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Church in the World'Dirty war' chaplain goes on trialArgentina Abigail Frymann - 14 July 2007A former police chaplain has become the first Catholic priest to go on trial, accused of involvement in torture, kidnapping and murder during Argentina's "dirty war". Fr Christian Von Wernich, 69, declined to testify at the opening of his trial in La Plata last Thursday, writes Abigail Frymann. Fr Von Wernich, former chaplain to the Buenos Aires police force during Jorge Rafael Videla's 1976-83 dictatorship, is accused of participation in seven murders, 42 kidnappings and 31 cases of torture, and of using his position to obtain confessions from prisoners, which he passed to police. Rights activists claim that he said he was doing the "work of God". An estimated 11,000 to 30,000 people died or disappeared under Videla's military Government. President Nestor Kirchner said in a speech that Von Wernich had "brought dishonour to the Church, to poor people and to human rights". President Kirchner persuaded Congress to scrap laws that granted amnesty to those involved in dictatorship-era crimes, and Argentina's Supreme Court enacted a similar ruling in 2005. Church officials declined to comment on the trial. According to documents read by a court clerk, Von Wernich, who attended the hearing in a priest's collar and a bulletproof vest, has told officials he was unaware that detainees were being tortured or held illegally. The La Plata court has had metal detectors and cameras installed and set up barricades outside, fearing for the safety of about 120 witnesses expected to testify against the priest. Demonstrators outside sang hymns and one banner read: "May God forgive you but we want justice." |
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