Argentinian bishop sentenced to prison for sexual abuse despite pope's defense

Source: The Guardian and agencies

Argentinian bishop sentenced to prison for sexual abuse despite pope’s defense

Gustavo Zanchetta convicted by court in a major blow to Pope Francis, who had initially defended the bishop

Staff and agencies in Buenos Aires
Fri 4 Mar 2022 18.24 GMT

A court in Argentina has sentenced a Roman Catholic bishop to four and a half years in prison for sexual abuse of two former seminarians in a major blow to Pope Francis, who had initially defended the bishop.

Gustavo Zanchetta, 57, was convicted on Friday of “simple, continued and aggravated sexual abuse”, with his offense aggravated by his role as a religious minster.

A court in the north-western town of Orán, where Zanchetta, 57, was bishop from 2013 to 2017, ordered his immediate detention.

The conviction in the pope’s homeland hits at Francis’s personal credibility since he had initially rejected accusations against Zanchetta, and created a job for him at the Vatican that got him out of Argentina.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/04/argentine-catholic-bishop-gustavo-zanchetta-sentenced-sexual-abuse-pope-francis