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Chile's Court of Appeal has ordered the office of Santiago's 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 oChilean court orders Catholic Church to pay damages over abuse
Chile's Court of Appeal has ordered the office of Santiago's 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 Chile's Supreme Court, said it would not comment on La Tercera's account. If confirmed by the court on Monday, it would be the first damages order to have been leveled against Chile's powerful Roman Catholic Church for a scandal of sex abuse and cover-up that prompted Pope Francis to apologize to its faithful. Legal experts have said it could pave the way for more claims amid a new climate of discovery which has seen hundreds of people come forward to allege they were abused and criminal prosecutors launch scores of new investigations. In a statement hailing the... Read more