Bébés volés au Chili, qu'a fait l'église catholique?

21 Mai 2014 , Rédigé par Laurence B Publié dans #Société

Chile: Catholic priests* investigated over* stolen* babies

Church leaders admit to knowing about scheme* in which single* mothers were pressured to give up* their newborns* for adoption

A priest = un prêtre
Investigated over = interrogé à propos de
To steal – I stole – stolen = voler, dérober
A scheme = un projet, un plan, un complot
Single = célibataire
To give up = abandonner
A newborn = un nouveau-né

The Catholic church in Chile is under investigation over allegations* that priests played a central role in a network that stole newborn babies from single mothers.
An allegation = une affirmation

Police investigators are now probing* dozens of cases in which unmarried women who became pregnant* were pressured by priests to give up their child for adoption. Those who refused were anaesthetised during delivery* and, upon awakening*, told that the child had died*. The healthy* babies were hidden* from their biological mothers and given away* in order to be raised* by married couples in "traditional" Catholic families.
To probe = explorer, examiner, enquêter sur
Pregnant = enceinte
Delivery = accouchement
Upon awakening = en se réveillant, au réveil
To die- died = mourir
Healthy = sain, en bonne santé
To hide – I hid – hidden = cacher
To give away – I gave - given = donner
To be raised = être élevé

Church leaders now admit they have known about the network* for at least* 10 years. Unlike* in Spain and Argentina, where babies were stolen from families considered to be too poor or too subversive to raise the children well, the motivation in Chile was to shield* the reputations of well-off* families from the social stigma of unmarried motherhood*.
The network = le réseau
At least = au moins
Unlike = contrairement à, à la différence de
To shield = protéger, couvrir
Well-off = riche, aisé
Motherhood = la maternité

Most of* the cases now being investigated date from the 1970s and 1980s, but some were reported in 2005. Chile's child protection agency – Sername – has now opened an investigation and is working with detectives to determine how many children are involved. Documents from the Sername investigation describe how parents were tricked* into believing* that their baby had died.
Most of = la plupart
To be tricked = attraper, rouler, escroquer
To believe = croire

Matias Troncoso, 33, a well-known Chilean photographer, was one such baby*. Troncoso always knew he was adopted, but when he began asking questions about his biological mother, the answers did not add up*. His birth* was not registered until he was six years old, and the clinic where he was born refused to release* his records. The doctor who delivered* him was losing his memory, but enough* details leaked out* that Troncoso began to suspect a plot*.
One such baby = un de ces bébés
To add up = concorder, se recouper
Birth = naissance
To release = laisser paraitre
To deliver = mettre au monde
Enough = suffisamment
To leak out = s’échapper, être divulgué
A plot = un complot, une conspiration

Last month his suspicions were confirmed when Chilean investigative news site Ciper reported the allegations. In a series of online articles, the collective's reporters tracked down* and documented an underground network of wealthy* families, gynaecologists, social workers, lawyers* and, at the heart of the scheme, Gerardo Joannon, a gregarious* and popular priest.
To track down = finir par retrouver
Wealthy = fortuné, riche
A lawyer = un avocat, notaire, juriste
Gregarious = sociable

Troncoso, who ended up as* the single son* of a loving, upper-class* family, had nothing but praise* for his adoptive parents and said they never hid the fact that he was adopted. But he was extremely critical of the role played by the church. "They had funerals* with empty caskets*," he said.
To end up as = finir comme...
The single son = le fils unique
Upper-class = de la haute société, aristocratique
Praise = éloges, louanges
Funerals = des funérailles, obsèques, enterrement
A casket = un cercueil

Father Joannon has admitted working with 10 doctors who helped coordinate the adoptions. "A young single woman who had a baby was looked at very badly," he said when confronted by Ciper* reporters in March. "I wouldn't say it scrubbed out* their life, but it was something close to that. Nobody wanted to marry them."
Ciper = centro de investigation periodistica
To scrub out = effacer, faire partir, récurer

Joannon insists his role was limited. He told Ciper: "The only thing I did was put [the pregnant young women] in contact with a doctor who made the effort to find families that were desiring to have a child."

Interviewed by a Chilean TV crew*, Joannon declared, "I am not going to help [the investigation] with anything, I have nothing left to say." Church officials then announced that Joannon has been ordered to refrain* from speaking further* about the cases, which investigators now believe involves* six Santiago-area hospitals.
Crew = équipe
To refrain from = s’abstenir de
Further = plus loin
To involve = impliquer, mêler

Father Joannon insists he only participated in underground adoptions in which the biological mother agreed* to "donate" the baby to a second family. But at least one mother has said he pressured her to give up her child, and alleges* that when she refused, he participated in the disappearance of her newborn daughter. A second mother described Joannon stalking* the maternity ward*, pressuring her to hand over* her newborn.
To agree = être d’accord
To allege = prétendre
To stalk = traquer, filer, suivre partout
A ward = une salle, un pavillon
To hand over = remettre, livrer

Several other priests are alleged to have been involved in the scheme, but have not been named. Catholic leaders in Chile have distanced themselves from Joannon. His weekly mass* was suspended in April and Alex Vigueras, a spokesman* for the church said it was clear that the babies were taken without consent. "What I find most troubling is to have said that the children died, knowing that it was not the case."
His weekly mass = sa messe hebdomadaire
A spokesman = un porte-parole

Vigueras said that Joannon and the baby-snatching ring* had "committed an injustice … various rights have been violated." In a communiqué from the church, Vigueras promised to collaborate with investigations by Chilean law* enforcement agencies.
The baby-snatching ring = le réseau d’enlèvement d’enfant
Law = la loi
Enforcement = mise en application

A website set up by victims has logged* dozens of alleged cases. Some of the inquiries* come from parents looking for* their children and others from children looking for their parents.
To log = consigner
An inquiry = une enquête
To look for = chercher

"Joannon made the contacts but he is just one lead* on this problem," said Arturo Fellay, whose wife is searching for her biological parents. "There are many other cases of boys and girls who were said to be dead and were taken away or given or sold to families under a secret that was kept for years."
A lead = (ici) un exemple, une piste

Asked about the ethics and honesty of holding* funeral services for newborn children who in fact were alive, Joannon told reporters from Ciper, "I never held a funeral mass … these were masses where thanks were given to God for that day in which the young woman made such a tremendous* sacrifice."
To hold – I held - hold= tenir
Tremendous = considérable, extraordinaire, immense

Pressed with evidence by parents that funeral services were indeed* held, Joannon then said he was "sure that [the baby] was dead. The doctor told me [the baby] was dead."
Indeed = véritablement, vraiment

Troncoso, the photographer who is now searching for his biological mother wants answers. "I don't know my birthday. I don't know my [biological] mother" he said. "These women entered the clinic. They were put to sleep* and when they woke up* were told 'Your baby has died.' Basically it was kidnapping."
They were put to sleep = on les endormait
To wake up – I woke up – woken up = réveiller

Troncoso says he is not interested in filing* criminal charges. "Justice is not just the whip* of vengeance," he said. "It's essentially about truth*. How can you take a baby from a mother and convince* yourself that you are doing a good deed*?"
To file = classer, stocker
A whip = un fouet
The truth = la vérité
To convince oneself = se convaincre
A good deed = une bonne action

theguardian.com, Thursday 15 May 2014
Jonathan Franklin in Santiago