Priest Investigated in Ivory Smuggling Inquiry in Philippines

By Floyd Whaley
New York Times
September 27, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/27/world/asia/priest-investigated-in-ivory-smuggling-inquiry-in-philippines.html?_r=1

MANILA — Philippine law enforcement officials said on Wednesday that they were investigating whether a senior priest in the Roman Catholic Church was involved in the smuggling of elephant ivory to feed the country's passion for religious icons.

The investigation was prompted by an article in the October issue of National Geographic magazine that quotes Msgr. Cristóbal Garcia, a senior church official on the central Philippine island of Cebu, as telling an American reporter how to smuggle illegal elephant ivory figurines into the United States. "Wrap it in old, stinky underwear and pour ketchup on it," he is quoted as saying, to deter inspection.

The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation and the country's wildlife protection agency are investigating the claims made in the article, government officials said.

The Philippines is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, a treaty that regulates international trade in plants and animals. The trading of ivory has been banned under the treaty since 1990.

Monsignor Garcia moved to the Philippines after he was accused of molesting an altar boy in Los Angeles in 1986, accusations he denied. He has since become a prominent and respected leader of the Catholic Church in the central Philippines.

He could not be reached for comment late Wednesday. Church officials said earlier in the day that he was ill and resting.

Archbishop Jose S. Palma, who oversees the work of Monsignor Garcia, said at a news conference on Wednesday that the church would also investigate the claims, but expressed skepticism about the accusations. He said the Catholic Church supported the global ban on trading ivory, but noted that some of the artifacts predated the 1990 ban and were considered part of the cultural heritage of local churches.

"The account given by National Geographic magazine needs to be assessed as to its veracity, considering that the article smacks of bias against religious practices," the archbishop said in an earlier statement.

Religious icons and statues are popular among Catholics in the Philippines, and those made of pure ivory are among the most treasured. Religious specialty shops openly sell pure ivory icons, and many parishes have a treasured ivory statue of baby Jesus or one of the saints that is celebrated during festivals.