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Groton Daily Independent
Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 190 ~ 18 of 40
Bishop Juan Barros of the southern city of Osorno has always denied he knew what Karadima was doing when he was the priest’s protege, but many Chileans have a hard time believing that.
“Sex abuse is Pope Francis’ weakest spot in terms of his credibility,” said Massimo Faggioli, a Vatican expert and theology professor at Villanova University in Philadelphia. “It is surprising that the pope and his entourage don’t understand that they need to be more forthcoming on this issue.”
The Karadima scandal and a long cover-up has caused a crisis for the church in Chile, with a recent Latinbarometro survey saying the case was responsible for a signi cant drop in the number of Chileans who call themselves Catholic as well as a fall in con dence in the church as an institution.
That distrust extends to Francis, who is making his rst visit as pope to this country of 17 million people. The Argentine pope is nearly a native son, having studied in Chile during his Jesuit novitiate and he knows the country well, but Chileans give him the lowest approval rating among the 18 Latin American nations in the survey.
“People are leaving the church because they don’t nd a protective space there,” said Juan Carlos Claret, spokesman for a group of church members in Osorno that has opposed Barros’ appointment as bishop. “The pastors are eating the ock.”
People angry over Barros planned a protest for Tuesday, when Francis is scheduled to celebrate Mass, meet with President Michelle Bachelet and visit a female prison.
But other groups also called demonstrations against the pontiff.
Victor Hugo Robles, an activist in Chile’s lesbian and gay community, said the Vatican tries to paint an image of the pope as being close to the people, particularly those with the most needs.
“We are the ones who need help,” said Robles. “Gay people, people living with AIDS. When it comes to those things, the church has an attitude of intolerance, of disgust.”
Felipe Morales, from a group called the Workers’ Socialist Front, said many were unhappy with the pope and the church’s historical in uence in Chile. They planned to protest outside while Francis celebrated Mass. “The role of the church has been nefarious,” said Morales. “Sex abuse cases have been covered up and
people are unhappy with many other issues.”
To be sure, many will be excited to see the pope. Thousands lined the streets of Santiago to get a glimpse
of Francis after he arrived Monday night, though the crowds were notably thin compared to previous visits to other Latin American capitals.
“It was amazing to see him,” said Luis Salazar, a young boy who came out with his family to see Francis pass by in his pope mobile.
The pope will try to inject new energy into the church during his visit, which starts off Tuesday with a series of protocol visits for church and state.
He also plans sessions with migrants, members of Chile’s Mapuche indigenous group and victims of the 1973-1990 military dictatorship. It remains to be seen if he will meet with sex abuse survivors. A meeting wasn’t on the agenda, but such encounters never are.
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Associated Press writers Eva Vergara and Patricia Luna and AP video journalist Paul Byrne contributed to this report.
Federer joins Djokovic, Sharapova in 2nd round in Australia By JOHN PYE, AP Sports Writer
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Roger Federer picked up where he left off at the Australian Open on a day when Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic helped ensure there were all kinds of comebacks.
Defending champion Federer beating Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in a night match, his rst on Rod Laver Arena since clinching a career-reviving title here last year. The 19-time major winner has been met on court after wins here previously by tennis greats Laver, John McEnroe and Jim Courier.
On Tuesday night, he got something different. Comedian Will Ferrell stepped out of the crowd and, slip- ping into character as Ron Burgundy from the movie Anchorman, conducted the post-match interview.