El Salvador Archbishop denies alleged sexual abuse cover-up

By Nelson Renteria
Reuters
December 6, 2015

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-elsalvador-church-idUKKBN0TP0UU20151206

El Salvador's highest-ranking Roman Catholic cleric on Sunday denied an accusation that he tried to bribe a woman who was sexually abused by a priest to keep her quiet, as the country's church faces a growing number of abuse cases.

The woman, who has not been named, said last week that Leopoldo Deras, a priest who died in 2009, sexually abused her when she was between 13 and 21 years old. She became pregnant and gave birth to Deras' child, which he later legally recognised as his own in 2001.

She alleged that Jose Escobar, archbishop of San Salvador's Catholic Church, tried to bribe her with a $5000 (£3,311) cheque to keep quiet about the case.

Escobar said in a news conference that he had helped the woman and her child economically but that he has never bribed anyone and added that the woman never said she was abused by Deras.

In November, the church fired a senior priest and former secretary of murdered Archbishop Oscar Romero after allegations that the priest had sex with a minor.