By Leslie Ann Aquino
Sexual exploitation of children online saddening for a high ranking Catholic Church leader.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle (John Jerome Ganzon / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle is particularly saddened hearing stories of the parents themselves trafficking their own children online.
"It is no longer the syndicates, but their own parents," he said during a dialogue with the youth at Sta. Cruz Church in Manila, Sunday.
Tagle said this is happening worldwide even here in the country.
"Here in the Philippines, a group together with some nuns, were able to rescue an 11-month old girl being sold by her own mother to a customer abroad," said the cardinal.
"The mother is saying it is not a form of abuse since the customer is not there, and that she is the one holding the child," added Tagle.
But His Eminence said such acts are unacceptable as the body is sacred.
"This a call to everyone especially to parents, please stop harming the body because it is the body of Christ," said Tagle.
Cardinal Tagle's encounter with the youth was also in line with the celebration of the "Year of the Youth."
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has dedicated 2019 as the Year of the Youth — a part of its “nine-year journey for the new evangelization”.
The occasion officially opened in December 2018 and will close on November 24, 2019, the feast of Christ the King.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle (John Jerome Ganzon / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle is particularly saddened hearing stories of the parents themselves trafficking their own children online.
"It is no longer the syndicates, but their own parents," he said during a dialogue with the youth at Sta. Cruz Church in Manila, Sunday.
Tagle said this is happening worldwide even here in the country.
"Here in the Philippines, a group together with some nuns, were able to rescue an 11-month old girl being sold by her own mother to a customer abroad," said the cardinal.
"The mother is saying it is not a form of abuse since the customer is not there, and that she is the one holding the child," added Tagle.
But His Eminence said such acts are unacceptable as the body is sacred.
"This a call to everyone especially to parents, please stop harming the body because it is the body of Christ," said Tagle.
Cardinal Tagle's encounter with the youth was also in line with the celebration of the "Year of the Youth."
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has dedicated 2019 as the Year of the Youth — a part of its “nine-year journey for the new evangelization”.
The occasion officially opened in December 2018 and will close on November 24, 2019, the feast of Christ the King.