The names of 26 priests who were investigated for sexual assaults on minors in Colombia have been published by the archdiocese of the city of Medellin, at the request of justice.
This list, which includes the names of priests “denounced” to the prosecution between 1995 and 2019, was broadcast after justice granted a request to that effect from journalist Juan Pablo Barrientos, who investigates pedocrime in the Colombian Church.
“The majority of these priests (…) who raped children were suspended for a short time and then returned to duty”, commented the journalist, in a video published on Saturday. The Archbishop of Medellin, Mgr Ricardo Tobon, assured that the Church wanted to do “proof of transparency (…) and show that there is no intention of concealment”.
“An aggressive smear campaign”.
In a published video on the Archdiocese’s Twitter account, Mgr Tobon also denounces a “aggressive smear campaign against the Church” from Mr. Barrientos. He replied a few hours later.
In 2019, Mr. Barrientos published a book “Dejad que los niños vengan a mí” (“Let the little children come to me”), an investigation into sexual assaults covered up by the clergy in a country with a strong Catholic majority.
The majority of the violence recounted in the book was committed in Antioquia (north-west) and the archbishop of Medellin, capital of this very conservative department, is denounced there for having covered up one of the religious. The Church attempted to prevent the publication of the book through legal action, to no avail.
In 2021, the journalist published a second investigation, “Este es el Cordero de Dios” (“He is the Lamb of God”), which reveals the scandal of a pedophile network in the diocese of Villavicencio, 120 km south-east of Bogota, involving 38 priests accused of sexual assault and rape of minors. At least six priests have served prison sentences for child rape in the country.