In a move that will be unpopular with some, a United States-based watchdog, BishopAccountability.org, has launched an online database detailing the names, faces, and alleged crimes of over 80 Roman Catholic priests accused of sexually abusing minors in the Philippines. The nonprofit organization asserts that the silence of Filipino bishops on these crimes amounts to a cover-up.
The database, which includes detailed information on the alleged assaults, reveals that none of the accused priests have been convicted in any Philippine court. This initiative aims to shed light on the issue of clergy sexual abuse in the Philippines. In this country, public discussions on such matters have mainly been suppressed due to the deep-rooted influence of Catholicism.
Anne Barrett Doyle, a director of BishopAccountability.org, emphasized that the long-standing silence of bishops in the Philippines has encouraged such assaults to continue unchecked. She called for Philippine prosecutors to investigate church officials who have failed to report abuses. Doyle stated, “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”.
In response, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, a leader in the Philippine Church, mentioned that the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has established an office to safeguard minors and vulnerable adults and report complaints to the Vatican. He emphasized that their mandate from Rome is to take the issue of accountability very seriously, especially those related to alleged abuse cases involving priests.
BishopAccountability.org noted that the external accountability mechanisms seen in other countries, such as victim litigation, prosecutor probes, and substantial investigations by local news media, have occurred little in the Philippines. The organization believes the list of accused clergy members may only represent “the tip of the iceberg.”
The launch of this database marks a significant step in confronting clergy sexual abuse in the Philippines and calls attention to the need for greater accountability and transparency within the Church.
