PUERTO RICO
Jakarta Post
Danica Coto, The Associated Press
Thu, May 09 2013
Roman Catholics in Puerto Rico rallied Wednesday around an archbishop who is apparently under pressure from the Vatican to resign for allegedly covering up for sexually abusive priests and other misdeeds.
Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves has not confirmed that he is being asked to step down as leader of the Catholic Church in the U.S. island territory. However, he has asked parishioners to pray for him.
“I beg of you, please, do not send letters to the Holy See with expressions of solidarity. There is only one thing to do in situations like these: Pray,” he wrote in a May 3 letter that was read to churchgoers last Sunday. “I know the last two weeks have been intense and painful for all of us for reasons you already know.”
A rally of support Wednesday evening coincided with Gonzalez’s 14th anniversary at the Puerto Rican archdiocese. He had previously studied and worked in New York, Texas, Maryland and Massachusetts. The 62-year-old was born in New Jersey but moved to Puerto Rico at a young age.
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