Reports of priests raping or abusing minors have now emerged in
Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Mexico and Chile causing growing anger in
the continent.
In Brazil an 83-year-old priest was arrested after he was
secretly filmed in bed with a 19-year-old altar boy. The footage
was broadcast on national television which led to the arrest of
Monsignor Luiz Marques Barbosa and two other priests in the state
of Alagoas who are accused of abusing boys as young as 12
yrs-old.
The Catholic Church in Chile confirmed this week that there have
been 20 alleged or confirmed cases of child abuse by
priests.
In Uruguay, a priest charged with raping three children in
Bolivia had returned to his homeland and was living openly with
full knowledge of local church officials.
Juan Jose Santana has been on the run from Bolivian authorities
since May 2008. Asked if allegations that he had abused children
were true, Santana said, "It's true. That's all I can say... You
know something? I'm dead."
In Mexico, The Legionnaires of Christ, a shadowy but powerful
Catholic sect founded by Maciel Degollado. It emerged that the
staunchly conservative theologian had a series of sexual affairs
with MEN, women and BOYS in many different parts of the world.
The Mexican church has also been drawn into a legal battle in
the United States. A Mexican citizen is suing Catholic cardinals in
Mexico City and Los Angeles, accusing them of purposely hiding the
background of a Mexican priest accused of sexually abusing dozens
of children.