Cardinal asked for a "never again that" for abuse in the Church – ElSol.com.ar – Diario de Mendoza, Argentina

The President of the Episcopal Council of Latin America, Colombian Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez, asked Thursday "never again" for the abuses committed by the clergy and warned that "the enemies are not outside, but inside" the Church.

"The fact that abuse occurs in other institutions and groups never justifies the presence of abuse in the Church, as this contradicts the very essence of the ecclesial community. said Salazar during his presentation on the first day of the anti – pedophilia summit that began today in the Vatican in the presence of Pope Francis.

The justification of the abuses "constitutes a monstrous false representation of the priestly ministry that, by its nature, it should aim for the good of souls as a supreme goal, "he said.

"There is no justification for not denouncing, not denouncing, to face with courage and firmness any abuse present in our Church"added Salazar, 76, who is also a member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

He also criticized "the tendency to badert that the Church does not have to be submitted to the civil power" to deal with the crisis of abuse.

"We must recognize that the damage is not caused by strangers, but the enemies are within, among bishops, priests and consecrated persons, who have not respected our vocation"warned the Colombian cardinal.

Salazar also encouraged "to support the work of the media, which is of great value" in reporting cases of pedophilia.

"The damage is so deep that we can never say that we have done everything possible. Our responsibility leads us to work so that never again in the Church there are cases of abuse, "he complains.