[ad_1]
The Chilean justice ordered a 180-day pre-trial detention for the priest Óscar Muñoz accused of sexual abuse against seven minors. The country's Catholic Church has been plagued by numerous pedophilia scandals and this is the first case of arrest.
Last Thursday in Santiago, Muñoz was transferred to the city of Rancagua (120 km south of Santiago), where a court ordered this measure for the duration of investigations. Last May Pope Francis adopted corrective measures after the scandal generated by the concealment of pedophile priests in the Chilean Church.
The prosecutor of Rancagua, Emiliano Arias, presented the cases of five minors who allegedly were abused by Muñoz, while two others are under evaluation. The crimes, which according to the prosecutor have not yet prescribed, cover the period 2002-2018 and would have been recorded in the cities of Santiago and Rancagua.
" All minors are victims, with sexual inexperience, who were sexually assaulted at the home of the accused, at the victim's home while they were in his care , for the trust it has aroused among the victims and with the relatives of the victims, "said the prosecutor
Who is Óscar Muñoz?
Muñoz, a well-known 56-year-old priest who occupied positions of responsibility in the archdiocese of Santiago for seven years and right hand of the cardinal of the capital Ricardo Ezzati, is punishable with prison terms of up to 15 years, according to Arias.
L in defense of Muñoz did not oppose pre-trial detention because "the wealth of information formalized by the public prosecutor obviously deserves a more in-depth analysis" Gabriel Henriquez, lawyer of the priest
The priest is announced on 2 January – weeks before Pope Francis' visit to Chile – for at least two cases of abuse before his superiors, for which was suspended from his duties and his case was given to the Congregation of the Faith at the Vatican, which investigates cases of pedophilia. The Chilean church reported the case only last May.
The Chilean Catholic Church saw its lowest hours for the string of pedophile complaints against the clergy and for its concealment by the ecclesiastical authorities that led to Pope Francis taking letters on this subject
With information from EFE / AFP
[ad_2]
Source link
