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What Did Pope Francis Know About Sex Abuse In Chile?

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Pope Francis stands in his private library at the Vatican, Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. Pope Francis received a victim’s letter in 2015 that graphically detailed how a priest sexually abused him and how other Chilean clergy ignored it, contradicting the pope’s recent insistence that no victims had come forward to denounce the cover-up, the letter's author and members of Francis’ own sex- abuse commission have told The Associated Press. (Alessandro Di Meo/Pool photo via AP)
Pope Francis stands in his private library at the Vatican, Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. Pope Francis received a victim’s letter in 2015 that graphically detailed how a priest sexually abused him and how other Chilean clergy ignored it, contradicting the pope’s recent insistence that no victims had come forward to denounce the cover-up, the letter's author and members of Francis’ own sex- abuse commission have told The Associated Press. (Alessandro Di Meo/Pool photo via AP)

With guest host Indira Lakshmanan. 

Did Pope Francis know about clergy sex abuse in Chile and cover it up? We'll hear the evidence from his own commission.

Guests:

Consuelo Saavedra, Chilean journalist and news anchor at Television Nacional de Chile. (@consuelosaav)

David O’Regan, survivor of clergy sexual abuse who leads a local chapter of SNAP — the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. (@bostonsnap)

Nicole Winfield, Vatican correspondent for the Associated Press. (@nwinfield)

Massimo Faggioli, historian and theologian at Villanova University. (@massimofaggioli)

From The Reading List:

Associated Press: AP Exclusive: 2015 Letter Belies Pope's Claim Of Ignorance — "Pope Francis received a victim’s letter in 2015 that graphically detailed how a priest sexually abused him and how other Chilean clergy ignored it, contradicting the pope’s recent insistence that no victims had come forward to denounce the cover-up, the letter’s author and members of Francis’ own sex- abuse commission have told The Associated Press."

Did Pope Francis ignore evidence of clergy sex abuse in Chile? That’s the stunning new charge from members of his own Commission for the Protection of Minors, who hand-delivered a victim’s letter detailing how a bishop witnessed and covered up abuse by a notorious pedophile priest. The Pope’s rebuke of victims drew a rare rebuttal from a top cardinal. This hour, On Point: does Pope Francis have a blind spot when it comes to clergy sex abuse? --Indira Lakshmanan

This program aired on February 6, 2018.

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