Argentina: deaf-mute victims of priests demand justice from the Vatican

These Argentine victims of sexual abuse on the part of Catholic priests are demanding justice and hope to be received by Pope Francis. REUTERS / Philip Pullella

Text by: RFI Follow

It is one of the most terrible sex scandals that shake Argentina. For years, children between the ages of 4 and 17 were beaten and raped at a Catholic institute for the deaf and dumb. If two priests were sentenced last November to more than 40 years in prison, the victims demand compensation and want to remind that abuses still exist in the Church.

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With our correspondent in Rome, Éric Senanque

A year after the organization in the Vatican of an international conference on the sexual abuse of minors, some victims of these Argentinian priests came to Rome, hoping to be received by their compatriot Pope Francis.

They are called Daniel, Ezequiel and Claudia, the youngest of the three to 19 years old, the oldest 46. All of them lived through hell, that of the Provolo Institute in Mendoza, in the west of Argentina. Before arriving in Rome, they testified before the UN Committee against Torture and the Committee on the Rights of the Child. In sign language, Place Saint-Pierre, they interact with their lawyer.

“ Our desire for these victims is that the Church no longer covers the abuses, and that they find reparation. Given past history, if this repair takes place, I think we can not go back. As a human rights defender, I think it will happen someday, ”said victims' lawyer Sergio Salinas.

Hope to be received by the Pope

Alongside these Argentines, several members of the ECA made the trip. ECA for " End of Clergy abuse ", putting an end to abuses in the Church, an international network of victims. “ In reality, we see all the difficulty in changing mentalities, this is also denounced by my Argentinian colleagues. The writings are not sufficient and mentalities unfortunately do not evolve ”, explains Nadia Debache, the lawyer of the French association La parole libéré, which belongs to the ECA network.

These victims do not yet know if the Pope will open their doors to them, but they will not return home without having been received at the Vatican. They had an appointment this Friday morning at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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  • Vatican
  • Religion
  • Rights of the child
  • Argentina

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