CBCP Monitor Vol. 19 No. 15

8/20/2019 CBCP Monitor Vol. 19 No. 15

1/20

MonitorVOLUME 19NUMBER 15PHP20.00

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

July 20 - August 2, 2015

CBCPMONITOR.COM [email protected]

CBCP

Bishops back aBBL rooted in‘social justice’GOD always does somethingfor the poor. What aboutyou?

Inviting the faithful tocommit themselves to servethe poor each time they re-ceive Communion, a Catho-lic priest has pointed outpoverty exists not so muchbecause the Lord wants it,but rather because humansrefuse to live for one another,to care for one another, andto see the image of God

which they all share.“How do we see ourselves

in [the poor]? How do I see Jesus in them?” asked Fr. En-rico Martín F. Adoviso, headof the Archdiocese of Manila(RCAM)’s Commission onthe Year of the Poor, in atalk he gave at Santa CruzChurch on Sunday, June 7,for the Solemnity of the MostHoly Body of Blood of theLord (Corpus Christi).`

Striving for just peace,the moral road, B1

WHAT’S INSIDE

BBL / A6

SUPPLEMENT ISSUE UGNAYAN: THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST

CBCP on K-12: Don’t forget the poor HE Catholic bishops hascalled on education author-ities not to forget the pooras the country gears up for

the full implementation ofthe K-12 program.In a pastoral letter, the

Catholic Bishops’ Confer-ence of the Philippines(CBCP) again voiced itsconcern that many students

will drop out of school as aconsequence of the wholeprogram.

However, they said, “wedo not yet see this issuebeing addressed in the pro-gram.”

Issue of dropouts“Tere should be means

to help out these dropouts,” The CBCP plenary assembly gathers twice a year, in January and in July. From the recent assembly, the bishopsissued three pastoral statements.CBCPNEWSK-12 / A6

Prelate lauds Pope’s penalty vs. bishops’ inactionon erring priestsREIRED Lingayen-Dagupan

Archbishop Oscar Cruz has re-cently lauded “as both relevantand impressive” the new nor-mative penal provision made byPope Francis on bishops who failto discipline erring priests withintheir territorial jurisdiction.

“In the past, it was the stan-dard practice that priests whoerr by commission against con-tinence and/or celibacy are pe-

nalized. And rightly so. Butnow, the Pope himself made asignal categorical option that isduly translated into an officialpenal provision, specifically inconjunction with bishops,” said

Catholic Climate Petition campaign launched INSPIRED by the encyclical “LaudatoSi’,” the Catholic Church in the Philip-pines, led by Manila Archbishop Luís

Antonio G. Cardinal agle, spearheadedthe Catholic Climate Petition campaignrecently, and called on all Filipinos totake action now for the sake of whatPope Francis describes as “our common

home.”

75 parishes and counting“A first round of 75 parishes have

already received the campaign materi-als and will start collecting signaturesin Sunday masses,” said Lou Arsenio,coordinator of the Archdiocese of Ma-nila (RCAM)’s Ministry on Ecology, as

well as of the Global Catholic Climate

Movement (GCCM) in the Philippines,

in a press release, noting that the launch was just the first step towards a massivemobilization of the Philippine Churchbacked by her leaders.

Te first petition events are currentlyongoing, and are addressed to diocesanleaders from the regions of Luzon, Visayas,and Mindanao.

the prelate in his recent column. According to the former Cath-

olic Bishops’ Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) president,

while bishops remain subject topenal sanctions when they them-selves engage in immoral acts,Pope Francis raises their personalaccountability for priests undertheir jurisdiction by makingthem subject to sanctions whenthey fail to “do what is right”

with regard to clergy membersin need of disciplinary or puni-tive actions.

“So it is that now, bishopsincur the pertinent ecclesiasti-

Tagle to Pinoys: ‘Pass on faith to the young’

MANILA Archbishop Luis An-tonio Cardinal agle has under-scored anew the need for the older

generation to hand down the faithto today’s youth if the Filipino

faithful are to avoid the problemsthe Church in much of the West-ern world faces with its reportedly

rising number of lax Catholics.

CBCP urges climatechange action

Tagle / A6

Penalty / A6

Vatican City - May 27, 2015. Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square for the Wednesday General Audience on May 27, 2015. Pope Francis spoke about the importance of engagementas a preparation for marriage. CNA

Campaign / A6

Church issues ‘oratio imperata’

for ‘territory tensions’HE Catholic Bishops’ Confer-ence of the Philippines on Mon-day issued an obligatory prayerin a bid to ease political tensionin the West Philippine Sea.

While the Philippines has itsown plan to resolve the territorialdispute with China, re-electedCBCP president ArchbishopSocrates Villegas said the faithfulmust must offer prayers to soothe

increasingly strained relationsbetween the countries.

“We do not have the means tonegotiate with superpowers, wecannot represent the Philippines inthe international court, but we cancertainly represent the Philippinesbefore God and ask God, who isthe sure source of peace, to takecare of the Philippines,” he said.

Oratio Imperata / A6

Reelected CBCP President Archbishop Socrates Villegas is flanked by Bishops Patricio Buzon of Kabankalanand Glibert Garcera during the National Convention on Family and Life in Cebu City on July 17. Organized bythe CBCP’s Commission on Family and Life, among the the event’s outputs included the setting of regionalconventions and the forming of national partnerships and local secretariats. SAMMY NAVAJA

YEAR OF CONSECRATED LIFE. Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo, OFM, secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, poseswith the participants of a dialogue with religious juniors and seminarians held at the UST in Manila on July 16. Prior to the UST event, the Vatican official also met with hundredsof men and women religious at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu City. ROY LAGARDE

By Nirva Delacruz

IT is time the coun-try started translatingwords on combatingclimate change into ac-tion, the Catholic Bish-ops’ Conference of thePhilippines said.

CBCP president ArchbishopSocrates Villegas, in a statementon Monday, said this includeactions by everyone: citizens,governments, and internationalorganizations.

“Advocacy of Church commu-nities in behalf of the commongood should influence policymakers and translate itself intocommunity action as well,” Vil-legas said.

“Climate change has broughtabout suffering for nations,communities and peoples,” hesaid. “When they who are inneed cry out, it is not an optionto respond. It is an obligation.”

Te CBCP called for actionahead of a Paris summit in De-cember.

Echoing Pope Francis’ en-Climate / A7

I l l u s t r a t i o n b y B r o t h e r s M a t i a s


2/20

A2 CBCP Monitor July 20 - August 2, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 15WORLD NEWS

Vatican Briefing After deadly Chattanooga shooting, bishop

rallies ‘shaken’ community to prayer CHAANOOGA, enn.,

July 17, 2015—Bishop RichardStika of Knoxville is calling thefaith community to prayer afterTursday’s fatal shooting at amilitary recruiting center in

Chattanooga, on the southernend of his diocese.“We ask for your prayers for

the souls of those who lost theirlives, the recovery of the policeofficer wounded in these shoot-ings, and for all of their families,”Bishop Stika said in a statement.

Muhammed Youssef Abdu-lazeez, age 24, is suspected ofattacking two military facilitiesin Chattanooga on hursdaymorning, killing four U.S. Ma-rines and wounding a policeofficer and two others.

According to authorities, Ab-dulazeez fired into the first facil-ity, a military recruiting center,from his car before driving a fewmiles to the second site, a NavyOperational Support Center andMarine Corps Reserve Center.He exited his car and killed thefour Marines there, reports said,and was later killed in a shootout

with police.Te tragedy has stunned not

only the local community butalso the diocesan seat in Knox-ville, more than 100 miles away.

“It’s been foremost in thebishop’s mind,” the diocese’scommunications director Jim

Wogan told CNA. “It’s saddened

College students and others gather in prayer across the street where a gunman attacked a recruiting office in Chattanooga, Tennesseeon July 17, 2015. GETTY IMAGES

him, it’s disturbed him.”“Clearly it’s shaken the com-

munity, it’s shaken the diocese.”Te rector of the city’s Basilica

of Sts. Peter and Paul, Fr. DavidCarter, held a prayer serviceTursday night and the bishop

will trave l down to say Massthere for the deceased Marineson Sunday at 9 a.m., Woganconfirmed. He will address thetragedy there.

In addition, the bishop is ex-pected to release a video messagecalling for prayers for all involvedin the tragedy.

Te tragedy hits close to homefor Bishop Stika, who noted inhis statement that he has twobrothers that have served in theU.S. Marine Corps. “I recognizeand appreciate the selfless serviceall members of the military giveto protect us,” he said.

Chattanooga holds a specialplace in the history of the dio-cese, Wogan explained. Tere isa “deep tradition of Catholicismin that area,” he said. In fact, thehistory of the basilica there goesback to the 1850s when it wasfounded as a parish.

Other bishops and dioceses wei ghe d in to exp res s theircondolences and support forChattanooga. (CNA)

Hyderabad bishop meets Muslim ‘brothers and

sisters’ for the end of RamadanPAKISAN, July 18, 2015—On the oc-casion of the end of Ramadan, the Islamicholy month of fasting and prayer, thebishop of Hyderabad opened the doorsof his own home “to our Muslim broth-ers and sisters” for a moment of sharedcelebration.

Msgr. Shukardin Samson, who was re-cently appointed to the diocese of Sindhprovince in southern Pakistan, wanted topromote a moment of encounter and dia-logue for the Eid al Fitr in a nation oftentorn by sectarian violence.

Te meeting was held last uesday, 14 July, the 27th day of Ramadan, known inMuslim tradition as the “Night of Destiny”in which God revealed the first verses of theQur‘an to the Prophet Muhammad.

Te new bishop worked hard to organisethe meeting, which saw the participationof government officials, religious leaders,friends and prominent dignitaries fromboth faith communities.

Te daily fast ended in a joint prayer,followed by a convivial moment. Welcom-ing those present, Mgr Shukardin read themessage issued by Card Jean Louis auran,president of the Pontifical Council forInterreligious Dialogue, on the occasionof Ramadan.

itled ‘Christiansand Muslims: o-gether to counterviolence perpetrat-ed in the name ofreligion,’ the Eng-lish language mes-sage was read first,

wi th a su mm ar ygiven in Urdu, sothat everyone couldunderstand it.

hose presentgave the message around of applauseto show their ap-preciation for thecardinal’s remarks, and discussed its mainpoints.

Participants agreed that they sharedthe same objectives, such as a desire toboost ties between Muslims and Chris-tians and an unequivocal condemnationof violence in the world committed inthe name of religion, because “terroristshave no faith”.

o prevent abuse, everyone agreed thathumans need unity, tolerance and the ca-pacity to accept others.

Muslim dignitaries and political lead-

ers in attendance welcomed Pope Francis’ wishes to the Islamic world for the feast ofEid al Fitr.

Tey stressed that this was “the first inter-religious meeting” in Hyderabad on theoccasion of Ramadan. From here on, theyadded, everyone must work to “strengthenfuture cooperation.”

For Bishop Shukardin, this is “a ray ofhope,” one that foreshadows future relation-ships in which “love and harmony” may bebuilt between representatives of differentfaiths and peace be promoted among andbetween communities. (AsiaNews)

After Joseph Vaz, the Goa Church wants another Sri Lankan saint

GOA, July 17, 2015—heCatholic Church in Goa (In-dia) is considering the pos-sibility of starting the causeof canonization for Fr JacomeGonsalves, who was a fellowmissionary with Saint JosephVaz in Sri Lanka in the 18thcentury.

Declared a saint on 14 Janu-ary by Pope Francis duringhis trip to the island nationformerly known as Ceylon, theIndian-born Vaz is considereda model of evangelization for

all of Asia.Fr Eremita Rebello, former

vice-postulator for the cause ofcanonization of Joseph Vaz, isstudying Fr Gonsalves’ life tosee whether he too might bedestined for sainthood.

Born on 8 June 1676 inDivar, Gonsalves joined theCongregation of the Ora-tory of Saint Philip Neri (theOratorians) as a novice on 2November 1700 in Cruz dosMilagres (Old Goa).

Described as figure with

many aspects to his personality,the priest was also a linguist, apoet and a writer.

After arriving in Ceylon, Vazasked him to write Christiantexts so that he could bringthe Word of God to the island.

His large output includes,among other things, 42 works

written in amil and Sinhalese,a first for the country, as wellas a catechism of the CatholicChurch.

Nicknamed the “father ofSinhalese Christian literature,”

he died at Bolawatte on 17 July 1742.

In his book on Gonsalves,the famous Church historianSG Perera said that both he andVaz stand out in the history ofthe Catholic faith in Sri Lanka.

“Father Vaz did the plan-ning, Father Gonsalves wateredthe vineyard of Ceylon, andGod made it grow. Te modernChurch of Ceylon owes its exis-tence, numbers, traditions andliterature to these two priests.”(AsiaNews)

Jordan bank of river where Jesus baptized declared UNESCO heritage site

JERUSALEM, July 15, 20015—UNESCOdeclared Bethany Beyond the Jordan, onthe eastern side of the Jordan River, as a

World Heritage site and the location of Jesus’ baptism.

“he decision is logical. he Easternside is where all the Byzantine antiqui tiesand churches are located,” said Francis-can Father Eugenio Alliata, professorof Christian archaeology at Jerusalem’sStudium Biblicum Franciscanum. He saidpilgrimages to the Western side beganonly about 600 years ago. “But for us itis the Jordan River, the middle, which isthe most holy place.”

For years, Israel and Jordan have been atodds as to which side of the Jordan Riveris the actual site of Jesus’ baptism, as both

sides vie for the title to increase tourism.Israel upgraded its shoreline with chang-

ing rooms and a wooden deck access to themurky waters.

But three popes have visited Jordan’seastern shore as a sign of the CatholicChurch’s official recognition of the siteknown as Bethany Beyond the Jordan.he Gospel of John (1:28 and 10:40) re-cords this place as where John the Baptistcarried out his baptisms, including thatof Jesus.

Pope John Paul II made the first visitto the site on his millennial pilgrimage tothe Holy Land in 2000, followed by PopeBenedict XVI in 2009 and Pope Francislast year.

Te remains of more than 20 Christiansites over six centuries and dating to Romanand Byzantine periods have been discovered

near the site. Tey include several churches,a prayer hall, baptismal pools and a sophis-

ticated water reticulation system. At least 12 new churches are under con-

struction in the area, with the CatholicChurch expected to become the largestchurch complex in the Middle East, at nearly323,000 square feet.

Father Alliata said ancient iconogra-phy shows Jesus in the middle of theriver rather than on any of the twoshores, and there are accounts by an-cient pilgrims of marble columns in themiddle of the river marking the site of

Jesu s’ b apt ism.“History has different ways of being

remembered,” he said. “If there was anagreement between Israel and Jordan (onthe issue) they could combine the place Eastand West. Both have importance, the East

in ancient times and the West in moderntimes.” (CNS)

To fight human trafficking – one of Pope Francis’ core commitments An upcoming conference being held at the Vatican examining thelink between climate change and human trafficking is a reflectionof the importance that ending modern slavery holds for PopeFrancis, according to one of its organizers. Presenting the meet-ing on “Modern Slavery and Climate Change: Te Commitmentof the Cities,” Archbishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellorof the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences, showed a copy of

the handwritten letter Pope Francis had sent him suggesting thathis office focus its efforts on the issue of human trafficking. PopeFrancis has been committed to combating human trafficking eversince he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, when he established anannual Mass for the victims of human trafficking. (CNA)

Vatican applauds Iran nuclear deal, calls for commitment to make it‘bear fruit’

After global powers reached an agreement with Iran July 14limiting the country’s nuclear activity, the Vatican said the deal

was an important step and expressed their hope the fruits wouldspread to more than just the nuclear field. “Te agreement on theIranian nuclear program is viewed in a positive light by the HolySee,” Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ said in a July14 statement, shortly after the announcement of the deal. “Itconstitutes an important outcome of the negotiations carried outso far, although continued efforts and commitment on the partof all involved will be necessary in order for it to bear fruit.” Hesaid the Holy See hopes these fruits will not be limited to just thenuclear sphere, “but may indeed extend further.” (CNA)

Vatican official says ‘it’s time to act’ on protecting the environmentCardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, has ex-pressed his hope that Pope Francis’ recent environmental encycli-cal will have a s trong impact on the United Nations’ three majorgatherings this year, and will inspire global powers not only to talk,but to act. Te cardinal spoke to CNA July 2, saying he hopes theeffect of the encyclical on the U.N. meetings “will be especiallyconcrete in climate change impact.” “We have discussed a lot aboutthe problem of climate change; now it is time to act. I think thisis exactly what the Pope is requesting from us, to act and to startto change our lifestyle to preserve our common house which isthe earth.” Te cardinal answered reporters’ questions before ad-dressing a Vatican conference titled: “People and Planet First: theImperative to Change Course.” (CNA)

Human dignity must be center of political debate – Pope on Greekdebt crisisPope Francis on July 1 called for prayer for the people of Greece,shortly after the nation defaulted on a significant loan payment onits more than $300 billion debt. “Te news from Greece regardingthe economic and social situation of the country is worrying,” Fr.Federico Lombardi, Holy See press officer, said in a July 1 state-ment. “Pope Francis invites all the faithful to unite in prayer forthe good of the beloved Greek people.” Greece faces a debate overthe role of austerity measures, such as pension cuts and tax hikes,as it negotiates new financial bailouts with its creditors. Te coun-try’s unemployment rate is above 25 percent, and individuals areunable to remove more than $70 a day from AMs. Te Vatican’sstatement adds that “the dignity of the human person must remainat the centre of any political and technical debate, as well as in thetaking of responsible decisions.” (CNA)

Pope calls ‘communist crucifix’ protest art, but says he wasn’t offendedResponding to waves of controversy after receiving a “communistcrucifix”—a carving of Christ crucified on a hammer and sickle—from Bolivian president Evo Morales, Pope Francis said he took nooffense, but understands the work as “protest art.” “I would qualifyit as protest art, which in some cases can be offensive,” the Popesaid during an inflight news conference on his July 12 overnight

flight from Paraguay to Rome. But given the context of this pieceof art, he added that he understands the idea behind the crucifix,and “for me it wasn’t an offense.” (CNA)

Pope declares Ukrainian church leader ‘venerable’Pope Francis has signed a decree declaring “venerable” Metropolitan

Andrey Sheptytsky, who led the Ukrainian Catholic Church in thetumultuous period of both world wars and at the beginning of Sovietoccupation. Te pope July 16 signed the decree recognizing thatMetropolitan Sheptytsky heroically lived a life of Christian virtue.Te recognition is an initial step in the sainthood process; the Vatican

would have to recognize a miracle attributed to his intercession inorder for a beatification ceremony to be scheduled. MetropolitanSheptytsky led the Ukrainian Catholic Church from 1901 until hisdeath in 1944. During his leadership Ukraine and its people wereruled by seven different regimes: Austrian, Russian, Ukrainian, Pol-ish, Soviet, Nazi, and finally, the Soviets again. (CNS)

Pope: Mining industry needs radical change to protect people, nature

Te mining industry, especially in the world’s poorest countries, mustmake a “radical change” to respect the rights of local communitiesand protect the environment, Pope Francis said. Te companies,the governments that are supposed to regulate them, investors andconsumers who use the myriad products relying on mined material“are called to adopt behavior inspired by the fact that we are all partof one human family,” the pope said. Te Pontifical Council for

Justice and Peace, which had sponsored a reflection day in 2013 fortwo dozen mining company executives and was preparing anothersession with them in September, was holding a meeting July 17-19

with small organizations working at the grass roots to oppose miningoperations in their countries. (CNS)

Vatican welcomes Iran’s historic nuclear dealTe Holy See welcomed Iran’s historic nuclear deal and expressedhopes that more future breakthroughs be on the horizon on otherissues. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, saidthat “the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program is viewed ina positive light by the Holy See.” “It constitutes an importantoutcome of the negotiations carried out so far, although continued

efforts and commitment on the part of all involved will be neces-sary in order for it to bear fruit,” he said in a written statement inresponse to reporters’ questions July 14. “It is hoped that thosefruits will not be limited to the field of nuclear program, but mayindeed extend further,” he said, without specifying what other areasof progress the Vatican hoped to see. (CNS)

Educate young to care for others, for the earth, pope tells teachersEducation is a right and a privilege that should impart not onlyknowledge and skills, but also a sense of responsibility for othersand for the earth, Pope Francis told representatives of Ecuadoreanschools and universities. “God gives us not only life, he gives usthe earth, he gives us all of creation,” the pope told an estimated5,000 educators and students gathered for an outdoor meeting atthe Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador. God created manand woman for each other and gave them huge potential, the popesaid July 7, but he also gave them—and gives each person—a mis-sion to be part of his creative work. “I am giving you seeds, soil,

water and sun,” the pope said God tells human beings. God gavepeople hands and gave them one another; he gave everything as a

gift, the pope said. (CNS)


3/20

A3CBCP Monitor July 20 - August 2, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 15 NEWS FEATURES

To fight human trafficking – one of PopeFrancis’ core commitmentsVAICAN, July 16, 2015—An upcom-ing conference being held at the Vaticanexamining the link between climate

change and human trafficking is a re-flection of the importance that endingmodern slavery holds for Pope Francis,according to one of its organizers.

Presenting the meeting on “ModernSlavery and Climate Change: Te Com-mitment of the Cities,” ArchbishopMarcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellorof the Pontifical Academy for SocialSciences, showed a copy of the hand-

written letter Pope Francis had sent himsuggesting that his office focus its effortson the issue of human trafficking.

Pope Francis has been committed tocombating human trafficking ever sincehe was Archbishop of Buenos Aires,

when he established an annual Mass forthe victims of human trafficking.

In a Sept. 23, 2011 homily, he stressed

that “Jesus has not come to propose atheory of freedom,” but rather “stands with our brothers and sisters who liveunder slavery.”

“We have been taught that slavery hasbeen abolished, but you know what? Itis not true, because in the city of Buenos

Aires slavery is not abolished. In this cityslavery is present in different forms,”the then-Cardinal Bergoglio said. Andhe gave as examples exploited workers,and the women and children forcedinto prostitution, and thus deprived oftheir dignity.

All these topics have been among thecore issues of his pontificate.

Te first time it was raised was dur-ing the speech Pope Francis gave Dec.12, 2013 to a group of ambassadors

newly accredited to the Holy See. TePope underscored that it is a disgracethat persons “are treated as objects,deceived, assaulted, often sold manytimes for different purposes and, in theend, killed or, in any case, physically and

Pope Francis departing from the Apostolic Nunciature in Sarajevo, Bosnia on June 6, 2015.CNA

mentally harmed, ending up discardedand abandoned,” adding that the issue

worries him very much.Ten on March 5, 2014 he sent a

message to the faithful in Brazil on theoccasion of the Annual Lenten “Fra-ternity Campaign,” whose theme was“Brotherhood and human trafficking.”

“It is not possible to remain indiffer-ent before the knowledge that humanbeings are bought and sold like goods,”

Pope Francis wrote. “I think of theadoption of children for the extractionof their organs, of women deceivedand forced to prostitute themselves,of workers exploited and denied theirrights or a voice, and so on. Tis is hu-

man trafficking!”he anti-human trafficking effort

took an ecumenical angel when PopeFrancis signed an agreement March 18,2014 with Anglican Archbishop Justin

Welby, by which the Church and the Anglican Communion will supportan anti-slavery, anti-human traffickinginitiative, the Global Freedom Network.Te agreement was also underwritten bya Sunni scholar on behalf of the grand

imam of al-Azhar University in Cairo.Te Pontifical Academy for SocialSciences took the floor Nov. 2-3, 2014,organizing a workshop on ‘raffickingin Human Beings: Modern Slavery.’Upon the close of the seminar, confer-

ence organizers issued a “joint statementbased on the suggestions presented bythe participants,” which included pro-posals for media, religious institutions,civil organizations, and the business sec-tor to work together in order to combathuman trafficking.

One month later, Dec. 2, 2014,Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Jewish,Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist leaderssigned a Joint Declaration of Religious

Leaders Against Modern Slavery asa public statement of their commit-ment to work together in spiritual andpractical action to eradicate this crimeagainst humanity and restore dignityand freedom to its victims.

In the mean time, the Pope had cho-sen the theme of the 2015 World Dayof Peace, “No longer slaves, but brothers

and sisters,” thus making human traf-ficking one of the core issues of Vaticandiplomacy during the year.

Te Pontifical Academy for Social Sci-ences organized Apr. 27, 2015 a confer-ence on “rafficking with a special focuson children,” together with the Swedishembassy to the Holy See.

Te upcoming conference with themayors of some 70 prominent cities

worldwide is intended to combine envi-ronmental issues with human traffickingissues, through Pope Francis’ approach.

In the encyclical Laudato Si’, PopeFrancis had in fact backed this com-bination between ecology and humantrafficking issues.

In paragraph 91 of the encyclical,Pope Francis wrote that “a sense of deep

communion with the rest of nature can-not be real if our hearts lack tenderness,compassion and concern for our fellowhuman beings. It is clearly inconsistentto combat trafficking in endangeredspecies while remaining completelyindifferent to human trafficking, un-concerned about the poor, or undertak-ing to destroy another human beingdeemed unwanted. Tis compromisesthe very meaning of our struggle for thesake of the environment.”

Tis way, Pope Francis has broughthis care for the victims of human traf-ficking to a higher lever. From care forvictims, to diplomatic effort, up to atheological approach based on the no-tion of ‘human ecology’.

Tese are the steps Pope Francis has

undertaken in combating human traf-ficking, on the basis of his past experi-ences as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.(Andrea Gagliarducci/CNA/EWTNNews)

Pope: Mining industry needs radical change to protect people, nature

VAICAN, July 17, 2015—he mining industry, espe-cially in the world’s poor-est countries, must make a“radical change” to respect therights of local communitiesand protect the environment,Pope Francis said.

he companies, the gov-

ernments that are supposedto regulate them, investorsand consumers who use themyriad products relying onmined material “are called toadopt behavior inspired bythe fact that we are all partof one human family,” thepope said.

Te Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which hadsponsored a reflection day in2013 for two dozen miningcompany executives and waspreparing another session withthem in September, was hold-ing a meeting July 17-19 with

small organizations workingat the grass roots to opposemining operations in theircountries.

Cardinal Peter urkson,president of the council, saidhis office could not ignore

what Pope Francis, in his en-cyclical on the environment,

called “both the cry of theearth and the cry of the poor.”

Italian Comboni FatherDario Bossi, a missionaryin northern Brazil and partof an ecumenical coalitionrepresenting the rights ofcommunities impacted bymining, told reporters July17, “Communities in differ-ent parts of the world facesituations of violence andintimidation, illegality andcorruption, pollution andviolations of human rightsbecause of activities tied tomining.”

When local people protest,he said, the response of thegovernment often is to arrestthem, rather than investigatetheir complaints.

Te mining companies that“affirm they want dialogue

with the local communit ies”often are not interested in

making any concessions orchanges in their operationalplans, he said; they just wantapproval for projects that willbring the local community“few long-term benefits.”

Speaking at a Vatican newsconference, other representa-tives from groups in India,Chile and Brazil said miningcompanies—with the approvalof local governments—regu-larly invade and denude thetraditional lands of indigenouspeoples and poor farmers,expropriate water used forirrigation and drinking and

leave polluted land and waterbehind.

Pope Francis, in his let-ter, praised the groups for“echoing the cry of numerouspersons, families and com-munities that suffer directlyor indirectly because of thetoo frequent negative effects

of mining.”Te groups, he said, “cry for

land lost,” for the extractionof riches that benefit only themining companies, for harmto locals’ health and for work-ing conditions that treat localemployees little better thanslaves.

Teirs, he said, “is a cry ofsadness and impotence forthe pollution of water, air andsoil” and a plea to be consulted

when making the terms fornew mining projects. (CindyWooden/Catholic News Ser-vice)

Lessons from South America: How to greet and understand Pope Francis VAICAN, July 16, 2015—People makespecial preparations for welcoming a specialguest, and watching what worked and didnot work in Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguaymay help people preparing for Pope Francis’visit to the United States in September.

Some of the plans, however, will requirecommon-sense adjustments, especiallybecause the U.S. Secret Service is likely tofrown on certain behavior, like tossing thingsto the pope—a phenomenon that occursmuch more often with Pope Francis than

with any previous pope. At the Vatican, theitems tend to be soccer jerseys and scarves; inEcuador, it was flower petals—lots of them.

Watching the pope July 5-12 in South America it is clear:

• Pope Francis loves a crowd. He walks intoevents with little expression on his face, thenlights up when he starts greeting, blessing,kissing and hugging people. Persons withdisabilities, the sick and squirming babiescome first.

• Te pope does not mind being embraced,but he does not like people running at him.

As a nun in Our Lady of Peace Cathedralin La Paz rushed toward Pope Francis July8, the pope backed up and used both handsto gesture her to calm down and step back.In the end, she did get a blessing from him,though.

• At Mass, Pope Francis tends to be lessanimated. His focus and the focus he wantsfrom the congregation is on Jesus presentin the Eucharist. At large public Masses onpapal trips, he sticks to the text of his pre-

pared homilies, although he may look upand repeat phrases for emphasis.

• A meeting with priests, religious andseminarians is a fixture on papal trips withinItaly and abroad; in Cuba and the UnitedStates, the meetings with take place dur-ing vespers services, Sept. 20 in Havanaand Sept. 24 in New York. At vespers, likeat Mass, Pope Francis tends to follow hisprepared text. However, when the gath-ering takes place outside the context offormal liturgical prayer, he never followsthe prepared text, even if he may hit themain points of the prepared text as he didin Bolivia July 9.

• Pope Francis has said he needs a 40-min-ute rest after lunch and his official schedulealways includes at least an hour of downtime. However, like his “free” afternoons at

the Vatican, the pope often fills the breaks with private meetings with friends, acquain-tances or Jesuits. In fact, his trips abroadhave always included private get-togethers

with his Jesuit confreres, although in South America one of the meetings—in Guayaquil,Ecuador—was a luncheon formally includedin the itinerary. But he also spent unsched-uled time with Jesuits at Quito’s Catholicuniversity the next day. In Paraguay, he madean unscheduled visit to 30 of his confreres in

Asuncion and then went next door to theirCristo Rey School to meet with more than300 students from Jesuit schools.

• In South America, Pope Francis specifi-cally asked that his meetings with the bishopsbe private, informal conversations — similarto the way he handles the regular “ad limina”visits of bishops to the Vatican to report on

the state of their dioceses. For the “ad limina”visits, he hands them the text of a rather

general look at their country and Catholiccommunity, then begins a discussion. But

when he makes a formal speech to a groupof bishops, his words can seem critical. But,in fact, the tone tends to be one of addressinghis “fellow bishops” and his words are moreof a collective examination of consciencethan a scolding.

• Pope Francis’ speeches in general— whether to presidents, civic and businessleaders, young people or even, for example,the prisoners in Bolivia—acknowledge whatis going well and being done right, then seeksto build on that. It’s a combination of a paton the back and a nudge forward. WhileBolivia’s Palmasola prison is notorious forits difficult conditions and while the pope

pleaded for judicial reform in the country,he also told the prisoners: “Te way you livetogether depends to some extent on your-selves. Suffering and deprivation can makeus selfish of heart and lead to confrontation.”

• Since the days of the globetrottingSt. John Paul II, the nunciature stakeout hasbeen a staple of papal trips. In fact, anywherea pope sleeps, people will gather—shoutingand singing—in the hopes that the pope willmake a special appearance. St. John Paul,retired Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francishave all obliged on occasion. Although inQuito, Ecuador, it seems that Pope Francis

was inspired at least partially by the com-plaints of neighbors about the noise. Tethree nights Pope Francis stayed there, hecame out to say good night. Increasingly histone was that of a dad who had already told

his children five times to go to bed. (CindyWooden/Catholic News Service)

Bishop to lectors: ‘Listen to God’s

Word, be holy’

GUIGUINO, Bulacan, July19, 2015—Installing three semi-narians to the ministry of aco-lytes and nine seminarians to theministry of lectors on July 15,Malolos Bishop Jose F. Oliveros,DD, gave them words of wisdomon how to serve well: listen to the

Word of God.“Listen to the Word of God

that you may be holy,” the prel-ate told the seminarians installedduring a Holy Mass held at theImmaculate Conception MajorSeminary (ICMAS) GraduateSchool of heology Chapel,abe, Guiguinto, Bulacan.

Te prelate explained that aco-lytes should listen to the word ofGod in a deeper manner, saying,“Listening to the word of Godmust lead you into service.”

Prepare wellhe prelate also shared his

personal way of listening to the Word of God which he practicedsince he was a seminarian. Hesaid a seminarian, a lector in par-ticular, should read and reflectupon the texts for the Holy Massthe night before the celebration.He told the lectors to be wellprepared before performing theirduty in the celebration of theHoly Mass. Never should they

read at Mass without any prac-tice, Oliveros reminded them.

Oliveros said in the vernacular,“Te Lord has called twelve apos-tles… And now, here are twelveyoung men before us, who will beinstalled as lectors and acolytes,at the service of the Word and[of] the Holy Eucharist. It is ourprayer that they may faithfullylisten and follow the Lord.”

Oliveros presided over theEucharistic celebration together

wit h the ICM AS for mat ionteam, ICMAS professors, andother guest priests.

Preparation for the priesthoodTe celebration was attended

by the ICMAS community, andthe families, relatives and friendsof those who were installed.

Serving in the ministry ofacolytes and lectors is part ofseminary formation.

Te ministries are entrustedto seminarians in preparationfor their priestly ordination.Te acolytes are responsible forhelping the priests celebrate thesacraments, especially the HolyEucharist as well as in distribut-ing communion to the congrega-tion and to the sick.

Te lectors, on the other hand,have the responsibility of pro-claiming the Word of God inthe celebration of the sacra-

ments and prayers. (Arvin Ray Jimenez/CBCPNews)

Malolos Bishop Jose F. Oliveros, DD, installs three seminarians to the ministry of acolytesand nine seminarians to the ministry of lectors on July 15 during a Holy Mass held at the

Immaculate Conception Major Seminary (ICMAS) Graduate School of Theology Chapel,Tabe, Guiguinto, Bulacan. ARCJ


4/20

A4 CBCP Monitor July 20 - August 2, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 15

EDITORIAL

HE Church’s mission today includes directing young people towardthe Eucharist for sustenance in the faces of their many uncertaintiesand questions. For it is in the Eucharistic gathering that the Churchan best engage the youth in a dialogue in which she proclaims tothem the Gospel of Christ from which they get the unique and sat-isfying response to their most deep-seated aspirations. From theirEucharistic encounter Christ in Word and Sacrament are offeredenlightenment and guidance in their quest for meaning and purposein life. In the Eucharist, Jesus looks upon the youth with that speciallove that he showed upon the young man in the Gospel and invitesthem to follow him (Cf. Mk 10:21) in his loving relationship withthe Father and in his saving mission to humanity and to the world.

By engaging them in active participation in the Eucharist—in

attentive listening, in generous and appropriate bodily expressions,in the observance of silence at the appropriate moments, or in under-taking specific ministries in the celebration—the youth can best beformed both for their future and present roles in the Church and insociety . In the Eucharistic dialogue, the Church has to so much totalk about with the youth and the youth, with their so much energiesand enthusiasm, have so much to share with the Church. Aroundthe table both of God’s Word and of Christ’s Body, the Churchoffers instruction and nourishment by which young people can beprepared to be the “good soil” where the seed of God’s Word canspring up, take root, grow, and bear abundant fruit. Te Eucharistis the perfect school for the young where they can lean the valuesof presence that builds relationship and communities, of a sense ofgratitude and responsibility for God’s creation and of service andsacrifice that gives life, healing, and wholeness to others.

Considering the young people’s attraction to various means ofsocial communication and their adeptness in their use of the same,the Church will do well to present the Eucharist to them as the high-est embodiment and ideal of communication where friendships are

established and nurture, where hopes, dreams, joys, and anxietiesare shared, and where noble causes and advocacies are worked outtogether. In the school of the Eucharist, young people will learn thatcommunication is more than the exchange of ideas and of emotionbut, at its most profound level, the fiving of self in love.

Te Church should never get tired of telling the young that Christinstituted the Eucharist as “the most perfect and intimate form ofcommunication between God and man” which leads to “the deepestpossible unity among men and women.” (Cf. Pastoral InstructionCommunio et progressio on the means of social communication).Te Eucharist is where the deepest and transforming communica-tion takes place—in response to the prayer of invocation, the Fatherthrough his Son sends the Holy Spirit so that the bread and the wine,as also the assembly, will become the Body of Christ.

- From the Teological and Pastoral Reflections in preparation for the51st International Eucharistic Congress

“WHA is happening to our common home?” Tis is an apparentlysimple question. Te answer however is not only profound but alsoquite intricate as well as disturbing. With the help of renowned scien-tists, respected environmentalists plus a number of orthodox schoolsof ecology, Pope Francis wrote an encyclical—a formal and officialletter addressed to the world as a whole, irrespective of race, color andcreed—entitled “Praised be to You, my Lord” (24 May 2015). Whilesincere and profound gratitude to the Good Lord is expressed for His gift

of earth as a whole to the whole of humanity as the latter’s “CommonHome”, much lamentation, too, is in order and thereby clearly expressed.Reason: Te people are gradually and continuously destroying nothingless than their one and only “Common Home” while forgetting that indoing so, they are likewise doing nothing less than pitifully destroyingtheir own selves.

So it is that instead of a home where a family finds its shelter andsafety, its food and rest, the human community precisely suffers from

want, disease, death well-included, precisely in their own “CommonHome” called “Earth”. Te air they breathe is poisonous. Te waterthey drink from it is unsafe. Te food they produce and eat is not onlylittle in quantity but also questionable in quality. So it is that their“Common Home” has instead become a common danger not only tothem but to their posterity as well. It is easy to deny this truth. Butthen, such is but a deadly falsehood.

Man has become his own enemy, his own killer even by the seriousand continuous pollution he causes, by his throwaway culture, by hisdestruction of biodiversity, by the challenge to ecology and climate heslowly but certainly causes. Hence: “Te destruction of the human en-

vironment is extremely serious, not only because God has entrusted the world to us men and women, but because human life itself is a gift whichmust be defended from various forms of debasement.” (Op. cit., n.5)

When the exploitation of nature by man himself is ill-done, then noless than humanity itself risks in actually destroying it—and therebylikewise takes the risk in becoming the subject-object of the destruc-tion. Tis is not really unlike someone making poison, surroundinghimself with poison and eventually poisoning himself. Needless to say,such actuation is against reason and ethics as well as contrary to faithand morals. In other words, the destruction of one’s “Common Home”ultimately means his own self-destruction in due time.

It is not only right and proper but also necessary and wherefore manda-tory to know and remember that the now frequently heard term “Ecology”refers to that branch of biology that deals with the relation of living beings/things to both their environment and to each other. So it is that the goodof one is the blessing of the other and what is bad for one is bad for theother. Would that humanity take good care of the environment so thatthis, in turn, would take good care of humanity. “GOD… Enlighten those

who possess power and money that they may avoid the sin of indifferencethat they may love the common good, advance the cause of the weak andcare for this world we live in.” (Idem, n.246)

The Eucharist in the Church’s

dialogue with the youth

Our common home

OPINION

Beware of ouringratitude

MonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE CBCP

Pedro C. QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Nirva’ana E. DelacruzAssociate Editor

Roy Q. LagardeNews Editor

Kris BayosFeatures Editor

The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the Areopagus SocialMedia for Asia, Inc. with editorial and business offices at GroundFlr. , Holy Face of Jesus Center & Convent, 1111 F. R. HidalgoStreet, Quiapo, Manila. Editorial: (632) 404- 2182. Business: (632)

404-1612.; ISSN 1908-2940

Ronalyn R. ReginoDesign Artist

Gloria FernandoMarketing Supervisor

Mercedita JuaniteCirculation Manager

Marcelita DominguezComptroller

I l l u s t r a t i o n b y B l a d i m e r U s i

Candidly Speaking / A6

Oscar Romero,Saint of the Poor

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

And That’s The TruthA bridge to oneness

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

Living Mission

“Year of the Poor” Reections

RECENLY, on May 23, 2015, OscarRomero, the martyred Archbishop of SanSalvador in Central America, was beatified,setting him on the path to sainthood. Ear-lier on February 3, 2015 Pope Francis hadofficially declared Oscar Romero, murderedon March 24, 1980, a martyr of the Catholic

faith. Romero was known, respected, andloved as a defender of the poor during oneof the most difficult periods in El Salvador(1970s and 1980s), during which five priests,numerous catechists, and countless Catholiclaity were assassinated.

“We know that every effort to improvesociety, especially when society is so full ofinjustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses;that God wants; that God demands of us.”Tese were the words with which Romeroended his homily during an evening Mass onMarch 24, 1980; minutes later as he raisedthe chalice after the consecration, he was shotand killed by a hired assassin.

For Romero, “It is inconceivable thatsomeone is called ‘Christian’ and does notgive preference to the poor as Christ did. Itis a scandal when today’s Christians criticize

the Church because she is concerned withthe poor. Tis is not Christianity” (Homily:

September 9, 1979). Romero’s words arealways prophetic, always relevant, always achallenge to live our faith.

Archbishop Oscar Romero was once askedto explain the phrase “option for the poor”

which captures the Church’s commitmentto serving God’s “little people” in our soci-

ety. He replied:“I offer you this by way ofexample. A building is on fire and you’re

watching it burn, standing and wondering ifeveryone is safe. Ten someone tells you thatyour mother and your sister are inside thatbuilding. Your attitude changes completely.

You’re frantic; your mother and your sisterare burning and you’d do anything to rescuethem, even at the cost of getting charred.”

Romero continued: “Tat’s what it meansto be truly committed. If we look at povertyfrom the outside, as if we’re looking at a fire,that’s not to opt for the poor, no matter howconcerned we may be. We should get insideas if our own mother and sister were burn-ing. Indeed, it’s Christ who is there, hungryand suffering.”

Romero also explained the meaning of the“message” that he in the name of the Church

was preaching to the poor: “Te hope wepreach to the poor is in order that dignity be

restored to them, and to give them courageto be themselves, the authors of their destiny.In a word, the Church has not only turnedtoward poor persons, but makes them theprivileged recipients of her mission…. TeChurch has not only embodied herself in the

world of the poor, giving them hope, but she

is firmly committed to their defense.”Pope Francis, as manifested in his Philip-

pine visit, resonates deeply with Romero’svision. Francis bluntly states: “I want aChurch which is poor and for the poor.Tey have much to teach us; … in theirdifficulties they know the suffering Christ.

We need to let ourselve s be evangeli zedby them…. We are called to find Christin them, to lend our voice to their causes,but also to be their friends, to listen tothem, to speak for them, and to embracethe mysterious wisdom which God wishesto share with us through them” (EvangeliiGaudium 198).

What should “remembering ArchbishopRomero” mean for us today? It means tobecome active, to continue his work, to wit-ness to the faith, to promote social justice.

Blessed Oscar Romero is a contemporaryicon of the Church’s option for the poor.

I all started with our first parents. After be-ing created in the divine image and likeness,and endowed with the best of things, theyeventually disobeyed God’s law and strayed.

It’s a sad fact of life that continues to takeplace even up to now. We seem to get eas-ily spoiled by whatever goodness, blessingor privilege is given to us. We need to bemore prepared to cope with this proneness,cultivating the relevant attitude, skills, andvirtues.

Te basic problem we have is that wetend to forget God and fail to thank Himfor whatever good we have and enjoy in life.

As a result, we tend to make our own world,creating a bubble of life that sooner or later

will just burst to nothingness.Let’s remember that all goodness comes

from Him even if it’s also true that thatgoodness could also be a result of our own

efforts. Nothing actually is truly good unlessit somehow comes from God.

Our sense of gratitude is what keeps usalways in touch with our Creator and theindispensable maintainer of our existenceand source of whatever good we enjoy inlife. We should do everything to sharpenthat sense as we go along. It’s what remindsus of the basic relationship we have with hhm

whom we tend to forget or take for granted.Our greatest passion should be to be

thankful to God always. If there’s some pas-sion we have that is greater than this, then

we can be sure that we would be treading ona dangerous path in life.

Let’s always remember what Christ told usabout what God’s greatest commandmentis for us. We should “love God with all our

might and strength.” Tat love has to involveour whole being, not only our spiritual and

intellectual part, but also and all the way toour feelings, emotions, and passions.

And that’s simply because if our strongestpassion is not love for God expressed in partby always being thankful to him, then it

would be something else. And most likely,it would be something that is not proper tous, but rather one that may offer us somehuman good that will eventually separateus from God.

Tis is what is happening these days withall the advantages and privileges affordedus by the new technologies. Tey offer us alot of good, but if not related to God, theycan become a competitor of God. Tey canbecome our god.

And the most subtle of this danger is when it is done in the field of religion it-

self. During the time of Christ, this was a

“COME away by yourselves to adeserted place and rest a while.”

As a worker in the world I findthis invitation (Mark 6:31) by Je-sus one of the most empoweringof His deeds. His miracles areamazing; His teachings, inspir-ing. I am mesmerized by His

wisdom and style in enlightening

people, and His holiness for meis an irresistible magnet. And yetthis “Come away by yourselvesto a deserted place and rest a

while” I see as a concrete bridgeto oneness with Him.

Due to the cerebral nature ofmy work—mostly writing—I’dbe lucky to stop working aftereight hours. As a writer I’m

working as long as I’m awake,

and that could sometimes be upto 20 hours a day, but paradoxi-cally it is in rest that I am most“active”. Puzzles that keep meawake are solved in dreams; prob-lems melt away as dawn breaks.I believe rest in the way of Jesusis key. A day’s work wraps us upin temporal concerns—mainly

activities to help us survive andenjoy life as much as possible—pulling our minds further awayfrom the core of our being.

We need R, E, S, in thefootsteps of Jesus to get our bear-ings. At the end of a demandingday Jesus would Retreat to themountains “to be alone withthe Father”; we can “followHim” to that “secluded place”,

which is not necessarily a literalmountain but one inside of usto lift us up from the level of

worldly concerns . Te virtu-ally rarefied air of this place ofsolitude Energizes us and opensus to the Father’s presence. Wesurrender to this Presence thatSanctifies our efforts to rest in

Him. In the silence we are led tothe ruth. And we come to askourselves vital questions, someof which could be: Why are wehere on earth? Why are we liv-ing? Why are we working ourbacks off to remain alive? Whatcomes after our retirement?

What lies beyond? I am awarethat I am trying to squeeze intoa few typewritten lines a truth

that sages, philosophers, andsaints have pondered throughthe ages—that following Jesusleads to ruth, which in turnsets us free.

In this age of informationtechnology when people wouldrather stay “plugged in” to the

world and its “sounds” than to

the silence of Jesus, it’s tough tolure young people to this won-drous truth. Nonetheless, wecan be inspired by Pope Francis

who marches on with his battlecry for the youth to befriend

Jesus in silence. His message World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro is a recurrent theme inhis talks to audience of all ages:

And That’s the Truth / A6


5/20

A5CBCP Monitor July 20 - August 2, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 15 OPINION

Fr. Wilfredo Samson, SJ

Pitik-Bulag

Rev. Eutiquio ‘Euly’ Belizar, Jr., SThD

By the RoadsideThe 111th CBCP Plenary

Statements on Social Issues Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

Duc In Altum

HE Catholic Bishops’ Confer-ence of the Philippines (CBCP)held its mid-year plenary as-sembly this July. Not only theCatholics, but the whole na-tion, always look forward to

the CBCP statement on socialissues which affect the country,since such statements have beendiscussed, deliberated on, andcarefully prepared by the bishopsbefore the same is issued. Tis

July, the CBCP issued not onlyone but three statements on cur-rent issues.

First, the CBCP Statement onthe Peace Process in Mindanaoand the Bansangmoro Basic Law(BBL). Te Bishops stated thatthey “do not intend to endorseor not to endorse any draft BBLbeing discussed by the Philip-pine Senate and the House ofRepresentatives; but they intendto envision a BBL that is based

on and guided by social moralprinciples.”Te bishops noted that: “(1)

Christianity and Islam are re-ligions of peace; (2) he vastmajority of Muslim, Christian,and Indigenous People (IPs)communities in Mindanao aspirefor peace; and (3) All-out war isnot the answer to the Mindanaosituation.” Te bishops noted thatsince colonial times, the Muslimleaders expressed three majorgrievances: the reduction of theirancestral territory, the erosion oftheir cultural identity, and the lossof self-determination in the de-velopment of their communities.

he bishops further stated

that the basis of the deep fun-damental Bangsamoro aspira-tion to self-determination in anautonomous region is the moralprinciple of social justice. Social

justice implies the other moralprinciples of just peace andinter-religious harmony. “hemoral imperative to lasting peaceis this: Christians, Muslims,Lumads and members of otherfaiths have to begin trusting inone another. Continuing mis-trust is the road to continuingviolence and unrest in Mindan-

ao. rust is a moral pre-requisitefor justice, harmony and peace.”

Te bishops emphasized thatlike everyone else they want justand lasting peace. Tey want aBBL “that is rooted in social jus-

tice and promotes social justice;addresses the injustices sufferedby the Bangsamoro as well as theinjustices suffered by IPs and var-ious religious minorities withinthe proposed Bangsamoro area;concretely achieves the self-de-termination of the Bangsamoroin an identified area that remainspart and parcel of the territorialintegrity and under the nationalsovereignty of the PhilippineRepublic; promotes harmoniousrelationships between peoples ofvarious ethnic groups and of dif-ferent faiths; effectively protectsuniversal human rights, par-ticularly the rights of IPs alreadyenshrined in law, and the rights

of Christian minorities who fearharassment and further margin-alization; responds concretelyto the concerns, hopes and as-pirations of all stakeholders, ofvarious Bangsamoro groups, andof non-Moro citizens within thenew Bangsamoro autonomousregion; the provisions are clearlyConstitutional, without betray-ing the intent and spirit of peaceagreements. he BBL beingenvisioned is the one based onsocial moral principles of social

justice, harmony and peace. Itis a vision that goes beyond theproposals now being discussedin the our legislature.”

***

Second, the CBCP PastoralLetter on Drug rafficking andDrug Addiction. he bishopsmaintained that “drugs feed theevil in a person and present analternate reality that further iso-lates him from life. Tose whomanufacture and peddle drugsdestroy persons and communi-ties, in a much worst way thannatural calamities.”

Te bishops stated that thesituation of Mary Jane Velososhowed “the existence of peoplerunning cartels and syndicates

that recruit the young and preyon the innocent to carry outtheir crimes and elemental hu-man rights to determine. Tetransporters of their prohibitedsubstances are called ‘mules’,

an insult both to the beast whohelps human beings in carry-ing their burdens, and to thehumans who are reduced to abeastly, deadly, and criminaltask.”

Te bishops call on the policeand law-enforcement agencies toprevent the trafficking of drugs;to apprehend those involvedin the trafficking of drugs; todismantle syndicates and cartelsinvolved in the drug trade, andto make sure that the drugsthey seize are not recycled andbrought back into the under-ground market. Te bishops callfor the relentless prosecution ofthose responsible for trafficking

in drugs and for those who trafficpersons to be their drug mules.he community of the faith-ful should stand as one and beunited in fighting this destruc-tive menace and social evil. “Wemust be firm in our resolve toeliminate it in our communitiesso that our young can live to-

wards a healthy, productive, andvibrant future, and our adultsnot be sidetracked in their questfor fullness of life.”

Tird, the Pastoral Letter onthe ransition Years of the Kto 12 Program. he bishopsmentioned three principles thatcan guide the faithful to shapeattitudes open to the transition

phase of the K to 12 program.First, the family is the “firstschool” of the young. Te par-ents are the first educators, firstcatechists of their children; thehome is the first school.” Tebishops appeal to parents to getto know the K to 12 programthoroughly and the school andeducation officials must be readyand capable to discuss it withparents and students.

Second, the Church has apreferential love for the poor.Te bishops said that “the K to

12 program provides skills andcompetencies for the poor whomay not have access to collegeeducation. Trough the seniorhigh school program, the K to12 graduate at age 18 can enter

the work force. Tis is a big helpto the poor. Tere will be manystudents who will drop out of the

whole program. Catholic schoolsmust always have a place forthem, not merely as out-reach,but as part of their educationministry, and members of theirlearning community.”

Tird, the principle of soli-darity and subsidiarity must beobserved. Te bishops declaredthat in the Church, there is nocompetition, only communion.hey plead with governmentagencies tasked to implementthe K-12, to do everything toensure that all members of theschools are not displaced or

unemployed. Te schools in agiven territory or region mustdiscuss the years of “no enroll-ment” in college and see howbest to cope with this reality.Te K-12 program should notlead to the teachers and schoolpersonnel losing tenure in theiremployment. Adjustments willhave to be made by all, but noone should be made to unjustlysuffer in the implementation ofthe program. In line with theprinciple of subsidiarity, the per-sonnel affected by the transitionshould be consulted and theirviews and suggestions be givenserious consideration. May thisnot lead to the contractualization

of the teaching personnel.Our bishops also issued OratioImperata in times of grave dan-ger particularly the controversyover the West Philippine City.

*** We would like to greet Fr.

Ronaldo Pedroso and Fr. LuisZapata, IVE of the Diocese ofKalookan a very Happy Birth-day. Happy 21st Sacerdotal An-niversary to Fr. Mariano Barto-lome, Jr., who will be installed asthe new parish priest of San Josede Navotas on July 25.

HREE persons in one God. It is one of themysteries of our faith. But we shall foreverremain in the state of incompleteness inour desire to understand this mystery. Andthe only way to understand such profoundtrinitarian mystery is to look at it through theeyes of faith. For the Gospel a few monthsago says, “When the disciples saw Jesus, they

worshipped him; but some doubted.”In order for us to understand the unity

of the rinity—God the Father, Son, andthe Holy Spirit, it is good to understandthe synthesis of Scripture from Genesis toRevelation. And one thing is obvious, basedfrom the words and action of Yahweh in the

Old estament, Jesus in the New estament,and the Holy Spirit all throughout the Scrip-ture, which was also highligted in the Gospelreading for that day:

“Behold, I am with you always, to the closeof the age.” (Matthew 28:20). Te wholeBible narrative is simply telling us one clearmessage ... GOD IS WIH US ALWAYS.

In the Book of Genesis, in the creationstory, the most repeated words that Godused was, “And God said ... and so it hap-

pened.” (Genesis 1:1-31). When we reflecton it, God was simply reiterating a divinereality - He would fulfill His promise to us.GOD IS WIH US.

In the all the Gospels, after the resurrec-tion of Jesus, one of His repeated wordsto console His disciples were, “Te Son ofMan will be handed over to the chief priests... and condemn him to death. But on thethird day he will be raised to life!” (Mat-thew 20:17-19). He was affirming his neverending presence with His disciples. GODIS WIH US.

And when Jesus was about to ascend inheaven, He promised a consoler, the Holy

Spirit, to continue accompanying us in thischaotic world, “If you love me, you will keepmy commandments. And I will ask the Fa-ther, and he will give you another Advocate,to be with you forever.” (John 14:15-17)GOD IS INDEED WIH US ALWAYS.

Tree distinct persons with three distinctroles but only ONE GOD. Our God theFather revealed His love for us throughcreation. GOD HE FAHER IS OURPROVIDER. God the Son revealed His

love for us by saving us from our impendingeternal death. GOD HE SON IS OURSAVIOUR. And the Holy Spirit revealed Hislove for us by guiding, healing and empower-ing us. GOD HE HOLY SPIRI IS OURBREAH OF LIFE.

Tree different manifestations, and yet oneclear heart and mission: his great love forus and His desire to save us. We hope thatthese three distinct manifestations of God’spresence in us will compel us to re-evaluateourselves and join them in their mission tosave all people.

We have experienced the unconditionallove of God and His undying presence in

our life, and yet we are still doubting. Weare called to make disciples of all nations,and yet we are not taking the role seriously.Te Holy rinity will continue their distinctroles to save the humanity. Tey don’t stop

working for us. Tey really love us. But aschildren of God, it is their hope that one ofthese days, we shall be on board and jointheir divine mission to save the humanity.

Let’s pray that others may feel God’s pres-ence through us.

The Trinity: Three Ways

of Loving Us

Fr. Francis Ongkingco

WhateverMessing Things Up Well!

I COULDN’ help but bethrilled once again with yetanother catchy “Bergoglismo”

which I would loosel y trans -late as: “How to Mess thingsup well!” (*Note: Te Spanish

word lio can be translated as ‘inmessed up situation’ or ‘absorbedby something problematic orcomplicated’) his expressionsummarized Pope Francis’ ad-dress to the youth (and young-at-heart) in Asuncion, Paraguaylast 12th of July.

After listening to the varioustestimonies from the youth,the Pope took advantage ofunderlining the importance ofacquiring genuine freedom, not

only for one’s personal growthand maturity but to be exercised

through solidarity with and ser-vice for one’s neighbors.

he words of Francis wereboth soul soothing and demand-ing. “o know God is to bestrong, that is, to know God,to get close to Jesus is hope andstrength; and this is what theyoung need today: youth withhope, courage. We don’t want

wimpy young people who are just getting by without commit-ting themselves. We don’t wantyoung people who tire easilyand go through life tired, withbored faces.”

He continued with encourag-ing and fiery words: “We wantstrong, hopeful young people,

people with hope and courage.(…) Do you think a young per-

son who lives in this way has abored face? (he asked) No! (theparticipants respond) Does hehave a sad heart? No! (they an-swer again). Tis is the way, butsacrifice is necessary, we need togo against the grain.”

he Pope went on to syn-thesize these youthful idealsby surprising them with a verycatchy phrase: learn how to messthings up well!

He seems to have adaptedthis from a priest who jokinglytold him, “If you [Holy Father]continue encouraging the youthto mess things up, they will doso… Sadly, we are the ones whoend up will fixing their mess for

them.”He used this anecdote to tell

the young that they shouldindeed ‘make a mess but thenstraighten things up well.’ Hesays, “Both things are important,okay? (…) A mess that gives usa free heart, that gives solidarity,hope and a mess that is bornfrom having known Jesus andknowing that God whom I haveknown is my strength. Tis is,and ought to be, the mess thatyou should to make!”

Naturally, messing up doesn’tmean breaking, stealing, failing,and committing sins againstGod’s commandments. It actu-ally has a positive ascetical lessonthat was already taught by JesusHimself: if you want to receive,

you must learn to give; if you

The true Israelite, the truebeliever (Reflections on

Jeremiah 17:5-14)IF someone hands you a one-thousand-peso bill as a cash giftyou would probably react initially with jubilation. Suppose thatsomeone is a stranger, would your jubilation not be coupled

with caution? You bet, you would say. Tat is simply becausethe bill could be fake. So your first concern would be: Is thisone-k bill genuine or fake? In the same fashion, if you hadbeen living as a member of the community of God’s People,

would you not also be concerned about whether or not youare a true of a false member?

In this text the prophet Jeremiah tries to tell us how toidentify the true Israelite, that is, the genuine member of theGod’s People as opposed to a fake one.

Te authentic Israelite trusts in the Lord God and not increatures (humans or things of earth). Verses 5 to 7 illustratesthis truth by means of a curse and a blessing. Te curse ishanded to the person whose trust is in “human beings” or any“mortal” for his life. He is compared to a “bunch of thistles indry land, or parched desert places, or a sand land where no onelives or finds happiness” (v. 6). I know, for a fact, that there are

a number of people who will never ever give any importanceto a priest calling or inviting them to Church but who, bya word of a politician or a boss, will come to him/her fasterthan the speed of a tricycle. Another illustration: God in Gen2:22-24 created woman out of man’s rib and gave her to himin a union later to be called marriage, thus “a man must leavehis father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two shallbecome one flesh” (Gen 2:24). Let’s note well that nowherein Genesis does it say that a man must cling to his husbandor that a woman must cling to her wife. But in our time thereis an increasing pressure to rely on words of human beingsinsisting that same-sex unions are also marriages. Whose wordsare they relying on? Whose words are under a curse? But thereis also a blessing being given to one who relies on the LordGod and whose confidence is in the Almighty (v. 7). He isbeing compared to a tree planted “near water that thrusts itsroots towards the stream” (v. 8). In other words, the genuineIsraelite or believer precisely trusts in the Lord, not in creatures(human beings or earthly objects), and is proven wise because

the Lord God gives life and rest.Te authentic Israelite enjoys freedom from fear because

of faith. If gold is tested by fire, so is faith tested by events orrealities that invite fear. For instance, when a super typhooncomes, there is no denying the fear we feel but our fears be-come determination when faith constantly makes us expressconfidence in God who can make something out of nothing,life out of death, and restoration out of disaster. Jeremiah insiststhat the genuine Israelite “has no fear when the heat comes,his leaves are always green: the year of drought is no problemand he can always bear fruit” (v. 8). Faith, in a word, is anexcellent companion in this age of global warming, not reallybecause it solves the problem but because it provides the reallight behind the quest for solutions.

Te authentic Israelite guards over his/her heart in deferenceto the Lord. In anticipation of Jesus’ teaching of the “heart”being the source of good or evil in a human person (Mt 15:8;Mk 7:21), Jeremiah the prophet points out how “deceitfulthe heart is” (v. 9). A man might profess an undying love to

his wife and yet his words could be hiding another woman(or man!) in his heart. But if anyone can fool fellow humans with bold words declaring one thing or another, no humanbeing can deceive the Lord God or escape from His pryingand all-knowing eyes. In fact, through Jeremiah He says:“I, the Lord, search the heart and probe the mind. I give toeach one as his ways and deeds deserve” (v. 10). Tis helpsus understand why, for instance, we have the examination ofconscience in the Catholic tradition: We allow the Lord toprobe our hearts, so we could confront our sinfulness and takethe path of repentance and renewal.

Te genuine Israelite does not pile up riches unjustly. Ourcountry’s perennial problem is corruption. Billions of moneyare lost every year to unconscionable politicians, businessmenand their co-conspirators who find ways and means to stealthem in the guise of legitimate businesses or non-governmententities. Jeremiah reminds us: “Like a partridge hatching eggsit did not lay on is the person who piles up riches unjustly.

When his life is half over, his wealth deserts him, and in theend he is nothing but a fool” (v. 11). Te prophet would havesympathized and, in all likelihood, joined those who are waginga t-shirt campaign with the slogan “HUWAG MAGNAKAW”or “DO NO SEAL”.

Te genuine Israelite clings to the Lord, “the fountain ofliving water”. Jeremiah the prophet experiences so much rejec-tion and suffering because of his obedience and devotion toproclaiming the word of the Lord God, regardless of people’sfavorable or unfavorable reaction. He does not give too muchimportance to himself, as he just bears people’s harsh words

with courage. However, when it is the Lord who is beingrejected, he reacts by uttering a strong warning: “Lord God,hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame andthose who turn from you will be cast out from your land, be-cause they have rejected the Lord God, the fountain of living

water” (v. 13). Mincing no words, he asserts that what makesany member of God’s People authentic is constant recourseto the Lord or be forever thirsting. For Jeremiah only theLord provides “living water”, something only a true Israeliteappreciates.

Te genuine Israelite, in his wounded-ness, seeks healingfrom the Lord.. Recognizing that human beings, even if theyare among God’s People, can fail God and his expectations,

Jeremiah points out where to look for healing. “Heal me,Lord God,” he exclaims, “and I shall be whole again, save meand I shall be safe” (v. 14). We often are tempted to explainour failures and downfalls in terms of our psychological state,environmental pressures, improper diet, and even the effects ofglobal warming. Dr. Karl Menninger once asked: “Whateverbecame of sin?” A Filipino writer answered: “He became aCardinal.” Te real answer is right under our noses: “Sin hasbeen dressed up as a virtue” or, as a singer once put it, beenreduced to “a lesson to learn from”. Non-recognition of sinleads to non-recognition of God. Jeremiah would have none ofthis. Recognizing sin as the real root of the problem naturallyleads us to the solution Scripture recommends: God’s healingaction extending us forgiveness and enticing us to repentanceand renewal. If sin is our fundamental disease, God is theultimate Doctor with the cure only he can extend—our for-

giveness leading to salvation.Whatever / A6


6/20

A6 CBCP Monitor July 20 - August 2, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 15LOCAL NEWS

rampant problem. Te leadingmen got so stuck with their ownreligious laws and practices thatthey failed to recognize the God

who became man. Tey were soconvinced with the goodnessof their laws and practices thatthey absolutized them, and madethem their god, instead of God

who became man.Nowadays, we see a lot of

self-righteous people who havetheir own version of what is true,good, and beautiful, withoutreferring it to the One who isall true, good and beautiful.Tey are now redefining thingsand building their own towerof Babel.

We shou ld try our best toalways keep God the center andfocus of our life. We need toremind ourselves of this funda-mental truth because like toddlers

who can go on with their childish ways unmindful of the peoplearound, we, too, can go on withour many temporal affairs and

concerns unmindful of God. We should never forget that

we cannot outgrow our depen-dence on God, and that the moremature and more accomplished

we become, the more dependent we ought to be on God. We needto remind ourselves of this truthconstantly, making many delib-erate acts of faith and thanksgiv-ing during the day.

Tat’s why there is always aneed also to cultivate the sense ofspiritual childhood, that aware-ness that in the eyes of God we

will always be children in needof His help and guidance.

Even if we are totally free andresponsible for our life and ac-tions, such freedom is no excusefor declaring independence fromGod who is the author, law andpattern, as well as goal of ourfreedom.

We need to educate ourselvesto make many acts of thanksgiv-ing all throughout the day, andfeel in our flesh our completedependence on God. Let’s notbe ingrates who arrogate to

ourselves what actually belongsto God.

Candidly Speaking / A4

want to be strong , you mustlearn to become weak; and ifyou want to live, you must giveup your life.

hus, messing up in anevangelical sense entails inte-rior struggle - going against thegrain—by stepping on our pride,cutting off our wild imagination,and curtailing our lazy memo-ries. It also means constantlyliving temperance, and sobriety

when indulging in noble earthlygoods (i.e. food, sports, enter-

tainment, etc.).Messing up ourselves alsoinvites one to think more aboutthe needs of others before hisown, serving cheerfully, showingtimely affection, silently praying,and making expiation for those

who may be literally messing up

their own lives and that of others. At the end of his impromptu

discourse, Pope Francis asked theyouth to join him in praying forthose whose lives may be messedup: “Jesus, I ask you for the boysand girls who do not know youas their strength and who areafraid of living, of being happyand of dreaming.”

He ended, as if asking theLord to be the One to mess usup well, by asking God to helpteach us how to dream: “Jesus,

teach us to dream, to dream ofgreat things, beautiful things,things which—even though theymay be so common—enlargethe heart. Lord Jesus, give usfortitude, give us a free heart,and give us hope, love and teachus to serve. Amen.”

Whatever / A5

the letter, signed by re-elected CBCP presi-dent Archbishop Villegas, reads in part.

Te bishops also called on Catholic schoolsto go beyond merely preparing for the pro-gram and turn their eyes and affection tothe poor.

hey said the fate of the indigenouspeople, the children in conflict with the law,the street children, and the persons withdisabilities should particularly be of utmostconcern.

“Catholic schools must always have a placefor them, not merely as out-reach but as partof their education ministry, and members

of their learning community,” Villegas said.Tey also cautioned that the K-12 should

not lead to the teachers and school person-nel losing their jobs, saying “no one shouldbe make to unjustly suffer” in the program.

No to contractualized teachersTe bishops said personnel affected by

the transition should be consulted and theirviews and suggestions “be given seriousconsideration.”

“eachers are not to be considered just asexpenses but as partners in the noble missionof education. May this not lead to the con-tractualization of the teaching personnel,”Villegas said.

Te bishops also called on for “solidarityand subsidiarity” in the implementation

of the K-12 program in the service of thecommon good.

It is not the time for “unbridled competi-tion” among schools of who can offer thebest education, they stressed.

Instead, the bishops added: “It is the timeto activate communion through solidarityand subsidiarity.”

“We call everyone to enter the tableof fellowship and engage in ‘appreciativeconversations’ regarding the education ofour youth. Let us listen to one another baretheir worries, concerns and misgivings. Letus all walk towards enlightenment and allow

charity to permeate our dialogue,” they said.(Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)

K-12 / A1

Youth ‘no-show’“When I celebrated Mass at

a church in Milan, I felt bad. Was it because of my Italian? Ididn’t know why until I wentback to my seat. I realized there

was not a single youth in mycongregation,” lamented aglein his homily for the installa-tion Mass of Fr. Macías WencyD. Seráfica, the new head pastorof San Isidro Labrador Parish inPasay recently.

Te prelate stressed that whatis taking place in the Church inEurope could also be the fate ofthe Church in the Philippinesif the young faithful are left tothemselves with nobody to guidethem and to ensure the transmis-sion of the faith.

Church as museumsHe went on to share that many

church buildings in Europe,cathedrals even, which someof the greatest Catholic saintsfrequented, had to be sold to thetourism department, given thatformer parishioners no longerhad interest in them.

“Before I got irritated when-ever there was a baby crying ortoddlers running around duringMass. I got easily distracted bythem. Now I crave them. I wel-come them,” he said.

“Because of them I am con-vinced that our faith commu-nity has a future ahead of it,”he added, stressing that evan-gelization is the duty not of the

clergy alone, but of all baptizedpersons.Domestic Church

Lumen Gentium (LG), theDogmatic Constitution on theChurch in the Modern World,speaks of the family as the “do-mestic Church” where childrenfirst learn about the faith.

Part of LG 11 reads, “Fromthe wedlock of Christians therecomes the family, in which newcitizens of human society areborn, who by the grace of theHoly Spirit received in baptismare made children of God, thusperpetuating the people of Godthrough the centuries. Te fam-ily is, so to speak, the domesticChurch. In it parents should, bytheir word and example, be the

first preachers of the faith to theirchildren; they should encouragethem in the vocation which isproper to each of them, foster-ing with special care vocation toa sacred state.”

Challenge of evangelizationagle ended by urging Será-

fica to take on the challengeof shepherding his new flockto the best of his abilities, sothe forthcoming generations

will have a chance to hear theGood News.

Likewise, the cardinal exhort-ed the San Isidro parishionersto help their pastor out, to work

with him, in the task of evangeli-zation. (Raymond A. Sebastián/ CBCP News)

Tagle / A1

cal penalty not only for doing wrong themselves but also fornot doing that which is rightas far as the members of theirrespective clergy are concerned,”Cruz added.

New tribunalhis new provision, which

came from the five-point planpresented by the Pontifical Com-mission for the Protection of Mi-nors during the meeting of theCouncil of Nine Cardinals withPope Francis last June, signifiesthe importance of implementingdiscipline and accountability

within the church hierarchy.

In news reports, Vatican PressOffice head Fr. Federico Lom-bardi said a new Vatican tribu-nal will be created within theCongregation for the Doctrineof the Faith to judge “all suchcases connected to the abuse ofchildren and vulnerable adults.”

Tis move, which marks animportant development in theongoing process of makingChurch leaders accountable forthe actions of errant priests, willhave a five-year development andevaluation period.

Sin of omissionCruz welcomed the new penal

provision, noting that when

bishops do not correct the err-ing members of their clergy, this

is a “sin of omission which canreadily (bear) negative effects.”

“First, it can scandalize the layfaithful in their respective eccle-siastical jurisdictions who lookup to their priests with respectand reverence,” he said.

“Second, it can scandalizethe other members of theirown clergy who are living theircommitment according to theirbest,” added the judicial vicar ofthe CBCP’s National AppellateMatrimonial ribunal.

Furthermore, Cruz noted,“Tird, it can scandalize the sem-inarians who are taught aboutthe dignity of the priesthood

that they have to live by whenordained as priests themselves.”

Moral imperative According to Cruz, the said

provision “is clearly intended toemphasize more not only the ethi-cal but also the moral imperative ofhaving disciplined clerical authori-ties in the Church.”

He said that the impositionof disciplinary punishment is an“explicit and official admissionon the part of the Church thatthough gifted with holiness as a

whole, the universal ecclesiasti-cal community nevertheless hascertain clerics or members of theClergy who for one reason or an-

other violate” Church laws. (Jen-nifer M. Orillaza/CBCPNews)

Penalty / A1

Pope to miss IEC in CebuPOPE Francis will not attend the forth-coming 51st International EucharisticCongress (IEC) to be held in CebuCity January next year, the head of theCatholic Bishops’ Conference of thePhilippines said Monday.

But Archbishop Socrates Villegas,

CBCP president, said the Vatican will sendan envoy on behalf of the Pope.

“He is not coming. Tat’s sure already,”Villegas said, while admitting there wasno direct message from the Vatican yetregarding the matter.

It will be recalled that the Archdiocese

of Cebu made a number of adjustments toaccommodate the Pope’s schedule in 2016.

Tis include the changing of the pro-posed date of the IEC which was originallyscheduled in June.

Villegas ruled out another papal visitto the Philippines since the Vatican has

hinted that an envoy will arrive instead.He also stressed the significance of the

Pontiff’s sending of an official representa-tive in his stead.

“’Te sending of a papal envoy [is likesaying] ‘I’m there with you,” he said.

Te re-elected CBCP chief said they

understand the Pope’s decision since healso needs to visit other countries.

“Let us give other countries the chanceto see him. Because if we insist, it’s as if

we’re being selfish because it will lessenhis opportunities to visit other countries,”Villegas said in Filipino.

Te huge event is set on Jan. 24 to 31and is expected to draw 15,000 pilgrimsfrom all over the world.

Te Philippines first hosted one of themost remarkable church events in 1937

when the 33rd IEC was held in Man

Documents

CBCP Monitor Vol. 19 No. 15