A former seminarian and victim of the bishop emeritus of Oran, Argentina, Gustavo Zanchetta — who was sentenced to prison for sexual abuse in Argentina — asked the Catholic Church not to turn its back on him.
On Aug. 12, ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language sister news agency, interviewed G.C., a 28-year-old former seminarian and one of Zanchetta’s victims, after the bishop was allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest in July.
The place of house arrest, according to the newspaper El Tribuno, is a house for retired priests in the Monastery of Our Lady of the Valley of Nueva Orán of the Order of the Immaculate Conception-Franciscan Conceptionist Mothers.
“Simply that: don’t turn your back on us. We didn’t deserve such treatment,” G.C. told ACI Prensa when asked about what he is asking of the Catholic Church.
“Faced with such a situation, God willing, there will be no other cases, but if it does happen, let (the Church) not turn its back as it did to us because we didn’t deserve that treatment, first from a person who is a persona non grata to the Church, a person who harmed the faithful, the people of God,” the victim said.
“And second, if psychological therapy is offered so much in the seminaries, well, I think that the Church didn’t see many things in that respect. Many things were known about Zanchetta when he was ordained a bishop and I think it was a mistake, to not use another (worse) word,” G.C. lamented.
House arrest ‘not what we expected’
Regarding the house arrest, Zanchetta’s victim said he was not surprised by the decision by the judges after the request “to be able to have a comfortable prison available to him, according to his status. He always stressed the power that he has and that’s why he is where he is and not in a prison.”
“I always say that if I had lost the trial, I’m sure that I would — we would — have been in prison and not under house arrest,” he added.
G. C. also said that in the case of Zanchetta, “justice was done, but not in the way we expected. We expected him to serve his sentence in jail.”
‘The Church didn’t help us’
When asked if he has felt welcomed by the Church, the victim was clear: “No, not at all. Since he left the seminary the Church hasn’t taken care of us or our situation. Nothing, absolutely nothing.”
“I even spoke with the current bishop, Luis Antonio Scozzina. I talked to him so he could give me the possibility of helping me with the psychological therapy that I still need,” G.C. said.
The victim later said that the bishop agreed to it “because financially I wasn’t well and neither was my family. So I asked him for help for this reason but he didn’t help me.”
“There wasn’t even a talk with me after this, to ask how we were, if we were okay, if we needed anything,” he lamented.
After saying that at this time he feels alone, although there was a priest who accompanied him, G.C. he said he “expected more from the Church. As I told you, we have felt alone in that regard. The Church didn’t help us.”
Diocese of Oran’s response
ACI Prensa contacted the Diocese of Oran to ask whether or not it is helping the victims with psychological therapy.
“The bishop indicates that the seminarian M.C, who requested help, although he denies receiving it, has received it for five months. Psychological help is provided for that, but the other one (G.C.) didn’t request help,” the diocese responded.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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Our Lady of Lourdes grotto, France. / Elise Harris/CNA.
Vatican City, Mar 30, 2022 / 06:30 am (CNA).
Pope Francis named on Wednesday a new bishop of the French Catholic diocese that is home to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, one of the wo… […]
The Catholic faithful gathered in the Cenacle in Jerusalem for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper that the Franciscan friars celebrated on Holy Thursday, March 28, 2024. The Cenacle is at the center of strong tensions and disputes regarding ownership and rights of access and celebration. An ancient tradition places King David’s tomb here and over the centuries Jews and Muslims have leveraged this to first expel the Franciscans and then to prevent Christian worship, which they deemed sacrilegious. / Credit: Marinella Bandini
Jerusalem, Mar 28, 2024 / 17:15 pm (CNA).
On Holy Thursday, the doors of the Cenacle in Jerusalem were opened to welcome the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land. In this “Upper Room,” called the Cenacle in the Holy Land, Jesus had his Last Supper, washed his apostles’ feet, and instituted the Eucharist.
It was here that the Franciscans celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, reenacting those same gestures. (At the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, however, the celebration is held on Thursday morning due to the Status Quo. Here is Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa’s homily from that Mass.)
The custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, presided over the Eucharistic celebration at the Cenacle. In his homily, before washing the feet of six teachers and six students from the Terra Sancta School in Jerusalem, he emphasized the value of the “new commandment” that Jesus gave to his apostles here: “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (Jn 13:34).
“To love means to give oneself and to serve,” he said. “In this celebration, we want to nourish ourselves with Jesus because if he is alive within us, then we too will become capable of loving one another as he loved us. And we also want to learn from Jesus not to be served but to serve.”
Holy Thursday is the only day, along with Pentecost Sunday, when the Franciscans have the right to gather in the Upper Room to pray. Usually, it is a liturgy of the word, but since 2021 they have celebrated Mass. Outside, Israeli Army personnel ensure security.
The Cenacle is at the center of strong tensions and disputes regarding ownership and rights of access and celebration. An ancient tradition places King David’s tomb here, and over the centuries, Jews and Muslims have leveraged this place to first expel the Franciscans and then to prevent Christian worship, which they deem sacrilegious.
Father Narciso Klimas, historian and archivist of the Custody of the Holy Land, explained to CNA: “The Custody has all the documents confirming our ownership of Mount Zion.” Even today, traces of Christian presence are visible, both in the architecture of the place and in some symbols.
“The presence of the Franciscans at the Cenacle,” Klimas explained, “dates back to 1342, but as early as 1333, the rulers of Naples, Robert of Anjou and Sancha of Majorca, acquired the land and donated it to the friars. This was the first headquarters of the Custody of the Holy Land.” To this day, the official title of the Custos of the Holy Land is “Guardian of Mount Zion and the Holy Sepulchre.”
In 1421, a rabbi submitted a petition to the local emirs, claiming the right for Muslims and Jews to this place due to the presence of King David’s tomb. One hundred years later, Klimas continued, “the Ottomans used this argument to gradually expel the Franciscans, until in 1551 the sultan decreed the total expulsion of the Franciscans from Mount Zion.” The Cenacle first became a mosque and later, in the lower part, also a synagogue.
“Since then,” Klimas recounted, “the Franciscans have never stopped attempting to regain possession of the Cenacle. The friars have always tried to ensure a presence, at least on Holy Thursday and Pentecost, sometimes even with methods that are not exactly orthodox (such as bribing the local guardian).”
Something began to change in the 19th century, during the time of the Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid. Since then, the Franciscans have had the right to pray at the Cenacle on Holy Thursday and Pentecost. After a failed attempt in the 1930s to regain control of it, the friars managed to purchase adjacent land where they built the convent of San Francesco “ad Coenaculum” (next to the Cenacle).
In 1948, with the founding of the State of Israel, the entire Mount Zion came under Israeli control, and until today, the Israeli state owns the entire complex of the Cenacle. The neighborhood has a strong Jewish religious character and is characterized by the presence of synagogues and rabbinical schools.
“Even if the Cenacle cannot return to our hands,” Klimas explained, “we ask at least to celebrate regularly, even with pilgrims, without the need for special permits.”
Negotiations on these matters (taxation and property) have been ongoing for over 25 years between the Holy See and the State of Israel, following the signing of the Fundamental Agreement in 1993 and the agreement recognizing the legal personality of the Catholic Church in Israel in 1997.
Despite the slow pace of diplomatic negotiations, some practical progress can be observed informally. The ability to celebrate Mass on Holy Thursday at the Cenacle is among these developments. Permissions to access the site on other special occasions are usually granted without significant issues as well.
After the Mass at the Cenacle, as tradition dictates, the Franciscans proceeded in a procession to three churches in two other symbolic places: the Armenian churches of St. James and of the Holy Archangels (of the Armenian Apostolic Church), and the Syro-Orthodox Church of St. Mark.
This yearly visit commemorates the hospitality the friars received in the 16th century. After being expelled from the Cenacle, the Franciscans were welcomed by the Armenians for seven years while the convent of St. Saviour was purchased, to this day the headquarters of the Custody of the Holy Land. Friars and faithful prayed together and received the blessing from the representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The Syriac Orthodox Church of St. Mark is said to be built on the house of Mary, the mother of the evangelist Mark. According to Syriac tradition, this is the place where Jesus had the Last Supper. Here as well, those present prayed together and were able to listen to the Lord’s Prayer sung in Aramaic by one of the monks, who then gave a blessing.
"Cabrini" tells the true story of Francesca Cabrini, also known as St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, and will be released by Angel Studios on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2024. / Credit: Angel Studios
Good point. Once priests cross that line, and if they have a pattern of harming people, the Church owes them nothing. You could argue that the Church has a moral and spiritual obligation to excommunicate. Why protect them? It just adds insult to injury.
Why hasn’t McCarrick had his trial yet? Maybe they should wait until he’s 110 years old and maybe then his victim(s) will have justice. The criminal justice system when it comes to the hierarchy is just as broken as the Vatican is.
In Francis’ moral universe, victims are a fantasy that would get in the way, if these victims existed, of “mercy” for those victimizers feeling guilty. Even God is in the “process” of learning that He should not be doling out guilt, except to Catholics who go to Latin Masses and practice chastity that is.
Well, a trial is going to draw attention to the church and the abuse issue. The hierarchy would prefer that that doesn’t happen. A trial is also potentially going to expose and implicate people who colluded with him in some way. He’s the tip of the iceberg.
The remarkably consistent pattern in our Catholic “ecclesial establishment,” from one country to the next, is that when evidence of abuse emerges, and victims of abuse ask for help and support from the “leaders in the ecclesial establishment” (bishops if I recall correctly?), the pattern is that the victims and their families report being ignored at best, or even worse, accused of wrongdoing by “the leaders,” (the bishops).
Just ask Joseph Sciambra of California.
Or just ask the Vangelwhe family in Belgium.
Or just ask the victims of the Argentinian child sex predator “Rev.” Grassi, defended by “his friend” then-Archbishop Bergoglio, former head of the Aregentine Bishops Conference.
Zanchetta promoted to papal duties! After being sentenced, should he not of been excommunicated instead?
The excommunication of Papa?
One may say wolves amongst the sheep! Who might say Papa “has the smell of sheep on him”?
Good point. Once priests cross that line, and if they have a pattern of harming people, the Church owes them nothing. You could argue that the Church has a moral and spiritual obligation to excommunicate. Why protect them? It just adds insult to injury.
In turn your point is well taken.
God bless you in your efforts, to proclaim truth and fight for the church. It is well appreciated.
Why hasn’t McCarrick had his trial yet? Maybe they should wait until he’s 110 years old and maybe then his victim(s) will have justice. The criminal justice system when it comes to the hierarchy is just as broken as the Vatican is.
In Francis’ moral universe, victims are a fantasy that would get in the way, if these victims existed, of “mercy” for those victimizers feeling guilty. Even God is in the “process” of learning that He should not be doling out guilt, except to Catholics who go to Latin Masses and practice chastity that is.
Well, a trial is going to draw attention to the church and the abuse issue. The hierarchy would prefer that that doesn’t happen. A trial is also potentially going to expose and implicate people who colluded with him in some way. He’s the tip of the iceberg.
Protecting this pervert Zanchetta should have led to calls for Pope Francis’s resignation.
The remarkably consistent pattern in our Catholic “ecclesial establishment,” from one country to the next, is that when evidence of abuse emerges, and victims of abuse ask for help and support from the “leaders in the ecclesial establishment” (bishops if I recall correctly?), the pattern is that the victims and their families report being ignored at best, or even worse, accused of wrongdoing by “the leaders,” (the bishops).
Just ask Joseph Sciambra of California.
Or just ask the Vangelwhe family in Belgium.
Or just ask the victims of the Argentinian child sex predator “Rev.” Grassi, defended by “his friend” then-Archbishop Bergoglio, former head of the Aregentine Bishops Conference.