SÃO PAULO, Brazil – Pope Francis removed Argentine Father Justo José Ilarraz of the Diocese of Santísima Concepción in Tucumán from the priesthood on Dec. 11, in a surprising gesture that brought solace to the victims, who have been denouncing the priest since the 1990s.

Ilarraz is accused of abusing over 50 teenagers with ages varying from 12 to 14 when he worked at a seminary in the city of Paraná, between 1984 and 1992. The case was so scandalous that it was cited in the movie Spotlight (2015), about the team of reporters that revealed numerous cases of child abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston.

“The Diocese of the Santísima Concepción de Tucumán communicates that an administrative penal process was carried out against Father Justo Ilarraz, incardinated in this diocese, for crimes against the sixth commandment with minors (…), and after the appeal of the defendant was elevated to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, this body determined (…) to present the case to the Holy Father, who has ordered the expulsion from the clerical state of the aforementioned priest,” a statement released by the Diocese read.

Victims of the priest and activists of Argentina’s Network of Ecclesial Abuse Survivors, who received the news with relief, had complained for several years of the long wait for canonical and civil justice in Ilarraz’s case.

The first accusation was made by Hernán Rausch, a former seminarian, and two colleagues in the 1990s.

“The abuses happened between 1990-1991. I was the youngest of nine siblings and my father had died. I was the most vulnerable, that’s why I was chosen,” he told Crux. Rausch has a brother who was also a seminarian – and is now a priest – but he wasn’t assaulted by Ilarraz.

As well as being responsible for discipline the priest was at the same time the position of  confessor and spiritual director of many boys. A charismatic leader, he would use his rule over them to perpetrate the crimes, according to Rausch’s description.

“We wanted to feel that we were ‘close’ to the priest, that we were friends with him,” Rausch said. In such a position, the victims would also have a few privileges, like the opportunity to visit the nearby city, something that was not common among the seminarians.

Ilarraz would manipulate the boys’ emotions masterfully. One time, for instance, he tried to penetrate Rausch and the teenager refused. He promptly said: “This is how far our friendship has come,” and went away. When the victims didn’t manage to resist what he was doing, he would say that those gestures were evidence of the “trust” and “friendship” between them.

“I still remember his sarcastic laughter and his expression of pleasure while he committed his crimes,” Rausch added.

According to journalist Daniel Enz, who wrote a book about ecclesial abuse that includes Ilarraz’s scandal, the priest confessed to Cardinal Estanislao Karlic, then Archbishop of Paraná, what he had done and a canonical inquiry was launched. Ilarraz, however, was only ordered to stay away from seminarians and was sent to Rome to study, according to the news website Infobae.

“He was deemed guilty, but he didn’t really receive any punishment,” Rausch said.

It was only in 2012 that the case was taken to the Argentine courts. Despite involving more than 50 victims, only seven of them testified. The investigation took six long years, during which the statute of limitations was discussed on several occasions.

“Due to our efforts, the law concerning the statute of limitations ended up being changed. The time must be computed only after a victim finally denounces, not after the fact itself. That’s important, because each survivor has a particular rhythm,” Rausch said.

In 2018, Ilarraz was finally convicted and sentenced to 25 years behind bars. He appealed and his case is with the Supreme Court now. Ilarraz is under house arrest waiting for a final decision.

“I personally hope that the Supreme Court analyzes the case at the end of the year. We still have time for that,” Rausch said, adding that if the decision is pronounced only after Ilarraz’s 70th birthday, he will remain under house arrest, due to the Argentine legislation.

The pope’s decision, however, has been received by Rausch with great relief.

“It was a real balm for my soul,” he said.

Rausch felt that the Church had turned its back on him during the criminal suit against Ilarraz, given that its representatives in the lawsuit knew what happened and preferred to remain silent. At the same time, Church officials tried to make him sign a declaration saying that the case had already been looked at in the past, he said.

“The fact that the pope decided himself for Ilarraz’s laicization shows that he listened to the victims’ voices and preferred to communicate directly with us. I think it’s an important signal from him,” Rausch said.

After the abuse, it took long years and a complex process of inner healing in order to Rausch keep his faith.

“It took too long, but the truth has prevailed. The pope gave reason to me,” he said.