Pope Francis Acknowledges Major Mistakes, Poor Assessment of Sexual Abuse in Chile

Pope Francis acknowledged on Wednesday that he made “major mistakes” in assessing the situation in Chile after reading the conclusions of an investigation into sexual abuse committed by the Catholic clergy.

In a letter to the Chilean bishops published by the Holy See on Wednesday evening, the Pope states that he wishes to convene them soon in Rome to discuss the conclusions of the investigation he expedited. The report submitted to the Pope contains 2,300 pages and testimonies from 64 individuals, collected in New York and Santiago de Chile.

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During his trip to Chile from January 15 to 18, the Pope strongly defended Chilean Bishop Juan Barros, who is suspected of having remained silent about the serious crimes of pedophile priest Fernando Karadima, stating that he is convinced of his innocence and asking the alleged victims for evidence of guilt.

Sadness and Shame Over Abuse of Power

The Vatican found Karadima guilty in 2011 of acts of pedophilia from the 1980s and 1990s. Karadima’s victims also accused Juan Barros of complicity. The Pope later apologized for his clumsily spoken words on the plane returning to Rome and subsequently sent a prominent Vatican investigator to Chile to gather testimonies from the alleged victims.

In a letter addressed to thirty-two Chilean bishops, which Pope Francis published on Wednesday, there is, however, no specific mention of the case of Bishop Juan Barros.

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– As far as I am concerned, I acknowledge that I made major mistakes in assessing and perceiving the situation, particularly due to a lack of truthful and balanced information, writes the Pope in that long “mea culpa” in Spanish.

Becoming familiar with the investigation report on “abuse of power” and “sexual abuse of minors” committed by members of the clergy, the Pope stated that he felt “overwhelmed by pain.” Pope Francis mentions “numerous lives filled with suffering” in the collected testimonies that led him to “sadness and shame.”