Braulio Rodriguez told his congregation in Toledo, Spain, that wives could also escape being physically abused by not asking their husbands for a divorce

By Ian Sparks | 6 January 2016

The Mirror

An archbishop caused fury in Spain by saying domestic violence happens because “women do not obey men”.

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toledo, Braulio Rodriguez, told his congregation that wives could avoid being hit by doing what they are told.

Women could also escape being physically abused by not asking their husbands for a divorce , Rodriguez said.

He told churchgoers in his sermon: “The majority of cases of domestic violence happen because the woman’s partner does not accept them, or rejects them for not accepting their demands.

“Or often the macho reaction comes about because she asked for a separation.”

He also said many relationship problems occurred because the couple were not in a ‘true marriage’, and he criticised the practice of ‘quickie divorces’.

He said: “I don’t think our political leaders are worried about divorce figures when they have fought so hard to implement the so-called quick divorce.”

He made the comments during a mass held in Toledo Cathedral on December 27, and they were later published in the Our Father parish bulletin.

Thousands of furious Spanish women have now taken to social media to slam the cleric.

One wrote: “The archbishop of Toledo has linked domestic violence to couples not being in a ‘proper marriage’. So says the celibate man who believes in a ghost.”

Another added: “He should be locked up for inciting violence. This idiot should keep his medieval views to himself.”

In 2015, 56 women were killed in Spain because of domestic violence.

More than one million cases of domestic violence have been dealt with by the Spanish courts since 2007, with judges handing down prison sentences to 148,000 men.

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