Friday, October 12, 2007 Talk back: Fr. Ejares’ case By Ida Krigh
READING your front page story on the case of Fr. Benedicto Ejares last Oct. 5, 2007 made my skin crawl, especially when I read the view of Prosecutors Alexander Acosta and Fernando Gubalane on how the priest handles confessions.
I wonder if they can now look in the eye their female relatives and now have the balls and conviction to justify such statements in the resolution as, "toying with the strap of their bras was just a matter of routine” and, “with due respect to the other religious sects, priests of the Roman Catholic Church are considered as an ‘alter ego’ of Jesus Christ when (they) perform confession.”
Sirs, one's bra is nobody's business other than the bra's owner.
And if you go back to the roots of your Catholic education, you will be reminded that the cloak of priesthood or sisterhood does not exempt one from sinning.
The only thing that will remain incorrigible and un-corruptible are the basic doctrines of the Christian faith as Christ himself established from the very beginning.
Priestly robes and office do not grant automatic protection from the wiles of Beelzebub.
The cloth of the clergy can command only so much respect as the efforts exerted by the wearer to be worthy of being a shepherd of Christ instead of being a predatory wolf.
In this predominantly macho society where Filipinas are constantly encouraged to whiten their brown skins and to not develop a single wrinkle on their face or to be temptingly luscious but virginal, can one really not give the benefit of a doubt to the sincerity of these girls in exposing a crime that is nothing but sexual in nature?
We don't have to expound on the shame that they risk experiencing in private and in public.
We, the laity, can help these young girls and others who may suffer the same abuse by giving them support in every way, making them understand that it's the predator who must be put to shame and not them, that no office, title, or even religious robes should be untouchable from the demands of justice and respect for every individual, especially the young and innocent.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Vidal said that, "As a churchman, I am happy the case was closed. But other people would like to open it up again, I don't know why" (Sun.Star Cebu, Oct. 10, 2007).
Cardinal, you sound a bit too eager to have this case shut up and closed ASAP.
You should have said instead something like, "Rest assured that, in the interests of both the religious and the laity, I will not stand in the way of justice and fairness for all concerned parties.”
This would have been more befitting a person of your position instead of giving the impression that you'd rather that this scandal disappear from the glare of media and public awareness as soon as possible.
To add more irritants, there was no mention or reference to the complainants.
It seems like you don't care at all for the possibility that these young girls could indeed be telling the truth.
It is appalling that the prosecutors and Cardinal Vidal are still mulling over what is lascivious and what's merely inappropriate.
Haven't we passed enough laws on sexual and pedophile crimes to know the basic distinctions?
I am sure that I was not the only one whose hair stood up upon reading about the scandal, most especially after hearing the statements of the prosecutors and the cardinal.
