(Eagle News) — Catholic Church’s Pope Francis did not address directly the controversial sex abuse scandals confronting at least 80 priests in Chile, in his recent video message released by the Vatican ahead of his scheduled visit in Chile and Peru.
Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, said that he would be conveying his message of peace and hope to both countries, which had been rocked by sexual abuse scandals involving Catholic priests and lay leaders.
“Brothers and sisters of Chile and Peru, as my journey to your countries draws near, I greet you with affection. I will visit you as a pilgrim of the joy of the Gospel to share the peace of the Lord with all and to confirm you in the same hope,” Francis said in his video message in Spanish released by the Vatican on January 9.
“Peace and hope shared among all,” he added.
His entire video message did not make any mention of the sexual abuse of children in Chile done by Catholic priests for years.
-At least 80 Catholic priests accused of sex abuse against minors in Chile-
A US-based monitoring group on Wednesday, January 10, accused almost 80 Roman Catholic priests of sexually abusing children in Chile since 2000.
BishopAccountability.org compiled its database of clergy publicly accused of sex abuse against minors using court and media records.
The group said the list represented a “fraction of the total number of accused clerics who would be known if Chile’s church leaders were required to report to law enforcement, if its legal system allowed victims more time to bring criminal and civil charges, or if dioceses and religious orders were investigated by prosecutors or state commissions.”
The list includes Chilean priest Fernando Karadima, accused of abusing children in 2010 and convicted by the Vatican, but not Chile.
Foreign-born clergy members on the list included Irishman Jeremiah Healy, American Jesuit H. Cornell Bradley, and Filipino Reverend Richard Joey Aguinaldo.
The group said it hoped the timing would push the pontiff to take action needed to stem the tide of abuse.
Protesters are expected along the pope’s parade route during his visit next week to Chile, a largely Catholic and socially conservative country.
Sexual abuse scandals that had rocked the Catholic Church for years elicited calls for Francis and the Vatican to improve accountability and transparency.
But in his video message, the Catholic Pope steered clear of these controversial sex abuse scandals.
The theme of Francis’ visit in Chile is “I Give You My Peace,” while that of Peru is “United by Hope.”
Francis aired his video message just days ahead of his departure for Chile and Peru, where he will be from January 15 to 22.
-No mention of sex abuse scandals after death of Boston cardinal-
Last December, after the death of US Cardinal Bernard Law, the Pope and the Vatican also did not mention the sex abuse scandal that forced the once-influential church figure to resign.
“I raise prayers for the repose of his soul,” Francis said in a telegram after Law, 86, died in Rome on December 20, 2017.
The former Boston cardinal had fallen from grace after he allegedly shielded priests involved in a wide-reaching sex abuse scandal that shook the Roman Catholic Church and eclipsed his long and at one-time venerated career.
It is traditional for the pope to issue a message of condolence and prayer after the death of the red-hatted church seniors.
But the telegram then made no reference to the pedophilia scandal, and neither did the official biography issued by the Vatican.
(with reports from Agence France Presse)