Roman Catholic Church leaders in the Philippines apologized yesterday after some bishops accepted donations from a state-run lottery and became entangled in a corruption scandal.
The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Bishop Nereo Odchimar, also said the seven bishops involved were ready to “face the consequences” if they were found to have broken the law.
“We express ... our deep sorrow for the pain that the recent events have brought to you our beloved people,” Odchimar said in a statement.
Photo: Reuters
The scandal stems from accusations that then-Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo used state lottery funds to give the seven bishops 4WD vehicles and 8.38 million pesos (US$196,000) in cash between 2007 and last year to buy their support.
The Philippine Senate is investigating the allegations against the bishops, specifically probing whether the donations were -illegal and violated the constitutional separation of church and state.
The bishops have acknowledged accepting cars and cash, but said they did so only to help the poor people in their communities.
And while Odchimar emphasized again yesterday that the bishops had not admitted to any wrongdoing, they were prepared for sanctions.
“We assure you that the bishops concerned are ready to accept responsibility for their action and to face the consequences if it would be proven unlawful, anomalous, and unconstitutional,” he said.
He also conceded that the scandal had hurt the church’s image.
“We are saddened that many of you, especially the youth, the poor ... have been confused because of the apparent inconsistency of our actions with our pastoral preaching,” Odchimar said.
A spokeswoman for Philippine President Benigno Aquino, who has been facing political pressure recently from the church on social reforms, said the bishops’ apology was “very welcome.”
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