Priests who are undergoing trial for raping minors...

Priests who are undergoing trial for raping minors should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, said a Philippine lawyer. But Eric Mallonga said his 14-year-old client, a girl who was allegedly abused by a priest in 2000, would not accept any out-of-court settlement.
Father Macarlo Apuya, of the Divine Word Society, is currently detained at the Quezon City jail for allegedly raping the 14-year-old girl in Ilocos region, northern Luzon.
"A call for respect for accused priests does not mean being lax to the disadvantage of their victims," lawyer Eric Mallonga said
If convicted, Apuya will be the first priest to be executed for sexual abuse.
The accused priest should receive the same treatment given to a commoner like Leo Echegaray, who was executed for raping a child, in 1998, or former Congressman Romeo Jaiosjos who is serving life sentence for statutory rape, said Mallonga.
Many rights groups, including church-based groups, held rallies to protest Echegaray's state execution by lethal injection in 1998.