Pope pained, shamed by Chile child abuse
CHILE: Pope Francis has apologised for the sexual abuse of children by priests as he began a visit to Chile, a country incensed by his appointment of a bishop suspected of sheltering an alleged paedophile.
Scandals have eroded faith in the Catholic Church in Chile. Last week vandals set fire to eight churches and threw a bomb at another. Pamphlets were left nearby containing direct threats to the Pope.
Shortly before his arrival yesterday, protesters briefly shut a street in the centre of the capital.
‘‘It is fair to ask for forgiveness,’’ Francis declared after arriving at La Moneda, the presidential palace. ‘‘I cannot help but express the pain and shame, shame that I feel over the irreparable harm caused to children by church ministers’’.
In 2010 it emerged that the Catholic Church in Chile had attempted to conceal complaints against Fernando Karadima, a prominent priest who was accused of sexually abusing young boys for decades.
The Vatican eventually sanctioned Karadima by ordering him to live a life of ‘‘penance and prayer’’, a punishment seen by his accusers as derisory.
The issue re-emerged in 2015 when Francis appointed a bishop who was close to Karadima in the southern city of Osorno. Some accuse Bishop Juan Barrios of using his influence to block further investigations into the actions of the priest.
Karadima has denied the allegations, and Barrios has repeatedly said he was unaware of any wrongdoing.
Almost 80 Catholic clerics have been accused of sexually abusing children in Chile since 2000. Distrust of the church after sex scandals is believed to be one reason that Chile has seen a sharp decline in congregations at Mass. In a recent poll, 45 per cent of Chileans described themselves as Catholic, down from 74 per cent in 1995.
This is the first papal visit to Chile since Pope John Paul II came in 1987, during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. John Paul II openly criticised Pinochet’s rule and called for the country to move towards democracy.
Chilean President Michele Bachelet made reference to that visit as she greeted Francis at Santiago airport. ‘‘We are now a more just society, more free, and more tolerant.’’