CBCP Monitor Vol. 20 No. 01

8/20/2019 CBCP Monitor Vol. 20 No. 01

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MonitorCBCPPROTAGONIST

OFTRUTH

P R O MO T E R

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VOLUME 20 NUMBER 1

JANUARY 11-24, 2016

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Delegates, A7

Prelate to priests: ‘Sendmore poor delegates to IEC’By Rommel Lopez

ASIDE from hoping thatmore delegates from aroundthe globe would join the up-coming International Eucha-ristic Congress (IEC), CebuArchbishop Jose Palma callson all priests to find moreways to shoulder the partici-pation of more marginalizedand financially challengeddelegates to the event thatwill be January 24-31, 2016.

“We encouraged the parish priests of

Cebu to sponsor the participation of thepoor parishioners. Te congress is notonly for those who can pay. Tis is foreveryone,” said Palma in a press briefingat the Arzobispado de Manila.

He also called on all parish priests toorganize a fundraiser to help send poorparishioners to the once-in-a-lifetimeevent aimed at deepening our love andfaith in the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Greetings from Pope FrancisPapal Nuncio to the Philippines Arch-

bishop Giuseppe Pinto echoed the senti-ments of Palma by giving a challenge toall Filipinos to bring the Eucharist whois Christ “[to those] living alongside thepeople in the peripheries”.

“In the pilgrimage of Cebu, you take

the Gospel with you and reflect on St. John’s Gospel [passage] on the bread oflife. And nothing more,” said Pinto.

Cardinal Tagle: Don’t judge Nazarene devotees CARDINAL Luis Antonio agleof Manila does not want peopleto judge the extreme piety of theBlack Nazarene devotees.

In his homily during a Massheld few hours before the an-nual Black Nazarene processionon Saturday, the cardinal said thisburning and fervent devotion isthe devotee’s expression of faith,

love and thanksgiving.“For the others who think the

devotees are just shoving eachother. Tat is not true!” agle said.

“Have you ever experiencedhaving nothing more to hold onto? Once you’ve experienced that,then the Nazareno is there for you.Go to him. Hold on to him. You

will understand why the devotees just want to get near Him. Youdon’t have anyone to hold on to,but the Nazarene is there,” he said.

In defending the ardor of the

devotees, he noted how manyCatholics even lined up for morethan seven hours for the tradi-tional “Pahalik” at the QuirinoGrandstand, enduring hunger,thirst and the heat just to get afew seconds to touch the reveredimage.

“Why do you sacrifice everyyear? Getting less sleep, getting

hungry at time? Others get in- jured. Others faint because of theheat. But why do you keep doingit? Te common answer is, ‘Tisis my way of showing my grati-tude. I want to thank the ‘PoongNazareno’ because of his undyingand unfathomable faithfulness atgoodness to me,’” he said.

‘Hold on to Jesus’Te cardinal said devotees he

talked to said this sacrificing lovethey express is their way of giving

CBCP warns vs. use of gov’tresources in campaigning

HE Catholic hierarchy has warned against using governmentresources in the campaign for nextyear’s local and national elections.

In a new voters’ guide releasedon uesday, the Catholic Bishops’Conference of the Philippines saidgovernment funds and offices

should not be used to advance anypolitical agenda.

CBCP president ArchbishopSocrates Villegas also cautionedagainst “subtler forms of coercionand intimidation” to promote aparticular candidate.

Archdioceseremovesfixed feesfor canonicalcertificates AFER setting a policy against so-liciting or accepting payments forsacraments, a Catholic archbishopthis time wants his parishes to stopcharging fixed rates for issuingcertificates.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas ofLingayen-Dagupan said the moveis still part of the ongoing arch-diocesan reform, as he remindedthe clergy not to “commercialize”church services.

“his is in consonance withour collective vision to cleansethe church of any semblance ofcommercialism in the renderingof Church services,” Villegas toldhis priests in a circular issued on

Jan. 11.

No fixed amount Te new “obligatory policy” was

also agreed upon by the majorityof priests and religious men of thearchdiocese during their regularmeeting last Friday.

Te policy states that baptis-mal certificates, confirmationcertificates, marriage certificates,

wedding banns, and similar docu-ments must be issued to requestingparishioners “without requiringany fixed amount”.

In April last year, the archbishoppushed an end to the system ofcharging fixed rates for sacramentsand sacramentals.

Instead, Villegas, who is cur-rently the Catholic Bishops’ Con-ference of the Philippines presi-

Pope calls Mindanao attacks ‘senseless’

POPE Francis has con-demned assaults by abreakaway Muslim rebelgroup that killed at leastnine civilians in SouthernPhilippines, calling the act“senseless”.

In simultaneous attacks,outlawed Bangsamoro Is-lamic Freedom Fighterskilled (BIFF) seven farmersand two other civilians inSultan Kudarat, Maguin-danao, and North Cotabatoprovinces on Christmas eve.

Responding army soldiersalso killed four rebels in theSultan Kudarat attack.

Te Pope, who visited

the top Catholic country

in Asia almost a year ago,said he was saddened bythe attacks and asked allbelievers “to reject violencein the name of God”.

he pontiff’s feelings were expressed in a telegramsent by his Secretary of StateCardinal Pietro Parolin toCardinal Orlando Quevedoof the Cotabato archdioceseon Monday, Dec. 28.

“he Holy Father wasdeeply saddened to learn[about] the senseless kill-ing of innocent people inMindanao, and he sendscondolences to the fami-lies of those who lost their

lives,” the statement read.

Te pontiff is also hop-ing that security and safety“will be established” in thetroubled region “so thatdialogue, tolerance, andpeace may enable each per-son to live free from fear.”

Pope Francis also calledon the faithful to join himin praying for the victimsand their families.

he BIFF broke awayfrom the mainstream MoroIslamic Liberation Front in2010 due to disagreementsover the peace deal with thegovernment which aims toend decades of turmoil inMindanao. (R. Lagarde/

CBCPNews)

BBL ‘in limbo’, says cardinalCOABAO Archbishop

Orlando B. Cardinal Queve-do, OMI said the Bangsam-oro Basic Law (BBL) is “inlimbo” and nobody knows

wha t’s happen ing beh indthe scenes.

In a recent interview, theprelate said what he knowsare indications that PresidentBenigno Simeon C. AquinoIII “is doing something tohave the BBL passed as it ishis legacy.”

He underscored the needto have the proposed mea-sure passed in its originalform and not the emascu-lated and watered-downversions proposed by Senator

Ferdinand Romualdez Mar-cos, Jr. and Congressman

Church rejects ‘personal vows’in wedding rites

HE head of the CatholicBishops’ Conference of thePhilippines has clarified thatcouples cannot write theirown Catholic wedding vows.

Lingayen-Dagupan Arch-bishop Socrates Villegas,

CBCP President, said theRite of Marriage does notprovide an option for couplesto publicly express their lovein their own words.

Responding to queries

something small back to the Lord“who gave a lot for all of us”.

agle reminded the devoteesthat they were not the first onesto reach out to Christ because it

was Christ who came to reach outto them.

“When you feel you are aloneand you have no one to hold on

Campaigning, A6 Devotees, A6

BBL, A7 Rites, A6

Certificates, A7

Rufus Rodriguez.“Tese watered-down ver-

sions will be unacceptable tothe Moro Islamic LiberationFront (MILF),” said the76-year-old cardinal.

‘Normalization process’

He added the BBL is the

The country will be having its national elections in May 2016. FILE PHOTO

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila. FILE PHOTO

Cotabato Archbishop Orlando B.Cardinal Quevedo, OMI. FILE PHOTO

Pope Francis

baptizes infants, says

faith is their ‘greatest

inheritance’, A3

UGNAYAN

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ, C1

Overcome

indifference and

win peace, B1

Chants of “Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno” reverberated the whole route of the annual Black Nazarene procession from Quirino Grandstand in Luneta to QuiapoChurch in Manila on January 9, 2016. The wooden Black Nazarene, carved in Mexico and brought to Manila in the early 17th century, is deeply cherished andbelieved to be miraculous by millions of devotees. ROI 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 Monitor January 11-24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1WORLD NEWS

Vatican Briefing

Pope to diplomats: Migrants present challenges, but don’tforget their dignityFrancis gave his first major speech of the year to the diplomaticcorps accredited to the Holy See, focusing on the hot-buttontopic of migration and the need to find dignified solutions tothe problem. While the increasing number of migrants certainlyposes a challenge, Francis said that the basic human dignity of

those seeking a better life shouldn’t be overshadowed by theproblems that come with them. “Over the past year Europehas witnessed a great wave of refugees—many of whom died inthe attempt—a wave unprecedented in recent history, not evenafter the end of the Second World War,” the Pope told diplomats

Jan. 11. (CNA)

Vatican paper blasts Charlie Hebdo cover as ‘insulting’ to all faithsOne year after the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris that left 12dead, the Vatican daily newspaper has condemned the Frenchsatirical paper’s anniversary cover which depicts God as an armedterrorist. Te illustration on the paper’s front cover “is insultingtoward faithful of all religions,” Anouar Kbibech, President ofthe Conseil français du culte musulman said in a Jan. 7 article inthe Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano. “It is a caricature

which is not at all helpful at a time when we need to stand byeach other.” Hebdo’s cover for the one-year-anniversary of thetragedy uses Christian iconography to depict God as a terrorist

covered in blood, who is ru nning away with a Kalashnikov slungon his back. Te title of the cover reads “L’assasin court toujours,”translating roughly as “the assassin is still at large.” (CNA)

Missionaries of Mercy to be sent out under the gaze of Padre PioTe body of Padre Pio will be on display for veneration at nextmonth’s Ash Wednesday Mass in the Vatican, where a grou p ofpriests will be sent out as “Missionaries of Mercy” for the Jubilee

Year. Pope Francis “has expressed his keen desire” for the relics ofthe Capuchin saint to be exposed during the Feb. 10 Mass in St.Peter’s Basilica, said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president o f thePontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.In a letter Archbishop Michele Castoro of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo, Archbishop Fisichella explained that thisyear’s Ash Wednesday is the day on which the Pope “will sendthe Missionaries of Mercy throughout the world, conferring onthem the special mandate of preaching and hearing confessions,as a living sign of how the Father welcomes all those who seek

his forgiveness.” (CNA)

Pope Francis baptizes infants, says faith is their‘greatest inheritance’

On Sunday Pope Francis baptized 26 babies in the Sistine Cha-pel, telling parents to nurture the faith in the lives of their chil-dren, because it is the greatest inheritance they can give. “Don’tforget that the greatest inheritance you can g ive to your childrenis the faith. ry to see that i t is not lost, nurture it and leave it asan inheritance,” the Pope said Jan. 10. In his brief homily, thePope told parents that in bringing their children to the chapel toreceive baptism, they are imitating the act of Mary and Joseph,

who, 40 days after Jesus’ birth, brought him to the temple topresent him to God. “Tis is how faith is transmitted from onegeneration to the next, like a chain across time,” he said, referringto how it is faith that is received during the sacrament. (CNA)

Church’s credibility found in showing mercy, pope says innew book Being ministers of God’s mercy, church members overcome“prejudice and rigidity,” taking risks like Jesus did in order to healand to save, Pope Francis said. In Jesus’ day, lepers were cast outof the community “to avoid contamination: the healthy neededto be protected,” but Jesus, at his own risk, “goes up to the leperand he restores him, he heals him,” Pope Francis said in a newbook-length interview on mercy. “By welcoming a marginalizedperson whose body is wounded and by welcoming the sinner

whose soul is wounded, we put our credibility as Christians onthe line,” the pope told the Italian journalist Andrea ornielliin “Te Name of God Is Mercy.” Te book was scheduled for a

worldwide release Jan. 12. (CNA)

Pope establishes Syriac Catholic exarchate in CanadaPope Francis erected an apostolic exarchate for Syriac Catholicsliving in Canada. Te exarchate, a church jurisdiction similarto a diocese established for Eastern or Orthodox Christians liv-

ing outside their native land, will have its seat in Montreal, theVatican announced Jan. 7. Te Vatican said the exarchate willbe made up of territory in Canada that was once part of theNewark, New Jersey-based Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliver-ance for Syriac Catholics. It will include cities such as Ottawaand Mississauga, Ontario; and Laval, Quebec. Pope Francisalso named Father Antoine Nassif as the first apostolic exarchof the new jurisdiction. Born in Beirut in 1969, Father Nassif

worked in two parishes in Lebanon before serving as rector ofthe patriarchal seminary in Charfet, Lebanon. (CNS)

Vatican agreement with Palestine goes into effect A historic agreement signed between the Holy See and Palestinethat supports a two-state solution in the Holy Land has goneinto effect, the Vatican announced. “Te agreement, consistingof a preamble and 32 articles, regards essential aspects of the lifeand activity of the Church in Palestine, while at the same timereaffirming the support for a negotiated and peaceful solution

to the conflict in the region,” the Vatican said in a statement Jan. 2. Te two parties signed the Comprehensive Agreementbetween the Holy See and the State of Palestine at the Vatican

June 26. Te accord focuses mostly on the status and activityof the Catholic Church in the Palestinian territories. It assuresthe church “juridical recognition” and “guarantees” for its workand institutions in there. (CNS)

Singing does good for the soul, pope tells young choristersSinging is good for one’s soul and, as St. Augustine says, Christianlife is not a sad path but a joyous one that is done “singing and

walking,” Pope Francis said. “Remember this: Sing and walk,”the pope said Dec. 31 to 6,000 young choristers, their families,friends and choirmasters from 18 countries. “And in this way,your soul will enjoy more the joy of the gospel.” Te young choirmembers took part in the Dec. 28-Jan. 1 International Congressof Pueri Cantores in Rome. Tey held concerts at several churchesin Rome and were scheduled to sing in St. Peter’s Basilica on

New Year’s Day. (CNS)

After week of silence, Germanbishops respond to Cologne attacksCOLOGNE, Germany, Jan. 11,2016—A week after hundreds

were attacked in Cologne on New Year’s Eve, Card ina l Reinha rdMarx, Archbishop of Munichand Freising and president of the

German Conference of CatholicBishops, condemned the attacks ina press release and called for morevigilance in the future.

“()he excesses in Cologneand other large cities are deeplydisturbing for our society and canin no way be tolerated,” Marx said.

“We need accurate informationand a clear response from theauthorities.”

Over 500 criminal complaints– about 40 percent of whichinvolve allegations of sexualassault – have been filed tothe German police regardingattacks that took place in thesquare outside Cologne’s maintrain station on Monday night

according to BBC. Wo me n ap pe a re d to be

intentional targets of the attacks, which were allegedly carri ed outby large groups of seeming Arabsor North Africans.

he incident has sparkednat ional and internat ionalcontroversy, with accusations ofa cover-up by the police, mediaand politicians after investigationsindicated many of the attackers

Cardinal Marx at the German Bishops’ press conference at the Teutonic College onOctober 5, 2015. BOHUMIL PETRIK/CNA

were men who entered the countryas refugees.

he local police have beeninundated with accusations over

the delay in informing the publicabout the attacks. Tey have alsobeen criticized for supposedlyholding back information aboutthe nationality of the suspects.

German bishops also facedcriticisms for their failure torespond in a timely manner.

In his Jan. 8 statement, CardinalMarx warned that “these newforms of violence and especiallythe inhumane treatment of

wo men cannot be to le ra te d”and he demanded that “all thedifferent forces in society must

work together to prevent this type

of incidents and guarantee safety.”“As a Church we are here

to make our contribution toparticipate in a society that lives inmutual respect,” he stated.

Te Cologne chief of police, Wolfgang Albers, lost his job overthe controversy. He was dismissedMonday, Jan. 11.

A police report leaked to pressnoted that when he was arrested

one of the suspects exclaimed“I’m a Syrian. You have to treatme well. Mrs. Merkel invited me,”referring to German Chancellor

Angela Merkel.In late November, Merkel was

harshly criticized for promotingan open door policy for refugees,despite various security concerns.In 2015, the country took in morethan 1 million asylum seekers,largely from North Africa and theMiddle East.

In a statement to the BBC,Merkel described the attacks as“repugnant criminal acts” thatGermany “will not accept.”

he German Chancel lordemanded that “everything thathappened there will be broughtto the table.”

“We must examine again andagain whether we have alreadydone what is necessary in termsof deportations from Germany, in

order to send clear signals to those who are not prepared to abide byour legal order.”

Cologne Mayor HenrietteRekeralso came under fire for herresponse to the attacks, whenshe initially refuted the link tomigrants and said that the city willbe publishing “online guides” tohelp women and girls be “betterprepared” when they go out atnight. (CNA)

As the Year of Mercy opens, so does thisnew mercy-themed university

ARLINGON, Va., Jan. 10, 2016—Only afew weeks into the Holy Year of Mercy andthe fruits of the jubilee year are already start-ing to be seen.

Among those seeing these fruits is the Insti-tute for Psychological Sciences (IPS), whichrecently announced that it would be openinga new School of Counseling for the 2016year and taking on the name Divine MercyUniversity.

“Tis has been a long-term project for theinstitute,” said Jessie appel, the director ofcommunications for IPS.

“It’s been really exciting to see the expan-sion that we have been able to have, based ondemand, the needs in the field, and on thepositive response we have received in our degreeprograms,” she told CNA.

Te Institute for Psychological Sciences wasfounded in 1999 in Arlington, Virginia by a groupof mental health professionals and originally of-fered degree programs in the field of psychology.

Now, the institute is expanding under thelaunch of Divine Mercy University to collec-tively offer doctorate and master’s degrees inClinical Psychology and Counseling, with thenewly minted School of Counseling.

“Te fields of psychology and counselingare two different fields, so we now have twoschools - the school of psychology, which isIPS, and the school of counseling, which isour new school we are launching with our firstprograms in the fall,” appel explained.

Te new School of Counseling will givestudents the opportunity for national accredita-tion as mental health counselors and will alsobe available to students online.

“It’s something very new that we are going tobe doing - you could basically be taking classesfrom any state through our online program,

which is great because the reach of our alumniand our students is going to exponentiallygrow,” appel said.

Te new namesake of the institution is not without meaning. appel calls Divine MercyUniversity a “mission-centric name” with anoutward focus on mercy.

“Christ asks us to be His instruments ofmercy and healing in the world,” stated Fr.

Charles Sikorsky, the president of DivineMercy University, in a Dec. 29 press release.

“Divine Mercy University’s programs notonly prepare graduates to excel in their fields,they also provide a foundation in understand-ing the totality of the human person, theirvalue and dignity,” he continued.

For the faculty and students, the theme ofmercy is essential to the mission of healing thehuman person, which is why they chose DivineMercy as the anchor of their education.

“What we do is train mental health pro-fessionals with a foundation in psychology,philosophy, and theology to be able to have anunderstanding of the human person, marriageand family - and we needed to encapsulatethat,” appel noted.

“It’s really exciting that we are launching dur-ing the Year of Mercy, which is something that

is definitely providential, because we are payingspecial attention to the theme of mercy, what we need as humans, and what the meaning ofsuffering is,” she said.

Unlike many other psychology programs,appel believes Divine Mercy University setsitself apart by tackling the deeper, anthropo-logical questions of the human person in lightof Catholic faith.

Te university can go above and beyondthe limits of modern psychology because of itsroots in the Catholic-Christian definition ofman, she said. Tis understanding approaches

the healing of clients from a holistic vantage,rather than the typical symptom reductiontreatments or the “nearsighted band-aid ap-proach.”

In contrast, appel said, the Divine Mercypsychology and counseling programs explorehow a human person can flourish in the midstof suffering by focusing on the deeper questionsevery human person has, such as: ‘Who am I?’‘What is suffering?’ and ‘How do I attain truehappiness and freedom?’

“Our program is very unique because of thataspect,” she said, adding that students spendtheir time learning psychology through thelenses of philosophy and theology, in additionto their rigorous academic and clinical work.

Looking forward, Divine Mercy Universityhopes to expand their reach in other areas, suchas offering certificate programs for those whodo not need a degree program.

“It is our responsibility to be able to go outthere to reach and train solid, mental healthprofessionals with a Catholic-Christian view ofthe human person,” appel stated, saying theirmission has been encouraged by the positiveresponses they have already received.

“Divine Mercy University really signifiesthe willingness and openness to the responsivedemand of human suffering,” she continued,adding “we are looking forward to what thefuture will hold for us and for our place insociety.” (CNA)

Current students of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, now a part of Divine Mercy University. DIVINE MERCYUNIVERSITY.

Church set on fire in Lahore LAHORE, January 11, 2016—Achurch building in eastern Pakistan

has been set ablaze following a rowover the use of its loudspeakers dur-ing Muslim prayer times.”Duringthe evening, Muslim villagers wentto Pastor YaqoobSaroya and askedhim to turn the loud speaker off,saying that it was the time forIslamic prayers but he refused,”SardarMusthaq Gill, a Christianlawyer and head of the Legal Evan-gelical Association Development,told ucanews.com.

Te Apostolic Church building inthe Baath neighborhood in Lahore

was conducting a healing prayersession at the time on Jan. 7.”Laterthat night, someone broke into thechurch building, set furniture, tentsand other stuff on fire and escaped,”

Gill said, adding that several copiesof the Bible were also burnt.SobaSa-

roya, brother of the local pastor wholodged a police complaint, said local

Muslims were cooperating withchurch officials to help identify theculprits.”Tere is no tension in theneighborhood at this moment.

A meeting between Christiansand Muslims took place Jan. 10to settle the matter amicably,” Sa-royasaid.Father Emmanuel YousafMani of Lahore condemned thearson attack on the church. “Tisis the first incident of attack on ourplace of worship this year.

Te government should imme-diately apprehend those responsibleand urge people against taking thelaw into their own hands,” said thedirector of the Catholic bishop’sNational Commission for Justiceand Peace.Father Mani said he has

always been cautious when Masstimings coincide with the Muslim

call for prayers.“I always instructmy catechists to lower the volumeof church loudspeakers duringIslamic prayer.Nonetheless, “bothsides should respect another’s reli-gious practices,” he added.

Pakistan has witnessed several

such instances of violence againstChristians. In November last year,

the office of a Christian V channel,“Gawahi” was damaged in an arsonattack.In May last year, mobs at-tacked a church and set fire to Chris-tian homes in DhoopSerri, Lahoreafter they accused Christian youthsof burning pages from a Koran.wo

months earlier, blasts at two Catholicchurches killed 15 people. (UCAN)

The Apostolic Church building in the Baath neigborhood of Lahore was set ablaze Jan.7. UCANEWS


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A3CBCP Monitor January 11-24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

Pope Francis baptizesinfants, says faith is their‘greatest inheritance’VAICAN, Jan. 10, 2016—On SundayPope Francis baptized 26 babies in the Sis-tine Chapel, telling parents to nurture thefaith in the lives of their children, becauseit is the greatest inheritance they can give.

“Don’t forget that the greatest inheri-tance you can give to your children is thefaith. ry to see that it is not lost, nurtureit and leave it as an inheritance,” the Popesaid Jan. 10.

Francis celebrated Mass for the feastof the Baptism of the Lord in the SistineChapel, where he kept with papal tradi-tion and baptized several infants. Tisyear there were 26 – 13 girls and 13 boys.

In his brief homily, the Pope told par-ents that in bringing their children to thechapel to receive baptism, they are imitat-ing the act of Mary and Joseph, who, 40days after Jesus’ birth, brought him to thetemple to present him to God.

“his is how faith is transmittedfrom one generation to the next, likea chain across time,” he said, referringto how it is faith that is received d uringthe sacrament.

Eventually the infants baptized willgrow up to be parents themselves, and willask the same thing for their own children,he observed: “the faith, the faith that isgiven in baptism, the faith which today

brings the Holy Spirit into the hearts,souls and life lives of these, your children.”

Pope Francis then pointed to the spe-cific point in the rite of baptism in whichthe parents are handed a lit candle, andtold to safeguard the faith of their newlybaptized babies.

He told them that faith is the greatesttreasure they can leave their children, and

encouraged them to make this faith growthroughout the lives of their children.

“his is what I wish for you today, which is a joyfu l day for you. I hopethat you will be able to help thesechildren grow in the faith, and that thegreatest inheritance they can receivefrom you is the faith.” (Elise Harris/ CNA/EWTN News)

Vatican City - November 11, 2015. Pope Francis kisses a baby in St. Peter’s Square during the Wednesdaygeneral audience on November 11, 2015. CNA

What’s the plan for reforming Vatican communications?

VAICAN, Jan. 9, 2016—Amid thelengthy process of reforming Vaticancommunications, the Secretariat of State

has stated that the Holy See press office’sadministrative and human resourcesbranches are to be handed over to the newSecretariat for Communications.

he announcement came in a Dec.21, 2015 letter signed by Cardinal PietroParolin, Vatican Secretary of State.

Te letter also noted that the press of-fice’s Bollettino, used to deliver official in-formation, will remain under the controlof the state secretariat, in accordance withPastor bonus, the 1988 apostolic constitu-tion of St. John Paul II which regulates thefunctions and tasks of the Roman Curia’sdicasteries and departments.

Te Holy See press office’s other ac-tivities, however, will be coordinated

with the communications secretariat soas to “secure the unification of all the

communications processes, which are within the competence of the Secretariatfor Communications.”

Cardinal Parolin’s letter recalls thatthe Pope entrusted the Secretariat forCommunication with a “comprehensiverestructuring” of all Holy See communica-tions efforts.

he drafting of the statutes of theSecretariat for Communication is stillunderway, but the letter clarifies that theHoly See press office will be part of thenew secretariat.

Te project for the restructuring ofVatican media is proceeding on a four-year plan. According to a source withinthe Secretariat for Communications, “thesecretariat will take over control of the de-livery of official information at the end of

that term, and the passage of competencesfrom the Secretariat of State to the com-munications secretariat will be graduallyassessed in the course of these four years.”

he same say as Cardinal Parolin’sletter was delivered, the Holy See pressoffice announed the appointment of Greg

Burke as its deputy director, and of Ste-fano D’Agostini as di rector of the Vaticanelevision Center.

Burke has served as the Secretariat ofState’s senior advisor for communicationfor three years; he will replace the currentdeputy director, Fr. Ciro Benedettini, who

will retire as he will turn 70 in February.Burke is likely to serve as a liaison betweenthe state and communications secretariats.

D’Agostini has spent all of his career within the Vatican elevision Center. Hereplaces Msgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò,

who is now pref ect of the Secre taria tfor Communications. D’Agostini was“technical head” at CV, and will largelymanage the organization of filming, whilethe Secretariat for Communications willmanage the content.

Te Pontifical Council for Social Com-munications will likely be absorbed by theSecretariat for Communications, whichis expected to move its headquarters tothe building which currently hosts thepontifical council.

Archbishop Celli, currently president ofthe Pontifical Council for Social Communi-cations, will turn 75 in July, reaching retire-ment age. He is not expected to be replaced.

Archbishop Celli’s deputy, MonsignorPaul ighe, was transferred Dec. 19, 2015,to the Pontifical Council for Culture. Heis to be its adjunct secretary, and will beconsecrated a bishop.

At the conclusion of the four-year planfor the reform of Vatican media, it is likelythat all offices involved in Vatican com-munications will be under the control

of the Secretariat for Communications.Moreover, a unified newsroom to managenews content is being studied. (AndreaGagliarducci/CNA/EWTN News)

Vatican City - December 15, 2015. Press conference on Pope Francis’ 2016 Message for the World Dayof Peace at the Holy See Press Office. CNA

Modern-day popes bravely meet the press:

anarchists, atheists, apostles VAICAN, Jan. 8, 2015—Before he was elected pontiff,Pope Francis had a reputationfor not liking to do interviews.

“Really, I don’t give inter-views. But I don’t know why.I can’t, that’s just how it is. Ifind it a bit tiresome, but I’mgrateful for your company,” hetold the more than 70 journal-ists from all over the worldaccompanying him aboard hisfirst papal flight to Brazil for

World Youth Day in July 2013.he pope, who was un-

afraid of breaking long-heldpractices, looked like he wasready to end a decades-long

tradition of taking questionsfrom reporters on papal flights.

One veteran journalist fromMexico sought to reassure thenew pope that even though hemight feel he’d been throwninto the lions’ den by comingto the back of the plane tomeet the press, “the truth isthat we aren’t that fe rocious.”

Something eventually hap-pened to change his mindbecause, six days later, on thereturn trip back to Rome,Pope Francis opened the floorto journalists, answering everyquestion posed in an 80-min-ute session.

And ever sinc e then , the

pastor who never liked inter-views has become the most-interviewed pope in history.

he nearly 600 responseshe’s given to reporters’ ques-tions in less than three yearsare now compiled in a 368-page book, in Italian only,titled “Pope Francis Replies:Every Interview and PressConference.”

While Pope Francis is themost prolific with the press, hislate-blooming bravery turnsout to be a common trait ofmodern-day popes, accordingto the book’s introduction,

writ ten by Giovanni MariaVian, a church historian and

editor-in-chief of the Vati-can’s L’Osservatore Romano

newspaper.Vian traces in great detail

the history of papal interviews,and how these universal pas-tors became increasingly con-fident and open to the world’smedia.

Te first pope in modernhistory to enter the so-calledlions’ den was—aptly—PopeLeo XIII when he sat downin July 1892 with CarolineRemy—an anarchist, feminist,lapsed Catholic and one of thebest-known reporters of thetime in France.

Te twice-divorced 37-year-old, whose pen name was

“Severine,” had written tothe Vatican secretary of state,presenting herself as “a woman

who had been Christian” butremembers the importance of“loving the least and defendingthe weak,” and as “a socialist

who, even if not in a state ofgrace, has kept intact in her

wounded heart a deep respectfor the faith” and esteem forthe aging pontiff.

Te first papal interview inmodern history was quickly ar-ranged and lasted 70 minutes,Vian wrote.

Remy, who took no notesduring the encounter, spentthat afternoon writing the

story and submitted a draftthe next day to the secretaryof state, who only made a fewrewrites before it appeared onthe front page of Le Figaro,Vian said.

Just a few months before,Pope Leo had sat down withErnest Judet, the French editorof what would soon becomethe world largest newspaper,Le Petit Journal. Te privateaudience, Vian said, does notcount as an actual interviewsince the pope met the editor,not to take questions, but togive him a “declaration”—es-sentially the gist of his upcom-ing encyclical “On the Church

and State in France.”Te next time a pope sat

down with a reporter was onPalm Sunday in 1959 afterSt. John XXIII’s secretary,now-Cardinal Loris Capovilla,contacted Indro Montanelli,

who was working for the Ital-ian daily, Corriere della Sera.

he journalist said, yearslater, the pope had wanted aninterview with a writer who

wasn’t a par t of “the Catholic world” and therefore skippedover his coworker—a Catholicand veteran Vatican reporter,Silvio Negro.

Montanelli said the papalinvitation scandalized his edi-tor, who “did not like the pope

giving an interview at all,”and especially not to a secularoutlet: “In his mind, the popeshould be speaking in Latin.”

Despite the historic and com-mercial coup of clinching apapal interview, the piece endedup on the paper’s third page,Montanelli said, because theeditor was afraid a big splash

would hurt Negro’s feelings.Te real turning point in the

papal approach to the presscame with Blessed Paul VItoward the end of the SecondVatican Council, Vian said.One evening in 1965, thepope sat down with anotherreporter from Corriere della

Sera, Alberto Cavallari, whosaid the pope “explicitly re-

jected the classic monologueof the popes.”

Cavallari wrote that the popetold him times had changedand today “millions of peopleno longer have any religiousfaith. Hence the need for thechurch to open itself up. Weneed to address those who nolonger believe and those whono longer believe in us.”

Blessed Paul saw sittingdown with the secular pressas the next necessary form ofpapal communication—“Tisis dialogue,” Cavallari reportedthe pope as saying.

“alking, explaining one-self, wanting that the speaker

not feel isolated, knowinghow to listen, always lookingto demolish the walls cre-ated between a person and thepope” seemed to be a key partof Blessed Paul’s personality,Cavallari wrote. Te conver-sation was frank, relaxed,unscripted and reflected thepope was aware “he had toface the risk of communicatingin a way that was direct, agileand genuinely human,” the

journalist wrote.Tat approach, especially in

seeking out and respondingto the secular world, has con-tinued the past half-century,

as Blessed Paul’s successorshave sat down for interviews

with athe ists, philo sophe rs,converts and cradle Catholics.

Blessed Paul was the firstpope to invite the press ontothe papal plane to travel withhim during his trips abroad,Vian wrote.

While Blessed Paul wouldsimply greet those flying withhim, St. John Paul II startedspeaking directly to journalistsduring the flights and beganthe aboard-the-papal-planenews conferences, which con-tinued under Pope Benedict

XVI and, despi te his initia lfears, Pope Francis.

On that flight back fromBrazil, Pope Francis told re-porters how happy and spiri-tually renewed he was to havebeen cast among the throngs ofyoung people. He said forego-ing heavy security meant “Icould be with the people, hugthem, greet them, withoutarmor-proof cars. It’s the secu-rity of trusting in the people”and God.

“I prefer the craziness of be-ing out and running the r isk,”he said, which may be whatled to him to take that otherrisk of being cast to the den atthe back of the plane where, headmitted, “I’ve seen the lions

weren’t so ferocious.” (CarolGlatz/Catholic News Service)

Missionaries of Mercy to be sent out under the gaze of Padre PioVAICAN, Jan. 6, 2016– Tebody of Padre Pio will be on dis-play for veneration at next month’s

Ash Wednesday Mass in the Vati-can, where a group of priests willbe sent out as “Missionaries ofMercy” for the Jubilee Year.

Pope Francis “has expressed hiskeen desire” for the relics of theCapuchin saint to be exposed dur-ing the Feb. 10 Mass in St. Peter’sBasilica, said Archbishop RinoFisichella, president of the Pontifi-

cal Council for the Promotion ofthe New Evangelization.

In a letter Archbishop Mi-chele Castoro of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo,

Archbishop Fisichella explainedthat this year’s Ash Wednesday isthe day on which the Pope “willsend the Missionaries of Mercythroughout the world, conferringon them the special mandate ofpreaching and hearing confes-sions, as a living sign of how theFather welcomes all those whoseek his forgiveness.”

“Te presence of St. Pio’s re-mains,” he said, “will be a pre-

cious sign for all missionaries andpriests, who will find strength fortheir own mission in the won-drous example of this untiring,

welcoming and patient confessor,an authentic witness of the Father’smercy.”

Tese Missionaries of Mercy arepriests who, during the Jubilee ofMercy, will be given the facultiesto pardon sins in cases otherwisereserved to the Holy See.

St. Pio of Pietrelcina, colloqui-

ally known as “Padre Pio,” was apriest of the Order of the Friars

Minor Capuchin, a stigmatist,and a mystic, who lived from1887-1968. He was beatified in1999, and canonized in 2002 bySt. John Paul II. He was born inPietrelcina, but ministered in SanGiovanni Rotondo from 1916until his death.

February’s exposition of PadrePio’s remains at the Vatican is partof the relics’ tour for the Year ofMercy, which will include stopsin Rome and Pietrelcina, accord-

ing to newly released information.Italian media reports that Padre

Pio’s relics, which reside in theshrine at San Giovanni Rotondo,

will arrive Feb. 3 at Rome’s Ba-silica of Saint Lawrence Outsidethe Walls, where it will remainthrough Feb. 4, under the care ofthe Capuchins.

On Feb. 5, the relics will becarried in procession from SaintLawrence to St. Peter’s Basilica,

where they will remain until Feb.11. Various events will be heldduring this period, including a

papal audience Feb. 6 with mem-bers of “Padre Pio prayer groups,”

workers at the Home to RelieveSuffering – founded by St. Pioin 1956 – and faithful from theManfredonia-Vieste-San GiovanniRotondo archdiocese.

On Feb. 9, Pope Francis willpreside over Mass with Capuchinbrothers, Padre Pio’s own order,from around the world.

After Mass Feb. 11 for the feastof Our Lady of Lourdes presidedover by Archbishop Fisichella,St. Pio’s relics will be taken for

three days to Pietrelcina. (AnnSchneible/CNA/EWTN News)

Budget cut on contraceptives‘a welcome move’MANILA, Jan. 8, 2015—Church of-ficials have welcomed the leg islature’sdecision to cut the government’s P1billion budget for contraceptives.

Archbi shop Ramon Argu elles ofLipa archdiocese told reporters hethought it was “very Filipino”

“I hope all P1 billion will be spentto construct schools, give high edu-cation and moral formation for theyoung, and job opportunities foradults,” said Arguelles who heads theCBCP Permanent Committee onPublic Affairs.

Heath Secretary Janette Garin ear-lier said the agency’s 2016 budget forthe procurement of contraceptives hadbeen scrapped when it passed throughCongress.

Senator Vicente “ito” Sotto,however, said less than P200 mil-lion only was removed from thebudget for contraceptives, includ-ing injectables that are consideredabortifacients.

Senator Loren Legarda, who chairs

the Senate committee on finance, also

defended the budget cut, saying it wasmeant to increase the budget of otheragencies.

She said part of it was also used forthe increase in the state universitiesand colleges’ budget.

Legarda added that a part of the P1

billion was even realigned within thehealth department to provide for thehealth facilities and medical assistanceto indigent patients.

Fr. Jerome Secillano of the NuestraSeñora del Perpetuo Socorro ParishChurch in Manila’s Sampaloc district,said it is “perplexing that a law thatprevents life from developing” shouldbe funded.

“It is, therefore, good to know thatno budget is allocated for the procure-ment of contraceptive s,” he said. “It’sa welcome news”.

“here’s still much to be done.he government should be moreproactive in funding programs that

will help people rise up from theirmiserable conditions,” Secillano said.

(CBCPNews)


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A4 CBCP Monitor January 11-24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

POLIICS and mercy can andshould be together. Contrary to

what many peop le may think,politics is in great need of mercy,otherwise it has no other alterna-tive but to go to the dogs.

It should never be thought of asan anything-goes affair, an openfield for all kinds of shenanigansto take place. We need to breakaway from that mindset, for thesimple reason that it does us nogood, it corrupts us as a personand as a people, it can only gener-ate a vicious cycle of evils.

Whe n po lit ic s is merci les s,one evil generates another which

reinforces the former that againspawns another evil, and so on

and so forth, until the whole at-mosphere is completely pollutedand poisoned. Te worst thingthat can happen is when this un-fortunate state of affairs becomesnormal to us.

Just like any human endeavor,politics should be done in theframework of charity and mercy.Mind you, that framework doesnot undermine the realism weneed to have when doing poli-tics. On the contrary, it enhancessuch realism, but prevents it fromdeteriorating into a heartless andinhuman activity. We need toexplode the myth that charity and

mercy would hinder the workingsof politics.

With mercy, our politi cs canremain human and with a heart,capable of seeing things withutmost objectivity and realism,and with the proper prioritiespreserved and defended. Charityand mercy can only sharpen ourdesire for truth, justice, and thecommon good, without takingimmoral and illegal short-cuts.

What go od does a ge ne ra lpolitical culture of bashing, mud-slinging, and fault-finding do? Ifthat’s our idea of being objectiveand realistic, we as a people arestill light-years away from thespirit of Christ whom most of us

profess to believe and follow. Putin another way, we would seem

to be in the primitive stage yetas a people insofar as politics isconcerned.

Christ precisely was undeterredby sin and the many miseries ofmen. In fact, sin and the humanmiseries made him to be mostsolicitous of us, showering us withan abundance of his mercy.

What only got his goat was theself-righteousness of some people

who were quick to judge others,to find fault in them, even if theythemselves have their own short-comings and other worse things.

Tis self-righteousness is pre-cisely what is most opposed to

the spirit of Christ. It’s not men’s

A NUMBER of readers responded to our lastcolumn’s request for gift-suggestions for priests.Priests’ birthdays and anniversaries occur allyear round, and because we enjoy celebratingthem by giving gifts, sometimes we run out ofgift ideas. Before you shop around for the nextgift-worthy event, it might be good to considerthis list from our readers; with the best of inten-

tions we don’t want to waste anything by givingthe “wrong gift” to our beloved consecratedmen. Here goes:

For a practical, affordable gift: “Ask thepriest what his projects or parishioners need,as I did with our newly assigned parish priest.He gave me a list from which I picked some-thing I could afford—a small electric kettlefor quick water-boiling, 290 pesos. Yes, it’s animpersonal gift, but very useful, and benefitsall who are served tea or coffee in his office.”

Tis one thinks of the priest’s safety even

when asleep: “A simple reliquary he may putin his bedroom so he sleeps in the company ofhis favorite saints.”

For instant do-it-yourself relief at work:“Something that he can use for relaxation, likea hand-held massager for aching shoulders. Orhealing aromatic oils. Our family has manypriest-friends, and we are sure they appreciate

this one.” Another stress-busting suggestion: “Puzzles

of any kind would be appreciated. Tey mo-mentarily distract [us] from problems.”

Tis reader gave a number of guaranteed-to-work suggestions: “Find out his interests.Sports? Give him towels, elbow guard, kneeguard, athletic socks. Music? Give a collec-tion of best hits from several genres, saved ina USB flash drive. Beach-walking? Tereare good-quality but inexpensive beach shoesavailable—I once gave a pair (bought at a

tiangge) to a priest who wore them (even when driving) until they disintegrated, thenasked me to buy him another pair after. Hereally loved them because they’re comfortable,durable, and cheap.”

Tis one thought about the priest’s flockas well: “Mompo may be ordinary but it isa practical gift; the priest will never not need

it, and you lessen the expense of the parish bygiving it, too.”

his came from someone organizing aNeuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) train-ing for priests: “I believe that the best gift forpriests would be a seminar that will make themeffective preachers, counselors, and healers.”

You can give a “personal” gift, too, like this:“Personalized stationery would be both usefuland unique. I got the idea when I was visitinga friend who owns a printing press. I saw the

EDITORIAL

WIH the guidance of the Pontifical Committee on Interna-

tional Eucharistic Congress we started our preparations bothin the national level through the Catholic Bishops Conferenceof the Philippines and in the local level in the Archdioceseof Cebu. Various Committees were formed and documentsrelated to the I.E.C. were prepared. In a few months ourTeological Committee has proposed relevant themes. Dur-ing our meeting in Rome, the Letter of St. Paul to the Colos-sians 1:27 “Christ in you, our hope of glory” was chosen asmost appropriate. Te visit and ocular inspection of the MostRev. Piero Marini, President of I.E.C., Fr. Vittorio Boccardiand Anne Griffin to Cebu that September of 2012 provedmost helpful in their practical assessment and orientation.

In the midst of our preparations for I.E.C. two naturaldisasters happened in our country in 2013. Te earthquakethat occurred on October 15 and the super typhoon onNovember 8 confirmed that indeed as Bishop Claver, S.J.pointed out Philippines has the unenviable title of being the“natural disaster capital” of the world. Te whole world hasseen that death by thousands and destruction of infrastruc-

tures and crops by the billions (others say, in fact they areunquantifiable) descended particularly in the Visayas islands.

As expected the entire country focused our efforts for immedi-ate relief and rehabilitation. Cebu played a major role as thecenter of communication, transportation, relief operationsand rehabilitation efforts. Understandably, preparations forI.E.C. slackened if not really halted. At this point may I,in the name of my brother Bishops and the entire country,sincerely thank you for the prayers and for the various sup-port or aid given to our country. Te visit of the Holy Fatherlast January 15 to 19 proved most consoling for our people

In 1937 IEC in Manila a phrase in a popular song madeus claim that we are a “pueblo amante de Maria.” 79 yearsafter that, we renew the claim with fervor that we have be-come lovers of Mary, because we know she has loved us inthe first place. We entrust this I.E.C. to Mary, mother of theEucharist. May she who was there at the foot of the cross

when Jesus offered this supreme sacrifice of love be with usthat like her we may be imbued with the missionary spirit.

Devotion to Señor Sto. Niño de Cebu is the oldest devotionin our country. Te image of the Child Jesus is the gift of theSpanish explorers to Queen Juana and Rajah Humabon onthe occasion of their baptism. Te special feast of the SantoNiño in the Philippines is celebrated on the third Sunday of

January. In Matthew, the wise men from the East came toadore the Child Jesus and they offered to him their gifts. Itis our prayer that many will come to Cebu, home of the Sto.Niño. He who would eventually offer His body to eat andblood to drink in the Eucharist. And like the Magi they willgo home returning on different routes of conversion andmission bringing home the gifts they have received from theLord Jesus.

- Excerpts of the talk given by Archbishop Jose Palmaat the Holy See Press Office in October 2015

IN October last year, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma delivereda talk at the Holy See Press Office in Rome about the forth-coming 51st International Eucharistic Congress that willbe held in Cebu on Jan. 24 - 31, 2016; to be preceded by atheological symposium on Jan. 20-22.

In that talk, he asked for prayers so that the Congress should

bear fruit along the lines of the following objectives: “a) topromote an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist inthe life and mission of the Catholic Church; b) to help andimprove our understanding and celebration of the liturgy; c)to draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist.”

Te pastoral directions of the International EucharisticCongress when it was first held in the Philippines in 1937may not be farfetched. But, disputably though, it has deep-ened mostly along the path of the liturgical or devotional.Te crowd of churchgoers, for instance, that fills up parishchurches on Sundays is relatively higher than in other Catholiccountries, although PCP-II observed that the number is stillsmall vis-à-vis the total Catholic population in a locality. Tisobservable fact says rather loudly about how most Filipinoslove the Eucharist. In Europe and even North America as inother parts of the world, Filipinos have a signature presencein Catholic Churches, especially during Sunday masses.

But one thing that has been found very much wantingis the difficulty of translating the social dimension of the

Eucharist into praxis. = Cardinal Luis Antonio agle callsthis “practical atheism” which is very prevalent among manyFilipino churchgoers. In one of his homilies some years backhe said; “During Sundays, we profess our faith in God. Butstarting Monday, cheating happens because of money… wetake advantage of other people for our own interests.”

In a press conference last month, Archbishop Palma an-nounced that he has created a committee on social concernsamong the many committees of the 51st International Eucha-ristic Congress. “We should be able to make the poor believethat we who benefit from the Eucharist should manifest thisin our concerns, especially for the less privileged,” he said.

Tis is a tall order. But this will make so much difference,especially in the context of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year ofMercy.

IEC at the home of Sto. Niño

The social dimension

of the Eucharist

OPINION

Politics andthe Year of Mercy

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

Pedro C. QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Nirva’ana E. DelacruzAssociate Editor

Roy Q. LagardeNews Editor

Kris BayosFeatures Editor

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

Mercy: The BeatingHeart of the Gospel

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

And That’s The TruthGifts for priests

Part 2

Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

Living Mission

The CBCP Monitor is published fortnight ly by the AreopagusSocial Media for Asia, Inc. with editorial and business officesat Ground Flr., Holy Face of Jesus Center & Convent, 1111F. R. Hidalgo Street, Quiapo, Manila. Editorial: (632) 404-

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Candidly Speaking, A7

And That’s The Truth, A6

POPE Francis is truly a “pope ofmercy.” Tis fact was clearly dem-onstrated by the theme chosenfor his January 2015 visit to thePhilippines: mercy and compassion.

As noted by the Philippine bishopsin their pastoral letter: “Te HolyFather has clearly laid out his wishthat the main objective of his visit

is to bring Christ’s compassion forour suffering people, still strug-gling to rise from the devastation

wrought by the earthquake andtyphoon.”

In a unique way Pope Francishas focused the Church’s attentionon the theme of mercy and thepoor. His document, Misericor-diae Vultus (Te Face of Mercy ),proclaims an entire year of mercy ,extending from December 8, 2015[50th anniversary of the close ofVatican II] to November 20, 2016[Feast of Christ the King]. Francissays: “We need constantly to con-template the mystery of mercy. Itis a wellspring of joy, serenity, andpeace…. Mercy [is] the bridge that

connects God and man” (MV 2).God, Father of Mercy . Scrip-ture clearly affirms that God is “the

Father of mercies and the Godof all consolation” (2 Cor 1:3).Our God is “rich in mercy” (Eph2:4). One of Jesus’ best knownparables is that of the “mercifulfather” (though often known asthe parable of the prodigal son):Lk 15:11-32. Te magnanimousfather shows his overflowing love,

mercy and compassion to both ofhis sons. Tere is great rejoicingbecause the younger brother, pre-sumably dead, has returned alive. Aclose reading of this narrative revealsthe overflowing mercy and tender-ness of the compassionate father.

Jesus, the Face of the Father’sMercy . In Jesus of Nazareth,mercy has become living andvisible. Indeed, whoever sees

Jesus sees the Father (cf. Jn 14:9). Jesus’ entire life and “his person isnothing but love, a love given gra-tuitously…. Te signs he works,especially in the face of sinners, thepoor, the marginalized, the sick,and the suffering, are all meant toteach mercy. Everything in him

speaks of mercy. Nothing in himis devoid of compassion” (MV8). Jesus “felt deep compassion”

for the crowds (Mt 9:36). Jesusspoke many parables devoted tomercy: the lost sheep, the lost coin,and the father with two sons (Lk15:4-7, 8-10, 11-32).

Church, Community of Mer-cy . “Mercy is the very foundationof the Church’s life. All of herpastoral activity should be caught

up in the tenderness she makespresent to believers; nothing inher preaching and in her witness tothe world can be lacking in mercy.“Te Church lives an authentic life

when she professes and proclaimsmercy … and when she bringspeople close to the sources of thesavior’s mercy, of which she is thetrustee and dispenser” (MV 11).“Te Church is commissioned toannounce the mercy of God, thebeating heart of the Gospel….

Wherever there are Chris tians ,everyone should find an oasis ofmercy” (MV 12).

Mary, Mother of Mercy . “Mythoughts now turn to the Motherof Mercy…. No one has pen-

etrated the profound mystery ofthe incarnation like Mary. Herentire life was patterned after the

presence of mercy made flesh….She treasured divine mercy in herheart…. Her hymn of praise (Lk1:46-55) was dedicated to themercy of God…. At the foot ofthe cross, Mary, together with

John, the disciple of love, wit-nessed the words of forgivenessspoken by Jesus. Tis supreme

expression of mercy towards those who crucified him shows us thepoint to which the mercy of Godcan reach” (MV 24).

Christians and the Practice ofMercy . Some guidelines for ourliving-in-mercy are: (1) Manifest-ing God’s mercy is a duty for everyChristian; it is not optional; (2)Mercy addresses suffering / “pov-erty” of various types in the world:physical, spiritual, personal, struc-tural, and psychological; (3) Weneed to practice mercy both adintra and ad extra [both in andbeyond our homes and communi-ties]; (4) Mercy is demanding; it isnot easy; yes, its demands are ofteninconvenient and unpredictable;

it impinges on our personal plansand schedules; it is not only givingthings, but giving ourselves.

MonitorCBCPPROTAGONIST

OFTRUTH

P RO MO T E R

OFPEACE


5/20

A5CBCP Monitor January 11-24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1 OPINION

Justice and mercy

Happy and Sad Seeds

May 2016 Usher inPeace and Prosperity!

Better Late than Never

Rev. Eutiquio ‘Euly’ Belizar,

Jr., SThD

By the Roadside

A PRIES and a judge were seated besideeach other during a wake. Te conversationturned to legal matters. Te judge was tryingto underscore the superiority of the law overanyone or anything in human society. “Yousee, Father, as we say in the legal profession,

‘We are a government of laws, not of men,’”he said. “For example, if I were to commit acrime, say murder or slander someone, I mustbe given my just desserts, a jail sentence ifneed be, because even if I am a judge, I amnot above the law.” Te priest thought for a

while and said, “How true. But if you were tocome to me for confession and you were trulyrepentant, I would have to give you absolutionbecause God’s mercy is above the law.”

It is wrong to draw from this story theconclusion that justice and mercy are at log-gerheads and one of them ultimately triumphsover the other at some point in life. Still,considering the relation between justice andmercy is no mere theoretical exercise. It is atthe heart of a believer’s life.

Te more human society matures the greaterits sense of justice as a rule to live by. St. Au-

gustine, in fact, in his commentary on Johnthe Evangelist, exclaimed, “Fiat jus et pereatmundus (Let justice be done, though the worldperish).” For Pope Francis this is no surpriseat all. He even thinks justice is necessary forany aggrupation of human beings. “Justice,” heasserts, “is a fundamental concept for civil soci-ety, which is meant to be governed by the ruleof law. Justice is also understood as that whichis rightly due to each individual” (Misericor-diae Vultus, no. 20). He, however, also pointsout that there is a sense of justice that leads toan extreme condition called legalism. He citesthe case of justice in the O being equivalentto “the full observance of the (Mosaic) Law andthe behavior of every good Israelite in confor-mity with God’s commandments”, a legalismcan be overcome only by bearing in mind “that

in Sacred Scripture justice is conceived as thefaithful abandonment of oneself to God’s will”(ibid.). ime and again Jesus shows us in theGospel that this so-called ‘faithful abandon-ment of oneself to God’s will’ can mean morethan observing the letter of the Law of Moses.

In fact, in regard to the Pharisees and scribes who excelled in literal observance of the Law,he warns his hearers, “I tell you, then, that ifyou are not righteous in a way better that theteachers of the Law and the Pharisees, you

will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt5:20). He contrasts the doing of the letter ofthe Law to what the will of God fully and moreperfectly demands. Consider his teaching onthe fifth commandment: “You have heard thatit was said in the past, ‘Do not commit murder;anyone who kills will have to face trial. But Itell you, whoever gets angry with his brother

will have to face trial. Whoever insults hisbrother deserves to be brought to the Sanhe-drin, whoever humiliates his brother deservesto be thrown into the fires of hell” (Mt 5:21-22). Or on adultery: “You have heard that it

was said: ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell

you this: anyone who looks at a woman withlust has already committed adultery with herin his heart” (Mt 5:27-28). On this two aloneit is easy to see that for Jesus, justice does notnecessarily mean the mere observance of theletter of the (Mosaic) Law.

No, we are not trying to give justice a bad name. We are rather leading the conversation to

what happens to justice when faith in JesusChrist comes into the equation. In fact, theHoly Father declares that Jesus himself hastransformed justice by putting faith above theobservance of the Law, saying to objectingPharisees, “Go and learn the meaning of ‘Idesire mercy and not sacrifice [Is 6:6]’. I havecome not to call the righteous but sinners” (Mt9:13) [MV 20]. Jesus, says the pope, expands

justice that divides people into “just” and “sin-

ners” based solely on obedience or disobedienceto the Law. Tis he does by “revealing the greatgift of mercy that searches out sinners and of-fers them pardon and salvation” (ibid.).

Tis conversation is further enriched when we turn to two figures in the Gospels: John the

Baptist and Jesus. As John preaches repentanceand judgment to sinners, it becomes clear howhe is a prophet who underscores justice becausehe tries to turn sinners back to obedience tothe Law, though in a sense above the literallegalism of the Pharisees. On the other hand,

Jesus mingles with and accompanies sinners,searching them out, dining with them andinviting them to his company because “Tisis the time of fulfillment; the kingdom is nearat hand” and it is in relation to this that theyare further invited to “repent and believe inthe good news” (Mk 1:15). Te justice and

judgment preached by John the Baptis t isnot opposed to the preaching and practiceof Jesus but leads to the further revelation by

Jesus himself of God’s mercy. John the Baptistdoes end up being the Messiah; he gives wayto Jesus the Christ. Justice may indeed lead to

obedience to God’s commandments, but it isthe mercy of God in Jesus Christ that leadsto salvation. “Mercy,” says the pope, “is notopposed to justice but rather expresses God’s

way of reaching out to the sinner, offering hima new chance to look at himself, convert andbelieve” (MV 21).

Let’s digress and take a hypothetical case.If suppose you were a father and you told

your children not to play with matches, andthey disobeyed you resulting in your housebeing burned down, would you not save yourchildren because, in your line of reasoning, by

justice they deserve the consequences of theirdisobedience? I doubt it. In life you would letmercy triumph over justice when it concernspersons you love. Should it be any less withGod, the Father of us all?

Fr. Francis Ongkingco

Whatever

“ELLY, what are you doing, hon-ey?”

“Sortin’ out the seeds, mommy,”Little Elly said. She had scattereda pile of monggo seeds in front ofher and was sorting them out be-tween a pink cup and an ordinarypaper cup.

“What goes into the pink cup,dear?” Her mom asked.

“hey are the happy seeds,mommy!”

“Happy? How do you knowthey are happy?”

“I look at them very closely,” shetook a seed and stared intensely atit that she almost got cross-eyed.

“Ten…?”“Ten, I feel happy,” she giggled

as she placed the last seed into thepink cup.

“And if it isn’t?”“hen it goes into the other

cup.”

* * * We may not have Elly’s gift of

discerning happy from sad seeds.But we all know, without needingany special gift, when we are eitherhappy or sad. Moreover, we areaware of what can make us happyand what can make us sad.

he usual cause of commonsadness, not including psycho-emotional disorders, would beunfulfilled goals and expectations.Tis is especially true when wehave sincerely worked for them.But this kind of sadness has a re-deeming value in fortifying one’s

will and tempering the passions.It is unlike the sadness resultingfrom selfishness.

Selfishness, is a kind of sadness

masked by an apparent happi-ness. One actually isn’t happy butonly content with oneself: to haveeaten, enjoyed, slept, and earned.Te only capacity for growing inthis condition is the thickening ofthe ego’s layers and blinding onefrom the needs of his neighborand society.

One of the best ways to over-come this selfishness, more so

when one is really feeling downand out, is sowing happy seeds.How can one who is sad sow hap-piness? Humanly speaking, this isquite unnatural because it wouldbe hard to give what one does nothave. But spiritually, this is notonly meritorious, but will evenmake the soul happier and holier.

Fulton Sheen has a reflection

that may help us to understandbetter the idea behind Christianself-giving or sowing happiness:

“Tere is a law about mercy justas rigid as the laws of nature. What

we sow, that also we reap. If wesow sparingly we reap sparingly.If we sow generously we reap anabundant harvest. (…) In other

words, by thinking of others weget God to think of us. If the seedof the springtime thought only

of self, but never of the soil, therain, and the sun, it would neverbloom and blossom into flowerand fruit. But once it forgetsitself and goes outside itself, andeven dies to seed-life for the sakeof the soil and sun and air, lo! itfinds itself renewed and beautifieda thousand times. (Te Cross andthe Beatitudes)”

Let us learn to sow happy seedsevery day. Even though sometimesthe weather conditions don’t seemall too favorable due to discord,violence, lies, and all forms ofimmoral storms and surges. Tus,Pope Francis would suggest thatthe keys to happiness within ourfamilies and society could befound in “three secret phrases:“May I?”, “Tank you,” and “I’m

sorry. (Audience, 13-V-2015)”* * *Elly finished sorting out the

seeds. Her mother could not helpbut be amused with this childlikegame she was in.

“What are you going to do withthe sad seeds, Elly?” She asked.

“I guess I will plant them in thebackyard,” she replied.

“You will still plant them? Whynot throw them in the garbage

can?”“Nah, who knows if they

change, they may give wonderflowers and seeds later on,” Ellystood up to dispose of her seeds.

“How do you suppose they willchange, dear?”

“Maybe I could cheer them up with a song or a joke before plant-ing them,” she said gleefully as shedisappeared behind the kitchendoor.

* * *If we patiently sow even the tini-

est seeds of a smile, understanding,and kindness, the bad weather willpass and the seeds –even the onesthat seem sad– will bear fruits ofhappiness and peace watered withGod’s grace and mercy.

Fr. Carmelo O. Diola

Spaces of Hope

OO bad my good friend, Inting Visarra,and I arrived three weeks later. We were atHouse no. 20 East at 72 St. between Madisonand Fifth Avenues in Manhattan. Tis wasPope Francis’s residence when he visited New

York City last 24 and 25 September 2015. Butthen, even if we had arrived earlier, we wouldnot have been able to make it to first base.

Still, once in a while, we can imagine, can’t we?Inting’s alibon kababayan, Archbishop Ber-nie Auza, Permanent Observer of the Vaticanto the UN, had been Pope Francis’s point manin the Big Apple. He had graciously invited usfor supper along with some priests from New

York and Utah. Tis turned out to be a verypleasant and informative evening.

Inting had been my student at the theol-ogy seminary of Cebu where he succeeded atknowing what his vocation was. Tis formerseminarian is now married to Dindin and theyhave four girls, ages 9-15. He had graciouslyprovided me much-needed company andmobility support.

Te house of the Permanent Observer ofthe Holy See to the United Nations is a sixstory concrete building, 10,960-square-foot,of neo-Renaissance style, whose interior is

mostly made of high-quality wood. It hadbeen donated to the Archbishop of New York

in 1975 by the heirs of the late Hugh J. Grant, who served as New York Cit y mayor from1889-1892. Te building does not have animposing exterior.

As the evening progressed, so did rchbishopBernie show a good grasp of many currentissues that were of interest to his guests fromNew York City and Utah. His ready wit fueled

much laughter.

***

Te good prelate from Bohol had shownhis mettle in the aftermath of the earthquakethat demolished much of Haiti in 12 January2010 and killed about 200,000 people. He wasPapal Nuncio there.

He reminisced about a local painter in Haiti who had approached him on a beach and couldtell that he was a priest although he was not ina clerical attire. He had since purchased someof the painter’s works, one of which hangs inhis present residence.

He also showed us the room where PopeFrancis had stayed for two nights and told ushow “Lolo Kiko” had shown up thirty min-utes early for a morning fellowship with his

(Archbishop Bernie’s) family last 25 September.If my memory serves me right, Monsignor

Bernie’s parents will soon be celebrating their70th wedding anniversary and they still traveltogether!

Tis brief meeting with Abp. Bernie hadbeen part of my effort to invite delegates tothe 51st International Eucharistic Congressto make a side trip to acloban and agbilaranto “experience the joyful and resilient faith of

Filipinos”.Tis side trip had been part of the plans ofthe Solidarity and Communion Committee(SCC) of the 51st IEC. Te SCC is tasked

with ensuring the dignified participation of thepoor during the IEC. Tis plan, however, tooka back seat in the face of the many demands ofthe SCC, like identifying and preparing 500street and other very poor children. Tis alsomeans coordinating with parishes and groups

who wi ll actually reach out to and catechizethe children.

Last September, the plan was revived dueto a confluence of factors. SCC decided to dosocial marketing and actual legwork in the USto invite more delegates and include the saidside trip. Tis is named the Break Bread cam-paign. Te travel itinerary emerged on a dailybasis. It was also my first hands-one experience

in social marketing. Using Archbishop Palma’s

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

Duc In Altum

IME flies so fast. Christmas has passed and the New Year isnow here. May the 51st International Eucharistic Congressin Cebu from January 25 to 31, 2016 be a successful one,especially with the theme “Christ in you, our hope of glory.”he choice of the Philippines as the venue w as announced byPope Emeritus Benedict XVI during the Eucharistic Congressheld in Dublin, Ireland in June 2012. he Catholic Bishops’Conference of the Philippines hopes that the congress willdeepen the Eucharistic devotion in the Philippines andprepare for the 500th anniversary of evangelization in thecountry in 2021.

***

We pray that the Extr aord inar y Yea r of Mercy ushers inpeace and prosperity in the whole Philippines. In this Holy

Year, let us fol low and obs erve wha t Pope Fran cis sai d:“We look forward to the experience of opening our hearts

to those living on the outermost fringes of society: fringesmodern society itself creates. How many are the woundsborne by the flesh of those who have no voice because theircry is muffled and drowned out by the indifference of therich! During this Jubilee, the Church will be called evenmore to heal these wounds, to assuage them with the oil ofconsolation, to bind them with mercy and cure them withsolidarity and vigilant care. Let us open our eyes and see themisery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters

who are den ied thei r dign ity, and let us recogniz e that weare compelled to heed their cry for help! May we reach outto them and support them so they can feel the warmth ofour presence, our friendship, and our fraternity! May theircry become our own, and together may we break down thebarriers of indifference that too often reign supreme andmask our hypocrisy and egoism!”

***

he Episcopal Installation of Most Rev. Pablo Virgilio“Ambo” David as the 2nd Bishop of the Diocese ofKalookan was a huge success. Attended by 3 cardinals,heir Eminences Luis Antonio agle, Orlando Quevedo,and Gaudencio Rosales; the Apostolic Nuncio ArchishopGiuseppe Pinto; 9 archbishops - Socrates Villegas ofLingayen-Dagupan, Jose Palma of Cebu, Paciano Aniceto,

Archbi shop Emeritus of San Fe rnando , Flo rentino Lavari asof San Fernando, Ramon Arguelles of Lipa, Jose Advinculaof Capiz, Rolando irona of Nueva Caceres, Romulodela Cruz of Zamboanga, Ernesto Salgado; 28 bishopsand hundreds of clergy from the Diocese of Kalookan,Suffragan Dioceses of Manila and Pampanga, other Diocesesin the country, the male and female members of religiouscongregations, who travelled from far and wide just to be

wit h Bishop Ambo’s C anonic al Posse ssion of the Dioces eof Kalookan.

Te cities of Caloocan, Malabon, and Navotas comprisingthe Diocese prepared a simple civil ceremony before the

Installation Ceremony where the symbolic key of each city was presented by the mayors to B ishop Ambo, witnessed bycongressmen and vice mayors.

In his homily, Bishop Ambo read the Gospel as a 3-foldlesson on what it takes to be a good presentor of the Messiahto the world, like John the Baptist. “First point: Knowledge ofOneself (Pagkilala sa sarili); Second Point: Knowledge of theOne Being Presented (Pagkilala sa Ipinakikilala); Tird Point:Emptying of Self (Paglimot o Pagbuhos ng Sarili).”

Knowledge of Oneself. “Knowledge of who we are goes wit h it knowle dge of who we are not .” He thanke d thePeople of God of the Diocese for the warm welcome. Hesaid he is not Christ; he is “Ambo” and prefers to be called“Ambo”, which according to his American friend, “ambo” isthe English word for stand from which the Word of God isproclaimed.

Knowledge of the One Being Presented. He said the Jesuitsof San Jose and Loyola School of Teology had taught him3 things: “to see God clearly, to love God more dearly, and

to follow God more nearly in Jesus, day by day… All of us,members of his body… are called to represe nt Him.” He toldhis brother priests that “ours is a call, not just to talk aboutChrist but to make Him truly present: to speak so that he isheard, to touch so that his hand is felt, and to lead in such a

way that he himse lf leads.” Tis he said , can be done by totallyforgetting ourselves.

Emptying of Self. Kenosis. Bishop Ambo mentioned that John the Bapt ist stat ed that requ ired of every Prese nter ofthe Christ “He must increase and I must decrease;” thatChrist himself went for a total emptying of self; that St. Pauldescribes this as the “gracious act of God, who for our sakebecame poor although he was rich, so that by his povertyyou might become rich.” He pointed Pope Francis’ words

when he sa id, the h ighe r in rank , the humbler h e ex pect s usto be. “We are, after all, miserando atque eligendo; wretchedbut chosen.”

His message to the Caloocan clergy. “Dear brothers, like John the Baptist , I know who I am and who I am not. I ha ve

no illusion about shepherding the faithful of Kalookan alone.Like you, I count on the grace of ordination that binds ustogether so that together, we can truly become sacramentsof Christ, the One rue Shepherd of the Church. As wegrow together in discipleship and mission, let us try to knowourselves and one another well; let us know Him whom weare called to present to the world; but above all, let us learnto empty ourselves.”

***

We greet the c lergy f rom the Diocese of Kalookan, Januarybirthday celebrators, Msgr. Alex Amandy, Fr. Adrian Magnait,and Fr. Leo Gilbero and those celebrating their sacerdotalanniversary Fr. Alberto Caballero, and Fr. Benedict Cervantes;also Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of Lipa City. HappyBirthday also to Jun Hio and Gigi de Lara of Radio Ministryand Hello Father 911 Saturday Edition and Marlon Laquioof the Diocese of Kalookan.

Spaces of Hope, A6


6/20

A6 CBCP Monitor January 11-24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1LOCAL NEWS

unforgettable expression, I am stillnot a “resident” of social market-ing but I am “moving there”.

We targeted Filipino-Americans who would then invite friends ofother nationalities.

***

Seven states were visited, each with its own distinctive surprises.People offered hospitality. I was in-spired by how our Christian faithenables Filipinos not only to cope

with but also to become strongerin their struggles as immigrants.I had a deepened appreciation ofthe ever-present altars in Filipinohomes. One family in NYC evenattributes to their altar the miracu-lous sparing of their house from ablaze that gutted their neighbors’places above them and immedi-ately to their side.

In two separate occasions, twoprominent priests from NY andfrom LA, after I told him of mymission, spontaneously said, “YouFilipinos keep our parishes alive.”

Another one even more boldl ysaid, “If there is a group of people

who deserve to be visited twice byPope Francis, it is you,” after I toldhim the Pope would not be therefor the 51st IEC.

I had entrusted this trip to theVirgin of Guadalupe. She saw to itthat doors were opened, even un-expected ones. Riding in an Ubertaxi in Washington DC on my wayto Union Station, I got to knowthe driver, an African-Americannamed Neil. When he found outI was Catholic, he opened up sincehe too was Catholic who dailyreads the Bible. When he foundout I was a priest, he started talk-ing about holiness and the need tostrive to be one.

“What is holiness for you?” Iprobed him. After some momentsof reflective silence, he answered,“It is to think good and purethoughts and to try to behaveas much as possible like Jesus.” Imust say, he is right on the dot.

Tere is now a call center for theBreak Bread campaign with a tollfree International number (+001-855-432-7445). Tere is still some

window of opening to join the saidcampaign. Better late than never.

Spaces of Hope, A5

trimmings from their printing jobsand had memo pads made with

just the priest’s name at the bot-tom. It looked very classy, and thepriest really appreciated it. He saidhe uses it also for writing Tank

You notes.”Obviously concerned about

the priest’s ongoing formation isthis reader who wrote: “Booksare the best. If the priest loves toread, he’ll welcome them. If hedoes not like to read, a book willremind him that he should. Picksomething stimulating or thoughtprovoking, like Te Future of theCatholic Church, something thatmay enrich his priesthood.”

Based on experience, this sugges-tion goes even further, to broadenthe priest’s horizons: “Books aboutother faiths. It is so inspiring to lis-ten to a priest (like our grand uncle,aged 89 and a priest for 72 years)

who remains a staunch Catholic while being very knowledgeableabout other religions.”

What could be more practical

than this: “I would go for cash, or if(the priest is) a good friend, ask him

what he needs and buy it for him.” Another point for cash: “Cash

is always useful. Te priest canbuy with it what he needs. Savesyou from worrying what to give.

Advantage, you need not worrythat he’ll not like it. It’s also show-ing the priest he is trusted.”

A pious lady offers a different sug-gestion, but it’s up to you how to doit: “A heartfelt thank you message,for priests are gifts from God. With-out the priests how well do we knowour Almighty God? Without themhow do we know the right path ingoing to heaven? Being a priest is notan easy vocation—also daily prayersfor priests to keep them healthy tocontinue their holy vocations.”

We also sought the opinion of afew priest-friends, and their repliesinclude gifts to avoid as well:

“ry to know the daily medi-cines they take, like for mainte-nance (especially for those like us

who are not so young anymore).

Mahal din kasi ang gamot. ‘Yunang ibigay mo, sigurado magaga-mit niya. What NO to give:though nage-enjoy kami, don’ttreat us sa mga bawal na kaininlalo na mataas sa cholesterol at uricacid. Don’t lead us to temptationlike lechon. ake care of yourpriests but don’t spoil them.”

Another perennially useful gift:“Commentaries on the Gospel.”

A can did su ggest ion fro ma middle-aged priest: “We arethankful for any gift, really. Butplease avoid branded clothes. I ’mspeaking only for myself, ha? Itflatters me that people think I“deserve” costly items but really,I don’t need them. In fact, it em-barrasses me to wear shirts with acrocodile-logo on my chest (forexample) because even when I sayit’s an imitation from Divisoriapeople will still think I’m rich, andtherefore not like them. Worse,they might think that’s where theSunday collection goes.”

A young priest (ordained five

years ago) echoes the above sug-gestion: “It’s okay to get gadgetsor tools but well-thought outones, like some I’ve received—arechargeable flashlight, a transistorradio I can take to the far-flungareas, a power bank, computercleaning kit. But I’m uneasy aboutusing a monopad, that rod for tak-ing selfies—it’s a luxury item forme. I wish people would thinktwice before they give us luxuryitems or things only the rich canbuy. Not only do I think they’rehabit-forming, somehow they alsomake me feel indebted to the giver,and that’s not right, I think.”

Tirty-three years of priesthoodhas given this religious the con-fidence to speak his mind aboutgifts: “I’d take any gift, as long asdonors don’t mind if their gifts arerecycled. People have to learn thatgifts should not be self-serving.

When someone asks me, ‘Father, why are n’t you wea rin g/u sin gthe (item) I gave you?’ I feel likereturning it.” (To be concluded)

And That’s The Truth, A4

“It is God’s will to provide his people withshepherds after His merciful heart!” said Villegas.

Te appeal was among the 10-point guide-line for Catholic voters deriving from the moralteachings of the Church.

Life, family Still refusing to endorse any particular candi-

dates, the bishops, however, urged the faithfulto reject political aspirants who are opposedto the Church’s stand on family and life issues.

hey said that “in good conscience,” aCatholic voter cannot support a candidate who

supports abortion, euthanasia, the return of thedeath penalty, divorce, and same-sex union.“Te Catholic voter must evaluate candi-

dates according to the model of Christ, whocame to serve, not to be served,” stressed theprelate.

While realizing that there are no perfect can-didates, he said, there is a difference betweenone who has been wrong in the past and wil-

ing to amend his ways, and one who exhibits“stubbornness and obstinacy.”

Religious toleranceTe bishops’ collegial body also warned voters

against candidates whose ideology are gearedtowards making the Philippines a secular state“that has no respect for religion in i ts public life”.

“A Catholic cannot support a candidate whovows to wipe out religion from public life,”said Villegas.

Te CBCP head also called on Catholic vot-ers not to close their doors to candidates who

have different religious beliefs, saying there are worthy candidates from other religions.“Teir qualifications and aspirations must

be given serious heed by our Catholic voters,their truly helpful plans and visions must besupported,” he said.

‘No to dirty tactics’Cardinal Luis Antonio agle of Manila has

earlier called on Filipino politicians to “raisethe bar” in political campaigning.

Te cardinal made the call when he met with top pre sidential contenders, inclu dingVice President Jejomar Binay, Sen. GracePope, and former Interior Secretary MarRoxas at his residence in Manila in Sep-tember.

Villegas has warned that a candidate whoresorts to demolishing the reputation and tar-nishing the image of his or her political rivals“must be suspect”.

“He may have nothing positive to offer,

and he debases the level of political discourseby calling attention to the shortcomings ofhis rivals and competitors, rather than on theprograms and projects he or she might have,”he said.

Te bishops also reiterated their call to thefaithful to focus on platforms and not to rely onsurveys and polls in choosing their candidates.(R. Lagarde / CBCPNews)

Campaigning, A1

to… have fai

Documents

CBCP Monitor Vol. 20 No. 01