How Priests Accused of Abuse Ended Up in Pacific Nations

Over a period of decades, at least 34 priests and missionaries left their home countries in the West for the Pacific Islands after they allegedly sexually abused children, or were found to have done so, according to court records, government inquiries, survivor testimonies, news media reports and comments by church officials. The pattern suggests that in some cases, Catholic organizations saw Pacific nations as a “dumping ground” for abusive clergy. Pete McKenzie, a freelance journalist who covers the Pacific, explains.

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[hoodyps]

I'm from Poland. This is church's normal practise here, when the priest is accused of sexual abuse, he's moved to another parish far, far away, to the other side of the country. All goes quiet. They've done it for years.

[FishareFriendsNotFood]

Why oh why does the church not simply FIRE these predators?? Why??? What would be the downside??

[annmatteson]

Thank you for making a video about this serious issue! I’d love a longer video with more info too

[Doodles_]

Imagine how bad those priests would have to be back then for them to actually get investigated by the government and possibly get convicted.

[smokeykitty]

This is not new. The Church has been doing this forever instead of firing them like any other employer would.

[jimmiller]

As a Catholic I find the Church's behavior abominable. All those involved should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and jailed accordingly. Even the pope.

And the pedofile priests, after their jail sentences, should be put into isolation somewhere where they will not be incontact with normal people.

[robertanderson]

That's the organized religion's protocol. Morality isn't any part of the protocol. Never was, either.

[MasterKoala]

I'm 48 and no longer identify as Catholic. The church's history (and who knows what's happening currently) and non response to this institutional, worldwide crimes against children and adults is just WAY too much.

[Rosula_D]

All relevant research indicates that these kind of "people" never stop until they are stopped. So yes, it's 99, 999% sure that they have "reoffended" unless they died on their way there.

[mohamadsami]

Sad story, but Thanks for sharing this information

[GuntherGlesti]

They go to places that don't have child protection laws...!

[perspicaciouscritic]

In this video — including the title — why doesn't The New York Times stop skirting around the word and call it for what it really is: How Priests Accused of *Sexual* Abuse Ended Up in Pacific Nations.

Sexual, NYT, sexual. It's a safe-for-work word, guys.

[donjosegomburza]

The Catholic Church in the Philippine is also playing a musical chair by hiding in the different places in the Asian countries and in USA.

[Druuna]

Why religion is still a thing is a mystery to me. Just look at who they protect. Who in their right mind would subscribe to this lunatic club? Wake up people, think for yourself and rest assured, being religious doesn't mean a good person, doing the right and moral thing does.

[sixwingsram]

Of course they reoffended and the Vatican is rife with these creatures

[LoCoAde]

The timing of this. I just watched the South Park episode, "A Boy and a Priest" for the first time in years yesterday evening 💀

On a serious note, I was one of few Muslims (I use the term more loosely back then) who attended a well known Catholic private school here in Dublin from 96-06. And while nothing happened to me sexually, getting in trouble a handful of times, left me feeling very targeted by a couple of the priests who were my principals. One, in my last 6 years, despised me. You could see it in his body language, but his eyes just said he was disgusted. I basically had to tip toe around my final few years of school and was a starting point of mental health struggles. With the white students, Christian, Catholic or whatever, even with the troublemakers, you could see a difference between them and me.

[Pfyzer]

honestly. what's new? ever since the euro-colonialism era, missionaries has always been like not like the natives can fight against it. it's just much harder for them these days due to the internet and international journalists investigating their crimes.

[pkicng]

What? How recent is this? Were these priest convicted by the courts and sentenced? In the US, there was a priest that all of us in the congregation as a good priest. Because he was Mexican, he was well liked by the Mexican congregation as well as others like me, a Filipino.
A 16 year old boy of the parish accused this priest, Antonio Cortez, of molesting him. In court, Cortez pleaded nolo contendere and was deported back to Mexico. The court's sentencing was sketchy because nothing was mentioned in the news. The police found, in his computer, according to a small spanish newsletter/periodical, child pornography. The bishop at that time, Richard Garcia, agreed to the deportation. Cortez will now have other victims coming from Mexico. I raised this issue of pedophile priest at a Synod two years ago, my fellow parishioners, looked at me with a little disgust. The Synod is a gathering of suggestions on how, the bishops with the help of the Holy Spirit's gifts, help for the betterment of the church or something coming short of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. I quoted Proverbs 15:3. Parishioners' put this aura benevolence of on the priests; but there are malevolent priest. Like the priest in my illustration, nothing is done by the church and the parishioners blame the victim of seeking encomium.

[barcelonachair]

I was wondering why he was traveling to the Pacific Islands when his health is so fragile.

[houseplant]

1:00, poor guy, read thousands of pages to only get 2 minutes screentime in a bad vertical youtube video