Priests Don’t Forgive Grassi’s Sins Críticas de la Argentina June 20, 2009  [Translated into English by BishopAccountability.org. Click below to see original article in Spanish.] http://www.criticadigital.com/impresa/index.php?secc=nota&nid=26260 Forty-nine priests and fifty laypersons issued a statement against the freedom of Julio César Grassi, in consideration of "the possibility of relapse into that for which he was convicted " -- the crime of pedophilia -- and lamented "the silence of the ecclesial leaders concerning the case." The public statement was made one week after the director of the Happy Children Foundation was sentenced to 15 years in prison for pedophilia against the complainant "Gabriel" in 1996. However, the priest was acquitted on 15 other complaints by the then-minors "Luis" and "Ezekiel." The controversy was sparked by the Court's decision to release Grassi until the judgment is final and allow him to go to the offices of the Foundation accompanied by an individual that he himself designates. In light of this, priests and religious members throughout the country, supported by teachers, lawyers, theologians and students, all signed a document to declare their opposition to the judicial ruling. "We think the main danger is not the procedural (i.e. whether or not Grassi appears before the Justice Court), but rather the possibility that he relapses into that for which he has been convicted in first-instance. That would be very serious and the direct responsibility of those that granted him freedom," says the statement undersigned by the churches of Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and La Rioja. “We regret the silence of the ecclesial leaders before this case and others, like that of priest Christian Von Wernich. We see that other Bishops’ Conferences like Colombia’s have spoken up in similar cases, and we do not understand your silence, which has the appearance of implicit acceptance by virtue of saying nothing ” continues the statement. In the document, the signatories said: "Our view is intended to be – as we have said many times – on behalf of the victims, who are, in this case, obviously abused minors. We believe that the authority that priests hold cannot and should not be given to them Abecause of their proximity to power but for their personal credibility. Therefore, we do not accept [Grassi’s] refusal to undergo expert examination, nor do we accept his coercive presence in the Foundation. " THE FINAL DECISION Before the signatures, the document states: “From our position as priests, members of a religious order, and laypersons, we give our solidarity to the child victims and other victims unknown to us, and as members of the ecclesial community we ask for forgiveness for the violence that was inflicted on them from our ‘house.’” The priests of Córdoba, Víctor Acha, Julio Aguirre, José Alessio and Miguel Berrotarán are some of the religious signatories, while Buenos Aires teacher Carmen Adaro, social worker Gladys Alcaraz, and graphic designer Gustavo Balbi are some of the laypersons who undersigned the document. Last Tuesday, the Sub-secretary of Childhood and Adolescence of the province of Buenos Aires resolved to prevent Father Grassi from entering the Foundation and making contact with the students living there, although the final decision will be made by the Justice Court. “We believe that the freedom granted to that sexual delinquent and his entry to the scene of the crime will result in the recurrence of abuse of minors,” argued the lawyers Sergio Piris and Juan Pablo Gallego in the statement they presented to the Criminal Court of Morón.

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