Described by the Washington Post as the latest sign of the Pope's uncompromising stance on sex abuse, the Vatican said on Thursday that Pope Francis has fired a Paraguayan bishop after he allegedly covered up for a pedophile priest who was suspected of sexually abusing young people in the United States.
According to the Washington Post, Pope Francis fires the Paraguayan bishop after a Vatican investigation was performed looking into whether he protected an Argentine priest accused of child abuse in the U.S.
The name of the Paraguayan bishop fired by Pope Francis is Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano. According to the Christian Post, Plano is from the diocese of Ciudad del Este. Apart from accusations of covering up for complaints of sexual abuse of minors in his diocese against Argentine priest the Rev. Carlos Urrutigoity, he was also charged with embezzlement.
According to multiple reports, despite the accusations against Urrutigoity, Plano still promoted Urrutigoity to deputy bishop. Because of this, Pope Francis fires the Paraguayan bishop. He was officially removed from his post by the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday with a letter from the Vatican.
Later, Plano hit back with a letter to the Vatican saying he is against the decision of Pope Francis firing him. Plano stated in his letter that the Pope "will have to answer before God," reports the Christian Post.
Argentina-born, Pope Francis has vowed zero tolerance against abuse which is likened to "a Satanic mass." According to NBC News, his vow was followed by a series of child abuse scandals against officials of the Catholic Church.
The Vatican released a statement on Thursday, Sept. 25, about the decision of Pope Francis in firing the Paraguayan bishop.
The statement explained that St. Francis fires Paraguayan bishop and decides to replace him following an investigation. According to the Christian Post, the Pope chose Ricardo Jorge Valenzuela Ríos, Bishop of Villarrica del Espíritu Santo, to fill his vacancy and act as a temporary administrator while the investigations are on-going.
The statement read, "The grave decision taken by the Holy See, under the weight of serious pastoral concerns, is for the greater good and unity of the Church of Ciudad del Este and episcopal communion in Paraguay."
According to the Washington Post, the pope has called for reconciliation, urging "the clergy and the entire people of God of Ciudad del Este to accept the Holy See's decision with the spirit of obedience, docility and an open heart, guided by faith," it was said in the statement following Pope Francis firing the Paraguayan bishop.
Meanwhile, Voice of America noted that Vatican sources have revealed the bishop's actions before Pope Francis fires Paraguayan bishop. Apparently, even though there had been reports of irregularities in his diocese, the bishop refused to resign and even promoted a priest who was suspected of practicing sexual abuse against children while in the United States.
Plano sent a letter to the head of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops to defend both himself and the priest. He called the charges against them "unfounded and arbitrary," adding that "The pope will have to answer to God and not to me."
According to NBC News, the Vatican said Pope Francis had taken the "onerous decision" to fire the Paraguayan bishop Plano after carefully examining results of the Vatican investigation.
Meanwhile, after Pope Francis fires Paraguayan bishop, Chicago-based support network called "The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests", responded to the news. Representing 20,000 survivors of clerical sexual abuse worldwide, the group said the latest bishop removal is welcomed, however it reportedly needs to be stressed that more is needed to be done to investigate Urrutigoity's alleged abuse and others.
SNAP outreach director Barbara Dorris said, "We are encouraged, but must emphasize that one act involving one bishop does not, in any way, signal dramatic change."
Dorris added, "Across the globe, hundreds of thousands of Catholic officials - from pastors to prelates - have ignored or concealed clergy sex crimes and many are still ignoring and concealing clergy sex crimes."
Two days before Pope Francis fires Paraguayan bishop, according to NBC News, the pope also approved the arrest of a former archbishop accused of paying for sex with children while serving as papal ambassador in the Dominican Republic.
According to the Washington Post, part of Pope Francis' vow of "zero tolerance" to child sex abuse is his seeking to repair some of the damage inflicted on the Catholic Church's image by a series of clergy pedophilia scandals in the U.S., Ireland, Germany, Australia and elsewhere in recent years.
In July, the Pope reportedly dispatched two bishops to look into the troubled diocese, resulting in Urrutigoity removed from the No. 2 position before they arrived.
Pope Francis have also met abuse victims for the first time, reports the Christian Post. He asked for their forgiveness and condemned the "sacrilegious cult" of abusers.
The Roman Catholic Church leader declared that day, "This is what causes me distress and pain at the fact that some priests and bishops, by sexually abusing minors, violated their innocence and their own priestly vocation."
He added, "It is something more than despicable actions. It is like a sacrilegious cult, because these boys and girls had been entrusted to the priestly charism in order to be brought to God."
Though Pope Francis firing a Paraguayan bishop may look to be a far cry from actually solving the strain of sexual abuse by people of the clergy, it is an essential step in reforming a religion which is being looked up to by many. It is a hope that the Pope's efforts continue and that other men from the clergy will follow his acts of bravery and goodwill.
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