A UNITED States-based watchdog group has published an online database listing at least 82 Catholic clergymen accused of sexually abusing minors.

BishopAccountability.org on Jan. 29 said the list is a “measure of the Philippine Church’s impunity” and that there could potentially be more cases if not for cover-ups by Church officials.

“This list of 82 clerics, then, is the tip of the iceberg,” the group said.

“It’s a fraction of the total number of accused clerics who would be known if Philippine church leaders were required to report child sexual abuse to law enforcement, if its legal system made it easier for victims to file civil claims against complicit church leaders, if clergy sex abuse victims were more broadly supported, or if dioceses and religious orders were investigated by prosecutors or state commissions.”

The list includes Filipino priests accused of sexually abusing minors in the Philippines, Filipino priests who had served in the Philippines but were accused of sexually abusing minors while working in the US, and accused clergy from other countries who served part of their priesthood in the Philippines.

Of the 82 clergymen, 34 were involved in cases in the Philippines, and 48 figured in cases abroad.

Twenty one are foreign missionaries who had ministered in the Philippines.

Two deceased members of the Dominican order were named in the database.

Fr. Leo Hofstee, O.P., an American member of the order, worked with lepers in the Tala Leprosarium in Caloocan. 

Meanwhile, the late Msgr. Cristobal Garcia publicly admitted in 2005 that he had sexually abused two altar boys during his time in the Los Angeles archdiocese from 1980 to 1984.

He was expelled from the Dominican order in 1985, just three years after he was professed, after a pastor found a 17-year-old altar boy in his bed. He was also accused of giving cocaine to minors in the parish.

Despite this, he remained a prominent priest in Cebu but was eventually incardinated in the archdiocese in 2012 by Archbishop Jose Palma.

In a statement on Jan. 30, Palma said three clergymen had joined the Cebu archdiocese and were re-integrated into active ministry after going through the “required legal and canonical processes in the past and have been determined by competent civil and ecclesiastical authorities as fit to return to active ministry but with continued guidance and supervision.”

He said the archdiocese “has always been proactive in her stance towards the safeguarding of minors and vulnerable adults.”

“Steps are made to require the members of the clergy of the Archdiocese of Cebu to undergo annual and obligatory participation in safeguarding measures for them to continue in active service,” he said.

San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza also released a statement disclosing that the two cases involving San Carlos priests were under review in accordance with civil and ecclesiastical protocols.

Both priests, Fr. Conrado Mantac and Fr. Aron Buenacosa, were put on administrative leave and not engaged in ministerial duties.

“We recognize the deep concern of these allegations may cause within our community, and we reaffirm our commitment to transparency, accountability, and synodality throughout this process,” the diocese said.

“The Diocese continues to prioritize the safety of children and the protection of vulnerable individuals above all else.”

Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas National President Xavier Padilla called for “greater accountability and stricter policies” against sexual abuse.

“It is the moral obligation of every bishop and Church leader to ensure that no individual–especially minors and vulnerable adults–suffers harm within our spiritual communities,” he said in a Jan 31 statement.

BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts non-profit corporation, has “more than 63,630 pages of church files; over 121,000 news articles; a collection of investigative and other reports and studies totaling more than 100,000 pages; and over 1,880 archived copies of lists of accused, created by more than 150 dioceses and more than 25 religious institutes and provinces.”

The Philippine database was launched in a press conference at the University Hotel of the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City.

The event was attended by BishopAccountability.org co-director Anne Barrett Doyle and database manager Suzy Naujan.

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