US watchdog tracks PH priests linked to sex abuse

A UNITED STATES-BASED watchdog on Wednesday launched an online database on more than 80 Roman Catholic priests who have been accused of sexually abusing minors in the Philippines and said the silence of Filipino bishops on the crimes amounted to a cover-up.

The Philippines is the third-largest Roman Catholic nation in the world, and public discussions of sexual assaults by members of the clergy, who are revered especially in rural regions, has long been generally muted.

None of the 82 members of the clergy, including seven bishops, who have been included in the new online database on clergy sexual abuses by the group BishopAccountability.org had been convicted in any Philippine court.

The database featured their faces, names and details of their alleged sexual assaults on minors, some of which dated back more than two decades ago. The nonprofit said that it had also set up such online databases on Catholic clergy abuses in the US, Argentina, Chile and Ireland.

Anne Barrett Doyle, a director of BishopAccountability.org, said that the long silence of bishops in the Philippines encouraged such sexual assaults by members of the clergy. She asked Philippine prosecutors to investigate church officials, who failed to report abuses.

"Philippine bishops feel entitled to their silence. They feel entitled to withhold information about sexual violence toward minors. They feel entitled to defend accused priests," Doyle said at a news conference in Manila.

"What we hope to achieve is raise awareness," she said. "Secrecy only benefits the perpetrators. Secrecy equals complicity."

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, a Philippine church leader, said that the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has set up an office to safeguard minors and vulnerable adults and report complaints to the Vatican.

"Our mandate from Rome is to take the issue of accountability very seriously, especially those related to alleged abuse cases involving priests," David said, without elaborating.

"Accountability is a big aspect of Pope Francis's call for greater Synodality in the Church. He expects bishops to make sure all our Church institutions are safe spaces, especially for minors and vulnerable adults," David said.

If a bishop failed to discipline an erring priest or hold him accountable, he may end up being accountable himself, on the recommendation of the Dicastery for Bishops, he said.

The Dicastery for Bishops is the department of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church that oversees the bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usually followed

David admitted there were times when Filipino priests accused of sexual abuse abroad returned to the Philippines to avoid prosecution.

"That is why we are now stricter about asking Filipino priests incardinated outside the country to make sure they are properly endorsed by their bishops in the States if they come home to the Philippines for vacation and intend to celebrate Mass in any diocese in the Philippines," David said.

"Bishops also have to make sure that those among their priests whom they send for mission or ministry work in any diocese abroad do not have any record of sexual abuse in the Philippines," he said.

In 2003, the CBCP issued the "Pastoral Guidelines on Sexual Abuses and Misconduct by Clergy" to guide bishops in dealing with sexual misconduct cases committed by priests.

At least 10 of the Filipino priests in BishopAccountability.org,'s database are assigned in Cebu. Three of them were reported to remain in active ministry: Fathers Jose "Joey" Belciña, Benedicto "Ben" Ejares, and Prudencio Operiano.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma confirmed that the three were still active but stressed that they had undergone due process before they were allowed to return.

The names of priests and other clerics included in the database were collected from news reports, publicly filed court documents and church pronouncements, the group said, and added that the list of 82 clerics linked to sexual abuses in the Philippines may just be "the tip of the iceberg."

Gemma Hickey, a victim of clergy sexual abuse who spoke at the news conference in Manila, said that victims suffer long after they have been assaulted.

"It's survivors that serve a life sentence. Many of the priests who have abused us get to carry on with their lives. They don't face jail time. Some of them retire, move on with their lives, move on even to other careers and escape under the radar," Hickey said.

"But survivors are trapped in a prison of memory," Hickey said.

In Cebu City, the Diocese of San Carlos said on Thursday that two priests facing allegations of sexual abuse involving minors remain on administrative leave and are not performing ministerial duties while investigations proceed.

In a statement signed by Rev. Gerardo A. Alminaza, bishop of the Diocese of San Carlos, the diocese emphasized its firm commitment to ensuring accountability and transparency throughout the investigative process.

"It is important to note that these cases are still under investigation by our Diocesan Safeguarding Office. The Diocese is steadfastly committed to cooperating with civil authorities and the Philippine courts to ensure a fair and just process," the statement said.

The diocese assured the public that all protocols for safeguarding minors, including both legal and ecclesiastical procedures, are being followed. The administrative leave imposed on the priests aims to uphold accountability while also ensuring the safety of the community.

Responding to concerns about the recent participation of the two accused priests, Fathers Conrado Mantac and Aron Buenacosa, as co-celebrants in certain liturgical events, the diocese clarified that their involvement in the activities does not mean they have returned to active pastoral ministry.

"Their status remains unchanged, and they continue to be under administrative leave," Mantac said.

The diocese also acknowledged the pain and concern these allegations may have caused among the faithful, and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the welfare and safety of children and vulnerable individuals.

Among the other priests in the list of Bishop Accountability.org are. the late Msgr. Cristobal Garcia, Leonardo Mateo, Joseph Skelton, Apolinario Mejorada, Mercorio Montenegro, and Serlito Villar.

An unnamed priest was linked to a 2010 case involving Ejares.

Garcia, a former Dominican priest, served in Los Angeles before facing sexual abuse allegations involving minors.

In 2012, the Archdiocese of Cebu confirmed that the Vatican had begun to look into accusations against Garcia while he was in the US.

Ejares was accused in 2006 of molesting female students during confession. A criminal case that was filed against was dismissed. Church officials stated at the time that he had been placed under prayer and reflection.

Mejorada, an Augustinian priest and former rector of the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu, was accused by several former altar boys from the basilica of sexual abuse in 1999.

While Pope Francis has mandated dioceses to establish channels for reporting abuse, critics argue that enforcement remains weak, allowing some alleged perpetrators to continue their roles in the Church.