VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis has decided not to visit Mexican paedophilia victims who asked to meet him on his upcoming trip to the country on Friday, the Vatican has announced.

 Upset has been caused among the group of victims who had requested a meeting with the Pontiff some time ago, but were told by the Holy See Press Office that it would not be possible due to time constraints on the official agenda, which "has been confirmed."

 Sexual abuse remains a sore issue for Catholics in Mexico after it became widespread within the Legion of Christ order founded by the infamous Maciel Marcial Degollado 75 years ago.

 Maciel, one of the Church's biggest criminals, was well-known for violations systematically committed and covered up by the church. Rich, powerful and influential, he was able to buy silence on the issue for decades through a close circle of allies in the Vatican who protected him, among which the cardinals Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow since 2005, and Sandri, who for a period served as permanent observer of the Holy See to the Organization of American States.

 After decades of impunity for Maciel, Pope Benedict XVI ordered a light exemplary punishment for him in 2006 but to little avail, the reprimand seen as inadequate compared to the mountain of abuses committed under his name and attested to by many victims and witnesses.

 Maciel died in 2008, more than 80 years old, further scandals emerged linked to his name. It was discovered that he had maintained two families, one in Madrid and one in Mexico through the use of a parallel false identity. From these relationships he had had two sons and a daughter, the boys admitting to having been abused themselves as children.

 Even in death Maciel is suspected of retaining influence within the Vatican. Last year the Legion of Christ order celebrated its 75th anniversary, for which occasion the pope sent all its members a warm message of encouragement despite it being estimated that about 30 of the priests in the order have committed abuses over the past decades in addition to those by the Legion's founder.

 The Pope's upcoming visit to Mexico has inevitably reopened this issue after years of silence. He has been criticised for being unwilling to confront the question of Maciel's legacy after promising that during the visit he would give particular attention to "those that are suffering."

 Other requests for meetings with the pope came from family members of those killed in Juarez city, where criminal gangs have committed ongoing violence and murder in competition for control of the territory for human and drug trafficking. However, time constraints were once again cited in the Vatican's refusal.

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