PHILIPPINES
Inquirer
By: Tina G. Santos – Reporter / @santostinaINQ
Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz has started investigating the case of Taytay priest Msgr. Arnel Lagarejos who was arrested while bringing a 13-year-old girl to a motel in Marikina City on July 28.
Cruz told reporters that Antipolo Bishop Francisco de Leon had assigned him to look into the “pedophile case.”
“This case is considered the gravest violation of the commandments, abuse of minors… I don’t know [how long the investigation would take], it depends on how fast I could gather evidence … how fast I could get my testimonies,” he said.
Cruz explained that once the Vatican has decided on the priest’s case, it would forward its ruling to De Leon.
Lagarejos, the parish priest of St. John the Baptist in Taytay, Rizal, was arrested in an entrapment operation after the girl and her mother went to the police for help.
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