

Currently it is hospitalized in a private clinic.

The Salta newspaper “El Tribuno” wrote about the “mystery of the investigation carried out by Javier Belda Iniesta, the lawyer who defended Zanchetta”.

The Spanish canon lawyer defended himself before “El Tribuno”, underlining that the investigation he is carrying out in this second canonical trial ordered by the Vatican “It does not matter” with the cause to Bishop Zanchetta. The cause refers what happened at the seminar in Oran.

According to El Tribuno, among the clergy of Oran “there is fear that there is retaliation against witnesses of the trial in Zanchetta “.

“Secret or confidential. The sentiment surrounding the Oran clergy at this time is one of mystery and doubt. And it is precisely that several people, including priests and parishioners, testify in a preliminary investigation that, according to the lawyer Javier Belda Iniesta, who is carrying out it, tries to verify whether the complaint received it is plausible and attributable to someone”, Writes the newspaper.

“El Tribuno” underlined that “this fact was precisely what aroused suspicion among the Oran clergy, since many have wondered: how could it be that the man who defended Zanchetta now investigate those who were witnesses in the case of the bishop.

Vatican correspondent

ap