Filipino Priest Charged in US, The Tempo, October 31, 2011

Filipino Priest Charged in US

The Tempo
October 31, 2011

http://www.tempo.com.ph/2011/filipino-priest-charged-in-us/#.Tq-kKbKarIU

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has been warned against a United States-based Filipino priest who was suspended due to charges of theft and possession of pornographic materials.

CBCP president and Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar received the warning in a letter from Most Rev. Robert McManus of Worcester Diocese in Massachusetts, United States.

In his letter, McManus said Rev. Lowe B. Dongor has been charged with theft and possession of child pornography and was about to go on trial last October 25 when he disappeared from the diocese before he could appear in court.

McManus told Odchimar that Dongor left a note saying that he was returning “home.“

“I presume that he meant the Philippines,“ said MacManus in his letter dated October 13, excerpts of which were posted on the CBCP website.

McManus also revealed that on May 3, 2011, the Congregation of the Doctrine of t h e Fa i t h declared that “the acquisition, possession, and distribution of child pornography are a canonical delict that pertains to the sexual abuse of a minor.“

Because of the charges, Dongor has been removed from active ministry and prohibited from wearing a clerical attire or present himself publicly as a priest.

“I bring this matter to Your Excellency’s attention in case Fr. Dongor presents himself to Bishops in the arch/dioceses of the Philippines as a priest in good canonical standing,” McManus said, adding, “Obviously this is not the case.”

Diocesan records revealed that Dongor was born on February 17, 1976 in Iloilo and attended Barotac Nuevo High School, graduating in 1993. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 2, 2010. (Leslie Ann G. Aquino)