A judge in Argentina ruled that two bishops and two priests were liable for gender-based discrimination and violence toward a group of Discalced Carmelite nuns.
Argentine Judge Carolina Cáceres Moreno issued an 87-page ruling on 4th April that said the cloistered nuns of the Monastery of St. Bernard in Salta were subjected to psychological, verbal and physical abuse by Archbishop Mario Cargnello of Salta, retired Bishop Martín de Elizalde of Nueve de Julio, Father Ignacio Loyola Pinto de Sancristóval and Father Lucio Ajaya.
The judge ordered the four accused clergymen to undergo psychological treatment and training “in order to modify their behavioural patterns.” Pope Francis also must be notified of the court’s decision, Cáceres said. Lawyers representing the Archdiocese of Salta said they would appeal the decision and said the accusations were baseless.
In a statement to Argentine radio station Cadena 3, Eduardo Romani, Archbishop Cargnello’s lawyer, said the case is still open and that Cáceres’ ruling was not a “conviction against the bishop and against any of those involved.”
The complaint filed by the nuns stated that they had endured “sustained harassment over time that began in 1999,” the year Archbishop Cargnello was appointed to lead the archdiocese.