As the conclave to elect a new pope approaches, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is defending the record of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, former Archbishop of Manila, in addressing sexual abuse by clergy in the Southeast Asian country.
In a statement on Saturday, the CBCP said Tagle has advocated for a Church that listens and “acts decisively” to help victims of abuse.
The bishops’ conference did not explain the context of the 560-word statement, but the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that it appeared to be “a response to recent foreign media reports which accused Tagle of not being vocal enough about such cases in the country.”
