CHILE
KOAT
By Rafael Romo Senior Latin American Affairs Editor
SANTIAGO, Chile (CNN) —A priest at the center of an illegal baby adoption scam in Chile has been moved out of the country and faces no charges, even after admitting he participated in at least two illegal adoptions.
The Rev. Gerardo Joannon, who belongs to the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts order, has been relocated to a house for priests in the city of Merlo, Argentina.
The transfer is supposed to be “an act of religious obedience” and a time to pray and serve penance, according to a statement issued by the order. The statement does not give a reason for his penance.
Joannon, who is in his late 70s, publicly admitted last year that he had facilitated illegal adoptions during the 1970s and ’80s.
According to the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts order and Chilean authorities, the priest took at least two babies from their biological mothers, either through lies or coercion, and in secret gave them to adoptive families.
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