Accused in Europe, moves to Rio
GlobalPost has done an investigation into Catholic priests, accused of sexual abuses by children in America and Europe, who ended being moved (or moved themselves) down to South America. The subject matter is revolting as are the
priests themselves. While the Catholic Church has publicly said (since 2002) that they have a
zero tolerance policy towards child abuse by their leadership, many abuse advocates are not buying it. What did the GlobalPost find?
- Father Carlos Urrutigoity, accused of sharing beds with and fondling teenage boys in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The bishop of Scranton called him a “serious threat to young people,” but in Paraguay, reporters found him leading Mass in a major church. He had been promoted to second-in-command of the diocese of Ciudad del Este.
- Father Francisco “Fredy” Montero, accused of abusing a 4-year-old girl in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He relocated to his native Ecuador, where he was placed in a succession of remote parishes — despite a dossier sent by the Archdiocese of Minneapolis to his new diocese, warning of Montero’s past.
- Father Paul Madden, who admitted molesting a 13-year-old boy on a mission trip when he was stationed in Jackson, Mississippi. The diocese paid the victim’s family $50,000 and Madden moved to the diocese of Chimbote, Peru, where he still celebrates Mass each week.
- Father Jan Van Dael, accused of molesting several young men in his native Belgium before moving to northeastern Brazil, where he started an orphanage for street kids. Van Dael is under investigation by Belgian and Brazilian authorities after accusations of abuse arose in Brazil, too.
Maybe
Pope Francis's new Vatican tribunal, charged with investigating and punishing both pedophile priests and the Catholic leadership protecting them. If Pope Francis is not serious about this then he is not worth the praise we are all heaping on him.
You can watch some of GlobalPost's video report here.
