NAGASAKI (JAPAN)
Japan News
November 22, 2019
A female Catholic in Nagasaki Prefecture has lodged a complaint that she was sexually harassed by a priest in the prefecture, Jiji Press learned Friday.
The Archdiocese of Nagasaki has suspended the priest but failed to disclose the scandal to other followers, informed sources said.
The archdiocese, the second-largest diocese in Japan in terms of the number of followers, cited medical treatment as the reason behind the absence of the priest.
A source expressed concern, saying, “If we don’t bring problematic behavior to light, we can’t prevent a reoccurrence.”
Sexual abuse by clerics is a problem seen around the world. Systematic cover-ups of such crimes by church authorities have been criticized.
Pope Francis, set to visit Japan from Saturday, issued in May an order obligating the clergy to report any sexual abuse by clerics to the Vatican.
In May 2018, the priest in his 40s allegedly told the woman to come to a church where he serves in Nagasaki and committed indecent acts, including hugging her and touching her body, according to informed sources.
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