KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — It’s no secret that Al Jazeera does a pretty darn good job with their exposes and this time around, they unveil the deep dark secrets of priests in Asia’s largest Catholic nation.
In this new documentary aptly titled “Sins of the Father”, Al Jazeera will reveal how priests in the Philippines are fathering children, violating the sacred vow of celibacy as well as a rising number of child sex abuse cases by priests.
Priests are treated like Gods in the Philippines and this has lead to some of them exploiting their power. In this exclusive investigation, 101 East reporter Drew Ambrose will reveal how church authorities are receiving more reports of child sex abuse by priests. It will also reveal how some church leaders are speaking out against the institution’s failure to properly investigate abuse allegations.
Church investigators also reveal to 101 East that in some dioceses, one in five priests have had children. But with a shortage of priests in this deeply devout nation, the church rarely takes action against errant priests.
Ambrose meets Father Elmer Cajilig, a priest who has four children and now preaches at privately-owned churches. He’s one of several priests with children who have written to the Vatican, asking to be accepted back into the church.
“Philippines: Sins of the Father” is set to premiere on Al Jazeera English at 6.30am tomorrow. The documentary will be available on YouTube and http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/ following its broadcast.
