Bishop: 13-Year-Olds Provoke Sexual Contact

The Roman Catholic bishop of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands is in hot water for saying that 13-year-olds seek sex with adults, according to TypicallySpanish.com.

In a Christmas Eve interview with the newspaper La Opinión de Tenerife, Bernardo Álvarez said, “There are 13-year-old adolescents who are under age and who are perfectly in agreement with, and what's more, wanting it, and if you are careless, they will even provoke you.”

Álvarez added that such activity harms society the same as homosexuality does, and said cultures where either takes place will pay a price down the road like “other civilizations” paid.

Álvarez's office later released a statement saying he had not meant to suggest that “an event as condemnable as the abuse of youngsters” could be justified.

The Triángulo Canarias Foundation for the Social Equality of Gays and Lesbians condemned Álvarez's remarks.