MEXICO
Independent (UK)
Michael Day Rome @michael2day
Pope Francis begins a high-profile visit to Latin America this week in what should be a series of celebrations for the Argentinian pontiff.
Attention instead looks set to be fixed again on arguably the single most shocking case of multiple child abuse, cover-ups and conspiracy in a series of worldwide clerical paedophilia cases.
Even before Francis touches down in Mexico city, victims of serial abuser Marcial Maciel, the close friend of Pope John Paul II, and head of the Legionaries of Christ, are dismayed that Pope Francis will not find time to meet them despite him spending a whole week in Mexico.
The Mexican religious institution had at its height 800 priests, 15 universities, and more than 100 prep schools. Maciel, who died in the US in 2008, aged 86, is said to have exploited his power and position to abuse boys and young men for many decades. It is even thought he abused two of his own children from relations with two women.
Despite this, he continued to have the ear of Pope John Paul II, and accompanied him during papal visits to Mexico in 1979, 1990 and 1993 – long after formal charges had been filed against him in ecclesiastical courts in Rome.
Barbara Blaine, the president of the US-based support group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), said: “Of course, Francis should meet with the Mexican victims. But it seems he only meets victims of abuse for good PR.”
She added: “He doesn’t seem to meet the victims who are likely to cause controversy.” Given the “proven layers of conspiracy and cover-up” over Maciel, she said such a meeting would not be easy for the Vatican to “stage manage”.
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