Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile apologizes for Abuse Prevention Guidelines gone wrong

Withdrawn after 24 hours… 

Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile apologizes for Abuse Prevention Guidelines gone wrong

The official seal of the archbishopric of Santiago de Chile

The Novus Ordo Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile has issued an apology after publishing a 9-page manual for its clergy and other employees on proper conduct with minors and vulnerable people. The problem? Its contents caused outrage online because among its 65 do’s-and-don’ts were items such as the following:

• don’t slap buttocks
• don’t give massages
• don’t touch genital areas or the chest
• don’t sleep together with children or adolescents
• don’t kiss children, adolescents, or vulnerable people on the mouth
• don’t fight or play games that involve inappropriate touching
• don’t take pictures while children, adolescents, or vulnerable people are naked, getting dressed, or showering

The document, which can be accessed in full here, is entitled Orientaciones que fomentan el Buen Trato y la Sana Convivencia Pastoral (“Guidelines for the Promotion of Good Interaction and Healthy Pastoral Coexistence”) and was signed by the “Archbishop” of Santiago de Chile, “Cardinal” Ricardo Ezzati Andrello. It had been posted on the archdiocesan web site for 24 hours before being removed again after an outcry on social media about some of the behavioral rules. Obviously, if someone has to be told not to touch someone else’s private parts, he ought not to be working for a “Catholic diocese” at all.

In an apology issued on Sep. 28, “Abp.” Ezzati emphasized that the guidelines had been issued (and labeled) as a working document in accordance with international standards and promised that “[c]ertain contents that were translated literally and that are not adequate or that lend themselves to incorrect interpretations, will be corrected” in a new version to be released in the near future.

Popular Chilean news sites such as emol.com and cooperativa.cl have covered this story, from which information for this report was taken. We express our gratitude to the Vuelve Cristo blog for help with translation.

Chile has been a recent point of focus in the Vatican II Sect’s abominable sex abuse scandals. It was during his disastrous trip to Chile in January of this year that “Pope” Francis made his infamous and untruthful remarks about how the people accusing “Bp.” Juan Barros of covering up for Fr. Karadima had presented no evidence and were therefore committing “calumny”. He later reversed himself and apologized, stating that he had “made serious mistakes in the assessment and perception of the situation, especially because of the lack of truthful and balanced information” (source).

In May, all Chilean “bishops” collectively presented their resignations to Francis during a meeting at the Vatican, some of which the “Pope” has since accepted. Just yesterday, the Vatican announced that Francis has finally defrocked (meaning returned to the lay state) 88-year-old Fr. Fernando Karadima, the Chilean priest convicted in 2011 of the sexual abuse of minors.

Image source: iglesiadesantiago.cl
License: Fair use