Pope Francis has revealed that the Church applied covert sanctions against Nobel Peace Prize winner and Bishop Emeritus of Timor D. Jimenez Bel for alleged sexual abuse of minors in the 1990s.
The sanctions include restrictions on the bishop’s movement and exercise of his ministry, as well as a ban on contact with minors or with Timor-Leste.
“When the revelations about the Bishop of Timor-Leste came out in September, I said, ‘Yes, let him be in the public eye. I will not cover for him,” the Supreme Pontiff emphasized in an interview, admitting that the case had happened “for almost 25 years, and at that time there was no sensitivity of today.”
D. Shimenesh Belo stepped down as head of the Catholic Church in Timor-Leste at the age of 54, two decades short of retirement age, citing health reasons. Today he lives in Portugal, where he is welcomed by the Salesians.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
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