The power of truth brings justice to a victim of clerical child abuse

By Fr. Shay Cullen

It is the truth that is spoken quietly but with conviction and clarity by children who are victims of sexual abuse that wins justice for them in courts of law and by which they win their freedom from the domination of their abusers. Their abusers are frequently their biological father, stepfather, live-in partner of their mother, their grandfather, brother, pastor, priest, teacher, neighbor, or online fake boyfriend. Children are not safe in this world from those who are supposed to protect and care for them and give them a bright and happy future.

On Aug. 10, 2022, Mariel (not her real name) was brought to the Preda Foundation’s home for abused girls. Mariel was a victim of multiple acts of sexual abuse perpetrated by her own father over several years. Empowered by the Preda Foundation’s therapeutic programs, she recovered and filed a case against her abusive father. He went into hiding in Masinloc but was later arrested and put on trial. Mariel was courageous, empowered by emotional release therapy, and ready to give her testimony, but her father made a plea bargain and admitted guilt. On Oct. 27, 2025, the Regional Trial Court Branch 96 of Dinalupihan, Bataan, after a speedy trial, found Mariel’s abuser guilty of rape by sexual assault. He was sentenced to suffer the indeterminate penalty of 12 years and 1 day to 14 years of reclusion temporal and pay Mariel P60,000 in civil indemnity. A victory for Mariel, and with Preda’s help, she is in college. She has also become a strong actress with the Preda theater group. With the seven-person group, she toured Germany and Austria for two months, advocating for children’s rights.

Pope Francis described child sexual abuse as a “scourge” and a “monstrous” evil that acts as a “manifestation of the spirit of evil.” When alive, he called for an “all-out battle” to eradicate these “abominable crimes” from both society and the Church. In June 2025, Pope Leo XIV (Robert Francis Prevost) spoke strongly against child abuse in society and the Church. He encouraged and praised investigative journalists for their courage in exposing child abuse scandals, including clerical abuse, saying, “Your fight for justice is also the Church’s fight.”

Another brave and resilient child is 16-year-old Maria (not her real name). She was raped three times by Father Mark Batolne, a priest of the Diocese of Baguio who held senior administrative positions. The crimes occurred in March 2023 inside the Bishop’s House compound in Baguio City, where the victim resided as a student-scholar and was assigned tasks as a house helper.

Maria bravely testified that Batolne carried a knife when he first assaulted her on March 8 and March 12, 2023, in her room at the Bishop’s Residence. The court ruled that two of the three counts were aggravated by the use of a deadly weapon. Judge Modesto D. Bahul Jr. believed the child’s “credible and consistent” testimony, while the priest’s defense of an alibi was rejected. For each of the three counts, Judge Bahul sentenced Batolne to reclusion perpetua (20 to 40 years), totaling a maximum of 120 years. The Philippines needs more just and fearless judges like Judge Bahul that will implement the rule of law and save children and help cleanse the Church of pedophile priests.

There are many other cases of child sexual abuse in the world and in the Church. BishopsAccountability.org has uncovered and listed 84 cases of clerical child abuse allegations in the Philippines. In a message to the National Safeguarding Conference in the Philippines (October 2025), Pope Leo renewed his appeal that “there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church… including sexual, spiritual and abuses of power.” It is clear that the “truth will set us free.” The pope made it clear that bishops must hold the abusive priests to account and get justice for their victims.

The case against Fr. Conrado Ursua Mantac for the alleged rape of a 17-year-old choir member was filed in the Regional Trial Court Branch 73 of Sagay City, Negros Occidental. The case came before the sala of Executive Judge Reginald Fuentebella in 2023. Fr. Mantac was arrested on March 27, 2023, in Bacolod City. But the case was provisionally dismissed when the victim did not testify.

The child and her mother were allegedly given money and told to leave the province. They approached the Preda Foundation and asked for help to re-file the case. When the case was refiled within the legal time frame by the child’s attorney, Judge Fuentebella allegedly ignored it and dismissed the case outright. The child’s attorney has filed a complaint against the judge in the Supreme Court. Father Mantac remains on administrative leave while ecclesiastical reviews continue.

Fr. Karole Reward Israel, a former assistant parish priest in Solana, Cagayan, is currently in jail facing multiple charges of crimes involving a 15-year-old child church volunteer. He allegedly secretly recorded their sexual encounters in various hotels and threatened to leak the videos if the victim disclosed the abuse. He also faces criminal complaints for qualified seduction, sexual harassment, and violations of the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Law. He was jailed on March 2, 2023, at the Cagayan Provincial Jail in Tuguegarao City, where he is on trial. He admitted to the multiple acts of sexual abuse but claims they were consensual. A priest from the diocese offered the child a college education in exchange for dropping the charges, but she refused, as she was determined to get justice. She is receiving counseling, support and educational assistance from the Preda Foundation.

Another case of alleged child sexual abuse by a Catholic priest is detailed in a court filing that accuses Fr. Serlito Villar of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Poblacion, Alegria, Cebu, for lascivious conduct and rape of an 11-year-old boy.

The case was filed in the Regional Trial Court Branch 62 of Oslob, Cebu, under Judge Jansen R. Rodriguez by the no-nonsense and determined assistant provincial prosecutor Julius Torreon Ompad, backed by provincial prosecutor Ludivico Vistal Cutaran. The indictment listed five counts of rape with sexual assault and one count of lascivious conduct. Four of the alleged heinous crimes were committed between Feb. 12, 2022, and April 27, 2023, in the church rectory. Another was committed at Cuestas Resort in Malabago village. The courageous and brave child just wants justice. The long delay of three months between each court hearing is another reason why we need the Supreme Court to create a special children’s court until Congress enacts a law.

The cleansing of the priesthood and the Church of clerical sexual abuse of children, as Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV demand, will only happen when the bishops act for justice to protect the child victims and end tolerance and cover-up by bringing the clerical abusers to justice and their victims are healed and supported.