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CV NEWS FEED // Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, bishop of Kalookan and president of the Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, urged both the faithful and journalists to report priests who have committed sexual abuse.
AsiaNews reports that Cardinal David issued a note from the Episcopal Conference of Manila responding to the Bishop Accountability Project’s report that 82 priests from the Philippines were publicly accused of sexually abusing minors, and no appropriate action was taken against them.
“We welcome initiatives to empower people in any form of authority, including the Church,” Cardinal David stated. “This is part of the Pope’s call for a more synodal Church. The Church, being a human institution, is not exempt from sin and corruption. And it is true that a lack of responsibility compromises our moral and spiritual authority.”
Even though Pope Francis has been more assertive in disciplining bishops who do not properly address abusive priests, the Cardinal stated, “we need the help and participation of our laity, including journalists who are our allies in the search for truth, fact-checking and the fight against disinformation.”
The Cardinal then noted the challenge of properly handling cases of Filipino priests accused in U.S. dioceses who return to the Philippines to hide.
“It is important that the bishops of the dioceses in which they have been incardinated in the United States inform us, the bishops of the Philippines, of these cases,” Cardinal David wrote, “so that we can take appropriate action if they are hiding in our dioceses or attempting to minister in the Philippines even though they have been suspended in the United States.”
