MANILA - At least three members of Philippine Catholic hierarchy, including the president of its bishops' conference, have responded to a report that listed priests who were accused of sexual abuse but remain active in ministry.

The Archdiocese of Cebu under Archbishop Jose Palma was first to react to the online clerical abuse database released by U.S.-based abuse tracking group BishopAccountability.org.

While Palma admitted that three priests in the list are indeed incardinated to the archdiocese and are now in active ministry, he clarified that they already went through the required legal and canonical process.

He said the priests have been determined as "fit to return to active ministry" by competent civil and ecclesiastical authorities.  

"On this note we attest that of the names listed, only three names are identified as incardinated in the archdiocese and have already been re-integrated in active ministry today but only because they have gone through the required legal and canonical processes in the past and have been determined by competent civil and ecclesiastical authorities as fit to return to active ministry with continued guidance and supervision," Palma said in the statement released on Thursday.

The list published by BishopAccountability.org included other clergymen allegedly connected to the Archdiocese of Cebu.

However, the archdiocese clarified that while some of them indeed worked in the ecclesiastical territory as part of their assignments in their respective religious congregation, the priests are no longer connected to Cebu or were made part of the archdiocesan clergy.

The archdiocese also explained that one priest, who is also included in the list, was only in Cebu as part of the "ongoing renewal program that was required of him by his diocesan bishop."

Archbishop Palma said that the concerned priest has been fully cooperative with both civil and ecclesiastical authorities that are overseeing his case.

"We acknowledge as an archdiocese that sexual abuse of priests involving minors deeply wound the very fabric of our faith life and community and cause irreparable damage to the lives of the victims that can scar them for life," Archbishop Palma said.

"As we continue to confront these painful realities, we continue to invite the faithful to accompany her ministers with prayers and to help in the vigilance of creating and fostering safe spaces in the Church most especially for the most vulnerable of her members."

Meanwhile, the Diocese of San Carlos clarified that two of their priests who were named in the list are currently on leave and are not engaged in any ministerial duties.

The diocese also said that they are committed to cooperating with civil authorities and the local courts in ensuring a fair and just process.

"The aforesaid clergy are within the diocese because our church institution is committed to properly monitoring and assuring that no one escapes accountability to legal and ecclesiastical sanctions," San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said in a statement also released on Thursday.

"We want to reassure the faithful that contrary to what is alleged, the Church is following the established protocols for the protection of minors, upholding due process for the accused, and prioritizing the safety and well-being of victims."

CARDINAL DAVID'S RESPONSE AND THE POPE'S BATTLE VS CLERICAL ABUSE

The report released by BishopAccountability.org  included some priests who worked in the United States but returned to the Philippines after allegations of sexual abuse surfaced.

To this, Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said "it may indeed happen in some instances."

However, he clarified that the Church in the Philippines is now stricter about asking Filipino priests incardinated outside the country to make sure that they are properly endorsed by their bishops abroad.

"Bishops also have to make sure that those among their priests whom they send for  mission or ministry work in any diocese abroad do not have any record of sexual abuse in the Philippines," the cardinal said.

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David also underscored Pope Francis's efforts to make clergymen responsible in cases of sexual abuse, especially after the high-profile cases that rocked the local churches in Europe and America.

"He expects bishops to make sure all our Church institutions are safe spaces, especially for minors and vulnerable adults," the CBCP president said.

"If a bishop cannot discipline his erring priests or hold them accountable, he may end up getting disciplined himself by the Pope upon the recommendation of the Dicastery for Bishops."

The Catholic Church has long grappled with cases of sexual abuse concerning priests and bishops.

When he was elected to the papacy, Pope Francis has made it one of the central concerns of his leadership. He has established a new system to report abuses and cover-ups and appointed high-ranking prelates to investigate cases on ground.

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The biggest so far under his papacy was the case of former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, once one of the most powerful Church figures in the United States.

The Catholic Church defrocked McCarrick after investigations revealed that he sexually molested several individuals.

The then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith found the former Washington archbishop guilty of: "solicitation in the Sacrament of Confession, and sins against the Sixth Commandment with minors and with adults, with the aggravating factor of the abuse of power."

Defrocking in the Catholic Church means "dismissal from the clerical state."

In an impassioned letter in 2018, Pope Francis noted how the wounds inflicted by cases of clerical sexual abuse never disappears and that the works the Church have done were still not enough.

"With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives.  We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them," the pope said.