San Salvador, El Salvador, Nov 27, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Archbishop Fernando Saenz Lacalle of San Salvador called on Catholics this week to pray for “the holiness of priests and religious” in response to the scandal caused by the conviction of a Franciscan priest to 20 years in prison for the sexual abuse of a minor.
Archbishop Saenz said the case of Father Jose Daniel Rivas, 58, was cause for great sadness in the Church in El Salvador, especially because of, “the sacred character, in this case, of the offender, and we should pray much and ask the Lord our God to never let such a thing happen again.”
The archbishop called for greater respect for childhood and for morality in the country.
He clarified that the offending priest “is not incardinated in the archdiocese, he is a religious who was serving temporarily at the Parish of San Cristobal,” and he said the Franciscan Order was responsible for overseeing cases of sexual abuse by its members.