Philippines Catholic Church Apologises for 200 Priest Sex Abuser
- From: Julie <jjsttm@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:44:40 -0700 (PDT)
Philippines Church apologises for sex abuse
BBC News
Monday, 8 July, 2002, 13:57 GMT 14:57 UK
The Philippines Catholic Church has apologised for sexual abuse by
hundreds of its priests over the last 20 years.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said on Monday that
it was now drafting guidelines on how to deal with such offences by
its clergy.
When sexual scandals involving Catholic priests in the US came to
light earlier this year, the Philippines media began reporting on
abuses by local priests.
Monday's statement was the first official response from the Church in
the Philippines, where at least 85% of the 76 million-strong
population is Catholic.
Hundreds suspected
According to the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference,
Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, about 200 of the country's 7,000 priests
may have committed "sexual misconduct" - including child abuse,
homosexuality and affairs - over the past two decades.
"To the various crises in society, we must now, with great sorrow and
shame, add problems in the Church", said a statement by the bishops
read to a news conference on Monday.
"Sexual misconduct on the part of shepherds of the flock betrays the
holy priesthood that Christ has shared."
A protocol is being drafted by the bishops on dealing with sexual
abuse cases. The guidelines will include encouraging victims of
assaults to file criminal charges, said the president of the Catholic
Bishops Conference.
The Philippines is one of several Asian countries which have been
wracked by sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church in the past
few months.
Bishops in Australia and New Zealand have apologised to dozens of
victims of sexual abuse carried out by priests and police are
investigating several priests in Hong Kong for alleged indecent
assault.
.
- Prev by Date: Issue Regulations: The Thirty Vietnam Combat Campaigns (U.S. and Allied)
- Next by Date: Filipino Priest accused of Rapes in USA finds Prominence in Philippines
- Previous by thread: Issue Regulations: The Thirty Vietnam Combat Campaigns (U.S. and Allied)
- Next by thread: Filipino Priest accused of Rapes in USA finds Prominence in Philippines
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
