Priest’s Cousin Testifies to Childhood Sexual Abuse in Córdoba Case (Córdoba, Argentina)

Paulina Viale, the cousin of priest Patricio Cruz Viale, came forward with an alleged abuse testimony during the ongoing trial against the cleric. The incident, according to her account, occurred when she was seven years old in December 1983. She described being raped by Cruz Viale, who was 17 at the time, in an intrafamily setting while she was asleep. This testimony adds a new dimension to the case, which is currently being processed in the 4th Chamber of Crime.

Paulina’s decision to speak out was influenced by the arrest of Cruz Viale in November 2024 following a complaint from a 46-year-old parishioner. She explained that the fear of speaking up had diminished, allowing her to confront the past. “When this person falls prey to the complaint of another victim, I am afraid and the possibility of saying it begins to see a little light,” she stated.

For 40 years, Paulina remained silent, until she learned of her cousin’s arrest. Therapy played a role in prompting her to break her silence and file a complaint. “With my story I’m looking not only to get out of 40 years of not being able to talk and be sustaining a pretty hard life, but also to make a precedent or a difference for others to cheer up like I did,” she said.

Paulina emphasized that speaking out is a way to stop being “complying” through silence, to remove the “shame” that accompanied her for decades, and to seek the “truth.” “Speaking empowers other people to have more people report because the victim complains when he can,” she concluded.

The accused priest, Patricio Cruz Viale, is a Doctor of Moral Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome and author of three books on religious themes. The Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement, to which he belonged, expressed “deep sorrow” in response to the allegations. The movement confirmed the existence of the complaint and stated it is collaborating with both ordinary justice and the canonical sphere.

The indictment in the ongoing case alleges that Cruz Viale abused the 46-year-old victim in early 2024 in the office of the Sanctuary of Cerro de las Rosas, following a mass. Paulina’s testimony reinforces pressure on the priest’s environment as the trial continues. Cruz Viale is currently serving home prison with an electronic anklet, a benefit granted to him last December.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)