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A landmark trial opened Monday (August 5th) in Mendoza, western Argentina. This is the case Provolo, the name of a Catholic institution for deaf-mute children. Three people, including two priests, will be tried for sexual assault against twenty children. An affair that deeply shakes the country of Pope Francis.
With our correspondent in Buenos Aires, Aude Villiers-Moriamé
The scandal erupted in 2016, following the testimony of several students denouncing systematic sexual assault in the Provolo Institute of Mendoza. Nearly three years after the closure of the establishment, a few dozen families were waiting Monday for the opening of the trial.
" It's not an easy time for children or for parents," says Marina Diaz, mother of a former student. We ask that justice be done so that no more priests or teachers will attack children, whether disabled or not. "
The main accused in this case is Nicola Corradi, 83 years old. Before being transferred to Mendoza, this Italian priest led the Provolo Institute in La Plata, near Buenos Aires, and worked in the Verona Institute in Italy. Two institutions also shaken by pedophilia scandals.
" This trial is emblematic. I have a feeling of justice because we will surely get a conviction, and at the same time a great feeling of sadness because there are so many victims. It does not end there. This trial today is just the beginning, "says Sergio Salinas, a lawyer for several families.
The Mendoza trial which is held in camera and is translated into sign language should last at least a month. Two other lawsuits involving some fifteen employees of the Provolo Institute will soon open in parallel.
The three defendants in this case face up to 50 years in prison.
► Also to listen: New standards against pedophilia in the Vatican