Pope Francis said on a trip
to Chile Thursday that he had yet to see any evidence against
Osorno Bishop Juan Barros who abuse victims accuse of shielding
the charismatic cleric who trained him, South American country's
most notorious predator priest Fernando Karadima.
"When I see some proof against Bishop Barros then we'll see,
perhaps. So far I haven't seen any at all," Francis told
journalists.
Shortly before the pope addressed the case for the first
time, Barros told the press that Francis had been "very
affectionate" with him and had offered "words of support".
A group of faithful from Osorno, a southern city, have been
demanding Barros's removal for three years.
In February 2011, after several years of a Catholic canonical
investigation, the Vatican found Karadima guilty of sexually
abusing minors and psychological abuse in Chile.
It sent him to a "life of prayer and penitence" and to
"lifelong prohibition from the public exercise of any
ministerial act, particularly confession and the spiritual
guidance of any category of persons."
But the Chilean Church has yet to fully recover from the
scandal.
Many of the local faithful are still furious over a 2015
decision by Pope Francis to appoint Barros, who had been one of
Karadima's proteges.
Barros has always denied he knew that Karadima was Chile's
worst clerical sexual predator.
But many Chileans have shown they are skeptical of Barros's
claims.
photo: Bishop Barros
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