200 Filipino priests probed for sex scandals in last 20 years — CBCP

About 200 Filipino priests suspected of committing sexual misconduct have been investigated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in the last 20 years.

Some of the priests have been dismissed. Most of them resigned voluntarily from Catholic Church service and are prohibited from celebrating Mass.

Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, CBCP president, gave no other details.

However, he said they have started a process that will culminate in the creation of a "protocol that addresses various types of sexual abuse and misconduct" committed by their members.

Quevedo, the archbishop of Cotabato, said the bishops initially studied a protocol prepared by a committee in charge of the issue, the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on the Clergy (ECCler), during their plenary assembly in Tagaytay City that ended on Monday.

ECCler is led by Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Lipa Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales who is also ECCler chairman, and Imus Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle.

Quevedo said the assembly received inputs from a psychologist and a judge before breaking up into workshops for further discussions.

"The most severe punishment for this involves the filing of criminal charges like rape and child abuse against a priest-offender," Quevedo said.

Acknowledging cases of grave sexual misconduct by clerics and religious in the Philippines, Quevedo asked for forgiveness for the "grave sins committed by some leaders against members of the flock."

"We see hope in walking humbly. We walk humbly when we ask for forgiveness from God and from the victims of our sins. We walk humbly when, divesting ourselves of power and authority, we go to those from whom we have separated ourselves through self-interest, arrogance or abuse of power," he said.

"We realize that forgiveness and apology must flow into a commitment to be purified and renewed . That is what we hope to do," he said.

Details of the protocol were not revealed, but earlier other Church leaders said the CBCP was likely to strengthen penalties against priests engaged in sexual abuse.

These penalties will probably include making it easier to dismiss abusive priests.

Sex scandals involving priests in the US have brought greater attention to incidents in the Philippines where some priests have allegedly sexually abused parishioners or had mistresses.

Quevedo said however that a great majority of the clergy and the religious are still faithful to their priestly and religious commitments.

After their annual conference, the CBCP issued an unprecedented statement on Monday apologizing for the "grave sins committed by some leaders on members of the flock." - With AFP report