Pope decries killings of women, other violence

Flames engulf the Virgen de la Candelaria church at the Calafquen community of Panguipulli, Chile, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. In the last week a dozen Catholic churches and chapels have been burned prior to the visit of Pope Francis to the Andean nation. AP

TRUJILLO, Peru — Pope Francis denounced on Saturday the killings of women and other gender-based crimes that have turned Latin America into the most violent place on Earth for women.

At a Marian prayer in the northern Peruvian city of Trujillo, Francis called women, mothers and grandmothers the guiding force for families. But he said women are nevertheless victims of “femicide and many situations of violence that are kept quiet behind so many walls.”

He called Saturday for legislation protecting women and a new culture “that repudiates every form of violence.”

It was the second time in as many days that he has spoken out about gender violence, following his strong defense of indigenous women in the Amazon.

Meanwhile, authorities in Chile are probing a new church burning that comes after a series of fires at religious buildings following Pope Francis’ visit to the nation.

The Church of the Virgin of Candelaria is located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of the capital, Santiago. Officials say it burned to the ground in an overnight blaze.

Commander Rodolfo Zuniga of the regional firefighting corps told Bio Bio radio Saturday that investigators are examining the possibility someone instigated the blaze. He did not give details on who may have been responsible.

Several churches were damaged by firebombs during the pontiff’s visit to Chile earlier this week. Francis left the country Thursday and is currently in neighboring Peru. /cbb