In a letter to Pope Francis, Bolivia requested that it hand over all files related to sexual abuse cases committed by priests in the country, after press reports of dozens of assaults, according to the presidency.
In a letter to Pope Francis, Bolivia requested that it hand over all files related to sexual abuse cases committed by priests in the country, after press reports of dozens of assaults, according to the presidency.
This request comes after press reports about the late Spanish priest Alfonso Pidrajas, whose memoirs revealed that he exploited more than 80 minors in Bolivia, to which he moved in the early seventies.
“I ask that the Bolivian judiciary have access to all files, records and information related to these allegations and facts of sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests and clerics on Bolivian soil,” Bolivian President Jean Ars wrote in a letter to Pope Francis that he presented during a press conference.
He added that the Bolivian state reserves the right to ban entry into the national territory of foreign priests and monks who have a history of sexual abuse of minors.
As a result of this case, which was revealed by the Spanish newspaper “El Pais” at the end of April, at least eight complaints were filed in Bolivia against the priests of the Society of Jesus, including Piedrajas and three other Spanish priests, all of whom are deceased.
The Bolivian Episcopal Conference confirmed that the Spanish priest Jordi Bartomeu will soon visit to address the issue of sexual assaults in the country.
