Mexican Church Suspended 152 Priests Across 9 Years for Alleged Abuse: Bishop

Mexican Church Suspended 152 Priests Across 9 Years for Alleged Abuse: Bishop

At least 152 Catholic priests in Mexico have been suspended in the past nine years for sexual abuse against minors, Mexico's Archbishop for Monterrey said, prompting a lawyer for alleged victims of abuse to question on Monday the Church's sincerity.

“Some delinquent priests are in prison, others have been suspended from their ministries. In the last nine years, 152 priests have retired,” Rogelio Cabrera, Archbishop of Monterrey, told reporters on Sunday.

The Mexican Church's announcement comes amid extensive sexual abuse scandals across the Catholic Church in countries including the United States, Chile, Australia, and Germany. Mexico is home to the worlds second-largest Catholic community once Brazil. Pope Francis will receive bishops at the Vatican later in February to discuss worldwide revelations of sexual abuse in the Church, which have badly eroded the institution's credibility.