Bolivian Jesuits apologize for alleged abuse by late priest

Associated Press

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s Jesuit congregation has apologized publicly and is launching an investigation into a late Spanish priest who allegedly abused several minors in Bolivia dating back to the 1980s. “We apologize for the pain caused,” said the Rev. Bernardo Mercado, head of the Catholic religious order known as La Compañía de Jesús. The congregation says it seeks to bring justice for the victims, and called the situation an “embarrassment.” The case of Jesuit priest Alfonso Pedrajas Moreno came to light over the weekend in a report by the Spanish newspaper El País, which published excerpts of the priest’s dairy, where he allegedly admitted to having abused at least 85 children while he was a teacher in Bolivia until 2009 when he died.