MEXICO
National Catholic Reporter
David Agren Catholic News Service | Jun. 4, 2014
MEXICO CITY A priest in north central Mexico has been stripped of his position by the Vatican and faces criminal charges in connection with alleged sexual abuse of a teenage boy.
The case marks the first time the Catholic Church in Mexico has turned a priest in to authorities.
The move follows instructions from Pope Francis for the Catholic Church to better protect children and take a hard line with priests accused of sexual offenses.
Father Eduardo Cordova Bautista, a priest in the Archdiocese of San Luis Potosi, was ordered in late April by the Vatican to face charges for allegedly abusing a 16-year-old boy in 2012. The actions were implemented in late May. His whereabouts were unknown, however.
“This is simply acting on a petition of the pope and what he’s asking: that we collaborate completely with the judicial system,” said Armando Martinez Gomez, president of the College of Catholic Lawyers of Mexico.
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