SAN CARLOS CITY (PHILIPPINES)
Rappler [Pasig, Manila, Philippines]
January 31, 2025
By Inday Espina-Varona
San Carlos Diocese Bishop Gerardo Alminaza has apologized for letting two priests accused of sexual abuse of children celebrate Mass in public.
Alminaza gave his apology in an interview with Rappler after a public statement said Father Conrad Ursua Mantac and Father Aron Buenacosa are on administrative leave.
The two are among the 82 priests in the Philippines database of US-based watchdog bishop-accountability.org. They belong to the group of 34 priests charged with child sexual abuse in the Philippines. The rest also served in the Philippines but faced cases abroad.
Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of the abuse tracker group, mentioned the San Carlos diocese clerics as examples of how Philippine bishops tolerate abuse by allowing the accused to continue with public ministry.