Bishops in the Philippines vowed action

 

The launch of the database on 29 January was followed by an international forum on clergy abuse in the Philippines, organised by the Ending Clergy Abuse coalition.

Bishops in the Philippines vowed action on sexual abuse cases after a US-based church watchdog published a database of Filipino clergymen facing accusations of sexual violence.

“Please don’t hesitate to file complaints against abusive clerics whether in the civil or church forums,” said Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), in a statement that appealed for help from the laity to respond to the crisis.

The new database by BishopAccountability.org, a 22-year-old website documenting abuse cases against the clergy, listed at least 82 accused priests and Religious who are either Filipinos or foreigner who have worked in the country. 

The launch of the database on 29 January was followed by a rare international forum on clergy abuse in the Philippines, organised by the Ending Clergy Abuse coalition, from 31 January to 2 February. 

These initiatives have sparked fresh conversations on sex abuse in the Philippines, where 85.65 million people – nearly 80 per cent of the population – belong to the Catholic Church. Discussions on the topic are considered taboo in Asia’s biggest Catholic-majority country, a former Spanish colony for over 300 years, where the Catholic Church remains one of the most trusted institutions. 

Cardinal David insisted, however, that Filipino bishops “welcome initiatives intended to hold people in whatever form of authority”, including the Church, accountable. 

“The Church, being a human institution, is not exempt from sin and corruption. Admittedly, lack of accountability compromises our moral and spiritual authority,” said David, 65, a politically outspoken prelate known for criticising the drug war of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos, vice chairman of the CBCP Office for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons, said the Filipino Church had a “victim-first policy” in dealing with sexual abuse. 

“It is clear to us that we are not in favour of cover-up. It is clear to us that, according to the teachings of the Lord, we should be for the defence of everyone, especially the most vulnerable among us,” he said in a message published by Church media on 2 February. 

In a press conference at the University of the Philippines on 29 January, the co-director BishopAccountability.org Anne Barrett Doyle criticised the Filipino bishops for feeling “entitled to their silence.” 

“These are men who fear nothing,” Doyle said.

Article end