César Cordero Moscoso

César Cordero Moscoso
Born	César Augusto Cordero Moscoso (1927-06-07)7 June 1927 Cuenca, Ecuador
Died	4 February 2023(2023-02-04) (aged 95) Cuenca, Ecuador
Education	University of Cuenca
Occupation	Catholic priest

César Augusto Cordero Moscoso (7 June 1927 – 4 February 2023) was an Ecuadorian Roman Catholic priest and child abuser.[1]

He was the founder of the Universidad Católica de Cuenca [es], of which he served as rector from 1970 to 2013. In 2010, he was accused of multiple counts of child sexual abuse which occurred 50 years earlier. He was defrocked on 4 October 2018 but escaped any criminal charges.

Biography

Born in Cuenca on 7 June 1927, Cordero was the son of a lawyer and became an orphan at a young age. He was also the grandson of former President of Ecuador Luis Cordero Crespo.[2][3]

After attending the University of Cuenca, Cordero was ordained a priest on 8 November 1953. In 1970, he founded the Universidad Católica de Cuenca alongside President José María Velasco Ibarra.[4] He served as rector until 2013.[5] In 1992, he was made an archimandrite by the Eastern Orthodox Church.[6]

Accusations of sexual abuse

In 2010, Cordero was accused of child sexual abuse by Jorge Palacios, a 55-year-old man. The complaint had no legal followup and it resurfaced in 2018. After this complaint, several other accusations were made.[7] The Vatican sent Jorge Ortiz de Lazcano, a Spanish priest living in Chile, to Ecuador to investigate the case after his investigation in the Karadima case.[8] Cordero denied the allegations and declared that his accusers were "enemies of the Church" in addition to accusing Pope Francis of "lowering himself" by apologizing to his victims.[9][10] The Vatican's investigation concluded that the allegations were credible, suspending Cordero from his activities and continuing the investigation at the Holy See.[11][12]

In April 2018, the Cantonal Council of Cuenca awarded the Insignia Santa Ana de los Cuatro Ríos to Cordero. After facing much backlash, he did not accept his award due to "health reasons".[13] On 28 May 2018, the monument dedicated to Cordero at the Universidad Católica de Cuenca was removed after repeated acts of vandalism.[14] Two days later, the university withdrew his honorary titles despite the fact that he was the founder of the institution.[15] On 11 June 2018, the Cantonal Council withdrew his Premio Hermano Miguel, which had been awarded to him in 1981. On 28 June, the Provincial Council of Azuay withdrew the Huayna Cápac medal, awarded to him in 2004.[16]

On 4 October 2018, the Catholic Church dismissed Cordero from the clerical state "permanently and perpetually", the maximum penalty that can be applied by the Church in such cases.[17]

Death

César Cordero Moscoso died in Cuenca on 4 February 2023, at the age of 95.[1]

References

1. "César Cordero Moscoso, creador de planteles y exsacerdote investigado por abuso sexual, falleció a los 96 años en Cuenca". El Universo (in Spanish). Cuenca. 4 February 2023. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
2. "La presea que resultó "un tiro por la culata"". Revista Avance (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 June 2018.
3. "50 años de sacerdocio de monseñor Cordero". El Universo (in Spanish). 11 November 2013. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
4. "Dr. César Cordero Moscoso". Universidad Católica de Cuenca (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 30 May 2018.
5. "COMUNIDAD EDUCATIVA CATOLICA SEDE AZOGUES RINDE HOMENAJE A DR. CESAR CORDERO MOSCOSO". Hosteria Rodas (in Spanish). 10 June 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
6. "Rectorado". Universidad Católica Azogues (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
7. "Aparece una tercera supuesta víctima del sacerdote César Cordero". Teleamazonas (in Spanish). 16 May 2018. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
8. "Sacerdote español indaga presuntos casos de abusos". El Universo (in Spanish). 23 May 2018. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
9. "El padre César Cordero niega los abusos sexuales de que le acusan". Revista Avance (in Spanish). 12 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
10. "Sacerdote César Cordero M. acusado de abuso sexual en Cuenca dijo ser inocente". El Universo (in Spanish). 2 June 2018. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
11. "Perito internacional acepta denuncias de abuso sexual contra sacerdote cuencano". El Universo (in Spanish). Cuenca. 30 May 2018. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
12. "La Arquidiócesis de Cuenca emite conclusión tras investigaciones sobre sacerdote acusado de abuso sexual". El Comercio (in Spanish). 30 May 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
13. Racines, Christian (4 June 2018). "César Cordero Moscoso: Las víctimas de abuso sexual son enemigas de la iglesia". El Relato Ecuador (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
14. "Monumento de sacerdote Cesar C. es retirado de la U. Católica". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Cuenca. 29 May 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
15. Castillo, Lineida (30 May 2018). "La Universidad Católica de Cuenca retiró título honorífico a sacerdote investigado por abuso sexual". El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2023.
16. Castillo, Lineida (29 June 2018). "Segunda presea de sacerdote cuencano acusado de abusar de niños fue retirada". El Comercio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
17. "Vaticano separó del sacerdocio a César Cordero, acusado de abusos sexuales en Ecuador". El Universo (in Spanish). 4 October 2018. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.