U.S. priests accused of sex abuse get second chance in South America

USA Today has a story that’s guaranteed to leave folks outraged — but probably not surprised. According to Global Post columnist Will Carless: “Victim advocates say that relocating priests to poorer parishes overseas is the church’s latest strategy for protecting its reputation.”

Now to Carless’ report:

Vatican CityThe Catholic Church has allowed priests accused of sexually abusing children in the United States and Europe to relocate to poor parishes in South America, a yearlong GlobalPost investigation has found.

Reporters confronted five accused priests in as many countries: Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and Peru. One priest who relocated to a poor parish in Peru admitted on camera to molesting a 13-year-old boy while working in the Jackson, Miss., diocese. Another is currently under investigation in Brazil after allegations arose that he abused disadvantaged children living in an orphanage he founded there.

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