By Steve Shea
Santiago Times
October 6, 2011
http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/human-rights-a-law/22615-influential-chilean-priest-denies-claims-of-sexual-abuse
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| Photo by Andres Rueda/flickr. |
Precht came to international attention during the Augusto Pinochet regime. He served as the executive secretary for the Committee for Peace, and later the Vicariate of Solidarity, from 1974 to 1979. Both organizations sought to defend and promote human rights under the dictatorship.
Until Thursday morning, Precht didn’t know what the allegations against him were. Church spokesperson Jaime Coiro then confirmed that there had been “a complaint of sexual abuse.”
No criminal charge has been filed, and the Catholic Episcopal Conference of Chile (CEC) is handling the matter. The investigation is in the early stages and the church investigators are trying to determine if the claims are credible and if a trial will take place.
“I say that I have a very clear conscious about this,” Precht told Radio Cooperativa in an interview. “There is no substance (to the accusation), but I can’t go back in time prove this.”
Precht went on to say that he knew the person bringing the charges, which he called one of “life’s surprises.”
These allegations come weeks after Chilean priest Fernando Karadima faced charges of sexual abuse and of its subsequent cover-up.
According to Precht, the first stage of the investigation will last around 15 days. During this time, he has been relieved as parish priest at Santa Clara de Gran Avenida.
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