A Mexican priest has been sentenced to 63 years in prison for sexually abusing a man who was a minor when he was abused, the victim's lawyers announced today.
The 72-year-old priest Carlos Lopez Valdes "was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 63 years in prison," said the human rights group Cencos.
The victim, Jesus Romero Colin, now 33, has been sexually abused by a priest for more than a decade and accuses the Mexican Catholic Church of ignoring his allegations when he was abused.
The 33-year-old man confirmed that Pope Francis had responded to his letter in which he denounced the abuse suffered by the priest and apologized on behalf of the Catholic Church.
Lawyers for the victim and the Cencos association are preparing to take action against the Catholic Church to secure financial compensation.
One of the biggest pedophile scandals broke out in 1997 when a group of eight former members of the "Legionnaires of Christ" order accused its founder, Mexican Martial Masiel, of sexual abuse, who lived a double life with two wives and many children, also victims. of.
After decades of denial by the Catholic hierarchy, the priest was removed from his post and pushed to retire to live the rest of his life "in prayer and repentance." He died in 2008 at the age of 87 without ever being brought to justice.