Justice does not forgive even men of God
It seems that neither prayers nor medical excuses saved priest Antonio María Cabrera from facing the harsh reality of the bars. A judge from the State of Mexico, with less compassion than a math exam on a Friday, gave him justified preventive detention for his alleged participation in the repeated rape of a minor for seven long years. Seven years? Yes, the same time it takes for a Netflix series to release a new season, but with infinitely more serious consequences.
Celestial escape? The judge is not up to miracles
Magistrate Paulina Piña Pérez, whose name sounds more like a soap opera character than a judicial authority, was not impressed by the religious background of the accused. On the contrary, he considered that granting him freedom would be like giving a VIP pass to a fox in a henhouse. The fate of the priest? The Mexican prison of Barrientos, a place where, ironically, you may find more penance than in a confessional.
The defense lawyer, Daniel Beltrán Moctezumahealth problems and “rootedness” (translation: he was not going to flee because where would he go dressed in a cassock?). But the judge, with the coldness of someone who has heard too many creative excuses, simply filed her arguments in the “things I don’t care about” folder.
The most ironic thing about the case: the priest was close to Marcial Maciel, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, whose history of abuse is already in the public domain. What a surprise, right? As if scandal were a requirement for promotion in certain ecclesiastical circles.
Now, the priest will have to wait for his hearing in 72 hours, enough time to pray… or to realize that not even God helps those who harm the most vulnerable.
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