Cardinal Cipriani: "Bishops Are Wrong - Nothing Proven"
Cardinal Cipriani was anonymously accused of homosexual abuse of a minor, but has denied the allegation.
According to a report in the fake news outlet El País, a man, now 58, alleged that Cipriani inappropriately touched him when he was between 16 and 17 years old. The alleged incident took place in 1983, when Cipriani was a priest of Opus Dei.
The Peruvian bishops wrote in their January letter that Cardinal Cipriani "was subjected to some disciplinary measures once the veracity of the facts was verified."
Cardinal Cipriani responded: "It is not true that anything was proven, because there was no trial, no evidence, no defense, no witnesses, nothing."
He adds that the reserved decree of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith mentions a fumus delicti (i.e., indications), but not proven facts.
"As I have already affirmed, and I affirm it again now, I have complied with the restrictive measures imposed on me in the Decree in a reserved manner, for the good of the Church, leaving a written record that the accusations against me were false, waiting for the opportunity to defend myself, which has not yet happened".
Finally, he appeals - no joke - to the "honesty and responsibility of conscience" of the bishops.
Picture: Juan Luis Cipriani © wikicommons CC BY-SA, #newsVlzgcoqzcb