This archive report was first published on 26 November 2019.
On November 25, 2019, a court in Argentina handed down a significant verdict in a long-awaited child abuse case. Two Roman Catholic priests, Horacio Corbacho and Nicola Corradi, were sentenced to a combined total of over 87 years in prison for their roles in the sexual abuse of deaf children at a church school in Mendoza province.
The abuse, which occurred between 2004 and 2016, was perpetrated by Corbacho, 59, and Corradi, 83, as well as Armando Gómez, a gardener at the school. The court found all three defendants guilty of rape and abuse.
Corbacho was sentenced to 45 years in prison, while Corradi received a 42-year sentence. Gómez, the gardener, was jailed for 18 years. The sentences are final and cannot be appealed.
The case has sparked widespread outrage and calls for greater accountability within the Catholic Church. Many have accused the Church of acting too slowly to address the abuse allegations.
Outside the courtroom, a crowd of mainly young people cheered the verdicts, while some of the victims' mothers were seen crying and hugging each other.
Factory worker Ariel Lizárraga, the father of one of the victims, was quoted by the Washington Post as saying, 'You have no idea how important this is for us, and for the world. The church has been trying to hide these abuses. But these priests raped and abused our children. Our deaf children! Today, the taboo against accusing priests stops here.'
