PHILIPPINES
Crux
After the arrest of a priest for hiring a child prostitute, the Diocese of Antipolo in the Philippines issued a statement saying it “condemns in the strongest terms possible the trafficking in persons,” adding that “history will prove the claim that the Church, at various times in its history, has been the liberation of trafficked persons.”
A diocese in the Philippines said it “will not condone trafficking in persons” after a priest was arrested in a child prostitution sting conducted by local police, adding that it will “fully cooperate” with the investigation.
Monsignor Arnel Lagarejos, 55, was arrested on July 28 after arranging a meeting with a 13-year-old prostitute through her pimp in Marikina City, which is in the greater Manila region.
Police said the priest already had two previous encounters with the same girl.
Marikina police official Roger Quesada told The Inquirer, a local newspaper, that the girl did not know he was a priest.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.