John Paul II sainthood a delicate issue for Mexicans

MEXICO
Tengri News

Many Mexicans have mixed emotions about seeing the late pope John Paul II become a saint: they loved the man but feel he covered up sexual abuses by priests, AFP reports.

In the Latin American country with the most Catholics after Brazil, most Mexicans “will welcome the canonization, but not all of them, because his pontificate had a dark side,” said sociologist Bernardo Barranco, who specializes in religious issues.

He added: “I do not think everyone will forgive him for having covered up” the pedophilia that went on to rock the church with scandal in recent years.

In his first overseas trip in 1979, John Paul visited Mexico, where 80 percent of the population of 118 million is Catholic.

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