Church sex abuse scandals in East Timor met by silence, but Pope Francis’ visit brings new attention
When the Vatican acknowledged in 2022 that the Nobel Peace Prize-winning, East Timorese independence hero Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo had sexually abused young boys, it appeared that the global clergy sexual abuse scandal that has compromised the Catholic Church’s credibility around the world had finally arrived in Asia’s newest country
DILI, East Timor (AP) — When the Vatican acknowledged in 2022 that the Nobel Peace Prize-winning, East Timorese independence hero Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo had sexually abused young boys, it appeared that the global clergy sexual abuse scandal that has compromised the Catholic Church’s credibility around the world had finally arrived in Asia’s newest country.
And yet, the church in East Timor today is stronger than ever, with most downplaying, doubting or dismissing the claims against Belo and those against a popular American missionary who confessed to molesting young girls. Many instead focus on their roles saving lives during the country’s bloody struggle against Indonesia for independence.
Pope Francis will come face to face with the Timorese faithful on his first trip to the country, a former Portuguese colony that makes up half of the island of Timor off the northern coast of Australia. But so far, there is no word if he will meet with victims or even mention the sex abuse directly, as he has in other countries where the rank-and-file faithful have demanded an accounting from the hierarchy for how it failed to protect their children.
Even without pressure from within East Timor to address the scandals, it would be deeply meaningful to the victims if Francis did, said Tjiyske Lingsma, the Dutch journalist who helped bring both abuse cases to light.
“I think this is the time for the pope to say some words to the victims, to apologize," she said in an interview from Amsterdam.
The day after Lingsma detailed the Belo case in a September 2022 report in De Groene Amsterdammer magazine, the Vatican confirmed that Belo had been sanctioned secretly two years earlier.
In Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni's statement, he said the church had been aware of the case since 2019 and had imposed disciplinary measures in 2020, including restrictions on Belo's movements and a ban on voluntary contact with minors.
Despite the official acknowledgement, many in East Timor still don't believe it, like Dili university student Martinha Goveia, who is still expecting Belo will show up to be at Francis' side during his upcoming visit.
If he's not there, she said, “that is not good in my opinion,” because it will confirm he is being sanctioned by the Vatican.
Vegetable trader Alfredo Ximenes said the allegations and the Vatican's acknowledged sanctions were merely rumors, and that he hoped Belo would come to welcome the pope and refute the claims in person.
"Our political leaders should immediately meet him to end the problem and persuade him to return, because after all he has contributed greatly to national independence,” Ximenes said.
Timorese officials refused to answer questions about the Belo case, but there’s been no attempt to avoid mentioning him, with a giant billboard in Dili welcoming Pope Francis, whose visit starts Sept. 9, placed right above a mural honoring Belo and three others as national heroes.
Only about 20% of East Timor's people were Catholic when Indonesia invaded in 1975, shortly after Portugal abandoned it as a colony.
Today, some 98% of East Timor's 1.3 million people are Catholic, making it the most Catholic country in the world outside the Vatican.
A law imposed by Indonesia requiring people to choose a religion, combined with the church's opposition to the military occupation and support for the resistance over years of bloody fighting that saw as many as 200,000 people killed, helped bring about that flood of new members.
Belo won the Nobel Peace Prize for his bravery in drawing international attention to Indonesian human rights abuses during the conflict, and American missionary Richard Daschbach was widely celebrated for his role in helping save lives in the struggle for independence.
Their heroic status, and societal factors in Asia, where the culture tends to confer much power on adults and authority figures, helps explain why the men are still revered while elsewhere in the world such cases are met with outrage, said Anne Barrett Doyle, of the online resource Bishop Accountability.
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Woman accused of child sex crimes after meeting victim at church; diary leads to arrest
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A St. Louis-area woman faces felony charges and is accused of child sex crimes. Investigators say a diary led to the mentor’s arrest.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged Brandi James, 25, with two counts of statutory sodomy or attempted statutory sodomy (deviate sexual intercourse) and one count of child molestation amid the investigation.
Investigators believe the alleged sex crimes happened between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. James met the victim at the House of Deliverance Church in St. Louis County, according to court documents obtained by FOX 2.
Court documents state that the victim’s mother came across a diary, finding a note that implied the 13-year-old victim was sexually involved with a church member.
Investigators say the information on victim’s phone supports the allegation that James had engaged in sexual acts with the victim on at least two occasions.
James, who was 22 at the time of the alleged crime, made admissions to others but refused to speak to police on allegations, per court documents. She is jailed in St. Louis County on a $300,000 cash-only bond.
Detectives with the St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Crimes Against Persons are leading the investigation. Police say the church has cooperated with the investigation.
The St. Louis County Police Department urges anyone with relevant information in this case to contact the department’s Child Abuse Unit at 314-615-5400.
House of Deliverance Church’s Senior Pastor Eric Battle provided FOX 2 with the following statement Wednesday:
“Brandi James is not now, nor has ever been, an employee nor mentor at the House of Deliverance Church. Her relationship with the alleged victim took place outside of the church without any involvement with the church. All employees and volunteers at the church are required to submit and pass a criminal background check. The church is and has been willing to assist in the investigation in any way we can.“
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