ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a profile of ecclesiastical abusers in Argentina, based on a self-created database of 115 accused ordained or consecrated individuals in the Catholic Church. We compare our findings with five international Church reports, including the Chilean one. The chapter analyzes the contexts in which abuse occurs, such as the parish, school, formation houses, homes for vulnerable children, priests’ relatives’ homes, and new communities. We delve into each context, citing specific cases as examples. We introduce the category of “context of opportunity” to highlight how the Church’s symbolic space normalized abuse as a sin requiring mercy, reflecting institutional narcissism. We also discuss the concept of “prophetic abuse,” referring to new communities in Argentina where five confirmed cases of abuse by founders have emerged. Finally, we speculate on the relationship between Argentine society’s increasing distance from Catholicism and ecclesiastical abuse.
