Sexual abuse by Catholic priests affects the Church in Africa as well as the Western countries says Archbishop of Johannesburg Buti Tlhagale. The prelate said the damage weakened the Church’s ability to speak out with moral authority in Africa, where it has at times been a rare voice challenging dictatorship, corruption and abuse of power, Reuters reported.
“What happens in Ireland or in Germany or America affects us all,” Tlhagale said in a message on April 1 that was published this week on the website of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, which Tlhagale heads.
“It simply means that the misbehavior of priests in Africa has not been exposed to the same glare of the media as in other parts of the world.”
The Church is now engulfed in a scandal over the sexual abuses of children by priests. It faces accusations in several European countries of mishandling and covering up abuses, some dating back decades.
“I know that the Church in Africa, is inflicted by the same scourge,” Tlhagale said.
Africa is one of the fastest growing regions for the Church and ever more important as the number of practicing Catholics in the developed world declines. Africa’s Catholic population rose from about 2 million in 1990 to about 140 million in 2000.
While reports of sexual abuse by priests have come to light locally, they have not made global headlines.
The Vatican and Catholic bishops in Europe and the United States have protested against what they say is a media campaign against the Church.
Some reports have accused Pope Benedict of negligence in handling abuse cases in previous roles as a cardinal in his native Germany, and in Rome — accusations the Vatican denies.
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