Tuesday, October 09, 2007 Speak out: Aren’t children alter ego of Christ, too? By Leny ocasiones Women’s Resource Center of Cebu
JUST like the whole Cebuano community, we were shocked and deeply disturbed by the decision of the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office to clear Fr. Benedicto Ejares from the cases of acts of lasciviousness, child abuse and sexual harassment.
Even more shocking and disturbing was the reason cited: that Fr. Ejares is an alter ego of Jesus Christ and therefore his acts should not be misunderstood.
Following this line of thought, weren’t we taught by the Catholic Church that children are also alter ego of Christ whose bodies are holy and, therefore, should be free from abuse and exploitation?
We cringe at the thought that priests who will be charged with the same offenses in the future will be using the same defense. Happening at the very month when we are supposed to be celebrating children’s month, we urge our Prosecutor’s Office to reconsider its decision and give value to the testimonies of the children who experienced the abuse and felt the humiliation.
We rally behind the seven children who bravely defended their rights and the National Bureau of Investigation for doing all it can to convict even those we thought of as Jesus Christ’s alter ego.
