PHILIPPINES
Manila Standard
PASIG Bishop Francisco San Diego yesterday broke his silence over an allegation that he was having an illicit affair with a church benefactor. He said a “disobedient priest” might be behind the smear campaign.
“This is an absolute lie. Someone is accusing me of an immorality. This accuser might be the one doing it. There is a priest who is disobedient. If he wants, he could transfer to another diocese or choose his own bishop,” San Diego said on dzRV, a Catholic-run radio.
San Diego did not name the priest who allegedly fed the information last week to a group of Catholic laymen, the Crusaders of the Diocese of Pasig (CDP).
The 70-year-old San Diego said he sent a letter to Papal Nuncio Antonio Franco and Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo denying allegations of womanizing and living an extravagant lifestyle.
“I told the nuncio that the allegations are all lies. If I indulged in womanizing, I should have done it when I was younger. I have been a bishop for 22 years and 42 years as a priest. I am already 70 years old. After establishing my reputation, how could I destroy it? In my lifetime, I have never disobeyed my superior.”