The Catholic Church in Colombia has revealed the names of 26 clergy members who were investigated for allegations of sexual abuse against children between 1995 and 2019. The Medellín Archdiocese published a list of the accused as part of a court ruling in favor of journalist Juan Pablo Barientos, who has been investigating an alleged network of clergy involved in child molestation for years. Barientos stated in a video on Saturday, "Most of these priests (...) were suspended briefly, and they returned to their work again." Barientos succeeded in persuading judges to accept his request, compelling the Medellín Archdiocese to release the list.
The prosecutor's office, which has not commented on the investigations, received up to 14 complaints regarding the abuse on Thursday, despite the incidents occurring years ago, according to the document published by the church. Monsignor Ricardo Tobón, the Archbishop of Medellín, stated that the religious institution aims to "show transparency and commitment to the truth and there is no intention to cover up." He added in a video published on the archdiocese's Twitter account that Barientos is conducting an "aggressive smear campaign against the church." According to the journalist, the church disclosed the names "because the Constitutional Court forced it to do so." In 2019, Barientos published a book titled "Let the Children Come to Me," which narrates an investigation into sexual abuse against children and the cover-up within the church in Colombia, a country where most people belong to the Roman Catholic faith. The church attempted to take legal action to prevent the book's publication but was unsuccessful. At least six priests have served prison sentences after being convicted of charges of raping children in Colombia.
