Pope Francis is following through with his promise to address
the scandal
of pedophilia eating
away at the Church of Rome. His move to fire Bishop
Rogelio Ricardo Livieres from the Dioceses
of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay,
in
part for shielding an Argentine priest accused of molesting children in
the United States, has shaken the Paraguayan
church to its foundations.
Pope Francis Closes in on Priest Charged with Pedophilia Who Escaped U.S. Justice (BBC Mundo)
"In July, a
special papal envoy, Spanish Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló, paid a rare visit to Paraguay that has been
interpreted as a mission to evaluate the situation in the Dioceses of Ciudad de
Este, where the Argentine priest accused of sexual abuse had been working for
nine years. … One source of tension within the heart of the Paraguayan Church has
been the presence of Priest Carlos Urrutigoity who was
charged in 2002 of sexual molestation by a student of the Saint Gregory Academy
in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania."
Buenos
Aires: After a long dispute involving the papal mission to Paraguay, controversial
Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano [photo, left] was
deposed on Sept. 22 from his post as head of the Dioceses of Ciudad
del Este.
The Holy See announced the deposition in
a statement and named as new apostolic administrator Monsignor Ricardo
Jorge Valenzuela Ríos, the bishop of Villarricadel Espiritu Santo.
"The grave decision taken by the Holy See, under the
weight of serious pastoral concerns, is for the greater good and unity of the
Church of Ciudad del Este and Episcopal communion in Paraguay," read the
Vatican text.
Bishop Livieres had been accused
of embezzling funds and covering up for a priest accused of pedophilia [Reverend
Carlos Urrutigoity, who like Pope Francis, is from Argentina.]
In July, a special papal envoy, Spanish Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló, paid a rare
visit to Paraguay that has been interpreted as a mission to evaluate the
situation in the Dioceses of Ciudad de Este, where the Argentine priest accused
of sexual abuse had been working for nine years.
Abril y Castelló
is archpriest of the Papal Basilica di Santa Maria
Maggiore - a post he assumed in 2011, replacing Bernard Francis Law,
a cardinal from the United States accused of protecting pedophilic priests while
he was archbishop of Boston.
Auxiliary Bishop of Montevideo Milton Luis TróccoliCebelio, a Uruguayan,
also joined the envoy.
Investigation
One source of tension
within the heart of the Paraguayan Church has been the presence of Priest
Carlos Urrutigoity [photo, right], who was charged in
2002 of sexual molestation by a student of the Saint Gregory Academy in the U.S.
state of Pennsylvania.
[Editor's Note: In 2005 the
church settled for $380,000 a federal lawsuit that had been brought by a
former St. Gregory’s student against the Reverand
Carlos Urrutigoity and another priest. Former
Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino removed Urrutigoity
from the diocese, but he was accepted and promoted in the Paraguayan Diocese of
Ciudad del Este.]
Pastor Cuquejo, the archbishop of
Asunción, suggested in June the opening of an investigation into the
allegations against the Argentine priest, but the proposal was quickly rejected
by now-deposed Bishop Rogelio Livieres, who defended Father
Urrutigoity's innocence.
"There are no allegations of pedophilia but for a
rehash of slander from interested third parties. In fact, he [Urrutigoity] has not been accused of pedophilia by any
victim. Nor, consequently, were there any prosecutions or convictions in any
country, or the Holy See."
"Beyond that, his heterosexuality has been confirmed by
two independent psychological evaluations," Livieres
said in a statement in support for the priest on the Web
page of the Diocese of Ciudad del Este, which remains active.
The former bishop of Ciudad del
Este then accused his colleague from Asunción [Pastor Cuquejo]
of being "a bad person" for calling for an investigation, and
suggesting that he should leave his post due to "homosexuality."
Livieres was also under a cloud
for his alleged embezzlement of donations, and was accused of having squandered
property assets of the diocese.
According to his team, Livieres
spent "every last cent on covering the needs of the Church, without a
single deviation to private pockets."
Posted By Worldmeets.US
They also pledge that properties which have been sold resulted
in financial benefits for Livieres, all of it going
to pay for the education of seminarians.
Fernando Lugo at root
of the quarrel
However, the confrontation between bishops of the Paraguayan
Church has a long history and goes far beyond these recent accusations.
Political
career of former Bishop [and Paraguay President] Fernando Lugo [photo,
left] was not to the liking of everyone in the church. The origin of many of
the current quarrels was the naming of the former bishop as a candidate for the
Paraguay presidency - a post he occupied between 2008 and 2012.
Livieres, the now former Bishop of
of Ciudad del Este and member of Opus Dei, had accused colleagues
from the Episcopal Conference of Paraguay of having permitted a religious
figure to be involved in politics, and went as far as to point out that for
decades, the country's church had been dominated by leftist bishops who
sympathized with Liberation
Theology.
Claudio Giménez, the president of
the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference, expressed "surprise" at the clash
between the bishops of Asunción and Ciudad del Este.
"It was a very painful situation. It is very embarrassing
to us. We are weak and fragile, but with God's help, the existing problems will
be overcome," Giménez said.
The visit of Pope Francis' envoys, who was baptized with the
mission of "shaking the college of bishops," resulted in the
dismissal of one of the Latin America's most controversial bishops.
Now the Supreme Pontiff has asked the apostolic community of
Ciudad del Este to "receive the decision of the
Holy See in a spirit of obedience, submissiveness and without discord, guided
by faith," and has issued a plea to the Paraguayan Church, "to
initiate a serious process of reconciliation, overcoming sectarianism and discord."
Buenos
Aires: After a long dispute involving the papal mission to Paraguay, controversial
Bishop Rogelio Ricardo 
One source of tension
within the heart of the Paraguayan Church has been the presence of Priest
Carlos 
Political
career of former Bishop [and Paraguay President]