ROME
The Guardian
Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome
Sunday 12 April 2015
Child sex abuse survivors who were hand-picked by Pope Francis to advise the Catholic Church on how to address the issue are meeting with a top church official in Rome on Sunday to protest the Vatican’s handling of a controversial case in Chile.
Peter Saunders, a Briton abused by two priests as a teenager, told the Guardian that he would demand action in an emergency meeting with Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who heads the pope’s abuse committee, in the case involving Bishop Juan Barros.
The Chilean, who was appointed to the Osorno diocese in January, has been accused of covering up child abuse by his mentor, Reverend Fernando Karadima, who the Vatican found guilty of molestation in 2011. Barros has denied the allegations.
“Bishops, priests or other religious [officials] who have convictions, credible allegations or who have covered up for perpetrators must be removed from my church. That’s what I’ll be asking Cardinal Sean to pass to the pope, if I don’t get to see him myself,” Saunders said.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.