The dangerous words by the Catholic archbishop of Spain are circulating the globe via mainstream media and social media and have been met with anger and rage.

In his sermon/homily on Sunday, December 27, 2015, Archbishop Braulio Rodriguez Plaza of Toledo implied women are to blame for domestic violence and should not ask their husbands for a divorce. He added that the majority of domestic abuse deaths occur when a man “does not accept” his partner or “rejects them for not accepting their demands.”

Lee Moran with The Huffington Post reports Rodriguez Plaza has not commented to the press:

Rodriguez Plaza’s comments came as Spanish police revealed that a 43-year-old woman in Madrid had become the country’s first domestic violence victim of 2016. She was allegedly strangled in her home by her 41-year-old partner, who later turned himself in, reports Publico.

Paco Alonso, a TV journalist nails it: 

“Another archbishop that justifies the unjustifiable.”

The number of women killed in Spain from domestic violence last year is 56. In America, a reported four to five women die every day—over 1,500 each year. 

If you are a victim, or know someone experiencing abuse/domestic violence, there is free and confidential help available. Visit The National Domestic Violence Hotline website at TheHotline.org or call 1-800-799-7233 | 1-800-787-3224 (TTY). The organization also offers live chats. If there is immediate danger, first call 911.

For an extensive study with facts and statistics about domestic violence visit: The National Institute for Justice

According to Pew Research Center, there are over 75 million self-identified Catholics in America, and Georgetown Education Services reports over 650 million in the world.