Grassi Trial Resumes La Nación August 21, 2008  [Translated into English by BishopAccountability.org. Click below to see original article in Spanish.] http://www.bishopaccountability.org/Argentina/news/2008_08_21_La_Nacion_Grassi_Trial_GRASSI_Spanish.pdf The third session of the trial of the priest Julio César Grassi for abuse of minors began this morning after delays because of the decision of the Court to block the appearance of a functionary of the Office of Human Rights of Buenos Aires. The judges, Luis Andueza, Daniel Gómez and Jorge Carrera, rejected the appearance of the functionary, Pedro Kaufman, maintaining that the Court “had already resolved that the trial would take place behind closed doors with no exceptions.” “It’s the first time we’ve been prevented from appearing in a judicial process,” indicated Kaufman in declarations to the media that he gave at the entrance to the Court of Morón. Moments before entering the Court of Morón, where today marks his third judicial hearing, Grassi said that “there were many issues that were proved false, that could have passed as a news program but not as judicial evidence.” To that end, he reiterated that “there is pressure from Channel 13,” and added that that news outlet is “lobbying,” in reference to the accusations against him from 2002 on the television program Telenoche Investiga. Asked about his relationship with the Church from the start of the trial, Grassi said: “Their support is my own responsibility because I spoke personally and not publicly with the authorities of the Church,” adding that “they never sanctioned me or preventing me from giving Mass.” But last night the Bishops’ Conference of Argentina distanced themselves a little from the words of the priest, who had stated that he had the backing of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. Grassi also said that following trial he will continue “working under the heavy cross of infamy” and asked for “justice for the boys who suffered the humiliation of a baseless cause.”

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