Abuse scandals not exclusive to Catholic church, asserts Mexican lawyer

Mexico City, Mexico, Apr 12, 2010 / 12:04 pm

The president of the College of Catholic Lawyers in Mexico, Armando Martinez, addressed the Mexican Bishops’ Conference last week and said they should “follow the example of Cardinal Norberto Rivera of Mexico City by issuing a “blunt statement” on cases of pedophilia.  Martinez emphasized that these cases are not exclusive to the Catholic Church and only involve a very small number of her members.

Martinez pointed out that Cardinal Rivera has always provided firm leadership and has not been involved in covering up cases of abuse. The cardinal “has exhorted the faithful to denounce these cases in the courts, and this is the attitude that all bishops in the country must have.  They should be blunt in their statements as has the body of bishops, in order to provide assurance to the faithful,” Martinez said.

He also recalled that most cases of abuse do not occur in church environments.  “This is not something exclusive to the Catholic Church; experts have confirmed that 80 percent of pedophilia cases occur within the family at home. 

"This is not to excuse what has happened in the Church, but there is no reason to label only certain people with this crime.”

Martinez expressed support for the cardinal’s call to denounce the sexual abuse of minors, but stressed that each case must be proven.