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CHILD ABUSE

Jailed Italian diplomat seeks medical care

An Italian diplomat detained in the Philippines for alleged child abuse will be allowed to leave prison briefly to undergo medical treatment, a government prosecutor said on Wednesday.

Published: 14 May 2014 12:28 CEST
Jailed Italian diplomat seeks medical care
Bosio was detained at a police station about an hour's drive from Manila, the Philippine capital. Manila photo: Shutters

Daniele Bosio, the Italian ambassador to Turkmenistan, suffers from a kidney condition and blood sugar problems that may have been worsened by his stressful confinement in a crowded cell, a member of his family told AFP.

The 46-year-old diplomat was holidaying in the Philippines when he was arrested five weeks ago following a complaint by a children's advocacy group who alleged they saw him acting "inappropriately" with three homeless boys at a park near Manila.

"Of course, I don't want to risk his health condition…so I decided that it is best to grant his request for a medical check-up," state prosecutor Agripino Baybay told reporters.

Bosio was earlier detained in a tiny cell with dozens of other people at a police station about an hour's drive from the Philippine capital.

The prosecutor said the Italian would have to return to the cell after his treatment and attend more investigative hearings aimed at determining if there is enough evidence for him to be charged with a crime.

The notoriously slow Philippine judicial system means the proceedings could drag on for months.

Bosio's brother Andreas told AFP the diplomat, who was suspended from his post after his arrest, would consult a specialist in Manila.

His family insists he is innocent and he was only trying to help local street children when he was arrested.

They have described him as a frequent backpacker who even provided financial support to a children's school in the Philippines.

SEE ALSO: Detained Italian diplomat is innocent: family

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CHILD ABUSE

Vatican suspends Chilean deacon accused of child abuse

The Vatican dismissed a Chilean deacon over sexual abuse accusations in central Chile, the archdiocese of the city of Rancagua said Friday, amid a widespread abuse scandal gripping the country's Catholic Church.

Published: 21 July 2018 12:19 CEST
Vatican suspends Chilean deacon accused of child abuse
Pope Francis (pictured) in May accepted the resignation of five Chilean bishops amid accusations of abuse. Photo: AFP
Luis Rubio was arrested for improper conduct and sexual abuse of minors when he was in charge of a Las Cabras school in 2013.
 
A year later, the archdiocese of Rancagua dismissed him from his duties while an investigation was underway, with the results sent to the Vatican, which has now expelled him.
 
Rubio's case was brought to the forefront in May when a television report revealed an alleged network of sexual abuse carried out by a group of religious figures collectively known as “The Family.”
 
Rubio was interviewed in the report, during which he admitted he had “made a mistake, but not committed a crime.”
 
A total of 14 priests and other religious figures were suspended as the Church investigated the network, while Rancagua prosecutors also opened their own investigation.
 
 
Pope Francis in May accepted the resignation of five Chilean bishops amid accusations of abuse and related cover-ups. Meanwhile last week, prominent priest Oscar Munoz was arrested over allegations of sexual abuse and rape of at least seven children.
 
The pontiff also accepted the resignation of auxillary bishop Juan Jose Pineda in Honduras, who has faced allegations by former seminarians of sexual misconduct, the Vatican announced.
 
Pineda has given up his post as auxiliary bishop of the Catholic Church's archdiocese of Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, the Vatican said in a brief statement.
 
In March, former seminarians had accused the 57-year-old cleric of “serious sexual misconduct,” according to the US weekly National Catholic Register.
 
The alleged incidents happened earlier this decade when Pineda was teaching at the archdiocese's seminary for those studying for the priesthood.
 
Pineda was considered the righthand man of Honduran Cardinal Oscar Maradiaga, one of the closest advisors to Pope Francis and head of the “C9”, a council of cardinals who assist the pontiff in reforming the Vatican.