PARIS (FRANCE)
LaCroix International
February 18, 2019
By Marie Malzac
This is the fourth in a five-part series on steps taken by Catholic bishops on the various continents.
Latin America has experienced a series of striking abuses cases in recent decades.In Mexico, the charismatic founder of the Legion of Christ, Marcial Maciel (1920-2008), led a double life for more than 60 years.
With close ties to the Vatican, Maciel, a serious cocaine user, committed multiple instances of abuse on young seminarians, had children with several women and presided over a fortune valued at several million US dollars.
In Chile, as parish priest of a trendy neighborhood in Santiago, Fernando Karadima used his authority over the young men who frequented his group to abuse them sexually during the period 1980-2000.
In many respects, these two examples have become emblematic of the situation prevailing in the whole of Latin America.
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