MANILA (DPA) - The Catholic Church in the Philippines plans to conduct lifestyle checks on priests amid accusations of sexual misconduct and other improprieties, a church spokesman said yesterday.
Msgr. Hernando Coronel, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said the "moral lifestyle checks" would be done to address the problems of prelates having illicit affairs contrary to their vow of celibacy.
"We will look into their lifestyle, whether they have girlfriends, children, or whether they are gays," he told reporters.
The Catholic Church was wracked by scandals recently involving a senior bishop in the capital accused by his female secretary of sexual harassment, and another bishop who sired two children.
There are more than 7,000 priests and bishops in the Philippines, Asia's only predominantly Catholic country.
Agreement
Msgr. Hernando Coronel, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said yesterday that its social action arm, the National Secretariat for Social Action Justice and Peace (NASSA), has signed an agreement with the Ombudsman for a check of the lifestyles of government officials but he is not sure whether military officers would be included in the inspection.
Aside from NASSA, other commissions also lend their support in the fight against corruption in the country like the Council of the Laity of the Philippines with the assistance of the Jesuit committee.
Last month, CBCP president Orlando Quevedo said that they support the Ombudsman's efforts to press for stronger legislations against corruption such as Senate Bill 1945 that would allow private prosecutors to serve on behalf of the Ombudsman.
In Pastoral Recommendations and Action, the bishops urged legislators to pass SB 1945 immediately and the government to align with citizens' groups to "vigorously prosecute erring officials," said Quevedo, the archbishop of Cotabato.
Quevedo promised to do their own housecleaning by rejecting contributions from known corrupt officers. (Leslie Ann Aquino)