Argentine archbishops under attack for establishing abuse reporting offices

ARGENTINA
Crux

July 15, 2020

By Inés San Martín

ROSARIO, Argentina – Two archbishops in Argentina are under fire for following Pope Francis’s orders in creating an office to receive allegations of clerical abuse. They are being accused of “usurpation of the role of the State, swindles and other frauds,” an allegation some described as “grotesque.”

The criminal complaint against Archbishop Eduardo Martin of Rosario and Archbishop Sergio Fenoy from nearby Santa Fe was filed after the two prelates announced the “implementation of a system for receiving allegations” of sexual crimes committed by priests and other members of the Church.

The creation of this office was mandated by Pope Francis, who asked bishops conferences to implement such a system with a new Church law released last year. Among other things, Vos estis lux mundi – “You are the light of the world” – required that every diocese must have a system that allows the public to easily submit accusations of abuse.

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