Church vows probe of sex scandals

The Archdiocese of Manila reiterated yesterday that it would seek immediate and speedy investigation of sexually abusive Filipino priests.

"We will investigate if needed. We seek justice at all times," said Manila Auxiliary Bishop Socrates Villegas, rector of the EDSA Shrine and spokesman for the archdiocese."To erring priests, the Church is both mother and teacher."

But the Catholic Church is "always in the pursuit of truth," Villegas said, adding the Church is "a healer more than a judge."

"Truth and justice must prevail. But with truth and justice comes love... we will do what is good and salvific for the victims and the errant priests. After all, they both need healing and forgiveness. They are all children of God," the bishop said.

Villegas made the assurance a day after the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday issued a public apology to the victims of Filipino priests — the first time the episcopacy acknowledged the commission of sex crimes by Filipino priests.

However, Villegas had said that of the 7,000 priests nationwide, only 1.6 percent (or about 112 clerics) have been considered "erring priests."

The bishop claimed five percent of that number are "very good, holy and exemplary while the more than 90 percent are struggling hard to be good, praying hard to God and serving quietly their people."

Villegas appealed to the Catholic laity not to castigate the Church for the wrongdoing of only a few priests.

On Wednesday, the CBCP said the cases involving Filipino priests were not as many nor as grave as those reportedly committed in the US.

CBCP spokesman Right Rev. Hernando Coronel also said that cases reported in the Philippines are not ignored by the episcopacy.

Coronel noted that while most clerical abuses in the US involve pedophilia, homosexuality and violations of their vows of chastity are the most frequent cases among erring Filipino priests.

Coronel urged people who have been or are being victimized by reprobate priests to file formal complaints but insisted that these matters be taken up before the priest’s bishop or archbishop.

He said the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Clergy has been preparing guidelines and diocesan protocols on handling cases of erring priests. The commission started working on the guidelines and protocols when the Dagupan Archbishop was CBCP president in the mid-1990s.

Incumbent CBCP president and Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo has directed the commission to finish the guidelines by July next year and discussions are scheduled at the annual Plenary Council in the Philippines in June.

He said the dioceses will have to finalize their inputs before the entire church sets its collective protocol but churchmen act even without them.