African Catholic Priest Suspended for Spilling Beans on Child Sex Abuse

Voice of Russia
May 6, 2013

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_05_06/African-Catholic-priest-suspended-for-spilling-beans-on-child-sex-abuse-514/

[with video]

The Catholic Church has suspended indefinitely an Uganda priest who chose to blow the whistle on widespread sexual abuse of children and other crimes committed by the African clergy instead of covering it all up as he had been instructed to do, media report.

Anthony Musaala said he was ostracized by the archbishop of Kampala for shining a light on what he called an open secret.

Fr. Anthony Musaala talked about his suspension with NBS Television Uganda.

“The Vatican turns a blind eye because it doesn't want to be embarrassed about this blooming church. But I think it's time we had the truth,” he told reporters. “Wherever you go, people know about this. It's like an open secret. People know. Nothing is ever done.”

The issue was brought to the limelight after the media laid hands on Musaala’s leaked letter to archbishop Cyprian Lwanga that cited numerous instances of wrongdoings among the Uganda priesthood, including secret wives, children and abuse of minors.

In response, Rev. Lwanga suspended the priest who himself had been abused by Catholic brothers at the age of 16 when he attended one of Uganda's best boarding schools.

Cyprian Lwanga later confessed that child rape indeed took place and launched an inquiry into the matter. The announcement came amid another scandal that brew up after South African Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban told the media he had dealt with similar abuse cases that were handled internally by the Roman Catholic Church and were never reported to the police.

Africa’s Catholic priests fathering children is an open secret, many local church-goers admit. But talking about it is a taboo, as Catholicism is a very popular religion on the continent and the Holy See feels compelled to protect the blooming church’s public image from the media.