Mexico's Roman Catholic Church Seeks Pardon for Child Abuse

The Roman Catholic church hierarchy in Mexico is seeking pardon for a crime committed by their founder who has admitted child sexual abuse in their institution. "We want to seek pardon from those who have been victims of abuse by dishonest priests who have damaged innocent children with their abominable actions," said a statement from the Mexican Bishop's Conference at their annual meeting.

Yahoo News reports:

The apology followed another last month from Mexico's Legion of Christ religious order -- which is present in 22 countries -- for the "reprehensible actions" of their late founder Marcial Maciel. Longstanding allegations against Maciel finally led Pope Benedict XVI to bar him from active duty in 2006, two years before he died aged 87.

The Vatican on Monday stepped up its defense of action taken over abuse scandals, releasing new guidelines which state that accused priests should be handed over to civil authorities, the report added.

Pope Benedict has been beset by mounting and widespread report of abuses being commited by priest in many Catholic countries across the globe. The Vatican blames the media for what it calls a smear campaign against the Pope, who it says has shown firmness and determination in cracking down on abuse by priests. Pope's spokesman Federico Lombardi defended Benedict as a leader worthy of respect and support.

Last month, the Pope has issued a pastoral letter to members of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland in connection with the reported sexual abuse by some Catholic priests committed on persons especially children under their care.

(original article appeared @ Digital Journal )