Priests in Philippines accused of sex abuse remain in active ministry

29/1/2025 18:05

Philippine priests accused of sex abuse remain in active ministry in the Catholic-majority country, a U.S.-based abuse tracking group said on Wednesday, urging the country's bishops to take action and hold the alleged perpetrators accountable.



BishopAccountability.org, which tracks abuse in the Catholic Church, said 82 priests and brothers from the Philippines and some who served in the country for a period in their lives had been accused of sex abuse.



At least seven of the accused priests continue to serve in parishes across the archipelago, some as recently as last month, the group's co-director Anne Barrett Doyle said in a press conference on Wednesday.



Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Philippine bishops conference, the Church's top policy body, said in a statement that it has put up an office headed by an archbishop and a team of bishops and experts to safeguard minors.



"Our mandate from Rome is to take the issue of accountability very seriously, especially those related to alleged abuse cases involving priests," David said.

Individual bishops, David said, have authority over the accused priests. The papal nuncio - Pope Francis' representative to the country - is usually the next level of authority to act on the complaints.