Are Filipino Catholic priests more virtuous?

St Peter, the “rock” on whom Christ built His Church, is traditionally counted as the first pope.
Pope Francis, the 266th successor to St Peter and a man of many firsts, is the first Bishop of Rome to convene a Vatican summit aimed at addressing the once taboo subject of clerical sexual abuse of minors. For many years, the subject was discussed behind closed doors, shrouded by secrecy with the results, if any, rarely made public. As is often the case when transparency is lacking, the problem festered and grew, nourished by a culture of silence, indifference and a “see no evil” attitude among Church authorities.
Today with radio, television, newspapers and social media part of our everyday lives, nothing can be hidden from the public eye for long. And the revelations of child sex abuse among Catholic clergy, as unveiled by investigative reporters as well as by Church organisations, have been astonishing and at times heartbreaking. In a painful video watched by the summit participants, one woman testified that she had a sexual relationship with a priest since the age of 15. He gave her everything when she consented; otherwise, he would beat her up. She had three abortions since the priest simply refused to use condoms or contraceptives.
Sexual abuse of minors by clerics is perhaps the single most important problem facing the Church. It is not only worldwide in extent but it involves all ranks, from priests up to cardinals. Such crimes have made headlines recently in the United States, Australia, Germany and Chile. Other nations with similar problems are Belgium, Ireland, Poland and, only recently, India where cases of sexual abuse of nuns have also been reported. Last week, Pope Francis defrocked US Cardinal Theodore McCarrick after a Church trial found he had sexually abused children.
What about the Philippines? Aside from tiny East Timor, we are the only Catholic nation in Asia.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Filipino Church authorities have attempted to distance themselves from the global scandal.   
Friar Jerome Secillano of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines claims sexual abuse among Philippine clergy is not as prevalent as among clergy elsewhere. If we accept Secillano’s assessment at face value, Filipino clerics are more virtuous than their counterparts in other countries. But the good priest should bear in mind that the Filipino culture of silence surrounding sexual abuse by clerics is so pervasive and powerful as to completely obscure the reality. This is especially true in rural areas. The Church carries powerful authority in the country. It takes much courage, determination and community support to pursue a case against a cleric, especially if Church authorities side with the accused. Even merely reporting a case can prove difficult and even dangerous since Church and local officials can join hands in covering up what they may consider a community scandal rather than a crime. So far, there has not been one credible investigation of sex abuse in the Philippine clergy by independent organisations or even by the Church. 
The Church here must set up reliable and dependable mechanisms to address the problem. In the words of Pope Francis, what is needed now are “concrete and effective measures, not simple and predictable condemnations”. A good first step would be to change the attitude of Church officialdom that sexual abuse by clerics is simply a sin to be forgiven with penance rather than a crime to be prosecuted. Any lay citizen charged and convicted of sexual assault faces jail time. Clerics should be treated no differently. Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s top sex crime investigator, has called for “the culture of silence” to be replaced by a “culture of disclosure”. A second step would be to start serious discussions on the issue of clerical celibacy. When he was still archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis noted that “celibacy is a matter of discipline, not of faith. It can change.” His use of “conditional language” was considered remarkable by observers.
The Church is in crisis. In calling for the summit, Pope Francis has determined the gravity of the situation. It is time for change, radical change, and now.