Pope shocks Chile by accusing abuse victims of slander

SANTIAGO, Chile — Pope Francis accused victims of Chile’s most notorious pedophile of slander Thursday, an astonishing end to a visit meant to help heal the wounds of a sex abuse scandal that has cost the Catholic Church its credibility in the country.

Francis said that until he sees proof that Bishop Juan Barros was complicit in covering up the sex crimes of the Rev. Fernando Karadimas, such accusations against Bishop Barros are “all calumny.”

The pope’s remarks drew shock from Chileans and immediate rebuke from victims and their advocates.

And Francis’ controversial words emerged just shortly after he made international headlines for his compassion. He performed a spontaneous, first-of-its-kind airborne papal wedding ceremony when he celebrated the marriage of two LATAM flight attendants at 36,000 feet. He also used a high-profile speech to urge the South American nation to continue welcoming migrants and to care for the least fortunate among them.

Amid their outrage, Chilean abuse victims and their advocates noted the accusers were deemed credible enough by the Vatican that it sentenced Rev. Karadima to a lifetime of “penance and prayer” for his crimes in 2011. A Chilean judge also found the victims to be credible, saying that while she had to drop criminal charges against Rev. Karadima because too much time had passed, proof of his crimes wasn’t lacking.

“As if I could have taken a selfie or a photo while Karadima abused me and others and Juan Barros stood by watching it all,” tweeted Bishop Barros’ most vocal accuser, Juan Carlos Cruz.

The Karadima scandal dominated Francis’ visit to Chile, and the overall issue of sex abuse and church cover-up was likely to factor into his three-day trip to Peru that began late Thursday.

Rev. Karadima’s victims reported to church authorities as early as 2002 that he would kiss and fondle them in the swank Santiago parish he ran, but officials refused to believe them. Only when the victims went public with their accusations in 2010 did the Vatican launch an investigation that led to Rev. Karadima being removed from ministry.

Anne Barrett Doyle, of the online database BishopAccountability.org, said it was “sad and wrong” for the pope to discredit the victims since “the burden of proof here rests with the church, not the victims — and especially not with victims whose veracity has already been affirmed.”

Patricio Navia, political science professor at Diego Portales University in Santiago, said Francis had gone much further than Chilean bishops in acknowledging the sexual abuse scandal, which many Chileans appreciated.

“Then right before leaving, Francis turns around and says: ‘By the way, I don’t think Barros is guilty. Show me some proof,’” Mr. Navia said, adding that the comment will probably erase any good will the pope had won over the issue.