The priest, Jose Garcia Ataulfo, was cleared of any wrong-doing and won’t face any criminal charges, despite the fact that he knew he was infected with HIV when he sexually abused all the children he admitted to raping.
The mother of one of the priest’s victims wrote a letter to The Pope asking to meet with him in Rome to discuss the case, but was shunned by the Vatican who declared that “the matter is closed”.
Ataulfo admitted to sexually assaulting well over two dozen children, many of whom were indigenous young girls from Oaxaca, a state in southern Mexico known for its large indigenous population.
Due to the significant influence that the Catholic Church wields in Mexico, the priest won’t face any criminal charges, particularly for his crimes in areas populated by indigenous ethnic groups.
The report which first appeared on the Spanish-language news site Urgente24.com, says the priest, was absolved of any wrongdoing by the Archdiocese of Mexico.
According to Urgente24.com, only two out of the thirty rape victims have come forward to denounce the acquittal.
The website Anonymous Mexico reported that the mother of one of the victims asked to meet with Pope Francis in Rome, but she was rebuffed by the Vatican which wrote a letter stating that it considered the matter closed.
Earlier this year, Pope Francis announced that the church would be reducing penalties for pedophile priests by relocating them to a different church and offering them support rather than punishing them.
The Pope said that the controversial measures were designed to create a “more merciful church”.
According to The Daily Mail, sexual abuse of minors by priests – and the subsequent cover-ups by bishops and other Church officials – have been widespread in many countries, including the United States.
The issue was thrust into the national spotlight in 2002 when the Boston Globe revealed the extent to which the local archdiocese shielded abusive priests from being exposed to the public even though it knew they posed a danger to young parishioners.
The Globe exposé, which detailed abuse cases that numbered in the thousands over a span of several decades, inspired other victims to come forward, leading to an avalanche of lawsuits and criminal prosecutions.
Not only did the floodgates open in the US, but the Catholic Church was also forced to confront cases in other countries, including Mexico.
In 2004, the Vatican re-opened a prior investigation against Marcial Maciel, who was accused of sexually abusing minors as well as fathering six children by three different women.
The Vatican Paid Nearly $4 Billion to Settle Pedophilia Lawsuits
Though the allegations spanned decades and the extent of his crimes was known to church officials, it was only in 2006 that the Vatican forced Maciel, one of its most powerful clergymen, to retire from active ministry.
Reference: NeonNettle.com
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