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	Wenceslao: Priest's Indiscretion By Bong O. Wenceslao Sun.star December 11, 2011 http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/opinion/2011/12/11/wenceslao-priest-s-indiscretion-195267 MORE than three years ago, then Cebu archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal formed a team ministry in one of the towns in south Cebu. The ministry was composed of six priests, two of whom became controversial for their indiscretions. The priests were placed under the supervision of Msgr. Esteban Binghay, episcopal vicar of the south district of the archdiocese. Vidal had asked the church's parishioners to accept the two controversial priests, one of whom was accused of raping a minor in his previous parish (the complaint for rape was eventually settled) and the other admitted to having sired two children. They did so, although leaders of religious groups in the parish promised to monitor their activities. Vidal decided to restore the priestly functions of the two priests after they underwent a renewal course. He vouched for the restored integrity of the priests, noting that he thoroughly studied the move to reinstate them. Unfortunately for the archdiocese, the team ministry, or at least one of its members, is now being embroiled in a controversy after acolytes exposed his alleged shenanigans, that of having sex with women inside a secluded area at the back of their church. One thing going for the priest is that he has not been named, sparing him from shame as of the moment. The complaint of the acolytes and leaders of some lay organizations has reportedly reached Vidal's successor, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma. This is the first controversy involving a priest that Palma will deal with since he took the post early this year. How he will act should be another occasion to compare his leadership style with that of Vidal. To be fair to the two controversial priests whose renewed integrity Vidal vouched for more than three years ago, I don't think either one of them is the priest that the acolytes are complaining about. So the priest should be one of the four non-controversial members of the team ministry that Vidal formed. Binghay said he would have wanted that the said concerns had not reached the media, but the problem seems to be that the archdiocese failed to reach out to the acolytes and leaders of the parish's lay organizations. I heard the interview of one of the acolytes in Bobby Nalzaro's program over dySS and I think what prompted the complainants to go public was the rumor that the priest, who has not been in the parish for three weeks, was set to return there. They also noted that after they wrote the complaint, they have not been informed of Palma's response. I just hope that the other members of the team ministry won't be smeared by the indiscretion committed by the other team member. I am familiar with the parish and have seen the improvements the team ministry had put in place there the past three years. Although I can say that there are some failings in some aspects, notably in the handling of the acolytes and other support groups, overall, the good things stand out. I hope the archdiocese will do better in responding to this latest controversy. For Palma, this will show how seriously he wants to protect the image of the church and the archdiocese. Contact: khanwens@yahoo.com
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