Pope Francis had received a victim’s letter in 2015 detailing “how a priest sexually abused him and how other Chilean clergy ignored it,” the Associated Press reported Monday. The letter contradicts the pope’s claims that no victims had come forward to denounce the coverup of Chilean Rev. Fernando Karadima by Bishop Juan Barros—who is accused of ignoring Karadima’s abuses. In his recent South America trip, the pope called the accusations against Barros “slander,” and told an AP reporter that he knew of no victims because “they haven’t come forward.” The letter that directly contradicts the pope’s claim had reportedly been successfully delivered to the pontiff, and brings into question the religious leader’s supposed “no tolerance” policy on sexual abuse and subsequent coverups.
