CBCP Monitor Vol. 19 No. 20

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MonitorVOLUME 19NUMBER 20PHP20.00

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

September 28 -Oct. 11, 2015

CBCPMONITOR.COM [email protected]

CBCP

More Asian bishopssign climate petition

MORE Catholic Church lead-ers in Asia have supported a pe-tition to pressure world leadersto address climate change.

Caritas Internationalis Presi-dent Cardinal Luis Antonioagle and other Filipino bish-ops, priests and religious ledthe campaign by launching theCatholic climate petition inManila last July.

“We are delighted to seeEast Asian bishops and Car-dinal Oscar Gracias supportthe Global Catholic ClimateChange Movement (GCCM)

petition,” said Lou Arsenio, lo-cal coordinator of GCCM.

She said their support adds tothe support of Cardinal agleand over 1,000 priests, religiousand lay leaders in Manila that

WHAT’S INSIDE

Lumad leaders seek CBCP’s helpbeyond issuing statements

SUPPLEMENT ISSUE THE CROSS: A SUPPLEMENT PUBLICATION OF KCFAPI AND THE ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

Pope Francis off-the-cuff:

Family is the most beautiful

thing God made (A3)

Tagle laments ‘family feuds’ atWorld Meeting of Families

“The family is the great bless-

ing, the great gift of this ‘God

with us’” (B1)

CARDINAL Luis Antonioagle has lamented fighting within families, saying thisdeeply hurts the “sacredness”of the most basic institution.

Speaking before a mam-moth crowd in one of the ses-sions of the World Meetingof Families in Philadelphiaon Friday, agle reflected onthe family as “a home for the wounded heart.”

Acc ordi ng to hi m, al lpeople have been wounded

but wounds are more pain-ful “when we see our familymembers suffering.”

However, he said, the“most hurtful” are the wounds inflicted on some-one by his or her own familymembers.

“he sacredness of thefamily is wounded by that,”said agle, a member of theVatican’s Pontifical Coun-cil for the Family and thePontifical Council for thePastoral Care of Migrants

and Itinerant Peoples.he Manila archbishop

particularly observed howmembers of a family or a clanfight over money or a pieceof property in the name of“principles.”

“What type of principle isthat when the piece of landis more important than yourbrother or sister?” he asked.

agle was among thespeakers of the five-day in-ternational event which coin-

cided with Pope Francis’ firstpastoral visit to the UnitedStates.

Archbishop Socrates Ville-gas, president of the CatholicBishops’ Conference of thePhilippines, also delivereda talk on the “covenant ofmarriage” on the first day ofthe gathering.

Immense, deepCardinal agle warned

that wounds make persons,families, and communities

Priest backs ‘climate

accountability’ initiativeIN a show of solidarity withvictims of “climate violators,”an official of the Philip-pine Church’s social actionarm has called on the Com-mission on Human Rights(CHR) to underline the needfor fossil fuel companies toassume responsibility for cli-mate change-related humanrights violations.

“We pray that the CHRheed the demand to recom-mend to policymakers andlegislators to develop andadopt effective accountabil-ity mechanisms that victims

of climate change can easilyaccess,” stressed Fr. EdwinGariguez, executive secretaryof Caritas Philippines. .

Te priest, a recipient of theGoldman Environmental Prize,made this statement in the wakeof a complaint filed on Sept.22 by typhoon survivors, advo-cates, and non-governmentalorganizations like GreenpeaceSoutheast Asia at the CHR.

ProbeTey seek a probe into the

top 50 investor-owned fossilfuel companies and theirresponsibility for climate im-pacts that endanger people’slives, and livelihoods, andthose of future generations.

“Inspired by Pope Francis,the Church will support thisPhilippine climate changeand human rights complaintand will continue to serve asa strong ally in the strugglefor a socially just, environ-mentally sustainable, andspiritually rich world that thePope and the broader climatemovement are fighting for,”

added Gariguez. Acc or di ng to pe er -re-viewed research publishedby climateaccountability.org, companies includingChevron, ExxonMobil,BP, Royal Dutch Shell,ConocoPhillips are a sub-set of the 90 legal entitiesthat have contributed thelion’s share of cumulativeglobal CO2 and methaneemissions in the earth’satmosphere.

CBCP scores hits ‘tanim-bala’ scam

A CAHOLIC bi shop hascriticised what he called“shameful” acts by some air-

port personnel who allegedlyextort money by planting

bullets in luggage.Balanga Bishop Ruper-

to Santos is alarmed over

“tanim-bala” incidents re-portedly perpetuated by

some security personnel atthe Ninoy Aquino Interna-tional Airport.

“Tese are shameful and

Tagle to voters: Reject ‘false

shepherds’ in 2016 polls

SAYING the right to voteis sacred, Cardinal Luis An-

tonio agle called on votersto reject “false shepherds” in

next year’s elections.Te cardinal cited John’s

Gospel where Jesus draws a

‘Problematic’ couples can

learn from #AlDub – priest

WHA can husbands and wives learn from a top-ratingnoontime show featuring a

couple who have never met? A lot of things like persever-

ance in times of difficultiesand sacrifice, says a priest.

“Greatness is given when

we are able to face the most

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle speaks at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, U.S. DAVID PANLILIO

The CBCP plenary assembly. FILE PHOTO

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. FILE PHOTO

Petition, A6

Feuds, A6 Initiative, A6

Shepherds, A6

By Kris Bayos

LEADERS of indigenouscommunities called onPhilippine Catholic bish-ops to “go beyond” issuingstatements and intervene inending violence and harass-ment of tribal groups inMindanao.

his was after Manobotribal students brought theirplight to Pope Francis, andasked his help to restorepeace in their village.

On Sept. 22, the students went to the Apostolic Nun-ciature in Manila to handover a letter of appeal to thePope.

Among them were RachelLibora and Michelle Cam-pos, whose father Dionel

was among those killed bya militia group in a remotevillage in Surigao del Sur onSept. 1.

Te two traveled to Manilafor week-long lobbying withdifferent government agen-cies to seek justice for thevictims.

Libora believes that thePope can help them “becausehe has a deep, genuine con-cern for the poor.”

She said they particularly want the pontiff to give at-tention to the plight of thou-sands of Lumad children

Lumad, A7

Tanim-bala, A6

vulnerable to manipulation,despair, exploitation, andeven to “evil and sin.”

And the se wound s, hesaid, are “immense and deep”

from financial constraints,unemployment, poverty tofailed relationships, domesticviolence, climatic calamities,forced migration, and dis-

placement of peoples.Some people, he added,

even fall into criminalitybecause of great challenges

Problematic, A7

Lumad students and their supporters stand next to a Pope Francis standee as Michelle Campos, daughter of slain Lumad leader Dionel, calls on the Church to heed the plight ofthousands of Lumad children caught amid the ongoing militarization of indigenous communities in Mindanao, during a peaceful gathering outside the Apostolic Nunciature in Manilaon Sept. 22. ROY LAGARDE

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


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A2 CBCP MonitorSeptember 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20WORLD NEWS

Leave ideology behind and care forthe human person, Pope tells UNNEW YORK CIY, N.Y., Sept. 25, 2015—Pope Francis told members of the UnitedNations that there is no room for “ideologicalcolonization” in their agenda, and stressed theneed to go beyond policies to concrete solutions

in caring for the poor and vulnerable, as wellas the environment.In his speech to a U.N. General Assembly

Special Summit on Sustainable Development,Pope Francis pointed to the Preamble of theU.N. Charter, which highlights the need topromote “social progress and better standardsof life in larger freedom.”

“Without the recognition of certain incon-testable natural ethical limits and without theimmediate implementation of those pillars ofintegral human development,” the idea of leav-ing a better world for future generations “risksbecoming an unattainable illusion.”

Even worse, he said, is the danger of “idlechatter which serves as a cover for all kindsof abuse and corruption, or for carrying outan ideological colonization by the impositionof anomalous models and lifestyles which are

alien to people’s identity and, in the end, ir-responsible.”In the 70 years since the U.N.’s founding in

1945 until now, both the effectiveness of fullyimplementing their international norms as wellas the ineffectiveness of their lack of enforce-ment can be seen.

“When the Charter of the United Nationsis respected and applied with transparency andsincerity, and without ulterior motives, as anobligatory reference point of justice and not as ameans of masking spurious intentions, peacefulresults will be obtained,” the Pope said.

However, when the norms are merely used as“an instrument to be used whenever it provesfavorable, and to be avoided when it is not, atrue Pandora’s box i s opened, releasing uncon-trollable forces which gravely harm defenselesspopulations, the cultural milieu and even the

biological environment.”

Serve, care for each other, pope tells families at closing Mass PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 27,2015—Pope Francis urged thehundreds of thousands of peoplegathered for the closing Mass ofthe World Meeting of Familiesto serve and care for each otheras freely as God loves the humanfamily.

Te pope called upon the faith-ful to embrace signs that the HolySpirit can work through everyone.He referred to the readings in themultilingual Mass -- from theBook of Numbers and the Gospel

of Mark -- in which members ofthe faith community questionedthe work of those not part of theirgroup and for prophesying in thename of God.

“o raise doubts about the working of the Spirit, to give theimpression that it cannot takeplace in those who are not ‘partof our group,’ who are not ‘likeus,’ is a dangerous temptation,”the pope said. “Not only does itblock conversion to the faith; it isa perversion of faith. Faith opens a window to the presence and work-ing of the Spirit. It shows us that,

like happiness, holiness is alwaystied to little gestures.”

Illustrating his point beforethe Mass, Pope Francis engagedin “little gestures” himself alongthe papal parade route to theMass, kissing and blessing manybabies brought to him from thesidewalk throngs by Secret Serviceagents, who themselves managedto cracked smiles after days ofmaintaining a stern demeanor asthey guarded the pontiff.

Pope Francis recalled that Je-

sus encountered “hostility frompeople who did not accept what hesaid and did,” saying they thoughtit intolerable that Christ was opento honest and sincere faith frommen and women who were notpart of God’s chosen people.

“Te disciples, for their part,acted in good faith. But thetemptation to be scandalized bythe freedom of God, who sendsrain on the righteous and theunrighteous alike, bypassing bu-reaucracy, officialdom and innercircles, threatens the authenticityof faith. Hence it must be vigor-

ously rejected,” he said.“Once we realize this, we can

understand why Jesus’ wordsabout causing ‘scandal’ are soharsh. For Jesus, the truly ‘intoler-able’ scandal consists in everythingthat breaks down and destroys ourtrust in the working of the Spirit,”he continued.

Pope Francis held up the familyas vital to building the church forthe future. He said love must befreely shared for faith to grow.

“Tat is why our families, our

homes, are true domestic church-es. Tey are the right place forfaith to become life, and life tobecome faith,” he said.

“Little gestures” of love existdaily in the lives of family andserve to carry on God’s love as well,Pope Francis explained.

“Tese little gestures are those we learn at home, in the family.Tey get lost amid all the otherthings we do, yet they do makeeach day different. Tey are thequiet things done by mothersand grandmothers, by fathers andgrandfathers, by children. Tey are

little signs of tenderness, affectionand compassion,” he said.

“Like the warm supper we lookforward to at night, the earlylunch awaiting someone who getsup early to go to work. Homelygestures. Like a blessing before wego to bed, or a hug after we returnfrom a hard day’s work. Love isshown by little things, by attentionto small daily signs which make usfeel at home.”

As the Mass concluded, Arch-bishop Vincenzo Paglia, president

of the Pontifical Council for theFamily, who also was lead Vaticanorganizer of the World Meetingof Families, announced the nextmeeting will take place in Dublin,in 2018.

Six families, representing fivecontinents, received copies of theGospel of Luke. Families fromSyria, Vietnam, France, Australia,Congo and Cuba were chosenfor their church involvement andfaith life. Te Vatican also plannedto distribute 100,000 copies ofLuke’s Gospel in the families’home countries. (CNS)

Restoration of ties with US a sign of hope, Pope says in Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Sept. 19, 2015—Pope Fran-cis landed in Havana on Saturday, the first ofhis 9-day visit to Cuba and the United States,telling officials that the recent normalization ofrelations between the two countries is a sign ofhope and victory.

“For some months now, we have witnessedan event which fills us with hope: the processof normalizing relations between two peoplesfollowing years of estrangement,” the Pope saidSept. 19, after landing in the Cuban capitalof Havana.

Quoting Cuban hero and tireless fighterfor the country’s independence, José Martí,Francis said the restoration of ties “is a sign ofthe victory of the culture of encounter and dia-logue, ‘the system of universal growth’ over ‘the

forever-dead system of groups and dynasties.’”He urged political leaders continue downthis path and to “develop all its potentialities”as a sign of the service they are called to onbehalf of the “peace and well-being of theirpeoples, of all America, and as an example ofreconciliation for the entire world.”

Pope Francis landed in Havana’s Interna-tional José Marti airport at 4p.m. local time, where he was greeted in an official welcomingceremony by Cuban president Raul Castro andCardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino of Havana,among others.

Pope Francis will spend three days on theisland before heading to the United Statesthe afternoon of Sept. 22, where he will ad-dress the United Nations, U.S. Congress, andparticipate in the World Meeting of Familiesin Philadelphia.

While in Cuba, Pope Francis will meet withthe country’s bishops, families, and youth, and

will pay a special visit to Santiago’s shrine ofOur Lady of Charity of El Cobre, patronessof Cuba.

In addition to meeting with Cuban presidentRaul Castro and the country’s authorities, Fran-cis will likely also meet with former presidentand elder brother to Raul, Fidel Castro, theleader of Cuba’s communist revolution.

Francis offered a special greeting to Fidel when he landed, telling Raul in his speech to“convey my sentiments of particular respectand consideration to your brother Fidel.”

Pope Francis said that as an archipelago fac-ing all directions, Cuba has “an extraordinaryvalue as a key between north and south, eastand west.”

Te country’s natural vocation, then, “is to

be a point of encounter for all peoples to joinin friendship.”He noted that 2015 marks the 80th anni-

versary of the establishment of diplomatic tiesbetween the Republic of Cuba and the HolySee, and said that providence has allowed himto follow in the footsteps of both St. John PaulII in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012, in visit-ing the nation.

“oday we renew those bonds of coopera-tion and friendship, so that the Church cancontinue to support and encourage the Cubanpeople in its hopes and concerns, with thefreedom, the means and the space needed tobring the proclamation of the Kingdom tothe existential peripheries of society,” he said.

Pope Francis also observed how his tripcoincides with the centenary of Benedict XV’sdeclaration of our Lady of Charity of El Cobre

as Patroness of Cuba.It was the veterans of the Cuban War of

Pope Francis at Vespers with priests, religious andseminarians in Havana’s cathedral Sept. 20, 2015. ALANHOLDREN / CNA.

Pope Francis’ visit to the U.N. headquartersin New York and his address to the U.N. Gen-

eral Assembly fell on his third full day of hisvisit to the states.

Enthusiasm for the Pope was palpableamong the global leaders gathered for hisaddress Friday morning, as claps frequentlypunctuated his his remarks.

His visit marks the fifth time a Pope hasvisited the U.N., following Bl. Pope Paul VIin 1965, John Paul II in 1979 and 1995, andretired pontiff Benedict XVI in 2008.

In addition to his strong comments againstideological colonization, Francis also voicedcondemnation for global phenomena such asthe arms trade, the use of nuclear arms and

weapons of Mass destruction, drug trafficking, war, environmental deterioration and socialexclusion.

He praised the U.N. for the work that hasbeen done in the 70 years of its existence,

and pointed to specific initiatives such as the

codification and development of internationallaw, the establishment of international norms

regarding human rights, advances in hu-manitarian law, the resolution of conflicts andpeacekeeping operations as “lights” dispellingthe darkness of selfishness.

However, while much has already been done,there are still serious problems that need to beresolved, he said.

Francis then called for the proper distribu-tion of political, economic and technologicalpower, saying that today’s world often presents“many false rights and—at the same time—broad sectors which are vulnerable, victims ofpower badly exercised.”

He gave his blessing, and prayed that theU.N., as well as all of its member states andofficials, will always render an effective serv iceto mankind, a service respectful of diversityand capable of bringing out, for sake of thecommon good, the best in each people and in

every individual.” (CNA)

Independence who, “moved by sentiments offaith and patriotism,” wrote a letter to Benedict

XV officially asking him to declare her patron-ess of the country.

Growing devotion to the Virgin of Cobre “isa visible testimony of her presence in the soulof the Cuban people,” he said, explaining thathe will visit her shrine as “a son and pilgrim,”in order to pray for Cuba and all its people,“that it may travel the paths of justice, peace,liberty and reconciliation.”

Pope Francis concluded his address by en-trusting his visit to Our Lady of Charity of ElCobre, as well as Blessed Olallo Valdés, Blessed

José López Pietreira and Venerable Félix Varela,

all of whom are Cubans on the path to saint-hood. (CNA)

Vatican Briefing

Vatican parish welcomes first refugee family followingPope’s appeal

A family of four has been welcomed by the community of theVatican’s St. Anne parish after Pope Francis’ made an appealearlier this month for every church in Europe open their doorsto refugees. Papal Almoner Bishop Konrad Krajewski issued aSept. 18 statement that the family—a father, mother and two

children – have already been received. According to the papalalmoner’s statement, the family will stay in an apartment insidethe Vatican near St. Peter’s Basilica. All necessary proceduresrequesting international protection for the family were startedimmediately. Since current legislation doesn’t allow asylumapplicants to apply for paid work for the first six months afterthe request, the family will be assisted by the St. Anne parishcommunity during that time. (CNA)

Francis: Sex workers, abandoned children are a result ofour indifference

Pope Francis said that abandoned children and exploitedsex workers forced to live on the street are a “shamefulreality” in modern society, and encouraged efforts to findmore concrete ways to help them. “(hese) sad realities…are the result of indifference, poverty, family and socialviolence, and human trafficking,” the Pope said Sept. 17.“hey involve the pain of marital separations and the birth

of children out of wedlock, frequently doomed to a life ofvagrancy.” Francis’ words were addressed to participantsin the International Symposium on the Pastoral Care ofthe Street. Held in Rome Sept. 13-17, the gathering wasorganized by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Careof Migrants and Itinerant People. (CNA)

The story of Japan’s hidden Christians emerges from theVatican archives

Collected by a Salesian missionary to Japan in the early 20thcentury, letters and documents showing the history of Chris-tians in the land of the rising sun have been recently restoredby the Vatican archives and library. Te collection conveys thestory of the persecution of Christians in Japan, a story thatPope Francis has often recalled when speaking of the “hid-den Christians” who knew how to keep and pass on the faithin a time of persecution, and even when deprived of priests.Te Vatican Library and Secret Archives contain precious

testimonies of those Christians who between the 16th and19th centuries lived under violence and humiliation, thanksto the missionary Fr. Mario Marega, and now the MaregaFund. (CNA)

Council of Cardinals proposes a new congregation forthe CuriaTe Council of Cardinals finally submitted to Pope Francisa proposal to establish a new congregation for laity, family,and life in the Roman Curia, after widespread discussion andanticipation. Te council of nine cardinals, who are advisingthe Pope on reform of the Roman Curia, met at the VaticanSept. 14-16. Cardinal Dionigi ettamanzi, Emeritus Arch-bishop of Milan, had prepared for Pope Francis a study on thefeasibility of creating a congregation for laity, family, and life,and presented his findings to the council. It is planned thatthe congregation for laity, family, and life would absorb thePontifical Councils for the La ity and Family, and the Pontifical

Academy of Life. A congregation for charity, justice, and peace would take on the tasks of the Pontifical Councils for Justiceand Peace, Migrants, Cor Unum, and Health Care. It is nowup to Pope Francis to decide how to receive and implementthe council’s recommendations. (CNA)

For Pope Francis, religious fundamentalism diverts usfrom the true GodReligious fundamentalism keeps God at a distance, andkeeps believers from building bridges with others, PopeFrancis reflected during a radio interview. “Our God is aGod who is close, who accompanies. Fundamentalists keepGod away from accompanying his people, they divert theirminds from him and transform him into an ideology. Soin the name of this ideological god, they kill, they attack,destroy, slander. Practically speaking, they transform thatGod into a Baal, an idol,” he said in a radio interview thataired Sept. 13. “No religion is immune from its own fun-

damentalisms,” he said. he Pope said that no religion isimmune from the possibility of fundamentalism. He saidfundamentalism, instead of creating a bridge, creates a wallthat blocks encounter with another person. It seeks waysto disagree. With fundamentalism, he said, “you can’t havefriendship between peoples.” (CNA)

Pope asks youth to perform works of mercy in run-upto WYDPope Francis asked the world’s young Catholics to performspiritual and corporal works of mercy every month in therun-up to World Youth Day next July. He asked that theynot be afraid to experience God’s “boundless mercy, so thatin turn you may become apostles of mercy by your actions,

words and pra yers in our wor ld, wounded by self ishness ,hatred and so much despa ir.” he pope’s request was part ofhis message for World Youth Day 2016 -- an internationalgathering that w ill be celebrated in Krakow, Poland, July

26-31. he celebration’s theme, from the Gospel of St.Matthew, is “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receivemercy.” (CNS)

Key organizer of families’ meeting is dropped from Italianinvestigation

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, head of the Pontifical Council forthe Family and lead Vatican organizer of the World Meetingof Families in Philadelphia, has been dropped from a criminalinvestigation. An Italian investigating judge ruled Sept. 21 thatthe archbishop was “completely un-involved” in a scheme topurchase, then resell at a profit a 14th-century Italian castle.Te judge made the decision after the public prosecutor’s officefiled a motion to dismiss the archbishop from the investigation.In a written statement released Sept. 22, Archbishop Pagliasaid, “It is deeply satisfying that the court has found me tohave had nothing at all to do with the activities describedin the investigative report or with any other possibly related

wrongdoi ng.” (CNS)

Pope Francis' historic address to the U.N. in New York City on Sept. 25, 2015. ALAN HOLDREN/CNA.


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A3CBCP Monitor September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20 NEWS FEATURES

Pope Francis off-the-cuff: Family isthe most beautiful thing God madePHILADELPHIA, Pa., Sep.26, 2015—A visibly moved PopeFrancis ditched his prepared re-marks in speaking to thousands offamilies gathered in Philadelphia

Saturday night—giving an im-promptu reflection on the beautyand dire importance of family life.

“Te most beautiful thing thatGod did, the Bible says, was thefamily,” he said Sept. 26 at the cel-ebration for families on the streetsof Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Te Pope voiced his thanks at“the presence of all of you—whoare a real witness that it’s worth be-ing a family!” A society “is strong,solid and edified on beauty good-ness and truth,” he added.

Pope Francis spoke after in-tense and often heartrendingtestimonies of several familiesfrom around the globe, who areat the World Meeting of Fami-lies, hosted by the Archdiocese ofPhiladelphia. Te city is the last ofthree that the Holy Father visitedduring his Sept. 22 to 27 trip tothe United States.

In his first leg of his journey,the Pope addressed a joint sessionof Congress and met briefly withPresident Obama in Washington,DC. While in New York City,Pope Francis spoke to the UnitedNations and met with schoolchildren in Harlem.

Te lively evening in Philadelphia,moderated by actor Mark Wahlberg, was filled with performances by Aretha Franklin and Andrea Bocelli,as well as the city’s ballet companyand rock band Te Fray.

Families from as far as Nigeria, Australia, Jordan, Argentina andUkraine shared their respectivestories with the Pope, touchingon themes that involved war,

‘God cries’ forvictims of abuse,Pope says aftermeeting survivors

PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Sept. 27,2015—Pope Francis this morn-ing met with 5 survivors of sexualabuse during his visit to Philadel-phia, telling bishops afterwardthat the evil acts can no longerremain in silence, and promisedhis personal vigilance in protect-ing minors.

“he stories of suffering andpain of minors who were sexuallyabused by priests have aggravatedmy heart,” Pope Francis told bish-ops participating in the WorldMeeting of Families Sept. 27.

He said he is continuouslyoverwhelmed by the shame of“people who were responsible forthe tender care of these little onesand violated them.”

In the face of such heinous acts,“God cries,” he said, adding that“the criminal sins of the abuse ofminors can’t be kept in silenceany longer.”

“I promise, with the vigilanceof the Church, to protect mi-nors and I promise (that) all ofthose responsible will be heldaccountable.”

Survivors of abuse, he said, havebecome “true heralds of hope andministers of mercy.” He said wemust be grateful for each one ofthem and their families for “theirimmense value in shining the lightof Christ over the evil of the abuseof minors.”

“I say this now because I have just met with a group of peopleabused as children, who arehelped and accompanied herein Philadelphia, with the specialaffection of Archbishop Chaput.I thought it was the right thingto do, to tell you all where I wasthis morning.”

Pope Francis met with theabuse survivors for close to ahalf-hour between 8-9a.m. beforemeeting with bishops gathered in

Philadelphia for the World Meet-ing of Families.

According to a Sept. 27 com-munique from the Vatican, amongthe 5 survivors who participated

were three women and two men,all of whom had been abused inchildhood either by members ofthe clergy, family members oreducators.

Each of the survivors wereaccompanied either by a familymember or person of support.

Al so pr es en t in th e me et -ing were Cardinal Sean PatrickO’Malley, archbishop of Bostonand president of the PontificalCommission for the Protectionof Minors, Archbishop CharlesChaput of Philadelphia, andBishop Michael Fitzgerald, whois in charge of the Philadelphiadiocese’s Office for the Protectionof Minors.

During the encounter PopeFrancis listened to the testimoniesof the survivors and spoke a few

words to them all together beforegreeting each one individually.

He prayed with them and ex-pressed his participation in theirsuffering, as well as his pain andshame, particularly in the cases

where the injury was caused bymembers of the clergy or Churchemployees.

he Pope then renewed hiscommitment and that of theChurch to ensuring that all victimsare heard and treated with justice,the guilty are punished, and thatthe crimes of abuse are combated

with an effective prevention in theChurch and in society.

Francis thanked the victimsfor their essential role in restor-ing the truth and in beginningthe journey of healing. hemeeting closed with Pope Fran-cis giving his blessing. (CNA/ EWTN News)

disability, economic uncertainty,discrimination and the death ofchildren.

Francis embraced and spoke toeach one after their testimonies,opting to set aside his preparedremarks when it came time forhis address.

“God’s love is so overflowingthat it could not be egoistic, ithad to be poured out of him,” thePope said, explaining that this is what prompted the creation ofthe world. “Family is really family when it is able to open its arms andreceive all that love.”

However, “that love God gavealmost was lost,” he said. “In alittle time, the first crime, thefirst instance of fratricide, the firstinstance of war...men and women,through the astuteness of the devil,

have unfortunately learned todivide themselves.”

But God “did not abandonthem,” the Pope stressed. “So great

was his love that he began to walk with humanity, with his peopleuntil the right moment and hemade the highest expression oflove, his own son.”

“And how did he send his son?”he asked. “Trough a family.”

Te Pope then joked: “some-times people tell me ‘Father, youspeak like that because you arenot married.’ Families have dif-ficulties...families, we quarrel. Andsometimes plates can fly. Childrenbring headaches, and I won’t evenspeak about mothers-in law...”

“In families there are alwaysdifficulties, but those difficultiesare overcome by love,” he said.

“Hatred is not capable of dealing with any difficulty... Only love isable to overcome them.”

Before giving the final blessing,he told the crowds: “we will seeeach other for Mass tomorrow– wait, what time is Mass tomor-row?”

“Ah, four o’ clock,” he laughedin response to thunderous cheers.

He then led a prayer to theVirgin Mary and Saint Joseph,invoking them “to help us believethat it’s worth the struggle and thefight, for the good of the family.”

omorrow’s agenda for thePope’s last day in the U.S . includesa speech to the bishops gatheredin Philadelphia for the WorldMeeting of Families, a visit toa correctional facility and Massdowntown. (CNA/EWTN News)

Help youth be brave in opting for marriage

and family, Pope tells bishops PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Sept. 27, 2015—PopeFrancis told bishops Sunday that a widespreadconsumerism and desire to follow new fads hasrendered youth fearful of commitments, andsaid that as pastors they must encourage youthto be brave in going against the tide.

He began his speech, however, with animpromptu reflection on the clergy sex abusecrisis, mentioning that he had met earlier withvictims and their families. He said the victims“have become true heralds of hope and mercy.In humility, we owe each of them and theirfamilies an immense debt of gratitude … theymade the light of Christ shine on somethingso awful: the sexual abuse of minors.”

“I say this now because I just met with somevictims of sexual abuse, and at that time I heardhow they’re being helped in a special way herein this archdiocese, by Archbishop Chaput,and I thought it was the right thing to do, totell you where I was this morning.”

Te Pope then continued with his preparedremarks, noting his joy at being able to reflecttogether with fellow bishops: “I am happy to beable to share these moments of pastoral reflec-tion with you, amid the joyful celebrations forthe World Meeting of Families,” he said Sept.27 at the chapel of Philadelphia’s St. CharlesBorromeo Seminary.

“o Congress a couple days ago, I said weare living in a culture that pushes young peoplenot to form families: some because they don’thave the material resources to realize a wed-ding, or a life together. But others just choosethis because they think they’re better off this way—but that’s the temptation, to not lay afoundation, to not have a family. As pastors, we bishops are called to collect our energiesand to rebuild enthusiasm for making familiescorrespond ever more fully to the blessing ofGod which they are!”

“We need to invest our energies not so muchin rehearsing the problems of the world aroundus and the merits of Christianity, but in extend-ing a sincere invitation to young people to bebrave and to opt for marriage and the family.”

Francis’ comments on his last day in the U.S. were addressed to bishops participating in the World Meeting of Families.

After spending three days in Cuba, the Popearrived to Washington D.C. Sept. 23, wherehe met with president Barack Obama and ad-dressed a joint-meeting of U.S. Congress. Hethen moved onto New York, where he spoketo the United Nations and met with schoolchildren in Harlem.

He met with the bishops before celebratingMass to close the World Meeting of Families,and will board a plane to Rome later thisevening.

In his speech to the bishops, Pope Francissaid that despite current challenges, the family

shouldn’t be viewed primarily as a cause forconcern, but rather “the joyous confirmation

of God’s blessing upon the masterpiece ofcreation.”

A key pastoral concern amid the constantchanges of our time is to recognize the gift ofthe family, and be aware that both gratitudeand appreciation ought to prevail over worriesor complaints.

Te family, he said, “is the fundamentallocus of the covenant between the Church andGod’s creation. Without the family, not eventhe Church would exist. Nor could she be whatshe is called to be.”

However, the Pope noted that Christians arenot immune to the changes of our time, andbecause of that “the unprecedented changestaking place in contemporary society, with theirsocial, cultural—and now juridical—effects onfamily bonds” shouldn’t be disregarded.

While until recently the civil institution ofmarriage and the Christian sacrament were ashared notion seen as interrelated and mutu-ally supportive, “this is no longer the case,”Francis observed.

Using the example of neighborhood storesand large supermarkets, the Pope said thatformerly the situation was like the local stores,

which had everything needed for both per-sonal and family life, even if it wasn’t “cleverlydisplayed.”

“Business was done on the basis of trust,people knew one another, they were all neigh-bors. Tey trusted one another. Tey builtup trust,” he said, noting that later the bigsupermarkets sprang up with large spaces andan endless selection of merchandise.

“Te world seems to have become one ofthese great supermarkets; our culture hasbecome more and more competitive. Busi-ness is no longer conducted on the basis oftrust; others can no longer be trusted. Tereare no longer close personal relationships,”Francis said.

In a culture that seems to encourage peoplenot to trust, the most important thing nowappears to be following the latest trend, evenin terms of religion, he continued.

Consumerism now determines what is im-portant, he said. “Consuming relationships,consuming friendships, consuming religions,consuming, consuming… Whatever the cost orconsequences. A consumption which does notfavor bonding, a consumption which has littleto do with human relationships,” adding that“joy is not something that can be ‘consumed’.”

Social bonds, the Pope observed, have be-come a mere means for satisfying one’s ownneeds, rather than focusing on the other per-son, their lives, and their stories.

“his causes great harm,” he said, anddiagnosed “a kind of impoverishment bornof a widespread and radical sense of loneli-ness” as the root cause of many contemporary

problems.“Running after the latest fad, accumulating

‘friends’ on one of the social networks, we getcaught up in what contemporary society hasto offer. Loneliness with fear of commitmentin a limitless effort to feel recognized.”

However, Pope Francis said that youthshouldn’t be condemned or pegged with blamefor living and growing up in this type of society.

“Should they hear their pastors saying that‘it was all better back then,’ ‘the world is fallingapart and if things go on this way, who knows

where we will end up?’” he asked.“No, I do not think that this is the way,” he

said, explaining that as shepherds, it is theirresponsibility to “seek out, to accompany, tolift up, to bind up the wounds of our time.”

As bishops, they must look at things “real-istically, with the eyes of one who feels calledto action, to pastoral conversion. Te worldtoday demands this conversion on our part.”

Rather than viewing the current situationas a mere indifference or “pure and simpleselfishness” regarding marriage and the family,many youth have “have yielded to a form ofunconscious acquiescence” inside a culture ofdiscouragement, the Pope observed.

Francis explained that youth “are paralyzed when they encounter the beautiful, noble andtruly necessary challenges which faith sets be-fore them,” and often put off marriage in orderto wait for ideal conditions, “when everythingcan be perfect.”

“Meanwhile, life goes on, without reallybeing lived to the full. For knowledge of life’strue pleasures only comes as the fruit of a long-term, generous investment of our intelligence,enthusiasm and passion.”

He added, off-the-cuff, that “In Buenos Airesmany of the women were complaining, saying,‘I have a son who’s 30, 34, and he won’t getmarried. I don’t know what to do!’ I would tellthem, ‘Well, quit ironing his shirts!’”

“We need to give to the young people en-thusiasm,” he told the bishops, “so they willtake this worthwhile risk. Here too, we bishopsneed parrhesia!”

After giving a mock conversation between abishop and a young person about “Why don’tyou get married?” he said that bishops must“accompany them, and help them to mature,to make this decision to get married.”

Returning to his prepared remarks, the Popesaid that “A Christianity which does little inpractice, while incessantly explaining its teach-ings, is dangerously unbalanced. I would evensay that it is stuck in a vicious circle.”

Rather, in a culture where concern for one-self is the overriding trend, it’s the pastor’s jobto show that the “the Gospel of the family” istruly good news.

“We are not speaking about some romanticdream,” he said, adding that “the perseverance

which is called for in having a family and

raising it transforms the world and human

Tagle to communicators:

Bring others to God

PASAY City, Sept. 21, 2015—Manila Archbishop Luís Anto-nio G. Cardinal agle recentlyreminded those involved insocial communications andmass media to use their skillsand talents in inviting othersto a Jesus encounter.

Vehicles of encounter“I hope that through our

social communication min-istry, through the way wecommunicate, people willencounter God. May we bein the family and in the socialcommunications ministry, bevehicles of encountering God,”he said in a recorded message

played during the 9th CardinalSin Catholic Book Awards(CSCBA) organized by the

Asian Catholic Communica-tors, Inc. (ACCI) with the theCatholic Mass Media Awards(CMMA) on Tursday, Sept.18, at the SMX ConventionCenter, Pasay City.

“Let our human communi-cation be sincere. Let our hu-man communication be purefor in such a communication afamily is born, and within thatfamily God is encountered,”he added.

Communication = Communion According to agle, commu-

nication is first and foremost a

communion with the Father.He shared that even in sim-ple human interactions liketelling stories about what hasbeen “seen, heard, and touchedof God,” an encounter withothers become an encounter

with the Lord.

Place of encounter“Communication is a way

of encountering each other. Iremember the First Letter ofSt. John where he tells us what

we have seen, what we haveheard, what we have touchedregarding the Word of God,

we communicate to you,” heexplained.

In line with this, the prelate went on to point out the valueof connection.

Connection While honing their skills and

acquiring news ones are a givenlike facing a camera, writing,and so on, agle stressed com-municators are also called uponto learn how to connect withother people “from the heart.”

“In the end, who is the bestcommunicator? Not the one

who is skilled alone. Te bestcommunicator is the person

whose heart is open to revealoneself and receive the other,”he said. (Raymond A. Sebas-

tián / CBCP News)

Vatican City - September 2, 2015. Pope Francis blesses a family in St. Peter’s Square during the Wednesday general audience onSeptember 2, 2015. CNA

Washington, D.C. - September 23, 2015. Pope Francis at the St. Matthew’s Cathedralin Washington, D.C. on September 23, 2015. CNA

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A4 CBCP MonitorSeptember 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

EDIORIAL

AUHENIC development includes efforts to bring about anintegral improvement in the quality of human life, and this entailsconsidering the setting in which people live their lives. Tese settingsinfluence the way we think, feel and act. In our rooms, our homes,our workplaces and neighborhoods, we use our environment as a

way of expressing our identity. We make every effort to adapt to ourenvironment, but when it is disorderly, chaotic or saturated withnoise and ugliness, such overstimulation makes it difficult to findourselves integrated and happy.

An admirable creativity and generosity is shown by persons andgroups who respond to environmental limitations by alleviatingthe adverse effects of their surroundings and learning to orienttheir lives amid disorder and uncertainty. For example, in someplaces, where the façades of buildings are derelict, people showgreat care for the interior of their homes, or find contentmentin the kindness and friendliness of others. A wholesome sociallife can light up a seemingly undesirable environment. At timesa commendable human ecology is practised by the poor despite

numerous hardships. Te feeling of asphyxiation brought on bydensely populated residential areas is countered if close and warmrelationships develop, if communities are created, if the limitationsof the environment are compensated for in the interior of eachperson who feels held within a network of solidarity and belonging.In this way, any place can turn from being a hell on ear th into thesetting for a dignified life.

Te extreme poverty experienced in areas lacking harmony, openspaces or potential for integration, can lead to incidents of brutalityand to exploitation by criminal organizations. In the unstable neigh-borhoods of mega-cities, the daily experience of overcrowding andsocial anonymity can create a sense of uprootedness which spawnsantisocial behavior and violence. Nonetheless, I wish to insist thatlove always proves more powerful. Many people in these conditionsare able to weave bonds of belonging and togetherness which convertovercrowding into an experience of community in which the wallsof the ego are torn down and the barriers of selfishness overcome.Tis experience of a communitarian salvation often generates creative

ideas for the improvement of a building or a neighborhood.Given the interrelationship between living space and human be-

havior, those who design buildings, neighborhoods, public spacesand cities, ought to draw on the various disciplines which help usto understand people’s thought processes, symbolic language and

ways of acting. It is not enough to seek the beauty of design. Moreprecious still is the service we offer to another kind of beauty: people’squality of life, their adaptation to the environment, encounter andmutual assistance. Here too, we see how important it is that urbanplanning always take into consideration the views of those who willlive in these areas.

-- Laudato Si’ , 147-150

HE Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to Cuba and to the UnitedStates this September was one for the books. He has penetrated deeplythe hearts of so many people irrespective of political, economic orcultural sentiments.

Te Mass at Holguin’s Revolution Plaza in Cuba would have been un-imaginable some decades ago. It is in this plaza where May Day paradesand other patriotic events exalting the Cuban Revolution are held since

the communist takeover in 1959. In one of his homilies, Pope Francistold the Cubans, “Our revolution comes about through tenderness,through the joy which always becomes closeness and compassion, andleads us to get involved in and to serve the life of others.” A “revolutionof tenderness” would be a new coinage that would fit right into the

world of mercy and compassion that Pope Francis envisions.In the face of current initiatives to restore the severed diplomatic rela-

tions between Cuba and the United States since the Cold War in 1961,the Holy Father was very emphatic in saying, “I urge political leadersto persevere on this path and to develop all its possibilities as a proofof the high service which they are called to carry out on behalf of thepeace and wellbeing of their peoples, of all America, and as an exampleof reconciliation for the entire world.” Political observers are of the beliefthat the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, which requires Congressionalapproval to be rescinded, is unlikely to be lifted anytime soon. But

who would have thought that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(U.S.S.R.), which was behind the Bay of Pigs crisis, would disintegratethrough the watch of, some would like to think, Pope John Paul II?

At the joint session of the United States Congress in Washington D.C.,it would have been unimaginable, too, for a Pope to be accorded withstanding ovations and tears from one or two legislators, to boot. Tesincerity and truth that Pope Francis delivered with simplicity broughtthe curtains down. He concluded his address with, “A nation can beconsidered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fostersa culture which enables people to “dream” of full rights for all theirbrothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strivesfor justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by hertireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peacein the contemplative style of Tomas Merton.” At the meeting with themembers of the General Assembly of the United Nations Organizationin New York, Pope Francis left the delegates profoundly pensive.

At the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, Pope Francis would regard the family as “Te most beautiful thing God ever made.”

Ecology of daily life

A revolution of tenderness and mercy

OPINION

Conflicts should occasiongreater charity

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

MonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE CBCP

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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

Marriage nullityproceedings

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

And That’s The Truth

Oscar V. Cruz, D.D.

Views and Points

Living Flesh fromBuenos Aires

I is true that the contentious trial of the pleafor a Marriage Nullity Declaration for a givencause—as concretely and specifically providedby Church Law in kind and in number—is quitedemanding and therefore tedious for the coupleas well as for the ribunal concerned. It is truethat the said procedural trial could and shouldbe abbreviated one way or another—without

the least sacrificing what is true, what is right, what is just. It is wherefore both opportuneand admirable for Pope Francis—“Lolo Kiko”continuously and ardently pleading for “Mercyand Compassion”—to seek the abbreviationof the Marriage Nullity Proceedings. Belowenumerated as provided by Canon Law are themajor or basic phases of the said Process:

1. Petition presenting the Marriage NullitySuit.2. Summons of the Petitioner and Respondent.3. Determination of the Marriage NullityGround.4. Opening of the rial.5. Declaration of the Petitioner and the Re-spondent.

6. Presentation of Documentary Evidence.7. estimonies of the Witnesses in the Case.8. Pronouncement of the Experts on the al-leged Nullity Ground.9. Conclusion of the Case.10. Pleadings by Procurator-Advocate and theDefender of the Bond.11. Judgment by the ribunal.

12. Appeal to the Superior ribunal.13. Review of the Judgment.14. Pronouncement of the Superior ribunal.

As t o the time span needed for the pro-cedural resolution of every Case, the morerelevant factors therein is the intricacy of itsalleged nullity ground plus the local and/

or foreign home addresses of the Parties inthe Case plus the latter’s Judgment on theCase in the “Affirmative” or “Negative”plus the formal Notification of the Partiesconcerned and the Church where the mar-riage took place for the required registry ofthe Final Judgment in its Canonical Bookof Marriages.

CHARIY, of course, has to be lived always,but especially when we find ourselves in con-flicts.

We have to learn to see Christ in everyone,including those with whom we may have seri-ous differences or are in conflict. We have togo beyond seeing others in a purely human

way without, of course, neglecting the humanand natural in us.

In short, we have to see others in a spiritual way, within the framework of faith, hope andcharity. Otherwise we cannot avoid getting

entangled in our limited and conflict-proneearthly condition. And no amount of human justice and humanitarianism can fully resolvethis predicament.

Tus, we need to develop and hone our skillsof looking at others beyond the merely physi-cal, social, economic, cultural or political way.

While these aspects are always to be considered, we should not be trapped by them.

Tere are many reasons for this. First wouldbe that we are all brothers and sisters, createdby God in his image and likeness, and madechildren of his through his grace.

In spite of our differences—race, culture,beliefs, etc.—we are meant to care and loveone another. Tus, our Lord told us to “loveyour neighbor as I have loved you.” (Jn 13,34)

And how did Christ love us? By becomingman and assuming all our sinfulness, dying to

it to give us a new life in him. His love was foreveryone, and especially for those who were

weak and handicapped not so much in thephysical sense as in the moral sense.

Tat’s why he was close to the sinners, frat-ernizing with them. He would only show hisdislike to those who were self-righteous. Justthe same, he loved all as proven by the fact thatbefore dying on the cross, he asked forgivenessfrom his Father for those who crucified him.

We have to expand and deepen our attitudestowards others. Are we willing to think alwaysof them, keenly observant of how they are?

Are we moved to pray for them and to leap to

their assistance when the opportunity comes?Our problem is that we tend to think alwaysof ourselves, and our view of the others ismainly shaped by purely human motives thatcannot reach the level of charity.

Let’s remember that as St. Paul said, we haveto “bear each other’s burdens.” (Gal 6,2) Do

we have that kind of outlook? Are we quick tohelp others even to the point of inconvenienc-ing ourselves?

We have to start dismantling attitudes, habitsand practices that keep us imprisoned in ourown world, mistakenly thinking that these ac-tually would make us happy or are good for us.

Tese past days I had had the luck of meetingsimple people who are thinking only of oth-ers. I did not hear any negative remark fromthem about anyone, and frankly, I felt so goodtalking to them. It was a joy to be with them.

Our problem is that we tend to just gossipand gossip, our mouth and tongue quite on

their own with hardly any supervision from ahigher agency in our system. We are also af-fected by our prejudices and biases. Of course,

we tend to forget charity when we encountersharp differences with others.

We have to follow the example of Christ whotried to find something good even in those who

were doing wrong. For example, one time hetold his disciples to continue observing whattheir religious leaders taught them, but notto follow their example, because they do notpractice what they preach. (cf Mt 23,2)

He made that distinction between what wastaught and what was practiced, and did notlump up the right teaching with the wrongpractice. We should be quick to find the rightand the good things that can go together withthe bad and wrong things.

Even with handling of dishonest money,he showed goodness of heart. Christ recom-mended that we “make friends with dishonestmoney,” so that when it fails we can still be

welcomed to heaven. (cf Lk 16,9).It’s not that we ought to foster dishonesty,

but rather to learn how to make do and makeuse of evil things in this world to do good.Tis conclusion can be gleaned from the factthat our Lord summarized the whole episodeby saying, “No servant can serve two masters...

You cannot serve God and mammon.” We need to be pro-active in seeing Christ in

everyone and in eliciting true charity when werelate to them, regardless of the circumstances.

DESPIE our collective rejoicingand gratitude over Pope Francis’voluntary visit to the Philippines

last January (evidenced by the7-million strong crowd that at-tended his concluding Mass atthe Luneta), not a few people willadmit to being “slightly disap-pointed” that his visit then meantthe Pontiff could not be expectedto return in order to be present atthe International Eucharistic Con-gress (IEC) to be held in January2016 in Cebu.

ake heart! Tere could be an-other way through which the erst-

while Bishop of Buenos Aires, nowBishop of Rome and “the people’spope”, could somehow be with uson this monumental event—by

opening the IEC’s doors to what agrowing number of people believeto be the “Eucharistic miracle of

Buenos Aires”—with the prereq-uisite blessing of the Holy See, ofcourse.

Documents, photos and vid-eos point to the existence of a“Eucharistic phenomenon” thatreportedly took place on Aug.18, 1996 at St. Mary CatholicChurch in Buenos Aires, Argen-tina. As Padre Alejandro Pezet

was finishing distribution of theHoly Communion, a womancame up to say she’d found a hostsomeone had dropped and refusedto pick up to consume it as it hadbeen soiled. Fr. Pezet took thehost and as is customary in such

instances placed it in a container with water and kept it locked inthe tabernacle.

On Aug. 26, Fr. Pezet assumedthe host had been dissolved andthat he could then respectfully wa ter a pl ant wi th it, but tohis amazement he found thatinstead of being dissolved thehost had turned into a seeminglybloody substance. He reportedit to Mons. Jorge Bergoglio, then Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires. Antonio Cardi nal Quarracino,then Archbishop of Buenos Aires,instructed that the host be profes-sionally photographed and theevent studied and documented.On Sept. 6, 1996, photographstaken showed a significant increase

in the host’s size. Upon the in-structions of Cardinal Quarracino,the whole affair was kept secret.

Te host was kept in a containerof distilled water in the taber-nacle; meanwhile, photographsand documents were reportedlysubmitted to Rome.

Tree years later, the host stillshowed no signs of visible de-composition, thus in 1999, thenow Archbishop of Buenos Aires

Jorge Bergoglio followed the casethrough. He deemed it best thatthe host be subjected to scientificexamination. On Oct. 5, 1999,Dr. Ricardo Castanon, a neuro-psycho-physiologist who happensto be an atheist, was allowed to

And That’s The Truth, A7


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A5CBCP Monitor September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

POPE Francis captured not onlythe hearts of the American peo-ple, he also earned the admirationof the non-religious people. Fromhis acts of compassion, such as hisembrace of a severely disfiguredman, to his Encyclical on theenvironment and his forgivenessof those who had abortions, hehas earned the respect of non-Catholics.

No less than CNN, the U.S.television network, called PopeFrancis as the “People’s Pope”. Allthe anchorpersons were amazedof this 78 years old awesomeHead of the Catholic Church.

People lined the streets for hoursto see him and awaited what he would speak of.

Pope Francis was on apostolicvisit, 3 days in Cuba and 6 days in3 US cities—Washington D.C.,New York and Philadelphia.Before he left Cuba, he urgedCubans “to build bridges, breakdown walls, sow seeds of recon-ciliation.” Te Pontiff arrived forthe first time in U.S. at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washing-ton, where he was greeted by USPresident Barack Obama, his wifeMichelle and their two daughtersas well as Vice President Joe Bidenand wife. He opted for a Fiat500, declining the limousine. He

insists on using the open Pope-mobile in travelling, to be closerto the masses.

***Pope Francis was welcomed

by President Obama and wifeat the South Lawn of the White

House before a crowd of 15,000. Amidst dozen of applause, thePope talked about his being a sonof an immigrant, bringing to theattention of the President andthe American people that the USis largely built by the families ofimmigrants. He said that Ameri-can Catholics are committed tobuilding a society that safeguardsthe rights of individuals and com-munities and rejects all forms ofunjust discrimination. He saidthat the US Bishops are called tobe vigilant to preserve the right toreligious liberty and defend what would threaten or compromise

that freedom. He praised thePresident’s initiative to reduce airpollution, thus, the Pope urgedthe need to solve the effects ofclimate change to protect thefuture of the children. He quotedMartin Luther King and said that“we have defaulted on a promis-sory note and now is the time tohonor it. Humanity still has theability to work together in build-ing our common home (LaudatoSi). As Christians inspired by thiscertainty, we wish to commitourselves to the conscious andresponsible care of our commonhome.” He encouraged support tothe efforts of international com-munity to protect the vulnerable

and to stimulate developmentso that “our brothers and sisterseverywhere may know the bless-ings of peace and prosperity which God wills for his children.”Te Pope’s speech in English wasinterrupted by several applauses.

***Pope Francis was the first Pon-

tiff to address the Joint Session ofUS Congress. Several Popes wereinvited but Pope Francis was thefirst to accept it. Again, speakingin English, he received severalstanding ovations and sustainedapplause, one of which was hisgreetings “I am most grateful foryour invitation to address this

Joint Session of Congress in theland of the free and the home ofthe brave”. He stated that citizensof a country has a mission, apersonal and social responsibility.He told the members of Congress

that their responsibility is to de-fend and preserve the dignity oftheir fellow citizens in the pursuitof the common good. He wouldlike to dialogue with: the elderly

who are storehouse of wisdomforged by experience; the young

who are working to reali ze theirgreat and noble aspirations; withthe members of Congress and

would like to do so through itshistorical memory of their people

who shaped fundamental valuesin the spirit of the Americanpeople. H said “I would like tomention four of these Americans:

Abraham Lincoln, Martin LutherKing, Dorothy Day and TomasMerton. A nation can be consid-

ered great when it defends libertyas Lincoln did, when it fosters aculture which enables people to“dream” of full rights for all theirbrothers and sisters, as MartinLuther King sought to do; whenit strives for justice and the cause

of the oppressed, as Dorothy Daydid by her tireless work, the fruitof a faith which becomes dialogueand sows peace in the contempla-tive style of Tomas Merton.”

He also talked about the refu-gee crisis of a magnitude not seensince World War II. He remindsall to remember the GoldenRule: “Do unto others as you

would have them do unto you”.He urged all to treat others withthe same passion and compassion

with which we want to be treated.It also applies to our responsibil-ity to protect and defend humanlife at every stage of its develop-

ment. He advocates global aboli-tion of death penalty. He statedhow essential the family has beento the building of this country.

alking again about immi-grants, the Pope said “We, thepeople of this continent, are notfearful of foreigners, because mostof us were once foreigners.” VicePresident Joe Biden and Republi-can House Speaker John Boehnerare both Catholics.

***Pope Francis was the first Pope

to address the U.N. General Assembly. He call ed upon the world community to put asidetheir “partisan interests andsincerely strive to serve the com-

mon good”. Pope Francis assuredof his prayer to Almighty Godthat the U.N. its member States,and officials, will always renderan effective service to mankind,respectful of diversity and capable

OPINION

Fr. Wilfredo Samson, SJ

Pitik-Bulag

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

Duc In Altum

Duc In Altum, A7

Fr. Francis Ongkingco

WhateverServus Servorum Dei

at the center stage

Happily Mirage After

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

By the Roadside

On Forgiveness

Pope Francis:The People’s Pope!

“I is on Peter that He (Christ) builds theChurch, and to him that He entrusts the sheepto feed” (St. Cyprian of Car thage).

Non-clerics probably could raise their eye-brows at the Latin words I am using for the titleof this article. “Servus Servorum Dei” simply

means “Servant of the Servants of God”; it isthe preferred name or title by most popes forthemselves, originally used by Pope Gregorythe Great as a lesson in humility. I distinctlyremember one of my professors in theologyseminary remarking in jest: “It is good to becalled ‘Servant of the Servants of God’ whenyou are pope.” While we gave the observationa good laugh, I realized the subtle commentarybehind it. Most popes in history have cut asaintly figure but the awesome powers thatthe papacy carries, though scarcely in termsof force or billions of money, have tended toportray them, many times, in the company ofkings and emperors.

We Catholics call it sacred power, a moraland spiritual authority over the immense num-ber of Christ’s faithful on matters of faith andChristian living. But it is still power, we must

admit, together with a humble acceptance ofthe dark history in which that sacred power was exercised for a lot less than sacred reasons.“Servus Servorum Dei” had seemed more likea good sound bite to which the remoteness ofRome and the imperial trappings of the papacy were a reality check.

Until the likes of Pope St. John XXIIIcame. “Good Pope John”, as he was called,captured the imagination of the world by hisself-deprecating humor and robust simplicityand humility. Poking fun at his own size heonce suggested that the men who were tasked

to carry him on his papal chair be given a raisein their salaries. Te simplicity and humilityof Blessed Paul VI who refused to wear thetiara, or of John Paul I and St. John Paul II

who preferred to walk to their installationsas popes are still etched in our memory. Te

courageous humility of Pope Benedict XVI who, sensing his waning physical health, askedto be allowed to let go of the papacy for thegood of the Church cannot escape our minds.

But in our time the title “Servus ServorumDei” seems best illustrated by the kind of pa-pacy Pope Francis is showing the world. Hischoice of the name Francis, at first stunningand awe-inspiring, now is clearly becominga window to his mind especially on the wayhe intends to fulfill his ministry. Te HolyFather’s recent global travels, in particular hisPhilippine and US visits, showcase “Servus Ser-vorum Dei” as going beyond mere sound bite.It has added considerably to his own personalcharisma that has generated huge media and

world attention.Tough given the distinct honor of being

welcomed by the President of the US himself,

Pope Francis did not forget the children notonly of the president but also of ordinary par-ents who came to see him at airports and themany places he visited. Even when he walkedand spoke in halls of power, such as the USCongress and the UN General Assembly, hismind and heart were for the marginalized andthe forgotten: the nameless many victimized bythe “vicious cycle of poverty”, the children inthe womb of their mothers, the poor countries

who now bear the brunt of climate change ill-effects, the immigrants who meet hostility asthey search for a better life, the homeless, the

sick, the aged, the prisoners, ordinary familiesthreatened by joblessness and an uncertaineconomy, marriages in crisis due to pressuresfrom external and internal issues includinghomosexuality and same-sex unions—all thesehave found prominent spaces in his speeches

and homilies. It is hard to dissociate the imageof him washing the feet of ordinary peoplefrom his very public words and gestures.

If we understand “servants” being served bythe Holy Father to include not only bishops,priests and lay leaders but also the most ordi-nary and lowly Catholic or human being, then

we might confidently say we have in Pope Fran-cis someone who struggles to be a true ServusServorum Dei. For instance, everybody noticesthat, wherever he goes, Pope Francis always askspeople to pray for him. In this he serves us byreminding us of the power of prayer, nay that

we are God’s People precisely because we are“connected with our Source” through prayer.He humbly accepts that prayers of ordinarypeople are no less powerful before God thanthose of any Church leader, albeit a pope suchas he. He washes our feet and makes us know

that even our humble prayers count, and thathe himself depends on them for his life andministry. He serves us by humbly remindingus that we cannot truly be a Church of Com-munion unless it is first of all a communion ofspiritual goods between the lowliest membersof Christ’s Body and the visible representationof its head.

St. Augustine once said of the power of thepapacy: “Roma locuta, causa finita (Rome hasspoken; the matter is settled).” Now we mightsay: “Rome has humbly and simply spoken;the matter is being widely heard.”

O forgive someone is one of themany challenges we face in life.

Sad to say, when we hold backforgiveness, we bind ourselvesto pain and suffering. But thisis not everything. Te problem wi th no n- fo rg iv en es s is , themore we hold on to our angerand hatred, the more we becomelike our enemies. We breed ourown monsters; and one day, weself-destruct and annihilate ourgentle and loving spirit.

Let me share this simple prayerto forgive our enemies. For-giveness should begin with thedesire to forgive. It must comefrom our strong will, even if ourhearts resist it. Saint Ignatius ofLoyola would say, “Desire it.”But if there is no desire to forgive

someone, he suggested, “Desireto desire it.”

A Prayer for My Enemies

Dear God,Let me take this moment to pray for people who

persecute me.Tey have hurt me a lot,

and I am in pain.I am almost tempted tocurse them and I want

to have a revenge someday.

Forgive me, Lord, forentertaining these thoughts.Remove these evil thoughts

against my enemies, for these thoughts areagainst your Holy Will,

and I don’t want to end miserable like them.

oday, Lord, I prayto bless them all.

Bless them with Your loveand compassion, let them feel

Your love and heal their souls.

Bless them with Yourdivine enlightenment,

let them realize their evildeeds and repent.

Bless them with Your divine con-version, transform their wounded

hearts to loving hearts.

I do believe that their soulsare deeply wounded,

Let mercy come unto me,and not hatred and vengeance.

Allow me not to become like them,living in pain and hatred.

On my part Lord, I pray also

for a special blessing.It is true that to err is human

and to forgive is divine.Forgiveness is such a divine word,

but I have faith in you. Allow me to forgive them,the way You forgive me always.

Bless me with Yourcompassion and mercy,to forgive and pray for

them always, in spite of theirunkind words and deeds.

Bless me with Your divineunderstanding, that I may

see them as wounded people,their evildoings are signs

of their wounds.

Bless me with Your divine patience and generosity,

that I may have self-control

and not fight back,to show kindness and love,

and not vengeance.Let me learn from Your

Son Jesus,who quietly defeatedHis adversaries with peace, forgiveness, and mercy.

Let me not forget His divineteaching to love my enemies and

my persecutors, for they arealso my brothers and sisters.

Let me remember His words,“Father, forgive them, for they do not knowwhat they are doing”

And most of all, let meremember,that once, I was

Your enemy too,but You have forgiven

me countless times.

And until now, in spite ofmy unfaithfulness,

You still shower me withYour forgiveness.

oday, I commit myselfto love my enemies.Tis is quite a difficult promise,

but I will try. Just give me the necessary grace to be more loving

and understanding.

Anything I will do it for You,even loving my enemies.

For once, I was Yor enemy,but You have forgiven me.

Amen.

“Love your enemies, do goodto those who hate you, bless those

who curse you, pray for those whotreat you badly. Be compassionate

just as your Father is compassion-ate.” - Luke 6:27,36

AS children, we always enjoyed hearing every bedtime fairy tale end with, “…they lived happily married after, and had many children.”

A joyful adventure concluding with the Prince conquering allthe evil-doers, rightfully inheriting a kingdom, and marrying hisbeloved Princess.

As the years went by, however, less and less fairy tales closed with ‘…and had many children’. Tis was a result of a graduallyforged mentality by proponents of population control: “smallerfamilies, that is, lesser children equated to a happier married life.”Say goodbye to our Prince Charming dreams.

Advocates of population control continue to doubt man’s capac-ity to freely engineer his perfection together with God’s help. Teyseem to forget the blessings –an abundance of livestock, harvest,more children– that Job received when he faithfully and patientlyembraced the tribulations God allowed in his life.

But something more is about to happen to our fairy tale withthe advent of same-sex marriage. Our children’s tales may stillend with the usual “happily married after,” but parents may findit complicated to explain who are actually getting married. Teinstitution of marriage is rapidly and effectively being redefined

and dismantled by a systematic gay agenda.Tis agenda holds that “marriage as a social institution hasevolved and changed numerous times over the course of human his-tory.” Tey claim this was “to accommodate the needs of a particularsociety and culture.” With these two premises craftily proposed,they conclude that “marriage ought to evolve again to address thecontemporary notions of human sexuality that recognize the fluid-ity not only of gender identities but also of sexual orientations.”

Exactly what they mean by “ought to evolve” is not quite clear. If byevolve they are referring to how the institution of marriage has beengradually liberated from former primitive human unions such as po-lygamy and forced engagements, then marriage has actually achieved anidentity respectful and worthy of the true dignity of man and woman.

If by evolve they mean reducing and impoverishing the institu-tion according to the dictates of the disordered tendencies presentin human nature, then they are implying nothing more than adevolution of marriage to a state where and when it was once ap-preciated only for its reproductive contribution to society.

In reality, ideas evolve more than things in reality. Sadly, not

all ideas are applicable to reality and may be unhealthy for man.Marxist ideology is one example. It considered man to be only mat-ter (that is, without a soul), and considered him to a dispensableminion for work and reproduction of the state.

From this ideology, Marxist created the communist state. It be-came an institution described as “heaven on earth without God.”

We need not describe the horrible and lingering consequences thishad for man’s history. Many have not yet learned from the harshlessons of this socio-political experiment.

Similarly, proponents of same-sex marriage are redefining mar-riage. Although they are not attempting to “create a new institution”they are trying to reconstruct it with the aim that it may “now em-brace unions according to evolving gender identities or ideologies.”

Perhaps, in their attempt to broaden and enrich the definitionof marriage as an institution now embracing their sexual orienta-tions, they are not aware of actually weakening it and making itvulnerable to losing its authentic identity and function of cradlingthe complementary union between one man and one woman.

We cannot here speak of evolving, but of retrogressing or devolv-

ing, as when a particular reality begins to lose the upgraded andperfected qualities it has gained through time. Moreover, it wouldbe unfair to simply redefine a reality or institution, without con-sidering whether the “new definition” will first uphold the natureand dignity of man.

It must be recalled that marriage, although a human institu-tion, originally stems from the innate God-given dignity of manand woman. o neglect this or base its redefinition on one straypsychological tendency—to which the human person’s richnesscannot be reduced to– would be nothing more than intellectualshort-sightedness.

Marriage evolved in its dignity and function as humanity discov-ered, upheld and protected the objective identity and dignity of thehuman person. Tus, it is the most natural and fitting institutionprotecting and perfecting the union between man and woman.Tus, it serves society by ensuring the life-long union of a manand a woman and promoting the procreation and education oftheir children.

If same-sex advocates refuse to open and reflect on these underly-

ing objective truths about the human person and marriage, thenthe most that they can achieve is to deform marriage into a mirageof their sexual orientations. And when this mirage – created by theheat of their passionate agenda—fades into thin air, those who hadhope to find an oasis of hope and affection, will instead encountera harsh, dry, and barren reality of regrets and disillusion.


6/20

A6 CBCP MonitorSeptember 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20LOCAL NEWS

Catechists’ confab inspired byMercy Year, Laudato Si’ setIN line with the ongoing celebration ofCatechetical Month, students, youngprofessionals, catechists, religious educa-tors, and church workers are invited tothis year’s Catechetical Conference (Cat-

Con) on Sept. 27, Sunday, from 1 p.m.to 5 p.m. at the Santa Catalina CollegeChapel, Legarda St., Sampaloc, Manila,

which will focus on Laudato Si’ and theforthcoming Extraordinary Jubilee Yearof Mercy.

Mature faith, balanced spirituality “CatCon is a program we hold each

year on September, which is a monthdedicated to catechists and catechesis.Trough the talks we give, we hope to giveparticipants a more mature understandingof the faith and a well-balanced spiritual-ity,” explained Nestor Limqueco, one ofthe organizers of the event.

Convinced that “one cannot give whatone does not have,” he pointed out those

who wish to share the faith with others

need adequate formation on doctrine, lit-urgy, ecclesiology, biblical hermeneutics,catechetics, and morality.

‘Blessed are the merciful’Temed “Blessed are the merciful, for

they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7),Limqueco noted the seminar draws inspi-ration from Pope Francis’ announcementto make the “Mercy of God” the center ofthe observance in the next liturgical year.

In a March 13 speech, the Holy Fathersaid, “It will be a Holy Year of Mercy. We

want to live in the light of the word of theLord: ‘Be merciful, even as your Father ismerciful’ (cf. Lk 6:36). And this especiallyapplies to confessors! So much mercy!”

Holy year

“Tis Holy Year will commence on thenext Solemnity of the Immaculate Con-ception and will conclude on Sunday, 20November 2016, the Solemnity of OurLord Jesus Christ, King of the Universeand living face of the Father’s mercy. Ientrust the organization of this Jubilee tothe Pontifical Council for Promoting theNew Evangelization, in order that it may

YouCat PH prelate-in-charge Bishop Roberto C. Mallari, chair of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP)’s Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education (ECCCE) with director Fr.Richard P. Lagos during the groundbreaking of the proposed YouCat Center in San José, Nueva Ecija whichintends to be a venue and resource center for education, formation and renewal for the young faithful.YOUCAT PH

come to life as a new step on the Church’s journey in her mission to bring the Gospelof mercy to each person,” he added.

In this regard, part of CatCon is adiscussion on the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy as well as on the devotionto the Divine Mercy.

A talk on Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’encyclical on the care for our commonhome is also slated.

Registration fee is Php 100 for adultsand professionals, and Php 50 for students.

Teology crash courseMeanwhile, the “heology Crash

Course” of Fr. José Antonio E. Aureada,

O.P. will proceed as scheduled also onSept. 27, 9: a.m. to 12:00 p.m.Venue will be at the University of Santo

omás (US) Central Seminary, but onlyfor this month.

For inquiries, interested parties areadvised to contact: Globe (+63)906-410-0010; Smart (+63)939-462-6733(Raymond A. Sebastián / CBCP News)

Cops study Bible together

SOME 60 uniformed and non-uniformedofficers of the Philippine National Police(PNP) recently took part in a two-day“Advance Bible Seminar” at the Saint Jo-seph Church inside Camp Rafael Crame,

Quezon City.

Values, spiritual transformation“Tis is for our police personnel so that

they will be improved by what they learnfrom the Sacred Scriptures as CatholicsChristians,” shared Fr. Jason D. Ortizo,PNP Base Chaplain in an interview.

Te priest, an active personnel with therank of PSupt, added that the activity wasin line with the PNP Chaplain Service’smission of transforming the country’spolice force from within by instilling in itsmembers sound moral and spiritual valuesin order to realize the PNP P.A..R.O.L.PLAN 2030.

Well-attendedHeld from Sept. 15 to 16, the talk series

was facilita ted by resource speaker Br.

Mon Arguelles who discussed the Synop-tic Gospels and how to do Lectio Divina.

Moreover, Ortizo expressed joy that theBible study has been well-attended sinceits launch in 2013.

“Tey were very participative. Others were perhaps having a hard time at first,but they soon were able to make them-selves comfortable given atmosphere andthe topics,” he said.

New Evangelization According him to, the quarterly forma-

tion is anchored on what is called “NewEvangelization” in its use of new waysof bringing the Good News to others,especially the “unchurched.”

“Tat is why we have this kind of pro-grams, like this Bible seminar. Tis alsoaims to dispel the stereotype that Catho-lics are ignorant of the Bible. We hopethat through this, our men and womenin the PNP will encounter Jesus moredeeply,” Ortizo explained. (Raymond A.

Sebastián / CBCP News)

Some 60 members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) learn more about the Bible during a seminarfrom Sept. 15 to 16, 3015. FR. JASON ORTIZO’S SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT

Int’l Eucharistic Congress calls for host families in CebuORGANIZERS for the Inter-national Eucharistic Congress(IEC) have asked people toopen their homes to delegatesfor the event in Cebu City.

Te IEC Home Stay Sub-Committee said it is still opento host families who would

want to open their homes toIEC participants from acrossthe world.

Fr. Ruben Labajo, head ofthe Pilgrim and Accomoda-tions Committee, said of the15,000 delegates, around2,000 of them will be ac-commodated free of chargethrough home stay.

Open homesTese participants are those

who cannot afford hotels orthose who opted to immerse

with the Filipino families.

“We are hoping that morefamilies will open their doorsand accept local or foreigndelegates,” Labajo said in astatement posted at the IEC

website.Te committee said par-

ishes in the cities of Cebuand Mandaue have beentasked with accepting hostfamilies that are willing toprovide free accomodationsfor delegates.

“So at this time, let us welcome Jesus in the personof the delegates and throughthese delegates,” he said.

“We are not actually wel-

coming only mere humanbeings or people who haveno homes but we are wel-coming Jesus Christ in ourhome and during the end oftime, God is going to rewardus,” Labajo added.

Hosting do’s and don’ts A seminar was recent ly

held at a university in Cebufor IEC host families onhosting “do’s and don’ts”.

opics range from properbehavior, suggested bed ar-rangements as well as diningetiquette.

“It is possible that inter-

national delegates wouldopt to stay in an environ-ment where they would beable to feel at home and

would like to immerse withthe families, thus we arepreparing the host families

who will be welcoming del-egates into their houses, sothat they would know howto handle the guests prop-erly,” he said. (R. Lagarde/ CBCPNews)

signed the petition. Arsenio said the show of support was

made at a recent seminar on climatechange for members of the Federation of

Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) heldin Hong Kong.

Te petition will be handed to worldleaders at the Paris climate summit inNovember, asking them to adopt a strongand ambitious universal climate treaty tokeep global average temperatures within1.5°C of pre-industrial levels.

Cardinal Gracias currently heads theCatholic Bishops’ Conference of Indiaand the FABC.

omas Insua, co-founder and GCCMcoordinator, said other bishops support-ing the petition are from South America,Canada and Africa.

he petition was endorsed by Pope

Francis in May 2015.“We aim to get many more bishopsfrom all over the world to sign the petitionand show their support,” he said.

According to Ciara Shannon, also aGCCM co-founder and Asia Coordinatorfor OurVoices, Asia Pacific is at “seriousrisk” of climate change.

And with the double impact of El Niño,she said that more funding is needed tosupport projects that will promote adap-tation and resilience to climate change.

She said that the global nature of theclimate crisis demands a global responseof spiritual, financial and political action.

“We are very encouraged to see the sup-port of East Asian bishops to the GCCMpetition,” Shannon said.

In the Philippines, church leaders havepromised to deliver half of the 20 millionsignatures that the petition seeks.

Cardinal agle again encouraged theFilipinos to take action and signed thepetition.

Te FABC voiced concern that Asiais at serious risk of climate change andthis year there has been a series of un-usual weather disturbances across Asia

including: deadly heat waves in India andPakistan, widespread drought in Cambo-dia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, and waterrationing in Tailand.

Climate scientists have co