A victim of abuse, who wished to remain anonymous, plays the violin after delivering his testimony before the Pope and an assembly of cardinals and bishops, during a liturgical prayer within the third day of a landmark Vatican summit on tackling pedophilia in the clergy, on Saturday at the Vatican. Photo: AFP

A defrocked American priest was jailed for 12 years Tuesday for sexually abusing children at an East Timor shelter, in a case that caused sharp divisions in the deeply Catholic nation.

At least 15 women had accused Richard Daschbach, 84, of sexually abusing them when they were children at his shelter in the enclave of Oecusse, with fears that there may be many more victims.

A panel of judges found the ex-priest guilty of several sex crimes at the shelter, which was founded in the early 1990s and housed hundreds of orphans and impoverished children.

They handed down several sentences totaling 37 years behind bars, but presiding judge Yudi Pamungkas said that was reduced considering his age.

Daschbach was under house arrest during the trial, and the judges ordered his immediate imprisonment to prevent any escape attempt. The court also ordered East Timor authorities to pay financial compensation to the victims.

Daschbach moved to East Timor in the mid-1970s, and was once widely revered for his charity work in the Southeast Asian nation.

He was defrocked by the Vatican in 2018, but details of the sex abuse allegations were only disclosed in 2019 when the case was reported by a local news outlet.

Catholic officials in East Timor's capital Dili said in 2021 that Daschbach was dismissed because he had admitted to the "heinous crime." 

But Daschbach retained broad support in the Catholic nation, including among some members of the political elite because of his support for East Timor's independence movement.

AFP