CHILE
swissinfo
MAR 21, 2015 – 20:27
By Anthony Esposito
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Black balloons in hand, hundreds of Catholics gathered at a church in the small Chilean city of Osorno on Saturday to protest the appointment of bishop Juan Barros, accused of protecting one of the nation’s most notorious paedophiles.
The appointment has sparked outrage from many parishioners and puts into question Pope Francis’ promise to rid the church of sex abuse.
Critics say Barros was aware and helped cover up abuse by Father Fernando Karadima, whose case is the most infamous of a number of allegations of paedophilia within the Catholic church in Chile.
In 2011, Santiago-based Karadima was found guilty by the Vatican of abusing teenage boys over many years. Freed from criminal prosecution after the case against him collapsed for technical reasons, the church punished him by banning him from celebrating public mass.
Karadima was a mentor to a number of younger priests, including Barros.
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