Feb 7, 2018

Report: Vatican to interview Chilean sex abuse victim in New York

Pope Francis celebrates at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Photo: Giuseppe Ciccia/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

A Vatican sex-crimes expert tasked by Pope Francis with probing a case involving a Chilean bishop who allegedly witnessed sexual abuses and ignored them, will travel to New York to speak with a victim in person, the victim told The AP on Wednesday. The same victim sent Pope Francis a letter in 2015 claiming Bishop Juan Barros had ignored the crimes.

Why it matters: Francis is being pulled further into the scandal in the wake of his dismissive comments about it last month. A lay Catholic group in Chile told the AP on Tuesday that Francis had "full knowledge" of the accusations against Barros.

The background: Barros has denied seeing any abuse committed by Rev. Fernando Karadima, per AP. After an internal probe in 2011, the Vatican sanctioned Karadima after finding him guilty of sexually abusing minors in Chile.

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