LA PAZ, Bolivia – Roman Catholic Church leaders in Bolivia mentioned on Wednesday the establishment had been “deaf” to sexual abuse in Church-run faculties and mentioned they had been taking motion after a collection of accusations in current weeks led to protests and a authorized investigation.
The accusations had been sparked by the publication in Spanish newspaper El Pais in April of the diary of a late Jesuit priest, which contained a number of confessions of the sexual abuse of kids within the faculties he ran in Bolivia. It alleged Church officers knew in regards to the abuse however did nothing.
Since April, some 200 folks have come ahead to say they suffered abuse in religious-run faculties within the nation.
Abuse scandals globally have shredded the Church’s repute and been a serious problem for Pope Francis, who has handed a collection of measures during the last 10 years aimed toward holding the Church hierarchy extra accountable, with blended outcomes.
In their assertion on Wednesday, Bolivia’s Catholic bishops acknowledged that “as a Church… we are certain of having taken part, directly or indirectly, in deep pain inflicted on innocent people who were victims of sexual abuse and of an insufficient handling of the situation.”
The bishops mentioned they’d arrange two commissions to research the abuse and assist victims who as an alternative of receiving safety “found themselves with a Church deaf to their sufferings.”
Earlier this month, President Luis Arce wrote a letter to Pope Francis requesting entry to recordsdata regarding accusations of sexual abuse by Catholic monks in Bolivia.
The nation’s lawyer basic can also be investigating the a number of accusations of abuse. — Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
