SANTIAGO, Chile — A bishop was ordained in southern Chile on Saturday amid shouts and scuffles between supporters and protesters who accuse him of covering up crimes of a mentor the Vatican has sanctioned for abusing young boys.
Riot police protected the Rev. Juan Barros, 58, as he left the ceremony at the cathedral of San Mateo in the city of Osorno.
Thousands of churchgoers dressed in the black of mourning protested outside the church and a few made their way inside, despite police efforts to keep them out.
Even inside the cathedral, supporters of Barros scuffled with opponents who shouted denunciations.
Some of Chile’s bishops and many priests from the diocese also shunned the ordination of their Barros – a service without communion that was cut short after half an hour.
While Barros himself is not accused of molestation, at least three victims of sex abuse say he was present when they were molested by the Rev. Fernando Karadima in the 1980s and ’90s.
The controversy has been closely watched by victims, advocacy groups and lawmakers as a test of Pope Francis’ promises to crack down on clerical sex abuse.
“I hold the pope responsible,” said Juan Carlos Cruz, a 51-year-old journalist who is one of the accusers.
“As victims, we had become used to the slaps in the face by the Chilean hierarchy, but we never expected a slap in the face from the pope.”
Barros had long declined to comment publicly on allegations against him.
However he sent a letter to priests in the diocese on Monday saying he did not know about Karadima’s abuses when they happened.
“I never had knowledge of, or could have imagined, the serious abuses that this priest committed against the victims,” said the letter.
More than 1,300 church members in Osorno, along with some 30 priests from the diocese and 51 of Chile’s 120 congress members sent letters to Francis last month urging him to rescind the appointment.
But the pope confirmed his decision to appoint Barros after he recently met with him.
A Vatican investigation found Karadima, one of Chile’s most prominent priests, guilty of sex abuse in 2011 and sentenced the now 84-year-old priest to a cloistered life of “penitence and prayer.”
Criminal charges against him were thrown out because the statute of limitations had expired.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.