The Bolivian Community of Survivors (CBS) addressed a request to Pope Leo XIV, demanding a 'just and definitive' answer regarding allegations of child abuse, which primarily affect members of the Jesuit order who conducted missions in the country.
The CBS criticized the lack of an appropriate institutional response to the abuses in Bolivia, even after complaints were formalized with the Bolivian Episcopal Conference, the Apostolic Nunciature, and Cardinal Toribio Ticona. In an open letter, the community expressed sorrow over the impunity surrounding the Jesuits, classifying this situation as the result of an 'institutional structure that facilitated the protection of their crimes.'
In light of this, the community asked the supreme pontiff to reserve a period during his visit to South America to listen to the victims of abuse committed by clergy in Bolivia.
The document detailed specific cases, mentioning the Tacata Orphanage, located in the center of Cochabamba, where 'almost 150 victims' of sexual assaults, allegedly perpetrated by at least five Jesuits, were registered. Additionally, the Juan XXIII school, also in Cochabamba, was pointed out, with '400 victims' from five Jesuits who served as directors, educators, nurses, and spiritual guides.
Other cited locations include the Colonia Piraí home for orphaned and homeless children, located in eastern Santa Cruz, where 'another 150 victims' were identified. Finally, the missive lists 35 more victims involved in a case involving the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) for International Child Defense and its leader, who is a priest.
