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1 Vol. 10 No. 12September 25, 2006

CEAP Marks 65 Years of EnduringCatholic Education in the PhilippinesBy Malou Mahilum-Acebedo

NO DOUBT, Catholic education in the Phil-ippines is yet a shining force to reckonwithor so it is.

All roads invariably led to the historicManila Hotel last September 13-15 for theover 2,000 delegates from the strong 1,220-member Catholic schools nationwide as theCatholic Educational Association of thePhilippines (CEAP) held its 65th NationalConvention and anticipatingly also mark-ing its Diamond Jubilee fete.

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ECIP and PANLIP IPartnership Advancing the

Cause of Indigenous Peoples

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Pope Bened i c t XVI andthe Clash of Fa i th and

R e a s o n

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Faith, Reason and theUniversity Memories and

Reflections

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On Charter Change andthe Common Good

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Archbishop Reaffirms Churchs Respec Archbishop Reaffirms Churchs Respec Archbishop Reaffirms Churchs Respec Archbishop Reaffirms Churchs Respec Archbishop Reaffirms Churchs Respecfor Muslimsfor Muslimsfor Muslimsfor Muslimsfor Muslims

CBCP Spokesman / P4

CBCP SpokesmanDefends Pope

Amid Muslim Fury CATHOLIC Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) SpokesmanMsgr. Pedro Quitorio defended PopeBenedict XVI against allegations thathe had attacked Islam in a speech lastweek as worldwide Muslim fury con-tinued.

CBCP: Con-con is worth spending forIF it is for the people and the commongood, a Constitutional Convention(Con-con) is a better idea that it isworth spending for, the bishops said.

In a Pastoral Exhortation, theCatholic Bishops Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) reiterated itssupport for holding a Con-Con in-stead of amending the Constitution

By Roy Lagarde

AS the Muslim world enters themonth of Ramadan, the CBCP Epis-copal Commission for InterreligiousDialogue (ECID) chair, ArchbishopAntonio Ledesma, reaffirmed theChurchs respect for Islam hopingthat Muslim faithful continue to beinstruments of goodness.

May your reverent recitationof the Quran during the month of Ramadan grant you Allahs guid-ance, mercy and compassion, hesaid.

In his message, the archbishophoped that the Quran continue to

inspire and show Muslims thestraight path so that you may con-tinue to be instruments of Godspeace, justice, unity in our countryand in the world. Archibishop Reaffirms / P4

Caravan vs. Killings LaunchedA CARAVAN for humanrights kicked off from Ma-nila early morning of Sep-tember 22 on its way toNueva Ecija to protest theunabated human rightsabuses and political kill-ings in the country.

In a statement, theAssociation of Major Re-ligious Superiors of thePhilippines (AMRSP) saidthe right time has come to

Weak Juvenile Justice Law Worries ECPPC

Weak / P4

THE CBCP Episcopal Commissionon Prison Pastoral Care (ECPPC)and other groups working on theissue of child protection have ex-pressed concern about juvenile jus-tice act, calling it as weak andneeds amendment.

The ECPPC, Coalition AgainstDeath Penalty (CADP), PhilippineAction for Youth Offenders (PAYO)and other groups had a forum lastweek and found loopholes in the Ju-venile and Welfare Act approvedlast May.

Also known as RA 9344, the rul-ing, which seeks reform in the jus-tice system, exempts offenders be-

RP Honors Filipino Seamen

Caravan / P4

OFWs AS MISSIONARIES: CBCP President Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo (right) is flanked by Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB (middle), chair-man of CBCP Commission on the Pastoral Care for Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) and Fr. Edwin D. Corros, CS (left), ECMI ExecutiveSecretary, during the 5th International Consultation Meeting on the Filipino Ministry W orldwide held in Tagaytay City, Sept. 15, 2006.

As you begin the Ramadan,the Catholic Church commends theMuslim community of the Philip-pines as you submit to Allahthrough prayer, almsgiving and fast-ing, he said.

Ledesma, also the CBCP Vice-president, made the statement in thewake of criticism from some Muslimcircles over the speech PopeBenedict XVI gave last week at theUniversity of Regensburg in Ger-many.

He reiterated that the entireCatholic Church hold great respect

for Islam, the Muslims and theirProphet Muhammad.The Second Vatican Council of

the Church in its document, Nostra

low 15 years from criminal charges.Those 15 to 18 may only be charged,if they committed the offense, know-ing it was a crime.

Children who come in conflictwith the law will undertake a di-

live up to our prophetic call-ingto stand with themeek and deprived, to joinhands with the oppressedand dehumanized.

AMRSP said the cara-van is also a part of thecountrys celebration of the United Nations Day of Peace to embark informa-tion drive about the deep-ening social crisis thecountry is suffering.

At least 20 vehiclespacked by religious con-gregations and their mis-sion partners left Manilaaround 6 a.m., as the cara-van trekked its waythrough Malolos Cathe-dral, St. Scholastica Col-lege in San Fernando inPampanga, thenCabanatuan and San Josein Nueva Ecija.

THE 11thNational Seafar-ers Day (NSD) was cel-ebrated on September 24and honored this yearsoutstanding seamen andthose who died on duty.

Hundreds of seamenand their families gath-ered together at theQuirino Grandstand inManila to join the cel-ebration that coincideswith the National Mari-time Week (NMW).

While the NMW is

implemented under theleadership of MARINA,the NSD commemorationwas organized by theApostleship of the Seawith the theme: FilipinoSeafarers: Our Pride.

The celebration wasopened with a Rite of Remembrance and hon-ored about 250 seafarerswho died during the yearwhile on duty or on ac-count of sickness and ac-

Migrat ion / P4

RP Honors / P4 CEAP Marks / P3

Pope Meets Islamic Envoys, Stresses Common CauseCASTEL GANDOLFO,Sep. 25, 2006 PopeBenedict XVI reaffirmedthe importance of dialoguebetween Christianity andIslam, at a September 25meeting with envoys fromIslamic countries and orga-nizations.

The Holy Father

stressed the interests thatChristians and Muslimsshare in upholding the im-

portance of faith, in aworld marked by relativismand too often excludingthe transcendence anduniversality of reason.

The Pope did not re-fer directly to the contro-versial speech that he haddelivered in Regensburgon September 12. But he

did remark, near the begin-ning of his talk, that thecircumstances which have

given rise to our gatheringare well known. Vaticandiplomats had workedquickly to invite Muslimdiplomats to CastelGandolfo, hoping tosoothe the tensions thathad arisen in the Islamicworld after the Popes talk.

Pope Benedict spoke

in French to the group,which included the ambas-Pope Mee t s / P2

Protagonist of Truth, Promoter of Peace

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MigrationA New Way of EvangelizationA MEETING of Filipino CatholicChaplains and Pastoral Workersoverseas in Tagaytay City recently,organized by the Catholic BishopsConference of the Philippines-Epis-copal Commission for the PastoralCare of Migrants and ItinerantPeople (CBCP-ECMI) reiterated apositive side of migrationthatmodern day evangelization can beachieved by migrant workers.

CBCP President ArchbishopAngel Lagdameo said that morethan contributing to the work forcein 193 countries, Filipino migrantworkers has more important tooffer to the world.

Along with our smiling faces,he said, we are offering to the re-ceiving countries or Churches, ourChristian faith lived in the contextof different cultures and religions.

Coming from a predominantlyCatholic Christian country, thesemigrant Filipino workers in searchof livelihood could be equippedwith the disposition and skills of lay missionaries, who will not nec-essarily preach, but live the Gos-pel of Jesus in the context of cul-tural and religious pluralism, saidLagdameo.

They are Filipinos in dia-logue with other cultures and reli-

gions, which for them would be anew way of being in mission, be-yond adding to the number of church-goers in the receivingChurches which have fallen victimsof materialism and secularism, headded.

Providential coincidence

Migration reveals the need forpeople to go to other countries forvarious reasons, most especiallybecause of economic hardship.

When before the labor forcewas dominated by men, its nota-


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Vol. 10 No. 12September 25, 2006


2 World NewsBuilding Ecclesial Communion is every

Bishops DutyVATICAN CITY, September 21,2006This morning in the Apostolic

Palace at Castelgandolfo, in a tradi-tional encounter for this time of year,the Pope received a group of re-cently-appointed bishops who areparticipating in a meeting in Rome.

Following Christs example,the Pope told them, each of you, inthe daily nurture of your flock, mustbecome all things to all men, pre-senting the truth of faith, celebrat-ing the sacraments of our sanctifica-tion and bearing witness to theLords charity. Welcome with anopen heart those who knock at yourdoor, advise them, console them andsupport them on the way of God.

Demonstrate this care, in thefirst place, towards priests. Alwaysact towards them as fathers and el-der brothers who know how to lis-ten, accept, comfort and, when nec-essary, also correct.

Benedict XVI then went on toremind the bishops that, by virtue of their power to govern, they are calledto judge and discipline the life of the people of God entrusted to theirpastoral care, with laws, indicationsand suggestions, in accordance withwhat is laid down by the universaldiscipline of the Church. This rightand duty of bishops is absolutely

vital in order that the diocesan com-munity may be internally united and

progress in profound union of faith,of love and of discipline with theBishop of Rome and with the entireChurch. ... Building ecclesial com-munion, he said, must be yourdaily duty.

Serenity in relationships, deli-cacy in dealings with others and sim-plicity of life are gifts that withoutdoubt enrich the human personalityof a bishop. ... The total giving of self, which the care of the Lordsflock requires, needs the support of an intense spiritual life nourished byassiduous individual and communityprayer.

The Holy Father called on thebishops to ensure that their days becharacterized by a constant contactwith God, and explained how liv-ing in intimate union with Christ willhelp you to strike that vital balancebetween inner meditation and theexertions required for the multipleoccupations of life, avoiding thedanger of excessive activism.

Following Christ, the Pastorand Bishop of your souls, he con-cluded, you will be encouraged totend tirelessly towards sanctity,which is the fundamental aim of thelife of all Christians.(VIS)

sadors accredited to the Holy Seefrom countries with Muslim majori-ties, and about 15 representativesof Islamic groups active in Italy. In

an unusual break from commonpractice, the Vatican furnished anArabic translation of the Popesremarks. The Arabic television net-work Al Jazeera provided live cov-erage of the meeting.

The Pope said that he wantedto express his esteem and pro-found respect for Muslims, andreminded the group that from thevery beginning of my pontificatehe had sought to continue thepolicies of his predecessor, PopeJohn Paul II, in making commoncause with Islamic leaders. He citedhis remarks to Muslim leaders inCologne last August, when he saidthat cooperation between the twofaiths is a vital necessity, onwhich in large measure our futuredepends.Gently introducing a maintheme of his lecture inRegensburg, the Pontiff said thatthis cooperation is necessary inorder to counteract the growingpower of secularism and relativ-ism. Christians and Muslims, heobserved, can unite in manycauses, especially those con-cerning the defense and promo-tion of the dignity of the human

person and of the rights arising fromthat dignity.

In pursuing their dialogue, thePope continued, Christian and Islamic

leaders should learn from the lessonsof the past, and recognize that it iscrucially important to guard againstall forms of intolerance and to opposeall manifestations of violence.

The Pope concluded his remarksby sending his greetings to the Mus-lim world as the annual season of Ramadan begins. The Popes addressreceived warm applause from the dip-lomats who were present at

Castelgandolfo. After finishing histalk, the Pontiff made a point of greeting each one of his guestsindividually. The diplomats

present for the 30-minute audienceincluded envoys from Albania,Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt, Kuwait, Indo-nesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jor-dan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco,Pakistan, Qatar, Senegal, Syria,Tunisia, Turkey, and Yemen.Alsoincluded were representatives of the Arab League and the IslamicCouncil of Italy.(CWNews)

Use media effectively, Vatican officialtells new bishops

Amid Criticism and Violence the First Balanced Views aboutthe Popes Speeach Appear

VATICAN, Sep. 25, 2006The presi-

dent of the Pontifical Council forSocial Communications has advisednewly appointed bishops that theyshould take care to develop goodrelations with the media.

Archbishop John Foley spokeon September 23 to a seminar for newbishops, organized by the Congre-gation for Bishops. Offering his ad-vice, he said that bishops shouldstrive to develop a climate of confi-dence with the media, and learnsomething about the workings of newspapers, radio, television, andpress agencies in their dioceses.

Noting certain recent scan-dals that had demanded publicstatements from diocesan leaders, theAmerican archbishop said that bish-ops should be prepared to make useof the mass media to respond to ur-gent inquiries and to spread theirown messages.

It is desirable to use the mediawhenever possible to spread themessage of the Catholic Church,Archbishop Foley said. Unfortu-nately, these opportunities are not

seized often enough, he said. While

recognizing that at times the mediamight act as adversaries, he re-marked that bishops might neverhave better opportunities to presenttheir messages to the public.

He cautioned the new bishops,however, that they should be care-ful never to say anything that theywould not want to see repeated inthe headlines. He also told the bish-ops that if they are unsure about theappropriate answer to a particularquestion, they should not give ananswer that might later prove inac-curate; he urged them to recognizethe tactical use of responding to aquestion with a question of theirown.

Archbishop Foley said that di-ocesan officials could do more workto ensure media coverage of eventsin the life of the Church. Ceremoniessuch as confirmations, he said, of-fered chances to explain the Churchsrituals to the public, while the mediaorgans would be more likely to coverevents that involve local residents.(CWNews)

ROME, September 17, 2006 FormerIranian President MohammadKhatami said the full text of the Popespeech in Regensburg should beread before making any commentson its contents.

I hope that the reports in thisregard are misinterpreted as suchremarks [as reported in the press] areusually made by uninformed and fa-natic people but my impression of the pope was rather an educated andpatient man, Khatami said after hisreturn to Tehran from a two-weekvisit to the United States.

Khatamis is the first balancedstatement to come out of the Mus-lim world with regard to the Popesremarks about statements made byManuel II Palaiologos, who said thatthe new things brought by Islam

are only evil things.Today during the Angelus,Benedict XVI again insisted that theByzantine emperors words do notreflect his views.

As made clear in yesterdayspress release by the Vatican Secre-tary of State Cardinal TarcisioBertone, the text of the Popesproclusion (inaugural address)shows that the Pontiff only wantedto express his rejection of the reli-gious motivation for violence, fromwhatever side it may come.

So far reactions in the Muslimworld, which have ranged from out-rage and criticism to violence, havebeen based solely on media excerpts.There are not as yet any translationsof the Popes speech into Arabic orany Eastern languages.

Like Irans Khatami, IndonesianPresident Susilo BambangYudhoyono has also been more bal-anced in his reaction. Speaking fromHavana (Cuba) where he is attending

a summit of non-aligned countries, hesaid that Indonesian Muslimsshould have wisdom, patience, andself-restraint to address this sensitiveissue. . . . We need them so that har-

mony among people is not at stake.Susilo, who presides over the

fate of the largest Muslim country inthe world, urged the Holy See to bevery quick to respond this very sen-sitive issue by issuing some correc-tions and constructive gestures thatwould decrease tension betweenMuslims and Christians.

In the meantime protests andviolence continue in some parts of the Muslim world. Some 200 Iranianclerics and seminary students gath-ered on Sunday in Qom, 135kilometres south of the capitalTehran, to protest against what theycalled anti-Islamic remarks by PopeBenedict XVI. In protest against thepopes remarks, the countrys clergyseminary centre said all seminariesthroughout the country would be

closed on Sunday.In the West Bank two churchessuffered damages when stones andMolotov cocktails were thrown atthem. (AsiaNews)

Cardinal Toppo: Face Islamic Protests with Truth, Courageand Prayer

RANCHI, India, September 16,2006The president of the CatholicBishops Conference of India hastold AsiaN ews that the recent pro-tests against the speech of BenedictXVI in Regensburg are a great gift tothe Church, to be used at this his-toric moment in time to launch seri-ous and lasting inter-faith dialogue.

The Christian community in In-

dia must face Muslim protestsagainst the Popes address withChristian courage and prayer be-cause truth needs no other defense.This was the thrust of a statementgiven to AsiaNews by CardinalTelesphore Toppo, archbishop of Ranchi and president of the Catho-lic Bishops Conference of India.

We publish the text of the state-ment in full: These protests by ourMuslim brothers, which started yes-terday after Friday prayers, are mis-placed as the Pope has not com-mented on Islam; he only quoted aByzantine emperor and another greatPersian scholar. I have read the textof Benedict XVI, it is an eight-pagespeech and what has sparked all this

is just one quotation extrapolatedfrom the context.

The crowds that have taken tothe streets of India are probably re-acting to articles in local newspapersabout the speech of the pope, wheresome of his phrases have beenquoted out of context.

This is also symbolic of the situ-ation today: without even contextu-

ally situating the text, or dwelling onits meaning, some people have takenthe quotation as a cue to take to thestreets in protests.

This is the time for all Christiansto be patient and pray for those whodo not understand. The situationwhich comes at this point in time isalso a great gift for the church - forus to engage in serious and lastingdialogue with our brothers and sis-ters of different faiths. A true cultureof tolerance is possible only in a dia-logue of religious identities.

The Holy Father was quotingfrom history and he was trying toshow us a way through faith and rea-son in todays terrorist ridden soci-ety. These reactions are indicative

of what the Pope was trying to em-phasizeonly reason and enlight-enment through faith bring aboutmutual respect and peace.

I am not saddened by these pro-tests: we have to face them withChristian courage and prayer be-cause truth needs no defense.

The teachings of any religionspreach justice, peace and brother-

hood. These elements bring aboutunity in humankind, if applied and aqualitative change in peoples lives.

Truth, beauty and unity residein the heart of man who seeks andprofesses authentic religion.

Benedict XVI was making a veryclear emphasis, that violence is notcompatible with the nature of God.Violence and killing is contrary to thenature of the Divine. He was veryclear that God is love and love en-sures and brings forth life. God islife-giving. That is the fundamentalreason why such a respected andhighly-acclaimed theologian like thepope gave such a clear message inhis first encyclical - Deus Caritas

Est . (AsiaNews)

Card. Vidal: Terrorism must notstrike ASEAN summit

CEBU CITY, September 22, 2006The Archbishop of Cebu City, Car-dinal Ricardo Vidal is praying thatthe upcoming ASEAN meeting willbe a success and he has appealed to

all those who may want to strikeleaders of Asian nations: stay awayfrom the meeting, which is takingplace here to achieve good.

Speaking to AsiaNews , the car-dinal said the upcoming meeting of the Association of Southeast AsianNations Summit, due to be held inCebu from 11 to 14 December, couldbe a target for terrorists withscruples. We must pray nothing hap-pens.

The 12th ASEAN gatheringbrings together political and eco-nomic leaders of Brunei, Cambodia,Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malay-sia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam,East Timor and the Philippines. Top-ics on the agenda include poverty

reduction andthe war on ter-rorism.

CardinalVidal said:

For the pasttwo weeks, aspecial prayerfor the suc-cess of theASEAN Sum-mit has been said at the end of Massin Cebu churches. I urge police andlocal officials to ensure adequate se-curity measures for the delegatesand I ask my co-citizens to help sothat this summit may proceed with-out hitches.

In the cardinals view, the au-thorities should work to make theentire country secure so foreign del-egates will feel confident they aresafe while attending the summit.(AsiaNews)

Pope Meets / from p1

Pope Benedict XVI (L) addresses a meeting on Monday, 25 September 2006 at hissummer residence in Castelgandolfo. The pontiff met Muslim ambassadors andItalian Islamic leaders on Monday in an unprecedented move to try to defuse angerover his use of a medieval text which says their religion was spread by violence."Christians and Muslims must learn to work together ... in order to guard against allforms of intolerance and to oppose all manifestations of violence," the 79-year-oldPope said at the meeting in a frescoed hall of the papal summer palace.

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3 Vol. 10 No. 12September 25, 2006 News Feature

ECIP and PANLIPIPartnership Advancing the

Cause of Indigenous PeoplesBy Pinky Barrientos, FSP

The Jubilee celebration andnational convention adopted thetheme,Facets of Learning, Facesof Love. Explaining about thetheme, CEAP national executive di-rector Mariano Piamonte said,Since we are celebrating our 65thyear or already a Diamond Jubileeitself, we have adopted this theme.Facets of Learning because themain work of our schools is reallyto educate, to form the individualnot only academically but integrallyaccording to all aspects of learn-ing. You see, there are other aspects(of learning) that the individualneeds to harness in order to sur-

vive in this very complicated world.And,Facets of Love because edu-cators face their students and ineach face one can really see the faceof love, or the reflection of Jesus,as each one of us is created untothe likeness of God.

With some 2,200 delegatesfrom the various Catholic schoolsnationwide who trooped to thisyears CEAP national gathering,Piamonte said that the event wasso far the biggest CEAP nationalconvention ever in terms of at-tendance.

The 3-day event kicked off lastSeptember 13 with a solemn Massat the Manila Cathedral presided

by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Car-dinal Rosales, and was followed withthe conventions opening ceremoniesat the Manila Hotel. Dr. Onofre R.Pagsanghan, a multi-awarded educa-tor from Ateneo de Manila University,delivered the keynote address.

The second day, September 14,was started with a Mass at 7:30 AMwhich was presided by CBCP Presi-dent Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo.Highlighting the activities throughoutthe day were the paper presentationsand sharing of experiences by desig-nated Catholic schools on the work-ing theme or topic, How Catholic IsYour School? This was followed

shortly with concurrent sessions andworkshops by CEAPs various edu-cational committees or groups, namely:(1) Higher Education group; (2) BasicEducation institutions; (3) SecondarySchool academic administrators; (4)Pre-Elementary and ElementarySchool administrators; (5) ReligiousEducation/Catechetical Program coor-dinators, Campus Ministers, NSTP co-ordinators, Community and ExtensionServices coordinators, StudentActivi-ties coordinators, Guidance Counse-lors, Student Organization moderators;(7) Human Resource Development of-ficers, Personnel Directors, Facultyand Employees Association presi-dents or representatives.

Department of Education(DepEd) Secretary Jesli Lapus, whotalked on New Directions in BasicEducation, was the guest speakerduring the events closing ceremonieson the third day, September 15.

The 3-day national conventionand Diamond Jubilee celebrationwas capped by a solemn mass pre-sided by the apostolic nuncio to thePhilippines, Most Rev. FernandoFiloni.

For CEAP, according toPiamonte, the grand event aptly calledfor both rejoicing and reckoning,one reason which made the affair strik-ingly different from CEAPs past con-

ventions. In terms of human age, weare supposed to be of retirement age.But to an organization like us, 65 isalready an age of maturity. So we re- joice at the reality that we have reachedthe majority age despite our manyproblems. But at the same time we haveto look back what we have done in thelast 65 years as educators. We cel-ebrate our successes, but we also re-pent on our mistakes and on thingsthat we failed to do. And at the sametime, we recommit ourselves to renew,to become better educators so that wecan really contribute more to nationaldevelopment and the formation of theyouth, Piamonte explained.

Piamonte added that Catholic

education in the Philippines, while yettouted as a shining force to reckonwith by far, however has not beenimpervious to some current strains orchallenges like the problem of viabil-ity or sustainability of Catholic schoolsdue to unabated enrollment decline,student exodus from private to publicschools, socio-economic constraints,and others. Yes, it cannot be denied,there are many challenges that we arefacing. For example, the survival issue.We are facing a lot of competition vis--vis the public schools which chargepractically no fees. They are heavilysubsidized by the government, so theydont have problems with survival. But

we in the private school, we dont re-ceive any direct assistance from thegovernment, unlike in other countries,although we are playing a complemen-tary role with the government in theeducation of the youth. Then also, wehave the issue of continu-ing decline of quality edu-cation both in public andprivate schools. Of course,one reason is limited finan-cial resources in both pub-lic and private schools.The second reason is themigration of our teachersto better paying jobsabroad.

CEAP is the national

association of Catholic educationalinstitutions in the country operat-ing through its regional divisionsin the 15 regions nationwide andwith a current total enrollment popu-lation of about 1 million studentsthroughout the Philippines. As anational association, it representsthe interest of Catholic educationalinstitutions in national and inter-national fora, fosters unity of ac-tion with other organizations ineducational matters, and assists itsmembers, particularly those in mis-sion areas, to achieve common andspecific aims. Commissioned bythe Church to advance the teach-

ing function of the CatholicChurch, CEAP promotes religiousinstruction as an essential elementof Catholic education geared to-wards character formation and citi-zenship building.

PANLIPI, a non-governmentorganization that offers freelegal assistance to indigenouspeoples (IP) is a foremost ad-vocate in IP developmentsince 1987. The organizationhas a pool of committed law-

yers and professionals whogo to different indigenouscommunities all over the coun-try to assist the IP in variouscapacities. This includes para-legal training, orientations andskills training, according toPANLIPI Executive DirectorAtty. Vicenta De Guzman.

It depends on what thepeople need, De Guzman ex-plains. For example, inQuezon we gave project man-agement skills, because theyhave been given a project bythe Embassy of Finland,which they have to manage ontheir own. In Gabaldon, wegave them accounting semi-nar because they did notknow how to count.Since it started, PANLIPIhas collaborated with CBCPEpiscopal Commission on In-digenous Peoples (ECIP) andother Church organizations inorganizing the indigenouscommunities and educatingthem on their rights. Their on-going seminars have facili-tated interaction among indig-enous groups and havehelped IPs to become awarenot only of their personalstruggles but of others aswell. As De Guzman testifies,the IPs have graduated frombeing mere participants to be-coming facilitators. They arethe ones facilitating their com-munity seminars now, saysde Guzman.

The recent seminar-work-shop for IPs which PANLIPIorganized in Baguio City lastSeptember 15-18 hoped tostrengthen strategic action forpeace and development in IPcommunities and toconscienticize them on theirrights as well. The three-daymeeting was held in collabo-ration with ECIP and othernon-government organiza-tions.

ECIP chairman, BishopSergio Utleg, said that the

overriding goal of ECIP forindigenous communities is forthem to reach self-determina-tion. In an earlier issue of ECIPs newsletterTribal Fo-rum Utleg cited the followingpre-requisites as essential for

IPs to reach self-determina-tion. He emphasized, that ashuman beings, IPs shouldhave dignity based on justice,peace and love. He also men-tioned the right of indigenouscommunities to take posses-sion of their ancestral domainsand to be united with one an-other and live in peace. TheIPs have also the right to pro-claim freely their faith withinthe context of their own cul-ture, and to possess the ca-pacity to resist anything thatdelineates them into becom-ing a community that is pro-people and pro-God.

Utleg reiterated the samemessage in his opening re-marks during the seminar-workshop held in Baguio say-ing that the IPs have the rightto make decisions for them-selves just as much as otherpeoples. The Commission,Utleg clarifies; is there only tohelp and guide, but decisionson how to run their lives de-pend on the IP themselves.

Important concerns thatwere discussed during themeeting included the issues of human rights which involvedencroachment on ancestrallands which led to displace-ment and devastation of en-vironment, delineation of an-cestral domains, and militari-zation in certain areas. Partici-pants were given inputs andworkshops on affidavit mak-ing and networking thatwould equip them with nec-essary skills to help them dealeffectively with issues con-cerning human rights.

According to DeGuzman, the current legal is-sues they are working on in-volves land encroachment(taking of land forcibly fromIPs) and development aggres-sion (companies getting inwithout free and prior in-formed consent or forcing theIP to sign contracts onerous

to them).The enactment of the In-

digenous Peoples Rights Act(IPRA) into law in 1997 wasseen as a solution to the prob-lem of land grabbing and otherhuman rights violations per-petrated against the indig-enous people. IPRA, in fact,has opened a lot of avenuesfor IP to become more asser-tive in pushing their rights toachieve self-determination,and to reclaim the ancestrallands that have been handedto them by their forefathers.

De Guzman believes that

the passing of the IPRA lawhas improved the lives of IPin general because of the con-sciousness it has generatedboth among IPs and non IPsas well.

De Guzman noted thatIPs became more confident inasserting their rights afterIPRA. She cited as example re-searchers who usually cometo the communities to conductstudies. Before IPRA, they(IP) didnt know that researchcan also be controlled bythem. After IPRA, after know-ing that within the free and

prior informed consent (FPIC),that, it includes the researchesthat are being done in theircommunities, they themselvesdemand from the researcher

first secure our FPIC, tellus what the research is allabout.

Without FPIC from indig-enous communities, any ac-tivity on ancestral lands in thename of development cannotprosper.

Nevertheless, ten yearsafter IPRA, the issues hound-ing the indigenous peopleshave remained the same.

Development aggressorscontinue to create havoc in theenvironment and destroy therhythm and harmony of theland in the name of develop-ment. Development aggressionconsequently led to the dis-placement of many indigenouscommunities from their ances-tral lands. Although the IPRAlaw contains articles thatwould protect ancestral do-mains of indigenous commu-nities from development ag-gression, there is still so muchto be done in terms of fullyimplementing all its provisions.

CEAP Marks / from p1


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4 News

The group said killings of activ-ists and journalists continue withimpunity and cried foul that ordinarycitizens are being forced to obtaincedulas as a means of identification.

They also lamented the curfewhours enforced in certain areas, anddetachments besides schools, insidebarangay halls and beside Churches.

In its wake civilians have beencaught in the middle. Ordinary peoples

lives are disrupted and they now live

in fear, AMRSP said. Violence andthe rule of the gun now prevail.

The AMRSP has more than 360congregations including the Domini-cans, Jesuits, Benedictines,Augustinians, Lasallian Brothersand Franciscans.

The group played a crucial roleduring the Martial Law years mak-ing available its seminaries and con-vents to provide refuge to victims of

human rights.(CBCP News )

Caravan / from p1

version program that involvestheir families, communities, and lo-cal barangay officials; detention be-comes a last resort.

But ECPPC Executive Secre-tary Rodolfo Diamante said the lawhas a lot of gaps that still needs tobe filled

He said it is vague how the au-thorities will institutionalize the re-storative justice and how it is go-ing to work. It is not clear.

The diversion aspect that hasbeen pointed out is weak and lim-ited. The aim for this is to work out-side the court proceedings and it isnot clear how it will work, he said.

He also lamented the movingfrom one institution to the other inthe determination of a particularcase saying that there are lots of conflicting procedures.

Thats why it cannot be cor-rected by the implementing rulesand regulations because the law it-self is defective. So there are gapsthat have to be filled up, he said.

It needs legislation and it hasto go back to Congress again. The

Weak / from p1

either through a constituent as-sembly or the administration-backed peoples initiative, even if it will cost the government more.

The bishops admitted holdinga Con-con is a very expensive pro-cess but said it doesnt matter aslong as it is for t he common good.

We maybe spending or los-ing much much more than thatthrough government overspendingand cheating and graft and corrup-tion, which are very difficult to as-sess and account, their statementsaid.

But the bishops said that sincethe process is costly, it is worth

spending in an honest way.The statement signed byCBCP president Archbishop AngelLagdameo was made after the regu-lar meeting of the CBCP PermanentCouncil held September 13.

CBCP / from p1The prelates stressed that

Charter change (Cha-cha) is a se-rious matter that requires broadconsultation, adequate informa-tion, discussion and education.

That is why we disagree withthe so-called peoples initiativewhich appeared only as a signa-ture campaign without focus on thereal intention, the bishops said.

The CBCP subscribes to theallegation that the peoples initia-tive is an initiative of the rulingpower, and not genuinely of thepeople. From the moral standpoint,it is clothed with suspicion.

The bishops have been calling

on the government and the Cha-chaproponents to address first the con-fusing issues behind the Cha-cha,and to proceed with rationality andtotal transparency concerning theexercise.(CBCP News)

law has to be amended so thatthings that have been contradictorycan in a way be harmonized.

RA 9344 also mandates the courtto automatically suspend the sen-tence on a youth offender who hasbeen found guilty. Once the offenderreaches 18, the court will determinewhether to discharge or order execu-tion of suspension of the sentenceuntil the same reaches the age of 21.Diamante said they are alreadycoordinating closely with the Juve-nile Justice and Welfare Council,chaired by the Department of theSocial Welfare and Development(DSWD), to make sure the law willbe implemented to its fullest.

He said a discussion on the is-sue with other groups is ongoingand part of the plan is to look for acongressman in the next congress,if ever, who will initiate to amendthe said law.

They will pursue the PAYO billthat has a restorative justice para-digm which according to Diamantewas set aside by the House in itsdeliberation.(Miami Ebilane)

Aetate , has acknowledged her deeprespect for Islam and the Muslimsfor they worship God, who is one,living and subsistent, merciful andalmighty, the Creator of heaven andearth, who also spoke to humanitythrough the prophets, he said.

In this regard we hold withgreat respect your prophetMuhammad who received theQuran on the Night of Power.

According to Ledesma, theQuran says: The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quranwas sent down, as a guide to hu-mankind and a self-evident proof of that guidance and criterion to dis-tinguish between right and wrong

Archbishop Reaffirms / from p1

Migration / from p1

judgment. So whoever of you ispresent in the month should spendit in fasting.

In other words, he said, its theQuran that has provided the Mus-lim ummah its religious depth andits moral principles on how to be-lieve and act as Muslims.

ECPPC to Observe World Day Against Death PenaltyThe Coalition against Death Penalty(CADP) together with the CBCP-Episco-

pal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care(ECPPC), will hold a General Assembly onOctober 10, 2006 in observance of theWorld Day against Death Penalty.

The theme is Healing and RestoringHope and Dignity to the Community. Thegroup will have a discussion on the issueof criminal justice reform to be sustainedand their campaign for restorative justice.

While we welcome the abolition of death penalty in our statutes, we still needto work for restorative interventions inaddressing the problem of criminality,said by Mr. Rudy Diamante, executivesecretary of CBCP-ECPPC on his letter of invitation for this gathering.

The group invites parishes, organi-

zations, groups, and agencys participa-tion in the gathering of the anti-death

penalty and restorative justice advocacy.Restorative justice is a value-basedapproach to criminal justice with a bal-anced focus on offender, victim and com-munity. The foundation of this is to de-termine the harm resulting from crime,what needs to be done to repair the harmand who is responsible for repairing theharm.

Mr. Diamante will introduce the Re-storative Justice on their general assem-bly, while Restorative Justice and Peace:The Kalinga Experience will be discussedby Professor Mary Constancy Barrameda,a retired UP Anthropology Professor andResident Researcher St. Louis College,Kalinga. (Maria Lourdes Ebilane)

Quitorio urged the faithful of whatever religious sentiments toread fully the Popes statement thatcan be accessed thruwww.vatican.va.

Reading the address in the fullcontext will greatly help in under-standing objectively the message of Pope Benedict XVI, he said.

Vatican senior officials were dis-cussing over the weekend on waysto respond to a worldwide surge of protests among Muslims, who de-clared their anger over the Popeslecture.

It may be good to note thatupon seriously reading said lecture,

CBCP Spokesman / from p1one realizes that it was not the inten-tion of the Holy Father to undertakea comprehensive study of the jihadand of Muslim ideas on the sub- jectmuch less to offend the sensi-bilities of the Muslim brothers andsisters, said Quitorio.

On the contrary, he said, thePope warns especially the Westernculture to avoid the contempt forGod and the cynicism that consid-ers mockery of the sacred to be anexercise of freedom.

A just consideration of the re-ligious dimension is, in fact, an es-sential premise for a fruitful dialoguewith the great cultures of the world,

he explained.The Pope, Quitorioadded, even cited a Mus-lim scripture passage(surah 2,256), that says,There is no compulsionin religion.

And propounded thetruth advanced byMohammed that mere forcecannot make man havefaith. It is not enough thatman only see the rational-ity of the faith; he shouldalso feely accept it. Violenceor force has no place in theinteraction between Godand man, the spokesmanpointed out.

What is clear then isthe Holy Fathers desire tocultivate an attitude of re-spect and dialogue to-wards other religions andcultures, including, of course, Islam, he added.(CBCP News)

bly seen that more women areforced to leave their homes andassume their role of major bread-winner. Their job opportunities aremostly confined to domestic work,caring for the sick and elderly, aswell as in the entertainment indus-try.

But Lagdameo said that Fili-pino migrants could be a provi-dential coincidence for the Catho-lic Church whose missionarypriests and religious sisters in mis-sion to evangelize have started todwindle.

The Pontifical Council for thePastoral Care of Migrants and Itin-erant People, in its exhortation,

Erga Migrantes Caritas Christi ,states that migrants as builders of universal fraternity can assist theChurch in fulfilling her communityidentity and missionary vocation.

Modern Missionaries

The CBCP head said its abouttime to look at the global migrationof Filipinos in a positive aspect.

It was reported during themeeting that the diasporic com-munity of Filipino migrants are in193 countries out of the 224 UN-registered countries in the world.

I could not believe, but thephenomenon is true that FilipinoOFWs or migrants compose 10 per-cent or 8 million out of a total 80million, said Lagdameo.

There are about 85,000 Filipi-nos who migrate yearly to theUnited States in addition to thearound four million who are already

there with documents.Two million Filipinos have al-ready made the Middle East theirhome. Would you believe that 30percent of the entire population of Malaysia, that is 900,000, are Filipi-nos? Lagdameo stressed.

Of the 140,000 Filipino migrantsin Hong Kong, he said, a majorityare Filipina domestic helpers.

In Italy, only one half of themore than 1 million Filipinos arelisted; the same is said of the onemillion in Japan, he added.

These few examples are onlya portion of the migrant Filipinos wefind present from America to Asia,from Africa to Oceana, from Russiato Australia and also from Jordanto Saipan, he said.

If our Catholic migrants canevangelize through their work,words, and actions, the opportunityfor Church growth in Asia is bound-less. The bishop called these work-ers modern missionaries.

In the visit of Pope John Paul IIto the Philippines in 1995 during the10th World Youth Day, he told thebishops: In the Lords name I en-courage you to respond to the spe-cial grace of your vocation to carrythe gospel beyond the shores of this beautiful archipelago to theother peoples of this vast conti-nent Asia needs your help if it isto hear the Good News of Christ cru-cified and risen.

Social Concern

The Philippine government hasmade labor migration significant partof its economic policy and has tar-geted one million overseas jobsyearly.

But the Filipino Chaplains andPastoral Workers ministering to thedifferent migrant Filipino communi-ties around the world called on thegovernment to also address the realcauses that lead to migration.

This phenomenon, according toLagdameo, is not without problemsboth for the migrants and the fami-lies they temporarily left behind.They become part of our social con-cern. ( Roy Lagarde )

w w w . b

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5 Vol. 10 No. 12September 25, 2006

7 Questions for Abp. Carmelo D.F.

Morelos

7 Questions for Abp. Carmelo D.F.

Morelos

FeaturePope B enedict XVI and theClash o f Faith and R eason

By Orlando B. Quevedo, OMI, DD

I HAVE not made any public commenton the Popes lecture on Faith and Rea-son at the University of Regensburg,except to my own Clergy and Reli-gious. I have read the Popes lecturetwicevery closely. I have analyzedits tone, its premise, its main issue, the

way it is developed, its conclusions. Itis closely reasoned. It was given toscholars in an academic setting.

As a former academic, frankly Iam completely shocked and bewil-dered by the vehement reaction tothe Popes lecture from various quar-ters of the Muslim world. TV hasshown effigies of Benedict XVI be-ing burned as an enemy of Islam.Churches in several countries havebeen attacked. The murder of a reli-gious Sister in Somalia has beenspeculated on as a possible retalia-tion. I even surmised that the vio-lent reactions could unfortunatelyconfirm the wrong belief of manynon-Islam people that Islam may, in-deed, be a religion of violence. If thiswere so, it would be a great pity.

But most certainly PopeBenedict XVI is definitely not anti-Muslim. This I declare unequivocally

from personal knowledge. I havetalked with him several times whenhe was yet a Cardinal. I have referredissues of inter-religious dialogue tohim. He was the closest and mosttrusted theological adviser of PopeJohn Paul II. I personally know thathe shared the vision of the late PopeJohn Paul II with regard to inter-reli-gious dialogue.

I know that he has the greatestrespect for peoples of different reli-gions, particularly of Islam. Togetherwith the Pontifical Commission onInter-Religious Dialogue, he collabo-rated with the late Pope on the manysignificant papal documents andevents that had significantly pro-moted respectful dialogue with Is-lam. He thought that dialogue with

the great religious traditions had alot to do with the deeply rooted cul-tural traditions of various peoples.

That is why I was not surprisedwhen he placed the Pontifical Com-mission on Inter-Religious Dialogueunder the Vatican office on Culturea move that was misinterpreted bysome critics as a downgrading of theprocess of dialogue. I am sure thathe thought of the move as enrichingthe process and emphasizing the roleof culture in inter-religious dialogue.One can see his emphasis on cul-tural religious values on his insis-tence that Europe recognize this inits Constitution. One can likewise seethis point clearly in his lecture at theUniversity of Regensburg.

Further, he continues to regard

the continuing war in Iraqwith great disapproval. Inhis own academic style heseverely and negatively judged the anti-Islam car-toons in Denmark. In doc-trine and in practice, he cer-tainly holds great respectfor Islam and its believers.With his great predecessor,Pope John Paul II, he holdsin common the convictionthat violence is not to be justified in the name of religion,Christian or otherwise. The tragicblunders of religious belief in thisregard have littered history withthousands of corpses.The one fault the Pope couldhave had at the University of Regensburg is his political simplic-ity. Some might call it naivet. Cer-tainly I see him as a simple personwithout any worldly political sophis-tication, a scholar without guile.Perhaps he believed that everyonewould understand his use of a medi-eval text in its proper contextas asimple starting point for a wide-rang-ing scholarly discussion on the needfor the West to res tore faith and re li-gious values into its secular mental-

ity. Such restoration has to be done,he says, if the West were to success-fully enter into dialogue with thegreat cultural religious traditions of peoples. Here I suppose he wouldinclude such traditions as Islam,Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, etc.

We now know, of course, fromhis message of September 16, thatwas covered live by Al-Jazeera thathe does not endorse the medievaltext. In fact, we are told that the Ger-man word that he used in his lectureto describe the statement of the Byz-antine Emperor really means crude.

I pray that things will settledown quickly with the apology sohumbly expressed by this simple yetlearned religious leader.

Youve been archbishop of Zamboanga since 1994. Whatsthe archdiocesan pastoral visionof Zamboanga?

The vision is the formationof the community of disciples of Jesus Christ, which necessarilyincludes working for justice andthe integrity of Gods creation.

It was reported recently that oneof your priests is running as apolitical candidate for Mayor forthe city of Zamboanga in the nextlocal elections. How are yourpriests in the archdiocese andyour program of priestly forma-tion?

Oh, well, regarding Fr. Chrisalleged candidacy for ZamboangaCitys mayoralty election, thatswhat people there have been say-ing. But, as a matter of fact, Fr.Chris himself has not said that hewill run. Whats actually happen-ing is that the local oppositionparty, who seemingly does nothave any credible candidate forthe next elections, has since beentrying to entice him to run. Withregards to our program of priestlyformation, we do have a CollegeSeminary. Right now, we haveabout 32 students. We are rather

strict now in our screening of semi-narians. There were about some35 or so who applied last time, butwe accepted only 7. We have toconsider in our evaluation, amongothers, the family backgroundand the intellectual qualificationof prospective seminarians.

How do you address such issueor problem of wayward priests?

Well, first and foremost, youhave to talk to them. Its muchbetter to dialogue with themabout some problems and find outwhat could be the causes of suchproblems. I think charity is betterthan simply threatening them with

That is really worrisome. Butstill, we can trace it to the massiveproblem of poverty enveloping ourpopulace. Poor people are afraid tobring a child into this world, wor-ried about not being able to pro-vide the necessities for the upbring-ing of the child. But, the faithfulshould be relentlessly educatedthat abortion is indeed not only acriminal act but also grievous sin.

Whats your view about the secu-lar media particularly the waythey report about the workingsor dynamics in the Church?

I think, there are problemsabout that. Very often, they (secu-lar media) focus on what is sensa-tional and also there is little regardfor truth. At one time, for instance,one national daily published aheadline report saying that thepriests of Zamboanga are gun-tot-ing. But, on the contrary, the truthwas that one of our priests wassimply seen with his pocket-sizepager inconspicuously tucked,but yet bulging, to his hip. Thatwas simply it. I then sent disclaimerletters to all the papers. But, sur-prisingly, the national daily whichpublished said misleading newsdid not, in fairness at least, even

publish my disclaimer. So, you see,its not quite fair. The secular me-dia sometimes see or report thingsout of context. But, this does notmean that currently we dont havea good relationship with the localmedia in our place. Truth to tell,indeed we have now a kind of fairor good relationship with the lo-cal media. In fact, we have one of our priests assigned as thearchdiocesan spokesman who iscurrently dealing with them. Onour part, we have one local radiostation, Radyo Verdadero, ownedby the archdiocese, where we ef-fectively carry out our pastoraland evangelization efforts.

Undisputedly as a highly respected fig-ure in the Philippine Churchs hierarchy,Zamboanga Archbishop Carmelo D. F.Morelos is the most senior in terms of ordi-nation to the espiscopate among the current95 active membersarchbishops, bishops,and vicars apostolicof the Catholic Bish-ops Conference of the Philippines. Ordainedto the episcopate in 1967, ArchbishopMorelos erstwhile served as CBCP Presidentin 1991-1995, and currently chairs the CBCPsCommittee on International Eucharistic Con-gresses. At the last CBCP Plenary Assemblyin Paco, Manila, Archbishop Morelos talkedto CBCP Monitor about Zamboangasarchdiocesan pastoral vision and social con-cern programs, the problem of abortion, theissue of wayward priests, and his perceptionabout the secular media.

suspension or other outright admin-istrative sanctions.

How do you view the CBCPs decla-ration of social concerns year andhow is it being implemented in yourarchdiocese?

Of course, its indeed timely andcommendable. We know for a factthat Pope Benedict XVI, in his firstencyclical Deus Caritas Est , alreadyexhorted how love should be ex-pressed especially to our less fortu-nate and impoverished populace. ForZamboanga Archdiocese, we havein place a good number of social con-cern programs like, among others, anactive advocacy about mining, pro-grams for abused women and forstreet children, and livelihood pro-grams, like micro-financing assis-tance extended to the poor. We alsohave our continued implementation,promotion, and development of ourBasic Ecclesial Communities orBECs.

What about, say, morally engagingin politicsis this part of your so-cial concern agenda or programs?

Oh, inevitably, yes. In fact, inthe past and until now, we have al-ways been very active in support-ing the PPCRV (Parish Pastoral Coun-

cil for Responsible Voting) with ourVoters Education Program, which wedo before and during the elections.We were able to recruit many volun-teers for that. I think, the last time weevaluated our work we found outthat we were indeed doing well ex-cept that we thought that such pro-gram should be a continuing work,instead of just waiting wheneverthere is a local or national election inthe country.

According to official statistics andmedia reports, abortion cases in thecountry have reportedly increasedto some staggering levels. Whatsyour take on this?

Musl im / P8

Muslims in Pakistan:

We respect pope; his speech was used

Lahore, Pakistan(AsiaNews )Thepopes words in Regensburg weremisunderstood by the media andforces that are against peace, whointerpreted them in a mistaken man-ner on the basis of their personal de-sires. But Benedict XVI is a personal-ity respected by all Islam, as revealedin his meeting with Muslim ambassa-

dors, which was a step towards dia-logue that should be continued andtaken ahead without any more uselesscontroversies.

This was the outcome of a surveyconducted by Fr Francis Nadeeem inPakistan. The Capuchin priest is coor-dinator of the National Council for In-terfaith Dialogue of Pakistan, who in-terviewed Muslim scholars and clergy-men about the controversy surround-ing the popes speech in Regensburgand the protests that followed.

Maulana Malik Javaid Akbar Saqi ,President of Tehreek-e-Wahdat-e-

Islami [a group of Muslim activists of Kashmir], said: Pope Benedict XVIclearly stated that in the accused partof his address, he quoted the views of a historian and not his own. We mighthave accepted his explanation. Islamand Christianity teach us about of peace and tolerance. Both the religionsare in a very close relation with eachother and due to this binding relationwe can work for the betterment of theworld. I understand some forces are try-ing to create a conflict between thesetwo religions and these people are in-terpreting what happened in quite acontrary way. It doesnt suit us to ex-press our retaliation in such a destruc-tive manner. In his meeting with the am-bassadors of the Muslim countries,Benedict XVI presented the teachingsof Christianity in its true spirit and im-parted the lesson of peace love andpeace among the people of the world.

Muhammad Nawaz Noorani AL-Qadri ,a Muslim cleric, this matter has beenpropagated to the extreme. The mediahave tried to develop chaos in the world,especially between Islam and Christian-ity. The Pope has taken a glorious stepby conducting a meeting with the am-bassadors of Muslim countries. This ishis greatness. We respect the Pope and

will continue to do so.Abul Faheem, Pir MuhammadIbrahim , President of theUlema-o-

Mashaikh [Pakistan Muslim League]emphasized that the quotation by thePope was taken from a 13th centurytext, and pronounced during hisspeech on faith. A few people tried tohide the fact that there is all there wasto it: a quotation that is not in line withhis personal vision.

Sahibzada Allama Muhammad YarZahoori , vice-chairman of the WorldIslamic Council: Whatever hap-pened, Pope Benedict XVI clarified andimmediately conducted a dialoguewith Muslim ambassadors. This ishighly remarkable. He has played a sig-nificant role and the meeting of theMuslim ambassadors shows their sat-isfaction, confidence and trust towardsthe role of the Pope.

Allama Mushtaq Hussain Jafri ,chairman of the World Peace andUnity Council, said it is the need of the hour that religions of the worldsit together and work for the promo-tion of peace and religious harmony.We should respect each other. Werespect Jesus Christ and based onthis, we should develop positiveopenings among us.

Allama Zubair Ahmed Zaheer , Presidentof Markazi Jamaat Ahl-e-Hadis , Paki-

When interviewed, Muslim clerics and scholars accused the media and forcesagainst peace of using the popes wordsto sow seeds of hatred among Christiansand Muslims. There were calls to dia-logue and great appreciation for the ex-

planation of Benedict XVI and his meet-ing with Muslim ambassadors.


6/16



6 Opinion

Pedro C. QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Baltazar R. AcebedoManaging Editor

Dennis B. DayaoOn-Line Editor

Roy Q. LagardeNews Editor

The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the CBCPCommunications Development Foundation, Inc., witheditorial and business offices at 470 Gen. Luna St.,Intramuros, Manila. P.O. Box 3601, 1076 MCPO. Edito-rial: (063) 404-2182. Business: (063)404-1612.Email: [email protected] Website:www.cbcpworld.net/cbcpmonitor

Editorial

Pinky Barrientos, FSPProduction Manager

Marcelo T. DalanonCirculation Manager

Ma. Lourdes G. EbilaneMarketing Supervisor

Leah CariasoComptroller

CBCP MonitorP r o t a g o n i s t o f T r u t h , P r o m o t e r o f P e a c e

ISSN 1908 -29 40

Pity the Nurses

The Philippines has been nominated by the Chicago-based National Commission for State Boards of Nursing in the US (NCSBN) as a testing center forthe National Council Licensure Examination(NCLEX) like it is presently being done in Japan,Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia.The NCLEX is an entry level examination for nurseswho wish to practice in the United States.

But that nomination, which was seen as an advantageby aspiring Filipino nurses, was deferred indefinitelyof late due to the leakage controversy that soiledthe nursing board exams this year.

Perhaps, in reaction to thisand more likely soMalacaang has directed an invalidation of theyears nursing board exams and a retake even forthe majority of those who were not involved in theleakage scam. Expectedly, this will assure theinternational community, or at least those which areimporting nurses, of quality control in Filipino laborexports. Rightly or wrongly, this logic of thisAdministration is quite consistent with the packagingof supermaids from superregions. And this,amid the flurry of protests by the nurses themselveswho clamor about fairness and their parents whosuffer the financial brunt.

But coming to senses, the international communitywho admired Filipino nurses for some decades nowhas not cast doubts on the quality of FilipinoNursesthey are considered the best in the world!What the world doubts is the capability of thePhilippines to give honest exams and administerelections. Without even mentioning, of course, thecapability or the lack of it to execute an honestgovernance.

In Praise of the PopeTime Magazine of September 25 has essayed thatThe Pontiff Has a Point . And rightly so becausehow can anybody lecture on the relationship betweenfaith, reason and violence better than Pope BenedictXVI did at the University of Regensburg?

Some reactions have been unreasonable and grosslyviolent. But why give in to unreason and cower infear of outbursts of violence? This 21st century is

time long enough to get civil at the least and to realizethat religion should not be any motive to justifyviolence at the most.

The book of Isaiah details about the SufferingServant of Yahweh who assumes the violence of the world without uttering a shrill of protest. PopeBenedict XVI is along that pathand so was hisMaster.

In and Out / P 8

Strengthening and Innovating Philippine Institutions

Abp. Angel N. Lagdameo, DD

In and Out of SeasonIn and Out of SeasonIn and Out of SeasonIn and Out of SeasonIn and Out of Season

STRENGTHENING and innovating ourPhilippine institutions are a matter of re-newing and transforming our Filipinocommunities and society. All institu-tions, governments as well as churchessuffer from problems, crises and declineof some sorts. The scientist, AlbertEinstein said: The significant problemswe face today cannot be solved at thesame level of thinking we were at whenwe created them. We will not solve ourproblems by insisting on doing thethings we have been doing before, justbecause that is the way we have beendoing the things here. We cannotchange systems of government withoutfirst undergoing change in ourselves.As it has been well said: If you are partof the problem, you are part of the solu-tion.

We do not wait for the future to comeupon us. Rather we create the future and

bring it to our present. We should not be

satisfied with cosmetic changes or su-perficial changes, even if they appeargood and make us popular. They are tem-porary. We need to do some paradigmshift or value shift. If we want dra-matic or revolutionary transformation inthe institution or organization, we needto start with our persons, we need tochange our perspective, our mindset, ourframe of reference, and operate with anew set of values.

In the CBCPs January 29 PastoralStatement, the Bishops said: the root of our debilitating situation (in the political,economic, social order) is the erosion of moral values. Its external manifestationsare deceit and dishonesty, corruption,manipulation and a deadening preoccu-pation with narrow interests. But theBishops also recognize that our situa-tion is not one of utter darkness. We areencouraged and inspired to see so many

good and decent Filipinos, of different

faith traditions, working selflessly andsincerely to build up our nation. We seepublic servants struggling for integrityand the authentic reform of the corruptedinstitutions they are part ofThesepeople united by a vision of heroic citi-zenship, are reasons for hope, even inthe midst of the political crisis we findourselves in (CBCP Renewing our Pub-lic Life through Moral Values , n. 7,8)

The Church in the Philippine hasdeclared 2006 as a Year of Social Con-cern as our response to Pope BenedictXVIs first Encyclical Deus Caritas Est .We pay special attention this year to theteaching, appropriation, and implemen-tation of the social doctrine of theChurch as contained in theCompendiumof the Social Doctrine of the Church .

In our CBCP Pastoral Exhortation on Building a Civilization of Love , we in-vite ourselves and the Filipino people to

Unless the Eye Can See . . . ?

Provera , and the IUD act, among others,by disrupting the delicate hormonal en-vironment of the womb, rendering it hos-tile and inhospitable to the implantingembryo.

The intention in that House Billasymbolic nestling of that new and vul-nerable human lifeshould be easy tograsp, even by your niece in High Schoolwho knows that there are now 46 chro-mosomes at Day One of that newly con-ceived human.Not so, however, for those whorefuse to ascribehuman existence tosomething (that is how some of themcall the newly conceived human) whichthe eye of Science cannot see. Notso, to someone who refuses to attributereality to anything which is not palpableto the senses. A mother will understandwhat we are talking about, even if untilabout a week more, she will only notice adelay. Her doctor will not also know,and so advises her to be patient in herwait during the coming days. Butwhether the rest of the world believes ornot the fact of a nature that is humanexists in this 46-chromosome some-thing which the eye cannot see , that isentirely immaterial to its existence. Its

FRANCE celebrates this year the morethan sixty years of Le Petit Prince, thatlovable story written by Antoine de Saint-

Exupry , translated by now into manylanguages.

Naturally, the Italian version, Il Pic-colo Principe, was an irresistible findduring one casual foray in an Italian shopat Roma Termini two months ago. There,I tried to look for that particular passagein the book where the Little Prince wasregaling the pilot with his mouth of babes wisdom telling him,what is es-sential is invisible to the eye. Scanningwith much effort but entirely lost in theItalian version, I decided to buy the littlewhite paperback anyway, thus complet-ing the must get list scribbled earlier inManila. I slipped it into my trolley andforgot about it. Until mid-September in aCongressional hearing, of all places, backin the Philippines.

Congressman Rene Velarde was in-troducing a measure that proposes to banall artificial contraceptive preparationsand devices because they harm the newlyconceived human life starting its journeyof seven days or so towards the motherswomb. Short of the medical jargon, thesesubstances like the 28-day pill, Depo

nature is human, whether the world be-lieves that or not.

Take the human soul which the eyecannot see. It is there, whether we be-lieve in that reality or not. Nor can theeye see love, as love per se. It has noform, no weight. It is invisible. But it isthere . Surely, people truly in love arenot pretending to seethe Emperors newclothes?

Consider ones dreams. Even beforethese could be sensed by a machine dur-ing the REM stage of deep slumber, wealready know that dreams do exist.

Or take the thing calledmalice. Astudent of Law will tell you that malice insome form is an essential requisite of allcrimes defined in the Penal Code, exceptin those crimes where the element re-quired is negligence. Hence the legalmaxim,actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea, the act itself does not make a manguilty unless his intentions were so.How will we know that malice exists inthe criminal mind? No machine can senseit, but we know it is there.

And so are many other facets of our physical humanity. For truth is not lim-ited to only what the eye can see. To

Jo M. Imbong

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7 Vol. 10 No. 12September 25, 2006 Opinion

Procurement Reform An Attempt to Prevent Graft and Corruption

RECENT headlines bannered the World Banks reporton good governancea world-wide survey of coun-tries using criteria which include a) the ease of doingbusiness, b) clear policy guidelines and uniform imple-mentation, c) transparency and accountability in pro-curement of goods, services and infrastructure projects.In effect the report focused onGraft and Corruptionas a major factor in the slow development of the coun-try, a major factor contributing to the abject poverty of 9 million Filipinos who thrive below the poverty line.

International institutions like the World Bank givegood copy for headlines and attract the attention of politicians who make their stand for or against the pub-lished article. However, what were citedthe state of our society and the prevalence of graft and corruptionhad been expressed time and again not only by theWorld Bank but also more incisively by the SecondPlenary Council of the Philippines. Let me quote a fewArticles of PCP II (1991):

263 264. a Confrontation of Sinfulness as Root Problem. At the beginning of thisjourneyis an encounter with Jesus who calls us to con-

front and confess our sinfulness and the sinful-ness of the social systems we have built.266. In the poverty and underdevelopment of our nation, in its conflicts and divisions, wesee the hand of human sinfulness, particularlythe grasping paws of greed for profit or power.

It is sinfulness that is at the root of our socio-economic and political problems, and we need to name the problems by their true name of sin.274 The necessity of social transformation isnot a new demand. What is new is its faith-motivation, as a demand of Christian disciple-ship.277. Our way of lifeour spiritualityfor so-cial transformation is nothing more and noth-ing less than a following of Jesus-in-mission. It is the spirituality of the community of disciples.283. It is evident that Christian discipleshipor a spirituality for social transformation de-mands a properly formed social conscience, thelack of which in many Filipinos is a major trag-edy. Cultural values frequently get in the wayof moral judgment resulting in the commissionof injustices or the perpetuation of immoralsocial practices that militate against the com-mon good.To repeat, PCP II declares thatsinfulness is the

root problem. Rather than attacking the findings of theWorld Bank, the administration spokespersons would

do well to analyze and examine the improvement areasmentioned. One area that has been studied and whereplans are now being implemented is the area of pro-curement reform. A new law, Republic Act 9184 waspassed in 2003. It is now in its implementation stage.As expected there are kinks that must be ironed out. Inits very detailed procedures for following the correctbidding process, we notice that it is still not foolproof for prevention of corruption. Any adventurous and in-novative person or groups of persons can cheat andbeat the system.

Notice the following detailed procedures whichmodify the old bidding process, purportedly more diff i-cult for would-be cheaters. The bid price is now pub-lished, that is, it is known beforehand by all the bid-ders. Publication of the invitation to bid must be done14 calendar days before the pre-bid conference and thisshould be scheduled 12 calendar days before the sub-mission of bids. Within 15 calendar days from the sub-mission, the evaluation of bids must be completed andthe most responsive bid is identified. Those who in thepast give more time to favored bidders to complete theirdoctored bids ( to include the amount that goes to theinsider in command ), are now constrained by the strictand regulated timetable of bidding activities.

The most responsive bid, that is, a bid offered by aqualified bidder that conforms to the technical specifi-cations, delivery schedules, and terms of reference,matching the published bid or a lower offer, is given theaward. After the lowest and most responsive bidder isidentified, an additional process of post evaluation isdone within 7 days. Whatever was declared by thewinning bidder in terms of documentsITR, businesspermits, etc. will now be verified. In the past, this stepwas not done, so that favored bidders may win even if later they are proven to have no office at all, or theyhave not filed their income taxes.

Of Risks and Being in Media

NUMBERS have it. The country is sec-ond to Iraq if were to talk of casualtiesinflicted on media practitioners. The au-thorities have time and again said not allthose killed were in the pursuit of truthwhen they got waylaid.

Press freedom advocates stood theirground: anybody who earns a living bybeing broadcaster or journalist is con-sidered media practitioner. Communi-cators are all those who actively employthe media, according to a pastoral in-struction on the means of social commu-nications.

The countrys First Gentleman Atty.Jose Miguel T. Arroyo launched his le-gal campaign against 42 journalists andmedia executives due to slights from ac-cusations of graft and corrupt practicesto some absurd remarks. It isnt easy tobecome a media practitioner these daysconsidering the risks.

It is only fitting and proper to dis-cuss what has the Catholic Church gotto say about the Media. In itsCommunio

Et Progressio on the Means of SocialCommunication written by Order of theSecond Vatican Council, the Church un-derscored the constant improvement inthe media puts them at the disposal of more and more people who in their dailylives make increasing use of them.

The media, according to the Catho-

radio programs have provided listenersthe necessary venue for opinions on al-most all subjects one can think of. Thisis a healthy sign. However, we shouldbe aware that it could cut both ways asgroups, parties and communities of op-posing views may exploit the privilege tofurther their goals. We were not bornyesterday when telephone brigades wereunheard of. Today, some powerfulgroups utilize drama talents to partici-pate in radio and television opinion sur-veys.

The Catholic Church has said notevery opinion that is given publicityshould be taken as a true expression of that public opinion which is held by asignificant number of people. Publicopinion changes often. Prudence is re-quired to maintain a certain detachmenttoward the opinions currently in publicvogue.

Communicators ought to give newsas soon as it develops. Its got to bequick, complete and comprehensive.Competition obliges practitioners tomake their reports fresh and interestingand that speed is often won at the priceof accuracy.

One thing is certain: the right to in-formation is not limitless as it has to bereconciled with other rights. The Church

lic Church tend to multiply contactswithin society and deepen social con-sciousness and hopefully, man couldplay his part in the unfolding of historyas if led by the hand of God. The samedocument added Communication ismore than the expression of ideas andthe indication of emotion.

Media practitioners are expected tohave a duty in conscience to observecompetence in the art of social communi-cation to become truly effective in theirwork. Eventually, the total output of themedia ought to be judged by the contri-bution it makes to the common good.

Print, radio and television and otherforms ought to contribute their time toeliminate illiteracy and provide basic andfurther education. A decline in the qual-ity of education ought to be addressedthrough the media. It is glaring enoughthat a great number of advertisers simplyqueue on top rating and not necessarilyon acceptable programs as they reachmore listeners and viewers.

It is expected that print, radio,internet, electronic communication,stage, television and tarpaulin serve aspublic forum where everyone could ex-change ideas. The public expression andclash of various opinions influence andenrich societys development.

You may have noticed almost all AM

Melo M. Acuna

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Faith and Reason

THE relationship between faith and rea-sonthis was the focus of the lecture of Pope Benedict XVI on 12 September 2006at the University of Regensburg. TheHoly Father has always loved the aca-deme, considering that he is himself aneminent scholar. His kindness and hu-mility are only matched by his knowledgeand wisdom. Learning and prudencethese can be said as the human attributesthat best describe the person of PopeBenedict XVI.

The substance of his lecture is a three-fold truth: First, faith and reason are com-patible. Second, faith illumines reason func-tions. Third, reason affirms faith acts. In otherwords, just as God has the disposition tomake himself known to man, man on the otherhand has the capacity to know God.

The Holy Father cited the Surah2,256 that reads: There is no compul-sion in religion. In plain words, the Popehimself subscribes to the truth broughtforward by Mohammed that mere forcecannot make man have faith. Man shouldnot only see the rationality of the faithbut also freely accept it. Otherwise, manwould not have genuine faith. Violenceor force has no place in the interactionbetween God and Man. In the same way,force or violence cannot make man reallybelieve in God.

As to the alleged attack, insult oroffense made by the Pope against theMuslim religion, this is not only a grossfalsity but also a bad joke. If anything atall, the allegation is instead a shamelessattack, insult or offense to the Pope.

Benedict XVI would be the last personon earth that could speak ill of the Mus-lim religion.

Sometime in 1391, there was the Byz-antine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus whoin his dialogue with a Persian scholar said:Show me just what Mohammed broughtthat was new, and there you will findthings only evil and inhuman, such ashis command to spread by the sword, thefaith he preached. It was definitely notBenedict XVI who said this. The truth isthat the Pope countered this errant pro-nouncement by the said Emperor by cit-ing precisely that according toMohammad himself There is no com-pulsion in religion. (Surah 2,256).

Where is the attack, insult or of-fense?

Jose B. Lugay

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Oscar V. Cruz, DD

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Issues and Concerns / P12

The Dignity of the Lowly Parish

IT is heartening to note that even atthe thick of so many engagements andcommitments, international as well asregional, the Holy Father has still thetime to focus and give quality atten-tion to the importance of the lowly par-ish in the faith life of the believers. Inhis September 22, 2006 discourse to thegroup of some 100 lay men and womengathered together by the PontificalCommission of the Laity, he called for aserious revisit and renewed apprecia-

tion of the central role that the parishplays in spiritual life of the people.The parish is the family of Chris-

tian families, a locus where the believ-ers individually as well as with theirfamilies assemble to hear the words of the pastors, to pray and celebrate theHoly Eucharist together, and to sharetheir goods with those in need. Itshould be seen as a faithful copy of the first Christian community in Jerusa-lem. The Pope hopes and prays thatthe community of the early Christiansin Jerusalem described graphically bythe Acts of the Apostles will be rein-carnated in parishes, which include not just the bustling urban ones but alsothose lowly parishes found in the coun-tryside and in the far distant towns and

villages.Some years ago to say that the par-

ish must play a central role in the be-lievers spirituality was unthinkable.People would rather talk of centers of spirituality where they congregate,pray, confess their sins, ask for con-sultation and seek spiritual guidance.In their mind is the monastery of someascetic monks, or of some pious con-templative nuns, or some shrines thatanswer petitions, even the desperate

and hopeless ones, a house of somereligious congregations known for pi-ety, or, even, a university chapel runby religious priests or sisters of deepspiritual mooring. But a parish to bethe center of spirituality?

There was a time when parishpriests were bitterly complaining re-garding the strange behavior of somefaith communities and renewal move-ments. With seeming disdain theysnubbed the programs and activities of the parish. They held their own prayermeetings and assemblies, had their ownout-reach programs and apostolate, in-vited priests as speakers and motiva-tors, lay leaders as spiritual guides, criti-cized the too institutional and there-fore lifeless activities of the parish.

The reason that they gave to thisbehavior is the nature of their commu-nities, they are, so they said,transparochial . What it tries to say isthat the charismatic communities arebeyond the jurisdictional grasp of theparish priest. After all, they owe theirspirituality and life not to the parishand its programs, but to the charismaticleader that draws them to conversionand renewal.

At surface the ground for the snob-

bery is valid. But when one delvesdeeper into the reality of their spirituallife they will be surprised to realize thatthe parish has much to do with theirconversion, that the baptismal font isthe source of their rebirth. It is bap-tism that makes one a child of God, amember of the Church, a subject of ecclesiastical rights and obligations.Conversion is actually a return to thisoriginal grace of baptism; renewal is thereturn to this original conversion. Noone can enter into Gods kingdom with-out being begotten of water and Spirit(Jn 3: 5).

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XI,in his August 31, 2006 discourse to theparish priests of the Diocese of Albano

Bp. Leonardo Y. Medroso, JCD, DD

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9 Vol. 10 No. 12September 25, 2006 DioceseApostolic Vicariate of San Jose-Mindoro:

One in Worship, Service, and Witness of Christ

By: Most Rev. Antonio P. Palang, SVD, DD

THE Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose(AVSJ) was created on January 27,1983 by his Holiness, the late PopeJohn Paul II. It covers the predomi-nantly rural province of OccidentalMindoro where 438,582 inhabitantspresently reside. With a total land

area is 5,799 sq. kms., 75 percent of its 70,772 families largely depend onfarming and fishing as their sourceof livelihood and subsistence. Agood 80.65 percent of its populationare baptized Catholics.

The first vicar apostolic of SanJose was Bishop Vicente C. Manuel,SVD, DD. Installed on July 1, 1983by the late papal nuncio to the Phil-ippines, Archbishop BrunoTorpigliani, Bishop Manuel assumedthe episcopal administration of the12 parishes that comprised the newlycreated apostolic vicariate where,with the exception of one diocesanpriest, the members of the clergywere all SVD (religious congregationof the Society of the Divine Word)missionaries.

A year after his installation,Bishop Manuel established the St.Joseph College Seminary to spur upthe Apostolic Vicariates priestly for-mation program.

Under his able leadership, thenewly-created Apostolic Vicariateformulated in no time its vision ar-ticulation, which expressively statedthus: One truly Christian Communityof Occidental Mindoro, united inworship, service and witness of Christ. This vision was reaffirmedaccording to the pastoral orientationsset forth by the Second PlenaryCouncil of the Philippines and theNational Council for Church Renewal.

Following its Vision, the apos-tolic vicariate thus pursuedas itsMission

to commit itself to [1] The for-mation of Basic Ecclesial Communi-ties, [2] rooted in the Word of God,[3] with formed lay leaders [4] andtrained lay ministers [5] and bring-ing about integral human develop-ment.

Anchored on this Vision-Mis-sion are the various pastoral pro-grams and activities of the apostolicvicariate which include, among oth-ers, namely: formation of lay leadersand catechists; Catholic educationprogram; family life and indigenous

people apostolate; and the coopera-tive program for farmers andfisherfolk.

In 1991, to enhance its mandateof evangelization and effective de-livery of its pastoral tasks, the apos-tolic vicariate opened its own radio

station, DZVT, a 5-kilowatt AM sta-tion with a broadcast reach not onlythroughout the province of Occiden-tal Mindoro but even to Palawan,Semirara, Antique and other nearbyprovinces.

All these pastoral strides andaccomplishments rightfully resonatedwith the episcopal motto,In VerbouTuo (At Your Word) of the apostolicvicariates first vicar apostolic, BishopVicente Manuel, and unfailingly pur-sued by its present vicar apostolic,Bishop Antonio Palang, with his epis-copal motto,Duc In Altum (LaunchInto the Deep!).

In 2000, Bishop Antonio Palang,SVD, DD succeeded Bishop Manuel,who was then appointed as DistrictBishop in the Archdiocese of Cebu.First appointed as apostolic admin-istrator in 2000, Bishop Palang wasinstalled as the second vicar apos-tolic of San Jose on May 31, 2002.

At present, the apostolic vicari-ate has 16 parishes and one quasi-parish. By far, the apostolicvicariates St. Joseph College Semi-nary has produced 15 diocesanpriests who are now serving the par-ishes and other pastoral offices.Complementing the pastoral minis-tries and services of the clergy aresome 425 lay ministers, 370 volun-teer catechists, a core group of Fam-ily Life Apostolate (FLA) workers,and other lay leaders and volunteers.

Likewise, a secondary schoolcurriculum, designed after the cul-ture of the indigenous peoples of Mindoro Occidental, was opened forchildren from some six Mangyantribes in Sitio Danglog, BarangayMonteclaro, San Jose.

Admittedly, on hindsight, 23years or so of San Jose apostolicvicariates existence may seem as yetnot far and long enough. But,gleaned from its pastoral strides andaccomplishments, the apostolic vi-cariate has indeed come a long wayin unfailingly living up to its pasto-ral mandate of being one in wor-ship, service, and witness of Christ.

Most Rev. Antonio P. Palang,SVD, DD Apostolic Vicariate ofSan Jose-Mindoro

and the God of Abraham, Isaac

and Jacob.In my inau-gural lec-ture atBonn in1959, I

tried to ad-dress the issue, and I do not intendto repeat here what I said on that oc-casion, but I would like to describe atleast briefly what was new about thissecond stage of dehellenization.Harnacks central idea was to returnsimply to the man Jesus and to hissimple message, underneath the ac-cretions of theology and indeed of hellenization: this simple message wasseen as the culmination of the reli-gious development of humanity. Jesuswas said to have put an end to wor-

ship in favor of morality. In the endhe was presented as the father of ahumanitarian moral message. Funda-mentally, Harnacks goal was to bringChristianity back into harmony withmodern reason, liberating it, that is tosay, from seemingly philosophical andtheological elements, such as faith inChrists divinity and the triune God.In this sense, historical-critical exege-sis of the New Testament, as he sawit, restored to theology its place withinthe university: theology, for Harnack,is something essentially historical andtherefore strictly scientific. What it isable to say critically about Jesus is,so to speak, an expression of practi-cal reason and consequently it cantake its rightful place within the uni-

versity. Behind this thinking lies t

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