On September 2, a Bolivian court sentenced two elderly Spanish Jesuit priests, Marcos Recolons, 81, and Ramón Alaix, 83, to one year in prison each for concealing decades of child sexual abuse committed by their fellow priest, Alfonso Pedrajas (+2009).
Most of the abused children were males - indigenous boys on scholarships at Jesuit-run schools.
The case was brought to light in 2023 after the publication of Pedrajas’s diary, in which he confessed to abusing at least 85 minors between 1972 and 2000.
He mentioned that his Jesuit superiors "knew" but did nothing, and even covered for him.
At a hearing in July relating to the case, the president of an organisation for abuse victims said that, after the diary was published, they found victims from different generations. "We realised that we had been victims not only of the perpetrators, but also of an entire structure: the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), that relocated the perpetrators."
He also said, "When an abuser has more than ten victims, we are talking about a serial rapist."
Other victims described how Father Pedrajas took advantage of their trust, often under the guise of mentoring or providing religious guidance.
The court found that both men, who served as Jesuit provincials in Bolivia during the relevant years, knew of the allegations against Pedrajas, yet relocated him to places where he could continue to interact with children.
The judge urged prosecutors to investigate other Jesuit leaders.
In the courtroom was Erika Montano, whose brother was a victim of homosexual abuse, became a Jesuit himself, and died by suicide.
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