The International Movement We Are Church fully support Ireland’s Marie Collins’s call for Bishop Juan Barros of Chile to be removed from his office as Bishop.

Marie Collins is herself a survivor of clerical sex abuse and Pope Francis in 2014 appointed her to the Vatican Commission for Protecting Children from Clerical Abuse.

We believe that Pope Francis should move immediately to suspend Bishop Juan Barros .

The new bishop is accused of protecting Chile’s most notorious paedophile priest Fernando Karadima.

Four years ago he was found guilty by the Vatican of the serial abuse of teenage boys and banned from celebrating mass in public.

One of his victims testified that the newly-appointed Bishop saw Karadima molesting him.

But Bishop Barros has denied that he knew about the abuse: “I never imagined the serious abuses committed by this priest. I have never approved or participated in these gravely dishonest acts,” he said.

The Chilean hierarchy has publicly backed the Pope’s appointment.

However, 30 of the new bishop’s priests and deacons, the local provincial of an order, and 51 members of the Chilean Parliament have called on Juan Barros to stand down.

For further information contact:

Christian Weisner, IMWAC Media Spokesperson

Tel: +43-8131-260250, Email: media@we-are-church.org

Brendan Butler, IMWAC Media team

Tel: +353864054984 Email: brendan13@eircom.net

Contact in member countries: www.imwac.net/413/index.php/contact/contacts