Chilean court orders Catholic Church to pay damages over abuse: report
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS OCTOBER 21, 2018 / 1:31 PM / UPDATED 33 MINUTES AGO
Chilean court orders Catholic Church to pay damages over abuse: report
Aislinn Laing
3 MIN READ
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chiles Court of Appeal has ordered the office of Santiagos Archbishop to pay $450 million pesos ($650,000) to three men who alleged they were sexually abused for decades by Chilean priest Fernando Karadima, a local newspaper said on Sunday.
Citing a copy of a leaked judgment, La Tercera said the three judges who heard the case on Thursday found in favor of an appeal for moral damages against the church for allegedly covering up the crimes. The case was previously rejected by a lower court for lack of evidence.
Reuters could not independently confirm the report. The Santiago Archbishopric, which could appeal to Chiles Supreme Court, said it would not comment on La Terceras account.
If confirmed by the court on Monday, it would be the first damages order to have been leveled against Chiles powerful Roman Catholic Church for a scandal of sex abuse and cover-up that prompted Pope Francis to apologize to its faithful.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-church-abuse-chile/chilean-court-orders-catholic-church-to-pay-damages-over-abuse-report-idUSKCN1MV0SP