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Ivory smuggling charge against priest reveals abuse investigation
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A National Geographic story on ivory smuggling has renewed focus on a prominent Philippines priest accused of sexual abuse in Los Angeles in the 1980s.
Monsignor Cristobal Garcia, an ivory collector, told a National Geographic correspondent he could smuggle ivory into the U.S. by wrapping it in “old, stinky underwear” and pouring ketchup on it.
The smuggling remarks, published in the October 2012 issue of National Geographic, caused a controversy which revealed that Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu suspended the priest in June because of the Vatican’s ongoing investigation of the child abuse case against him.
In a Sept. 26 statement from the Cebu archdiocese, Archbishop Palma explained that the abuse investigation began “long before the (ivory trade) controversy erupted.”
Prior to his recent suspension, Msgr. Garcia served as chair of the Archdiocese of Cebu’s Commission on Worship and as the business manager for the archdiocese’s main publication.
The priest was removed from ministry in Los Angeles and expelled from the Dominican order in 1985 after a nun told police that an altar boy had been found in his rectory bed, the Dallas Morning News said in 2005.
After the priest returned to the Philippines, the Archdiocese of Cebu under then-Archbishop Julio Cardinal Rosales may have ignored warnings from the Dominicans. It placed him in ministry and allowed him to work with children.
Msgr. Garcia acknowledged having sexual relations with two young teen altar boys in Los Angeles. He contended that one of them “not only seduced me, he also raped me.” The priest said his alleged victims obtained sex, drugs and money from him by threatening to accuse him of abuse.
The priest’s accusers rejected his claims. [More]
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4 Comments
Jesus said; “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:6. Be sure Recovering that Our God will not be mocked – there will be a judgement for all, not just you and I.
Mathew 7:21 – “Not every one who says to Me, “Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and do many mighty works in your Naem? And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you, depart from me, you evildoers.
I remember that earth-shattering child abuse case in the Los Angeles diocese back in the 1980s when I think it was 4 different parish priests all repeatedly molested the same young woman who eventually became pregnant, and one of those priests was the father. As I recall, the diocese just shipped the young pregnant woman over to the Phillipines to avoid scandal. Her care was paid for out of church funds. This was one of the first priest sexual abuse cases that became public. I suppose this guy must be a difficult priest since he likes altar boys instead of girls. Here’s another guy who doesn’t seem to understand what statutory rape is but blames the altar boys. It’s appalling that these creeps get into our seminaries in the first place!
Correction: I meant to write “a different priest.”