Abuso sexual eclesiÁstico en Chile: las interpretaciones de altos representantes de la iglesia catÓlica ante las acusaciones

Research on ecclesiastical sexual abuse has focused on the socio-demographic description of the victims and the physical and psychological effects. Nevertheless, although it has been less studied, there is evidence indicating that the commission of ecclesiastical sexual abuse would be influenced by the characteristics of the institutions to which the perpetrators belong. The aim of this study was to delve into those emerging explanatory elements that underlie the testimonies and the interpretations of institutional representatives in the face of accusations of child sexual abuse, which involve representatives and high representatives of the Chilean Catholic Church. The method used is based on the construction of a textual corpus with 100 interviews given to different mass media outlets by senior representatives of the Chilean Catholic Church between 2006 and 2020, that allude to the abuses against children and youth by members of the catholic church. An analysis model was developed with the theoretical orientations of Shinebourne. It is concluded that these representatives place the beliefs, values and institutional loyalties over the stories of the victims, which contributes to the creation of an institutional setting characterized by interpretations that deny, minimize and justify the sexual abuse perpetrated by members of this institution. This could be related to the behavior of the victims after they reveal the sexual abuse, and to the obstacles in the psychosocial and judicial reparation processes of the victims.