Church vows transparency following sex abuse report
CEBU CITY—Two Catholic bishops in the Visayas have vowed to be transparent in dealing with priests accused of sexual abuse of minors and who are either on administrative leave or cleared to return to active ministry.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos in Negros Occidental, in separate statements on Thursday, acknowledged that there were priests under their supervision who were linked to the sexual abuse of children.
Palma said three of the names recently mentioned by BishopAccountability.org, a United States-based sex abuse tracking group, have been reintegrated into the archdiocese. The rest were either dead or had been dismissed from the service.
The prelate added that these three priests whom he didn’t name have gone through the required legal and canonical processes in the past and have been determined by competent civil and ecclesiastical authorities as fit to return with continued guidance and supervision.
Tip of the iceberg
BishopAccountability.Org on Wednesday made public a database identifying 82 priests and brothers with ties to the Philippines who have been accused of sexually abusing minors from the 1980s to 2020.
The Philippines is the most Catholic country in Asia with about 80 percent of the 109 million Filipinos identifying as Catholic.
“This list of 82 clerics is the tip of the iceberg,” BishopAccountability.org said in a statement.
The database includes Filipino priests accused of sexually abusing minors in the Philippines, Filipino priests who served part of their priesthood in the Philippines but who are accused of sexually abusing minors while serving in the United States, and accused clergy from other countries—specifically, the United States, Ireland and Australia—who served part of their priesthood in the Philippines.
In the Philippines, 27 cases have been reported in areas such as Laoag, Borongan, Caceres, Dipolog, Cebu, Negros, Pampanga, Butuan and San Fernando, among others.
At least 35 incidents have been documented in US cities while there were about 20 in other countries such as Canada, Australia, Chile, England, Germany, Italy (Rome), Japan and Turkiye.
Rape, child abuse
One of the cases cited by Anne Barrett Doyle, codirector of Bishop Accountability, involved Fr. Jose Belcina, who was charged by prosecutors with rape and child abuse in Cebu in 2006.
The New York Times quoted Doyle as saying that the church removed Belcina from his parish and made him undergo “a process of spirituality.”
The report further noted that Belcina denied the charges, which were later dropped by the accuser over reasons of “reconciliation and peace.” It said the priest was reassigned to another Cebu parish in 2008 and remains in active ministry.
Palma, still without naming names, said one priest, who was incardinated or assigned to another diocese, is in Cebu to undergo a renewal program that was required of him by his diocesan bishop. He said the priest has been fully cooperative with civil and ecclesiastical authorities overseeing his situation.
Palma acknowledged that sexual abuse involving priests “deeply wounds the very fabric of our faith life and community, and causes irreparable damage to the lives of the victims that can scar them for life.”
“Any problem that injures the rights of persons is the problem of the whole church. One can only hope that while the guilty is to be punished, [those who have been accused but are innocent need] also to be spared. At times, the distinction is overlooked,” he said.
Under ecclesiastical review
Alminaza, meanwhile, said two priests in the Diocese of San Carlos—Fr. Conrado Mantac and Fr. Aron Buenacosa—are also facing allegations of sexual abuse of minors. They are on administrative leave and are not engaged in ministerial duties.
“It is important to note that these cases are still under ecclesiastical review by our Diocesan Safeguarding Office, and the diocese is steadfastly committed to cooperating with civil authorities and the Philippine courts to ensure a fair and just process,” he said.
Both institutional processes—legal and ecclesiastical—the bishop said, are being carried out to protect the victims and implement proper disciplinary sanctions with the accused.
“The aforesaid clergy are within the diocese because our church institution is committed to properly monitoring and assuring that no one escapes accountability to legal and ecclesiastical sanctions,” Alminaza said.
He also clarified that the participation of Mantac and Buenacosa as cocelebrants at certain liturgical events did not equate to active pastoral ministry.
“Their status remains unchanged, and they continue to be under administrative leave,” he said.
Protocols to protect minors
The diocese, he added, continues to prioritize the safety of children and the protection of vulnerable individuals.
“Primarily, it is our task and duty to protect the victims and defend their dignity. We also wish to offer support to anyone who may have been affected by these allegations,” he said.
Palma said the Cebu archdiocese remains “proactive” in safeguarding minors and vulnerable adults and was among the first in the country to set up a safeguarding ministry office as ordered by the Vatican in 2019.
Steps are also being made to require archdiocese clergy to undergo annual and obligatory participation in safeguarding measures for them to continue in active service, he said.
Alminaza, for his part, said the diocese is “always available” for any legal inquiries about the status of the accused priests.
“We want to reassure the faithful that, contrary to what is alleged, the Church is following the established protocols for the protection of minors, upholding due process for the accused, and prioritizing the safety and well-being of victims,” he said.
Individuals with information related to these cases, or who wish to report an instance of abuse, are encouraged to contact Fr. Martin G. Brodit Jr. at +639939376065 or via email at efarbro1278@gmail.com. —WITH A REPORT FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
