A US priest, a Philippine village, and decades of secrecy

The arrest of a Catholic priest on a Philippine island has deeply shaken the village where he spent nearly four decades.

It has also revealed how allegations of sex crimes by priests are still ignored, sometimes for decades, in one of the world’s most Catholic countries.

On Biliran, the island where Father Pius Hendricks lived, his fondness for boys had been widely discussed for decades among villagers, local officials and, according to a former Catholic brother, members of the clergy.

Hendricks is being held in a Manila jail, facing both Philippine and U.S. charges. His lawyers insist he is innocent of all charges.