Palma: Church not covering up for errant parish priest

CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma said the Church was silent on reports about a Minglanilla parish priest involved in a scandal because it wanted to resolve the case on its terms.

He said this doesn’t mean that they aren’t doing anything to solve the concerns of the parishioners and the acolytes.

“I will not tell the world what I’m doing because this is also partly the way things are. It’s not to cover,” Palma said during the commencement exercise of the Sister’s of Mary School Boys Town in Minglanilla yesterday noon.

“As a principle, not every truth should be broadcasted if it does not help build community,” he said when asked if the priest admitted to having sex with several women as alleged by parishioners.

The priest, who is part of the pastoral team of Minglanilla parish, met with Palma during a church activity in southern Cebu last week.

“I told him that we will talk about his situation after his spiritual retreat,” he said.

Palma said he already conferred to their canon lawyers on how to handle the procedures in solving the concerns.

The archbishop admitted that he is also aware about the incident in Minglanilla where another priest allegedly touched the private parts of two acolytes during a drinking spree last month.

“I know all these. I am not the last to know. But we always follow and do the procedural process of the canon law,” he said.

The priest is also on a spiritual retreat and will meet Palma once he completes the retreat.

“Like any other profession, we find people who are zealous, dedicated and good, and there are also times that we question the inaction.  We all need the mercy of God,” he said. Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya