‘Dismiss pedophile priests’

A former president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) called yesterday for any pedophile priests to be dismissed and for tighter screening to prevent them from entering the priesthood.

"The response to pedophile priests is very clear. They should be dismissed from the ranks of the clergy," said Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz in a statement.

The Church in the Philippines, a Catholic outpost in Asia, has tracked a US scandal involving several cases of child molestation by Catholic priests in the United States.

Cruz said he was worried that child molesters in the Philippines might not be detected before they are ordained and added that "rigid psychological tests are imperative for seminarians."

The archbishop said it would be "a big shame and scandal" if these offenders managed to become priests, although he added he was "certain there is not a single pedophile" among Filipino priests.

He also expressed confidence in the future of the religion.

"I am not worried about the future of the Church. I am very sure that the Church will still be around long after many generations shall have been gone," Cruz said. — Sandy Araneta, Eva de Leon