Historic Lawsuit Filed Against Jesuit Order In Chile
(For Immediate Release May 4, 2023)
A historic lawsuit is being brought against the Jesuit Order (Compañía de Jesus)
According to the lawsuit, Pablo Franzani, was very young and a student at the San Luis de Antofagasta Jesuit school, when he was sexually abused by the school's chaplain and educational religion teacher Leonel Ibacache. The school failed to protect Franzani and hid all the information.
We applaud Pablo Franzani for stepping forward to seek justice and accountability after years of suppressing his anguish. His narrative will not only serve to discover the still-hidden truths of Chile's Jesuit Order of Priests, but it will also aid the Chilean people by assisting it in designing stronger safeguards for today's children.
We are sharing the media release and legal filing below from attorney Juan Pablo Hermosilla. The case was filed in the 16th Civil Court of Santiago, under case number C-837-2023.
It claims the cover up of the sexual abuse of children at Jesuit-run schools in Santiago, Chile. The lawsuit refers to the Catholic Order as an “illicit organization which protects pedophiles”.
The suit claims that authorities in the Order have continuously covered up and dismissed parent’s complaints against (and thus protected) priest Leonel Ibacache for some 4 decades.
This priest mentioned in this lawsuit, died in a Jesuit nursing home in 2019 without facing a single day of incarceration or even a day in court.
The UN has requested an investigation into the alarming number of cases and accusations of sexual abuse in Chile. Read E-20 A to E
Attorney Juan Pablo Hermosilla (represented in the Karadima case) will be representing the claimant.
The Bob Marley Foundation supports this survivor in his pursuit of justice. Rita Marley, philanthropist and humanitarian (and wife of the renowned singer/songwriter/activist) has personally been providing support and encouragement to the claimant as he continues in his attempt to work toward protecting children worldwide.
SNAP calls for a thorough investigation into sexual abuse by ordained and professed religious in Chile. The pervasiveness of the problem, as well as the high stakes of children's well-being, necessitate the requirement.
Pablo Franzani can be reached for interviews at +1-954-513-0423 (USA).
SNAP CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected] 267-261-0578) Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009) Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President, (814-341-8386 [email protected])
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
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Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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