34 Filipino priests suspended for sexual misconduct

Thirty-four Filipino priests have been suspended for sexual misconduct as a series of Church reforms in the Philippines, a largely Roman Catholic country, continues.

"A bishop suspended 20 priests and another (bishop) suspended 14 for sexual harassment cases," the director of the Church’s National Office of Mass Media, Father James Reuter, said yesterday.

Reuter would not reveal the identities of the bishops or the priests or disclose any details of the cases.

The revelation came as the country’s Catholic bishops were preparing a protocol for dealing with the sexual misdeeds of priests.

Under a draft of the protocol — due to be submitted to the Vatican this month — priests who father a child or break their vow of celibacy may have to undergo some form of religious "rehabilitation."

However, sources among the bishops said they are still deliberating over the draft.

Catholic bishops issued a rare public apology in July after two senior bishops were implicated in sex scandals. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said it was sorry for the "actual or alleged sexual misconduct of some of its shepherds" as well as for cases of fiscal mismanagement by certain priests.

The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic Southeast Asian nation of 80 million people.

Meanwhile, incoming Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales expressed unease over his appointment citing the difficult times the church in the country is facing.

According to an interview by Fides Services, an online news agency based in the Vatican, Rosales saw a difficult task ahead of him amid the instability and corruption in the Philippines.

"I am uneasy. I feel like St. Joseph after he had the vision of an angel telling him not to worry, when Mary was expecting Jesus, or troubled like the Blessed Mother after the annunciation by the angel Gabriel who told her not to fear," Rosales was quoted by the news agency.

"Every important moment of my life has been like this, my ordination as a priest and then as a bishop. But I have complete trust in the Holy Spirit."

The former Lipa archbishop is currently in Rome and is not expected to return until Oct. 7. His appointment as Jaime Cardinal Sin’s successor was made three days after he left the country.

The Pope accepted the resignation of the ailing Sin who turned 75 years old last Aug. 31.

"I thank Cardinal Sin for all he has given the church in the Philippines and the country in the last 30 years. His heritage and charisma will not be lost. I pray that he will never be without the Lord‘s grace. In my ministry, I will work or continuity to carry on his pastoral plan," Rosales said.

"This is a difficult time, and as bishops we issued a recent statement calling on political leaders, the army and all citizens to fight corruption and work for the unity and progress of the Philippines. This commitment is basic for the Church: we must instill into society the values of the Gospel." - AFP, Jose Aravilla