Allegations have emerged that priests in Bolivia메이저놀이터, a South American country of 12 million people where nearly 80% of the population is Catholic, have sexually abused more than 100 people, including children, over a long period of time.
Recently, a priest was sentenced to prison for molesting a minor.
Bolivian daily El Deber reported on Monday (Aug. 8) that a Spanish priest, Alfonso Pedrajas, who lived in Bolivia from 1971 until his death in 2009, had abused and harmed at least 85 people.
The revelations came as a “confessional” written by Pedrajas was published in the media more than a decade after his death.
One of his victims, Pedro Lima, described him as “an angel by day and a devil by night,” noting that “not only minors were victimized, but also people like me who were training to be priests.
Lima, who was expelled from his religious community for reporting the abuse, says he has since conducted an investigation to create a list of alleged perpetrators. Most of the “perpetrators” are now dead, he added.
“It’s not just about one priest, it’s about turning a blind eye so that the abuse can continue,” he said.
The revelations in the media have led to an outpouring of “I was a victim too” claims, the outlet said.
Another local newspaper, Fahinasiete, reported that the number of alleged abuse victims is at least 170. In response, Bolivian prosecutors have opened investigations into alleged abuse by priests, including Pedrajas.
As Lima testified, most of the victims are dead, but a few are still alive.
Bolivia’s Catholic community has recognized this, and President Luis Arce has written to Pope Francis asking for transparency in the scandal.
Separately, the previous day, a Bolivian court sentenced Father Juan Roca Fernandez to 10 years in prison for molesting a girl in Santa Cruz province.