The names of 26 priests who were investigated for sexual assault on minors in Colombia have been published by the archdiocese of the city of Medellin, at the request of justice.
A wish for “transparency” for an archbishop
This list, which includes the names of the priests “denounced” before the Public Ministry between 1995 and 2019, was released after the justice granted a request in this regard from the journalist Juan Pablo Barrientos, who investigates pedocrime in the Colombian Church .
“Most of these priests (…) who raped children were suspended for a short period and then resumed their duties,” the journalist commented, in a video published on Saturday.
The Archbishop of Medellín, Monsignor Ricardo Tobón, assured that the Church wants to “show transparency (…) and show that there is no intention of concealment.”
In a video posted on the Archdiocese’s Twitter account, Bishop Tobón also denounces an “aggressive smear campaign against the Church” by Juan Pablo Barrientos.
Two published surveys
In 2019, Juan Pablo Barrientos published a book “Let the children come to me”, an investigation into covert sexual assaults by clergy in a predominantly Catholic country.
Most of the violence reported in the book was committed in Antioquia (northwest) and there the archbishop of Medellín, capital of this very conservative department, is denounced for having covered up one of the religious. The Church tried to prevent the publication of the book through legal action, without success.
In 2021, the journalist published a second investigation, “This is the Lamb of God”, which reveals the scandal of a pedophile network in the diocese of Villavicencio, 120 km southeast of Bogotá, involving 38 priests accused of sexual assault and rape of minors.
At least six priests have served prison sentences for child rape in the country.
Source: BFM TV
