While many officials in the Catholic church are promising there will be no more sex abuse cover-ups and have assured the world they are treating the issue with paramount concern, one Cardinal in Mexico says some abuse victims should be “ashamed” to level accusations due to having skeletons in their own closets.

Via Crux:

The victims of pedophilia who “accuse men of the Church should [be careful] because they have long tails that are easily stepped on,” said Cardinal Sergio Obeso Rivera.

The cardinal, emeritus Archbishop of Xalapa, in Veracruz, Mexico, spoke to journalists before a celebration he led in his former diocese.

Obeso Rivera granted that some allegations of abuse are true, but rather than address the abuse, he opted to attack the accusers.

“I’m here happy to talk about nice things, not about problematic things, it’s an accusation that is made, and in some cases it’s true. But the evil of many is the consolation of fools, because sometimes those who accuse men of the Church should [be careful] because they have long tails that are easily stepped on.”

However, he did say that the accusations “make us feel bad and we want to improve.”

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Mexico is the home of Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legionaries of Christ, who was found guilty by the Vatican of having sexually abused minors and young men. After his death, it was also revealed that he had maintained relationships with at least two women, fathering more than one child.