•A3
Pro-abortion Catholic
politicians should be
denied Communion,
prelate says
Gov’t subsidies seen as
tactic for ‘phantom-filled’
SONA
•B1
www.cbcpnews.com
THE government’s new round of subsidies for
the poor is more of a tactic to build a “phantom-filled” State of the Nation Address (SONA)
by President Arroyo this month, an outspoken
Catholic prelate said.
Apathetic with the Arroyo administration’s
recent efforts, Archbishop Oscar Cruz made the
warning after the government announced it is
going to release another P4 billion worth of
Gov’t / A6
•C1
Message of the Holy
Father on the
Occasion of the XXIII
World Youth Day
The CROSS
Knights of Columbus Supplement
cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net
Protagonist of Truth, Promoter of Peace
July 21 - August 3, 2008
Vol. 12 No. 15
Php 20.00
Prelate hits gov’t over
lack of openness about
JPEPA
A TRANSPARENT lack of transparency.
This was how a Catholic archbishop cried foul
against the Arroyo administration for constantly
invoking executive privilege over alleged
anomalous government projects.
The sentiment followed an outcry for the Arroyo government to allow its officials to fully
disclose terms of the controversial Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
Prelate / A6
CBCP hasn’t ok’d condom use for HIV/AIDS patients
AN official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP) clarified there is no directive from the Vatican that married couples infected
with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and
those with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS) can use condoms.
Fr. Melvin Castro, the executive secretary of the
Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL)
of CBCP denounced earlier media reports that CBCP
has given permission to use condoms for those with
HIV/AIDS.
“Media misinterpret Church’s teachings especially regarding contraceptives and abortion to suit
their political and media agenda and sensationalize it accordingly to increase readership and viewers and attract advertisers,” Castro told
CBCPNews.
Under no circumstances that both Vatican and
CBCP have ever made an official statement that
the use of condoms is okayed as a last resort, Castro
added.
However, there have been several clamors
among sections of the society, NGOs, political parties and anti-life groups clamoring for use condoms
by HIV/AIDS patients, the priest said.
CBCP / A6
SENATE President Manny Villar has assured
Ozamiz Archbishop Jesus Dosado, CM of his firm
stand against anti-life bills during their meeting
on July 14 at the Archbishop’s residence, Banadero,
Ozamiz City.
Villar met with the Archbishop a day after the prelate has issued a statement saying pro-abortion Catholic politicians should be denied Holy Communion
unless they stop their pro-abortion campaign.
Dosado expressed elation upon knowing that
Villar is one of the three pro-life senators in the
senate together with Senators Nene Pimentel and
Chiz Escudero.
At the meeting, Villar gave the assurance that
there is no threat the 14th congress may pass the
anti-life bills because majority of the Representatives in the Lower House are pro-lifers.
Earlier, Dosado’s pastoral letter stating his unequivocal stand against anti-life politicians made
headlines.
Dosado said that in 2002 he issued the same pastoral letter stating the case of pro-abortion Catholic
politicians that their parish priests should meet
them; instruct them about the Church’s teaching,
inform them that they should not receive Holy Communion unless they stop their pro-abortion actions.
The prelate said he called and met with Misamis
Occidental first district Congresswoman Hermie
Solon / A7
Islamic Council
condemns threats to
Basilan Catholics
PROFESSOR Tajah
Basman, President of
the Philippine Islamic Council, condemned the threats
on Bishop Martin S.
Jumoad, the clergy
and the Catholic
faithful in Basilan
province.
In a statement sent
to CBCPNews, Professor Basman said
“they find the letter
funny and bizarre
Bishop Martin S. Jumoad, DD
because even the
Muslim leaders in Saudia Arabia, Brunei, Egypt,
Malaysia, etc. don’t impose jizya (tax) or ask OFWs
to convert to Islam.”
“Religious freedom is the rule of Islam and Muslims must not deviate from the true teachings of
Islam,” he further added.
He described the situation in Basilan as “a police
matter, which must not affect the good relations
among Filipinos.”
“Prophet Mohammad sent letters when he was
Head of the Caluphate of Islam. The Basilan letter
senders are not even Barangay kagawads or Mayor
so they don’t have any authority to impose anything to the bishop and the Christians anywhere,”
Professor Basman explained.
After the threatening letters reached members
of the clergy and religious of the Prelature of Isabela
Islamic / A6
Photo by Roy Lagarde / CBCPMedia
Solon assures bishop
against support of
anti-life bills
At “The Forum, a weekly media discussion organized by Church-based media organizations, CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life executive secretary Fr. Melvin Castro rejected
as “morally unacceptable” the reproductive health bill now pending in Congress. Religious and pro-life organizations are locked in a struggle with some lawmakers over a legislative
initiative to institute a massive regime of population control that would employ contraceptives, sterilization and sex education.
Church takes fight vs
birth control to the street
By Roy Lagarde
PROPONENTS of the reproductive health and population control measures will have to contend with
thousands of faithful marching in the streets in protest.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said this will be a movement of Christian
believers opposing such “immoral” policies.
Fr. Melvin Castro, CBCP’s Commission on Family and Life executive secretary, said they are gearing for a possible protracted protest to ensure that
their respective positions are heard and considered.
Castro said the “prayer rally” this week is just a
prelude of more rallies if Congress pushed through
in approving bills that allow the use of artificial
birth control methods in family planning.
Thousands of faithful are expected to join the rally
at the parade ground of the University of Santo
Tomas in Manila on July 25 to show their opposi-
tion against a proposed population policy.
The event will coincide with the CBCP’s celebration of the Humanae Vitae’s 40th year, the landmark encyclical issued by Pope Paul VI that deals
with Church’s uncompromising stand on birth control.
Castro said the rally will be started with a protest march from Santo Domingo Parish Church in
Quezon City to the UST campus.
“It will be a bit festive because of the Humanae
Vitae’s 40th year but very militant as well,” Castro
said.
Consolidated
The CBCP official said the gathering will particularly denounce the pending “Act providing for
a national policy on reproductive health, responsible parenthood and population development.”
The Church official said it is a consolidation of
various reproductive health bills and services which
is now moving with “great speed” in the lower
House.
Provisions of the substitute bill include full funding for ligation and vasectomy and other family
planning methods considered as anti-life and antifamily by the Catholic Church.
Atty. Jo Imbong, CBCP Legal Office executive
secretary, said these methods are to be part of
PhilHealth benefits and fully subsidized by the
same for indigent patients and identified sectors.
In the bill, she said, hormonal contraceptives,
intrauterine devices, and injectables which have
been identified as cancer-causing and hazardous to
women’s health by the World Health Organization are proposed as “essential medicines”.
She added these birth control methods are also
proposed to be delivered by Mobile Health Care
Service vans in all Congressional Districts which
will be paid for largely by Catholic taxpayers.
DOPIM SAC Directors
fear violent ARMM polls
THE Social Action Directors of the
ecclesiastical province of Dipolog,
Ozamiz, Pagadian, Iligan and
Marawi (DOPIM) expressed fears
the coming ARMM election may
bring peace and order problems
due to unsolved killings and the
so-called unpredictable moves of
one MILF Commander Bravo.
Fr. Zacharias Montefalcon,
Ozamiz Social Action Director told
CBCPNews that DOPIM social action directors met on July 10 at
Movers for Peace, Bañadero,
Ozamiz City where Marawi Social
Action director Fr. Jovit Malinao
said Marawi City residents expressed fears due to the coming
ARMM election.
Malinao reported that there
were unsolved killings and rare
kidnapping in ARMM area and
people are afraid of a possible conflict that may arise because of the
unpredictable moves of MILF
Commander Bravo and the reported sighting of a “spy plane”
in the area.
The DOPIM social Action Directors’ meeting were attended by Fr.
Albert Bael of Dipolog, Fr.
Zachariaz Montefalcon of Ozamiz,
Abeth Montiza of Pagadian, Fr.
Albert Mendez of Iligan and Fr.
Jovit Malinao from the Prelature
of Marawi.
The DOPIM social action directors urged the local government of
ARMM including the PNP to investigate the unsolved killings in the
area and move to resolve current
tension relative to the coming
ARMM election.
Montefalcon added that as
agreed by the DOPIM social action
directors, they will regularly meet
once every two months to assess
and evaluate their program of activities and discuss issues and conDOPIM / A6
Church / A6
Biking priest
won’t apologize
for saying
boxing is brutal
REDEMPTORIST biking priest
Amado Picardal clarified that he
will not apologize to the irate fans
of Manny Pacquiao who were angry at him because of his comments
about boxing as a brutal sport.
Picardal bluntly stated in his
blogspot recently that he is not
being thrilled about Pacquiao’s
victory and he refused to hail him
as a hero.
“I am probably one of the few
who is not rejoicing over
Pacquiao’s victory. I am appalled
at the sight of two boxers trying
to hurt each other and knock each
other down. I cannot stomach nor
can I glorify violence. I am never
impressed by anyone who proves
to be a better or more brutal fighter
in the ring,” Picardal said.
“Boxing is the modern day
equivalent of the gladiatorial combat in ancient Rome. These fights
among slaves were organized by
the Emperors to entertain the
masses so that they can forget their
problems. Of course, boxers don’t
try to kill each other, but many
have been maimed or have even
died,” he added.
“I believe that brutal sports such
as boxing have no place in civilized society. We should stop considering boxers as heroes. If the
only thing we can be proud of is
our boxers like Manny Pacquiao shame on us,” he further comBiking / A6
mented.
World News
A2
Next World Youth Day will be
in Madrid, Pope announces
SYDNEY, Australia, July 20, 2008—At the
Final Mass for World Youth Day in Sydney,
Pope Benedict announced that the next
World Youth Day would be held in Madrid,
Spain in 2011.
Spanish pilgrims erupted into excited
chants of “Viva el Papa” “Estaes la juventud
del Papa” (Long live the Pope, We are the
youth of the Pope), waving a sea of yellow
and red Spanish flags when the announcement was made.
Antonio, 30 from Madrid, Spain said, “I’m
very happy, very well, I’m happy that they
chose Spain. We had something in
‘CuatroVientos,’ it wasn’t a WYD but it was
a gathering of young people, and it had a
good response, so I think that it will be
good. We will try to do it as well as they
did it in Australia, but they set a high standard.”
“It was impressive when the Pope said
that the next WYD will be in Madrid, because I think that in Spain we need the
young people to be witnesses to Christ,
even when it seems that we are a very
Catholic country with a lot of faith, we need
to revitalize it, and rejuvenate it. We also
need it because as Spanish people we want
to give to others, the things we already received,” said the 26 year-old Azucena.
“I love that it’s in Spain, firstly because I
think that Spanish people are funny and
warm. Secondly I think it’s better for me
because it’s closer than Australia,” said
Flavio Lombardi, 17 from Madrid.
“I love to be here and I love Australia. I
think that the World Youth Day here was
fantastic,” he said.
“I am very happy because it is needed
and I’m really looking forward to being a
volunteer. I’m a bit disappointed that it’s
not in another place because I will not be
able to learn about another country, but I’m
very happy that it’s in Spain.”
Later today Cardinal Antonio MaríaRouco
Varela will hold a press conference to discuss the announcement that his Archdiocese
will host the next World Youth Day. (CNA)
President of Colombian bishops: ‘The
guerrillas have lost touch with reality’
BOGOTA, Colombia, July 17, 2008—In an interview with the Colombian magazine
Cambio, the new president of the Bishops’
Conference of Colombia, Archbishop Ruben
Salazar, said the guerrilla rebels in the country “have lost touch with reality.” The bishop
encouraged the rebels to free all of the hostages and to sit down for negotiations.
“The world has changed substantially during recent years and the guerillas have remained stuck in the past. They have lost
touch with reality. Violence can never be
the path for achieving a profound renewal
of society in justice and peace. The guerillas
must recognize that the moment has come
to free all of the hostages and to sit down at
the negotiating table. In this way they can
still make a contribution to the future of the
country,” the archbishop said.
He also noted that the Church neither supports nor opposes the government. “The
task of the Church is to be ‘salt and light.’
And she should help clearly to discover concrete paths that lead to what is good. We all
need to act with a greater sense of the common good. To do this one needs to be able
to renounce personal or group interests.
This should be a part of any decision,” the
archbishop stressed.
“One of the tragedies of the human being,” he went on, “is that he does not live
according to how he thinks, and therefore
he ends up thinking according to how he
lives. Without the strong experience of a
personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, it is
easy to choose the wrong path. The coherence between faith and daily life is the fundamental condition for being a Christian,”
he said. (CNA)
Self-control, not condoms, is best HIV
preventer, South African cardinal says
Cardinal Wilifrid Fox Napier
SYDNEY, Australia, July 17, 2008—Cardinal
Wilifrid Fox Napier, the Archbishop of
Durban, South Africa, told an Australian news
program that a change in Catholic teaching
on condoms would not change the rate of
HIV infection in Africa. Rather, he argued,
positive change would result from trusting
people to take control of their lives.
“You expect that because people are hearing from bishops, `You must use a condom’,
that they will do what the bishops say? the
cardinal asked his interviewer.
“We have already been preaching all our
lives, don’t have sex outside of marriage,”
Cardinal Napier told the SBS Dateline program, according to the Australian Associated
Press.
The cardinal, who is visiting Sydney for
World Youth Day, said South Africa has the
highest rate of condom distribution, but still
has one of the highest HIV infection rates in
the world.
He cited the Uganda program against HIV
infection as a successful model. There, he said,
the HIV prevalence rate was reduced from 29
to 6 percent in ten years with a program that
promoted abstinence for unmarried Ugandans
and monogamy for couples. The program also
issued condoms only to married people. Cardinal Napier said the Church trusted in
people’s ability to control their own lives.
“At the moment, if you go on a policy of
condom distribution as the only solution to
HIV and AIDS, you are telling people that
they cannot take control of their own lives,”
he said.
“And, therefore, I think you are doing them
an injustice by saying: ‘You are so stupid.
Even though this disease is a killer, you cannot take control of your own lives.’” (CNA)
Boycotters protest McDonald’s support for ‘homosexual agenda’
WASHINGTON, DC, July 19,
2008—Some supporters of traditional marriage are protesting the
fast food corporate giant
McDonald’s over its decision to
join the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
(NGLCC) and its spokesman’s
remarks suggesting those who
disapprove of homosexual acts
are driven by hatred.
The American Family Association had organized a boycott of
McDonald’s for joining the
NGLCC, Cybercast News Service
reports. The boycott coalition also
objects to the corporation’s donation of $20,000 to the chamber and
the chamber membership of Richard Ellis, McDonald’s vice president of communications.
The announcement of the boycott prompted McDonald’s
spokesman Bill Whitman to say
in response “Hatred has no place
in our culture. That includes
McDonald’s, and we stand by and
support our people to live and
work in a society free of discrimination and harassment.”
CBCP Monitor
The comment was an “insult”
according to Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs at the Liberty Counsel, which supports the
boycott
“He insulted tens of millions of
Americans who believe that the
historical definition of marriage
between one man and woman is
important and crucial to society.
He said that we’re haters and
we’re motivated by hate. That, on
its face, is a bold-face lie,” he told
Cybercast News Service.
Peter LaBarbera, president of
Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, also attacked the
comments.
“This is a canard that the homosexual activists have been
pushing for years—that if you
oppose homosexual activism you
are somehow a ‘bigot,’ or a ‘hater’
or a ‘homophobe.’ It’s a scandal
to see a spokesman for a seemingly pro-family organization
like McDonald’s echoing the gay
line like this,” LaBarbera said.
McDonald’s did not respond
directly to questions about
Whitman’s comments. However
a letter attributed to McDonald’s
chief diversity officer Pat Harris,
said:
“At McDonald’s, we respect
and value everyone… Diversity
and inclusion are business imperatives and integral parts of
our culture. We have a long and
proud history of leadership in
these areas and continually strive
to maintain a work environment
where everyone feels valued and
accepted.”
“We recognize and appreciate
the contributions diverse groups
and individuals bring to our society, including McDonald’s. We
stand behind and support
everyone’s right to live and work
in a society free from discrimination and harassment.”
A statement from NGLCC
president Justin Nelson and CEO
Chance Mitchell said the main
focus of the organization is to
connect major corporations with
“LGBT-owned (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered) businesses that want to ensure their
diverse supply chain looks like
the customer and employee
bases they have, or the customer
and employee bases they are trying to attract.
“A company’s decision to become a corporate partner doesn’t
reflect its entrance into the socalled ‘culture wars,’ as the conservative AFA suggested, but
rather its commitment to diversity in the workplace and in its
supplier relationships.”
Labarbera challenged the statement, saying the NGLCC is “a
homosexual group which is
working to extend advances made
by homosexual activist groups
over the last two decades or
more” that also takes positions
on legislation that concerns homosexuality.
“McDonald’s paid $20,000 so
that one of its top executives could
have a seat on the (NGLCC’s)
board of directors,” LaBarbera
said, according to Cybercast
News Service. “How is that not
an endorsement of the homosexual agenda?” (CNA)
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
Final Mass was largest
gathering of people in
Australia’s history
SYDNEY, Australia, July 20,
2008—The Final Mass concluding
World Youth Day celebrations
contained a number of distinctive
features. First and foremost
among the highlights is that it
was the largest gathering of
people in the history of Australia.
This Mass was the grandest and
most significant one in Australia’s
history, attended by twenty-six
cardinals, 420 bishops and thousands of priests and religious.
Another extraordinary occurrence was the Confirmation of 24
people, including fourteen Australians and Juan Martinez from
the U.S.A. It was a momentous
task to distribute Communion to
the masses, which involved 1,300
priests, Acolytes and Extraordinary Ministers.
“This whole week has just been
a magnificent eye-opener to how
faith and God is alive among
young people and the Church in
Australia,” said Fr. Mark Podesta,
WYD08 spokesman.
“Never before has Australia and
Sydney seen such a mass gathering of happy and exuberant
young people% it completely
transformed our city!”
Tomorrow, the Holy Father
will thank the 8,000 volunteers at
a special farewell party in the Domain beginning at 8:00 a.m.
The final farewell of the Holy
Father will be at Sydney Airport
when he boards his Qantas flight
to Rome at 10:00 a.m. on Monday.
Adrianna, one of the pilgrims
revelling in Spain’s chance to host
WYD11, invited all pilgrims to
Spain saying, “It’s a very beautiful country, there’s lots to see.
People are very friendly, you’ll
make lots of friends and have fun
there with all of us.” (CNA)
Vatican requests
exhumation of Cardinal
Newman’s remains
Venerable
Newman
John
Henry
Cardinal
LONDON, UK, July 16, 2008—The
exhumation of Venerable John
Henry Cardinal Newman has
been requested by the Vatican to
make veneration easier for his
devotees. The prominent nineteenth-century convert from the
Church of England is being considered for beatification, the last
step before he is declared a saint.
Cardinal Newman’s body was
buried in a small cemetery at
Rednal in 1890. According to the
Telegraph, the Vatican wants his
remains to be moved to a marble
sarcophagus in the Birmingham
Oratory.
Father Paul Chavasse, Provost
of the Birmingham Oratory, explained the reason for the request:
“One of the centuries-old proce-
dures surrounding the creating of
new saints by the Catholic Church
concerns their earthly remains.
“These have to be identified,
preserved and, if necessary, placed
in a new setting which befits the
individual’s new status in the
Church.
“We hope that Cardinal
Newman’s new resting place in
the Oratory Church in Birmingham will enable more people to
come and pay their respects to
him, and perhaps light a candle
there.
“Many will surely wish to
honor this great and holy man.”
The exhumation and re-interment of Newman’s remains [will
be approved by the] Birmingham
City Council and the Ministry of
Justice, which was accused of “procrastinating” but is expected to approve the action soon.
Newman, who became an
Oratorian priest after his conversion, was involved in founding
the Birmingham Oratory. At his
funeral more than 15,000 people
lined the route to his burial place
located beside other deceased
members of his community.
(CNA)
Canada’s 230,000 Knights
asked to call for revocation
of Morgentaler’s award
OTTAWA, Canada, July 19, 2008—
Mr. Natale Gallo, President of the
Canadian Association of Knights
of Columbus, has called on
Canada’s 230,000 Knights to voice
their opposition to the awarding
of abortionist Hans Morgentaler
with the Order of Canada and written a letter to Governor General
Michaëlle Jean asking for the decoration to be “immediately rescinded.”
Gallo, the Canadian Knights of
Columbus president, accused the
Governor General of forgetting the
hundreds of thousands of “links”
in the “human chain” that have
died from abortion in Canada and
he urged all Canadian knights to
contact their government officials
to demand the revocation of the
honor.
Twelve of Canada’s 88 bishops
are known to have also publicly
criticized the honoring of
Morgentaler, LifeSiteNews reports. The critical bishops often
exhorted their flocks to witness to
the value of human life, to help
those tempted to abort their unborn children, and to love and forgive those who have experienced
abortion.
Bishop Fougere said the decision
“belittles” the Order of Canada and
those who have received it in the
past. He asked Catholics to meditate on an important question, saying: “In your prayer, ask yourself
the question: have we reached such
a stage of moral and ethical bankruptcy?”
In a July 16 letter to Governor
General Michaëlle Jean, Natale
Gallo referenced her Canada Day
comments referring to each Canadian making a “human chain” for
the benefit of all.
“Yet, shortly after your remarks,
in a list published through your
office, we learned that one of the
nominees for the Order of Canada
award was Henry Morgentaler.
Somewhere in between, you forgot the hundreds of thousands of
‘links’ that over the last forty years
have been disposed of, thus breaking that ‘human chain’ of which
you proudly spoke.”
Gallo said the bestowal of the
award upon Morgentaler “denigrates” the Order of Canada to the
point that it becomes “meaningless, futile and divisive.” He also
wrote that he expected the award
to be rescinded immediately.
Writing in a separate letter to
Canadian Knights of Columbus,
Gallo noted that the Order of
Canada motto, from the Letter to
the Hebrews, reads “desiderantes
meliorem patriam,” meaning
“those who desire a better country.”
“Indeed it is a sad day when this
honor is bestowed upon such an
individual as Dr. Henry
Morgentaler, who has brought
destruction to the helpless and defenseless unborn,” Gallo wrote.
He exhorted Knights of Columbus state deputies and the more
than 230,000 Canadian knights “to
stand united with our bishops” and
to contact the offices of the Prime
Minister, the Governor General,
and their respective Members of
Parliament to express their “revulsion” at presenting the award to
Morgentaler.
”It is imperative for us to urge
our Canadian government leaders
to ensure that this act of dishonor
against our country and our families is revoked,” Gallo wrote. (CNA)
CBCP Monitor
News Features
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
A3
Pro-abortion Catholic politicians should
be denied Communion, prelate says
sible, and the person in question,
with obstinate persistence, still
presents himself to receive the
Holy Eucharist, the minister of
Holy Communion must refuse
to distribute it.
Dosado added that this decision, properly speaking, is not a
sanction or a penalty. Nor is the
minister of the Holy Communion passing judgment on the
person’s subjective guilt, but
rather is reacting to the person’s
public unworthiness to receive
Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin.
Citing the General Principles
of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
(now Pope Benedict XVI), June
2004, titled “Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion”
Dosado said taking Communion
should be a conscious decision,
based on a reasoned judgment
regarding one’s worthiness to
do so. The practice of indiscriminately presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion merely
as a consequence of being
present at Mass is an abuse that
must be corrected.
Dosado stressed not all moral
issues have the same moral
weight as abortion.
“For example, if a Catholic
were to be at odds with the Holy
Father on the decision to wage
war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to
present himself to receive Holy
Communion. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion
even among Catholics about
waging war, but not about abortion,” he added.
The local ordinary said apart
from an individual’s judgment
about his worthiness to present
himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy
Communion may find himself
in the situation where he must
refuse to distribute Holy Communion to someone, such as in
cases of a declared excommunication, a declared interdict, or an
obstinate persistence in manifest
grave sin. (Wendell Talibong)
Archbishop Jesus A. Dosado, CM
Photo by Wendell Talibong / catholicfaithdefender.blogspot.com
REITERATING the Catholic
Church’s stand against abortion
Ozamiz Archbishop Jesus A.
Dosado, CM said pro-abortion
Catholic politicians should be
denied Holy Communion until
they bring to an end the objective situation of sin.
In a pastoral letter released
July 13, Dosado said a Catholic
politician who consistently campaign and vote for permissive
abortion should be instructed on
Church’s teachings and informed by parish priests that he
is not to present himself for
Holy Communion until he
brings to an end the objective
situation of sin or otherwise he
will be denied the Eucharist.
Quoting from the Pontifical
Council for Legislative Texts
Declaration “Holy Communion
and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics” [2000], number
3-4, the prelate stressed that
when these precautionary measures have not had their effect
or in which they where not pos-
Diocese
focuses
on
Bishop tells Gov’t ‘to stop
values
through
FEC
killings of farmers in Masbate’
Photo by Dennis DAyao / CBCPMedia
The death of
Yusi, president of
the Ticao Farmers
Federation and
the Samahang
Anak
ng
Magsasaka ng
Famosa,
Inc.
(SAMFAI), occurred barely two
weeks following
the murder of
peasant leaders
Rene Llabres and
Junrie Pagaspas.
The three were
reportedly killed
by armed men in
military
uniforms.
Yusi was the
provincial chair
of Ugnayan ng
Mga Nagsasariling Organisasyon sa
Kanayunan (UNORKA) in Masbate.
In Dec. 2007, New People’s Army guerillas
allegedly killed peasant leader Mark Anthony Vale, a village captain.
Vangie Mendoza, national coordinator of
UNORKA, said about 40 farmers have been
killed nationwide since 2001.
“Government and military are not doing
enough to stop killings of farmers,” she said
in a press conference at the CBCP.
Masbate bishop Joel Baylon earlier reported that he, some priests and Catholics,
have been receiving death threats allegedly
from Muslim rebel groups, anti-social groups
and landlords.
Killings of farmers and landless peasants
are related to land dispute. The CBCP demanded for the immediate action on the killers and perpetrators of violence in Masbate.
Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ
IN a press conference July 21, Cagayan de
Oro Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, executive chair of the Second National Rural Congress, appealed to President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo to “stop the killings in
Masbate” and “secure the lives and communities of farmers.”
“It is the landless, the exploited, the disadvantaged and the powerless who have the
single most urgent claim on the conscience
of the nation today. It is also the death of Ka
Bito and the 45 others who were also killed
in the name of agrarian reform, whose children, families and fellow farmers seek justice for the lost lives and the rightful claim to
the lands they tilled and died for,” he said.
The latest victim was a peasant leader
Alberto Yusi, July 20. He is the fourth victim
in land-reform related killings in the province in less than seven months.
Making a statement on the recently concluded Second National Rural Congress last
July 7-8, Ledesma said as Catholic bishops,
pastors, leaders, and teachers, they listened
with faith to voices of the rural poor. For
many people in the country, farming is a way
of life, not just another business and it helps
feed the nation.
Despite the strong support from farmers and
their organization, Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Program (CARP) funding was not extended last July 10, 2008. Since then, farmers
are left on their own to hurdle grave threats in
their lives and communities. This is evident
in the recent killing of farmers in Masbate.
The farmers had earlier been dissuaded
from pursuing their land reform petition
because they were informed “CARP is already finished.” Farmers were also prevented from farming and harvesting coconuts. Their farm lots were also taken over by
people who were ‘loyal’ to the Hacienda
Batuan owner.
In Calatagan, Batangas, Asturias Industries
attempted to enter the 507 hectares that have
previously been granted Emancipation Patents to farmers through Presidential Decree
No. 27. Farmers are calling on government
to have the Mining Production Sharing
Agreement granted to Asturias Industries rescinded and the lands covered by CARP, as
these remain agricultural holdings.
Ledesma said, “The Second National Rural
Congress underlined an agreement that there
should be wider and equitable distribution
of land for the small farmers, that landlessness is a problem, that large landholdings
should be broken up, that farmers should
have secure tenure and assisted to produce
more and raise household incomes, and that
land-to-the tiller should continue to be the
underlying principle of the country’s agrarian reform.” (Santosh Digal)
CBCP reiterates demand for
CARP extension with reforms
THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) appealed to the Arroyogovernment to extend the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) with reforms.
Speaking at a press conference on July 21
at the CBCP Media Office, Kalookan Bishop
Deogracias Iñiguez, chair of the CBCP public affairs committee, said that agrarian reform, through a reformed CARP, be placed
at the center of the country’s agricultural development, transformation and competitiveness.
CBCP also demanded that Congress
should approve House Bill 4077 for the extension of the CARP.
Poverty is mostly a rural and agricultural
phenomenon which has to be addressed to
for the sake of agricultural progress and sustainable economic development, said
Iñiguez.
The prelate reiterated that studies provide
categorical evidence that agrarian reform
translated into faster agricultural development, which, in turn, leads to sustainable
economic growth. In the Philippines, studies show that inequality in asset distribution, particularly land, is associated with
slower growth.
CBCP denied the argument that agrarian
reform is an obstacle to large-scale production efficiencies. Instead, the experience of
contract growing, cooperative farming, and
similar arrangements in the Philippines, and
in other countries, indicates that there is no
incompatibility between large-scale production and small-scale ownership of land.
The bishops also wrote a letter to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, House
Speaker Prospero Nograles, Senate President Manny B. Villar, and Chief Justice
Reynato S. Puno urging them for the “direct
and physical distribution of all agricultural
lands as opposed to non-redistributive
schemes.”
The other concerns included in the bishops’ demands are to “address policy and
implementation problems that are obstacles
to the completion of the CARP extension
program, the requisite appropriations of at
least P50 billion, ensure strengthened credit
and support services to farmer beneficiaries,
and Congressional monitoring and oversight with major CARP stakeholders of
CARP implementation and Department of
Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) performance.”
CARP extension with progressive reforms
would truly benefit poor farmers who remain landless, barely able to eke out a decent living from one day to the next, said
Iñiguez.
The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Law was enacted as a social justice measure
to address the inequality of over-concentration of land ownership. After 20 years, 1.3M
hectares of CARP lands remain undistributed, consisting mainly of large haciendas
that have been included in the CARP from
its inception. Poverty still exists in the country, not because of CARP but because it has
not been fully and properly implemented.
“There is no doubt that the manner in
which the DAR has been implementing the
program leaves much to be desired. Add to
this the perception of corrupt practices in
the department, especially in many decisions on exemptions and conversions that
farmers have questioned and remain unresolved,” said Iñiguez.
In a letter to the President, the congressional leaders and Chief Justice Puno, the
bishops sought the “direct and physical distribution of all agricultural lands as opposed to non-redistributive schemes.”
They asked Congress to act as a monitoring and oversight body in the implementation of CARP and hold the Department of
Agrarian Reform for its less than satisfactory performance. A total of 1.2 million hectares are still to be covered. (Santosh Digal)
THE Diocese of Mati is now
strengthening the preservation of
Christian values through its formation program dubbed as “family ecclesial communities” (FEC).
According to Sr. Mila Arnado,
LGC the FEC is just like the Basic
Ecclesial Communities (BECs)
program where the formation is
centered on understanding and
appreciating the Word of God.
The FEC program is conducted through prayer, worship
and listening to the Word of God
and is being done inside the families’ respective homes and family members gather together as
one community.
Arnado as quoted by Davao
CATHOLIC HERALD also
stressed that being a domestic
Church the family should be
strengthened.
Arnado also believe that as
families are strengthened, the
Basic Ecclesial Communities
(BECs) will also be strengthened
since the families are the ones
who belong to the BEC.
FEC started three years ago
and is now organized in the five
parishes in the diocese namely
Sacred Heart Parish in Mati, El
Salvador del Mundo in Caraga,
Sto. Rosario Parish in Calapagan,
San Ignacio Governor Generoso
and St. Francis Xavier in
Sigaboy, Davao Oriental.
Meantime, in Davao City
there is an on-going seminar
which aims to help the faithful
grow in faith held at San Pedro
Cathedral Parish which started
July 14 to 18.
With the theme, “Christian
Growth Seminar,” the gathering
is intended for those who are
part of charismatic communities
and for those who have attended
the Catholic Life in the Spirit
Seminar held last summer.
The nightly seminar starts at
6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Registration is
free. (Mark S. Ventura)
Nuncio urges clergy to be
open to signs of the times
IN a meeting with the clergy of
the Archdiocese of Caceres and
Prelature of Libmanan, Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines,
urged the priests to remain open
to the changes of the times so as to
become effective men of God.
The apostolic nuncio met the
clergy at the Basilica Minore of
Our Lady of Peñafrancia, a day
after the installation of Libmanan
Bishop Jose Rojas, Jr. on July 2.
He stressed that priests should
be happy in the work they do
challenging them to continuously adjust to the changing
needs of the times to become effective in their ministry.
He also conveyed to them the
message from the Holy Father,
Pope Benedict XVI.
Of the more than 300 priests
who attended the installation
rites, almost the same number
attended the meeting with the
papal nuncio.
The local clergy were happy
for the chance to meet with the
Apostolic Nuncio. Most of priests
who attended the meeting said
the nuncio’s message was timely
and relevant.
“We were like cellular phones
whose batteries are low and his
message helped us recharge,”
said Father Granwell Pitapit, parish priest of St. Joseph the Patriarch in Bahay, Libmanan,
Camarines Sur. (Elmer Abad)
Visit us online at
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CBCP Monitor
Opinion
A4
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
EDITORIAL
Who’s spreading disinformation?
ALBAY representative Edcel Lagman bluntly accuses
the Catholic Church of “deliberately spreading ‘falsehoods’
about the government’s consolidated bills regarding
reproductive health and family planning,” as quoted by
national dailies.
He calls the upcoming prayer rally on July 25 as “this
vaudeville of misinformation” and blurts that “it is, however,
disheartening that those who claim to be purveyors of truth
are, in fact, peddling misinformation,” referring to the
contents of a document entitled “Manifesto of Filipino
Families” which was adopted liberally by the Episcopal
Commission on Family and Life.
And he laments that the manifesto “will only mire the
faithful in ignorance and shackle our women to a life of
unremitting pregnancies because it contains deliberate
falsehoods.”
Obviously used to derailing bigger issues on the floor by
swatting an iota of technicality, the gentleman from Albay
has nit-picked on the manifesto’s allegation that “congress
is railroading the family planning bills.” Lagman says this
is not true, and by virtue of it now calls the Catholic Church
as “spreading falsehoods”.
Whether the railroading of family planning bills in congress
is true or not, is definitely not the real issue. The big issues
are the bills themselves which are attractively and
euphemistically, and therefore, deceptively, called
“Reproductive Health and Population Management Bills.”
Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, RGS
Love Life
It is true, for instance, that in Section 3 of the substitute bill
approved by the Committee on Health, it states that
“nothing in this act changes the law on abortion, as abortion
remains a crime and punishable.” But in the same section
it talks about “post abortion complications” of women
“who shall be treated and counseled in a humane, nonjudgmental and compassionate manner.” Simply put, if the
bill does not promote abortion, then why provide for “post
abortion complications”?
I WAS in the novitiate of the Good Shepherd
Sisters, Los Angeles, USA when it was announced to us that His Holiness Pope Paul VI
had issued an encyclical—”Humanae vitae”. Of
all the nuns and novices in the convent, I must
have been the one most interested in the pope’s
letter on the topic of human life. I had just
finished my BS Nursing and even then, in the
early 60’s we were already learning the names
of the different contraceptives. Since I graduated from St. Paul College, a Catholic school,
it was emphasized to us that we were being
taught about the contraceptives, not to promote it but to be aware of their side-effects.
The only method of natural family planning
then was the calendar rhythm method.
I did not give much thought about the encyclical for the rest of my formation years in
the convent, until I returned to the Philippines and was assigned to the Good Shepherd Home for Unwed Mothers. It was then
that I started to think of the situation of these
pregnant girls and women who opted to give
birth to their babies instead of abortion. And
I wondered how many other women must
have actually gone into abortion during their
earlier weeks of pregnancy because they did
not know where to go for help.
By God’s grace, I was invited to attend a
talk of a Benedictine priest, Fr. Paul Marx,
the founder of Human Life International. That
Without being too naïve, the bill actually promotes abortion
because in another section it gives women the right to
choose between the artificial and natural family planning
means of birth control and makes available a wide range
of contraceptives. And, Virginia, there is an unbreakable
link between contraception and abortion—otherwise, go
and tell it to the marines!
The bigger disinformation, of course, is to link the poverty
of Filipinos to the growing population as a cause to an
effect. Lagman pontificates, “An inordinately huge
population growth rate of 2.04 percent imperils family life
as a ballooning population impacts adversely on health,
education, food, security, employment, shelter and the
environment—the very essentials of sustainable family
life.” This is an old myth. Until today, population control
and reproductive rights movements have not produced a
single piece of evidence showing the direct connection
between family planning and economic development.
What is undeniably true is Filipinos are getting poorer
because of massive extravagance and endemic corruption
in Lagman’s government. If only congressmen are honest
with their pork barrels, which they are afraid to part with,
and forego of their expensive junkets abroad, and get dead
serious about running after their corrupt peers, the country
will have saved annually billions of pesos enough to buy
food, health, education and basic services to the
impoverished Pinoy.
Aside from bullying, financing and massive media campaign,
these global conspirators against life has succeeded, or so
it seems, in equivocating the meanings of eugenics, health
and environment, maternal and child care, gender rights,
and reproductive health in a sweeter lexicon that is
otherwise grim and horrible.
So, who are telling lies? Ozamiz Archbishop Jesus Dosado,
CM, should be hailed for calling a spade a spade and
withholding Holy Communion to persistent public sinners.
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was in 1974, just a year after the US Supreme
Court passed the infamous Roe v. Wade case,
legalizing abortion up to the ninth month of
pregnancy. Fr. Paul quoted Humanae vitae on
the dignity of human life and warned us Filipinos never to legalize abortion here. He
also showed the connection between contraception and abortion, and pointed to us the
articles in Humanae vitae of the abuses and
devastation that a birth control/population
control movement could bring to nations.
I was very touched by his presentation.
Immediately, I asked for copies of the films
on abortion that he showed us. He generously gave me all the materials I needed in
order to begin a pro-life campaign. I went to
schools and parishes to show the films and to
talk on alternatives to abortion, services we
can offer to stop premarital sex, abortion and
to promote natural family planning. That was
the beginning of the Pro-life Movement in
our country.
Around that time, the government adopted
the population control program and set up
the Population Commission, receiving millions of dollars to distribute condoms, pills,
injectables, perform ligations and vasectomies. Students in grade school were taught
that a “small family is a happy family” and
high school and college students were taught
family planning, with emphasis on the use
‘Heart’—a faith-based movement on
anti-Graft and Corruption is born
But in fact the gigantic deception, disinformation and lies
are the regular modus operandi of the global conspirators
against life. These are the gods and the seemingly
inexhaustible fund sources of local hirelings in congress.
Without even backtracking to the NSSM 200 of Henry
Kissinger, already an organized platform of action against
life loomed in the United Nations International Conference
on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo on
September 1994. This was sealed in September 1995
during the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing,
China.
THE “HEART” Movement was born during
the initial gathering of faith-impelled and
church-based groups currently involved in
initiatives against graft and corruption.
Bishop Artemio Rillera, during the Dilaab
update in La Union last January 2008 saw the
need for those involved in the same advocacy to get together. Taking this cue, Fr.
Carmelo Diola head of the Dilaab/Barug
Pilipino anti-graft and corruption group of
the Diocese of Cebu, and Fr. Albert Alejo, S.J.
of Davao, writer of the anti-corruption
conscientization modules, EHEM/AHA, arranged to convene the groups already doing
work on anti-graft and corruption and good
governance. Receiving this invitation last
June 15, Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes of the Episcopal Commission on the Lay Apostolate
decided to attend the session together with
Atty. Mia Zafra and myself to represent
CBCP-LAIKO’S Advocacy for Good Governance.
It was an audacious attempt on the part of
the two organizers to call a meeting that is
national in scope. Fr. Mel Diola confessed
that he had no resources (secretarial, financial, etc.) to support this undertaking. Fr.
Albert Alejo, inspite of his enthusiasm to act
as one of the convenors, has no office of his
own at all and relies only on his computer
(e-mail) and cellphone to inform would-be
participants. With the enthusiastic response
from national organizations and coalitions,
the two-day spirit-filled sharing session culminated in the birth of a new movement—
the HEART Movement. Truly this was a gift
from the Holy Spirit! At first the venue mentioned was San Jose Seminary, Ateneo de
Manila University. The attendees were supposed to take care of their meals, lodging
and transportation. A few days before the
scheduled meeting on June 26, we learned
that the venue was relocated to the Training
Room of the Communication Foundation of
Asia, Santa Mesa, Manila. The meals and secretarial services as well as communication/
media services would be sponsored by Communications Foundation of Asia, thanks to
its President.
The profiles of these participants foreshad-
Humanae vitae was
right
of condoms, pills and IUDs.
Indeed, the sexual revolution had begun.
Pornography proliferated, pro-homosexual
groups demanded not only tolerance but their
own definition of gay rights, onset of premarital sex started at younger years, and adultery and infidelity became common. Humane
vitae described all that as stemming from a
contraceptive mentality—simply put—sex
but no baby at any cost.
As I write this, plans are being finalized
for the Prayer Rally for Life and Family on
July 25 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of
the encyclical Humanae vitae. We will gather
to affirm our fidelity to the Catholic Church
teachings on value of Life, Marriage, Family,
Sexuality and Fertility. We will also be expressing our strong opposition to the impending bills and ordinances that are contrary to
the teachings found in Humanae vitae such as
the Reproductive Health and Population
Management Act.
Often times I wonder, if Pope Paul VI had
not gone against the popular demand for the
Church to allow contraceptives, how many
millions of lives and families would have
been deprived of the graces received through
a faithful life within the sacrament of matrimony, practicing responsible parenthood
and natural family planning, and accepting
each child as a gift and not a burden.
Jose B. Lugay
owed a mixture of conflicting outputs—a) Bishops who with their authority could pose objection to any action violative of the “common good”; b) Priests whose theological
groundings are process oriented rather than
problem-solving and action-oriented; c) Nontechnical/legal lay people whose final aim is
to “catch the thief” and to protect
whistleblowers rather than system change for
the prevention of corruption; d) Professionals
who are fed up with the system of corruption
ranking this country as the most corrupt in
Southeast Asia which calls for agitating political reform; e) Lay leaders concerned about
the corruption existing at the level of the local government and their support services including that of the police force, f) Coalition of
organizations working at the national level
concentrated on providing trained observers
to government institutions. This mix of advocacies of the participants made the convenors
avoid calling the affair a conference but only
as an exploratory gathering.
Two personalities who attended the session are worthy of special mention since they
both represent the active fight against corruption within the present political system—
Former Tanodbayan Ombudsman Simeon
Marcelo and Governor Ed Panlilio. With
these diverse mix of highly involved advocacy groups and individuals enlightened by
the homilies during the Eucharistic celebration of Archbishop Ramon Arguelles on the
first day and Bishop Broderick Pabillo on the
second day, we were assured that we would
follow one track of resolutions—our contribution for the common good for the Kingdom of God and country. One may also expect that the outcome of this gathering will
not fall into the same demise as some great
Church conferences in the past—that is,
NATO (No Action Talk Only) according to a
high-ranking perceptive clergy.
Fr. Melo Diola started with these three
questions: 1) What is your group about? 2)
What blessings are you most grateful for? 3)
What are the hindering factors? One by one,
as the participants’ charisms and work accomplishments became known, progressively, we
realized the presence of a greater force that
Laiko Lampstand
propelled the group to act as one. Should we
organize and follow the traditional corporate way of organizing? Without much discussion nor any objection, each participating
member/organization agreed to retain its
own identity and continue with their advocacy work. What is new is that each organization would be amenable to share their gift
of expertise/resources with others when the
occasion arises. It was the consensus to call
this gathering as a MOVEMENT. The participants approved it in no time. This collective
group, individually awakened by what was
shared by each participating group, realized
that working together as one will make a
great difference—probably the empowering
mechanism for the social transformation
longed for by CBCP since PCP II.
Fr. Gerry, as erudite as ever, proposed a
better and more apt acronym, HEART. Inspired by the input of Bishop Arguelles who
admonished that we should not consider a
group like this as the “critical mass” a term
used as the motive force of the EDSA people
power revolution. Rather, Bishop Arguelles
asserts, it was the Spirit of EDSA—the
Epiphany of the Saints—referred to by the
late Cardinal Sin, as the motive force for
change during that time. This spirit lives on
today among us. Fr. Gerry recalled that the
Filipino people had a pre-EDSA experience
in welcoming the Spirit—the celebration of
the Marian Year in 1985. This culminated in
the National Marian Congress with “Education in Faith” as the objective. Then in 1986
came the People Power Revolution. The National Eucharistic Year was celebrated afterwards. On this note Fr. Gerry proposed the
acronym HEART with the corresponding
platform for action:
H – Holiness - the call to all the People of
God.
E – Education in faith for social transformation
A – Advocacy – movement for communal
action
R – Resource mobilization
T – Transformation – truth telling and
whistle-blowing
Laiko / A6
CBCP Monitor
Opinion
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
Michael Cook
Nicolo F. Bernardo
Lifeguard
LIFE begins at 40. That’s how to dub the 40th
anniversary of the papal encyclical On Human Life (Humanae Vitae) if only its message
could finally come across. Much as this document on contraception is “papal,” many proponents of the “Reproductive Health” bill
dismiss it as parochial.
But even without doing theology, their
argument fails to hold water. Just the title of
this bill—”reproductive health”—institutionalizing artificial birth control is misleading. I
remember the philosopher Voltaire saying
that the Holy Roman Empire (Germany) was
neither “holy” nor “Roman” nor “Empire.”
In the same way, I could just die laughing
that this “reproductive health” being proposed is tagged as “reproductive” and for
“health.”
The proponents’ objective is to prevent
mortality rates among women not ready to
bear babies. So far so good. But their means?
Making women sick with contraceptive side
effects.
Oops! I understand that they find that “side
effect” argument incredulous. After all, the
contraceptive methods they are promoting
got the World Health Organization’s (WHO)
thumbs up. Simply because most medicines,
even the Paracetamol, have side effects. But
you can only include contraceptives among
the “essential medicines,” as the bill proposes, if you think fertility and pregnancy
are “essential illnesses.” There’s the rub.
We’ll have a law implying that to be fertile
or to be pregnant is to be essentially sick!
Or maybe because they are just being inconsistent, or they can’t admit they figured it
all wrong. After all, the same WHO through
its International Agency for Research on Cancer has labeled hormonal devices such as the
A5
Anti-reproductive, antihealth
pill, injectables, and implants as type-1 carcinogenic (the worst category). See their July
2005 press release. Pills are said to induce
certain types of cancer (cervical, liver and
breast), while reducing some (endometrian
and ovarian). There you go, the woman is
given the choice what cancer to suffer. Oh,
that’s how pro-choice they can get!
Or maybe, the proponents are ignoramus
of history. They missed the fact that the very
first prescription drug to receive warning
labels from the US Food and Drug Administration was the pill. It still has the warning
labels now.
Okay then, so let’s then drop the pill, and
the hormonal injectables and implants as
well. But how about the IUDs?
As to these IUDS (read “I, yoU, Deads”),
many products such as the Dalkon Shield,
Lippes Loop, Copper-7, Tantum-7, etc. initially approved for sale in the market had to
be withdrawn due to lawsuits, for reasons
like uterine perforation. The IUDs available
today work just the same. These may also
prevent the implantation of an already conceived baby. It’s guaranteed try now, sue later.
What about the condoms? Well ask condom users around—I mean the women—and
they’ll tell you that they do experience UTI
and vaginal irritation. Maybe they should
also get this report from the German and
Veterinary Investigation Institute in 2004:
there are traces of N-nitrosamine, a highly
carcinogenic substance, in 29 of 32 condom
types.
One thing more, although promoters call
condoms universal “protection” against STDs
and unwanted pregnancies, they can’t offer
protection for the “heart.”
How about sterilization? Now, that’s per-
manent surgery. Surgeries are best done for
therapeutic reasons, unless you can entertain
the idea of mutilation—cutting off a healthy
functioning body organ and still call that “reproductive health.”
Finally, spermicides and creams? These
have gone to unpopularity not just because
of being cumbersome, but due to a tragic case
back in 1986. The US Supreme Court had Ortho
Pharmaceutical pay $5 million to Katie Wells,
who was born with a cleft lip, no left arm, a
blind right eye, and a deformed right hand,
left clavicle and shoulder. The reason was that
the spermicide chemicals were not able to
kill the sperm but so deformed it, thus the
baby named Katie. Just for you to know,
condoms are now being mixed with
spermicides for better sperm-killing. Once
the tandem fails, just read the case of Wells v.
Ortho suppose you need to sue.
The list of other complications and reallife stories is endless that I find it hard to
believe that radical feminists and human
rights advocates find the argument unconscionable. I blame their selective agenda. We
didn’t hear any feminist whining about the
contraceptive patch, the newest contraceptive
method, released in 2002 that caused 20 fatalities due to blood clots, strokes, and heart
attacks. Talk about safe and effective modern
methods!
It seems that our representatives, much as
our media, need an avalanche of these kind
of information, if only to give them a secular, informed choice on whether to give their
yeas or nays on artificial contraception. The
dissenting opinion of Justice Burger in the
US case Eisenstadt v. Baird could only be right:
“The actual hazards of introducing a particuLifeguard / A7
Oscar V. Cruz, DD
E-VAT is for the poor
Views and Points
Commentary
Catholic and cool in
Sydney
WORLD Youth Day 2008 in Sydney was a triumph for the Catholic Church and its 81-year-old head, Pope Benedict XVI. About
400,000 people attended a final Mass on Sunday (July 20), briefly
making the pilgrims’ destination bigger than the nation’s capital, Canberra. Some baffled journalists described it as a Catholic Woodstock—the 1969 orgy of, drugs and sex and rock ‘n roll
which became an iconic moment for baby-boomers. But 40
years later, the world has moved in an unexpected direction.
WYD, the biggest youth event in history, is an anti-Woodstock,
a repudiation of the materialism and secularism of the babyboomers.
After years of being booed offstage, the curtains have again
opened and God is being greeted with tumultuous applause.
As a young woman commenting the event on Australian TV
said, with unabashed confidence, it used not to be “trendy” to
be a Catholic in Sydney, but now “it’s become cool again”. No
wonder the news that Madrid will host WYD 2011 was greeted
with such jubilation.
The response of young people was stunning. About 125,000
pilgrims made their way from across the world, despite increased air fares and the immense distance which isolates Europe and the Americas from Australia. After months of scrimping and saving many from overseas would have spent 20 to 30
hours in the air to reach Sydney. And despite negative reports
in the media and lukewarm support from many Catholic
schools, they were joined by another 100,000 Australian pilgrims. On the last day, when Benedict celebrated a Mass at
Randwick Race Course, thousands more joined them.
The Vatican and Sydney’s Cardinal George Pell had planned
this event as a catechesis, a teachable moment, a festival of
Catholic culture, teaching and prayer. For pilgrims who came
early, dioceses around the country organized talks on controversial topics like Catholic views on sexuality, bioethics, faith
and reason. During the week immediately before there were
addresses from Catholic bishops from around the globe.
In fact, one of the striking features of Sydney’s World Youth
Day was how naturally Gen Y slotted into traditional aspects
of Catholic devotion and doctrine which the Woodstock generation spurned as fossilized relics of the pre-Vatican II era.
Not so, said today’s youth.
Entering a new era
TO disprove reality by indulging in fantasy,
to challenge the conclusion of common sense
with contrary technical jargon, to fill empty
stomachs with sterile statistics and pencil
pushing are sublime examples of defending
the indefensible%
these are the strange ways devotedly taken
by some people staying in “Cloud 9” while
living on earth. The understandable approach made by certain individuals vainly
trying to shield their big beneficent boss under threat of losing bottomless E-VAT gains
to fool around with.
In other words, the claim that E-VAT is simply great for the poor as it is something necessary for their misery alleviation and even
mandatory as an effective instrument of government national development efforts is futile and incredible. It is an official Malacañang
ridiculous and empty claim, which brings to
fore the following unnerving questions: Why
is it then that Filipinos in general are in fact
much poorer now than before? Why millions
of children are now in effect more hungry,
while millions too of the elderly are less able
to have the medicines they need? In other
words, where have the E-VAT government
multi-billion gains really gone?
There must be something fundamentally
wrong with why is there so much E-VAT income for the government vis-à-vis so much
loss to the people. If any and all direct and
indirect taxes continuously paid by some 88
million Filipinos to the government are eventually meant for the common good and public welfare of the same paying citizens, why
is it then that the government has substantially nothing to prove it? Why is it that there
are more popular resentment and bigger
frustration towards the ruling administration
all over the country?
It is appalling to note that the huge
amounts of E-VAT charges are levied upon
practically anything and everything people
buy and pay for—from food to fuel, from
shoes to clothes, from housing materials to
coffins. It is even more outrageous what the
present government does with the “Katas ng
E-Vat,” viz. money dole outs here and there,
grocery grants to these and those people. This
must be something fundamentally distorted
with the mentality of the present government—or something basically rotten with the
way the ruling administration looks at public funds. In all probability akin to certitude,
there is something putrid why the national
leadership and its minions could not and
would not let go of E-VAT—even if all the
heavens say so!
This must be why even the formal and public call made by the CBCP for the government to at least review the E-VAT law, especially that appended to fuel, is after all a shout
in the wilderness, a jab at the wind. Reason:
Without the overflowing E-VAT collections,
how could the government continue its standard graft and customary corrupt practices?
What would the administration pay for its
luxurious living and lavish spending? How
could the national leadership pay for its selfserving programs and projects, buy the loyalty of its ally national and local public officials—in view of the coming critical 2010?
There are many images that come to mind
when a most corrupt, much distrusted and
very discredited national leadership is made
to handle and spend unlimited public funds
coming from taxes plus local and foreign
loans. It is like putting Dracula in charge of a
blood bank. It is like a wolf made to watch
the sheep. It is the exact picture of Alibaba
and the Forty Thieves at a treasury.
E-Vat in favor of the poor is hogwash. EVat for the self-promotion of the administration is a hard-hitting truth. For, E-Vat is a
socio-economic curse among Filipinos after
all.
During the days leading up to the climactic Mass, young
people were queuing up for the Catholic sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession, and to spend time in prayer in churches
before the Eucharist. Thousands walked 9 kilometers to
Randwick across Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge—closed to
traffic for only the third time in its history—often singing
hymns or praying the Rosary if they were not kicking a football or skylarking. Some carried huge banners saying, “We
love our German Shepherd”. A Saturday evening vigil was
followed by vast slumber party on the site where Mass was to
be celebrated the next day. Confessions continued throughout
the night and even at three in the morning, a tent with the
Blessed Sacrament exposed was full of young people praying.
And even the most churlish journalists had to admit that the
pilgrims were cheerful, high-spirited and ordinary, not the
scowling killjoy zealots some had expected. A group calling
itself the No to Pope Coalition—a collection of drag queens,
homosexuals, atheists and (believe it or not) lesbian Raelians—
showered passing pilgrims with condoms as they streamed
over the Harbour Bridge. But the stunt provoked only laughter
and pained perplexity. “They’ve all got their own opinions,”
remarked an 18-year-old New Zealand girl. “We’ve got our
own beliefs and we’re not going to change it because of them.”
Pope Benedict clearly enjoyed the celebration. Nowadays he
responds more spontaneously to the enthusiasm and affection
of crowds. But although he received a pop star’s welcome, he
had came as Pope “to the end of the world” determined to
reenergize the Church in Australia and to urge young people
to commit themselves to God.
Enormous challenges ahead
Rev. Euly B. Belizar, SThD
By the Roadside
I REMEMBER my professor in Moral Theology coming to class one morning and solemnly dropping a bombshell. Boxing, he
said, is an immoral sport. How can it not be
immoral, he continued, when it involves two
people whose overriding aim is, at the least,
to outscore one another by power punches
that land (which is to say truly hurt) and, at
worst, to demolish each other by TKO? We
attentively listened and silently, if grudgingly, agreed. And yet I saw a flaw in the
way he arrived at his declaration. He was
looking at boxing from the perspective of
someone coming from the affluent West (he
was a European) and worlds away from that
of someone coming from desperate conditions in helplessly poor countries, such as the
Philippines or Mexico. For a special class of
young men boxing is a way out of grinding
poverty and hopelessness for themselves and
their families (despite Pacquiao’s rhetoric
hiding or belittling his earnings his boxing
victories have earned him enormous wealth
that’s the envy and dream of every poor Pinoy
young man). This is what primarily drives
them into the sport and which they unabashedly aim at. It would only be secondary, one
that they can’t help since, as the saying goes,
“it goes with the territory”, that they would
have to hurt or kayo an opponent. I wouldn’t
ask my professor to revise his position (I
share the same conviction after all) but I
would suggest that he expand his field of vision to adopt a more compassionate evaluation of boxers, with no little help from the
gospel injunction not to be judgmental so as
not to be judged oneself.
On the other hand, I must admit that even
while I was cheering Manny Pacquiao’s brilliant performance in snatching the lightweight title from David Diaz (in addition to
Lessons from Pinoy
phenomenon called Manny
three others in a historical first for an Asian
and a Filipino), I felt a tinge of guilt and sadness over watching a ‘global gladiatorial contest’ (even if it involved one Filipino—‘our
gladiator’—against a Mexican-American). At
the same time I wondered how or why we, as
a people, could find more national pride in a
sensational boxer than, say, in someone like
my cousin Dr. Julius who decided to forego
being a nurse in America or the UK where he
could earn plenty more money for himself
and his family in order to serve some of the
country’s poorest of the poor in far-flung
Silvino Lobos in Northern Samar. Why are
Pinoys like him rarely get cheered as they go
through their sacrifice that definitely lasts
longer than a boxer’s seven to eight weeks of
preparation before a match?
To my mind the Philippines has no dearth
of real heroes but many of them remain unsung because we are singing mostly what
sensational media feed us. We need real heroes, too, who can inspire today’s Pinoys into
showing forth their true greatness in spite of
our tendency to, as it were, shoot ourselves
on the foot. As pundits and ordinary people
keep on watching, pondering and endlessly
analyzing Pacman’s exploits, let’s not, however, brush aside some real lessons that send
real messages directly to the Filipino
Everyman from the phenomenon that is
Pacquiao.
Pinoy, you are second to none. Centuries of
colonization under Spain and America have left
behind a deep scar in the Filipino psyche—a sense
of inferiority complex. At times any reflective Pinoy
realizes how he is, as it were, programmed to consider Western cultures and races as his masters
and models. Even today there are traces of this
tragedy that continue to haunt our culture and
people like ghosts that we can’t shake away. Manny
Pacquiao has, to a certain extent, successfully
struck a decisive blow on the usual reasons Pinoys
cite behind their sense of inferiority and, having
broken through an incredibly thick wall, he teaches
us to realize that we are just as gifted as any people.
We need to re-evaluate and pack away our sense of
inferiority.
Pray and work hard to attain your dreams.
No one in his right mind would call into question
Pacman’s work ethic. Many attest to his tremendous capacity to practice and work out even beyond the required hours. But seldom has anyone
given enough coverage of his prayer habits, his
spiritual and Bible readings. In my view Manny
Pacquiao has, to a certain measure, applied to boxing the monastic rule of “Ora et Labora” (Pray
and work), something his fellow Pinoys could always do well to emulate so as to achieve the same
winning form against our personal, family or national crises and challenges.
Do your best for others too (not only for
yourself or family and friends but truly also
for God, country and especially the poor).
It’s certainly worth our while to consider what
drives Manny Pacquiao in his quest for boxing
success. The hunger for titles and making history
are a given. In addition, however, Pacman has declared many times how he is fighting his best for
the sake of others—his fellow Pinoys (to give them
and the country a reason to be proud of) and victims of today’s calamities (to share with them part
of his winnings and organize ways, such as concerts—questions about his singing talent notwithstanding—to inspire others into sharing part of
their devaluing peso too). Fortunately he backs up
his words with real winning deeds (beyond the
ring, that is). If only our political leaders could
follow suit, politics wouldn’t have such a bad name
anywhere but especially in the land of Lolo Jose
(Rizal).
Focus on your real gifts, not on self-made
The task of rebuilding the Catholic Church, in Australia as
elsewhere, is an enormous challenge. Almost overshadowing
the exuberant welcome given to the Pope in the local media
were protests by victims of clergy sex abuse. It is claimed that
more than 100 Catholic clergy have been jailed for this in recent years. There were insistent calls for an apology—and the
Pope apologized during a Mass with the bishops, seminarians
and young religious: “These misdeeds, which constitute so
grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation.
They have caused great pain and have damaged the Church’s
witness... Victims should receive compassion and care, and those
responsible for these evils must be brought to justice”.
Despite the shadows, Benedict’s rapturous reception in
Sydney shows that Christianity is far from dead, or even dormant. Flags from dozens of countries were waving in the stiff
breeze which blew up as World Youth Day drew to a close.
Amongst them was the red star of the People’s Republic of
China. Even there, in an officially Communist regime, the Pope
has enthusiasts. Over the past five years a bitter secularism has
sought to push religion into a closet. Books by proselytizing
atheists have captured the imagination of the media. Now,
after a week of joyful, unashamed religious sentiment Down
Under, everyone knows that there is a viable alternative. God
is back in the game.
(Michael Cook is editor of MercatorNet)
ones. Remember Pacman’s doomed attempt at a political career? Has he
learned his lesson? Apparently not. But we can always see the undeniable
truth: The gift of political leadership does not always come with the gift to
excel in boxing or in anything for that matter. It’s always profitable to abandon dreams based on gifts that are more imagined than real. Then, we can
focus on our real gifts, as Pacman focused on boxing, and develop them too.
Remain humble or begin to crumble. Pacman is a certified crowddrawer because of his extraordinary boxing talent and charismatic personality. Part of his charisma as a person is his signature humility, one that a
person senses in the way he restrains himself from pointedly bragging about
himself or about his achievements and skills but also from disrespecting his
opponents (apparently there are exceptions, such as when he talks about
boastful ones). To my mind, humility marks the true champion. If Pacman
stays humble, should he lose (which could come as unexpectedly as his now
meteoric stature), that would keep him from making an embarrassingly hard
fall. Coming from humble beginnings and from a mother who prays hard for
him and his other siblings, Manny Pacquiao makes it a point to acknowledge
his Source before, during and after a fight. He reminds me of the Blessed
Virgin Mary’s declaration in the ‘Magnificat’ that “He (the Lord) has put
down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly” (Lk 1:52).
If pride goes before a fall, humility sustains a rise and eases up a
slip down.
Local News
A6
CBCP downplays Solon’s claims
FR. Melvin Castro, Executive Secretary of the
CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Family
and Life downplayed claims made by Albay
Congressman Edcel Castelar Lagman that the
Catholic Church is spreading falsehoods
about the controversial family planning bill.
In an interview with CBCPNews, Castro
said “while it is true one cannot find the term
abortion in the so-called family planning
bills, and we thank Congressman Lagman
for that, the problem lies in the word reproductive health as defined in the United Nations, includes abortion.”
“Though abortion is considered illegal in
the bill, experience tells us once contraceptive culture is promoted, abortion is not far
behind,” the executive secretary said.
Former Senator Francisco S. Tatad, Director for Asia and the Pacific of the International Right to Life Federation, said to be the
biggest Pro-Life group worldwide and member of the Governing and International Boards
of the World Youth Alliance actively lobbying the United Nations and European Union
on issues on Human Life and Human Rights,
said he is willing to debate with anybody on
the issues involving reproductive health.
“I am willing to take on anybody, from
politicians to population control advocates
and NGOs from abroad, provided they would
guarantee the time and space to debate,” the
former lawmaker said.
Tatad said “it is the politicians who do not
understand the issues on family planning at
all.”
“We are saying the State can legislate on
politics, economics, business, sports, the professions and allied activities but it can not
legislate on the rights of man as man; and
population has to do with pro-creation and
this is a human right that the state may not at
all intervene,” he further said. (Melo Acuna)
Fr. Melvin Castro CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Family and
Life, Executive Secretary
Poverty is the real problem, not people says bishop
MANILA Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo
said the real problem facing the country today is poverty and not the growing population as some people may claim.
In an interview with Catholic-run Veritas
846, the prelate said the Philippines is saddled
with many problems, from unemployment
to rising prices of prime commodities, to
graft and corrupt practices, which continue
to keep the country and people poor.
“We should not blame the rising population because it is the Filipino people who
sustain whatever gains we have today as
shown by the country’s human resources,”
Pabillo said in Pilipino.
“We should not even look at people as expense as people in government should put
an end to poverty,” he further added.
When asked whether the Catholic Church
is coercing lawmakers to abandon the pending reproductive health bill at the House of
Representatives, the CBCP Chairman of the
Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace said the Church hierarchy is in
a persuasive campaign.
“How can there be coercion?” the prelate
asked. He explained the proposed legislation
threatens medical practitioners administrative sanctions should they refuse to involve
themselves in artificial birth control practices.
“This is in violation of a medical
practitioner’s human rights, especially if he
cannot take its provisions in conscience,” the
prelate said.
Pabillo said the Catholic Church is not
against family planning. “Parents should plan
their families through responsible parenthood [and] through education,” he further
explained.
Asked if Sex Education among the country’s
young would be of any help, Pabillo said
there is a very strong possibility such would
focus on techniques rather than values of sexuality. He said “sex is sacred and that life is a
gift from God.” (CBCPNews)
Church / A1
2 child policy
Bishops-Legislators Caucus of
the Philippines executive director Fenny Tatad said private sector will be compelled, as proposed by the bill, to provide free
delivery of ethically and morally
questionable family planning
methods and services.
She said Collective Bargaining
Agreements between employers
and employees are required to
include birth control and other
services in their agreements.
Though not “mandatory and
obligatory,” the bill also proposes a 2-child policy.
“This and all the above-mentioned proposals are considered
gross violations of the pro-family provisions of the Constitution
and the universal right to health
of citizens,” Tatad said.
“Public funds coming from
Catholic taxpayers will fund
these programs which is oppressive and in violation of their universal right to religious freedom
and the freedom to live their
faith in an environment that is
free of coercion and harassment,”
she added.
Tatad also said the bill proposes
the increase of government personnel to service the requirements
of the proposed legislation.
“In all these, the Catholic taxpaying faithful will be made to
fund programs and projects contrary to their moral and religious
convictions and the teachings of
their Faith,” she said.
‘Grave matter’
The CBCP is calling on the
faithful to participate in condemning a “grave matter” that
some government leaders are
pushing.
“It is our way of telling our
legislators strongly but respectfully that we are in opposition
of these bills,” Castro said.
Members of over 45 lay and
religious Church groups such
as the El Shaddai, Couples for
Christ, congregations of men
and women and students will
attend the rally.
The three-hour activity which
will start at 3pm on the theme
“Humanae Vitae 40” Biyaya ng
Buhay, Biyaya ng Pamilya” will
feature at least two parts.
Organizers said the first part
will feature testimonies and
talks from lay couples and
Church experts on the values
and message of the encyclical.
The second part will be a Eucharistic Celebration (Holy
Mass) with CBCP President and
Jaro
Archbishop
Angel
Lagdameo as main celebrant
with the cardinals, archbishops,
bishops and priests of the Philippines as co-celebrants.
Manila
Archbishop
Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales,
Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, and San Fernando
Archbishop Paciano Aniceto,
ECFL chairman, will deliver
messages.
protect themselves from being
infected.
“What is demanded is self-discipline, and being faithful to one’s
partner would go a long way to
curtail the HIV/AIDS menace,”
Castro, who is also chancellor in
Tarlac diocese, said.
The Department of Health
(DOH) National Epidemiology
Center said there were 35 HIVpositive and AIDS cases in May,
84 percent higher than the number reported during the same
period last year. The figure
brings to 212 the total number
of cases for the first five months
of this year.
Of the 35 cases, seven of them
involved overseas Filipino
workers.
As of 2005, a recorded 38.6 million people were living with
HIV worldwide — 12 percent of
them were less than 15 years old
¯ and 2.8 million had died of
AIDS. Of those infected, 4.1 million were new cases.
The Philippine Health Department AIDS registry has recorded
2,719 cases in the Philippines
from 1984 to 2006. Returning
overseas Filipino workers
(OFWs) accounted for 35 percent
of the cases, but the manual’s Resource Book points out that other
sectors do not have mandatory
HIV-antibody testing.
According to the National Epidemiology Center 68 percent of
HIV-positive people in the Philippines were infected through
sexual contact, 56 percent having
been involved in homosexual
activity. (Santosh Digal)
Prelate / A1
Gov’t / A1
The prelate said it’s disgraceful that the government is continuously breaking its very own
rule which is to have transparency in the government.
“The victims of this ‘privilege’
when invoked by a much distrusted administration are the
mandate of transparency in a
democratic society and the imperatives of honesty and integrity on the part of elected public
authority,” said Cruz.
He said it’s but proper that the
public must be made well informed about the details of the
bilateral agreement.
The former president of the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
the Philippines noted JPEPA’s alleged provisions concerning
toxic wastes from Japan being
sent to the Philippines in exchange of allowing the deployment of overseas Filipino workers.
Asked what could be the government after in pursuing the
deal, Cruz said it could be in the
projected remittances to be sent
by would-be OFWs.
The Supreme Court yesterday
subsidies for the poor.
Cruz, the archbishop of
Lingayen-Dagupan, said the
government’s “Katas ng VAT
(value added tax)” subsidies are
just tools to show the government is responding to the needs
of the people.
He said it could also be used
by the government to prop up
her “sagging” credibility in
time for her coming SONA on
July 28.
“When Malacañang announced the new Php4 billion
subsidy for the poor, in reality,
these are actually subsidies to
her sagging trustworthiness
and acceptability and are being
used in preparation as a prop
for the coming SONA that could
cite nothing truly positive,”
Cruz said.
The money will be earmarked from the VAT that came
from oil products, which the
bishops have earlier sought to
be reviewed saying this only
result to even higher fuel prices.
The archbishop said the government should also refrain
making its people look like beggars seeking for alms from their
government.
After all, he said, the money
being distributed by the government actually came from the
people who are taxpayers.
“The few who could receive
the subsidies would again feel
like beggars much indebted to
their benefactor when in fact the
money comes from them
through the infamous VAT,”
Cruz said.
He reiterated that the better
solution in addressing the needs
of the people would be to just
scrap the VAT altogether.
(CBCPNews)
DOPIM / A1
Laiko / A4
cerns of their respective areas.
Montefalcon added their
agenda yesterday included the
upcoming Catholic Social Action Work on October 13-20 at
St. John the Baptist Church,
Jimenez, Misamis Occidental
with the concelebrated Mass to
be presided by Dipolog Bishop
Jose R. Manguiran, the preparation for Gender Sensitivity
for Men; the coming Mindanao
Social Action General Assembly on October 27-30 in
Tandag, the National Rural
Congress Sub-region consultation to be held at Linamon,
Iligan City and the update of
farmers’
assembly.
(CBCPNesws)
While we believe that their
work was accomplished successfully through the guidance of the
SPIRIT, we would like to congratulate Rev. Fr. Carmelo Diola,
Rev. Fr. Albert Alejo and the
Communication Foundation of
Asia’s office staff and management for making this first Spiritled Movement a success. In behalf of LAIKO, we support to address the problem of graft and
corruption as listed in the doables
volunteered by the members of
the HEART Movement, which
encompass all factors detailed in
the framework spelled by
HEART – Holiness, Education,
Advocacy, Resource Mobilization, and Transformation.
Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz, DD
upheld Malacañang’s invocation
of executive privilege in refusing
to fully disclose the terms of
JPEPA.
The 10-4 ruling in favor of
Malacañang is already the second
High Court decision allowing the
invocation of the executive privilege, which allows members of
the Executive Department to
refuse questions involving their
discussions with Arroyo.
(CBCPNews)
Biking / A1
His comments received a lot
of insulting remarks from
Pacquiao fans for the past days.
“I will not apologize to anyone for expressing my opinion
nor will I tolerate any insult or
abusive language (in this blog),”
Picardal said in his recent post.
Instead, he moderated the comments section.
“Speaking of heroes, we are
the only country who considers
our boxing champions as heroes.
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
Retired Manila
priest found dead
RETIRED Monsignor Agerico
Galang, 61 years old, from the
Archdiocese of Manila, was
found dead at around 11:25
a.m. on July 17, at 3rd Floor of
D-1 Celebrity Community
House, Zuzueregie St.,
Barangay Old Balara, Quezon
City.
Senior Supt. Magtanggol
Gatdula, Quezon City Police
District director said initial reports indicate the fatality may
have been dead for the past
three days. Scene-of-theCrime-Operatives (SOCO)
have been dispatched to the
area.
Initial information gathered from the scene said the
priest appeared not to have
had any external injury.
Galang was said to have resided in the area for the past
two years but the Archdiocese
of Manila has kept his address
confidential because the
former wanted privacy.
In an interview with
CBCPNews, Archdiocese of
Manila’s Office of Communications Director Peachy
Yamsuan said Galang retired
some years ago after he was
diagnosed to have heart ailment but opted not to undergo heart bypass procedures.
Yamsuan described Galang
as a “quiet type of person.”
Retired Manila Auxiliary
Bishop Teodoro Buhain said
Galang was “not very outgoing, for he was a bit reserved.”
Buhain, former district
bishop of Quezon City South
based at Santa Rita de Cascia
Parish church, said the last
time he met Msgr. Galang was
during his assignment in
Christ the King Parish at Veterans Village.
“Once you get to know him
and he gets to know you, he
turns out to be a warm person,” the retired prelate
added.
“He just came to the Archdiocese of Manila’s chancery
two weeks ago to get his identification card,” a source at the
Arzobispado de Manila said.
Prior to his retirement
Galang was assigned at the
National Shrine of the Sacred
Heart in Makati City and Our
Lady of Fatima at Galas,
Quezon City. (CBCPNews)
Islamic / A1
CBCP / A1
Although some claim that
with condom the number of
HIV/AIDS infected persons can
be reduced, it is a “myth,” Castro
said.
Citing an example from Thailand, Castro said Thailand introduced mass distribution of
condoms in 1980s and 1990s, but
figures of HIV/AIDS infection in
Thailand have doubled since
then, he said.
People should be educated
and provided information on the
HIV/AIDS and how people can
CBCP Monitor
Muhammad Ali, the black heavyweight champion, was never
considered a hero in the US, rather
it was Martin Luther King, the
civil rights leader,” he said.
“Heroes are not just object of
admiration, they are role models. I wouldn’t want our little boys
to grow up thinking they can become heroes by using their fists
and beating up other boys,”
added Picardal. (Mark S.
Ventura)
(de Basilan), Bishop Martin S.
Jumoad said he will meet with
his 17 priests, five from the
Claretian and Franciscan missionaries tomorrow in time for
their monthly retreat tomorrow
together with 27 nuns from six
religious congregations.
In an interview with
CBCPNews, Bishop Jumoad said
“we will reflect on the recent
events, including the threatening
letters send to non-Muslims in the
prelature.”
He said many Catholics have
expressed fears after receiving
the letters purportedly from the
dreaded Abu Sayyaf who gained
notoriety for the kidnap-for-ransom activities and murder sprees.
The Provincial Peace and Order
Council already met last Friday
and discussed the issue but no definite plan of action has been
drafted to respond to the threats.
The PPOC meeting was chaired
by Basilan Governor Jum
Jainuddin Akbar, one of the wives
of the former governor and lawmaker Wahab Akhbar who perished in an explosion at the House
of Representatives last year.
On March 20, 2000, the feared
Abu Sayyaf forcibly took
Claretian missionary Fr. Rhoel
Gallardo, some teachers and
about 40 students to Mt. Punoh
Mahadji. By May 3, 2000, the Abu
Sayyaf killed Fr. Gallardo.
Earlier, Fr. Bernardo Blanco
was kidnapped and held for 50
days. He, however, managed to
escape. Another priest, Fr.
Eduardo Monge, was kidnapped
and tortured and was instructed
to dig his own grave but survived.
Of the latest available population survey, Basilan was reported
to have 390,000 residents, 105,000
of which are Catholics.
The Prelature of Isabela (de
Basilan) was established on October 12, 1963 and erected on February 15, 1964 which comprises
all the territories that constitute
the entire Basilan province.
It’s Titular Saint is Sta. Isabel
de Portugal and its secondary
patron is the Immaculate Heart
of Mary. Its Cathedral was consecrated last June 21, 1970. (Melo
M. Acuna)
Erratum:
In last issue of CBCP Monitor (July 7-20, 2008), portions of Abp. Angel Lagdameo’s
column In and Out of Season, and Jose Lugay’s Laiko Lampstand were inadvertently deleted. We are reprinting here the deleted portion. Our apologies - Eds.
In and Out
to consider the moral legacy
of the servant of God, Pope
Paul VI in Humanae Vitae. The
Church has not ceased to proclaim with humble firmness
the moral law of which she is
faithful depositary and authentic interpreter (HV 18).
While we consider population growth as a valid concern,
which should be addressed
more directly with socio-economic methods, all men of
goodwill are tasked to promote completely and clearly
the teaching of the Church concerning the sanctity of marriage and the regulation of
birth.
“Attacks on large families
stem from a lack of faith and
the product of a social atmosphere incapable of understanding generosity, trying to
conceal selfishness and un-
mentionable practices under
apparently altruistic motives”
(St. Josemaria Balaguer).
Countries which impose birth
control on the other countries,
like the Philippines, are now
themselves in need of growth
in their population and are
importing from Asian countries workers and caregivers
for their senior citizens.
“Our present-day world
will not be saved by those who
aim to drug the spiritual life
and reduce everything to a
question of economics or material well-being,” (St.
Josemaria Balaguer).
May our recollection of and
reflection on Pope Paul VI’s
Encyclical Humanae Vitae
lead our couples and Christian
communities to be pro-family
and pro-life, and of course and
above all pro-God.
Laiko
inefficiency of planning and
construction? Or is it due to
the fact that funds will come
from the pork barrel of the
congressmen of that province?
If so, more likely than not, his
budget allocation for infrastructure is calculated by his
own chosen contractor. Traditionally this is where he gets
his share the additional “40
percent for the boys” indicated
in the published Approved
Budget for the Contract (ABC)
as required by the new procurement law. As a result,
there is downgrading of the
material specifications. A
simple example will be a
school design with inadequate
toilet facilities as a result 51
students in one school share
the use of one toilet. Or omission of a wash basin in the
design—as a result 102 students have no place to wash
their hands before eating!
May I ask the question
again—is the Filipino family’s
investment in education assured of a fair return? Is government doing enough? The
answer is, the investment to
education is worthy since
without it, there is no future
for one’s children. However,
the family must equally be
vigilant and must practice
their right to question
government’s flawed system
of governance. We, the Filipino citizens must be involved
in advocacies now to correct a
corrupt system of governance.
CBCP Monitor
Features
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
Tough tasks
awaits
Filipino Papal
envoy to Haiti
Diocesan News Briefs
BBC: Corruption remains major concern in agri programs
CAGAYAN de Oro—Corruption remains a major concern in agricultural
programs drawn up by the Bishops Businessmen’s Conference (BBC)
here. The group had tried to respond to the economic crisis by setting up
agricultural projects. They particularly cited corruption, problem in collecting money loaned to farmers as raised by Bank officials and the lack
of support for farmers. (Maryann Zamora)
Basilan Catholics get threats from Muslim group
BASILAN—Fear and panic has descended among Catholics here following fresh threats by a group claiming to be mujahidins (Islamic warriors),
Bishop Martin Jumoad said. He said that he and other Catholic residents
received letters recently from the group telling them to convert, pay up or
ship out. (Melo Acuña)
Archbishop Bernardito Auza
Prelate seeks review of LPG use in aircon PUVs
DAGUPAN City—Citing tales of deaths caused by their fumes, Archbishop Oscar Cruz sought a review of the use of liquefied petroleum
(LPG) in closed air-conditioned public utility vehicles (PUVs). Cruz made
the call, in the wake of yet another round of fuel price hike and after
noting that LPG has been gaining popularity as an alternative fuel for
public utility vehicles. (CBCPNews)
Solon to church: Don’t work with Palace on ‘Katas ng VAT’
MANILA—A lawmaker tagged as a bribe the appeal of President Arroyo
to the religious groups to help her identify antipoverty programs that will
be funded by “Kat as ng VAT.” “We call on the Church to reject Pres.
Arroyo’s latest political maneuver outright. The Church must not be a
party to the Arroyo government’s continuing deception and oppression
of the poor,” Anakpawis party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano said. (CBCPNews)
Solons buck bishops on repro health bill
MANILA— Solons backing the Reproductive Health bill in Congress are
standing pat on their position in spite of threats by Catholic bishops to
deny them communion. Reps. Janette Garin (Iloilo), Rozzano Biazon
(Muntinlupa) and Riza Hontiveros Baraquel (Akbayan) maintained their
support for the consolidated bill that aims to institutionalize family planning methods and other means to manage the population. (CBCPNews)
Opus Dei official to visit RP
MANILA—A ranking official of the Opus Dei will visit the Philippines from
July 27 to Aug. 1, after taking part in the World Youth Day in Australia.
Several activities had been lined up for the visit of Opus Dei personal
prelature Bishop Javier Echevarria. The activities include catechetical
gatherings on July 29 and a meeting with priests. (Santosh Digal)
A7
NEWLY consecrated Filipino archbishop
Bernardito Auza has the least enviable job in
his latest pastoral mission.
As the new apostolic nuncio to Haiti, the 49year old Boholano prelate is faced with squaring a tough circle of ever-growing challenges.
The latest reports from the international
media makes grim reading.
It highlights a never-ending conflict and
even bloodshed as its people are longing for
economic and political stability.
The words used by Papal nuncio in the
Philippines Archbishop Edward Joseph
Adams in describing Archbishop Auza’s work
are “not a small one.”
Haiti is one of the poorest countries on
earth with about 56 percent of its 8.2 million
populations live in extreme poverty.
Adams, in his sermon during Auza’s
thanksgiving Mass at the Manila Cathedral
yesterday, said the news from Haiti is not
very good.
The country, he said, is deeply in need and
the economy bleed dry, violence everywhere.
“There, a people wait to be helped in their
efforts of material and spiritual progress,”
said Adams.
At one time around 85 percent of the eight
million or so Haitians were Catholics. Today, they make up less than 50 percent of the
population.
And sadly, many of them only have a hazy
understanding of the teachings of the
Church— especially those unable to afford a
good education.
Adams said the situation in Haiti represents a major challenge for the Catholic
Church and needs to be countered with the
help of priests, religious and lay pastoral
workers.
Auza will celebrate Mass with Haiti’s
Catholic bishops on September 9 but he will
officially assume his post as Papal nuncio on
August 15.
He himself admitted the urgent issues he
has to face in his new assignment. “There are
many issues, I’m sure,” Auza said.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Auza as Nuncio to Haiti last May 8 but it was only last
July 3 when he was ordained to the episcopacy by Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal
Tarcisio Bertone at the Basilica of St. Peter in
Rome.
The prelate is the fourth Filipino to be appointed to such a high diplomatic position in
the Catholic Church.
The first to be named apostolic nuncio is
Archbishop Oswaldo Padilla, now in Korea.
The third is his younger brother, Archbishop
Francisco Padilla, now in Papua New Guinea
and the Solomon Islands. The second is Archbishop Adolfo Yllana currently in Pakistan.
(Roy Lagarde)
RP youth waves national flag at WYD Final Mass
Cebu Cardinal tells legislators to search their conscience
CEBU City—Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal urged legislators
who support the “Deaths” bills to search their conscience and decide
whether or not to receive communion. “If they think they have not sinned,
it is up to them. I cannot judge their conscience. It is only God who can
judge their conscience. I just tell them there is no such thing as a lesser
evil,” said the archbishop. (CBCPNews)
Jaro auxiliary bishop’s ordination set on Aug. 4
BACOLOD City —The newly-appointed auxiliary bishop of Jaro, Iloilo will
be ordained to the episcopacy on Aug. 4 here. Papal Nuncio Edward
Joseph Adams will ordain newly-appointed Bishop Gerardo Alminaza at
8 a.m. CBCP President and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo and Bacolod
Bishop Vicente Navarra will serve as co-ordaining prelates at the ceremony. (Melo Acuña)
Photo courtesy of Howard Castillo and Carla Francesca Castro
Scapulars no fashion accessory—archbishop
DAVAO City— Scapulars, the brown length of cloth worn to show affiliation with a religious order, are not fashion accessories and should be
worn with reverence. On this note, Archbishop Fernando Capalla reminded the faithful to give reverence to the scapular, which he said is a
sign of “total consecration of one’s life to God and to the Mother of God.”
“Total consecration implies that one’s thoughts, desires, actions and
relationships are motivated, enlightened, and guided by one’s love for
God and the Blessed Mother,” he said. (Mark S. Ventura)
Filipino priest named new director of Paris-based institution
MANILA— A Filipino Vincentian priest has been named new director of a
key institution based in Paris, France run by the Congregation of the
Missions. Fr Marcelo Manimtim was named new director of Paris-based
Centre International de Formation (CIF). He will be the first Asian to hold
this office. The priest is expected to report to his new assignment on
October 2008, the CBCP said. (Santosh Digal)
An effective sex education should begin at home, says priest
NAGA City —Sex education, to be effective should begin at home, said
Fr. William Santiago, director of Caceres’ Archdiocesan Family Ministry.
“Sex education, in order to be effective should start from parents and
this should happen in their regular interaction with children at home,” he
said. He called on parents to fulfill their obligation on their children by
teaching them sex education properly. (Elmer Abad)
Lifeguard / A5
lar foreign substance into the
human body are frequently controverted.” Controverted for the
interest of the dispensers who
earn the bucks.
Come to think about it, it is
obvious to reason why contraceptives now or in the future can’t
be any healthy. One can’t expect
any healthy result from terminating
NORMAL reproductive functions.
How can anything that inhibits a
healthy reproductive system be reproductively healthy? Could anything be more illogical?
That’s why the only reproductive health is really natural family planning (or “methods of fertility awareness” approved by
the WHO for those trying to be
politically correct). There, the
couples have to understand and
work out each other’s body
mechanisms and cycles. The periodic abstinence and charting
that come with it would be a far
better relief than to expose one’s
spouse to risks, or to take the pill
everyday, or to wear the IUDs or
condoms always, or to get permanently sterile, with all the bills
for taxpayers to shoulder.
I only have one comment
though on those who propose the
modern NFP methods. I met a few
who don’t even know what are
these (Billings, BBT, STM,
Breastfeeding, Ovulation Monitors-whoa?) and how do they
work! Can anyone preach about
what is evil but be clueless about
what is good? Considering that
many poor couples are resorting
to contraception and even abortion, can one restrict and at the
same time know not the expectations required from what
“ought”?
On issues of sexuality, there
seems to remain a Manichean
hermeneutics of suspicion in discussing this God-given design of
the reproductive system. One
suspicion is that NFP might be
abused in a “contraceptive mentality,” or a religious might be
suspected of using it.
Well, in the first place, one can’t
effectively teach NFP without
making people appreciate the
value of abstinence and their reproductive powers. NFP brings
about a balanced, temperate
sexual lifestyle to couples. Just
how can the teaching of moderation of sex be in itself vicious or
anti-baby? That doesn’t even come
close to a moderation of greed!
So perhaps both the government and our Church can go together against past inactions. If
I’m correct, it’s a sin to be negligent. It’s also a crime. Let’s not
wait for another 40 years to act.
THE Filipino delegates here joined over
180,000 World Youth Day pilgrims waving
their national flags during the Final Mass at
the Randwick Racecourse.
Led by the official delegation of the CBCP
Episcopal Commission on Youth, some 2,000
Filipino delegates and 10 bishops attended
the two-hour solemn High Mass that included music, liturgy and the testimonies of
seven young people from around the world.
In his homily, the Supreme Pontiff,
Benedict XVI, has called on the pilgrims to
pray for racial unity and disparity reconciliation.
During the vigil with the youth the night
before, the Pope also stressed on unity as a
gift to be nurtured.
“Unity is the essence of the Church. It is a
gift we must recognize and cherish. Tonight,
let us pray for the resolve to nurture unity:
contribute to it! Resist any temptation to walk
away! For it is precisely the comprehensiveness, the vast vision, of our faith- solid yet
open, consistent yet dynamic, true yet constantly growing in insight- that we can offer
our world,” the Pope said.
Relating the value of unity to the Holy
Spirit, the Pope quoted Saint Augustine in
saying that the “Holy” and “Spirit” refer to
what is divine about God. It is shared by the
Father and the Son. Hence, he said Saint Augustine concluded that the Spirit’s particular
quality is unity.
“The Holy Spirit is God eternally giving
himself; like a never-ending spring he pours
fourth nothing less than himself. In view of
this ceaseless gift, we come to see the limitations of all that perishes, the folly of the consumerist mindset. We begin to understand
why the quest for novelty leaves us unsatis-
fied and wanting. Are we not looking for an
eternal gift? The spring that will never run
dry?”
“Inspired by the insights of Saint Augustine, let unifying love be your measure, abiding love your challenge, self giving love your
mission! These gifts of the Spirit- each of
which, as Saint Francis de Sales reminds us,
is a way to participate in the one love of Godare neither prizes nor rewards.”
He ended the homily in challenging the
youth to carry on the Holy Spirit’s gift and
be unity initiators.
“The Spirit’s role is to bring Christ’s work
to fulfilment. Enriched with the Spirit’s gifts,
you will have the power to move beyond the
piecemeal, the hollow utopia, the fleeting, to
offer the consistency and certainty of Christian witness!” Benedict said. (Kris Bayos with
reports from CNA, WYD08)
Solon / A1
Ramero when he saw Ramero’s
name as one of the endorsers of
anti-life bills. The congresswoman immediately withdrew
her support of the bills.
Dosado and Villar also tackled
during their 30-minute meeting the
improvement of Cotta Shrine
where the image of Nuestra Señora
del Triumfo de la Cross the titular
patron of the local Church is
placed, the Jun Lozada’s case and
the House inquiry on ill fated ship
of M/V Princess of the Stars.
The Senate president was accompanied to the meeting by
Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo
Parojinog Sr. and Vice Mayor
Carlos Patricio Bernand. He was
one of the prominent visitors who
witnessed the Miss Ozamiz pageant on July 14 in celebration of
the 253rd feast of Nuestra Señora
del Triumfo de la Cross (Birhen
sa Cotta), the titular patron of the
local church that coincided with
the 60th anniversary of Ozamiz
as a chartered on July 16.
Saying it is not enough
Meanwhile Chairman of Human Life International Dr. Rene
Joseph Bullecer told CBCPNews
it is not enough for Villar to declare his being a Catholic and a
pro-life senator, he must also
prove his claim by doing all his
means to kill the anti-life bills.
Bullecer strongly supports
Dosado’s stand to call the attention of all pro-abortion Catholic
politicians. When these precautionary measures failed to get the
intended effect, and still present
themselves to receive Holy Communion, the Minister of the Holy
Eucharist must refuse to distribute it, said Bullecer.
“I’m not in favor that pro-abortion politicians should be denied
communion without calling [their
attention] and instructing [them
first] about the Church’s teachings
because not all of them are aware
that they are supporting the antilife bills,” Bullecer said.
Earlier, a Pro-life rally organized and attended by thousands
of youth leaders in Lipa City has
left its mark. Congressman Mark
Leandro of the 4th district of
Batangas withdrew his support of
anti-life bills, thus shrinking the
number of politicians supporting
the reproductive health bill to 33.
But Bullecer clarified that this
is not the end of the pro-life warfare because they will launch a
series of pro-life rallies from various regions in the Philippines.
He criticized Albay Rep.Edcel
Lagman, the principal author of
the reproductive health and
population management bill in
the house who was quoted as say-
ing “no one among the members
of the 14th Congress is espousing permissive abortion.”
“Lagman is innocent that he is
endorsing permissive abortion
because he is a politician and not
a doctor, but for us doctors we
study and do research that contraceptive is clearly an abortion
per se,” added Dr. Bullecer.
Bullecer appealed on the Catholic Hierarchy to impose the same
discipline to the Catholic doctors
who are consistently doing massive ligation and vasectomy.
Compared to 33 pro-abortion
congressmen, there are more
Catholic doctors who are doing
ligation and vasectomy, said
Bullecer.
“If these doctors will disobey
the Church’s precautionary measures they should be excommunicated or interdicted,” Bullecer
concluded. (Wendell Talibong)
A8
People, Facts & Places
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
Las Piñas Boys Choir wins
gold at world choral games
The 20-member Las Piñas Boys Choir in their winning performance during the 5th
World Choir Games, children’s category, held in Graz, Austria last July 12. The
choir also won the silver medal in the Musica Sacra Category.
First Diocesan Lay Congress held in Iligan
ALMOST 1,800 members from Lay Movements, Mandated Organization and Devotionals from 22 different parishes of the Diocese of Iligan joined the First Diocesan Lay
Movements, Mandated Organization and Devotionals (LMMD/DIOCESAN COUNCIL OF
THE LAITY) Congress held last June 28 at
Fort Almonte, Liangan East, Bacolod Lanao
del Norte.
With the theme “LMMD, Agents of GSK,
Padayon ta!”, Iligan Bishop Elenito Galido
challenged the delegates to “Go build the
Church and build the Church of the Poor.”
The Congress started with a Caravan from
Iligan City to Bacolod, Lanao del Norte.
The Eucharistic celebration was presided
by the Bishop of Iligan, Most Rev. Elenito D.
Galido, D.D., concelebrated by Fr. Nazer
Zaragosa, Catholic Charismatic Renewal
Movement Director of the Diocese; Msgr.
Jemar Vera Cruz, Diocesan Vicar General; Fr.
Jun Gualiza, and Rev. Glenn Almedolan.
Bro. Nicasion E. Rodas shared on Financial
Stewardship. Fr. Alberto de Lara, Inahan Sa
Kinabuhi Seminary Rector, presented the History of Fort Almonte and its significance in
building and promoting the Basic Ecclesial
Communities of the Diocese.
Fr. Nazer, parish priest of Sto. Nino Parish, Bacolod Lanao del Norte and chairman
of the activity read the Resolution.
“We refrain from comparing and compet-
ing from each other and let solidarity, participation and dialogue live so that our
dreams to promote the Church and the reign
of the kingdom of God here on earth. And
that we become faithful to the teachings and
laws of the Church, respectful and obedient
ministers of God so that we become one body
under one leadership and one herd under one
Shepherd. We strive to go with and work towards the thrust of the Church to organize
and to promote Basic Ecclesial Communities
so that all Catholic Christians live a worshipping, witnessing, and serving life.”
The resolution was approved and accepted
by the LMMD Leaders, members and the Diocesan Council of the Laity. (Metot Nillas)
Cagayan de Oro marks Pauline Year
THE 20-voice Las Piñas Boys
Choir (LPBC) won a gold medal
and was declared “world champions” in the 5th World Choir
Games, children’s category which
ended July 14 in Graz, Austria.
They won the category against
70 other specially selected choirs
from around the world.
The LPBC, conducted by Prof.
Armando Salarza, also won a silver medal in the Musica Sacra
Category.
“This is a proud moment not
only for the Las Piñas Boys Choir,
not only for Las Piñas but for the
Filipino People! Once again, we
have shown the world that the
Filipino talent is world class!”
exulted Fr. Benjamin “Didoy”
Molina, who is part of the management team.
The choir members are:
George Angeles II, Bernard Paolo
Caro, Alvin Joshua Cayetano,
Josiah de los Santos, Justin
Claude Fernandez, Jadlae Aivan
Fernandez, Joseph Vincent
Gregorio, Carl Paolo Hernandez,
Japheth Juanillo, Herman
Manalang, Jhansseen Martinez,
Dhonel Martinicio, Alwyn Dominique Panoso, Rupert Kim
Pastrana, Ramon Paolo Quintero,
Chazz Reyes, Karlo Reyes,
Francis David Salonga, Joshua
Gabriel, and Samiley and Joe
Sengson.
Present at the choir’s winning
performances were Alejandro
Consolacion II, accompanist; staff
and consultants January
Hernandez, Norie Salarza, Leo
and Donna Renier and managers
Msgr. Albert Venus and Molina.
The LPBC is a well-known
group in the Philippines and in
international youth choir contests.
Under the artistic direction of
Salarza, the group is a regular
performer in the annual Bamboo
Organ International Music Festival. It emerged champion at the
2005 Vivere Choral Competition.
The 5th World Choir Games,
which started July 9 has 441 registered choirs from 93 nations and
around 20,000 active participants,
including four choir groups from
the Philippines—Coro Ilocano,
Kilyawan Boys Choir, Himig
Singer and Las Pinas Boys Choir.
Held every two years in different countries, the competition
is the largest international choir
competition. Past competitions
were held in Xiamen, China
(2006); Bremen, Germany (2004);
Busan, South Korea (2002) and
Linz,
Austria
(2000).
(CBCPNews)
THE Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro launched
the Pauline Year with all the pomp and pageantry of a Catholic High Mass worthy of “The
Apostle to the Nations” at the St. Augustine
Metropolitan Cathedral, July 15.
“The life and works of St. Paul show us three
things worth emulating, his conversion, mission and ecumenism,” said Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ who presided the celebration.
Ledesma cited the many similarities in the
lives and works of St. Augustine of Hippo, the
patron saint of Cagayan de Oro, and St. Paul. St.
Augustine was a sinner, while St. Paul was a
Pharisee who was responsible for the death of
many Christians during the early history of
the church. Yet, both became zealous evangelists of the Word of God upon their conversion.
The archbishop said St. Paul also gained
the moniker “Apostle to the Nations” because
where St. Peter focused on strengthening the
nascent Catholic Church in Rome, St. Paul
went abroad, traveling the Mediterranean
world, preaching the Gospel especially to the
Gentiles, founded churches and wrote letters
that would later become part of the Sacred
Scriptures.
Although ecumenical initiatives are usually
carried out in the level of church authorities,
Ledesma said the faithful could always appreciate the universal and encompassing spirit of
the apostle Paul who exhorted all believers to
be of one mind and purpose in spreading the
Good News of the Gospel.
Inspired by the example of the Apostle to
the Nations, the Pauline Year will show “that
the action of Church is credible and effective
only to the extent that its members are willing to personally pay for their fidelity to Christ
in every situation.” (Mike Baños)
Catholic Social Scientists to host int’l conference
AN international conference
aimed to bring the social teachings of the Church to the mainstream of Philippine society will
gather renowned speakers in the
field of human rights and justice.
“The conference is intended to
complement the efforts of our
bishops to fight off [the] present
family life crisis in the Philippines,” said Professor Emma R.
Roxas in a statement. Roxas is the
Regional Coordinator for Asia
and the Pacific for the Society of
Catholic Social Scientists.
The conference is themed “The
Holy See and Catholic NGOs in
the Areas of Human Rights and
Development.”
Resource speakers are Brian
Scarnecchia, J. D., president of the
International Solidarity and Human Rights Institute (ISHRI) and
holder of the Human Life Inter-
ŒŒŒ³
Markings
national chair, in favor of Fr. Paul
Marx at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, USA,
and Terrence McKeegan, J. D.,
vice president of ISHRI and the
European Center for Law and
Justice, covering religious liberty
issues at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
“Both of them are stalwarts of
the Society of Catholic Social Scientists based at the Franciscan
University,” Prof. Roxas said.
She added that the founder of
Youth Arise International and
Bibles for China Henry Capello
will also speak about his mission
to China with the blessings of His
Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.
The conference will be held on
July 25 at 2:00 p.m. at the Telengtan
Hall, University of Asia and the
Pacific, Ortigas Complex, Pasig
City. (Melo Acuna)
ELECTED. Bishop Leopoldo C. Jaucian, SVD,
DD, as National Director of the Chinese Apostolate
of the Philippines by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), July 5, 2008.
Jaucian, who took over the post from Auxiliary
Bishop-emeritus Teodoro Buhain, was the third
Director elected to the ministry. Jaucian’s first
exposure to the Chinese language and culture
was during his overseas training program as an
SVD seminarian. He took up Chinese language
and culture, specializing in Mandarin at Fu Jen
Catholic University in Taipei, Taiwan from 19821984. He finished his theology in Mandarin in the same university four
years later. After ordination in 1988, Jaucian worked as Assistant Pastor
at St. Joseph Parish in Chai, Taiwan, followed by a stint in Campus
Ministry, in Fu Jen Catholic High School, Chai, Taiwan from 1989-1992.
Jaucian’s forebears originated from Mainland China and migrated to Iloilo
in the 18th century. The family later moved to Bicol during the 18th century
Abaca boom in Albay. Jaucian’s grandfather was a native of Ligao, Albay
while his grandmother hailed from Ilocos Sur.
CELEBRATED. Sr. Maria Gemma A. Victorino,
25th anniversary of profession of vows among
the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master (PDDM),
July 6, 2008; at Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Parish, Santolan, Pasig City. Victorino entered the
congregation of the Pious Disciples in Antipolo
on May 7, 1978. She made her first profession
of vows on February 10, 1983 and professed
her final commitment on February 11, 1989. Currently based in Rome as the Vicar General of
the congregation, Victorino’s previous assignments include Music Ministry and Formation
work. She was Regional Councilor from 1999
to 2005. She assumed the office of General Councilor and Vicar General at the same time in 2006. Victorino holds a degree in Biblical Theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. The Eucharistic celebration
was presided by Fr. Gil Alinsangan, SSP.
CELEBRATED. Froilem Bonn S.
Barreto, Parang, Shariff Kabunsuan,
Archdiocese of Cotabato; Michael M.
Botacion, Bacolod City, Diocese of
Bacolod; Gerald P. Supranes, T’Boli,
South Cotabato, Diocese of Marbel and
Ronnie L. Torres, Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat, Archdiocese of Cotabato;
first profession of vows among the
Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Philippine Province, May 9, 2008, De Mazenod
Auditorium, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, Broce, Datu Odin Sinsuat,
Shariff Kabunsuan. Fr. Larry de Guia, OMI, Vicar Provincial received the
first vows of the new Oblates and Fr. Jun Matas, OMI presided the
Eucharistic celebration. The four new Oblates will join the scholastics
at the Our Lady of Assumption Scholasticate, Loyola Heights, Quezon
City for their theology studies.
CELEBRATED. Bros. Gerald Biñegas,
Ruel Desamparado, Herbert Magbuo,
Wesley Jay Taguibao, and Rey
Villamonte, Perpetual profession of
vows among the Rogationist Fathers,
at the Holy Spirit Chapel, Fr. Di Francia
Center of Studies, June 4, 2008. Rev.
Fr. Bruno Rampazzo, RCJ presided
the celebration of the Holy Mass
concelebrated by several Rogationist priests. Seventeen other religious
brothers also renewed their vows in the presence of confreres, relatives, benefactors and friends. On the same day, Bro. Vincent Victor
Dumdum made also his Perpetual Profession of the Vows received by
Rev. Fr. Marcelino Diaz, RCJ at the St. Hannibal Formation Center, Cebu
City. Four other religious brothers renewed their vows at the same time.
CWL National Officers and Board Members led by their President, Dr. Amelita D. Go were inducted last June 21, 2008 by His Eminence, Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales and His
Excellency, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP President, at the Archbishop’s Palace, Intramuros. Other officers elected were Caridad Rabuco, 1st National VP, Judge Corazon A.
Tordilla, 2nd National VP, Erlinda Gonzalez, Secretary, Fortunata B. O’Santos, Treasurer, and Lourdes V. Peña, Auditor.
Died. Fr. Cletus Ternes, OMI, 74 years old, July 15, 2008. Retired Monsignor Agerico Galang, 61 years old, Archdiocese of Manila, July 17,
2008; Fr. Candido Ersando, Diocese of Malolos, June 2008; Msgr. Delfin
V. Babilonia, Diocese of Lucena, June 2008; Msgr. Pastor Bolivar, Archdiocese of Capiz, July 2008.
CBCP Monitor
B1
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
Pastoral Concerns
© PascalDeloche/Godong/Corbis
‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you will be my witnesses’
(Acts 1:8)
My dear young friends!
1. The XXIII World Youth Day
I always remember with great joy the
various occasions we spent together in
Cologne in August 2005. At the end of
that unforgettable manifestation of faith
and enthusiasm that remains engraved
on my spirit and on my heart, I made an
appointment with you for the next gathering that will be held in Sydney in 2008.
This will be the XXIII World Youth Day
and the theme will be: “You will receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you will be my witnesses” (Acts
1:8). The underlying theme of the spiritual preparation for our meeting in
Sydney is the Holy Spirit and mission.
In 2006 we focused our attention on the
Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth. Now in
2007 we are seeking a deeper understanding of the Spirit of Love. We will
continue our journey towards World
Youth Day 2008 by reflecting on the
Spirit of Fortitude and Witness that gives
us the courage to live according to the
Gospel and to proclaim it boldly. Therefore it is very important that each one
of you young people ¯in your communities and together
w i t h
those responsible for
your
education—should be
able
to reflect on this Principal
Agent of salvation history,
namely the Holy Spirit
o r
the Spirit of Jesus. In this
way you will be able to
achieve the following
lofty goals: to recognize
the Spirit’s true identity,
© PaulMiller/epa/Corbis
The World Youth Day
cross was erected at
the Barangaroo
site for the
opening of World
Youth Day in
Sydney, Australia.
The Catholic World
Youth Day event began
last July 15 with an
Opening Mass and ran
until July 20.
principally by listening to the Word of
God in the Revelation of the Bible; to
become clearly aware of his continuous,
active presence in the life of the Church,
especially as you rediscover that the Holy
Spirit is the “soul”, the vital breath of
Christian life itself, through the sacraments of Christian initiation – Baptism,
Confirmation and the Eucharist; to grow
thereby in an understanding of Jesus that
becomes ever deeper and more joyful
and, at the same time, to put the Gospel
into practice at the dawn of the third millennium. In this message I gladly offer
you an outline for meditation that you
can explore during this year of preparation. In this way you can test the quality
of your faith in the Holy Spirit, rediscover it if it is lost, strengthen it if it has
become weak, savour it as fellowship
with the Father and with his Son Jesus
Christ, brought about by the indispensable working of the Holy Spirit. Never
forget that the Church, in fact humanity
itself, all the people around you now and
those who await you in the future, expect much from you young people, because you have within you the supreme
gift of the Father, the Spirit of Jesus.
© PaulMiller/epa/Corbis
Message of the Holy Father, Benedict XVI to
the Young People of the World on the
Occasion of the XXIII World Youth Day, 2008
fulfillment of a promise
made much earlier by
God, announced and prepared throughout the
Old Testament.
In fact, right from its
opening pages, the Bible
presents the spirit of God
as the windthat “was moving over the face of the
waters” (cf. Gen 1:2). It
says that God breathed
into man’s nostrils the
breath of life (cf. Gen 2:7),
thereby infusing him
with life itself. After original sin, the life-giving
spirit of God is seen several times in the history
of humankind, calling
forth prophets to exhort
the chosen people to return to God and to observe his commandments
faithfully. In the wellknown vision of the
prophet Ezekiel, God,
with his spirit, restores to
life the people of Israel,
“I assure you that the Spirit of Jesus today is inviting
you young people to be bearers of the good news of
Jesus to your contemporaries. The difficulty that
adults undoubtedly find in approaching the sphere of
youth in a comprehensible and convincing way could
be a sign with which the Spirit is urging you young
people to take this task upon yourselves.”
2. The promise of the Holy Spirit in the
Bible
Attentive listening to the Word of God
concerning the mystery and action of the
Holy Spirit opens us up to great and inspiring insights that I shall summarize
in the following points.
Shortly before his Ascension, Jesus
said to his disciples: “And
behold, I send the promise of my Father
upon you” ( Lk
24:49). This took
place on the day
of
Pentecost
when they were
together
in
prayer in the Upper Room with
the Virgin Mary.
The outpouring
of the Holy Spirit
on the nascent
Church was the
represented by the “dry bones” (cf. 37:114). Joel prophesied an “outpouring of the
spirit” over all the people, excluding no
one. The sacred author wrote: “And it shall
come to pass afterward that I will pour
out my spirit on all flesh ... Even upon the
menservants and maidservants, in those
days, I will pour out my spirit” (3:1-2).
In “the fullness of time” (cf. Gal 4:4),
the angel of the Lord announced to the
Virgin of Nazareth that the Holy Spirit,
“the power of the Most High”, would
come upon her and overshadow her. The
child to be born would be holy and
would be called Son of God (cf. Lk 1:35).
In the words of the prophet Isaiah, the
Messiah would be the one on whom the
Spirit of the Lord would rest (cf. 11:1-2;
42:1). This is the prophecy that Jesus took
up again at the start of his public ministry in the synagogue in Nazareth. To the
amazement of those present, he said:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good
news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of
the Lord’s favour” (Lk 4:18-19; cf. Is 61:12). Addressing those present, he referred
those prophetic words to himself by saying: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” ( Lk 4:21). Again,
before his death on the Cross, he would
tell his disciples several times about the
coming of the Holy Spirit, the “Counselor” whose mission would be to bear
witness to him and to assist believers by
teaching them and guiding them to the
fullness of Truth (cf. Jn 14:16-17, 25-26;
15:26; 16:13).
3. Pentecost, the point of departure for
the Church’s mission
On the evening of the day of resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples, “he
breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (Jn 20:22). With
even greater power the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles on the day of
Pentecost. We read in the Acts of the
Apostles: “And suddenly from heaven
there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house
where they were sitting. Divided tongues,
as of fire, appeared among them, and a
tongue rested on each of them” (2:2-3).
The Holy Spirit renewed the Apostles
from within, filling them with a power that
would give them courage to go out and
boldly proclaim that “Christ has died and is
risen!” Freed from all fear, they began to
speak openly with self-confidence (cf. Acts
2:29; 4:13; 4:29,31). These frightened fishermen had become courageous heralds of
the Gospel. Even their enemies could not
understand how “uneducated and ordinary
men” (cf. Acts 4:13) could show such courage and endure difficulties, suffering and
persecution with joy. Nothing could stop
them. To those who tried to silence them
they replied: “We cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard”
(Acts 4:20). This is how the Church was
born, and from the day of Pentecost she
has not ceased to spread the Good News
“to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
4. TheHoly Spirit, soul of the Church
and principle of communion
If we are to understand the mission of
the Church, we must go back to the Upper Room where the disciples remained
together (cf. Lk 24:49), praying with
Mary, the “Mother”, awaiting the Spirit
that had been promised. This icon of the
WYD / B4
CBCP Monitor
Updates
B2
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
Position Paper on Freemasonry
1
By Fr Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.
IT is not the purpose of this paper to go into the theologico-historical
discussion of Freemasonry.2 It is rather the purpose of this paper to help
the CBCP formulate a canonical stance regarding Catholics who join
or foster (i.e., take positions of government and direction therein) freemasonry.
1. The legal iter of this matter can be
summarized as follows:
a) CIC 17 , c.2335 - specifically mentioned masonry and specified excommunication latae sententiae.
b) CIC 83, c. 1374 now states: “One
who joins an association which plots
against the Church is to be punished with
a just penalty; one who promotes or
moderates such an association, however,
is to be punished with an interdict.”
c) S.C. pro Doctrina Fidei, Decl.
Quesitium est: de associationibus
massonicis, 26.XI.1983: Asked whether
the judgment of the Church regarding
freemasonry had changed due to the new
Codex not expressly mentioning it, as
in the previous Code, the S.C.D.F. replies in the following terms:
1) Such non-mention of freemasonry
is due to a criterion of redaction followed
also as regards other associations equally
not mentioned insofar as they are included in a wider category.
2) The negative judgment of the Church
regarding Masonic associations remains unchanged, because their principles have
always been considered irreconcilable
with the doctrine of the Church.
3) Therefore inscription in them remains prohibited, and the faithful who belong to a Masonic association are in a state of
serious sin and cannot be admitted to Holy
Communion.
4) It is not within the competence of
local ecclesiastical authority to pronounce regarding the nature of a Masonic association in terms which go
against the aforementioned criteria.
2. To understand this, one has to go to
the history of c.1374, which I outline in
brief:
a) In the years of redaction of the CIC
83, two schools of thought emerged regarding the matter:
1st: Appreciate the reality that the nature of freemasonry is different in different countries—so that it is not possible to lump them all under the category
of “an association which plots against
the Church”. According to this school, it
should be up to the episcopal conference
to determine in each country whether
masonry falls under that category. This
became the position of the coetus in
charge of this canon, which besides supported the thesis of E. Gomez O.P. (a
well-known canonist) that the penalty
should not be latae sententiae (following
one of the principles of the codification,
to reduce latae sententiae penalties to a
minimum, since it goes against juridic
stability and security, because of its automaticity and self-infliction due to lack
of sentence), and definitely not excommunication (since this was reserved for
the gravest of crimes only—again one
of the principles of the codification process).
2nd: The position of the German Episcopal Conference —which had carried
out a lengthy study between 1974-1980,
in the form of a series of official dialogues between the Catholic Church and
the Freemasons—which concluded that
membership in freemasonry was inherently incompatible with the Church.
Therefore, a return to the text of CIC 17,
c.2335.
b) Subjected to a vote of the Plenum—
actually two votations on successive
days—the 1st position won, albeit by a
small margin.
c) In the same month of full effectivity of the new Code (after the 6-month
vacatio legis after its promulgation), the
SCDF came up with the Declaration of
26.XI.1983, which clarifies that freemasonry is not mentioned specifically in
c.1374, because of a criterion of redaction which includes it in a wider category.
3. The CBCP Guidelines on Membership in Free Masonic Associations
(14.III.1990)
1) It precisely belongs to particular
legislation (if the episcopal conference
wants a uniform treatment for the whole
country) to specify freemasonry as one
of those associations typified in c.1374
(the wider category) and include a just
penalty for it—but not excommunication, and not latae sententiae to follow
the mens legislatoris in this regard.
2) On the other hand, it is not the competence of particular legislation to give
a judgment regarding Masonic associations contrary to the criteria contained
above (i.e., the CBCP cannot not say that
such associations are not inherently incompatible with the Catholic faith and
that those who enlist in them are in a
state of grave sin). This is the tenor of
the SCDF Declaration (26.XI.1983), par.
4.
3) The CBCP Guidelines of 14.III.1990
are in accord with Quaesitum est in
stipulating that any Catholic who is
publicly known as a mason—i.e., whose
membership in any Masonic Association
can be proven in the external forum—
”may not receive Holy Communion.”
However, the tenor of the CBCP dispo-
Illustration by Bladimer Usi
sition—” may not receive…” needs to be
modified to be in accord with the quite
definitive tenor of the SCDF Declaration: “They cannot receive…”
4) The CBCP Guidelines of 14.III.1990
also need to be modified to be more in
accordance with c.1374, which makes a
distinction between:
a) “One who joins an association which
plots against the Church (who) is to be
punished with a just penalty” — i.e., a
preceptive ferendae sententiae penalty,
with due attention to the general norms
regarding penalties (cc. 1344, 1347, 1349,
1350). 5
b) “One who promotes or moderates
such an association (who) is to be punished with an interdict” — i.e., a preceptive ferendae sententiae penalty of interdict , again with due attention to the
general norms regarding penalties.6
4. Conclusions/Recommendations
1) The aforementioned criteria can best
be served by retaining the present CBCP
Guidelines from the beginning up to n.1,
but introducing modifications thereafter.
2) N.2 of the CBCP Guidelines can be
split and rephrased as follows:
1. Therefore, any Catholic whose membership in any Masonic Association can be
proven in the external forum and who refuses to renounce such membership after repeated canonical warnings, is not to be admitted to Holy Communion.7
2. Furthermore, any Catholic who
promotes or moderates such an association and refuses to amend his ways despite repeated canonical warnings:
a) is not to be allowed to act as sponsor in Baptism, Confirmation and Marriage;
b) is not to be admitted as members
of parish or diocesan structures or any
other religious organizations;
c) is to be denied funeral rites, unless some
signs of repentance before death has been
shown (cf. c.1184, §1); where such rites have
been allowed by the Ordinary, no Masonic
services shall be allowed in the Church or
cemetery immediately before or after the
Church rites in order to avoid any public
scandal (cf. cc.1184, §1 and 1374).8
3) Despite the seeming harshness of
the above dispositions, one must bear
in mind that the CBCP cannot really pretend to issue Guidelines which in the
end have no “teeth” anyway. In any case,
such Guidelines must reflect the reality
that Freemasonry needs to be stamped
out as an evil. The catechesis—and repeated warnings in this regard—
coupled with the fact that each case must
be taken separately (hence the ferendae
sententiae penalty) means that in those
cases when such a penalty really has to
be imposed, it would be a case of proven
contumacy—hardly compatible with
the oft-cited general case of a mason who
is “a good Catholic”. If a mason cannot
renounce his freemasonry despite repeated warning from the Bishop, he is
not a good Catholic.
Cohabiting brides and groom
(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university,
answers the following questions:)
Q: Many Catholic brides and grooms
acknowledge themselves as “living together” right up to the time of a sacramental marriage, and/or they admit
that they have not followed the precepts
of the Church (Mass on Sunday, Easter
obligation, etc.). They decide to have a
“Catholic wedding.” Their marriage
preparation lacks the requirement that
they attend the sacrament of reconciliation to place themselves in a state of
grace. Must a Catholic bride and/or
groom be in the state of grace as they
enter into matrimony in order for them
to receive the grace of the sacrament? Is
their marriage valid if they are not in
the state of grace? — M.T., Bloomfield,
Connecticut
A: The present state of social mores is
a source of frequent consternation to
priests, deacons and others involved in
preparing couples for marriage.
Many pastoral agents feel caught between Scylla and Charybdis, fearing that
demanding the couple’s separation before marriage might dash any hopes of
re-evangelizing them during the marriage preparation course. For this reason some might be tempted to turn a
blind eye to cohabiting couples.
Here the Latin adage “Suaviter in
forma fortiter in re” (gentle in form,
firm as to principle) comes into play.
When a couple request a Catholic
wedding it is necessary to inquire as to
their motives. When the motives are
genuinely, even if imperfectly religious,
it should be gently but firmly explained
that being married in the Church, more
than a pretty social event, is a lifelong
binding pact between them and God. It
thus requires serious spiritual preparation, and the couple should be encour-
aged to take the commitment fully aware
of what is required.
Any diocesan policies should be explained
right from the beginning. While the Church
is almost always willing to conduct a sacramental marriage so as to at least give the
couple the opportunity of returning to the
sacraments, many dioceses and pastors are
wont to refuse cohabiting couples the full
panoply of a religious wedding and insist
on a discreet private service.
This is done out of respect for, and to emphasize, the essentially religious nature of
the sacrament of holy matrimony so that it
is never reduced to the social sphere.
While marriage preparation courses have
several goals in preparing the couple for
married life, it is gravely incumbent that
the couple reaches a clear understanding of
the commitments toward fidelity, permanence and openness to children. These commitments are essential to celebrate a valid
wedding in the Catholic Church. Otherwise
the wedding should not proceed, since no
pastor should ever risk witnessing a probably invalid marriage.
It is also of very great importance that
the couple prepares for marriage by living
the state of grace. Cohabiting couples
should be gently but clearly told that their
situation is not conducive to an adequate
preparation for a Catholic wedding. Co-
habitation also risks the future stability of their life together, as has been
shown by both pastoral experience and
formal scientific studies.
Marriage, just like confirmation, Eucharist, holy orders and, whenever possible, anointing of the sick, require the
state of grace for their fruitful reception.
With respect to validity, however,
someone who is married while in a state
of mortal sin may be validly married (as
they would be validly confirmed, ordained, or validly celebrate Mass). But
he/she would not receive the grace
proper to this sacrament and indeed commits a further grave sin of sacrilege and
renders the sacrament objectively illicit.
Such a state hardly augurs well for
future marital bliss. It is therefore of utmost pastoral concern that couples be
prepared in such a way that they clearly
understand the beauty of Catholic teaching regarding pre-nuptial chastity, sincerely repent of any sins they may have
committed, and seek the sacrament of
reconciliation so as to enter into marriage in the state of grace.
The challenges are immense and certainly exceed the possibilities of this
column to enter into details. This is why
we have limited ourselves to enunciate
some basic guiding principles.
(Footnotes)
1
Originally submitted to the ECCL-CLSP workshop of 23.IV.2002, at the CBCP Secretariat in
Intramuros, Manila.
For a more in-depth investigation of the historical
aspects of freemasonry, cf. Pope Leo XIII’s encyclicals: Humanum Genus, 20.IV.1884, which provides a definitive statement on Freemasonry, its
opposition to the Church, and the response of Catholics; Custodi Di Quella Fede, 8.XII.1892; Inimica
Vis, 8.XII. 1892; Dall’alto Dell’apostolico Seggio,
15.X.1890.
2
Cf. AA.VV., Comentario Exegetico al Codigo de
Derecho Canonico (2nd ed.), vol. IV/1, EUNSA
(1997), pp.512-517; Z. Suchecki, La Massonería,
pp.61-115.
3
It is important to attend to the original Latin of the
SCDF Declaration of 26.XI.1983, the dispositive
part of which reads:
4
Christifideles qui associationibus massonicis
nomen dant in peccato gravi versantur et ad
sacram communionem accedere non possunt.
(N.B. The mood is declarative/indicative, not
subjunctive.)
5 The Latin of c.1374 reads iusta poena puniatur—
i.e., making the imposition of such a just punishment preceptive.
6 The Latin canon reads: interdicito puniatur—
making the imposition of such an interdict preceptive for the Superior.
It is important to attend to the original Latin of
the SCDF Declaration of 26.XI.1983, the dispositive part of which reads:
7
Christifideles qui associationibus massonicis
nomen dant in peccato gravi versantur et ad
sacram communionem accedere non possunt.
(N.B. The mood is declarative/indicative, not
subjunctive.)
8
This is a specification of the interdict stipulated in c.1374.
Using Classrooms for Mass
Q: Should a school classroom be
used for the celebration of Mass
when the parish church is close
enough for children to get to easily, and the church (or a smaller
chapel within it) is available? —
S.H., Lancashire, England
A: The overarching principles
in question are quite clear as indicated by the instruction
“Redemptionis Sacramentum,”
No. 108:
“The celebration of the Eucharist is to be carried out in a sacred place, unless in a particular
case necessity requires otherwise.
In this case the celebration must
be in a decent place. The diocesan
Bishop shall be the judge for his
diocese concerning this necessity,
on a case-by-case basis.”
This would indicate a clear preference toward using the chapel
as often as possible.
The first sentence of this instruction is a direct quote of
Canon 932.1 of the Code of
Canon Law.
The second sentence, referring
to the diocesan bishop’s judgment on a case-by-case basis, for
all practical purposes harks back
to the situation found in the
equivalent canon of the 1917
Code which always required the
bishop’s permission to celebrate
outside of a sacred place.
Most comments on the reformed code had considered that
the decision now rests with the
individual priest but this, apparently, was not the mind of the
legislator.
However, I believe that the
bishop’s case-by-case judgment
does not necessarily mean that he
has to grant permission for each
individual celebration. The
bishop could grant a habitual
permission covering certain frequently occurring circumstances
in the diocese and allow pastors
and chaplains to decide when
these circumstances are met.
Such would be the case for
Masses celebrated in places such
as hospitals and retirement homes
that have no specific chapel.
In the case of classroom Masses
the bishop could discuss along
with pastors the relative advantages and disadvantages of celebrating Mass outside of a sacred
space for the sake of the children.
While proximity to the church
is clearly a factor to be weighed,
it is not the only factor. Teachers
should be consulted as to
whether moving the children to
the chapel might cause disciplinary problems. Another factor
would be if the children are more
likely to be distracted in unfamiliar surroundings such as the
chapel or more concentrated on
the Mass itself in their habitual
classroom.
The answer might vary even
within different age levels of a
single school. It might be more
profitable for some grades to go
to the church and for others to
remain in the classroom.
Another question to be taken
into account is the frequency of
the Masses. If the Mass is a sporadic or annual event, then I believe that classroom Masses cause
no special problem.
If, however, the children attend
Mass at school on a regular basis,
then it is better to habituate them
to go to a sacred space specifically
reserved for that purpose. I would
even say that if the parish church
is unavailable, then, as far as possible, a room should be set aside
as an oratory. Or at least the Masses
should be held in an especially
worthy space, rather than a regular classroom.
Therefore it is not just a question of liturgical law but also a
pastoral question regarding the
best means of introducing children to the Mass as well as to other
practices of genuine Christian
piety. (Zenit)
CBCP Monitor
Diocese
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
By Msgr. Romeo Buenaobra
Historical Background
In 1950, Marbel was part of the diocese of Cotabato. The Bishop at that time
was Most Rev. Gerard Mongeau, OMI,
DD. Marbel was created Prelature Nullius on Dec. 17, 1960, with Most Rev.
Quentin Olwell, CP, DD as first bishop.
He was followed in 1970 by Most Rev.
Reginald Arliss, CP, DD. Most Rev.
Dinualdo D. Gutierrez, DD succeeded
Bishop Arliss in 1981 as 3rd Prelate Ordinary. Marbel was elevated to a Diocese
on Nov. 15, 1982.
The Diocese comprises 2 civil prov-
of catechesis: the Catechetical Ministry
and the KRISKA Ministry. The
Catechetical Ministry is for the teaching
of catechesis to children in the public
schools on weekdays and in the barrio
chapels on Sundays. The KRISKA Ministry (Kristohanong Kasilinganan or
Christian Neighborhood) is for the
teaching of catechesis to adults and families in neighborhood communities of 6
to 10 families which comprises a KRISKA
unit.
The biblical apostolate is being promoted by the KRISKA Ministry, the BECGKK Ministry and the Lay Liturgical
Leadership Ministry through Bible Studies, Bible Service, catechesis, prayer and
and Life Ministry has 1,700 Family and
Life Workers. The Youth Ministry has
more than 2,000 Youth leaders. The Campus Ministry has about 300 campus ministers. The Lay Liturgists number about
5,000. The Extraordinary Ministers of
Holy Communion about 1,800 and the
Social Action Ministry has about 3,000
Social Action Workers.
Welfare Programs
Besides the Integral Evangelization
Programs, the Diocese has established
three welfare Programs for its priests and
lay Church Workers. These programs are
the Priests Welfare Program, the Sabbatical Leave Program and the Lay
The Diocese of
inces: South Cotabato and Sarangani, the
City of General Santos and some parts
of the province of Sultan Kudarat. The
titular Patron of the Diocese is Christ
the King
Diocesan Vision, Mission, Thrust
In 1996 the Diocese has re-formulated
its Vision-Mission-Thrust in line with
PCP II. This V-M-T can be summarized
as follows: 1) Vision of Church: A community of disciples of Jesus Christ and
Church of the Poor; 2) Vision of Society:
A society which is God-centered
(makaDiyos), democratic (makatao), nationalistic (makabansa), just (makatarungan),
respectful of human life (makabuhay), and
integrity of creation (makakalikasan); 3)
Mission: To proclaim in word and deed
the message of salvation and liberation
(integral evangelization); 4) Thrust: The
building and strengthening of Basic
Ecclesial Communities (BECs) through
integral liberation and development towards one, holy society (cf. Eph. 1:4-5; 910).
Diocesan Programs
In 1997 the Diocese made a general
assessment of all its Diocesan Programs.
It was decided then to re-align all programs to correspond to the PCP II elements of Renewed Integral Evangelization. Three Diocesan Commissions were
formed: 1) Commission on Christian
Formation (COCF)—cf. PCP II Renewed
Catechesis; 2) Commission on Worship
and Liturgy (COWL)—cf. PCP II Renewed Worship; 3) Commission on Social Apostolate (COSA)—cf. PCP II Renewed Social Apostolate.
Various programs for integral formation and development were established
and old ones were strengthened. Programs under Christian Formation are
catechesis, biblical apostolate, family
and life, basic ecclesial communities,
youth, and campus ministry.
Two groups are involved in the area
reflection and celebration of the National Bible Week.
The family life program is geared for
the formation of strong Christian families in the parishes. The program is being promoted by the Family and Life
Ministry and the BEC-GKK Ministry.
The BEC program is for the formation
of people and lay leaders in the Basic
Ecclesial Communities (BECs) in the
parishes. The program is being promoted by the GKK Ministry.
Programs under Worship and Liturgy
are the Liturgical Formation Program
for lay liturgists in the BECs and parishes and the Lay Liturgical Leadership
Ministry Program for Extraordinary
Ministers for Holy Communion and for
holding Bible Services in the BECs on
Sundays.
Programs under the Social Action
Apostolate are Justice and Peace, Health
and Nutrition, Sustainable Agriculture,
Micro-Finance, Relief and Rehabilitation, Alay Kapwa, Livelihood Assistance,
Indigenous People, Pastoral Care of
Women and Children, Migrants and
their Families, Social Communications
(Media), IRA Watch, Good Governance,
and Ecology
Ministries and Lay Leaders
Various ministries have been mobilized by the Diocese to be involved in
these programs. These are the BEC Ministry, KRISKA Ministry, Catechetical
Ministry, Family and Life Ministry,
Youth Ministry, Campus Ministry, Lay
Liturgical Ministry, Lay Liturgical Leadership Ministry, Social Communications
Ministry and the Social Action Ministry.
The Diocese has established more than
1,600 BECs managed by at least 8,000 BEC
officers. There are more than 4,000
KRISKA units established with the same
number of KRISKA Alagads or facilitators.
The Catechetical Ministry has about
2,000 volunteer catechists. The Family
B3
Church Workers Program.
The Priests Welfare Program was
started in 1998. Benefits: uniform
monthly allowance for priests, hospitalization and medicines, insurance, loans,
retirement pension and burial expenses.
The Sabbatical Leave Program was
launched in 2003. The program provides
financial assistance to priests who go on
a one-year Sabbatical Leave for rest and
renewal (R & R) after spending seven
years in the ministry.
The sources of funds for these programs come from personal contributions
of priest-members, the parish where
they are assigned and the diocese.
The Lay Church Workers Welfare Pro-
gram was established in 2004. The program provides financial assistance to
Parish and Diocesan Lay Church Workers and Personnel. It provides loans,
hospitalization and medicine assistance,
insurance, retirement and burial assistance.
Sources of funds for this program
come from personal contributions of
members, the parish where they work
and the diocese.
Control Mechanisms
The Ministries hold quarterly meetings—Boards and Executive Committees
and annual / bi-annual Diocesan General Assemblies.
Marbel
RIGHT: Marbel
Bishop Dinualdo
Gutierrez
speaking at a
rally. BELOW:
The Christ the
King Cathedral
IMPORTANT FACTS
Bishop ……………...………………… 1
Priests:
Diocesan …………………….…….. 64
Religious ……………………..……. 20
Deacons ……………………….……
4
Brothers
Filipino ………………………...……. 17
Sisters ………………………….…… 112
Seminarians:
Pre-College ………………………...
5
College ……………………….…….. 20
Major …………………………...……. 8
On Regency ………………………..
2
Diocesan Divisions:
Vicariates …………………………...
5
Parishes ……………………...…….. 24
Educational Centers:
University ……………………...…….. 1
Colleges ……………………………..
2
High Schools …………………...…. 22
Elementary ………………………… 38
Population ………………..... 1,583,208
Catholics ………………..….. 1,220,356
Area ………………………. 7,469 sq.kms
CBCP Monitor
Features
B4
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
First Letter to the Thessalonians
By Fr. Paul J. Marquez, SSP
THE first letter of St. Paul to the
Thessalonians holds the distinction of
being the oldest preserved document in
Christianity. The letter is one among
seven epistles judged undisputedly to be
authentic, together with Paul’s letter to
the Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2
Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians and
Philemon. The six other letters, regarded
as written by Paul’s colleague or student,
are as follows: 2 Thessalonians,
Ephesians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Timothy and
Titus.
A backgrounder on Thessalonia
In Paul’s time, Thessalonia was a thriving military and commercial port city,
thickly populated where the citizens
engaged in lively commerce. Cassander
(brother-in-law and a general in the
army of Alexander the Great) was the
founder of the city and named it after
his own wife Thessalonike . It was made a
free city like Athens where no Roman
soldiers roamed or policed the city. The
Thessalonians ran their own affairs and
a group of elders chose the city magistrates, known as the ‘politarchs’.
Paul in Thessalonia
Paul went to the city accompanied by
Silas and Timothy and stayed there for a
period of at least three weeks (cf Acts
17). The three-week period has to be
understood as the beginning of their stay
in the city when the missionaries
preached to their fellow Jews. Afterwards, they would preach to the Gentiles in that city and this presupposes a
longer period of time. The two letters
sent to the Christian community in this
city indicates that an intimate relationship had been forged between pastor and
flock, which included a large number of
Gentile converts. Also, St. Paul mentioned that, on two separate occasions,
he had received gifts from the church of
Philippi while in Thessalonica. Moreover, Paul had established himself in the
city in the practice of his trade, which is
tentmaking.
On his first day in Thessalonia, Paul
entered the synagogue and preached to
his fellow Jews about the living God.
Word spread fast and each time Paul
came to speak, more people were added
to the congregation. Acts 17:4 relates this
interesting development: “Some of them
were convinced and joined Paul and Silas; so
did many of the leading women and a large
group of Greeks who worshiped God. But
some Jews were jealous and gathered worthless loafers from the streets and formed a mob.
They set the whole city in an uproar and attacked the home of a man named Jason.”
Message to the Thessalonians
The first letter to the Thessalonians is
a letter of thanksgiving to the Christian
converts, remembering in particular
how they received the word “in the midst
of so much suffering” (1 Thes 1:6). Paul
reminds the Christian converts of the
difficulties they encountered in the city
and their unfailing zeal to preach the
good news about Jesus Christ. He offers
his prayers so that he might again see
the members of the fledgling young
Church. From his assistant Timothy,
Paul had learned that the young community was undergoing persecution.
Thus, Paul’s letter is meant to encourage
and admonish the new Christians referring to them as his ‘child’ and to himself
as both their “mother and father”.
Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians
is a letter of tenderness in the midst of
oppression, and it reflects the apostle’s
growing understanding of Jesus’ message of new life amidst the experience
of the cross.
New face of hope for
HIV/AIDS victims
By Roy Lagarde
NOEL Pascual, an HIV-positive, said he is pleased the
Church has long been involved and always on the
move in the fight against the
deadly disease.
While the victim notes that
the many of the people ministering to Filipinos who develop AIDS are religious,
boosting the Church’s response is very significant.
On July 12, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has launched a training
manual that would help its
parish workers including the
religious and laity how to
handle cases of the disease.
Pascual said this new
Church initiative is surely a
big help so that more people
could offer help “at the bedside of our peers in hospitals.”
Present during the launching, held at the College of the
Holy Spirit in Manila, were
mostly nuns, social-action
workers, priests, and workers
in government and NGO-run
programs for people with
HIV and AIDS.
Fr. Edwin Corros, executive secretary of CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People
said the book will also be
made available soon to
Catholic schools for possible
inclusion in their curriculum.
Corros said the manual
was designed primarily to
assist victims and their families suffering or found positive with the HIV/AIDS.
It contains instructional
materials which were designed to guide trainers, facilitators and educators in
enhancing the capability of
pastoral workers to mobilize
a meaningful and effective
response to AIDS.
“We are doing it through
proper education. We tell the
people how they can be infected
and this could be through blood
transfusion, sexual intercourse,
etc.,” he said.
Asked if the manual pushes
the use of condoms as a means
to stop the spread of the disease, Corros said, “we don’t
emphasize condom use but
later on when you get infected
(we suggest) what should be
the proper and right approach
that the Church could do to
accompany those who are suffering.”
Records from the National
HIV Sentinel Surveillance
System (NHSSS) of the Health
department’s National Epidemiology Center showed that
there are 3,273 Filipinos
found with HIV/AIDS, where
76 percent or 2,482 were “asymptomatic” and 24 percent
or 791 are full blown AIDS
cases.
Deaths recorded due to
HIV/AIDS was placed at 309.
The most popular mode of
transmissions includes sexual
intercourse [heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual], perinatal transmission, blood
transfusion, injecting drug
use and needle prick injuries.
From January to May 2008,
a total of 212 cases were reported, nine were full blown
AIDS cases and two deaths
recorded.
Majority or 68 percent
(2,211) of [the total 3,273] those
reported with HIV/AIDS are
males and the most age with
the number of cases ranged
between 25 to 29 years old.
While the number of HIV/
AIDS cases in the country remains low compared to our
neighboring countries in Asia
the Church through the working of the
Holy Spirit. We carry within us the seal
of the Father’s love in Jesus Christ which
is the Holy Spirit. Let us never forget
this, because the Spirit of the Lord always remembers every individual, and
wishes, particularly through you young
people, to stir up the wind and fire of a
new Pentecost in the world.
5. The Holy Spirit as “Teacher of the
interior life”
My dear young friends, the Holy Spirit
continues today to act with power in the
Church, and the fruits of the Spirit are
abundant in the measure in which we
are ready to open up to this power that
makes all things new. For this reason it
is important that each one of us know
the Spirit, establish a relationship with
Him and allow ourselves to be guided
by Him. However, at this point a question naturally arises: who is the Holy
Spirit for me? It is a fact that for many
Christians He is still the “great unknown”. This is why, as we prepare for
the next World Youth Day, I wanted to
invite you to come to know the Holy
Spirit more deeply at a personal level.
In our profession of faith we proclaim:
“I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord
and giver of life, who proceeds from the
Father and the Son” ( NiceneConstantinopolitan Creed). Yes, the Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of the love of the Father
and of the Son, is the Source of life that
makes us holy, “because God’s love has
been poured into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit which has been given to us”
(Rom 5:5). Nevertheless, it is not enough
to know the Spirit; we must welcome
Him as the guide of our souls, as the
“Teacher of the interior life” who introduces us to the Mystery of the Trinity,
because He alone can open us up to faith
and allow us to live it each day to the
The question box
Questions on
Population Control
(TEN years ago, the Pontifical Council for the Family issued Declaration on
the Decrease of Fertility in the World, dated February 27, 1998. It took occasion
of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of
1948. The answers in the following questions are taken from the text of the
Declaration)
What are the human rights that are put in jeopardy when the State legislates population control?
In this regard, the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a reminder to the world. To celebrate these rights is to celebrate man. This moment provides a unique opportunity for the human
community to strengthen the respect due to the essential values to which it
has subscribed, and on which it has committed itself to build its future.
These values must be safeguarded from all compromise on the part of
States, international organizations, private groups or individuals. These
rights are identified as follows: the right to life, the right to physical and
psychological integrity, and the equal dignity of all human beings (cf. article 1). (Cf. Declaration, no. 6).
Why is it crucial for the good of society that the State always respect these
basic human rights whenever it is tempted to impose population control?
As Pope John Paul II has declared: “Human rights transcend every constitutional order”. These rights are inherent in each man. They do not result
from a consensus which is open to negotiation depending on the forces or
self-interests that may be present. The very existence of these rights, recognized and solemnly declared in 1948, does not depend on the relative quality of the formulations which exist in constitutions and laws (cf. article 2.2).
Every constitution, every law, which would attempt to limit the possession
of these declared rights, or to modify their meaning, should be immediately denounced as discriminatory and, as suggested by the Preamble of the
Declaration, as suspect of totalitarian ferments.
It is on this common reference to values, defended at the price of so many
tears, that the fabric of the nations can be restored, and that a city of the
world, open to the “culture of life” can be built. (Cf. Declaration, no. 6)
like Thailand, Corros pointed
that it is still alarming since
it is in the increasing side.
Of the total cases reported
about 1,116 or 34 percent of
the total cases were overseas
Filipino workers and about
74 percent or 827 are males.
Seventy seven (77) or 857
were asymptomatic while 23
percent (259) were AIDS cases.
Like other victims of the
deadly virus, Pascual is hoping the commitment showed
by the Church in making the
training manual would be
sustained, adding that the
fight against HIV and AIDS
“does not lie in the book
alone.”
“At the end of our journey,
we will face our creator; we
need you to help prepare us,”
the 43-year old Pascual said.
WYD / B1
nascent Church should be a constant
source of inspiration for every Christian
community. Apostolic and missionary
fruitfulness is not principally due to
programmes and pastoral methods that
are cleverly drawn up and “efficient”, but
is the result of the community’s constant
prayer (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 75). Moreover, for the mission to be effective, communities must be united, that is, they
must be “of one heart and soul” (cf. Acts
4:32), and they must be ready to witness
to the love and joy that the Holy Spirit
instills in the hearts of the faithful (cf.
Acts 2:42). The Servant of God John Paul
II wrote that, even prior to action, the
Church’s mission is to witness and to live
in a way that shines out to others (cf.
Redemptoris Missio, 26). Tertullian tells us
that this is what happened in the early
days of Christianity when pagans were
converted on seeing the love that reigned
among Christians: “See how they love
one another” (cf. Apology, 39 § 7).
To conclude this brief survey of the
Word of God in the Bible, I invite you to
observe how the Holy Spirit is the highest gift of God to humankind, and therefore the supreme testimony of his love
for us, a love that is specifically expressed as the “yes to life” that God wills
for each of his creatures. This “yes to
life” finds its fullness in Jesus of
Nazareth and in his victory over evil by
means of the redemption. In this regard,
let us never forget that the Gospel of
Jesus, precisely because of the Spirit,
cannot be reduced to a mere statement
of fact, for it is intended to be “good
news for the poor, release for captives,
sight for the blind ...”. With what great
vitality this was seen on the day of Pentecost, as it became the grace and the
task of the Church towards the world,
her primary mission!
We are the fruits of this mission of
Fr. Luis Supan
full. The Spirit impels us forward towards others, enkindles in us the fire of
love, makes us missionaries of God’s
charity.
I know very well that you young people
hold in your hearts great appreciation and
love for Jesus, and that you desire to meet
Him and speak with Him. Indeed, remember that it is precisely the presence
of the Spirit within us that confirms, constitutes and builds our person on the very
Person of Jesus crucified and risen. So let
us become familiar with the Holy Spirit
in order to be familiar with Jesus.
6. The Sacraments of Confirmation and
the Eucharist
You might ask, how can we allow
ourselves to be renewed by the Holy
Spirit and to grow in our spiritual lives?
The answer, as you know, is this: we can
do so by means of the Sacraments, because faith is born and is strengthened
within us through the Sacraments, particularly those of Christian initiation:
Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist, which are complementary and inseparable (cf. The Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 1285). This truth concerning the
three Sacraments that initiate our lives
as Christians is perhaps neglected in the
faith life of many Christians. They view
them as events that took place in the
past and have no real significance for
today, like roots that lack life-giving
nourishment. It happens that many
young people distance themselves from
their life of faith after they have received
Confirmation. There are also young
people who have not even received this
sacrament. Yet it is through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and
then, in an ongoing way, the Eucharist,
that the Holy Spirit makes us children
of the Father, brothers and sisters of
WYD / B7
Have there been cases when some States fell into the totalitarian temptation in the area of population control?
In recent years, mass sterilization, already mentioned, has been added to
these causes. One can recall the massive, scandalous campaigns of male and
female sterilization in India in 1954 and 1976, leading to the overthrow of
Mrs. Gandhi’s government. In Brazil and in Mexico, 40 percent of the women
using a fertility-control method are sterilized.
At the present moment, the media is reporting the sterilization campaign
carried out last year in Peru by the services of the Public Health Department. This has provoked a worldwide reaction of indignation. Public healthcare employees put “pressure” on women who were mostly illiterate and
not informed about the real purpose of their “operation”. These procedures
also resulted in a number of deaths. The Catholic Bishops of the region have
demanded an explanation. They have been joined by a large group of congressmen who have asked that the Peruvian Congress investigate these
sterilizations (which number more than 100,000) in order to determine the
medical and ethical conditions under which they were performed. These
congressmen seek to reveal the full truth regarding violations of human
rights carried out during this governmental campaign. (Cf. Declaration, no.
4)
How are citizens led to think that population control is necessary?
For too long, most of the discussions about population have developed a
certain universal and erroneous popular vocabulary, according to which the world
is viewed as a prisoner of an “exponential”, even “galloping” demographic
growth, which is causing a “demographic explosion”¯the so-called “demographic time bomb”. The Pontifical Council for the Family, which has demonstrated in one of its publications (Ethical and Pastoral Dimensions of Population Trends, 1994) that this “popular vocabulary” really lacks all foundation,
is pleased to note that, even in some agencies of the UN, the truth regarding
the demographic situation has begun to be recognized. Indeed, for 30 years,
the conferences sponsored by this organization have provoked and nurtured unfounded fears about demography, especially in the southern countries. On this alarmist basis, different agencies of the UN have invested and
continue to invest huge financial resources in order to compel many countries to institute Malthusian policies. It has been proven that these programs, always imported from abroad, usually involve coercive measures
of fertility control.
In the same way, international aid for development is regularly granted
on the condition of establishing programs of population control which
include forced sterilizations, or sterilizations performed without proper
informed consent. Local governments are also adopting such Malthusian
policies, and non-governmental organizations—of which the most important is the well-known International Planned Parenthood Federation
(IPPF)—are actively fostering these policies. (Cf. Declaration, no. 2).
Who are the losers in these anti-population campaigns, specifically, sterilization?
In the poor countries, the first victims of these programs are the innocent
and helpless populations. They are systematically deceived and driven to
consent to their mutilation under the false argument that it is, for them, a
necessary antecedent to development. (Cf. Declaration, no. 2)
At present, is there a “population explosion” worldwide?
These disastrous policies stand in total contradiction to the actual demographic trends, as they are revealed in statistics and the analysis of available data. For 30 years, the rate of growth of the world’s population has
continued to decline at a regular and significant rate. At this point, following an impressive drop in their fertility, 51 countries in the world (out of
185) are no longer able to replace their population. To be precise, these 51
countries represent 44 percent of the population of the world. In other
words, the total fertility rate (TFR) in these countries, that is to say, the
number of children born of each woman, is lower than 2.1. This is the
minimum level of fertility needed for the replacement of the population in
a country which has optimum public health conditions.
This situation is found to be the same on almost every continent. There is
below-replacement-level fertility in America (the United States, Canada,
Cuba, and most of the Caribbean islands), in Asia (Georgia, Thailand, China,
Japan and South Korea), in Oceania (Australia) and in almost all the forty
countries of Europe. On this continent, the effect of aging on population
leads to depopulation, with the number of deaths surpassing the number of
births. This negative balance is occurring in 13 countries already, including
Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Russia, Spain and
Italy. (Cf. Declaration, no. 3)
CBCP Monitor
Statements
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
B5
‘We belong to God’
(Message delivered by His Excellency Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, at the Eucharistic celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae, on July 9, 2008, Manila Cathedral.)
MANY know of Pope Paul VI’s Encyclical Humanae Vitae as the “Birth Control”
Encyclical. In fact, however, the encyclical treats of control in another broader
sense. Humanae Vitae does not identify
the problem in the realm of sex, birth,
or the pill, but rather in modern man’s
arrogant desire to control, to control, to
play God. The Servant of God Pope Paul
writes at the beginning of his letter that
man has made great progress in the dominion of the forces of nature to the
point that he is indebted to extend this
control over every aspect of his existence. Even over the laws that regulate
the transmission of life. And here the
Pope is pointing to a wider vision of the
problem. We think everything belongs
to us but the reality is we belong to God.
Humanae Vitae means Human Life.
Human life comes from God. It belongs
to God. It goes back to God. You are not
your own, St. Paul tells us. Sex and having children are aspects of a whole group
of realities that make up our existence,
the existence of human beings. But some
people labor under the illusion that all
these human activities belong to us. And
we can what we want with them. They
say this is my life; this is my body; this
is my choice. As if all these activities are
completely under our own control. But
are they? We know differently. This is
God’s life, God’s love, God’s freedom
given to me. I have been made in God’s
image and my life in its fullest, in its
freest and its most loving comes when I
seek to be like God, my creator after
URBIS ET ORBIS DECREE
Special Indulgences are conceded to
faithful on the occasion of the
2000th anniversary of the birth of St.
Paul the Apostle
IN the imminence of the liturgical Solemnity of the Princes of
the Apostles, motivated by pastoral solicitude the Supreme
Pontiff intends to provide promptly for spiritual treasures to
be granted to the faithful for their sanctification, so that on
this pious and happy occasion, from First Vespers of the Solemnity mentioned, they may renew and reinforce with even
greater fervor intentions of supernatural salvation, principally
in honor of the Apostle to the Gentiles, the 2000th anniversary
of whose birth on earth is now approaching.
The gift of Indulgences which the Roman Pontiff offers to the
universal Church, truly smoothes the way to attaining a supreme degree of inner purification which, while honoring the
Blessed Apostle Paul, exalts the supernatural life in the hearts of
the faithful and gently encourages them to do good deeds.
Therefore, this Apostolic Penitentiary, to which the Holy Father has entrusted the task of the preparation and compilation
of the Decree on the granting and obtaining of Indulgences that
will be valid for the duration of the Pauline Year, benevolently
bestows with this Decree issued in conformity with the desire
of the August Pontiff, the following graces listed:
I. Each and every truly repentant individual member of the
Christian faithful, duly absolved through the Sacrament of
Reconciliation and restored with Holy Communion, who devoutly makes a pilgrimage to the Papal Basilica of St Paul on
the Ostian Way and who prays for the Supreme Pontiff’s intentions, will be granted the Plenary Indulgence from temporal punishment for his/her sins, once sacramental forgiveness
and pardon for any shortcomings has been obtained.
The Christian faithful may benefit from the Plenary Indulgence both for themselves and for the deceased, as many times
as they fulfill the required conditions but without prejudice to
the norm stipulating that the Plenary Indulgence may be obtained only once a day.
In order that the prayer raised on this holy visit may lead
and invite the souls of the faithful to venerate more intensely
the memory of St Paul, the following has been established: the
faithful, in addition to raising their own supplications before
the altar of the Most Blessed Sacrament, each one according to
his own devotion, must go to the altar of the Confession and
devoutly recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding pious
invocations in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Paul.
And may this devotion always be closely united to the memory
of the Prince of the Apostles, St Peter.
II. The Christian faithful of the various local Churches, having fulfilled the required conditions (sacramental Confession,
Eucharistic Communion, prayers for the Supreme Pontiff’s intentions) and in a spirit of total detachment from any inclination to sin, may benefit from the Plenary Indulgence if they
take part devoutly in a sacred function or in a pious public
exercise in honour of the Apostle to the Gentiles; on the days of
the solemn opening and closure of the Pauline Year, in all the
sacred places; on other days specified by the local Ordinary, in
holy places dedicated to St Paul and, for the convenience of the
faithful, in other places designated by the same Ordinary.
III. Lastly, the faithful prevented by illness or another legitimate and important cause, always in a spirit of detachment from any inclination to sin, with the intention of fulfilling the usual conditions as soon as possible, will also be able
to obtain the Plenary Indulgence, as long as they spiritually
join in a Jubilee celebration in honour of St Paul, offering their
prayers and sufferings to God for Christian unity.
In order that the faithful may more easily share in these
heavenly favours, may the priests approved by the competent
ecclesiastical authority for hearing confessions prepare
promptly and generously to receive them.
This Decree is effective for the whole of the Pauline Year.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary.
Given in Rome, at the Offices of the Apostolic Penitentiary,
10 May, in the Year of the Incarnation of the Lord 2008, on the
eve of Pentecost.
Cardinal James Francis Stafford
Major Penitentiary
Fr Gianfranco Girotti, O.F.M. Conv.
Titular Bishop of Meta Regent
whom I have been made. True love, true
life, true freedom, are found in doing
what God wants and in imitating closely
God’s life. That’s why sex is symbolic. It
is the language that speaks most eloquently of how human beings have been
made to be like God. It speaks of things
beyond sight and feeling. It is a language
that tells us of the other, of self-giving.
Many think of the Church’s teachings
about sex as you cannot do it, except in
marriage and when open to life. That is
true. But the fuller understanding of why
this is so comes when we can see that
sexual activity means so much more. Sex
belongs in the context of committed love,
sealed by marriage, open to life.
Why? Because this is the only context
to hold its message and reflect the
greater reality to which the gift of sexuality points us and to which it commits
us. What is that greater reality? The God
of love. We are not our own because we
do not own ourselves. We do not own
our bodies. We do not own sex or have
sex, rather reflecting him and in imitation of him in whom we are created, we
give ourselves away in love. Self-giving love. Self-sacrificing love. Sex is a
symbolic expression of that bigger reality. And a reality it is.
Self-giving love is quite real when it
takes the form of a child. A child who
cries, who has to be fed, who has to be
educated. Children are experts in leading us to the meaning of sex and in leading us beyond ourselves, and upsetting
the control that we want in our lives.
Yet children are experts also in revealing to us the kind of life that would be
completely closed to us without them.
The sight of life that is love, the fruit of
our love loves us back just as in the trinity. This is the reality that is bigger than
all of us. It is the self-giving that starts in
the God of love.
That reality of self-giving is revealed
in a startling way on the cross and challenges each of us in our daily interaction with others, with God, and with our
own eternal destiny. Yes, we have been
made in the image of God for self-giving love. Sex is the proof. It is so real and
so big that it is frightening. That is why
so many people today are afraid of the
full and only meaning of sex. That is why
Pope Paul wrote Humanae Vitae to help
us understand.
The teaching expressed by the Encyclical Humanae Vitae is not easy yet it is in
keeping with the fundamental structure
to which life has always been transmitted since the world’s creation with its
respect for nature and in conformity
with its needs and the will of God who
wanted to share his love of life with us.
These last words are the words of
Benedict, our Holy Father. And I conclude my brief remarks in his name.
I greet and bless all here present as we
observe the 40th anniversary of Humanae
Vitae, the Encyclical that reminds us that
human life comes from the true God,
belongs to him, goes back to him. The
self-giving power of love. We belong to
him, we are not our own.
Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI
to the Beloved People of Australia and
the Young Pilgrims Taking part in
World Youth Day 2008
“You will receive power when the
Holy Spirit has come upon you:
and you will be my witnesses” (Acts
1:8)
THE grace and peace of God
our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ be with all of you! In a
few days from now, I shall begin
my Apostolic Visit to your country, in order to celebrate the
Twenty-Third World Youth Day
in Sydney. I very much look forward to the days that I shall
spend with you, and especially
to the opportunities for prayer
and reflection with young
people from all over the world.
First of all, I want to express
my appreciation to all those who
have offered so much of their
time, their resources and their
prayers in support of this celebration. The Australian Government and the State Government
of New South Wales, the organizers of all the events, and
members of the business community who have provided sponsorship—all of you have willingly supported this event, and
on behalf of the young people
taking part in World Youth Day,
I thank you most sincerely. Many
of the young people have made
great sacrifices in order to under-
take the journey to Australia, and
I pray that they will be rewarded
abundantly. The parishes, schools
and host families have been most
generous in welcoming these
young visitors, and they too deserve our thanks and our appreciation.
“You will receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon
you: and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). This is the
theme of the Twenty-Third
World Youth Day. How much
our world needs a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit! There
are still many who have not
heard the Good News of Jesus
Christ, while many others, for
whatever reason, have not recognized in this Good News the
saving truth that alone can satisfy the deepest longings of their
hearts. The Psalmist prays: “when
you send forth your Spirit, they
are created, and you renew the
face of the earth” (Ps 104:30). It is
my firm belief that young people
are called to be instruments of
that renewal, communicating to
their peers the joy they have experienced through knowing and
following Christ, and sharing
with others the love that the Spirit
pours into their hearts, so that
they too will be filled with hope
and with thanksgiving for all the
good things they have received
from God our heavenly Father.
Many young people today lack
hope. They are perplexed by the
questions that present themselves ever more urgently in a
confusing world, and they are
often uncertain which way to turn
for answers. They see poverty
and injustice and they long to find
solutions. They are challenged by
the arguments of those who deny
the existence of God and they
wonder how to respond. They see
great damage done to the natural environment through human
greed and they struggle to find
ways to live in greater harmony
with nature and with one another.
Where can we look for answers? The Spirit points us towards the way that leads to life,
to love and to truth. The Spirit
points us towards Jesus Christ.
There is a saying attributed to
Saint Augustine: “If you wish to
remain young, seek Christ”. In
him we find the answers that we
are seeking, we find the goals that
are truly worth living for, we
find the strength to pursue the
path that will bring about a better world. Our hearts find no rest
until they rest in the Lord, as Saint
Augustine says at the beginning
of the Confessions, the famous
account of his own youth. My
prayer is that the hearts of the
young people who gather in
Sydney for the celebration of
World Youth Day will truly find
rest in the Lord, and that they will
be filled with joy and fervour for
spreading the Good News
among their friends, their families, and all whom they meet.
Dear Australian friends, although I will only be able to
spend a few days in your country, and I will not be able to travel
outside Sydney, my heart reaches
out to all of you, including those
who are sick or in difficulties of
any kind. On behalf of all the
young people, I thank you again
for your support of my mission
and I ask you to continue praying for them especially. It remains only for me to renew my
invitation to the young people
from all over the world to join
me in Australia, the great “southern land of the Holy Spirit”. I
look forward to seeing you there!
May God bless you all.
From the Vatican, 4 July 2008
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
CBCP Monitor
Reflections
B6
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
God’s love knows no bounds
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Is 55, 1-3; Rom 8, 35, 37-39; Mt. 14, 13-21
August 3, 2008
By Bishop Broderick Pabillo,
DD
MARINA feels palpably the love of God.
She got a promotion in her job and recently her son passed the board exam for
teachers. Ted cannot doubt God’s care. He
got an all-clear result of his recent executive check-up. It is so easy to feel and to
believe that God loves us whenever good
things happen to us, or at least when nothing bad takes place. But when sickness,
loss of a job, death or other sad and unfortunate things happen, doubts about
God’s love and providence take over.
Where is God? We can even ask. Is he in
control in the world? Does he love me? These
questions race into our minds. It is in
these moments of tragedy and misfortune that we should be consoled by the
words of St. Paul in our second reading:
Can anything ever separate us from
Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer
loves us if we have trouble or calamity,
or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold
or in danger or threatened with death?
…And I am convinced that nothing can
ever separate us from his love. Death can’t,
and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the
demons can’t. Our fears for today, our
worries about tomorrow, and even the
powers of hell can’t keep God’s love
away. (Rom 8, 35.39 New Living Translation) This love of God is manifested and
revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ,
the Son of God made man is the sure sign
that we are loved by God. He also showed
us by his life how much he loves us.
In our Gospel story today Jesus took a
boat to withdraw from the people upon
hearing John the Baptist’s death. Probably Jesus was badly affected by his
death. He wanted to be alone or to rethink his strategy. What happened to
John may already be a sign to what
would happen to him. Whatever the reason may be, Jesus wanted that he and his
disciples be by themselves. But when
they found a large crowd clamoring for
him on the other side of the shore he
took pity on them. Not even his own
grief, or fear, or doubt kept him away
from the people. He stayed with them
the whole day, healing them, consoling
them, teaching them. That’s how much
he loved and cared for them, as a shepherd caring for his sheep.
When evening came his disciples
wanted him to send the people away so
they could each take care of their food.
That is not what the love of Jesus asked
him to do. Food should be provided for
them. “Give them something to eat yourselves!” Jesus ordered them. When the
disciples placed before him the logistical
impossibility (they have only five loaves
and two fish and there are more than five
thousand people) the love of Jesus overcame this hurdle too. Really nothing can
separate us from the love of Christ. He
broke the little they had to feed all—and
all were fed, with still a lot more to spare!
This is how much God loves us.
Of course we see in this miracle a foreshadowing of the Eucharist. Again the
Eucharist is another sign that nothing
can separate us from the love of God.
This is why the Eucharist is a memorial,
is a remembrance of how much God
loves us that he gave us his only Son and
how in turn Jesus, the Son of God made
man, offers himself for us. What more
can God not do for us then? God had
given us his all! We are reminded of this
in every Mass we celebrate. So no matter how difficult or unfortunate situations turn out to be, of this we can always be sure—God’s love is there and
because he loves us he cares for us. So
we are not alone and in the end “everything turns out for the good.” Good can
come out of any situation if we trust just
long enough! Is this not also the message of the cross and the resurrection?
Jesus trusted up to the end—he was obedient up to death, and death on the cross.
And the result? God raised him. Not only
did he come out of the dead but he was
given the glory above every other name
and power. That is how strong and reliable God’s love for us is.
We badly need to be reminded of this,
because when we look around we cannot
but notice problems¯and endless of them.
There is the problem of hunger lurking
behind and threatening thousands. There
is the problem of mistrust because of lack
of truth and transparency. Violence
threatens peace. Nature is fighting back
after centuries of neglect and abuse. There
are problems galore! If we have no faith
we can easily fall into skepticism—is
there God after all?—or to plain individualism. Let each take care of his own skin!
But no! In the midst of this we believe
and we affirm: Nothing can separate us
from the love of God. It does not mean
that God no longer loves when bad things
happen. God loves us always. His love is
everlasting. It is a strong rock that we can
always anchor ourselves on.
If we have this conviction then we can
go through any difficulty with confidence:
confidence that we are not alone; confidence that in the long run things will turn
out well. Since we have confidence then
we do not focus only on ourselves in self
pity and in survival mode. No matter
how many and difficult the situations we
can still see others and also feel compassion for them. In fact misfortunes make
us help one another more rather than
keep us away from each other. See what
the love of God can do for us? So, let us
ask the Good Lord to give us the grace to
be convinced of the depth and width of
the love of God for us—not only when
things go well, but also when problems
and difficulties come our way.
Fr. Roy Cimagala
Bo Sanchez
Year of St. Paul Only God is not a
season
POPE Benedict has just proclaimed the Year of St. Paul,
starting last June 29, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. He’s
asking us to listen to St. Paul, to
know what he is trying to tell us
today. The Pope assures us St.
Paul has a lot to say and show.
Yes, sir, this business of listening and talking to saints is an
idea we have to be more familiar with and adept at. Saints are
no mere historical figures. They
are alive and are more relevant
to us now, albeit in a mysterious
but no less real way.
Try to visit the Christian doctrine on “communion of saints,”
and you’ll see how we continue
to get linked in a vital way with
every member of the Church, be
he in heaven, here on earth, or
still purifying himself in purgatory, sharing spiritual goods
among ourselves.
If we enter all out the world of
faith and spiritual reality, the
limitations of time and space
pose no problem. Death and distance do not separate us. We continue to get together in a phenomenon called in theology as
“communion.”
Let’s remember that there’s
something spiritual in us, enabling us to go beyond our
physical, material and natural dimensions. With God’s grace, we
can enter a deeper and richer
universe.
We really have to be more consistent in our thinking with faith.
Our tendency is still to be stuck
in some dichotomy. At one time,
we feel pious and religious, and
at another time, we are utterly
worldly. We have to bridge the
gap.
The Pope tells us that with the
fearless character, generous fidelity and heroic ministry of St.
Paul, as recorded in the Bible, we
are taught to adapt ourselves to
his mind and spirit, because this
is how we can identify ourselves
with Christ.
“Be imitators of me, as I am of
Christ,” (1 Cor 11,1) he boldly
said. “It is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me,” (Gal
2,20) he added. This identification
with Christ by all of us is what
the Church and the world need
today.
Our world is in crying need of
an effective evangelization, of
which St. Paul is the poster boy,
where Christ can be brought to
all our human affairs, and viceversa, where all our human activities can be linked to Christ.
Christ cannot and should not
be confined to some people, to
some moments and events of our
life. Christ belongs to all of us,
just as we all belong to him.
St. Paul as the apostle of the
Gentiles highlights this truth.
And for this he was not afraid of
any suffering and pain involved
in the endeavor. “Who then shall
separate us from the love of
Christ? Tribulation or distress or
famine or nakedness or danger
or persecution or sword?” (Rom
8,35).
He knew how to be all things
to all men, bravely bringing the
word of Christ to friends and foes
alike. He contoured his teachings
according to the mentalities of
the people he preached to.
St. Paul represents a believer
who has grown “unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the
age of the fullness of Christ.”
(Eph 4,13) As such, he had no
business other than to do
Christ’s command for him to
reach out to the Gentiles, that
is, to everyone.
This is what we have to understand well. After due thought, we
should realize we have no business other than to do God’s will.
And this is none other than our
own sanctification and that of all
others. This is what salvation
means.
We have to leave behind our
childish ways, our pagan or inconsistently Christian ways. We
have to update our knowledge
of the doctrine, bring to par the
state of our attitudes and virtues.
We have to embark in a sustained
apostolic work.
These duties should be ordinary and commonplace, not esoteric. They are really no big deal.
And we should learn to carry
them out with competence. At
this age of super-advanced technologies, it’s a crime to be amateurish in this much more important aspect of our life.
Whether we are in business or
politics, in sports and entertainment, at home or in public places,
we should know how to be like
St. Paul. We have to know how
to bring Christ to all.
FIVE years ago, I decided to live without a
salary.
Just because I felt…well, I felt God wanted
me to do it.
I didn’t care if people called me cookoo, or
screwball, or ding-a-ling. But I wanted to try
living in trust, waiting on Heaven for my next
meal, my next ride, my next hair-cut. Even
just for a season. So I told my organizations
NOT to give me a pay check.
So there were days when I, Chairman of
the Board, went past a Mcdonalds hungry, because my pockets were empty. There were
days when I walked home because I didn’t
have enough fare. There were weeks when I
was tempted to have a ponytail because I
couldn’t afford a hair-cut. (I recall that this
ponytail-ordeal came to an abrupt end when
I received ten thousand bucks from a total
stranger. I quickly ran to the barbershop and
asked for the most expensive hair-cut they
had, telling them, “You can die my hair
purple!”)
My season of comfortable poverty lasted
for almost three years.
But ironically, in those same years, I also
traveled to three cities in the US, five cities in
Canada, one city in Africa, four cities in Europe, two trips to Israel, and four cities in
Asia. All for free, because I was invited to
preach and to guide people in pilgrimages. (I
remember leaving for my foreign trips with
a nice coat and tie, so no one would think I
only had twenty dollars in my wallet.)
But like the way it began, I felt a surging
inspiration within me that my season of
happy poverty was to end. So three years after, I allowed my organizations to pay me a
salary again. (Would you believe? I have a
savings account now—something I had to
look into the dictionary to find out what the
word meant.)
I have no regrets entering into that season.
Because I believe I’ve learned one great lesson of life: That seasons of famine are permitted
by God to give us deepened trust.
If we have everything—and everything
goes on smoothly in our lives—we will never
know what it means to really, really,
reeeeeeeally trust.
It’s easy to say, “I trust God” when you’re
vacationing in a Luxury Love Boat, dining in
one of it’s classy restaurants, napkin on your
chest, munching on shark meat dipped in
wasabe and soy sauce. But it’s not so easy to
say, “I trust God” when your Love Boat has
just capsized, and you’re now in the open sea,
surrounded by giant sharks with napkins on
their chests, bringing with them their own
wasabe and soy sauce.
But that’s the point! There’s really no difference between those two scenes! You need
to trust God fully, whatever the season you’re
in!
Two Questions
Are you going through a season of abundance? Being paid a nice salary, huh? Don’t
trust it. Employed by a large multinational
company? I don’t care how secure you think
it is, I’m telling you: it’s not.
In the end, you know who will never fail.
Or are you going through a season of poverty or hardship or trial?
Believe me. That will end.
Because they are simply that: seasons.
Only God is not a season.
Only He will never end.
CBCP Monitor
Social Concerns
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
B7
By Pinky Barrientos,
FSP
THE National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA) of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) steps up massive relief operations in the wake
of the great destruction brought
by typhoon Frank (known internationally as Fengshen) lasy June
20 to 22.
Around 1,800 bags of NFA rice
have already been released to 15
Social Action Centers of the archdioceses of Iloilo and Cotabato
and the dioceses of Capiz and
Kalibo. Ten thousand families
are targeted to receive partial releases of relief packs
of assorted items that
NASSA volunteers
have been gathering
and putting together
for shipment for
weeks now.
Iloilo has
Soldiers load relief goods
for North Cotabato and
Maguindanao on a truck at
the CBCP compound in
Manila.
4,000 family-beneficiaries,
Cotabato, Capiz and Kalibo
with 2,000 each. NASSA said
the relief operations will go
on for a month but might extend if there is a need.
An Assessment team composed of personnel from
NASSA, CRS and Social Action directors of Cotabato
and Marbel identified the
needs that have to be given
priority: a) food security,
which include food availability and access, and loss
of crops and agricultural assets; b) damaged infrastructures and fields; c) lack of essential household items; and
d) health.
Typhoon Frank left the
country reeling in the aftermath of enormous destruction in some parts of
Mindanao and the
Visayas displacing thousands of families, and
leaving hundreds of
fatalities and billions
of pesos in damages.
Reports released
by NASSA revealed 10 provinces and 12 individual
municipalities are seriously affected, majority
of which are
found in the
V i s a y a s
(particulary
Panay Island) and
Mindanao (environs of Cotabato
and General Santos
City).
A situation report
from the National Disaster
Coordination
Council
(www.reliefweb.int) on June
29 said the impact of the typhoon
had affected 718,457 families or
3,662,958 persons; 15 regions, 49
provinces, 48 cities, 401 municipalities, and 5,140 barangays
(communities). It also caused
540 deaths (identified and
recovered bodies), with
175 injured and 41 miss-
© Roy Lagarde / CBCP Media
NASSA intensifies relief operations
ing. The typhoon destroyed
301,642 houses (76,098 totally and
225,544 partially). Over all, the
damages translated into billions
of pesos (P7,317,188,568.21) consisting of infrastructures, school
and other public facilities, and agriculture assets.
The typhoon triggered more
than 11 maritime accidents that
resulted to hundreds of fatalities,
the most notable of which was
the sinking of passenger boat
Princess of the Stars which was
carrying more than 800 people
on board when it sank off
Sibuyan Island at the height of
the storm.
Families displaced by the typhoon are now cramped in evacuation centers with lack of access
to potable water and sanitation
facilities.
Although a large number of
communities have been affected
in the Maguindanao and Shariff
Kabunsuan provinces in the archdiocese of Cotabato, it was the
Lambayong municipality and
other areas of Cotabato City that
suffered greatly due to massive
flooding. Low lying areas of the
municipality were submerged
underwater when a major dike
along the Allah River broke on
June 21. According to reports the
dike had been a problem even
before the onslaught of typhoon
Frank because of its weak foundation. Until a new dike is built,
which is estimated to take several weeks if not months, the
more than 4,160 families or more
than 24,000 individuals in evacuation areas will have to stay encamped.
Meanwhile, most severely affected areas in the diocese of
Marbel are the Maitum, Maasim,
Alabel and Kiamba municipalities. The situation of the evacuees from Maitum is further aggravated by the intermittent conflicts between government forces
and MILF rebels.
The cramped and unsanitary
condition of evacuees is a major
concern because of the possible
outbreak of diseases. Among the
items NASSA have been sending
to evacuees include antibiotics
and other medicines to prevent
the spread of infection.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
a major donor in the ongoing relief operations is working hand
in hand with NASSA in ensuring
recovery assistance to affected
families. Other international do-
nors include Caritas Hongkong,
Knights of Columbus and Bill
Gates Foundation. Among the
local donors are Caritas Manila,
Green Cross, Caritas Novaliches,
St. Paul University Manila,
Colegio de Sta. Rosa, St. Jude Parish, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, NASSA Chair and
Manila Auxiliary Bishop
Broderick Pabillo, Dominican
School and the Diocese of
Borongan.
The main priority at the moment, as families return back to
their former homes in trickles, is
to re-launch livelihoods while
making ends meet. The affected
communities now have to deal
with the challenges of having to
rebuild their lives in the face of
great loss both in lives and resources.
WYD / B4
Jesus, members of his Church, capable
of a true witness to the Gospel, and able
to savour the joy of faith.
I therefore invite you to reflect on
what I am writing to you. Nowadays it
is particularly necessary to rediscover
the sacrament of Confirmation and its
important place in our spiritual growth.
Those who have received the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation
should remember that they have become
“temples of the Spirit”: God lives within
them. Always be aware of this and strive
to allow the treasure within you to bring
forth fruits of holiness. Those who are
baptized but have not yet received the
sacrament of Confirmation, prepare to
receive it knowing that in this way you
will become “complete” Christians,
since Confirmation perfects baptismal
grace (cf. The Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 1302-1304).
Confirmation gives us special strength
to witness to and glorify God with our
whole lives (cf. Rom 12:1). It makes us
intimately aware of our belonging to
the Church, the “Body of Christ”, of
which we are all living members, in
solidarity with one another (cf. 1 Cor
12:12-25). By allowing themselves to be
guided by the Spirit, each baptized person can bring his or her own contribution to the building up of the Church
because of the charisms given by the
Spirit, for “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good”
(1 Cor 12:7). When the Spirit acts, he
brings his fruits to the soul, namely “love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-con-
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trol” (Gal 5:22). To those of you who have
not yet received the sacrament of Confirmation, I extend a cordial invitation
to prepare to receive it, and to seek help
from your priests. It is a special occasion
of grace that the Lord is offering you.
Do not miss this opportunity!
I would like to add a word about the
Eucharist. In order to grow in our Christian life, we need to be nourished by the
Body and Blood of Christ. In fact, we are
baptized and confirmed with a view to
the Eucharist (cf. The Catechism of the
Catholic Church, 1322; Sacramentum
Caritatis, 17). “Source and summit” of the
Church’s life, the Eucharist is a “perpetual Pentecost” since every time we
celebrate Mass we receive the Holy
Spirit who unites us more deeply with
Christ and transforms us into Him. My
dear young friends, if you take part frequently in the eucharistic celebration, if
you dedicate some of your time to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the
Source of love which is the Eucharist,
you will acquire that joyful determination to dedicate your lives to following
the Gospel. At the same time it will be
your experience that whenever our
strength is not enough, it is the Holy
Spirit who transforms us, filling us with
his strength and making us witnesses
suffused by the missionary fervor of the
risen Christ.
7. The need and urgency of mission
Many young people view their lives
with apprehension and raise many questions about their future. They anxiously
ask: How can we fit into a world marked
by so many grave injustices and so much
suffering? How should we react to the
selfishness and violence that sometimes
seem to prevail? How can we give full
meaning to life? How can we help to
bring it about that the fruits of the Spirit
mentioned above, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control” (no. 6), can
fill this scarred and fragile world, the
world of young people most of all? On
what conditions can the life-giving Spirit
of the first creation and particularly of
the second creation or redemption become the new soul of humanity? Let us
not forget that the greater the gift of
God—and the gift of the Spirit of Jesus is
the greatest of all—so much the greater
is the world’s need to receive it and therefore the greater and the more exciting is
the Church’s mission to bear credible
witness to it. You young people, through
World Youth Day, are in a way manifesting your desire to participate in this
mission. In this regard, my dear young
friends, I want to remind you here of
some key truths on which to meditate.
Once again I repeat that only Christ can
fulfill the most intimate aspirations that
are in the heart of each person. Only
Christ can humanize humanity and lead
it to its “divinization”. Through the
power of his Spirit he instills divine charity within us, and this makes us capable
of loving our neighbour and ready to be
of service. The Holy Spirit enlightens us,
revealing Christ crucified and risen, and
shows us how to become more like Him
so that we can be “the image and instrument of the love which flows from
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Christ” (Deus Caritas Est, 33). Those who
allow themselves to be led by the Spirit
understand that placing oneself at the
service of the Gospel is not an optional
extra, because they are aware of the urgency of transmitting this Good News to
others. Nevertheless, we need to be reminded again that we can be witnesses
of Christ only if we allow ourselves to
be led by the Holy Spirit who is “the principal agent of evangelization” (cf.
Evangelii Nuntiandi, 75) and “the principal agent of mission” (cf. Redemptoris
Missio, 21). My dear young friends, as my
venerable predecessors Paul VI and John
Paul II said on several occasions, to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness to the
faith is more necessary than ever today
(cf. Redemptoris Missio, 1). There are those
who think that to present the precious
treasure of faith to people who do not
share it means being intolerant towards
them, but this is not the case, because to
present Christ is not to impose Him (cf.
Evangelii Nuntiandi, 80). Moreover, two
thousand years ago twelve Apostles gave
their lives to make Christ known and
loved. Throughout the centuries since
then, the Gospel has continued to spread
by means of men and women inspired
by that same missionary fervour. Today
too there is a need for disciples of Christ
who give unstintingly of their time and
energy to serve the Gospel. There is a
need for young people who will allow
God’s love to burn within them and who
will respond generously to his urgent
call, just as many young blesseds and
saints did in the past and also in more
recent times. In particular, I assure you
that the Spirit of Jesus today is inviting
you young people to be bearers of the
good news of Jesus to your contemporaries. The difficulty that adults undoubtedly find in approaching the sphere of
youth in a comprehensible and convincing way could be a sign with which the
Spirit is urging you young people to take
this task upon yourselves. You know the
ideals, the language, and also the wounds,
the expectations, and at the same time
the desire for goodness felt by your contemporaries. This opens up the vast world
of young people’s emotions, work, education, expectations, and suffering ... Each
one of you must have the courage to
promise the Holy Spirit that you will
bring one young person to Jesus Christ
in the way you consider best, knowing
how to “give an explanation to anyone
who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but [to] do it with gentleness and reverence” (cf. 1 Pet 3:15).
In order to achieve this goal, my dear
friends, you must be holy and you must
be missionaries since we can never separate holiness from mission (cf. Redemptoris
Missio , 90). Do not be afraid to become
holy missionaries like Saint Francis
Xavier who travelled through the Far
East proclaiming the Good News until
every ounce of his strength was used
up, or like Saint Thérèse of the Child
Jesus who was a missionary even
though she never left the Carmelite convent. Both of these are “Patrons of the
Missions”. Be prepared to put your life
on the line in order to enlighten the
world with the truth of Christ; to respond with love to hatred and disregard
for life; to proclaim the hope of the risen
Christ in every corner of the earth.
8. Invoking a “new Pentecost” upon the
world
My dear young friends, I hope to see
very many of you in Sydney in July
2008. It will be a providential opportunity to experience the fullness of the
Holy Spirit’s power. Come in great
numbers in order to be a sign of hope
and to give appreciative support to the
Church community in Australia that is
preparing to welcome you. For the
young people of the country that will
host you, it will be an exceptional opportunity to proclaim the beauty and
joy of the Gospel to a society that is secularized in so many ways. Australia, like
all of Oceania, needs to rediscover its
Christian roots. In the Post-Synodal
Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Oceania,
Pope John Paul II wrote: “Through the
power of the Holy Spirit, the Church in
Oceania is preparing for a new evangelization of peoples who today are hungering for Christ... A new evangelization is the first priority for the Church
in Oceania” (no. 18).
I invite you to give time to prayer and
to your spiritual formation during this
last stage of the journey leading to the
XXIII World Youth Day, so that in Sydney
you will be able to renew the promises
made at your Baptism and Confirmation.
Together we shall invoke the Holy Spirit,
confidently asking God for the gift of a
new Pentecost for the Church and for
humanity in the third millennium.
May Mary, united in prayer with the
Apostles in the Upper Room, accompany you throughout these months and
obtain for all young Christians a new
outpouring of the Holy Spirit to set their
hearts on fire. Remember: the Church
has confidence in you! We Pastors, especially, pray that you may love and
lead others to love Jesus more and more
and that you may follow Him faithfully. With these sentiments I bless you
all with deep affection.
From Lorenzago, 20 July 2007
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
Entertainment
B8
Moral Assessment
Abhorrent
Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome
Exemplary
JOHN Hancock (Will Smith) sleeps at
park benches, swears, is rude, drinks
heavily, and is in the words of a little boy
an “asshole”. But he is also a superhero
of sorts. He’s arrogant but he saves lives;
he’s a bum but he can’t tolerate baddies.
When on call he doesn’t hide and slip into
a signature costume, he simply skyrockets himself, crashing through windows,
making a mess of the traffic, leaving
downtown Los Angeles like it’s been
rocked by a mega hurricane. Half the
people adore him; the other half has filed
over 600 lawsuits against him for damaged property and injured bodies. One
day he saves from sure death a dreamer
of a PR man Ray (Jason Bateman) who is
stupid enough to get himself stuck on the
railroad track with a train zooming up.
Grateful for his life, Ray brings Hancock
home for a spaghetti dinner, and introduces the superhero to his son (who idolizes Hancock) his wife Mary (Charlize
Theron) who can’t seem to stand the sight
of the boorish superhuman around the
house. What Ray really wants to do is
give Hancock an image makeover—to
make him look good to the public.
The movie’s trailer and poster claim there
are heroes and superheroes (and more
superheroes) and then there is Hancock.
Or something like that. Which leads the
viewer to expect a different kind of superhero—but a superhero nonetheless.
So the story brings us this superhero with
an issue—or rather with unresolved is-
sues good enough to keep ten psychiatrists employed for life. This movie which
is billed as an “action comedy” flick
seems two movies in one, but it confuses
its own plot, thus it won’t fit in a decent
genre. So there are action comedies and
action comedies, and then there is
Hancock, a hybrid that doesn’t know how
to categorize itself. Even the hero doesn’t
understand his powers, much less wield
them as a hero is expected to. Okay, okay,
they said this was not your ordinary superhero movie—but at least give us something superior, so we don’t regret buying a ticket and having nothing left for
popcorn. Don’t give us an unidentifiable
species that’s half-hearted comedy turning into a half-baked Shakespearean tragedy with no rationale to engage our
brains. The CGI is passable, but worthless against all the questions directed at
the ethics of the hero.
Is there a race somewhere? A
supercontest of sorts where superheroes
out to save the world leave in their wake
bigger and bigger collateral damage?
Who gets to pay for all that mess this
sloppy superhero creates? Just count the
potholes caused by his landings. Where
is this superhuman coming from? Aren’t
superheroes supposed to be, at least, respectful of the citizens of this planet? Is
it correct for a superhero to traumatize a
kid who’s just being a kid? Is it moral to
save one and let a hundred others die?
Did Hancock’s makers mean to say any-
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
Technical
Assessment
Poor
Below average
Average
Above average
Excellent
Title: Hancock
Cast: Will Smith, Charlize Theron,
Jason Bateman, Jae Head
Director: Peter Berg
Producers: Akiva Goldsman, James
Lassiter, Michael Mann, Will Smith
Screenwriters: Vincent Ngo, Vince
Gilligan
Music: John Powell
Editors: Colby Parker Jr., Paul Rubell
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Drama/
Fantasy
Cinematography: Tobias A.
Schliessler
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Location: Los Angeles , California ,
USA
Running Time: 92 min.
Technical Assessment:
Moral Assessment:
.5
CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 14 up
one can be a superhero simply because
he happens to be superhuman? What do
they want our children to be? Will Smith
the actor became famous for being a
family-friendly rapper, a good kid in a
very popular TV series. Why are they
now shaking off his clean image? Do
they want our kids to follow this likeable actor to perdition? Many are the
ways by which the evil one will try to
lure our children into decadence. Beware.
If you must allow your 14-year olds to
see this movie, tell them Hancock is fictitious, not to be emulated, idolized, or
taken seriously.
MAC en COLET
Buhay Parokya
ni Bladimer Usi
Title: Wanted
Cast: James
McAvoy, Angelina
Jolie, Morgan
Freeman,
Terence Stamp,
Thomas
Ketschmann
Director: Timur
Bekmambetov
Writer: Michael
Brandt, Derek
Haas and Chris
Morgan
Distributor:
Universal
Pictures
Location: USA
Running time:
110 minutes.
Technical
Assessment:
By Bladimer Usi
There are three missing articles in this
cartoon. Find a chalice, veil and candle.
Moral Assessment:
.5
CINEMA rating:
R 14 (For viewers
aged 14 up)
IN Wanted, the “Fraternity” is
a thousand-year old secret society of assassins whose mission is to rid the world of bad
guys. “Kill one, save a thousand” seems to be their motto.
Wesley Gibson (James
McAvoy) is a nondescript account manager in some New
York office ruled by an obese
woman with a razor tongue
and indefatigable vocal
chords. Besides being bullied
by this slob of a boss, Wesley
is also hen-pecked by his girlfriend who incessantly complains of the night trains chugchugging by their cheap apartment. As if two ranting
women were not enough, the
nerdy Wesley also discovers
that his best friend and office
mate is also seeing his girlfriend on the side. Too naïve
and cowardly to stand up for
himself, Wesley seems resigned to live a life that leads
nowhere. Until Fox (Angelina
Jolie) enters the scene—but not
to bring sunshine and flowers
to Wesley’s dead-end existence. She takes him to Sloane
(Morgan Freeman), the head
of the Fraternity, who reveals
to Wesley that he has the assassin in his genes, being the
son of one of their murdered
members. It is to avenge the
death of his father then that
Wesley is to be recruited, motivated and trained.
The plot of Wanted, if a trifle
too bloody, vengeful and violent, is simple enough to follow, and seen against the backdrop of comic book fiction may
even come across as credible.
It’s not hard for everyman to
identify with the superbly acted
McAvoy character who turns
from weakling to super assassin. Its credibility is further established by having Morgan
Freeman in the cast—he who is
gifted with a hypnotic growl
and an aura of omniscience can
make poison sound like milk
and honey until you thirst for
it. And nobody but nobody
could have played Fox more be-
lievably than Jolie—wielding
with elan fantabulous guns half
her weight. Her legendary sex
appeal needs no dominatrix costumes—it oozes through even a
no-frills white mini dress that
would have looked like a
nanny’s apron on a less stylish
actress. Her panache and her expressive face also project her as
the perfect “killer of few words.”
Kazakhstan-born director Timur
Bekmambetov ably pulls off this
thriller and succeeds in suspending the viewer’s disbelief with
the use of over-the-top stunts
and killer-ware: surfing atop
speeding trains, guns and bullets with implausible trajectories, supercars that make James
Bond’s look like a Matchbox collection.
There’s no stopping them
now—action movies that rival
computer games in adrenaline
stimulation and ingenuity of
inventions. It’s possible that
even very young children who
can wield the (computer)
mouse will enjoy the technical aspects of Wanted. Why,
even adult viewers would, as
long as it’s clear to them that
this movie defies the laws of
physics and dabbles in gray
areas of morality and mortality. Young viewers may not
be able to draw the line between fact and fiction, or may
be lost in seeing the boundary blurred between right and
wrong. And even if there are
willing parents who can guide
them through this violent and
deception-ridden piece of art,
why titillate their imagination thus when there is so
much still to learn in school
and at home about real physics and real justice? For downto-earth education-cum-entertainment that broadens their
horizons, there’s Nat Geo Junior, Animal Planet or Discovery
Channel. To help them with
their school work, there’s
Knowledge Channel. For good
old Sunday afternoon family
entertainment, put on The
Sound of Music DVD, please.
CBCP Monitor
C1
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
KCFAPI joins GK build houses for the poor
THIRTY-SIX officers
and employees of
KCFAPI and Keys Realty
& Development Corporation began the first leg of
the construction of the
Knights of Columbus
GK
Village
at
Tungkong Mangga, San Jose del
Monte City, Bulacan last June 28.
Brother Knights from St. Joseph
the Worker Council 6745 of
Poblacion, San Jose del Monte
City, and San Isidro de Labrador
Council 13344 of Muzon, San Jose
del Monte, their Columbian
Squires, members of Couples for
Christ of Metro Manila North
Sector A and the housing beneficiaries also came to the site.
In the spirit of the Filipino
tradition”Bayanihan”, the volunteers worked together to build a
cluster of ten beautiful and colorful houses that will be
a showcase model for 32
more houses.
The day began with a
short program of praise
and worship, and acknowledgment of participants and the leaders
of each group.
Before plunging to
work, Gawad Kalinga
coordinator, Mr. Beng
Garcia briefed the volunteers on the initial phase
The Cross
A Supplement Publication for KCFAPI
and the
the Order
Order of
of the
the Knights
Knights of
of Columbus
Columbus
and
of the construction consisting of
hauling of materials, excavation
and leveling of site, concrete mixing and concrete hollow blocks
laying. Volunteers donned in
golden yellow camisa de chino
beat the heat of the sun, excavated, and did the relay of hollow blocks and gravel.
Everyone took turns in taking
breaks and enjoyed mouth watering cassava, pancit bihon and
ice candy donated by some generous people. Volunteers learned
the details of construction and
began to understand the hardships of a construction worker. It
was hardwork for everybody but
still we were all smiles in carrying our tasks. KCFAPI employees were heard singing and danc-
GK / C3
KCFAPI
KCFAPI signs
signs Seed
Seed of
of
Hope
Hope Fund
Fund with
with CBCP
CBCP
THE Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc.
(KCFAPI) has renewed its full support
to the various social and spiritual concerns of the Catholic Church in the Philippines through the creation of a Hope
Fund for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
During the July 6 CBCP Plenary
Assembly, KCFAPI president
Mr. Antonio Borromeo presented to the bishops a symbolic
check of P10 million as seed
money for the Hope Fund established for the Conference.
Called CBCP Seed of Hope
Fund, the endowment is meant
to support the priority projects
and activities of the CBCP.
A memorandum of agreement
was signed by Mr. Borromeo,
KCFAPI president and Archbishop
Angel Lagdameo, CBCP president
in the presence of the bishops gathered for their bi-annual Plenary
Assembly, July 6, 2008, at the Pius
XII Catholic Center, Manila.
The agreement stipulates that
KCFAPI shall manage the Hope
Fund together with its investment portfolio under one fund
and disburse the necessary remittances of the net earnings of the
Hope Fund to the CBCP. The
CBCP on its part will provide
KCFAPI a yearly report of its priority projects and activities benefited by the donation.
As a Catholic fraternal association, KCFAPI recognizes the various social and spiritual undertakings of the Church in the Philippines. The recently established
CBCP Hope Fund is just one of
the many financial endeavors
KCFAPI provides to the CBCP
and to the Catholic Church in
general in pursuit of its corporate social responsibility. (Pinky
Barrientos, FSP)
Knights join prayer march rally for Life
CBCP SEED OF HOPE FUND. CBCP President and Jaro Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo signs the Memorandum of Agreement between the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and the KCFAPI, represented by its President, Mr. Antonio B. Borromeo, establishing the Seed of Hope Fund
meant to support various priority projects and activities of the CBCP. The signing was done during the CBCP Plenary Assembly last July 6 at the Pope
Pius XII Catholic Center, Manila. W itnessing the signing are Cebu Archbishop Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal, Chairman Patrocinio R. Bacay, Msgr. Pedro
C. Quitorio, EVP Ma. Theresa G. Curia, SK Alonso L. Tan, SK Antonio T. Yulo and other KCFAPI Officers.
KCFAPI Enhances College Savings Plan
ON June 5, the Insurance Commission approved the offering of the KC Enhanced
College Savings Plan for children of
members of the Knights of Columbus.
The children scholars must not be over
10 years old and the KC member must be
between 21 and 55 years old to be eligible
for coverage under the Enhanced CSP.
Insurance contribution shall be for a
period of 6 years and the payback will
be for 10 consecutive semesters starting
at age 16 of the scholar with a cash graduation gift at age 21.
The sales group beamed with enthusiasm when the good news was announced. Key management officers and
staff immediately conducted an orientation of the product. A commitment to
bring in 250 ECSP benefits certificates
up to year end was made by Fraternal
Counselors nationwide. By the end of
June 30, 2008 underwriting department
has received 14 Enhanced CSP applications. (Joseph P. Teodoro)
HUNDREDS of Brother Knights from
Metro Cebu and neighboring towns,
led by Visayas Deputy Dionisio R.
Esteban, Jr., joined thousands of students, professionals, religious lay organizations and families in a prayer
march rally for life last July 12.
Organized by the Archdiocese of
Cebu and Human Life International
the march started from different
points in uptown and downtown areas and converged at the Pilgrim
Center of the Basilica del Santo Niño
for the afternoon activity.
Prayer for the enlightenment of the
congressmen-proponents of the “Reproductive Health Care” bill now
pending in Congress was the order
of the day. Proponents of the bill say
that adoption of a national population policy is not necessarily proabortion but simply opens up avenues for Filipinos to explore in
terms of reproductive health, and
aims to address better distribution
of food and other resources as well
as better health care for families.
Human Life International’s Dr.
Rene Josef Bullecer discussed the antilife effects of the bill. There is an apprehension that the bill’s passage
could open the floodgates to
D.E.A.T.H.S. (Divorce, Euthanasia,
Abortion, Total Population Control,
Homosexual Union, Sex Education).
His Eminence, Ricardo J. Cardinal
Vidal, DD, Archbishop of Cebu called
on the faithful to withhold support for
the bill. He said “contraception devalues conjugal love and cannot be a licit
means for responsible parenthood.”
The Cardinal also asked the two
Cebuano legislators supportive of the
bill (Reps. Nerrisa Soon Ruiz – 6th District of Cebu and Benhur Salimbangon
– 4th District of Cebu) to reconsider
their position on the issue.
To demonstrate that having many
children is a blessing and responsible
parenthood is most of all about nurturing them to be good individuals,
Dioscoro and Arceles Cabahug, a
couple from Liloan, Cebu shared how
they raised their 12 children as good
Christians. Their eldest child is now
an Overseas Filipino Worker in Qatar
while the youngest is two years old.
They said that the power of prayer,
coupled with hard work to earn an
honest living, sustained their family.
The Knights of Columbus is a
staunch advocate of programs that
promote LIFE. In the Visayas, the ProLife Advocacy Program is one of the
Order’s main trusts. (Bro. Junjie
Navales Cruz)
Philippine Deputies receive circle of honor award
SK Alonso Tan
SK Dionisio Esteban, Jr.
SK Sofronio Cruz
THE Knights of Columbus
Philippine State Deputies for
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao
were granted the Circle of
Honors Awards by the Supreme Council for attaining the
target of membership recruitment 100 per cent.
Luzon State Deputy Alonso L.
Tan, Visayas Deputy Dionisio R.
Esteban Jr., Mindanao State
Deputy Sofronio R. Cruz, Mem-
bership Director for Luzon, Joseph P. Teodoro, Membership
Director for Visayas, Ricardo F.
Urot, and Membership Director
for Mindanao, Cresente C. Dal
were cited for hitting the required target of membership
for the Columbian Year 20072008.
The Supreme Council grants
the Circle of Honors Awards to
those who were able to attain 100
per cent of the required minimum recruitment set for the
Columbian year.
However, credit also goes to
district deputies who worked for
the recruitment of members under the leadership of their membership directors.
Likewise, the Grand Knights
are recognized for their efforts in
expanding membership in their
councils. (CBCPNews)
CBCP Monitor
The Cross
C2
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
KC Mindanao Jurisdiction ushers in
new Columbian Year
By Sofronio R. Cruz
EVERY month of July, the Order
of the Knights of Columbus everywhere ushers in a fresh year,
called a Columbian Year, with
high enthusiasm and expectancy.
This mindset is anchored on a firm
commitment and renewed resolve
to face more challenges in achieving higher membership growth
rates, and in undertaking more
and better service programs, compared to the previous years.
After attending the Order-wide
State Deputies’ Orientation and
Organization Meeting held in
Patrocinio R. Bacay
Chairman, KCFAPI
THE start of each Columbian
Year always ushers a fresh beginning in the life of every
Knights of Columbus council.
We see new ideas on how to
recruit Catholic gentlemen
into our Order. We witness
novel ways to execute the
“Surge with Service” program.
Congratulations to all incoming district deputies and
council officers for earning the
mandate of your membership
to assume the mantle of leadership for Columbian Year
2008-2009. In behalf of the
Board of Trustees, Officers and staff of KCFAPI, I humbly appeal for your active promotion of KCFAPI as the sole provider
of the affordable and second-to-none life insurance program
for all our members and their immediate family members.
We also wish to express our sincerest appreciation to all outgoing officers. You deserve our snappy salute for a job well done.
VIVAT JESUS!
Antonio B. Borromeo
President, KCFAPI
ON behalf of the Board and
Officers of KCFAPI, we would
like to congratulate Brothers
Alonso L. Tan, Dionisio R.
Esteban, Jr., and Sofronio R.
Cruz, State Deputies of the
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao
Jurisdictions, respectively, of
the Order of the Knights of
Columbus, for each winning
the Order-wide Circle of
Honor Award given by the
Supreme Council for achieving more than required Membership Growth during the
Columbian Year 2007-2008.
I would also like to take this
opportunity to welcome and congratulate the new sets of State,
Regional, Provincial, District, and Council elected officers and
appointed officials of the Columbian Year 2008-2009. Your
volunteerism and enthusiasm to serve Church, Council, Community, Family and Youth truly exemplifies the virtues of
Columbianism. I know you will be an example of true Knights.
At this time, please allow me to report the significant accomplishments and milestones of KCFAPI during the past month.
First and foremost, I am pleased to announce that the Office
of the Insurance Commission has renewed KCFAPI’s Certificate of Authority to operate as a Mutual Benefits Association.
This is especially memorable because it came at a time when
KCFAPI is celebrating its 50 th Foundation Anniversary on September 9, 2008 and at a time when I am serving as President.
The second milestone is the signing of the Memorandum of
Agreement between the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) and KCFAPI last July 6 that established the
P10 Million “Seed of Hope Fund”. KCFAPI has established the
Trust Fund so that CBCP will be the sole beneficiary and will be
guaranteed yearly earnings to finance its various projects. This
is a first between CBCP and KCFAPI.
The third milestone is the P100,000 financial assistance extended to the victims of Typhoon Frank which devastated inhabitants and infrastructure in the island of Panay of Western
Visayas. The donation serves as manifestation of KCFAPI’s social concern to alleviate the plight of victims of calamities and
disasters. The P100,000 check was turned over to His Excellency
Most Reverend Angel N. Lagdameo, DD, President of the CBCP
and Archbishop of Jaro, Iloilo.
The fourth milestone is the start last June 28 and the second
sortie last July12 of the construction of ten houses that will
serve as showcase model for the project’s target number of
houses that will form the Knights of Columbus – Gawad Kalinga
Village located at Barangay Tungkong Mangga, San Jose del
Monte City, Bulacan by volunteer employees of KCFAPI and
its subsidiaries Keys Realty Development Company and Mace
Insurance Agency, Inc. Employees were led by KCFAPI’s EVP,
Ma. Theresa G. Curia; and myself. The partnership with Gawad
Kalinga to build houses for the poor in San Jose del Monte City,
Bulacan was inked last month with the Knights of Columbus
Philippines Foundation, Inc. which is one of the two foundations that serve as the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
arms of KCFAPI. Brother Knights belonging to councils in San
Jose del Monte City, namely St. Joseph the Worker Council No.
6754 of Poblacion and San Isidro Labrador Council No. 13344 of
Muzon, heeded our invitation to join in this noteworthy charitable community project. We have set September 6, 2008 as the
completion date of the project and have scheduled construction
sorties on July 26, August 9 and 23, and September 6. Volunteer
members of Couples for Christ Metro Manila North Sector A
and housing beneficiaries from this and other Gawad Kalinga
sites form the regular construction force of the project.
In closing, please accept my sincerest gratitude for the continued support and patronage of KCFAPI’s unique fraternal insurance protection benefits and services by many Brother Knights
and their familes. It is my honor and pleasure to serve you.
VIVAT JESUS!
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A.,
last June 4-7, where the goals,
thrusts, and action plans for the
new Columbian Year were deliberated and assigned, the natural
first order of business is to cascade these down to the
Jurisdiction’s key point officers—
the District Deputies.
Three regular District Deputies’ Orientation and Organization Meetings were held in the
Jurisdiction.
The first meeting was in Ipil,
Zamboanga Sibugay, last June
13-15, which was attended by
28 District Deputies, together
with 15 Regional and Provincial Secretaries, belonging to
Regions 9A and 9B.
Forty-two District Deputies,
together with 16 Regional and
Provincial Secretaries, of Regions
9C, 10, and 11 attended the second
meeting in Cagayan de Oro City.
Koronadal City in South
Cotabato was the venue for the
last regular meeting on June 2729, where 62 District Deputies attended together with Regional
and Provincial Secretaries of Regions 11A, 11B, and 12.
A special meeting was organized on July 5 at the
Jurisdiction’s office in Davao City
for District Deputies from Region
11A for those who were not able
to attend the meeting held in
Koronadal City.
Another special meeting is
scheduled in Surigao City on July
28-29 for participants from Region 13 who were not able to attend the meeting held in Cagayan
de Oro City. Council Grand
Knights and Financial Secretaries near Surigao City were also
invited to attend.
“Follow me. Help us build up our
Church!” is adapted as this
Columbian Year’s theme for all
conferences in the Jurisdiction.
This was inspired and taken from
the words of Pope Benedict XVI
during his recent visit to the
United States of America.
Following a very fruitful 20072008 Columbian Year during
which the Jurisdiction achieved
a 126% Net Gain in Membership
and instituted 14 new Councils,
this year’s goals and priorities
of the Jurisdiction are as follows:
1
.
Membership
Growth
Target is
t
o
achieve
a
10%
N e t
Gain. Aim
for Zero Suspension of members.
Develop
members into more
enlightened, alert, and
active Catholic Knights by
advancing them to higher
membership degrees and
through conduct of spiritual formation seminars.
2. Balanced Activities Programming in a Council’s five service
areas of Church, Community,
Council, Family and Youth. Aspire for achievement awards such
as the Star Council Award, Star
District Awards, and any of the
Order-wide awards for Membership and Service Programs. Establish at least 20 new Columbian
Squires Circles and ensure that
existing Squires Circles are active
and nurtured because the Squires
are the Order’s future Knights.
Share “the Experience of a Lifetime” by initiating 30 new Parish
Round Tables.
3. New Council Development
Target is to institute 20 or more
new ones, including College
Councils, Councils in military
camps, and Councils in cultural
communities. Enlist the assis-
tance
o f
members of
the clergy
serving in the Armed Forces as
Chaplains.
4. Sound Financial Management
to achieve stability through the
support and resources of members. Aim for no new Council suspensions and for reactivation of
30 long-suspended Councils.
5. Prompt submission of properly accomplished Council Reports to inform Supreme Council and the Jurisdiction about the
accomplishment of fiscal, membership, and service program
goals.
6. The Order’s Ceremonials
goals are as follows: all Councils
must have an accredited First
Degree Exemplification team and
should conduct at six exemplifications during the year; all Districts must have a Second Degree
Exemplification
team and should
conduct at four exemplifications this year; to
have a Third Degree Exemplification team in every diocese; and, last, ceremonials must
be conducted and performed according to our guidelines.
7. Provide more opportunities
for leadership development to
more members by appointing
and rotating them to more council officer and official positions.
8. Hold an annual convention
of Columbian Squires and of
College Council members to better and effectively guide and develop future Knights and young
Knights to learn more about the
Order’s works and about each
other.
There are a lot of goals to
achieve this year but we are confident and assured that Mindanao
Jurisdiction’s Knights and
Columbian Squires will support
and give their best to all the
planned activities as they have
consistently done in past years.
“Follow us. Help us build up
our Order of the Knights of Columbus!”
Vivat Jesus!
Visayas District Deputies Organizational Meeting held
THE annual Regional, Provincial and District
Organizational Meeting on June 27-29, at the
DepEd ECOTECH Center, Lahug, Cebu City,
signaled the start of Columbian Year 20082009 for the Visayas Jurisdiction.
During the 3-day meeting, Visayas Jurisdiction servant leaders from Western Visayas
(led by Regional Deputy Pete Cuyos), Central Visayas (led by Regional Deputy Gaspar
Sudario) and Eastern Visayas (led by Regional Deputy Dalmacio Grafil) participated
in the recollection, Mass, as well as lectures
and discussions on how to sustain the programs and activities of the Knights of Columbus at the district and council levels. The
programs are anchored on the Ten Thrusts of
the Visayas State set by Visayas State Deputy,
Bro. Dionisio R. Esteban, Jr.
For Columbian Year 2008-2009, the
Visayas Jurisdiction will adopt the theme:
“Follow me: Help us Build up the Church”,
in reference and response to the Apostolic
Call of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, during his recent visit to the United States of
America where he specifically cited the efforts of the Knights of Columbus in support
of the Church.
To further boost the district deputies’ leadership confidence and capability, Bro. Allan
Nicolas Ouano, the new Visayas State Secretary, shared his expertise by making a comprehensive presentation on the Duties and
Responsibilities of District Deputies.
Highlighted during the meeting were
SPIRITUAL FORMATION and PRO-LIFE
ADVOCACY, aside from setting annual goals
on membership growth (with Bro. Wilfredo
Lauron – State Membership Director), council retention and reactivation, new council
development (with Bro. Cenon Sasan), effective and relevant service programs and activities (with Bro. Ricardo Urot – State Program Director) as well as creation of more
Columbian Squires Circles (with Bro. Wency
Canete – State Squires Chairman).
Visayas Deputy Esteban appointed Bro.
Rudy Kintanar as Visayas State Spiritual Formation Chairman whose primary task is to
ensure that all knights throughout the jurisdiction will go through Spiritual Formation
sessions (a series of sessions that will reflect
on the teachings of the Church and the role
of the Knights of Columbus) prior to the 1st
degree exemplification and as pre-requisite
for the knights’ advancement to the 2nd and
3rd degrees in the Order.
On the other hand, the Pro-Life Advocacy,
to be spearheaded by Bro. Antonio Valle, will
be given more emphasis during this
Columbian Year 2008-2009, in the light of
various anti-life programs that tend to promote D.E.A.T.H.S. (Divorce, Euthanasia, Abortion, Total Population Control, Homosexual
Union and Sex Education) some of which
have reached the national legislature in the
form of congressional bills. (See related
story).
The Visayas Jurisdiction also launched its
LIVELIHOOD PROGRAM, in response to the
needs of the economic challenges that face us
all, with Bro. Alejandro Ceniza as in-charge.
This is aimed at supplementing the financial
sustainability of councils and, by extension,
the community-at-large as part of a particular K of C council’s service activities.
Bro. Cres Tadlip, Visayas State Auditor, also
discussed compliance and submission of prescribed K of C forms to the Supreme Council
and State Office as well as council fiscal management.
The meeting was not only educational but
very lively and interactive, with district deputies given the chance to air their views and
queries on the various topics discussed.
Since many Knights of Columbus leaders
from Panay Island were not able to attend
the Organizational Meeting owing to the calamity brought by Typhoon “Frank”, Visayas
Deputy Esteban scheduled a separate Organizational Meeting in Iloilo City last July 5.
In view of the devastation brought by the
typhoon and in solidarity with the brother
knights in the affected areas, the Visayas Jurisdiction leaders unanimously passed a resolution calling on all councils to provide relief assistance, in cash or in kind, for the victims of the typhoon in Panay and Bantayan
Island, Cebu.
The formal installation of State Officers,
Regional, Provincial and District Deputies
presided by Bro. Alberto Solis Sr. – Worthy
Supreme Director and Bro. Dionisio R.
Esteban, Jr. – Worthy Visayas Deputy, capped
the three-day Organizational Meeting. (Bro.
Junjie Navales Cruz)
KEYS REALTY &
DEVELOPMENT, CORP.
3RD Floor, Fr. George Willmann S.J. Center
General Luna cor., Sta. Potenciana Sts.,
Intramuros, Manila Tel Nos: 527-2221/527-2238
“AVAILABLE BRAND NEW OFFICE SPACE”
Knights of Columbus Building, Captain V. Roa Extension, Cagayan De Oro City
For inquiries: Please call
MS. ADRONICA “NICA” GOSE
3 RD Floor, Fr. George Willmann S.J. Center
General Luna cor., Sta. Potenciana Sts., Intramuros, Manila
Tel. No: (02) 527-2221
Fax No: (02) 527-2238
MR. REYNANTE “BONG” BRAGAT
Branch Service Administrator
KC Fraternal
Knights of Columbus Building, Captain V. Roa Extension, Cagayan De Oro City
Tel. #: (0882)-854-3274; Fax #: (0882)-272-1005
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
The Cross
‘Follow me – Help us
build up the Church’
SUPREME Knight Carl A. Anderson said, “We live out our Christian witness as the Holy Father
has called us to do.” We do that
by witnessing to love in every
aspect of our lives—from our
families, to our work, to the
charitable projects we undertake Orderwide. And, he
added, we do this by asking
qualified Catholic men to
join us and help us strengthen
our Church.
The theme for the 2008-09
membership campaign “Follow Me — Help Us Build Up
the Church” follows this
charge.
When our members sponsor
blood drives or youth sports
teams, raise funds and volunteer
for Special Olympics and other
programs for people with intellectual disabilities, or hold a family picnic, through the example
they are setting, they say “Follow Me—Help Us Build Up the
Church.” Our councils do this
over and over again as they work
to meet the needs of their communities and Church. Building
on this foundation of service to
Church and community is our
challenge.
We constantly need new energy and fresh ideas. We must
constantly expand our reach. To
grow in membership we must
personally ask every eligible
Catholic man to join the Order.
Recruiting new members is essential to the continued growth
and well-being of your council
and the Order.
GK / C1
ing to the tune of the “Hands of Love” to relax
their tired bodies. By noon, Gawad Kalinga
Foreman checked the progress of our work
and informed us that our assigned task was
almost complete and that we can now rest. It
was time for lunch. Everybody thanked God
for the successful 1st day of work and for the
delicious food laid on the table. After which
it was time to call it a day and everybody
went home tired but happy.
Second leg
July 12, was the 2n d leg of the Knights of
Columbus GK Village “Bayanihan” Challenge. Sixteen new faces joined the sixteen
2 n d time volunteers and beat the 6:30 a.m.
call time at Robinson’s Fairview. Armed
with long sleeves and hat, 32 volunteers zestfully got on the jeepney to Tungkong
Mangga thinking of what was waiting at the
site.
As expected, the beneficiries and CFC volunteers were present to help in the construction. Later that morning, five officers led by
GK Noel Lacanilao of Manila Council 1000
came.
The day started with short praise and worship songs and a prayer. While some took
their breakfast first, others opted to sweat it
out at once in the field. Workload for the day
included excavation and leveling of the next
row of houses, cement pre-casting and clearing of the remaining part of the site. Some
volunteers went around offering water and
“kakanin” donated by a generous person and
others started preparing the food for lunch.
Looking at them from the distance, it was
certain they were enjoying what they were
doing despite the heat, the difficulty, and
their disheveled look. Since the scheduled
work for the day was almost finished by
noontime, the group decided to stop and take
lunch.
Although the group and the community
had separate dining areas it was heartwarming to see everybody sharing whatever food
they had. The “ thank you’s” exchanged by everyone was really something that can melt
the heart and remove weariness. After lunch
it was time to bid Tungkong Mangga
goodbye and go home with a promise to come
back again.
For the volunteers this was really something worth the body aches everyone felt after working. An experience that will not be
forgotten. Something to share with friends
and acquaintances. Truly an experience of a
lifetime.
For anyone who wants to volunteer and
experience an event that will surely change
one’s perspective, the schedules are July 26,
August 9 and 23 and September 6, 2008.
(Denise C. Solina)
C3
Follow us
By Carl A. Anderson
Supreme Knight
AS a result of his visit, Pope
Benedict XVI has given the
Knights a great opportunity
to help build up the Church
On April 24, 2005, during
the Mass inaugurating the
Petrine Ministry of Pope
Benedict XVI, the deacon read
these famous words from
chapter 16 of Matthew’s Gospel: “You are Peter, and on
this rock I will build my
Church.” The awe-inspiring reality of these words was apparent to us this past spring when, for a few days in April, Peter
was with us in the United States.
The Lord chose St. Peter as the rock of his Church because of
Peter’s witness. Jesus had asked his disciples, “Who do people
say the Son of Man is?” (Mt 8:27-30). And the disciples answered that some said John the Baptist or Elijah or Jeremiah.
In other words, a prophet, a teacher, a wise man—someone
proposing a new and better ethical way of living. The Son of
Man is all these things. But Peter acknowledged a different
reality. Peter recognized not only words of good counsel, but
also the words of eternal life.
In the days before Pope Benedict’s visit there was great interest in the media and elsewhere about what the pope would
say. Would he be critical of certain practices among Catholics,
policies of the government or trends in American society?
Instead of criticism, we heard the same theme each day, albeit
in a slightly different way: “God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world
might be saved” (Jn 3:17).
The response of the American people, and especially Catholics, to Pope Benedict’s message went beyond what anyone
expected. In this issue of Columbia we report on a national
public opinion poll commissioned by our Order and undertaken by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. We
title this report on public reaction to the pope’s trip “Success
by Any Measure”—and it surely was that.
• The poll found that among Catholics:
• 66 percent say they are now more likely to appreciate
being a member of the Catholic Church.
• 50 percent say they now plan to make family a bigger part
of their life.
• 50 percent say they now plan to lead a more moral life.
• 45 percent say they now plan to attend religious services.
• And 39 percent say they now plan on becoming more
active in their community.
This is Pope Benedict’s great gift to us: millions of Catholics
more willing to actively live the Catholic life. It is up to us, the
Knights of Columbus, to offer these men and their families a
proven and true way to live more deeply their Catholic life—
the way envisioned by the Venerable Servant of God Father
Michael J. McGivney. Pope Benedict has offered us a great
opportunity for renewal of the Church, and it is the responsibility of every Knight to accept and act upon this great gift to
help build up the Church.
In his homily at the funeral Mass of Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Ratzinger kept repeating Christ’s words, “Follow me.”
He said they were “the key to understanding the message that
comes to us from the life” of Pope John Paul II. Now we see
that they are also the words that are the key to understanding
the papal ministry of Benedict XVI. Indeed, “Follow me” are
words that speak to us in a special way through the life of
Christ’s vicar on earth. Now is the time for the Knights of
Columbus to respond with a resounding “Yes!”
Vivat Jesus!
Dear BC Holders,
You can pay your insurance contributions and loans
through the following outlets:
1. Banco de Oro Branches
2. Philippine National Bank Branches
3. Banco Filipino Branches
4. Bills Payment Counter of SM branches
5. Cabanatuan Service Office - Knights of Columbus
Bldg., 578 Burgos Ave., Cabanatuan City
6.Cagayan de Oro Service Office - 3rd Floor, KC
Building, Capt. V. Roa Extension, 9000 Cagayan
de Oro City
7. Cebu City Service Office - 2nd Floor, KC Building,
36 Archbishop Reyes Ave. Cor. Molave St., Lahug,
6000 Cebu City
8. Davao Service Office - Knights of Columbus
Building, C.M. Recto Ave., 8000 Davao City
9. Iloilo City - 2nd Floor, Carolina Building, 106 M.
Jalandoni St., Jaro, 5000 Iloilo City
10. Zamboanga City - Room 4, 2nd Floor, Park
Pavilion Building, La Purisima St., 7000
Zamboanga City
To all Fraternal Counselors
Get your allowances daily by opening an ATM account
with BPI. How?
1. Request from Financial Management Accounting Services (527-22-23 loc. 214) a letter to BPI –
Dewey Branch to instruct your preferred BPI
branch to open an individual BPI ATM account
for you under the APCS.
2. With the letter, go to your preferred BPI branch
and present two (2) valid identification cards (e.g.
driver’s license, postal ID, SSS, GSIS or Knights
of Columbus ID). You also need two (2) colored
pictures either 1x1 or 2x2 in size.
3. With your ATM you can withdraw your credits
leaving only P100.00 as your balance.
If you have an existing BPI account, just request FMAS
to prepare a letter to BPI – Dewey Branch to enroll
your BPI account under the APCS.
CBCP Monitor
The Cross
C4
Vol. 12 No. 15
July 21 - August 3, 2008
KCFAPI DONATES TO TYPHOON VICTIMS . Our brothers in the island of Panay particularly in Iloilo suffered so much during the rampage of the recent typhoon “Frank”. Moved by the plight of our brothers in the area, KCFAPI donated P100,000.00 to
help ease the burden the victims have experienced. The donation was handed over to the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Archbishop of Jaro, Most Rev. Angel N. Lagdameo, DD. (From left) KCFAPI Treasurer Antonio
T. Yulo, Luzon State Secretary Arsenio Isidro G. Yap, Mindanao Deputy Sofronio R. Cruz, Visayas Deputy Dionisio R. Esteban, Jr., KCFAPI Pres. Antonio B. Borromeo, Vice Supreme Master Panfilo O. Pacubas, Sr., Luzon State Deputy Alonso L. Tan, KCFAPI
Spiritual Director Msgr. Pedro C. Quitorio III and KCFAPI External Legal Consultant Atty. Sabino Padilla, Jr. (Magdalene G. Flores)
Francisco Villarica Tankiang
A man of many facets
THE current Corporate Secretary
and Trustee of the Knights of
Columbus Philippines Foundation, Inc. is a man of many facets.
He is a Certified Public Accountant, a Lawyer, a distinguished
diplomat, a prominent businessman, a philanthropist, a responsible head of the family and a
deeply religious man. He is none
other than Dr. and Worthy
Brother Francisco Villarica
Tankiang.
Bro. Tankiang was born in
Marilao, Bulacan on June 4, 1925
to the late Eduardo del Rosario
Tankiang and Luisa Villarica
Tankiang. He was married to the
late Natividad Almeda and their
union was blessed with five children (three girls and two boys).
He studied and finished Grade
School and High School at the
Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
Graduating with the Degree of
Bachelor of Science in Commerce
Major in Accounting and Bachelor of Laws from Arellano University Bro. Tankiang took up
further studies and was conferred
the Diploma of Doctor of Laws
“Sobresaliente”
by
the
Universidad de Madrid.
Bro. Tankiang passed the Board
Examinations for both the Certified Public Accountants and the
Philippine Bar. While in Europe,
he attended the Hague Academy
of International Law Summer
Course. To further enrich his
knowledge and perspective, he
has attended several conventions,
conferences, seminars and workshops both here and abroad.
He practiced Accounting and
Law and was a Professor in the
Arellano University before he
was appointed as the First Philippine Commercial Attache’ in
Madrid, Spain by the late President Ramon Magsaysay. During
his stint in Spain, he was able to
improve the trade between the
Philippines and Spain. He personally supervised the loading of
Portuguese rice in Lisbon on a
barter trade with Portugal for
Philippine Sugar and for which
accomplishment he was commended.
However, due to the untimely
demise of his father, he resigned
from his post in Madrid and went
back home to the Philippines to
assume the management of Far
Eastern Surety & Insurance Co.,
Royal Travels, Inc., Tankiang
Development Corporation,
Fensat Inc., Kaleen Realty, Inc.,
and other family businesses.
He is a former District Deputy
(District M-46) and a Past Grand
Knight of Our Lady of Remedies
Council 5681 in Malate, Manila,
of the Luzon Jurisdiction of the
Order of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines. He was
awarded the Plaque of Honor and
other special awards by his Council while the Padre Burgos Assembly of the Fourth Degree
honored him by conferring a Lifetime Membership Award and the
Faithful Services Cross with Laurel for his invaluable contributions to the good of the Order.
He served as Director of Board
of Keys Realty & Dev’t. Corporation and of Mace Insurance
Agency, Inc., subsidiary companies that are 100% owned by the
Knights of Columbus Fraternal
Association of the Philippines,
Inc. (KCFAPI), the insurance arm
of the Order in the Philippines.
A humble and deeply spiritual
person, Bro. Tankiang is also an
Extraordinary Minister of Holy
Communion. He is an active
member of other religious and
charitable institutions such as the
Philippine Association of the
Sovereign Military Order of
Malta, Men of the Sacred Heart,
and Secular Franciscan.
At present Bro. Tankiang occupies the following corporate positions: Trustee of Casino
Español de Manila and Makati
Tourism Foundation; Chairman
of FENSAT, Inc.; President of
Kaleen Realty, Inc. and Royal
Travels, Inc.; Vice President &
Board Secretary of Philippine
Hospitalier Foundation of the
Order of Malta, Inc.
He served as the last President
of Philippines Society of Travel
Agents, the charter President of
the Philippine Travel Agencies
Association, and, also, the first
Filipino President of the ASEAN
Tourism Association. He was instrumental in having the World
Association of Travel Agents or
WATA to hold its first ever Convention in the Philippines and in
the Asia Pacific Region. He also
had a hand in the Golden Anniversary Celebration of the
American Society of Travel
Agents or ASTA’s first World
Congress held here in Manila.
Bro. Tankiang is the recipient
of the Most Outstanding Alumni,
Citation Award and Jubilee
Award for Past Presidents, all
from the Arellano University
Alumni Association and the Outstanding Professional Alumnus
Award by Colegio de San Juan
de Letran. Dr. Tankiang is a recipient of a Plaque of Appreciation, President’s Award and
Bronze Award from the AISC
Amical d’Tourism Skal Club of
the Philippines and a Plaque of
Appreciation from the Philippine
Society of Travel Agents Association.
He is also a member of civic
and professional organizations
like the distinguished Rotary
Club of Manila and was granted
lifetime membership in the Philippine Bar Association, the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Philippine British Society. (Denise
Solina)
On July 4, 2008, the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) was issued the Certificate of Authority to transact business as a Mutual
Benefit Association by Insurance Commissioner Eduardo T. Malinis (center). KCFAPI will be celebrating its 50th Year Anniversary on September 9, 2008. With him in photo
are Deputy Insurance Commissioner Vida T. Chiong, Executive Vice President Ma. Theresa G. Curia, President Antonio B. Borromeo, and Treasurer Antonio T. Yulo.
KC Fraternal introduces its newest product offering—the
KC Super Saver Plan.
KC Super Saver Plan—Gold Series is a peso-denominated
single-pay ten-year endowment plan. The proposed Assured
has to pay only one time. He will, in as short as 10 years,
recover more than his contributions or an amount equivalent to the Sum Assured.
The plan’s life insurance coverage is increasing. It starts
from 110% of Sum Assured on the first year and increases
uniformly by 10% of the Sum Assured every year until it
reaches 200% on the tenth and final year. The plan is
available for issue ages 1 to 75.
Super Saver Plan is ideal for our Brother Knights or their
immediate family members who have seasonal income or
earnings, such as members in the agricultural or aquacultural sectors. The flexibility offered by the plan’s single contribution scheme and small issue limit of P10,000 Sum
Assured make Super Saver perfect for Overseas Filipino
Workers. Because they, our modern day heroes; deserve
no less that the best.
KC Super Saver Plan.
Superior Family Protection. Plus Return on
your Single Contribution!
Build your own Benefit Portfolio. When you
want it. As you want it!