May 15, 2023, 11:10 PM
May 15, 2023, 11:10 PM
The Prosecutor’s Office and the Police they formed commissions of professionals to be able to investigate the sexual abuse against minors committed by the priest Luis Roma Padrosa in the Santa Cruz municipality of Charagua, for at least 10 years.
Róger Mariaca, departmental prosecutor of Santa Cruz, reported that on Friday the 12th of May an ex officio investigation was opened for this case and said that this Monday a commission made up of three prosecutors was formed, who will be in charge of summoning witnesses and receiving complaints.
“Together with the Bolivian Police we will carry out an exhaustive investigation into the sexual harassment of those who would have been victims of minors, since this is not the only case because there are other complaints against different priests in the country”Mariaca explained.
For his part, the departmental commander, Erik Enrique Holguín, of the Special Force to Combat Violence (Felcv) already appointed a commission of uniformed pTo investigate this case and asked the victims of these abuses to present their complaint, no matter if 30 years have passedbecause the crimes where the victims are minors do not prescribe over the years.
Likewise, Holguín and Mariaca agreed that researchers will be sent to the Santa Cruz municipality of Charagua, where the events between 1994 and 2004 were recorded, so that they gather information and interview witnesses in order to capture the concealers of the Jesuit priest Luis Roma Padrosa.
Church Investigation
On the other hand, the Society of Jesus in Bolivia reported, through a statement, that They knew about the Luis Roma Padrosa case since February 2019. Furthermore, that same year actions were taken and the Jesuit was removed from all contact with minors that same year.
After learning of these facts, according to the Jesuits, the provincial at the time, Osvaldo Chirveches, took three actions: activate the protocol in force in the Society of Jesus in response to the complaint received. Second, YoInstruct the start of the preliminary investigation by means of a decree of March 8, 2019; and third, to form an Investigative Commission made up of the delegate of Safe and Healthy Environments and two external professionals in law and psychology.
They even describe that the established protocol was applied; taking care to proceed as indicated by Canon Law for these crimes against minors (canon 1333).
It was so, the provincial proceeded to suspend the exercise public priestly ministry and the removal of the accused from all contact with minors.
As for the commission that was organized, it was in charge of conducting interviews, inspections, review of documents and psychiatric evaluation, visit to the place of the events (Charagua) and willingness to listen to receive complaints of victims, without any coming forward.
According to what was stated in the statement, after the issuance of the final report of the investigation, all the documentation was sent to the General Curia of the Society of Jesus in Rome for study and consultation with the Congregation of the Vatican’s Doctrine of Faith.
“On September 1, 2022, a new public statement on the case confirmed the plausibility of what was denounced. The opening of the corresponding canonical process did not proceed, because Luis Roma Padrosa had already passed away,” he explains.
According to the statement, Luis Roma Padrospassed away on August 6, 2019 at 84 years of age, he suffered from dementia, hydrocephalus, heart problems and a hernia.
