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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 16 January 2018

Activists in Chile say pope must apologize for priest abuse

By EVA VERGARA pected to be fraught with
NICOLE WINFIELD a high level of opposition.
Associated Press Firebombings of Catholic
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — churches in recent days
Hours before Pope Francis have added to the ten-
was set to arrive in Chile sions, as have planned
Monday, activists on issues protests of sex abuse and
related to sex abuse by cover-ups.
priests called for sanctions Francis is coming to a
against both abusers and country in which the major-
anyone who helped cover ity of people continue to
up their actions. declare themselves Roman
About 200 people attend- Catholics, but where the
ed the first of several activi- church has lost the influ-
ties aimed at making the ence and moral authority
sex abuse scandal a cen- it once enjoyed thanks to
tral topic of Francis’ first visit the scandals, seculariza-
to the Andean nation since tion and an out-of-touch
becoming pope in 2013. clerical caste.
Sex abuse in Chile is an The pope will try to inject
open wound, in part be- new energy into the church
cause of Francis’ decision during his Monday-Thurs-
to appoint a bishop with day visit, which gets un-
close ties to the country’s derway in earnest Tuesday Women of the feminist collective called La Juaria, protest against the Catholic church and the
most notorious abuser. with a series of protocol upcoming visit of Pope Francis, in front of the Santiago Cathedral, in Chile.
“It’s not just time for the visits for church and state, (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
pope to ask for forgive- and will be followed by a wasn’t on the agenda, but nected priest came for- and Chilean prosecutors
ness or the abuses but also three-day trip to neighbor- such encounters never are. ward with allegations that started investigating.
to take action,” said Juan ing Peru. Chile’s church earned he had kissed and fondled The Vatican in 2011 sen-
Carlos Cruz, a victim of the In Chile, he plans sessions wide respect during the them. tenced Karadima to a
Rev. Fernando Karadima. with migrants, members regime of Gen. Augusto Local church leaders had lifetime of “penance and
Cruz added that if it wasn’t of Chile’s Mapuche indig- Pinochet because it spoke ignored the complaints prayer” for his crimes, but
possible to jail bad bishops, enous group and victims of out against the military’s against the Rev. Fernando the church leadership
“at the very least they can the 1973-1990 military dic- human rights abuses, but it Karadima for years, but hasn’t won back Chileans’
be removed from their po- tatorship. It remains to be began a downward spiral they were forced to open trust for having covered up
sitions.” seen if he will meet with sex in 2010 when victims of a an official investigation af- Karadima’s crimes for so
Francis’ visit to Chile is ex- abuse survivors. A meeting charismatic, politically con- ter the victims went public long. q
East China Sea slick fire from sunken oil tanker burns out

By CHRIS BODEEN than a week. Just three day and it sank within hours. marine environment, while standards.”
Associated Press bodies from the tanker San- High temperatures had the ship’s fuel source also Chinese state broadcaster
BEIJING (AP) — The fire chi’s crew of 32, composed prevented rescuers from poses a major threat. CCTV said rescue opera-
from a sunken Iranian of 30 Iranians and two Ban- entering the crew quarters. The ship’s voice data re- tions had been converted
tanker ship in the East Chi- gladeshis, have been re- Another body was recov- corder, which functions like at noon to a search-and-
na Sea has burned out, a covered. The cause of the ered from the water earlier a “black box” on aircraft, recovery effort. Two ships
Chinese transport ministry Jan. 6 collision between last week. was reportedly recovered were on the scene spray-
spokesman said Monday, the Sanchi and the Chinese The ship was carrying a on Saturday, possibly help- ing foam detergents to dis-
although concerns remain freighter CF Crystal, which type of hydrocarbon liq- ing shed light on how the solve oil remaining on the
about possible major pollu- happened 257 kilometers uid known as natural collision and resulting fire surface.
tion to the sea bed and sur- (160 miles) east of Shang- gas condensate and left occurred. Ma Jun, director of the
rounding waters. hai, remains unclear. All a 10-square-kilometer Zhao, who is deputy head private Institute of Public
The spokesman, who iden- 21 crewmembers aboard (3.8-square-mile) area con- of the ministry’s press of- and Environmental Affairs
tified himself only by his sur- the freighter were reported taminated with oil, accord- fice, said new photos and in Beijing, said the degree
name, Zhao, said the fire safe. ing to Chinese authorities. video footage showed the of environmental damage
ceased around noon. Ear- Rescuers boarded the San- Condensate is highly toxic fire had gone out entirely caused by the disaster de-
lier footage showed huge chi on Saturday morning to but readily evaporates or and said an investigation pends on how much fuel
clouds of thick smoke ris- recover two bodies, but a burns off in a fire. If trapped into the disaster would be was left in the tanker and
ing from the oil slick that large explosion shook the underwater, however, it conducted according to the direction of winds and
had been burning for more ship around noon on Sun- could seriously harm the the “strictest international currents.q