•A3
•A7
Cardinal Bertone will bring ‘Excellent
Report’ back to Holy Father after
attending KC convention
Prelate fears another
people power
IF a Catholic bishop would have his way, he
would not let another people power happen
again, fearing a possible “bloody” uprising.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz
instead urged the people to keep praying for
change in the country’s government system.
“I hope it (People Power 1) will not happen
again this time because it might already become bloody,” he said.
Cruz said that if time and situation really
demands another people power revolt, it
•B1
There is no ‘cure’ for
priest with child,
archbishop says
•B8
From abstinence to
love: A question of
character
www.cbcponline.net/cbcpmonitor
cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net
Protagonist of Truth, Promoter of Peace
August 20 - September 2, 2007
Vol. 11 No. 17
Php 20.00
CINEMA
Reviews
PNP chided for failure to
stop jueteng
AN anti-gambling bishop chided the Philippine
National Police (PNP) over its inability to end
jueteng operations in the country especially in
Luzon provinces.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz
made the comment after PNP chief Oscar
Calderon admitted the return of jueteng but said
they are in the stage of adjustment in their campaign against the numbers racket.
Calderon said there has been change of administration in jueteng operations after the May
PNP / A6
Prelate / A6
Church rejects military
offensive in Mindanao
THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
called for continued search for
peace in the face of increasing
violence in Southern Philippines.
CBCP President Archbishop
Angel Lagdameo said he would
like to see “negotiated” solution
to Mindanao conflict to avert further escalation of violence.
Thousands of government
troopers were deployed in Sulu
and Basilan hunting down Abu
Sayyaf extremists accused of killing 14 marines in Basilan last July
10 while searching for kidnapped
Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi.
President Gloria MacapagalArroyo ordered the military to
track down the perpetrators.
“The (government) must not
make violent moves especially
that they don’t know who the perpetrators are,” said Lagdameo.
The CBCP head expressed
fears innocent civilians could become involuntary victims of the
offensive.
“It was bad enough that Marines suffered. How much more
if civilians will suffer?” he asked.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal also expressed strong
opposition to the increasing tension in Mindanao particularly in
Basilan and Sulu provinces.
“We are definitely against any
form of violence,” he said.
The government, Vidal said,
must make every effort to work
towards peace, beginning with
the rejection of violence.
At the height of the military
operation, dozens of soldiers
were either killed or wounded
when clashes erupted again in at
least three tows in Sulu.
Caloocan Bishop Deogracias
Iñiguez earlier said that instead
of attacking the rebels, the government should find ways to ease
the tension in Mindanao.
Ancestral domain,
development will
help Mindano not
war, says bishop
Celebrating God’s outpouring love.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal
(extreme right) led the symbolic releasing
of doves and balloons during the Golden
Jubilee Celebration of Carmel of St. Joseph
in Lucena City, August 10, 2007.
Appeal for prayer for peace
Bishop Prelate of Isabela de
Basilan Martin Jumoad appealed
to every Filipino to pray that
peace may once again reign in his
prelature.
“We have to keep in our hearts
the suffering, those who died in
the confrontations, the soldiers,
their immediate families and the
armed groups belonging to the
MILF so that they’ll realize that the
more we see violence, the more
pain and suffering these would
bring to everyone,” he said.
The prelate downplayed news
reports of former Marine commandant, Major General Renato
Miranda, that, he knows who ordered the soldiers to the fatal
ambush that claimed 14 lives.
Jumoad said he doesn’t believe
the information “because life is
precious and I know the commanders are all God-fearing men
and very religious and I don’t
think they would do such for they
all believe in the sanctity of life,”
the prelate explained.
© Roy Lagarde / CBCP Media
By Roy Lagarde
Church / A6
SPEAKING over the Catholic Media Network’s nationwide program
Veritas Pilipinas at Catholic-run
Veritas 846 , Bishop Dinualdo
Gutierrez said the situation in
Mindanao, particularly in Basilan
and Sulu provinces “is a very complicated matter.” He firmly said
“war will not solve anything” for
if you wipe out the Abu Sayyaf,
other groups would surface.”
Asked whether development
would end armed conflict, Bishop
Gutierrez said economic development is “only one part (of the
solution).” He added one will
have to “put in justice and respect
for human rights.” Another is to
consider the existing culture and
the need for education, he said
The issues relative to ancestral
domain should be carefully studied because “some people do not
understand its meaning,” added.
The indigenous people came way
ahead of Muslims and Christians
in settling in Mindanao.
“The B’laans, T’bolis have been
in Mindanao a long, long time
ago,” Bishop Gutierrez said. The
Philippine constitution recognizes
ancestral domain “that is why we
Ancestral / A6
Pueblos reiterates call to probe killings, respect human life
Pope extends term
of Cardinal Rosales
GAUDENCIO Cardinal Rosales
will continue serving as Archbishop of Manila following an invitation of Pope Benedict XVI for
him to continue his pastoral duty
even if he reached his retirement
age.
The Apostolic Nunciature in the
Philippines, in a letter forwarded
to Rosales, said that the Holy Father had received his resignation
letter but the Pope was inviting
him “to continue his ministry.”
The Pope’s letter was read August 8 at the Mass for the advance
celebration of Rosales’ birthday
with the Manila clergy at the
Arzobispado de Manila.
In response, the Cardinal said
he will continue what he has been
doing and urged his priests and
the faithful to continue praying
for him.
“I thank God for the strength
He has given me to continue serving for the Church and His people
despite my old age,” said Rosales.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP),
meanwhile, welcomed the Holy
Father’s recent decision.
CBCP President and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said it’s
really the prerogative of the Pope
whether to accept or not the filed
mandatory resignation of the
Manila archbishop.
“We are very happy with the
decision. Even if Archbishop
Rosales reached the age of 75, he
is still capable of leading the
Catholic Church in the Philippines,” he said.
Few months before his 75th
birthday on August 10, Rosales
Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales
sent his resignation letter to the
Pope in June 2007 as required by
the Church Law.
The Code of Canon Law requires that Catholic bishops must
tender their resignation on their
75th birth anniversary.
In that letter, Rosales thanked
the Pope and “the Holy Mother
Church for having granted me the
privilege of serving the Church
as Bishop.”
He said that his 33 years as prelate “have shown me the unfailing
grace of a loving God” despite
“difficult moments” but “rewarding times”.
He told the Pope that he was
submitting his resignation earlier,
to “allow the proper selection of
the Archbishop who will succeed”
him.
Rosales said that his release
from “tremendous responsibilities (of being Archbishop) will
most likely be spent in much
prayer, reflections and probably
writing.”
However, he said, “These are
personal plans and my obedience
to the laws and traditions of the
Church. I place my entire self ever
in God’s will and Your Holiness’
pleasure.
Celebrating, meanwhile, the
birthday of its Archbishop, the
Archdiocese of Manila designated
August 10, 2007 as a “Special Day
Pope / A6
BUTUAN Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos reiterated his call for the government to investigate all killings commonly described as “extrajudicial killings,” so that its perpetrators
be brought to justice.
In an interview with CBCPNews, Bishop
Pueblos who also serves Commissioner to
the Melo Commission, said the killings have
been perpetrated by “vigilantes,” by people
out to get even, persons involved in land disputes, partisan politics and groups out to silence political activists.
He said while AFP Chief of Staff General
Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. created five courts
martial to attend to soldiers accused of violating Human Rights, they may not have
cases to hear as “people may not be able to
launch or file complaints.”
He said even his fellow Melo Commissioner Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuno
agreed with his suggestion to improve the
government’s witness protection program.
“However, Commissioner Zuno said improving the Witness Protection program
would mean additional funds as one has to
deal with not just with a witness to case but
his entire family during the court proceedings,” Pueblos said.
NASSA and DA sign
pact on agri program
IN an unprecedented move, the
government’s Department of Agriculture sought the assistance and cooperation of the National Secretariat
for Social Action (CBCP-NASSA) in
promoting sustainable agriculture
despite the government’s insistence
on hybrid production
and the maximum utilization of chemicals.
Episcopal Commission on Social Action,
Justice and Peace Chairman and Marbel
Bishop
Dinualdo
Gutierrez said “it is
about time the government makes
up its mind regarding the practice of
sustainable agriculture.”
In a press statement sent to
CBCPNews, NASSA Executive Director Sr. Rosanne Malillin, SPC said
three years ago, the government aggressively campaigned for hybrid
rice then known as “Gloria rice” as a
means to ensure the country’s food
security.
The Department of Agriculture under Secretary Arthur C. Yap will as-
sist in the establishment of mini-organic fertilization plants in NASSAidentified dioceses, provide technical
training and equipment, including 70
pieces of soil test kits for Sustainable
Agriculture Resource Centers and
funds for the propagation of traditional seeds such as rice, corn, vegetables and fruit trees to interested
farmers’ groups.
The Memorandum
of Agreement will be
signed today in time
for the National
Launching of DA and
Social Action Network joint program
on sustainable agriculture.
Secretary Arthur C. Yap and
Butuan Bishop Juan De Dios Pueblos,
Butuan Auxiliary Zacarias Jimenez
and Surigao Bishop Antonieto
Cabajog will sign the agreement.
The direct beneficiaries are the 64
archdioceses and dioceses, agricultural reform communities and
people’s organizations under
NASSA’s Sustainable Agriculture
Network. (CBCP News)
“As a Church, and as a teacher, we have to
respect the rights of every person because
each one of us is made according to the image of God,” he also said.
The bishop added “every person has that
right from God so we have to respect that to
the point nobody is allowed to get the life of
the other, everybody is encouraged to protect the life of each other.”
He said the 6th commandment is clear,
“Thou shall not kill.” He concluded the
Church would continue to play an important
role in bringing justice to the afflicted. (Melo
Acuna)
Bishop Manuel dies at 69
BISHOP Vicente Manuel of the
Society of the Divine Word
(SVD), died at 2:25 PM on August 18, at the Lourdes Hospital in Mandaluyong.
Early this year, Bishop
Manuel was diagnosed with
cancer of the pancreas.
For three days, the body
was laid in state at Christ the King Seminary in
Quezon City.
His remains were flown to Cebu on the evening
of August 21. Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal
Vidal celebrated a funeral mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral together with the Cebu clergy.
After the mass the body was brought to Basak,
Mandaue, his former parish, and stayed there until
Friday.
He will be interred in San Jose, Occidental
Mindoro on Aug. 27 at 2 PM.
Elevated to the episcopacy in 1983, Bishop
Manuel is the bishop emeritus of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro where he established a radio station and some socio-developmental projects. In
2000, he was transferred to the Archdiocese of Cebu.
When chairman of the CBCP Commission on
Mission, Bishop Manuel organized the First National Mission Congress held in Cebu in October
2000, which inspired the creation of the National
Mission Plan and the organization of the Philippine Association of Catholic Missiologists (PACM).
(CBCPNews)
World News
A2
Abortion causes rift at Amnesty
International, Irish office opts out of
controversial policy
DUBLIN, Ireland, August 17,
2007—Ireland’s branch of Amnesty International (AI) will not
promote the organization’s new
policy of allowing abortion in
cases of rape, incest, or threats to
the mother’s life.
Noeleen Hartigan, director at
Ireland’s Amnesty International
office, confirmed that the Irish
branch is opting out of the controversial new policy, the Irish
Times reported.
Catholic delegates attending an
Amnesty International conference
this week are likely to raise the
issue, which has already received
wide media attention.
A former member, Mary
Stewart, told the Irish Times that
she sent back her membership
card in protest to the executive
committee’s decision to adopt the
abortion policy.
Stewart explained, “I joined
Amnesty because of its strong
opposition to the death penalty
but now opposition to the death
penalty does not apply to unborn
babies.”
Amnesty International was
started as a campaign for prisoners of conscience in 1961 by British lawyer and Catholic convert
Peter Benenson.
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1977, its membership has
swelled to 1.8 million members.
Kate Gilmore, Amnesty
International’s deputy secretarygeneral, said the decision from the
Irish branch and criticism from
U.S. bishops will not reverse the
organization’s abortion policy
decision.
Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for
Justice and Peace, recently told the
National Catholic Register that
Catholics would have to withdraw support from the organization if it continued to support abortion.
“By pushing for the decriminalization of abortion as part of their
platform, Amnesty International
has disqualified itself as a defender of human rights,” he said.
“If AI is no longer willing to stand
up for the most basic human
right—the right to life—then the
very integrity of the organization
is called into question.” (Zenit)
Benedict XVI urges struggle against evil, says this is
the secret to Christ’s peace
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, August 19, 2007—The peace of Christ
is not “the absence of conflict” but
the “struggle against evil,”
Benedict XVI says.
The Pope said this today to those
gathered at the pontifical residence
at Castel Gandolfo to pray the Angelus. He added that being instruments of Christ’s peace means “defeating evil with good.”
Speaking about the words of
Jesus from today’s Gospel ¯ “Do
you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I
tell you, but rather division” ¯ the
Holy Father clarified that this saying “means the peace that he came
to bring is not synonymous with
the simple absence of conflict.”
“On the contrary, the peace of
Jesus is the fruit of a constant
struggle against evil. The battle
that Jesus has decided to fight is
not against men or human powers
but against the enemy of God and
man, Satan,” the Pontiff emphasized.
He continued: “Those who desire to resist this enemy, remaining faithful to God and the good,
must necessarily deal with mis-
understandings and sometimes
very real persecution.
“Thus, those who intend to follow Jesus and commit themselves without compromises to
the truth must know that they
will face opposition and will become, despite themselves, a sign
of division among persons, even
within their own families.”
Benedict XVI said that love for
one’s parents is “indeed a sacred
commandment,” but added that
it “cannot be set in opposition to
the love of God and Christ.”
“In such a way, in the footsteps
of the Lord Jesus, Christians must
become ‘instruments of his
peace,’ according to the celebrated
expression of St. Francis of
Assisi,” the Pope said. “This is not
an inconsistent and superficial
peace but a real one, pursued
with courage and tenacity in the
daily commitment to defeat evil
with good, paying in person the
price that this carries with it.”
Speaking in German, he added,
“Christ is not looking for tired
conformists, but witnesses of
courageous faith, those who burn
in the fire of his love.” (Zenit)
Cardinal Bertone to bring Papal aid to Peru
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, August 19, 2007—Benedict XVI is
sending Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone to bring aid
to victims of the earthquake in
Peru and convey the Pope’s personal concern for their situation.
In the Holy Father’s greeting
to those gathered at the papal
summer residence of Castel
Gandolfo to pray the Angelus
today, he assured the victims of
the Peruvian earthquake that
“the Church is with you.”
At least 540 people died in
Wednesday’s magnitude-8 earthquake. More than double that
number were injured.
“In these days our thoughts
and our prayers are turned constantly to the people of Peru, who
have been stricken by a devastating earthquake,” the Pontiff said.
“For the many who have died, I
invoke the peace of the Lord, for
those who have been injured, I
ask for quick recovery, and for
those thrown into miserable circumstances I assure you that the
Church is with you, in spiritual
and material solidarity.”
Benedict XVI added: “My secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio
Bertone, who for some time had
planned a visit to Peru, in the next
few days, will, in person, bring
the testimony of my sentiments
and the concrete help of the Holy
See.” (Zenit)
Australian Muslims to join in World Youth Day planning
SYDNEY, Australia, August 16,
2007—Islamic leaders in Australia may encourage participation
in the 2008 World Youth Day celebration, in exchange for a promise from Catholic leaders that
there will be no effort to convert
young people of other faiths, the
Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The Australian Federation of
Islamic Councils is offering to
CBCP Monitor
open school halls to accommodate the thousands of young
people who will converge on
Sydney for the July 2008 celebration. The Islamic group may also
help organize sporting events
involving both Christian and
Muslim participants, and welcome Christian pilgrims to visit
local mosques.
According to the Morning Her-
ald report, Church officials have
promised that Catholic leaders
“will not try to convert members
of other religious denominations
taking part in inter-faith forums
and volunteering facilities.”
Organizers of World Youth
Day in Sydney had issued an invitation for other religious
groups to join in the planning and
participate in the celebration. The
Islamic
group responded
positively,
saying that
the event
could help
“break
down barriers” in
Australia. (CWNews)
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
Vatican denies tinkering with
Wikipedia spokesman
downplays BBC report
VATICAN CITY, August 17,
2007—The Holy See denied reports that it made alterations to
the Internet encyclopedia
Wikipedia.
The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit
Father Federico Lombardi, clarified today that accusations saying the Holy See manipulated
the encyclopedia written in collaborative form by its readers,
“lack all seriousness and logic.”
“It is absurd even to think that
such an initiative could have even
been considered,” added the
spokesman in a note released by
Vatican Radio, of which Father
Lombardi is director.
The priest said that “a simple
journalistic verification would
have been sufficient to realize
that the changes made in
Wikipedia didn’t have anything
to do with the Holy See.”
According to a Thursday report by the BBC, some organizations, such as the CIA and the
Vatican, have altered the content
of Wikipedia.
The changes have supposedly
been verified by a new tool,
called Wikipedia Scanner, that
shows the identity of the organizations that modify content of the
virtual encyclopedia, which is
written and edited by its own
users in more than 100 languages.
According to the BBC, someone used computers in the
Vatican to edit the page on Gerry
Adams, leader of the Irish political party Sinn Fein.
The anonymous user allegedly took out links to articles
that reported the supposed finding of Adams’ fingerprints in a
car used in a double homicide in
1971, according to the BBC.
Another section, titled “Fresh
Murder Question Raised,” disappeared from the page on the
leader of Sinn Fein.
Father Lombardi noted that
the accusations received wide
coverage in many media organizations, but called this type of
reporting “typical” for slow
news days, prevalent while the
Northern Hemisphere enjoys
vacation.
The director of the Vatican
press office explained that, even
if the BBC verifies the story, one
still has to take into account that
there are many computers in the
Vatican, and that anyone could
have access to Wikipedia on any
one of them. (Zenit)
Pope appeals for aid for South
Asians affected by severe
flooding
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, August 20, 2007—Pope Benedict XVI
appealed to the international
community to quickly come to
the aid of millions of people affected by severe flooding in
South Asia.
After praying the Aug. 12
noonday Angelus, the pope expressed his concern for the “numerous victims and millions of
homeless” caused by the “serious floods” in Pakistan, India,
Bangladesh, Nepal and China.
More than 20 million people
have been made homeless by the
floods and hundreds more have
died.
Relief workers said the
region’s seasonal monsoons and
rains this year brought the worst
flooding they have seen in
nearly a decade. Flooding destroyed housing, cut off roads,
food and medical supplies, and
contaminated potable water
sources for millions of people.
The pope urged the world’s
Catholics “to pray for the victims and to support initiatives
of solidarity aimed at alleviat-
ing the suffering of so many
people so harshly tried.”
“May there not lack immediate and generous support from
the international community for
these brothers and sisters of
ours,” he said.
The pope’s appeal came after
he asked the faithful to live prudently and wisely, reminding
them that “on this earth, we are
only passing through.”
Before reciting the Angelus,
the pope said Christians should
keep their hearts and eyes on
heaven in anticipation of the
eternal life to come.
He said Abraham lived “in the
Promised Land as in a foreign
country,” living in tents, recognizing he was a stranger on
earth, “seeking a homeland” in
heaven.
The pope reminded people to
think of “the life of the world to
come” and invited everyone to
live “wisely and with foresight,
to carefully consider our destiny” and the final realities of
“death, the last judgment, eternity, hell and paradise.” (CNS)
Zambian bishops urge Catholics
to study statement on reforms
LUSAKA, Zambia, August 14,
2007—Zambia’s Catholic bishops
have urged all Zambian Catholics to get together in small community groups to study their
statement on constitutional reform, calling the current time a
“critical moment in the democratic life” of the southern African country.
In the pastoral statement read
in churches across the country
Aug. 12 and scheduled to be
broadcast daily for two weeks on
church-sponsored community
radio stations, the Zambian bishops’ conference said group study
will enable people “to understand what is at stake.” The bishops encouraged Catholics “to call
on their local members of parliament to fully explain to them how
(they) will represent them on
these constitutional issues.”
The bishops said they told
President Levy Mwanawasa at
their July 12 meeting with him
that Zambia will never have a legitimate constitution unless it is
“genuinely a product of national
consensus, that is, inclusive of all
social groups in this country: political, religious, civil society,
government” and others. A British-drafted constitution has been
used since the former colony’s independence in 1964.
“According to our traditional
Zambian wisdom and practice,
all serious issues are to be
thrashed out in a wide group, representative of different opinions
and viewpoints; otherwise there
is the danger that a wise decision
will not be reached and that the
decision will not be accepted by
the people,” the bishops said in
the statement signed by their
conference president, Archbishop
Telesphore Mpundu of Lusaka.
The bishops support recommendations, which were made in
2005 by a constitutional review
committee, that the president be
elected by a “50 plus 1 percent
majority” instead of by simple
majority. The recommendations
also provide for reduced presidential powers and an independent judiciary.
A bill of rights and a constitutional court “which can handle
both human rights cases and electoral issues” need to be established, the bishops said.
“We stand by the repeated demand of the people of Zambia for a
new constitution, not an amended
old constitution,” they said.
The church has been outspoken
in its insistence that the new constitution be enacted by a constituent assembly instead of parliament, which is dominated by
Mwanawasa’s party, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy.
The bishops said they join their
voice “to those who are calling
for patriotic sacrifice” by participants in the constituent assembly,
“who should serve on the basis
of sponsorship by their own organizations so as to reduce overall costs.”
Mwanawasa repeatedly has
said the country cannot afford the
recommended constitution-making process. (CNS)
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
News Features
Bishops-Ulama, AFP: Dialogue
is key to peace-making
Columbus.
Cardinal Bertone
was the main celebrant of a Mass for
the Knights of Columbus in his first
trip to the United
States since being
named to his Vatican
position last year by
Pope Benedict XVI.
Cardinal Bertone
made the trip to
Nashville, Tenn., specifically to attend the
Order’s convention
and to deliver a message from the Holy
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone
Father.
In his homily, Cardinal Bertone conveyed sacred filling the spacious convention center’s
Pope Benedict’s best wishes. “Please be as- ballroom, as a Fourth Degree honor guard
sured of the Holy Father’s spiritual closeness passed down the center aisle. The sacred
[to the Knights] and of a special remem- strains of the hymn “The Heavens Are Tellbrance in his prayers at this time.”
ing” was begun by the choir, and a long line
He also assured attendees of the Holy of priests, bishops and cardinals then proFather’s “gratitude for the good works car- cessed to the sanctuary and kissed the altar.
ried out by the Knights of Columbus.”He
With chairs arranged from wall to wall,
praised Knights of Columbus founder, the more than 2,600 Knights, wives and family
Servant of God Father Michael J. McGivney, members filled the ballroom for the Tuescalling him a “holy parish priest” who “min- day morning liturgy.
The Mass was the new liturgy of the
istered to [parishioners] with Christ-like comChurch offered in Latin, and Cardinal Bertone
passion.”
He “found the faith and courage to walk delivered his homily in Italian, with simulsteadfastly toward Christ and to inspire oth- taneous translation provided to the delegates
ers by his leadership,” said Cardinal Bertone. in their own language through the use of
The cardinal also commended the Order headsets.
Intentions for the Prayer of the Faithful
for its works of mercy and charity, comparing Knights to the Good Samaritan. “You were read by brother Knights in English,
bind the wounds of those you discover lying Spanish, Polish, French and the Filipino lanby the wayside and help restore them to guage Tagalog.Cardinal Bertone imparted his
health and strength,” he said. “We thank the apostolic blessing at the close of Mass “as a
Lord for the good works that are carried out gift of the abundant divine blessing.”
After Mass, he joined fellow clergy memin the Catholic community through the genbers for a lunch hosted by the Knights of Coerosity of the Knights of Columbus.”
The Aug. 7 Mass began with a hush of the lumbus. (Catholic Information Service)
© Denz Dayao / CBCP Media
Criminal syndicates behind child pornography
THE newly-organized Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ Ad-Hoc Committee Against Child Pornography said minors
as young as three years old have been used
by criminal syndicates to pose nude for the
digital cameras and the Internet.
In a press briefing in time for the Feast of
Our Lady of the Assumption, former Ambassador to the Holy See and PPCRV Chairperson Henrietta T. de Villa condemned the practice of nefarious businessmen who exploit
children for their own selfish motives.
“We condemn the violations committed
against helpless minors, asked to pose nude
and indulge in unthinkable activities,” de
Villa said.
“The CBCP President, Archbishop Angel
N. Lagdameo has expressed support for our
advocacy as he encouraged the involved
CBCP Commissions to coordinate their re-
spective efforts for optimum results,” de Villa
added.
She said the Catholic Church through the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and its respective Commissions on
Youth, Family and Life, Laity and the Offices
on Women and Media have begun its advocacy campaign to call on government and the
citizens to prevent further child exploitation.
De Villa also said the ad-hoc committee
received reports some parents were even encouraging their children to participate in the
production of pornographic movies for cash
or gifts.
Asked how the committee will lead the
campaign, Ambassador de Villa said the
Church has its mandated organizations,
schools and colleges nationwide along with
parishes. “We will go heavy in informationeducation-communication campaigns
through the help of the media,” the former
Philippine envoy said.
Optical and Media Board Chair Edu
Manzano said he appreciates the support of
the Catholic Church as he revealed Filipino
minors have been seen in locally-produced
pornographic materials.
“The materials featured children engaged
in sexual activities too graphic to describe,”
Manzano said.
He reported complaints have been filed
against several mall owners, retailers and
smugglers. “We also appreciate the reception
we got from government prosecutors who
assisted us in going after these legit businessmen, peddlers and wholesalers,” he added.
A “lugawan” with the country’s legislators
has been scheduled next month to discuss
what additional laws are needed to put a stop
to child pornography.
The ad-hoc committee’s research revealed
while there are enough laws, the penalties
are “too light” to serve as deterrent to criminal syndicates.
It was also noted that credit card companies have not cooperated with investigating
agencies to ferret child pornography subscribers. A law is needed to penalize mere
possession of child pornographic materials.
It will be recalled government authorities
rescued around 70 minors aged 5 to 12 years
old from a syndicate involved in the production of pornographic materials in Laguna
province during the second semester of 2004.
The incident caught international attention.
Former Ambassador de Villa said the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines issued its pastoral letter on the exploitation of children as early as January 31, 1998
during the leadership of Lingayen-Dagupan
Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz. (CBCPNews)
Lawmaker hits Church on population, reproductive health
REPRESENTATIVE Janet Garin of Iloilo
launched Wednesday an open attack on the
Catholic Church for its unswerving defense
of the right to life and its consistent opposition to proposed anti-life and anti-family
laws.
In a privilege speech on population and
reproductive health, Garin sought support for
House Bill No. 17, which seeks to establish a
national policy on reproductive health, responsible parenthood and population development, even before the bill could be referred
to a committee, which has yet to be organized.
Oddly enough, the members on the floor
failed to point out that any discussion of the
bill was premature.
Garin claimed that having too many children was inimical to women’s health; that it
contributed to so much poverty; that it burdened the government’s development goals;
and that family planning was needed to improve women’s quality of life.
Garin blamed the Church for the failure of
Congress to enact population control and
reproductive health laws. She said the Church
habitually lobbied members of Congress to
deny support to population control and reproductive health bills.
Garin accused the Church of violating the
principle of separation of Church and State,
without giving any indication of how this
principle was to be correctly understood.
Nobody reminded the congresswoman
that it is the State that needs to be prevented
from violating the rights of the people and
the Church whenever it attempts to control
the basic human rights of the individual or
the family concerning procreation.
Congressman Eduardo Zialcita of
Paranaque made a manifestation that he and
the recently organized Pro-life Caucus in
Congress will block all anti-life bills. Zialcita
said these bills have failed to pass in past
congresses because the majority did not think
they deserved to be supported.
Congressman Roilo Golez of Paranaque
stood to refute Garin’s claims. He cited the
contribution to the nation’s economy and to
global professional excellence by children of
big poor families who have made it to the
top because their parents invested everything
in their education.
By their regular remittances of 15 billion
dollars a year, these children of poor families who are employed abroad continue to
contribute to the country’s economic growth,
Golez said.
Golez proposed that instead of wasting
money on population control, the government should invest on education to make the
country globally competitive in the labor
market. A good number of legislators were
seen nodding in agreement.
Despite the fact that Buhay Party, which
clearly stood on a pro-life platform, topped
the party list elections and has three representatives now sitting in the House, House
Bill 17 in its explanatory note claims that 86%
of Filipinos approve of candidates advocating women’s health programs while 82% support those advocating family planning programs.
The country’s population growth rate has
been going down consistently despite the
corollary decline in the contraceptive prevalence rate. However, the government, with
the help of foreign funding agencies, seems
bent on pushing a sterilization program considered immoral by the Catholic Church.
Local governments are now poised to pass
Reproductive Health Codes in local legislatures through local ordinances as a followthrough of their success in passing Gender
and Development Codes without consultation with family and other sectors as mandated by the Constitution.
Pro-life and pro-family advocates in the
House are convinced the Church has an active role to play in making sure that legislators are guided by the moral law in proposing any legislation concerning the individual
and the family. (Ma. Fenny Tatad)
© Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis
Cardinal Bertone will bring ‘Excellent
Report’ back to Holy Father after
attending KC convention
AT a press conference on August 9 with members of the international Catholic press, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said he will give “an
excellent report” to Pope Benedict XVI on his
trip to the United States to attend the Knights
of Columbus 125th Supreme Council Meeting in Nashville.
”I am going to bring some of the documents
from the meeting, in particular the written
report of Mr. Carl Anderson that was presented to us yesterday,” said Cardinal Bertone,
referring the Supreme Knight Carl A.
Anderson’s annual report.Supreme Knight
Anderson hosted the press conference, which
was also attended by Archbishop Pietro Sambi,
the apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The oral presentation of the annual report
was given by the Supreme Knight on Tuesday morning during the opening session of
the convention. In it he spoke about the proud
history of the Knights of Columbus, the
world’s largest Catholic fraternal family organization, and he outlined the Order’s continued growth in membership and charitable
works for the Church and society.At the press
conference, which included U.S. and overseas
journalists, Cardinal Bertone also spoke
about Father Michael J. McGivney.
”I can only hope that his life truly be made
known to many more people throughout the
world as it has been made known to people
here in the United States,” the cardinal said.
”It is not only the fact that his life revolved
around questions of social care of people, but
also that his life must be made known in its
fullness for what it really stood for—his commitment to catechesis and evangelization. It
can’t be presented as a life that was only for
social needs but also must be told from the
perspective of a man of the Church.”
At the convention’s opening Mass the day
before, Cardinal Bertone preached on the life
and virtues of Father McGivney and said that
he takes a personal interest in the cause for
beatification of the founder of the Knights of
A3
IN a statement released before
their August 9 meeting the BUC
convenors emphasized that despite having the same goal of
promoting peace and order, both
religious leaders and law enforcers vary in their methods of
implementing it.
“Hence there is a need of building lines and occasions of peaceful communication and dialogue
among them towards an effective
mutual collaboration,” the statement said.
Acknowledging the key role of
religious leaders and peacekeepers in promoting peace through
respectful dialogue, both parties
agreed to strive to build bridges
of solidarity, reconciliation and
peace through dialogue calling
on each citizen to fulfill their role
in peace-making.
Officials of the Tripartite Commission of the Bishops-Ulama
Conference (BUC) led by Davao
archbishop Fernando Capalla,
UCCP Bishop emeritus Hilario
Gomez and Ulama League President Dr. Mahid Mutilan met last
August 9 with representatives of
the Armed Forces of the Philippines, (AFP) the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Military Ordinariate to a dialogue for
peace in Mindanao.
National Security Adviser Secretary Norberto Gonzales, General Hermogenes Esperon, and
Director General Oscar Calderon
represented the AFP and PNP.
Contentious situations “such as
land conflicts, misrepresentation
and inaccurate reporting, the
threat of hostilities breaking out
because of possible flash points,
provocations because of biases
and prejudices” remain problematic issues that call for an ongoing dialogue.
Both parties agreed that dialogue should start from the
grassroots and work its way up
to the level of leadership.
Serving as a liaison between
the Bishop-Ulama and military
in the peace process is Military
Ordinariate Bishop Leopoldo
Tumulak, DD.
According to Fr. John
Brillantes, the bishop’s secretary,
the Military Ordinariate’s participation in the peace dialogue is
important because of the
military’s involvement in the ongoing clashes.
“[The bishop] wants to be involved in the peace process because the men and women in uniform are at the center stage of the
ongoing conflict in Mindanao,”
he said.
Tumulak has issued instruction
to all chaplaincies of AFP and
PNP throughout the country to
organized Holy hour and pray
for peace in violence-racked Sulu
and Basilan provinces.
The government deployed
more than 4,000 soldiers in Sulu
and Basilan last week in a military offensive against Abu
(Pinky
Sayyaf
bandits.
Barrientos, FSP)
Arguelles to launch Marian
Society
A MARIOLOGICAL Society to be
called Pueblo Amante de Maria
Mariological Society of the Philippines (PAMMSPhil) will be
launched on September 12, in time
for the annual pilgrimage and celebration of the National Day of
Prayer for Peace and Sanctification
of the Clergy in honor of Mary,
Mediatrix of All Grace.
Mariological societies are established in many countries around
the world, but not one yet is set up
in the Philippines.
According to Fr. Melvin Castro,
president and founder of the Confraternity of Mary, Mediatrix of All
Grace, the choice of the name for
the society manifests the Filipinos’
filial devotion to the Blessed
Mother.
“Archbishop Arguelles does
not want it [society] just to be
called Mariological society but
Pueblo de Amante which speaks of
the Marian spirit that essentially
describes us as a people and as a
country,” he said.
PAMMSPhil will have theologians and Marian devotees as
members. Castro said the goal is to
make an in depth study of Marian
devotions and provide theological
foundation to guide devotees in
their devotional practices.
“There is a tendency among our
devotees to resort to fanaticism [in
their devotional practices, so the
need for] theological basis or foundation,” said Castro.
On September 11, an overnight
vigil and healing mass is scheduled
with Fr. Jerry Orbos as speaker.
Archbishop Ramon Arguelles
will celebrate the 6 am mass on
September 12 to be followed by a
Marian conference at 8 am. Fr.
Melvin Castro will talk on the Lipa
apparitions that happened 59 years
ago. In the afternoon, Archbishop
Arguelles will officially launch
PAMMSPhil following the talk of
Jesuit theologian Fr. Catalino
Arevalo, who will explain what
Pueblo de Amante meant. The day
will be capped with a
concelebrated mass with Cardinal
Ricardo Vidal as main celebrant
and Archbishop Angel Lagdameo
as homilist.
Pueblo Amante de Maria has Archbishop Arguelles as president and
Ambassador Howard Dee as vice
president. Current members are
composed of theologians from the
clergy and Marian groups Friends
of the Mediatrix and Magnificat
movements. The membership
committee is headed by Fr. Melvin
Castro.
National Pilgrimage
Already in its fourth year, the
annual pilgrimage in honor of
Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace has
drawn thousands of Marian devotees all over the country who
gather in Lipa Carmel to pay homage to our Lady.
The annual pilgrimage is spearheaded by the Archdiocese of Lipa
and National Movement for Mary,
Mediatrix of All Grace.
The National Movement is a
coalition of various Marian organizations in the country, one
of which is Friends of Mary the
Mediatrix. (Pinky Barrientos,
FSP)
Church promotes breastfeeding
THE Catholic Church has backed
calls from health experts to push
breastfeeding instead of highly
advertised milk substitutes.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, through its
Episcopal Commission on Health
Care (CBCP-ECHC) is promoting
ways to help mothers who find
breastfeeding a challenge.
The ECHC has recently distributed a 4-page handout to all the
parishes, Catholic schools and the
faithful about the advantages children can get from mother’s milk.
In the handout, the Church
group stressed the importance of
breast milk as a “unique gift from
God” that nobody can replace.
“It is really fascinating to see a
baby in the arms of a mother giving life through breastfeeding,”
it said.
“Imagine our lives without her
caring arms and nurturing milk
in her breasts. You are really
blessed if your mother decided
to breastfeed you. You should be
thankful for she shared the
unique gift of God that nobody
can replace,” the information
material added.
The ECHC encouraged all
mothers to breastfeed their babies as a way to share the “gift
only a mother can give”.
The group also lauded the
World Health Organization
(WHO), UNICEF and the Department of Health (DOH) in underscoring
the
importance
breastfeeding.
The WHO in Manila earlier
sought the help of the Catholic
Church in promoting natural feeding rather than the artificial milk.
WHO director for Western Pacific Dr. Shigeru Omi said the
Church has a significant role to
play in this advocacy.
“The Church is still very influential in many societies and it
could help our advocacy," he said.
Omi said the Church can use
the resources and opportunities
available to it to inform people
about the advantages of
breastfeeding.
The WHO official said the
Church, through its priests and
ministers, can inform everyone
in their congregation that
breastfeeding is the most effective intervention to promote the
healthy development of children.
(Roy Lagarde)
CBCP Monitor
Opinion
A4
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
EDITORIAL
Disturbing Questions
EVEN just the thought of that fateful 10 July which marked the
date of the betrayal of those killed and desecrated soldiers in
Basilan is already revolting enough. And to be further told that no
less than certain public officials in effect authored the deception
that led those soldiers to their death and desecration to the disgust
of people—and make their comrades-in-arms not only sick in the
stomach but also very resentful and very tired of the present
system as a whole.
The questions are many and the answers are still unknown to date.
Why were the soldiers ordered to go to Basilan to look for Fr. Bossi
when it was rather common knowledge that he was somewhere
else? Why were the already dead soldiers, still treated with
barbaric acts to generate public anger and disgust? Why were
“board and lodging fees”, still paid to the kidnappers of Fr. Bossi
after all the gross inhumanity done to the soldiers? These questions
test reason and logic.
The atrocity committed on 10 July has a more disgusting aftermath.
An “all out war” was declared by Malacañang. More soldiers die.
Thousands of men, women and children have fled from the war
zone. Farms are left behind and means of livelihood are gone.
Meantime, the collateral damage is still going on. This is not to
mention the price tag appended to the “war” in the tune of 1 billion
pesos a month—courtesy of people’s taxes. It is bad enough when
countries are at war with another. It is hideous when a government
declares war against its own people. And this is exactly the big
and hideous misfortune of Mindanao.
More than the issue of either stopping or going on with the “war”,
the more fundamental question is why Mindanao by and large
remains underdeveloped, continuous to be restless, manages to
ward off Philippine governance? Must war and peace already be
accepted as Mindanao cycle? Is there no real, honest and lasting
solution to the Mindanao predicament? If there still is, would the
government led by someone who recently claimed the tenure of
as much strength as wanted, deign to search for and find the
needed solution?
Bp. Guillermo V. Afable, DD
DADITAMA
LAST July 29, 2007 was Fil-Mission Sunday—
a local Church celebration every last Sunday of July. It is, first of all, a special day of
thanksgiving for the gift of faith we received
as a nation. It is also a day dedicated to our
Filipino missionaries, particularly the members of the Mission Society of the Philippines (MSP) for their selfless efforts in proclaiming the Gospel, especially to the young
Churches in Asia and in other parts of the
world on behalf of the Catholic Church in
the Philippines. Lastly, it is a day for the
Church in the Philippines to renew its commitment to World Mission.
Fil-Mission Sunday is a special day for
Archdioceses and dioceses, all over the Philippines to take part in mission cooperation
through the special collection for the FilMission Society to support their missionaries in 13 countries in Asia, Oceania, Europe,
and South America. Our contributions will
also help support those generous and daring young men preparing themselves to
become missionaries.
The dioceses of DADITAMA have long
been active in this missionary cooperation
Reform the Tax Law
THE injunction for both Houses of Congress to “Reform the tax
law” seems to have been officially given on the occasion of the
last glorious and glorified State of the Nation Address (SONA).
In the event that such is really the marching orders given to the
Legislative Branch of Government by the Supreme Executive in
the land, then such can only mean any or all of the following both
disturbing considerations.
One, when this present administration wants the Tax Law
reformed, it is only for the fools and silly to even think that the
intent is to lower direct and indirect taxes reluctantly and infallibly
paid by the financially able and unable citizens, respectively. It
only and categorically means that all taxes of all kinds should be
increased by all means.
Two, the government is cash-strapped. Prior to the May elections,
the national leadership openly and proudly said that in the matter
of finance, the country was safe and sound. But after the elections,
the economic scenery of the Philippines is no longer that shiny or
rosy. It does not take much learning or wisdom to conclude that
someone has not been telling the truth.
not only with our material help but also with
vocations to the different missionary societies. In fact, a number of religious institutes and lay associations in DADITAMA
have members in local and foreign missions—the PM Sisters, Dominican Sisters,
TDM Sisters, Missionaries of the Assumption, MIC Sisters, PME Fathers, Lay Women
in Mission, to name a few.
Our local diocesan priests have not been
wanting in missionary cooperation. The first
known diocesan priest to volunteer for foreign mission through the associate program
of the Fil-Mission Society was Fr. Jun Pelotos
of the Diocese of Tagum. He was a missionary in Papua New Guinea. Other priests from
Davao and Digos, and Mati, later joined up
with the MSP too, strengthening the close
ties between them.
Responding to the missionary call to every local church, the Diocese of Tagum and
the Archdiocese of Davao have also been
sending diocesan priests to dioceses abroad,
in Europe, America, Australia, and the West
Indies, with whom they have some sort of a
“fidei donum” arrangement. Such generos-
Pondo ng Pinoy and
Stewardship
Three, the leadership super-vision of super-regions with superinfrastructures eventually means super-taxation. And the super
amount of money needed by the super-visionary can only come
from even the super-poor in this country. It is atrocious—to say
the least—when one’s big ego-trip has to be financed by everybody
already stripped of their own ego according to the intrinsic dignity
as human persons.
I AM back on Radio Veritas 846. This time, I
am cohosting the Pondo ng Pinoy hour every
Sunday from 11:00 to 12:00 noon. The main
host, Bro. Archie, has been handling that program for the past three years and has truly
been able to get the commitment of so many
listeners with his excellent choice of Scripture
verses and reflections related to the vision and
mission of Pondo ng Pinoy.
Last Sunday, we were lucky to interview
through phone patch, Fr. Daniel Mahan on the
topic of STEWARDSHIP. Fr. Mahan is the Executive Director of the Marian Center for
Catholic Stewardship of Indiana.
Fr. Daniel spent a few weeks here in our
country giving talks on Stewardship at the
ICLA, EAPI, Loyola School of Theology and
Maryhill. His last four days was spent in
Tagaytay giving a retreat to the staff of Caritas
Manila and Veritas Radio.
During our radio program, he explained the
four components of Stewardship: Gratitude,
Responsibility, Sharing and Accountability. He
The “reform the tax law” imperative is in fact already being
hurriedly and faithfully complied with by any government agency
that is privileged in so doing. It is enough to cite the no less than
a whooping 2,600% tax increase suddenly and actually dictated
by the BIR on bus, taxi and even jeepney operators. If this out of
the blue and out of tune taxation imperative were observed, who
else but the riding public in fact will pay it.
Lately, it was even reported that the BIR has been going even to
barely existing small private schools with the intent of squeezing
taxes from them. It is not enough that the government does not help
them with the taxes they collect from the general public. It is even
intent in taxing again the parents of the students.
Fil-Mission Sunday – A
Call to Mission
ity from these dioceses manifest the missionary spirit inculcated by missionaries
among the faithful, who began the mission
work in the region in the past two centuries,
especially the Augustinian Recollects, the
Jesuits, and the PME Fathers, Maryknoll Fathers/Brothers/Sisters, as well as the RVM
Sisters.
Once again, in solidarity with the Fil-Mission Society and other missionary lay and
religious institutes, DADITAMA is proud
and happy to have celebrated Fil-Mission
Sunday. We recognize that still the “harvest
is great and the laborers are few” so we continue to pray, as the Lord commands, “Father, you willed that all men be saved and come to
the knowledge of your truth. Inspire our homes
to become seedbeds of missionary vocation, by
their constant prayer and the quality of their
Christian life. Watch over our Fil-Missioners in
the missions. In times of difficulty, may they find
strength in doing your will. Be gracious to all
benefactors and friends of Fil-Mission. May you,
who cannot be outdone in generosity, reward
them a hundredfold. All these we ask of you, Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, RGS
Love Life
explained it in very simple and practical terms
so it was quite easy for us to link up the concepts of Stewardship to our Pondo ng Pinoy
catechism of the Theology of the Crumbs.
The first step in living Stewardship, according to Fr. Mahan, is Gratitude or Thanksgiving.
A person is imbued with the sense of gratitude
for all the blessings that the Lord has given. One
cannot be grateful and unhappy at the same time.
A grateful person is a peaceful person. Anything we are grateful for, we do not destroy or
exploit. We take good care and we treasure them.
What a powerful lesson for us, especially as we
care for our natural resources and for each other
as brothers and sisters of our one Father.
The second step is having a sense of Responsibility for our talents, time and treasure. He
also expounded on the need for us to be responsible for our Faith—to study the Scriptures, the
doctrines of the Church, the latest teachings. It
is important for us to be able to explain convincingly to people who are out to destroy the
Church or are ignorant of our Religion.
The third is Sharing or Generosity. When we
share of the blessings of God to us, this brings
out the best in us. This is a challenge to parents—giving oneself and one’s time to their
children without counting the cost. Being an
example to the children by doing parish work
or charitable activities is teaching them in practical ways how to be generous. Where your
treasure is, there is your heart.
At this point, we discussed how embarrassing it is for us to admit that there is such a wide
gap between the rich and the poor in our country. However, this is what the Pondo ng Pinoy
aims to bridge and to respond to—the poverty
of so many of our people. Fr. Mahan admitted
that he saw the heartbreaking conditions of
poor children and families living in the streets.
But he also noticed the generosity of more and
more people volunteering their time, talent and
treasure as they participate in the parish programs for the poor. He reminded us to “do the
good that you can do and to do it today.”
Love Life / A7
ISSN 1908-2940
CBCP Monitor
P r o ta g o n i s t
of
Tr u t h ,
Promoter
of
Rev. Euly B. Belizar, SThD
By the Roadside
Peace
Pedro C. Quitorio
Bias for Life vs. Demands
of (National) Security?
Pinky Barrientos, FSP
Kris P. Bayos
Associate Editor
Feature Editor
Melo M. Acuña
Rowena T. Dalanon
Managing Editor
Marketing Supervisor
Dennis B. Dayao
Ernani M. Ramos
On-Line Editor
Circulation Manager
Roy Q. Lagarde
Marcelita Dominguez
News Editor
Comptroller
The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the CBCP
Communications Development Foundation, Inc., with
editorial and business of fices at 470 Gen. Luna St.,
Intramuros, Manila. P.O. Box 3601, 1076 MCPO.
Editorial: (063) 404-2182. Business: (063)404-1612.
Email: cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net
Website: www.cbcpworld.net/cbcpmonitor
Layout by Denz Dayao
Editor-in-Chief
IN the Philippines we are all aghast at the sight
of flag-draped coffins of soldiers who have died
in the on-going Mindanao war between government forces and the Abu Sayyaf plus its allies from the MILF and MNLF. Television footages or accounts of decapitated or mutilated
bodies make us recoil or gasp in horror but
hardly lie. “It’s a waste of lives,” Roman Catholic Bishop Martin Jumoad of Basilan recently
lamented. Absolutely no one from the conflicting forces openly disagrees. The bias for life as
expressed by the bishop is rarely, if at all, questioned in the land of Rizal. But its slow downgrading is being subtly shown in our life-fornational-security government culture.
On the one hand, the scenario of the dead,
the dying, the wounded, displaced families and
the innocent being victimized by the crimes of
a few has the makings of a public relations
nightmare for the government. It has sparked
chorus after chorus of protests from civil, religious and ordinary concerned citizens. On the
other hand, the Philippine government insists
there is no other way to deal with the perceived
terrorists than to crush them. And the seeming
public relations nightmare that the deaths of
soldiers have become is fast being turned into
a public relations offensive.
In other more democratic countries (the U.S.
for one) governments strictly keep the media
away from covering the arrival of and funeral
rites for the casualties of war to avoid demoralizing the population; here the media have become society’s celebrity-and-hero makers,
something the government is keen to use. First
off, media coverage of mutilated, decapitated
or plainly killed soldiers has beefed up support for the government war effort by inciting
desires for revenge from the majority (Christian) population from whom majority of the
dead soldiers come. Second, by hailing the dead
soldiers as “mga bagong bayani (new heroes)”
and giving them public honor is also, in effect,
clothing the life-for-national-security culture
with a mantle of nobility.
Though national security is often seen as the
requirement for the survival of the nation-state
by the use of political, economic, diplomatic
and military powers, in real terms the survival
at stake may not necessarily always be that of
the nation-state itself but, instead, that of an
individual or group in power. Therein lies the
crux of the problem in Third World countries
Roadside / A7
CBCP Monitor
Opinion
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
A5
Oscar V. Cruz, DD
Views and Points
THE Government and PCSO officials concerned recently made certain affirmations that
will readily qualify for inclusion in the sphere
of the incredible or for entry in the Guinness
Book of World Biggest Jokes—if there’s such a
thing.
What they said presumably with straight
faces, were not simply funny but downright
offensive to people with but elementary knowledge. The said officials are high ranking and
are wherefore presumed to be not only competent but also intelligent. But as the fish is
caught by its mouth, their pronouncements
betrayed either their vain attempt to justify
gambling or pitiful ignorance of common realities.
Big Joke 1: It was claimed that the intended
increase of lotto bets from 10 to 20 pesos could
drive the public to indulge instead in illegal
numbers games!
The truth is before and after the introduction
of the government sponsored gambling of
lotto, the illegal numbers games have been
thriving well specially after 2001. To this date
and time, jueteng and masiao are openly promoted and at times even boldly protected in
many provinces. If the said government and
PCSO officials do not know this public and
standing fact, they are either much uninformed
or they simply refuse to know the truth.
Big Joke 2: The 100% proposed increase in
price tag of every lotto ticket was intended to
increase PCSO revenues for its numerous charity works!
The reality is that the major portion of the
PCSO gambling revenues goes to fund anything and everything—with but a pittance
thereof going to works of charity. The best argument in proving this practice is the immediate attachment of PCSO—and of PAGCOR—to
Malacañang which is certainly not a charitable
agency.
Big Joke 3: PCSO said that it believed that the
primary purpose or intention of lotto bettors
The Methodology of
Observe—Judge—Act
CBCP announced the holding of the Second
National Rural Congress next year. The first
one was held 40 years ago in 1968. Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo expects the congress “to review the continuing issues confronting the country’s poor in the rural areas.” He further stated that the farmers,
fisherfolks, rural women and youth to “speak
by themselves, the discerning, the proposing of their own ideas, the planning of how
we must as a people come together to work
for the common good of our country”.
The archbishop further stated to adopt the
See-Judge-Act Methodology through which
the participants will describe the current situation of various sectors of the rural poor, the
role of Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) and
church-based rural development programs.
As a long time member of the Christian
Family Movement, we use the same methodology in our family evangelization process. Using a prepared guidebook, a CFM
unit consisting of 6 to 8 couples follow the
OBSERVE-JUDGE-ACT methodology in
discussing the assigned topic for the day, for
example, a family life topic, Marriage According to God’s Plan”.
The OBSERVE portion for the example
stated above, is a quotation from Familiaris
Consortio Para. 11. The members study the
meaning of the Pope’s message about man
and woman in marriage: “God inscribed in the
humanity of man and woman the vocation and the
Joke, Joke, Joke
was to help in its charitable works and that the
chance of winning was merely secondary.
This claim is tops in incredibility and super
even to inanity. People gamble for charity!
Gamblers have altruistic intentions! Gambling
is motivated generosity! If this were really the
case, then their biggest gamblers should be
presented by PCSO and PAGCOR, as candidates
for sainthood. The fact is that gambling stands
for avarice and greed that make gamblers covet
what they did not sweat for, what belongs to
others.
The now on-going avid search of the present
administration for money by all means and at
any cost has but one fundamental rationale: It’s
broke! This is why practically all government
agencies are poised to raise fees and taxes. There
is even one that wants to do this at the rate of
2,600%! It can be said that government allies
are all out to ingratiate themselves to the national leadership by handling this more and
more—at the expense of the people, of course.
Jose B. Lugay
Laiko Lampstand
capacity and responsibility, of love and communion. Love is therefore the fundamental and innate
vocation of every human being.”
A COMMENTARY portion follows the
quotation from the Papal exhortation, usually an excerpt from a treatise on the subject
by experts on family life. Having enough
background information to go into a thorough deliberation, discussion questions are
prepared. This include current observed
marriage situations—divorce, same-sex marriage, separation, etc.
The JUDGE portion is the analytical part
of the process which answers the questions
WHAT, WHO, WHEN, HOW and WHY?
In preparation for sharing the answers, a
short quotation from the SCRIPTURE is read
and meditated upon (Bible Sharing Process).
This is the part where the chaplain or gabay
answers questions that come up during the
sharing process. Hence the couples are
guided by the clarification of the church’s
teachings on the specific issue.
The ACT or Christian Response is an action
plan or activity to be undertaken as a response to the issues discussed during the
JUDGE portion.
The final part of the meeting will be the
Report of the ACT assignment of the previous week followed by the Closing Prayer.
The Observe-Judge-Act Methodology applied on a continuing basis, every other week
with the same group for many years, is an
evangelization process without equal for
family life.
On the 50th Anniversary of the Christian
Family Movement, the anniversary book
described the history of the Observe-Judge
Act Methodology. This was introduced by
Fr. Jospsph Cardijn of Belgium who later
became a Cardinal, in 1913. Inspired by the
encyclical Rerum Novarum, a letter on the conditions of the working class, the widening
gap between the rich and the poor and other
social ills, he organized the workers into
small groups or cells and developed lay leaders among them. He instructed them to:
+ Observe—What was their experience in
their factories? What was happening to them?
+ Judge—What were they seeing in the
light of Christ’s teachings?
+ Act—What can they do to make their situation better?
The workers responded well to his instructions and took steps to improve the situation. This was the beginning of Catholic Action, an apostolic movement using the “Review of Life”, a methodology of formation
which would later be referred to as the Inquiry Method, the Cardjin Technique or now
more commonly known as the OJA (Observe-Judge-Act) Method.
Applying this methodology as recommended by Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo
we wish success to the Second National Rural Congress!
Nicolo F. Bernardo
Lifeguard
GOD always forgives, man sometimes, nature never.
Plato’s account of Atlantis tells of a once
flourishing city suddenly swallowed by the
sea in 9,400 BC. Its treasures and its history
went along into the deeps.
By 2100, this could happen again, with
Metro Manila, Cebu and coastal cities submerged underwater. We may not be around
by then, but our children and grandchildren
will.
Such is the forecast of climate specialists
from the Asia-Pacific Seminar on Climate
Change. Global warming is thawing the
whole polar Greenland and the continent of
Antarctica as to raise sea levels by 72 meters.
It is the “inconvenient truth,” as Al Gore’s
documentary warns. Climate changes are
here, causing frequent vicious typhoons and
a hotter breeze year-round that brings respiratory distress, draught, and pestilence. The
warmer but wet environment is perfect for
breeding mosquitoes, plagues and pests.
This scientific estimate, which sounds
doomsday—floods, diseases, famine, is not
really surprising. In my former hometown
in Valenzuela City, along with neighboring
Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas (the
Camanava area), this has begun.
Until It Sinks
At Coloong 1, Valenzuela where my family used to live, there was once a land area
that stretches to Bulacan where the community could plant crops and walk through a
short route to other towns. I was four years
old when I recall playing and running around
those plains. Now, they are dirty swamps
and quasi-rivers. Heavy downpours came,
then the floods, and the waters never drained.
We were never to see the fertile area dry
again. Whenever there are typhoons, the
flood on the roads can rise above human
level, trapping residents in their homes’ second storeys (if they have one). There were
some outbreaks of dengue fever, which I suffered and survived. My family, like some of
our neighbors, decided to leave for good.
Today, with all the flash-floods, inundation, and land slides happening everywhere,
I am reminded of that loss. I am not even in
my mid-twenties and yet so much have
changed, even the change of seasons. I could
only pray that Filipinos are not heading to a
continuous displacement.
Since 1965, PAG-ASA has observed rising
sea levels in the country. With a coastline of
18,000 kilometers, the Philippines is vulnerable to changing sea altitudes. In fact, “even
without global warming’s full effects, flood-
water levels in Manila can already rise up to
12 meters,” told Vincent Custodio, MMDA
Pumping Station and Flood Gate Operations
engineering consultant, to this writer.
“It is very possible that Manila would submerge within a hundred years as it already
continuously subsides.”
Many countries are also hit by deadly heatwaves and super-storms. When there are no
drizzles, there’s the scorching heat of the sun.
The toll? The World Health Organization estimates 150,000 deaths annually due to global warming.
The recent four-day break of typhoon Egay
afforded me some time to reflect about our
raging nature. We may have so many plans
and deadlines on put but things now get to a
standstill when storms knock our seas, not
even our lands. Tragic accidents happen along
that may drive some to curse the heavens. It
is a humbling reminder though that there
are things beyond our control. Or rather, we
drive nature to a critical level beyond considerable control. Many of the so-called
“natural evils” bear the touch of human intervention and omission, not divine. It is in
the way we do things (use of fossil fuel energy, chlorofluorocarbons), how we litter our
Lifeguard / A6
Melo M. Acuña
‘Sayang’
PEOPLE still talk of the luxury vehicles destroyed and sold as scrap for over P150,000.
Government authorities said these vehicles had
a value of not less than P30 million. Several
policemen and a lawyer were reported to have
sued for their reward after they tipped authorities of the shipment some years ago. What surprised people were reports some of these cars,
if not all of them, were cannibalized, their stereos gone along with several other parts.
There’s much to say after the Presidential
Anti-Smuggling Group head Undersecretary
Antonio Villar, Jr. acknowledged they are in
the process of filing raps against a hundred
Customs officials and employees involved in
the smuggling of luxury vehicles through the
famed Subic Bay Freeport.
He was quoted saying Bureau of Customs
officials and employees had a hand in the re-
Issues and Concerns
lease of a Lamborghini, some BMWs, a Ferrari
and two Porsches. These cars are indeed “toys”
for the “big boys.” These cars are for those
who can really afford. No ordinary mortals
could spend so much on vehicles. But in the
Philippines, one gets what he wants for a fee. A
good example of which is the so-called “vanity
plates.”
While other ASEAN and Asian countries have
stringent measures before a vehicle could be
sold in the market, in the Philippines, we only
have two, the Clean Air Act of 1999 or Republic
Act 8749 and Seat Belts Use Act of 1999 known
as Republic Act 8750 both signed into law by
President Joseph Ejercito Estrada.
People in the car industry said they have a
minimum of six months for government to
approve the sale of new models, with various
departments seeing to it these new cars com-
ply with the provisions of the Clean Air Act
and the Seat Belts Use Act of 1999. There’s nothing wrong with complying with requirements
but could these be the same standards for the
other “luxury” vehicles up for sale at Subic, the
so-called “S U – bic vans and cars and trucks.”
Are their conversion kits according to international standards? Can’t they do anything about
sliding doors found on the left side of the vehicles? One makes us wonder how the government approved the sale of these vehicles.
They say these “S U – bic” dealers paid taxes.
Be that as it may, who gets the responsibility if
and when these vehicles get involved in fatal
accidents? If the standards for legit car manufacturers are that “stringent,” it’s got to be the
same for the “S U –bic” car dealers. Now Subic
isn’t just the country’s free port, right? (To be
continued)
Is inter-faith dialogue
faltering?
Fr. Andrew Byrne
“IF it isn’t Roman Catholic then it’s not a proper Church, Pope
tells Christians” was the provocative headline for a front-page
article in the London Times last month. The Vatican had just
released a brief but meaty document to clarify what it regarded
as mistaken views on interfaith dialogue.
The reaction was predictable. Protestant spokesmen welcomed Vatican honesty while criticizing its “lust for power”.
Comments from the pews came thick and fast. “The Babylonian
mystery religion is live and well in Papal Rome,” wrote a
Canadian. It was “self-serving exclusivism by the Pope,” according to a reader in Seattle and “offensive and insincere” in
the eyes of a reader in Melbourne.
Is Pope Benedict trying to revive the almost forgotten days
of a Cold War of bigotry and intolerance between Catholics
and Protestants? A closer reading of the 16-page document suggests that this is not the case at all. Let me explain.
When I was brought up I was taught that when saying in the
Creed: “I believe (...) in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Church” I was saying that I believed that this Church exists and
that it is to be found in “the Catholic Church”, which we understood as identical to “the Roman Catholic Church”. My world
was made up of Catholics (members of this one Church) and
Protestants (who might be very good but were not members of
the Church). We prayed for their conversion and were very
happy when we heard of people—of whom there were many—
who had asked to join the Church.
After the Second Vatican Council, especially perhaps in its
immediate aftermath, things became more complex. It became
unfashionable in the Catholic media to promote conversions.
The buzz word was “ecumenism”, often presented as dialogue
between Christian communities without any real search for
unity. What was sought was understanding, perhaps especially
on the part of us Catholics: we had to learn to see all the good
things which Protestants had. I remember my surprise at hearing of a German theologian actively dissuading a Protestant
from becoming a Catholic, on the theory that it was better for
him to remain (at least for the time being) a Protestant.
In part this change was justified by a tiny change in wording
in a document from the Second Vatican Council. Before 1964,
Catholics used to say that the Church founded by Jesus Christ
is the Catholic Church. After 1964, they said that it subsists in
the Catholic Church. Tiny? Yes. Momentous? Most emphatically. Almost immediately the change was interpreted as a
sign that the Catholic Church was retreating from its claim
that it was the authentic heir of Christ’s legacy of doctrine and
morals.
This was not true. All of the post-Vatican II popes have constantly reaffirmed the unique status of the Catholic Church.
Why then had the phrase “subsists in” been adopted if it gave
rise to such widespread misinterpretations?
We have to remember that Vatican II aimed, among other
things, to be a Council open to the world and also, therefore, to
Christians of other denominations. Anyone with a minimum
of intelligence must recognize that many elements of Christianity are clearly to be found outside the strict limits of the
visible Roman Church. The Council decided that it was good
to state this publicly. This decision opened the door to cordial
dialogue with those other communions.
Has this been fruitful? I think the answer is Yes. It has helped
Catholics to open up to the riches of the Orthodox Churches
and also to a better realization that many Protestants are in
good faith, have a great appreciation for much of Christ’s teaching and share many things with Catholics. In my own case, I
remember discovering that 17th Century Anglicans had made
extensive use of the works of mystics like St Teresa and St John
of the Cross. And practical advances, like being welcomed, as a
priest, to Anglican cathedrals; the introduction of Catholics to
Anglican and Methodist hymns; the beautiful words of the
Church of England marriage rite, and so on. Non-Catholics,
for their part, have become much more willing to recognize
the Pope as a world spiritual leader.
But there is also a down side. Seeing the good in other denominations (a good thing) has often led Catholics to think
“we are all much the same” (which may be true, inasmuch as
we are all sinners; but the difference, for Catholics, is that they
believe they belong to a Church which is holy in spite of being
made up of sinners) and then to adopt less demanding ways of
behavior of some non-Catholics (infrequent attendance at
Church; acceptance of divorce and abortion and so on.).
This is one reason why Pope Benedict has asked his theologians (as did Pope John Paul II before him) to reiterate that the
teaching about the nature of the Catholic Church has not
changed. The Pope sees this not as a “put down” to non-Catholic Christians, but a stimulus. We still believe wholeheartedly
in the Church, and that Christ has not failed. His Church still is
on earth; still subsists.
For Protestants (and indeed for Orthodox), if they come round
to admitting that Rome is not Babylon but a force for good, it
means that they have “out there” a group of people who still
carry the banner of the true Church, and the world is not confined to Christians groping around for unity and wondering
whether Christ’s foundation has managed to survive.
Some consequences of the formulation “subsists in” are that
the term “Church” (which previously was used by the Roman
Catholic Church almost exclusively as referring to herself) can
now be used, in a narrower sense, of those portions of the
Church (including those not in full communion with Rome)
which retain the Apostolic succession (the episcopate and with
all the powers deriving from it).
Although the document says that the denominations resulting from the Protestant reformation cannot be deemed
Churches from the point of view of Catholic doctrine, it is
simply stating a logical consequence of their respective doctrines. Their notion of “Church” is different from the Catholic
notion. Catholics respectfully recognize that Protestants freely
decided in the 16th Century that the Catholic notions of priesthood and of the visible Church had no Biblical justification.
Finally, could we have saved ourselves a lot of trouble by
not getting involved in what some see as a hornet’s nest with
the phrase “subsist in”? This is a tenable opinion. Pope Benedict
himself is reported as saying this summer that back in the days
of the Second Vatican Council the enthusiasm of those involved
was such that they didn’t realize that, as well as all the positive
things emerging from the Council documents, there would
also be a good number of negative ones.
However, we should not underestimate the good that has
come from the ecumenical contacts of the last 40 years. The
trust that Catholics have in the Popes should surely lead them
to the conclusion that the best course is to keep hold of all the
advantages flowing from Vatican II while remembering that
what was taught before it remains true today. The two are not
opposed and can go ahead together.
(Father Andrew Byrne is a Catholic priest in London; published on
August 20, 2007, this was lifted from Mercatornet.com)
Local News
A6
Legazpi bishop: ‘Where is
government’s 20B?’
AS hundreds of families remain in tents and
makeshift homes in
public schools and
clearly-identified “danger zones,” Legazpi
Auxiliary
Bishop
Lucilo B. Quiambao
asked government authorities whatever hapBp. Lucio Quiambao
pened to the publicized
P20 billion relief and rehab fund for typhoon
Reming victims.
Speaking over Veritas Pilipinas, a nationwide program aired from Veritas 846 and
Catholic Media Network stations, Bishop
Quiambao said the Catholic church and
NGOs have contributed about 80% of the relief assistance to typhoon victims.
“There are organizations and NGOs willing to build houses but there are no relocation sites,” Bishop Quiambao said. He added
the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines pledged to build 300
homes and they have already delivered a
hundred.
“Even the Franciscans and other NGOS
have expressed their desire to help but there
are no available sites,” Bishop Quiambao
explained. He added in an area suited for
relocation, the National Housing Authority
has not made any land preparation to commence construction.
He said the government reported a release
of P20 billion to areas affected by last year’s
typhoons Milenyo and Reming which destroyed homes and farms severely affecting
the Bicolanos’ lives.
“We are wondering what happened to the
P20 billion fund,” Bishop Quiambao said.
Severely affected residents began building
their homes in areas inundated by flooding
“as they have no other place to go.”
He said he already asked the cabinet during a function in Malacañang last month but
not much has happened since then. “First
they said they cannot do public works programs because of the election ban. Today,
after the election ban has been lifted, they
still have to do infrastructure programs,”
Bishop Quiambao added. (Melo Acuña)
Bishop, PPCRV irked over Bedol verdict
THE Commission on Election’s (Comelec)
decision over contempt charges against election supervisor Lintang Bedol provoked
negative reactions from many including a
prelate and a church-based group.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz
said Bedol’s case deserves a “stronger” penalty.
“Yes, the Comelec acted but it’s too little
and too slow,” he said.
Cruz said he was expecting a tough decision from the poll body especially because
Bedol’s case has something to do with the
results of the recent senatorial race.
The Comelec on Tuesday declared Bedol
guilty of indirect contempt for snubbing
summons to hearing on the controversial
votes in Maguindanao province.
The poll body sentenced Bedol to six
months in prison and directed him to pay a
fine of P1,000. Bedol posted bail.
The bishop said the Comelec’s decision
should have been heavier, adding that the
imposed fine was “too small.”
“It should have been a faster pronouncement and the penalty should been more impressive,” said Cruz.
A church-backed poll watchdog has also
expressed frustration at the verdict meted out
to Bedol. Bedol was accused by various
groups of maneuvering the cheating in his
jurisdiction during the May 14 election.
The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) said the Comelec’s
decision is only like a “slap of wrist” to a
person who even deserves a life sentence.
“Cheating again is proven as a crime that
pays,” said PPCRV national chairperson
Henrietta De Villa.
The reported cheating in Maguindanao, she
said, was unfair to PPCRV volunteers—
Christians and Muslims—who risked their
lives and limbs for clean and peaceful polls.
Because of the “folly” of Bedol and other
election operators, De Villa said, the elections
in Maguindanao continue to be an albatross
on Comelec’s neck.
But because of the investigation taken and
a poll officer sentenced, De Villa still see sincerity in the Comelec leadership to clean their
ranks.
“We hope and pray that the elements in
Comelec will continue with courage the
housecleaning they have begun so that scalawags, no matter who they are, may be banished and held accountable for their crimes
and misdeeds,” De Villa said. (Roy Lagarde)
Bishop Navarra tells gov’t to set priorities
BACOLOD Bishop Vicente Navarra said with
the many concerns of the government, “it
should try to arrange its priorities first.”
In an interview with the CBCPNews at
the Bishop’s Residence at the St. Sebastian
parish compound, Bishop Navarra said
“first of all the government should really
be serious in stopping graft and corruption.”
“There is a need for putting people handling important offices such as the Department of Justice, the Comelec, and the people
who should be handling this should have
the conscience, and can really declare ‘white’
white and ‘black’ black,” he said.
Bishop Navarra said while “we know we
have limitations but what we are looking
for are people who really have that kind of
credibility in the general public.”
He said being a man of faith that he is “I
cannot see that there is that kind of honesty
and sincerity on the part of the government
to implement what it says it is implementing.”
Asked about poverty alleviation programs, Bishop Navarra said “given the fact
there are still thousands of poor people
around, just around the environs of the
Bishop’s House, there are so many street
children, beggars, demented people, I can’t
say there is really that honest-to-goodness
efforts on the part of our government to alleviate poverty.”
While he said poverty cannot be eradicated, Bishop Navarra said “the government
can alleviate poverty but I can say that there
is no serious effort on the part of our government to do that.”
He said the Church also does its share by
giving out what it could but “we also look
forward to collaborating with the government to do something to help these poor
people.”
The 68-year old prelate said “so many red
tapes occur that hardly anything is done for
the poor people and it’s a pity.”
“There can be no peace because it presupposes there is justice, that there are efforts
to really reach out to our people but the way
things are done now, there seems to be no
transparency (on the part of the government),” he further said. (Melo M. Acuna)
Foreign missionaries now assigned in safer places outside Jolo
WITH the lessons learned about foreign missionaries being easy targets of kidnapping,
the Vicariate of Jolo has now assigned them
to safer places.
“Our strategy today is to field all-Filipino
clergy in Sulu and assign foreign missionaries to safer places such as retreat houses,”
said Jolo Apostolic Vicar Angelito Lampon
said in an interview over Catholic-run
Veritas 846.
He noted that American Fr. Clarence
Bertelsman who was abducted in 1998 was
the last foreign missionary kidnapped in
Jolo. Fr. Bertlesman suffered a fatal heart
ailment a year after the incident. Another
OMI missionary who got kidnapped was
Frenchman Fr. Yves Caroff in Timanan,
South Upi in Maguindanao.
“We learned our lessons for even our
Spanish nuns got kidnapped,” Bishop
Lampon said.
In another development, Bishop Lampon
said that the Vicariate of Jolo is about to
commence the parish consultations for the
Convicts of AquinoGalman case victims of
injustice, says bishop
SPEAKING over Catholic-run
Veritas 846 on the 24th anniversary of former Senator Benigno
S. Aquino, Jr’s death anniversary,
Bishop Pedro Arigo said there is
a strong possibility the convicts
of the Aquino-Galman case may
have been “victims of injustice”
as they may be innocent after all
Bishop of Puerto Princesa and
Chair of the Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care,
Bishop Arigo said these convicts
have “suffered long enough” and
after 24 years, they deserve freedom.
Asked of his views about
moves to ask President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo to grant the
Aquino-Galman double murder
convicts executive clemency,
Bishop Arigo said the inmates
deserve it.
The prelate said the Catholic
Church adheres and sincerely
believes in “restorative justice”
and bring the offender back to
his family and to society.
“All these hopefully, would
make the individuals restore
broken relationships with the
community and with God,”
CBCP Monitor
Bishop Arigo stressed.
“Punishment, imprisonment
specifically, hopes to correct and
subject erring individuals to rehabilitation and never simply to
condemn,” he added.
He further said “we wouldn’t
really know the real story behind the assassination as nobody
wants to reveal anything.”
He, however, said whatever
President Arroyo does may be
subjected to speculations such as
political considerations. As to
real political implications,
Bishop Arigo said “it’s
anybody’s guess.”
While the Marcos family
never admitted owning vast
properties during the past two
decades, they have now surfaced
to lay claims to properties they
denied ownership and such a
situation may complicate efforts
to extend the Aquino-Galman
convicts executive clemency.
He added that if one recalls recent historical events, the Filipino people began to openly resist the Marcos administration
after August 21, 1983.
(CBCPNews)
Second National Rural Congress scheduled
for the first half of 2008.
Catholics being a minority in Jolo, the
consultation will be “limited to the parishes,
to areas where we have strong presence, “the
bishop said.
“We may have difficulties in conducting
consultations the BEC way in the vicariate
for the Second National Rural Congress,”
Jolo Apostolic Vicar Bishop Angelito
Rendon Lampon, OMI admitted. (Melo M.
Acuna)
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
Church to assist victims
of armed conflict
J O L O
Apost o l i c
Vicar
Bishop
Angelito
Rendon
Lampon,
O M I ,
said des p i t e
their beBishop Angelito Rendon
Lampon, OMI
ing
a
minority in the province, they
are prepared to assist victims of
the armed conflict between the
government and rebels believed to be holding out in the
boondocks.
“Red Cross and DSWD personnel have to be escorted by the
military in delivering relief
goods to the affected families,”
Bishop Lampon said. He added
the vicariate’s Social Action
Center under Fr. Jose D. Ante,
OMI cannot just go to the affected
areas without military escorts.
The armed conflict has left
over 50 dead soldiers and rebels
as of late afternoon of Aug. 27.
In an interview with Catholic-run Veritas 846, Bishop
Lampon, a missionary from the
Oblates of Mary Immaculate and
a member of the CBCP Permanent Council, said they are relatively safe in the town of Jolo.
“There have been reports of an
ambush last Thursday and an encounter between the military and
the Abu Sayyaf, and later that
evening, we heard gunfire and
other explosives,” Lampon said.
However, there was relative
calm Friday as Moslems observed the ascension of the
Prophet Muhammad to heaven,
according to the prelate.
He said there is close coordination between the Philippine
National Red Cross, Department of Social Welfare and Development and the local governments of the affected areas
to ease the problems faced by
nearly 250 families reported
displaced by the ongoing military operations.
“We are in touch with local
government officials and we are
willing to help in whatever way
we could,” he further said.
“Our DXMM reporters are out
in the field trying to find out
the latest developments,”
Bishop Lampon said.
Asked whether the ongoing
conflict may have “religious
color,” Lampon said he personally believes the conflict came
from the ambush on government troopers and the immediate reaction from the military
to pursue the groups said to be
part of the Al-Qaeda movement.
“We have our own version of
Ulama-Bishop Conference in
Jolo and we have close working relations with the Tausugs
in the province,” the 57-year old
bishop said. (CBCPNews)
Dumaguete priests appeal
for local peace
VICARIATE of St. Peter of the
Diocese of Dumaguete led by Fr.
Julius Perpetuo Heruela called
on the city government to attend to the peace and order problems brought about by the
“presence of youth gangs, the
broad daylight killing of a local resident last August 14 and
the past cases that are still waiting to be solved in our courts.”
In a pastoral letter dated August 15, 2007 entitled “Peace to
the City of Gentle People” and
read during the Sunday masses
in the vicariate’s five parishes,
four chaplaincies and the
Bishop’s residence, they said
while they “have seen the dramatic economic improvement
of Dumaguete City” and the
“trust of investors by opening
their businesses,” the clergy
noted “parents begin to reserve
fear in their hearts when their
children go out of their homes.”
The priests called on
Dumaguete City’s residents “to
be vigilant and cautious.”
They also appealed to the
Philippine National Police to
“keep watch and enforce the law
fairly to these youngsters who,
at their tender age, have been
involved into this unfortunate
malady.”
They also called on non-gov-
ernment and civic organizations
to “strengthen programs and
projects that engage youth development and value formation.”
The pastoral letter further
said that everyone “should help
authorities to maintain
Dumaguete City’s peaceful environment and good reputation” as they called on parents
“to spend quality time with
their children and constantly
form and teach them Christian
approaches” in life because parents “play a vital role in rearing their children to become
good citizens and God-fearing
baptized members of the
Church.”
The city’s parish priests and
chaplains said they know “it is
not easy to be parents in this
modern age,” but hastened to
add “that does not dispense the
parents today from justifying
loose ends in favor of juvenile
delinquency.”
They committed themselves
as pastors to continuously “urge
our people with fastness in
strengthening family values, in
helping the youth become more
productive and spiritually motivated, in inspiring the faithful to be morally founded.”
(CBCPNews)
Ancestral / A1
PNP / A1
Prelate / A1
Pope / A1
have the Indigenous People’s
Rights Act,” the 57-year old
bishop said.
He, however added, everyone
concerned with the issues about
ancestral domain should take
time and consult with all affected
sectors. “Much money has been
appropriated but we can’t tell
where the money goes,” Bishop
Gutierrez said. (CBCP News)
14 elections so they have to
change their strategy to combat
the illegal activity.
But Cruz, head of the People’s
Crusade Against Jueteng, appears
fed up with the authorities unending justification why jueteng
continue to exist.
He said jueteng has long been
operating even before the elections but “they (police) just disclosed it now.”
“Now that they already know,
what are their plans again and
until when?” asked Cruz. “If they
can’t even stop jueteng, how much
more the other crimes?”
The bishop urged more action,
adding that the police are not
doing enough to crack down the
problem.
The PNP official said jueteng
has returned in the provinces of
Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Batangas
and Pampanga.
Calderon said the PNP leadership is doing all its efforts to stop
the illegal gambling. (Roy
Lagarde)
should also be through “nonviolent means.”
He noted that many people
tend to use improper means
when they get fed up doing the
right things but to no avail.
“People are likely to use ways
even if they are wrong just to
get what they want,” he said.
The bishop made the reaction
as the country commemorated
on August 21, the assassination
of former Senator Benigno
“Ninoy” Aquino, Jr.
The incident sowed the seeds
of wider opposition to the
Marcos regime, which culminated with the EDSA People
Power 1 in February 1986.
Aquino, an stalwart opposition leader, was shot dead at the
tarmac of the Manila International Airport upon arrival using a different name, Marcial
Bonifacio.
Prior to his death, Aquino was
the chief political rival of
Marcos.
August 21 has become a nonworking holiday annually to
commemorate Aquino’s heroism.
Cruz said he is uncertain
whether the country can still
have another hero like Ninoy
who could put his life on the
line for the country just to recoup democracy this time of
political crisis.
“Unusual circumstances are
led by people with rare characteristics in rare times,” he said.
(Roy Lagarde)
for the Poor.”
Born in Batangas City on August 10, 1932, Rosales was ordained priest in 1958 and was immediately assigned to teach for
11 years in the seminary of the
Archdiocese of Lipa.
It was in 1970, when he was
given his first parish assignment— an obscure barrio named
Banay-banay.
In 1974, he was named auxiliary bishop of the nation’s capital, the first Batangueño to be
made bishop. He was assigned to
help the Manila archbishop in
shepherding a very big area of
the archdiocese of Manila.
The cardinal also took care of
the ecclesiastical district of
Antipolo, as well as San Juan,
Mandaluyong, and Grace Park. In
1980, he was assigned as rector of
San Carlos Seminary.
His term as rector was brief,
though, for on June 9, 1982, he was
appointed coadjutor bishop to Jesuit Bishop Francisco Claver, of
the Diocese of Malaybalay,
Bukidnon.
When Archbishop Mariano
Gaviola of Lipa retired, Rosales
was appointed in 1992 to replace
him, bringing him back to the
archdiocese where he began his
priestly ministry.
Rosales was appointed Archbishop of Manila on September
15, 2003 by the late Pope John Paul
II. On March 24, 2006, Pope
Benedict XVI made him Cardinal
in the consistory of March 24, 2006.
(Roy Lagarde)
Church / A1
Asked to describe his prelature,
Bishop Jumoad said “the reported problems in peace and order which reach the general public are confined to villages and
not the entire island province.”
He called on the media to correct whatever misimpressions
earlier reports created on the socalled ‘all-out’ war.
“It is very peaceful here with
policemen simply running after
lawless elements in the hinterlands of Basilan,” Bishop Jumoad
concluded. (With reports from
Melo M. Acuna)
Lifeguard / A5
planet, how we irresponsibly cut
trees that suppose to inhale harmful CO2 emissions that pore the
ozone layer. Each individual contributes a little of this, a little of
that, much like little rain drops
that make a storm.
Tales of deluge such as Noah’s
bear a truth for us. In that ark,
Noah’s family was saved with the
other creatures. The story seems
to say that we cannot save our-
selves if we water down the rest
of creation getting endangered by
global warming. It recalls the wisdom of the ancients, our forefathers and grannies who told us to
care for ourselves with nature. It
is a lesson that sinks in only when
we heed to the critical State of
Nature’s Address. A lesson that
sinks when perhaps all of us have
already been hit by nature’s angry waves, if not yet.
CBCP Monitor
Features
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
A7
There is no ‘cure’ for priest with
child, archbishop says
© Denz Dayao / CBCP Media
MANILA, Philippines, August 20, 2007—The head
of the Philippine Church’s marriage-appeals court
disapproves of priests continuing in the ministry
after fathering children and rejects efforts to “cure”
these priests instead of “disciplining” them.
According to Archbishop Oscar Cruz of
Lingayen-Dagupan, head of the National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal, a priest who sired a
child cannot be rehabilitated. “No matter how you
assist this priest, that child remains and he has a
natural obligation towards the child.”
He stressed that parenting was “not only giving food, shelter or clothing, as people do with
pets, but teaching, formation, education” as well.
He believes “impaired personality constructs”
cannot be “cured.”
In Archbishop Cruz’s view, bishops who “overlook” or “just forgive” misconduct by their clergy
face problems. If one priest is “allowed to misbehave” and continue in the ministry, “there will
be more,” the prelate warned, expressing concern about tolerance sending a “wrong signal” to seminarians.
In the northern Philippine
archdiocese he has led for 16
years, “about 17 priests have
left because there’s a woman,
there’s a child or there’s a boyfriend,” the prelate said Aug. 3
at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
headquarters in Manila.
The former secretary general
of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC)
Spanish bishop scolds
Basque separatist group
BILBAO, Spain, August 17,
2007—The president of the
bishops’ conference of Spain,
Bishop Ricardo Blazquez of
Bilbao, said this week that the
“obstinate persistence” of the
Basque separatist group ETA is
“unbearable.” He called for
the “immediate, total and definitive” disappearance of the
terrorist organization that
“acts against the will of this
people.”
During Mass for the feast of
the Assumption, Bishop
Blazquez told the thousands of
faithful gathered at the basilica
of Our Lady of Begoña: “Once
again on this feast, we must
unfortunately recall the ter-
rible weight that has hung over
our society for decades.” He
said the founding of ETA was
a “mistake,” and that the
criminal organization “represents no one.”
Bishop Blazquez expressed
words of consolation to the
victims of terrorism in Spain,
“to those who have lost loved
ones, those who have suffered
extortion, and those who have
had to leave in search of security.”
“Let’s unite our efforts to
eradicate terrorist violence
that has such negative repercussions for the vitality of this
nation,” the bishop said.
(CNA/CWNews)
spoke with UCA News as Asian bishops prepared
for an Aug. 27-Sept. 1 seminar in Thailand on “Caring for Priests – Especially Those in Difficult Situations,” sponsored by the FABC Office of Clergy.
“Caring for priests, for me, is seeing to it that
my priests live their priestly commitment,” he
said. Priests who are “fooling around” should “just
leave.”
His tribunal reviews all decisions of lower
Church tribunals on cases related to matrimony.
In 2000, he opened a section to help dioceses process dispensation cases for priests with children
or partners.
Archbishop Cruz, however, said he could “only
guess” the total number of priests with children.
In the Catholic Directory of the Philippines, the former
CBCP president noted, most dioceses list inactive
priests who have fathered children among priests
“on leave,” “with no assignment” and other categories.
The 2006-2007 directory lists six priests as having “left the ministry,” five with “no assignment,”
and two “on renewal.” Another 685 are listed as
being on leave for studies, on “sabbatical,”
“abroad” or away with no specified reason. It has
5,834 diocesan priests listed in 85 geographical
church jurisdictions and 122 in the military
ordinariate.
One priest spoke with UCA News before leaving to serve in a parish in the United States. His
bishop disallowed him from saying Mass and administering sacraments upon learning he had children. However, he did not file papers for dispensation.
When he was “reduced” to selling “all sorts of
things door to door,” he applied for incardination
in another diocese. He said the bishop asked him
to “break off” relations with his children’s mother,
set up a system of financial support for his offspring
and “re-enter active ministry far” from his family.
He served as “guest priest” in Manila in 2000 and
took part-time jobs to earn extra money for his
children until his acceptance in the United States.
He is not listed in the latest directory.
Archbishop Cruz stressed “most” Philippine
priests are “good priests.”
Meanwhile, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales of Manila, chairman of the Episcopal Commission on
Clergy, has acknowledged most bishops are “not
of the punitive school of thought.”
At the Aug. 15 inauguration of John Mary
Vianney-Galilee Development and Retreat Center
southeast of Manila, he told UCA News: “Thank
God the bishops of the Philippines did not advocate the ‘one-strike-you’re out’ policy.” Instead, the
CBCP “accepted” the position that the church should
give “fallen” priests “help” to “repair the man (and)
help him repent.”
The commission maintains a priest with one child
can undergo “curative measures,” the cardinal said.
“Singular events” may spell a “weakness” that can
be treated “pastorally,” and which can be healed
through “a program that encourages a person to be
better rather than just punishing him,” he elaborated.
However, he stressed, a priest with more than
one child is helped to leave the ministry. Moreover, “the church is very strict about those who
have abused, who repeatedly hurt or take advantage of people.” (UCAN)
Church attacks ‘slaughter in the south’
MANILA, Philippines, August
20, 2007—Catholic leaders have
expressed “grief” at the latest
cycle of violence in Sulu and
Basilan between soldiers of the
regular army and suspected
members of the terrorist group
Abu Sayyaf. These clashes they
warn have already displaced
over 80 thousand innocent families, in fear for their lives.
The Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP), a nationwide organization of Catholic religious
men and women congregation,
condemned the government’s
“eye-for-an-eye, tooth-for-atooth” response to the killing
and beheading of the soldiers
and described the loss as “senseless and a waste of lives”. The
soldiers combing of the area and
gun battles “take place without
any form of control, based on
simple indications and personal
rancor”.
In a statement, the Catholic
leaders said that “the course of
events change, giving precedence to dialogue, the only way
forward for negotiating true
peace. The killing of the soldiers
and the beheading of some are
truly abhorrent acts. But why
should we follow the way of violence, resorting to similarly abhorrent acts in order to ‘correct’
violence?” The reference is to the
15 soldiers beheaded last weekend in Basilan, in the south of
the country.
Local Bishop Jumoad joined
the Associations’ appeal: “I am
frustrated because we work for
peace but we see only violence.
I am deeply saddened by these
crimes, which destroy peace in
our society. The only real answer is to educate our people to
peace”. (Santosh Digal /
AsiaNews)
Roadside / A4
like the Philippines. And in the haze and maze of
political language the truth could be easily sugarcoated or effectively hidden by half-truths or seemingly common-sense non-truths.
The idea of national security in the country appears
at times dressed up as economic development and
peacekeeping. Recent statements from Malacañang (cf.
Philippine Daily Inquirer, August 20, 2007, 10) are very
telling. “Economic development, which we draw from
the arsenal of democracy, remains our principal
weapon against terrorism,” so spoke Press Secretary
Ignacio Bunye quoting President Macapagal-Arroyo.
Ms. Arroyo continued: “Ongoing peacekeeping operations against rearguard actions of a despised and
defeated group are meant to clear the path for these
provinces’ journey to peace and progress which terror
has delayed for so long”. I remember reacting to this
statement spontaneously: “If this group was already a
‘defeated group’, how come they are still around and
inflicting heavy casualties on our military and bleeding our national coffers dry?” Or it could also be asked,
in the context of the global war on terror, whether our
government’s actions are not only meant to allay local
fears but also to impress on the international community that we are not sitting on our avowed commitment against terror. Nothing wrong with that, but
which nation(s) in particular?
But what about our role as Church vis-à-vis our
bias for life? May I share a few thoughts.
One, although we admit that life is not an absolute
value as Jesus himself affirmed in word, that is, by
teaching about love as expressed best in giving one’s
life for one’s friends (Jn 15:13), and in deed, that is, by
himself dying on the cross for us (Catechism for Filipino
Catholics, no. 996), still human life is the foundation of
all other gifts of God to us. If we were not alive, democracy or national security would be meaningless.
Respect for human life is a must because Jesus Christ,
God’s only Son, has done so, and more, by becoming
a human being himself. “And the Word was made
flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1;14).
Two, life is, as the CFC text above again states, “the
necessary condition for actively loving others as well
as their receiving our love”. If so, then we must love,
not downgrade, human life itself, not only of our soldiers or of people who share our political beliefs but
even of the enemies of state or of our political enemies. Human lives are equally precious, however
much we bewail, as we should, the inhuman war practices of some (enemies of state). It follows, therefore,
that for the media to treat the fourteen soldiers’ deaths
as of more consequence than those of forty-two enemies the government forces killed is to trivialize
human life and the common dignity of all human
beings. The uncivilized behavior of an enemy does
not humanize doing a similar course of action.
Three, the Church must always raise her prophetic
voice against the abuse of military force against un-
armed civilians and its dismissive disregard of the value
of human life as “collateral damage”. When soldiers
and civilians die in free self-giving sacrifice for their
country, that makes them heroes; but when, in truth,
they are sent to death to protect a regime or prop up its
image to its international supporters, the war effort in
which they die is anything but moral. The leaders responsible for the war have blood in their hands.
Four, the nation-state, like every individual human being, has the right to protect itself. But the use
of armed conflict as a means of self-protection raises
questions. Not least of which is whether peaceful
means have been exhausted, whether there is a just
cause, whether it is aimed and actually protects human rights, not violate them, whether it actually can
succeed, not prolong indefinitely the sacrifice of human life and human rights, whether it relies solely
on the unexamined judgment of an individual or a
few, whether it is a last recourse (CFC 1042). I wonder
if any of these criteria are even considered by our
government war planners and implementers.
Finally, the bias for life requires an active work for
peace. Nothing brings peace more effectively than
peaceful means. I remember smiling every time a
beauty contestant says she is for “world peace”. But
desire is always a good start. But prayer as a followup is a must. I remember praying earnestly for peace
and security (I never distinguished national security
from anyone’s) one morning. That evening I was
struck while I watched the news on television. All I
heard were news about accidents and violent confrontations but there was one commonality: the absence of human deaths. I asked myself: Is the Lord not
educating me about prayer power? Peace by the ways
of peace (and there are more of them that meets the
eye)? Yes, it follows, if you follow the Prince of Peace.
Love Life / A4
The fourth and final point in being a genuine Steward is Auditing or Accountability. It is not only at the
end of our life that the Lord will ask us—”What did
you do with what I gave you”. But everyday, we
should be able to tell God, “Lord, I have tried to do
everything I can do. Here I am.” How wonderful to
be able to hear Him say what He said in the Parable
of the Talents, “Well done, good and faithful servant.
Come enter into my Father’s Kingdom.”
Speaking of talents and treasure, Fr. Mahan said that
it is interesting to note that over half of the parables of
Jesus had something to do with money—the pearl of
great price, two silver pieces, the widow’s mite, etc.
Jesus truly knew human nature so well that he wanted
us to learn the lesson—we are not our possessions.
Fr. Mahan has a book published by Claretian
Press—”More than Silver or Gold”. He will be back
in November in Cebu and Davao for more retreats.
Those interested can contact the Claretians at (02) 9216530 or 435-1210.
Australian prelate offers new
defense of clerical celibacy
ADELAIDE, Australia, August
16, 2007—The president of the
Australian bishops’ conference
has reaffirmed priestly celibacy
in a message written for the annual Vocations Awareness Week.
Archbishop Philip Wilson of
Adelaide acknowledges in his
message that many people think
“the Church should let priests
get married and then we would
solve the problem of the shortage.” He concedes, too, that “the
vow of celibacy is not essential
to the priesthood,” noting that
the tradition of the Eastern
Catholic churches allow the ordination of married men.
Nevertheless the archbishop
argues that the Church’s discipline is a benefit both to the
Church and to the priesthood,
because it enables clerics to devote themselves entirely to their
ministry.
“Celibacy has the positive
value of being a clear sign of
the Kingdom of God,” Archbishop Wilson writes.
The Australian prelate explains his point by saying that a
man who gives up the goods of
marriage and a family is surrendering himself. He likens that
surrender to a process of grieving, which leaves the individual
completely reliant on God.
“Which is easier,” Archbishop Wilson writes: “to
grieve the loss of one’s child…
or to grieve the loss of the child
one never had?” A priest who
has detached himself from ordinary life in this way is better
Archbishop Philip Wilson
able to help others recognize
the value of spiritual life, he
says. (CWNews)
My new film not anti-church,
pleads Catholic Kidman
BRISBANE, Australia, August 20,
2007—Nicole Kidman has denied
that a new film she’s making is
anti-Catholic. The movie features
an organization known as “The
Magisterium”, which kidnaps
children to remove their souls.
The Brisbane Times reports that
Kidman told a US magazine that her
Catholic faith affected her consideration of the script for the film The
Golden Compass.
The fantasy film is based on a
novel by Philip Pullman called
Northern Lights. It is already at-
tracting attention in the US for
avoiding much of the book’s perceived anti-Catholic rhetoric.
Kidman said some of the religious elements were removed
from the movie script.
Kidman told the magazine: “I
was raised Catholic, the Catholic
Church is part of my essence.”
“I wouldn’t be able to do this
film if I thought it were at all antiCatholic.”
The Golden Compass is due for
release in the US on December 7.
(CathNews)
A8
People, Facts & Places
DESPITE the presence of typhoon Egay,
Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal
Rosales and Cebu Archbishop Ricardo
Cardinal Vidal presided the
concelebrated mass that marked the inauguration of the St. John Mary Vianney
Galilee Development and Retreat Center for Priests in Tagaytay last August 15.
Along with 15 other prelates, Rosales
led the blessing of the 3-storey structure, whose construction was spearheaded by the CBCP Commission on
Clergy since July last year. Within a
year’s construction, the facilities include
58 bedrooms, 3 conference rooms, and
a chapel.
“This is definitely the first of its kind
in the Philippines and probably the first
in Asia,” Rosales told the media.
Constructed in accordance with resolution of the Second Plenary Council of
the Philippines, the St. John Mary
Vianney Galilee Development and Retreat Center for Priests will serve as a
“national center for renewal, where
priests can come for an extended period
of overall priestly renewal, especially
after 15 or more years in the ministry.”
As regards the center’s name, CBCP
Commission on Clergy director Msgr.
Chito Bernardo said it is just appropriate for the center be named after the
patron saint of the priests.
“It is hoped that during their stay in
this center, the priests-participants will
be inspired to aspire for the quality of
life that this patron had shown in his
lifetime, especially the apostolic zeal
in the ministry combined with holiness
and simplicity of life,” Bernardo said.
Meanwhile, Rosales said the inclusion of Galilee in the center’s name suggests a strong sense of discipleship.
“Galilee is where discipleship started
and will be restored. Here, every priest
will have a Galilee to start from and
look forward to,” Rosales said.
The services offered in the center include an Assisted Intensive Renewal
(AIR) for priests, a 3-month community
His Eminence, Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales leads the blessing and inauguration of the St. John
Mary Vianney Galilee Development and Retreat Center for Priests in Tagaytay, August 15, 2007; a
project of the CBCP Commission on Clergy, this will serve as national center for Filipino priests
seeking renewal.
life experience for deeper integration
and processing of issues and needs; an
Integrated Renewal Program (IRP) for
Priests, a 5-week live-in experience of
updating and renewal for priests 10 years
and above in the ministry; and an AIR
for Formators, a 2-month live-in experience for seminary fathers with focus on
Human Formation training skills.
Other programs available are the
Residency Program for the young
clergy who have served for one to five
years and the Value-Clarification Program for the junior clergy who have
served for six to 10 years in the ministry. The center likewise caters to clergy
serving for 18 to 24 years in the ministry, clergy serving for 25 years and up,
and for the senior clergy who are about
to retire.
Bernardo said the first batch to use
the center and its facilities arrived last
August 18 and is set to stay until this
October. (Kris Bayos)
Tarlac clergy holds annual assembly
THE Tarlac clergy led by Most Rev.
Florentino F. Cinense, held its annual updating in Betania Retreat House, Baguio
City last August 13-17, 2007.
The gathering was an opportune moment for the whole clergy to refresh their
minds from the fatiguing but fulfilling
works in the parishes and other diocesan
commissions.
It was also a great occasion to foster
and live their fraternal priesthood as
manifested in their sharing of one’s pastoral experiences, most especially in their
daily concelebration of the Most Holy
Eucharist, the very fount of their ministry, identity, and unity.
The event was graced by some guestsspeaker-priest who generously shared
their time and rich pastoral missionary
experiences with the clergy. Their presence turned the gathering into a learning
and inspiring experience for each participant to face life’s challenges with a renewed commitment.
Rev. Fr. Ted Gonzales, a Jesuit, charmed
the Tarlac clergy on the first day of the
conference with his six AGIMAT (amulets) aimed toward “Taking the High
Road to Leadership By Being Low Profile,” through, Confidence in Times of
Crisis; Honest Assessment of One’s Resources and Strengths; Responsibility to
be Part of the Solution; Integrating Principle and Purpose in Life; Solidarity to
be Partners in Nation-Building; True Investments to Build Character and Excellence.
Rev. Fr. Socrates Mesiona, a priest from
the Missionary Society of the Philippines
gave the second conference. In his talk he
encouraged the priests of Tarlac to live
actively the missionary character of their
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
Markings
ŒŒŒŒŒŒŒ³
CBCP priests’ center
inaugurated
CBCP Monitor
priestly ministry to engender Christ’s
desire for His Church, “that they may all
be one… so that the world may believe
that you have sent me” (Jn. 17:21).
Meanwhile, Rev. Fr. Feliciano Manalili,
a Trappist monk who has spent 25 years
as a diocesan priest and another 25 years
as a monk emphasized to his priests-audience the value and importance of prayer
in the ministry and life of a priest. He
underlined the fact that prayer is the root
of priesthood: prayer is what makes a
priest effective and credible in his pastoral duties and works.
The four-day assembly concluded with
the election of the new Presbyteral Council who will work together with the
Bishop for the continued renewal of Tarlac
clergy and the realization of the ongoing
and future plans for the Diocese. (Fr.
Melvin Castro)
ORDAINED.
MOST
REV.
JULIUS SULLAN
TONEL, 51, as
Bishop-prelate of
Ipil, by Archbishop Fernando
R. Capalla, DD at
Davao Metropolitan Cathedral;
August 20, 2007.
A native of Davao
City, Bishop Tonel
was born on August 31, 1956. He studied
Philosophy at St. Francis Xavier College
Seminary in Davao, and Theology at the
Central Seminary of the University of Sto.
Tomas in Manila. He was ordained to the
priesthood in 1980. He earned his Licentiate in Liturgical Theology at Saint Anselmo
Pontifical Institute of Liturgy in Rome.
Bishop Tonel has served as director of
Archdiocesan Family Apostolate in Davao,
then as Rector of Regional Major Seminary also in Davao. He served as parish
priest of Ascension of Our Lord Parish in
Matina, and Chaplain of the Holy Infant of
Prague, also in Davao. He was the Vicar
General of the Archdiocese of Davao and
parish priest of San Pablo Parish in Matina
prior to his appointment as bishop.
APPOINTED.
MOST
REV.
ROBERTO C.
MALLARI, D.D.,
Auxiliary bishop
of Pampanga, as
President of the
University of the
Assumption, San
Fernando,
Pampanga, June
18, 2007; by Most
Reverend Paciano B. Aniceto, D.D., Archbishop of Pampanga. Besides being the
Auxiliary bishop and now President of the
university, Bishop Mallari is also the Chairman of the Diocesan Commission on
Clergy, whose responsibility includes the
implementation of the general reshuffle of
more than 140 priests of the archdiocese
before the start of the Advent season this
year. The University of the Assumption is
the only university in Asia that is being
managed by an archdiocese. It has currently a student population of 6,000.
ORDAINED.
MOST
REV.
FRANCISCO M.
DE LEON, D.D.,
Auxiliary Bishop
of Antipolo at the
Manila Cathedral,
September 1,
2007. Born on
June 11, 1947,
Bishop de Leon
studied high school at the Our Lady of
Guadalupe Seminary and finished Philosophy and Theology at San Carlos Seminary.
He was ordained on June 28, 1975 at the
Manila Cathedral. He obtained his Master’s
degree in Guidance and Counseling and
another on Education Management from
De La Salle University. He took a course in
Spiritual Renewal at Our Lady of New
Clairvaux in Vina, California, and a Pastoral Course at the Vatican II Institute for
Clergy Formation in Menlo Park, California.
He was appointed Dean of Studies and
Prefect of Discipline at San Carlos Seminary, Rector of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Minor Seminary, and then Rector of San
Carlos Seminary. For nine years he was
the Spiritual Director of the Mother Butler
Mission Guild, and the Rector of the
Archdiocesan Shrine of Divine Mercy in
Mandaluyong.
DIED. MOST REV. VICENTE C. MANUEL,
SVD, DD, 69, of cancer of the pancreas,
August 18, 2007; at Lourdes Hospital,
Mandaluyong City. Elevated to the episcopacy in 1983, Bishop Manuel is the
bishop emeritus of San Jose, Occidental
Mindoro where he established a radio station and some socio-developmental
projects. In 2000, he was transferred to
the Archdiocese of Cebu. As chairman of
the CBCP Commission on Mission, Bishop
Manuel organized the First National Mission Congress held in Cebu in October
2000, which inspired the creation of the
National Mission Plan and the organization
of the Philippine Association of Catholic
Missiologists (PACM). His body is buried
at the Cathedral of San Jose, Occidental
Mindoro.
CELEBRATED. SR. PINKY BARRIENTOS,
SR. GRACE CANDA, SR. NORIE
MANUEL, SR. VICKY PALAY, 25th anniversary of religious profession among the
Daughters of St. Paul (FSP); August 11,
2007. Most Rev. Angel N. Lagdameo, DD
presided the 9 AM concelebrated thanksgiving Mass held at the Queen of Apostles
Sanctuary, Daughters of St. Paul, Pasay
City. The silver jubilee celebration adopted
the theme: Chosen and love in Jesus
Christ, we proclaim God’s steadfast love;
emphasizing the reality that fidelity to religious vocation is a gift from God that is
lived daily. The four sisters made their first
profession of vows on August 15, 1982.
CELEBRATED. SR.
MA.
JOSEFINA
CANGAYDA, SR.
MA.
FLORA
CASTILLO, SR. MA.
A P O L O N I A
DUMANDAN, 25 th
anniversary of religious profession; and, SR. MA. LEONIDA
BANTILAN, SR. MA. LUZ BRITANICO,
SR. MA. TERESITA CABARLES, SR. MA.
LYDIA DAGA, SR. MA. EMMA DASAL,
SR. MA. ANONINA HALLAZGO, SR. MA.
PAZ OLMEDO, SR. MA. LUTGARDA
RAAGAS, SR. MA. NARCISA TUBAL,
50th anniversary of religious profession
among the Religious of the Virgin Mary;
August 15, 2007. A thanksgiving Mass
was held for the Jubilarians at Our Lady
of the Assumption Chapel, RVM Compound, Quezon City.
PASSED ON TO ETERNAL LIFE. Sr. Ma.
Flora Nini, RVM, August 6, 2007; Sr. Ma.
Leus Abuda, FSP, August 9, 2007; Fr. Jim
Risse, SVD; Fr. Aurelio Tagura, SVD.
Kabankalan celebrates Love our Priests Movement
ARTICLE 82 on the section of Clergy and Religious in the
first Synod of Kabankalan, states that every parish or chaplaincy is encouraged to put up LOVE OUR PRIESTS MOVEMENT.
The act and decrees of the 2 n d synod of Kabankalan were
hardly implemented and supported by the lay faithful due
to wrong understanding of priestly ministry; and failure to
pray, support and cooperate with the clergy.
A year ago, Little Way Group–Kabankalan initiated a program to gather all clergy and some laity for a lunch and get
together to celebrate the feast of St. John Mary Vianney. The
sharing of their pastoral ministry took a new step by being
open and caring to the welfare of diocesan clergy.
This year the feast of St. John Mary Vianney was a big
success due to the participation of the lay people of
Kabankalan, Isio, Cauayan, and Sipalay who shared their
time, talent and gift of persons during the affair.
Love Our Priests Movement–Year 2 initiated a text brigade to involve the following lay organizations Bukas Loob
sa Dios, Barangay sang Birhen, Little Way Group, Catholic
Women’s League and friends of Fr. Rembert Rivera.
At least 19 members of the clergy, one bishop, lay leaders
and catechists joined the celebration. The gathering started
with the sharing of the organizer on the importance of Love
Our Priests Movement, on how to support the clergy in their
on-going formation, and on the need to offer prayers for all
the diocesan clergy.
Some lay organizers promised to make this event a
monthly occasion for socials, rest and recreation, personal
and spiritual renewal of our clergy. (Fr. Jose Rembert Rivera)
Fr. Bossi goes home to Rome
Abp. Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ, of Cagayan de Oro and Bp. Romulo de la Cruz of Antique with some of the representatives of KC Luzon Jurisdiction,
led by SK Alonso Tan, to the 125th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus held in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7-9, 2007; Not in photo
were delegates from Visayas and Mindanao led by their Deputies—SK Dionesio Esteban, Jr., and SK Sofronio Cruz; Full video of the Address of Abp.
Ledesma to the Convention may be viewed at www.youtube.com/kcphilippines.
FR. Giancarlo Bossi joined the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions
(PIME) superior general Fr. Gian
Battista Zanchi, August 11, for the trip
back home on board Emirates Air
EK335 bound for Dubai for a two hour
stopover and take another aircraft for
Rome.
Speaking to CBCPNews, the 57-year
old missionary said he’s happy he’s
leaving the country to meet his mother
and brother and sister “but sad because
he’s going home because I got kidnapped.”
Fr. Bossi looks forward to going to
the mountains with his family for at
least ten days and prepare for his meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on September 1 in Loreto, Italy.
Asked of his message to his abductors, the jovial Fr. Bossi told
CBCPNews “it’s very easy, I will pray
for them as I still pray for them and I
told them my prayer is, in a way, for
them to change their heart and one day
for them to go home to sit around the
table with their family and have dinner together.” (CBCPNews)
CBCP
Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
B2 Updates
Factors that invalidate
consent for Marriage
B3 Diocese
Diocese of Balanga
Pastoral Concerns
B4 Commissions
B1
B5 Statements
Building bridges of peace
with our peace officers
B6 Reflections
We come from humble
beginnings
B7 Social Concern
Northern Luzon directors
for the Biblical apostolate
meet in Baguio
The impact of microfinance
in the Philippines
From abstinence to love:
A question of character
7
Parents want their kids to save sex for marriage. A
congress coming up in Manila aims to give them a boost.
By Carolyn Moynihan
QUESTIONS
Bishop Buenaventura
M. Famadico, DD
ORDAINED bishop on June 19, 2002, Most Rev. Buenaventura M. Famadico, DD.,
was appointed Auxiliary bishop of Lipa on July 10, of the same year. He was appointed
Second Ordinary Bishop of Gumaca, June 11, 2003. In this issue of CBCP Monitor,
Bishop Famadico talks about the preparations the diocese is doing for its upcoming
jubilee celebration, the implementation of the agenda on social concerns, the active
involvement of the BECs in the diocese, the role and participation of the laity in the life
of the Church, the diocesan family and life program, and the quality and quantity of
vocations entering in the diocesan seminary.
What preparation the diocese is doing for its upcoming 25th anniversary of
foundation in 2010?
Since 2005 we have been preparing for our silver anniversary. This is to
ensure that the celebration will not revolve only around merriment and piety
but will highlight formation and conversion. The thrust of our activities is the
clarification and owning of the diocesan vision: the Diocese of Gumaca as a
community of Christ’s disciples. This vision is displayed in posters, recited and
sang in masses, and developed in the homilies of the bishop in parish fiestas.
An aspect of the vision is chosen as yearly theme which is clarified and deepened in activities and lectures. In 2005, the theme was Maria, Ina at Huwaran ng
Diyosesis ng Gumaca, in 2006, Pagpapanibago ng Pamilya, Pagpapanibago ng
Sambayanan, in 2007, Banal na Espiritu, Patnubay ng Sambayanan sa pagiging
Disipulo ni Kristo. Next year, 2008, it will be Sa Pakikiisa kay Kristo, Sambayanan
ay Patungo sa Ama; 2009, Pag-ibig sa Ama, Paglilingkod sa iba. Finally on the
silver jubilee the theme will be Simbahan ng mga Dukha. We hope and pray
that these preparations will lead us towards renewal as a diocese during and
even after the jubilee celebration.
How is the Social Concern agenda of the Church being concretized in your
diocese?
The Diocesan Commission on Service is involved in this ministry. Basically,
this includes organization, education and mobilization. Prior to any concrete
concerted efforts, we give importance to inputs for cognitive and effective
learning that leads to appropriated and proper action. Concretely, we conduct
seminars and trainings on Political Education, Good Governance, Sustainable
Agriculture, Ecology, Health and Micro Finance. In the last election we participated in the program of NASSA, PPCRV and NAMFREL. Programs in the
diocesan level are sustained by foreign funding agencies. The diocese also
assisted QUARDDS, an NGO helping the farmers in their fight against big
landowners in Bondoc Peninsula get foreign support for legal cases. Programs
in the parishes like livelihood assistance (hog dispersal) and scholarships are
supported by the local Alay Kapwa collections. There are also volunteers who
work hand in hand with the Barangay Health Workers. From time to time,
periodic assessments are scheduled to measure the implementation of our
program. And to enhance institutional capabilities we establish linkages with
organizations like the Lingkod Tao Kalikasan, Task Force Detainees, Luzon
Sustainable Agriculture Network and MASIPAG.
How active is the BEC in your diocese?
Five years before our foundation as a diocese, BECs were already established
in the remotest parish. From little beginnings, BECs continually grew covering
now all our parishes. Every Sunday the faithful in the Mumunting Sambayanang
Kristiyano gather for the celebration of the Word. A pamphlet, complete with
the introduction to the readings and a homily is issued monthly to guide the
prayer leaders. The faithful in some MSKs already receive Holy Communion.
Every month the prayer leaders, the pangulo and officers of the MSK gather in
the parish for updating, instructions and to receive communications. Before the
parish fiesta the statue of the patron saint is brought around all the MSK chapels
where the faithful gather for worship and on-going formation. In spite of this
we also know that we should go forward and make the community life more
participatory.
I consider it God’s grace that we came to know of the group Bukal ng Tipan
which has long been involved in BEC organizing and animation in many
dioceses.
It is now two years since we began the partnership. Guided by them we
realized that to be a communion of communities the process requires re-orientation of all people, priests and laity. It also necessitates new system of leadership style, ministries and structural organization, i.e. smaller community called
“kapitbahayan.” Through this, the neighborhood people will be given greater
opportunity for mutual knowledge, mutual assistance and common worship.
We are now moving into pilot areas to put this into practice.
7 Questions / B7
WHAT is to be done about teenagers and
their sexuality? The question is never far
from the minds of their parents, nor from
the media and public debate. In the
United States a decade of support by the
federal government for education programs devoted to getting teens to save
sex for marriage may soon come to an
end. Skeptics now have enough representation in Congress—and the findings
of a recent study (yes, one study)—to
achieve the withdrawal of funding for
abstinence-only education and to throw
more money at programs based on contraception and “protection”.
Too often the debate over sex education is determined by public health
goals—reducing teenage pregnancies
and diseases—rather than by concern for
the good of young people themselves.
Abstinence education, whatever the merits of the ideal it represents, seems a
roundabout and unrealistic way of reducing the bad statistics.
Love is the bigger picture; chastity is
a way of getting there. And the journey
starts in the family.
Yet the great majority of parents (and
young people themselves) recognize that
saving sex for marriage is better for them
than experimenting with sex and premature romantic relationships. This is
what a survey published earlier this year
by the US National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy indicated: people
want to hear a strong abstinence message.
The same survey showed, however,
that many adopt a compromise position,
supporting the safer sex approach—”just
in case”. As a matter of fact (that is, more
than one study), this approach will fail
to protect many young people from bad
consequences of sex in the short or long
term. Sadly, it will also give them a confused idea of the meaning of sex and rob
them of willpower and confidence in the
face of pressure.
How, then, can parents themselves
develop the confidence to “say no” to
compromises that may harm their children? How can they have the courage of
their conviction that abstinence, or chastity, is not only best but really possible
for today’s young people? How can they
actually tackle the task with serenity?
These are questions being addressed
by an international network of parents
and educators who will meet later this
year in Manila for two days of expert
input and discussions, followed by a motivational youth event. The congress is
the second of its kind, the first being held
in Mexico last year.
November’s gathering will feature
such experts in the field of character, or
virtue, education as Thomas Lickona, director of the Centre for the 4th and 5th
Rs (Respect and Responsibility) at the
State University of New York; and
Kevin Ryan, founder of the Centre for
Advancement of Ethics and Character at
Boston University.
Character education, according to
CAEC’s Manifesto, aims to help children
develop good dispositions that will lead
students to responsible and mature
adulthood. It is a matter of virtues rather
than just values, of settled habits rather
than slogans on the wall or a lapel but-
ton. A key virtue in the area of sexuality
is self-mastery, another term for the cardinal virtue of temperance. But pretty
well every virtue has a bearing on sexual
behaviour: honesty, kindness, justice,
courage…
Forming a child’s character is clearly
the parents’ task first of all but teachers
and the whole school community also
play a key role. The community dimension is critical. As Andrew Mullins shows
dramatically in another article this
week, virtues, like vices, are caught—
from the example of parents and other
models in the child’s environment and
particularly those to whom she or he is
attached emotionally—rather than verbally taught.
Too often the
debate over sex
education is determined by public
health goals—
reducing teenage
pregnancies and
diseases—rather
than by concern
for the good of
young people
themselves. Abstinence education,
whatever the merits of the ideal it
represents, seems
a roundabout and
unrealistic way of
reducing the bad
statistics.
Interestingly, leading US sex education researcher Douglas Kirby has come
to appreciate the importance of “norms
and attachment” in the sex education enterprise. In an essay of 2001 about “what
works” in sex-ed, based on a major review of sex education studies, he had this
to say:
Innumerable studies demonstrated that the
norms of individuals to whom teenagers are
attached (e.g., family members, close friends
and romantic partners) were strongly related
to and consistent with the adolescents’ own
sexual and contraceptive behavior. In addition, when youth were more connected to
groups or institutions that typically have or
express values against adolescents’ engaging in sex or unprotected sex (e.g., their families, schools and faith communities), they were
less likely to engage in sex or unprotected
sex. When they were more connected to
groups or individuals typically with more
permissive values (e.g., peers or boyfriends
or girlfriends, especially older boyfriends or
girlfriends), then they were much more likely
to engage in sex.
From this we can take it that where
parents and school community—and
possibly a faith community—are united
in living certain virtues and sexual
norms, they can be optimistic about a
formal in sexuality education
programme which is centered on abstinence and chastity. So long as they are
good friends with their young people.
Perhaps this helps to explain the success of a programme used in a Santiago
(Chile) girls’ public high school—evaluated in one of the few abstinence studies
to qualify for inclusion in Kirby’s latest
meta-analysis. TeenSTAR was introduced for girls in their first year at the
school. By following up three cohorts of
girls for four years, the study found that
the programme reduced pregnancy rates
five-fold compared with girls who did
not follow it.
Key features of the programme are:
* Parental approval—written consent
was required and 98 per cent of parents
gave it.
* Mentoring of individual students by
teachers.
* Weekly sessions over a time span (a
year, or at least one term) long enough
to generate changes in habits (norms,
virtues) or to reinforce existing habits.
* Content that addresses all aspects of
the young person, including the psychological and emotional development they
are experiencing.
Further to the last point: the
programme tackles in a straightforward
way the strong sexual impulses of adolescence and gives students opportunities to develop skills for self-control.
Girls are also trained in fertility awareness. Contraceptive methods are mentioned and explained theoretically towards the end of the course, but contraceptive use is not recommended. Sexual
abstinence is recommended.
One can detect behind the scientific
description of this particular experience
the existence of a community of virtues
and norms—by no means perfect or homogeneous, but with its ideals more or
less intact. It is people from precisely
these sorts of communities that the organizers of the Manila gathering hope
to attract with their upbeat catchline,
Love, Laughter and Life Ever After .
And it is love, more than abstinence
or even chastity that sexuality education
is about, according to educator and congress director Antonio Torralba: “Chastity is everyone’s lifelong commitment
to love. Love is the essence of, the reason for and the whole purpose of chastity. Love is the bigger picture; chastity
is a way of getting there. And the journey starts in the family.”
(Carolyn Moynihan is Deputy Editor of
MercatorNet. The Congress referred to in
this article is being organized by InterMedia
Consulting, EDUCHILD Foundation, Inc.,
and the Developmental Advocacy for Women
Volunteerism, in collaboration with I Am
S.T.R.O.N.G, a leadership and values formation program on responsible decision-making for Filipino adolescents, and with the full
support of the Department of Education of
the Philippines. For inquiries, please visit
http://www.edicongress.com or call +632
6356114.)
CBCP Monitor
Updates
B2
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
Factors that invalidate consent for marriage
WITH this article, we shall almost complete our initial overview of the Canon
Law regarding marriage. We will only
need to discuss in the next issue the matter
of the canonical form. For now, we can focus on the second of the three constitutive
elements of a valid marriage.
Matrimonial Consent
Can. 1057 — §1. Marriage is brought
about through the consent of the parties,
legitimately manifested between persons
who are capable according to law of giving consent; no human power can replace
this consent.
§2. Matrimonial consent is an act of the
will by which a man and a woman, through
an irrevocable covenant, mutually give and
accept each other in order to establish marriage.
Provided the first constitutive element
of marriage is present—i.e., the capacity of
both parties to contract marriage—the second and most important constitutive element of marriage is the consent of both
parties to contract marriage. As the classic
formula states: Consent brings about marriage.
No human power can replace this consent—
continues the canon. Thus, if subsequent to
the wedding—even many years afterwards—it can be proven in court that the
consent (expressed at the time of the wedding) was defective to the point of invalidity, then the competent Church tribunal can
declare that the marriage was null and void
from the beginning.
What can vitiate consent to the point of
making it invalid, such that the marriage
contracted is null and void from the start?
Simply stated, valid matrimonial consent
is a human act that needs the intervention
of both intellect and will—the intellect to
know the true nature of the marriage institution and its sacramentality, with the discretion to know what this person and marriage to this person means; and the free
will to want to contract marriage with this
person here and now. Canon Law has further broken down this constitutive element
into different aspects, reflecting the reality
that the human act of consenting implies
several things.
The Intellectual Component of Matrimonial Consent
While the act of consenting is one—i.e.,
it is the whole person who consents—one
can analyze that act and identify predominantly intellectual components in the one
hand, and a predominantly volitive (pertaining to the will or voluntas in Latin) component in the other. Such a division is even
pedagogically helpful. Canon Law has established the following factors that can vitiate the intellectual components of consent to the point of invalidating them:
1) Lack of sufficient use of reason—either habitual (e.g., intellectual retardation)
or temporary (e.g., influence of drugs or
alcohol at the moment of giving consent)—
invalidates consent (c.1095, 1°).
2) Grave lack of discretion of judgment
concerning the essential matrimonial rights
and duties, which are to be mutually given
and accepted in marriage, invalidates consent (c.1095, 2°). Lack of due discretion (LDD)
is one of the most common grounds of
marriage nullity, and together with the socalled psychological incapacity is the most
abused as well.
3) Incapacity to assume the essential obligations of marriage, due to causes of a
psychic nature, invalidates the consent
(c.1095, 3°). This has been erroneously labeled—especially in the civil courts—as
psychological incapacity, causing a misunderstanding of the real ground of nullity and
the object of proof. Simply put, one cannot
validly assume an obligation which he is
incapable of fulfilling. Since marriage is a
natural institution (in fact all normal human beings even have a right to contract
marriage), what c.1095, 3° simply states is
that such incapacity to assume the essential obligations of marriage can only be
due to reasons of a psychic nature. But not
all psychic disorders cause such incapacity.
What constitutes the ground for consensual invalidity—and what needs to be
proven in court—is not so much the existence of a psychic abnormality but rather
the incapacity to assume the essential obligations of marriage.
4) Ignorance of the procreative and
sexual aspects of marriage—i.e., that marriage is a permanent consortium between
a man and a woman, which is ordered toward the procreation of offspring by means
of some sexual cooperation—invalidates
consent (c.1096, §1). Such ignorance is not
presumed after puberty (c.1096, §2).
5) Error concerning the person—i.e., his
or her identity—invalidates consent (c.1097,
§1). One can’t get married to the wrong
person. However, error concerning a quality of the person, even if such an error is the
cause of consenting to marriage, does not
invalidate the marriage, unless such quality
was directly and principally intended (c.1097,
§2). A woman who married a man, because
she erroneously thought he was very rich,
cannot sue for nullity afterwards; unless
she married him precisely and principally
for that.
6) Error concerning the essential properties of marriage—i.e., unity, indissolubility and sacramental dignity—does not vitiate matrimonial consent, provided it does
not determine the will (c.1098). Such error
is similar to the error regarding a quality
of the person: it does not really invalidate
the consent unless it was determinant of
the will—i.e., one would not have consented to marriage had he/she known of
such quality of the person or of marriage.
7) Fraud concerning some quality of the
other party which of its nature can seriously disturb the partnership of conjugal
© Roy Lagarde/ CBCP Media
By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.
Can a marriage be annulled based on concubinage? The couple married young and on the decision of the elders, because the girl—although
pregnant at the time—was reluctant to marry but the boy’s mother wanted her son to be responsible. They have one child, male, 36 years old
and also married. The man has a second family with three young children. He has another child (but no family) abroad. All this is known and
accepted by the legal wife.
life, perpetrated to obtain consent, invalidates such consent (c.1098). Examples of such
qualities which of their nature can seriously
disturb conjugal life are drug addiction, homosexuality or a peculiar professional
lifestyle.
8) A condition concerning the future—
e.g., “I marry you provided you pass your
medical board exams by the time I give
birth to our first child”—invalidates consent (c.1102, §1). The reason is that the condition on which the reality of the marriage
rests is not yet there, so the marriage cannot come about either. On the other hand, a
marriage based on condition concerning
the past or the present is valid or invalid
insofar as the subject matter of the condition exists or not (c.1102, §2)—i.e., “I marry
you provided you really are a virgin as
you claim”. However, the Law also states
that it is not licit to put such condition of
the past or present without the written permission of the local Ordinary (c.1102, §3).
freed from it.
There must be free will in consenting to
marriage. There is no free will when there
is external force (violence), or grave fear
inflicted (even unintentionally) from outside the person—i.e., the trepidation of the
mind in the presence of an impending evil
(physical or moral) that compels the person to consent to a marriage in order to
escape such evil.
Examples of such perceived impending
evils that can cause fear are a threat of bodily
harm (e.g., shotgun marriage), threat of shame
(e.g., pregnancy due to a premarital sexual
relation), or even the threat of displeasing
a person or persons that one holds in high
esteem (the so-called reverential fear), as
when parents have arranged a marriage. If
it is proven in court that such threats caused
such trepidation of mind so as to consent to
a marriage that otherwise wouldn’t have
been consented to, the court can declare the
marriage invalid for lack of consent.
The Volitive Component of Consent
Can. 1103 — A marriage is invalid if it is
entered into due to force or grave fear inflicted
from outside the person, even when inflicted unintentionally, which is of such type that the person is compelled to choose marriage in order to be
Conclusion
As regards the marriage in question, we
have to affirm in the first place that it cannot be declared null on the ground of concubinage per se, since this has no direct bearing on the capacity of the party or on his act
of consent at the time of contracting marriage. Nevertheless, there may be grounds
for nullity as follows:
1) Grave lack of due discretion on the part of
the man, concerning the essential matrimonial rights and duties—specifically regarding the duty of marital fidelity. It might be
proven in court that the man may not have
understood what monogamy really means,
since he has not only sired three children
with a second partner, but even another
child with a third partner. Even his own
mother had recognized his irresponsibility before the original marriage in question.
2) Grave fear on the part of the woman, who
was pregnant out of wedlock. Note that
even if she was reluctant to marry (presumably because of the obvious signs of irresponsibility on the part of the man), it might
still be proven that she in fact was afraid of
the displeasure of her parents and the shame
and difficulties she would have to face
should she become a single parent. This is
why it is normally contra-indicated for the
parish priest to allow a marriage to take
place just because the woman is pregnant;
such pregnancy could be the cause of grave
fear which can be a ground for marriage
nullity.
Redemptionis Sacramentum and the
authority of the diocesan bishop
What is the role of the Diocesan
Bishop in relation to promotion of
the Sacred Liturgy?
The instruction itself recalls how
the Diocesan Bishop is “the first
steward of the mysteries of God in
the particular Church entrusted to
him, is the moderator, promoter
and guardian of her whole liturgical life.” (RS, no. 19) and quotes
from the Code of Canon Law,
which directs that it pertains to the
Diocesan Bishop (CIC, no. 838 §4)
“within the limits of his competence, to set forth liturgical norms
in his Diocese, by which all are
bound.” (RS, no. 21, citing CIC, no.
838 §4)
What role does the Diocesan
Bishop exercise in the correction of
liturgical abuses?
Therefore, “it is the right of the
Christian people themselves that
their diocesan Bishop should take
care to prevent the occurrence of
abuses in ecclesiastical discipline,
especially as regards the ministry
of the word, the celebration of the
sacraments and sacramentals, the
worship of God and devotion to
the Saints. (RS, no. 24) He accom-
plishes this task by directing, encouraging, and sometimes even
reproving, (cf. RS, no. 22) while taking care “not to allow the removal
of that liberty foreseen by the norms
of the liturgical books so that the
celebration may be adapted…” (RS,
no. 21). The instruction notes that
liturgical “abuses are often based
on ignorance.” (SR, no. 9)
eties of apostolic life as well as those
of all ecclesial associations and
movements of any kind, are subject to the authority of the diocesan
Bishop in all liturgical matters,
apart from rights that have been
legitimately conceded.” (RS, no. 22);
How does this impact the Bishop’s
ministry?
As chief teacher, the Diocesan
bishop should “elucidate the inherent meaning of the rites and the liturgical texts, and nourish the spirit
of the Liturgy in the Priests, Deacons and lay faithful so that they
are all led to the active and fruitful
celebration of the Eucharist…” (RS,
no. 22); He should “take care to ensure that the whole body of the
Church is able to grow in the same
understanding, in the unity of charity, in the diocese, in the nation and
in the world.” (RS, no. 22);
How is the Bishop assisted in this
regard?
The Bishop is assisted in this regard by liturgical commissions, and
other councils or committees who
“rely on his authority and his approval so that they may carry out
their office in a suitable manner and
so that the effective governance of
the Bishop in his diocese will be
preserved.” (RS, no. 25) The instruction recommends that Bishops reexamine the workings of already
existent consultative groups “to
consider carefully which changes
or improvements should be made
in their composition and activity
so that they might find new vigor.”
(RS, no. 25)
Who is subject to the liturgical authority of the Diocesan Bishop?
“All, including members of Institutes of consecrated life and Soci-
May the Diocesan Bishop change
liturgical laws for his Diocese?
In regard to the celebration of the
Eucharist, the Diocesan Bishop is
given a particular role in the publication of norms for the regulation
of the liturgy in his particular diocese. The General Instruction of the
Roman Missal [GIRM] assigns to the
Diocesan Bishop the publication of
norms on concelebration (GIRM,
no. 202), service at the altar (GIRM,
no. 107), Holy Communion under
both kinds (GIRM, nos. 282-283), the
construction and renovation of
church Buildings (GIRM, no. 291
and 315), posture [GIRM no. 43.3,
liturgical music (GIRM, nos. 48, 87),
and the establishment of days of
prayer (GIRM, no. 373).
Other rights of the Diocesan
Bishop to regulate the liturgy are
described by documents other than
the GIRM, including the regulation
of Masses on radio, television and
via the internet, and his responsibility to establish a diocesan calendar.
With the exception of these and other
modifications of the law explicitly
assigned to the Diocesan Bishop, no
additional changes to liturgical law
may be introduced to Diocesan liturgical practice without the specific
prior of the Holy See.
(Source: Committee on Liturgy,
NCCB)
CBCP Monitor
Diocese
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
BATAAN is the home of heroes. Along its
main highway are markers indicating the
route of the Death March, the historical
event in World War II, that followed the
last stand made by the brave men who
fought for their country.
Today, everyone is still called to be
HERO in Bataan but this time it is not for a
one-time victory in battle but in the ordinariness of daily life, in relationships with
others and in spiritual growth.
The call is being made by the Diocese of
Balanga to its flock and HERO is its vision. HERO is an acronym that stands for:
Holiness through prayer; Evangelization
by all, for all, in all; Relationship of Love;
Openness to receive and to give.
This vision became clear to the clergy
of the diocese after an updating session in
2004 with its then newly installed bishop,
Bishop Socrates B. Villegas. The word
embodies the legacy of heroism which the
province’s rendezvous with history has
bequeathed to its citizens and the yearning for holiness which every faithful child
of God carries in his or her heart.
for priests willing to serve by his side in
the new diocese. His persistence and perseverance paid off when he attracted not
only priests but new vocations to the priesthood from young men of the province.
When he started, only one of the 15 priests
was a native of Bataan. In 2007, there were
26 of the 43, while some 25 other young
men of Bataan are enrolled in studies for
the priesthood.
Bishop Honesto F. Ongtioco succeeded
Bishop Guevarra in 1998 and guided the
diocese towards its silver jubilee, making
plans for a Diocesan Pastoral Assembly,
to discern and map out the directions that
it should take after the important milestone. The organizational plans for this
assembly were beginning to take shape
when Bishop Ongtioco was named bishop
of the newly-created Diocese of Cubao in
2003.
Bishop Soc Villegas of the Archdiocese
of Manila was appointed by Pope John
Paul II on May 3, 2004, to be the third bishop
of the Diocese of Balanga. It is said that he
came to Balanga at a serendipitous mo-
ment, when the clergy needed a touch of
love and the local church required to be
guided to the right direction. At his installation on July 3, 2004, he called on his
clergy and laity and all the people of
Bataan, “Let us be heroes and saints together.” And bishop, clergy and laity have,
since then, embarked on a dizzying journey that has brought them into becoming
a vibrant Church committed to achieve
the fullness of life through holiness and
heroism; loving God and the land of their
birth.
From the Ground Up
If growth is to be measured in bricks
and stones, in numbers, and in people, the
Diocese of Balanga has surely grown since
the call to be heroes and saints was
sounded off. There are now 33 parishes
and 2 chaplaincies in the diocese, up from
24 parishes and one chaplaincy in July 2004.
The nine new parishes are under the care
of religious priests and the two chaplaincies are dedicated to the ministry to indigenous peoples.
B3
The campus ministry in high schools
and colleges province-wide has been institutionalized, with the help of the brothers of the Marian Missionaries of the Holy
Cross and the sisters of the congregation
of the Franciscan Immaculitine Sisters.
Amazingly Bataan is home to several
educational institutions which count thousands of students. Aside from the five diocesan schools, five new schools have been
put up: Jaime Hilario La Salle School in
Bagac, Siena College of Hermosa, Letran
sa Abucay, St. Joseph College in Balanga,
and Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in
Tucop, Dinalupihan. A school for the formation of lay leaders, called Pandayan ng
Layko ng Diyosesis or PALAD has also been
established. There have been 55 lay graduates from five different centers in four vicariates. About 600 lay students are now
in the process of completing the course.
The Diocese has a scholarship program
for 50 Aeta children and 50 Tagalog children studying in Bataan. There are 13 college scholars enrolled in four Catholic colleges in Manila. It has 19 students taking
up religious education in Manila, who will
form the core of professional catechists in
the diocese. Four of the 14 students are
Aetas.
The cathedral was restored and renovated in time for the 30th anniversary celebration while the former Simbahayanan
ng Kabataan was renovated to respond to
the need for venue for the diocese’s formation programs and activities. It was also
named, Bishop Celso Guevarra Formation
Center, in honor of the diocese’s first
bishop.
The diocese also built its Bahay Pari
where the bishop resides and the priests
come together regularly for fraternal activities.
Following the successful holding of the
First Synod of Balanga, the Diocesan Pastoral Council was established to give flesh
to its acts and decrees. Eight commissions,
each headed by three persons—(a priest,
religious sister and lay faithful) compose
the Council: 1) Buhay Panalangin, 2)
Eukaristiya, 3) Mga Sakramento ng
Pagpapagaling, 4) Kristiyanong Pagpapakasakit,
Diocese of Balanga
Marching to heroism and holiness
Thus shortly after its 30th year, the Diocese of Balanga embarked on the mission
to realize its vision. The first diocesan
synod was convoked on September 14,
2005. The Synod took place on March 6 to
17 and the teachings and decrees were promulgated on June 3, 2006.
The Synod is a long jump from the establishment of the diocese in 1975, when
it was carved from the Archdiocese of San
Fernando (Pampanga), and at 30, the Diocese as a community of believers, was
ready to respond to the challenge of heroism and holiness as a new church, revitalized and renewed.
The Peninsula
The Diocese of Balanga comprises the
entire civil province of Bataan, the smallest among the provinces in Central Luzon.
The province is a peninsula jutting out to
sea, with Manila Bay to the east, China Sea
to the west, and the province of Zambales
to the north.
It is divided from north to south by two
mountain ridges. In the east are the valley
towns of Hermosa, Orani, Samal, Abucay,
Pilar, Orion and Limay. To the west are
the towns of Morong, Bagac and
Mariveles.
The sea and the land made farmers and
fisherfolk of most of the province’s people,
but its proximity to Manila has also made
it a base for industries such as oil refinery
and manufacturing of products for exports
in economic and business zones such as
the one in Mariveles. These industries have
attracted workers from neighboring, and
even far-flung provinces to Bataan.
Tourism is also beginning to blossom
in this province blessed with sand and sea,
and local and foreign tourist swell the
province during holidays and summer vacation. Bataan’s natural beauty has slowly
emerged.
Heritage of Faith
The seed of faith planted in the peninsula by the Dominicans and Recollects and
by a handful of Filipino priests the past
centuries bore fruit with the establishment
of the Diocese of Balanga on March 17,
1975, by Pope Paul VI. Bishop Celso N.
Guevarra was named its first bishop on
November 8, 1975.
Bishop Guevarra’s ministry of 23 years
was marked by building up the people of
God. He scoured the region’s seminaries
ABOVE: Cathedral of St. Joseph in Balanga, Bataan. BELOW: Bishop Socrates Villegas, D.D., and the interior of the Cathedral.
Photos courtesy Noli Yamsuan
IMPORTANT FACTS:
Bishop ……………………………………… 1
Diocesan Priests ………………………… 44
Active ………………………………………. 34
On leave ……………………………………10
Religious Priests ……………………...... 2
Guest Priests ……………………………. 2
Religious Sisters ……………………… 42
Major Seminarians ……………………. 22
Diocesan Divisions:
Vicariates ………………………………… 4
Parishes ……………………………….. 32
Chaplaincy ……………………………….. 3
Chapels ……………………………….. 171
Educational Centers:
High School ……………………………… 5
Elementary ……………………………… 6
Pre-elementary ………………………...... 6
Population ………………….……… 648,309
Catholics ………………….……….. 555,600
Area ……………………….… 1,373 sq. kms.
5) Bayanihan at Kabayanihan, 6) Dukha, 7)
Kabataan, and 8) Katekesis.
The Path to Heroism and Holiness
How does one become a hero? How does
one become holy?
To the Diocese of Balanga this entails a
daily struggle, and a daily commitment,
little acts of heroism, and holiness that, in
time, add up to greatness and sainthood. It
begins with the family, which is the source
of life of an individual. Here the person
learns the basic lessons, values, and virtues—sharing, relating and understanding
his or her role in each unit.
The path cannot be trekked alone; neither can it be achieved simply by one’s individual efforts. For the diocese, the path
towards fullness is a three-legged journey
of prayer life, formation life, and the life of
commitment. And its formation programs
have been designed to foster these three
areas of life and bear interesting acronyms:
PUSO is an advanced formation program that articulates “Puso ng Diyos, Puso
ng Bataan, Pusong Bayani at Banal” integrating the elements that combine for a deep
love for one’s roots, one country and God.
KRISMA (Kristiyanong Magkakapitbahay)
cultivates the formation undergone in
PUSO towards concrete manifestation of
love for others by service of God and
neighbor. It is a basic cell of ecclesial community where members are related geographically or share a common life situation such as education, work, age, or
apostolate in the Church.
AGAP forms the person’s heart into
greater generosity and self-giving. It
stands for Alay Galing sa Pagpapakasakit (Offering from sacrifice). It is a response to
the need of our increasingly materialistic
world to revivify the spirit of sacrifice, of
love-filled sharing, of selfless service to
those in need. It calls for the sharing of
Time, Treasure and Talent (TTT).
Marching towards Heroism and Holiness
Bataan’s history has shown the bravery
of Filipinos in the face of battle and foreign
aggression. On its fertile soil flowed the
blood of courage. The Diocese of Balanga
embraces this history as its glorious heritage, and builds upon this courage to lead
the people to holiness, to sainthood. Indeed
heroism and holiness are brothers and sisters, sired by the great love of God who calls
everyone to Fullness of Life.
B4
CBCP Monitor
Commissions
Northern Luzon directors
for the Biblical apostolate
meet in Baguio
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
San Fernando
archdiocese
leads council
for migrants’
concerns
By Edmund Ruga
By Fr. Doms O. Ramos, SVD
THE Board of Directors of the Northern
Luzon Commission for the Biblical
Apostolate (NLCBA) and the John Paul I Biblical Center (JPIBC) held their annual meeting at the Philippine Bible Society’s Sanctuary in Baguio City last August 6-7, 2007.
JPIBC Chairman and Lingayen-Dagupan
Auxiliary bishop Most Rev. Renato P.
Mayugba, DD presided the meeting. He was
assisted by NLCBA Executive Secretary and
director of JPIBC, Fr. Dominador O. Ramos,
SVD.
Thirty five BA directors, coordinators and
representatives of four congregations (SIHM,
SFIC, OSB and SVD) from Northern Luzon
were present making the meeting as one of
the most attended so far in years.
The meeting opened with the celebration
of the Word and the Eucharist on the feast of
the Transfiguration, with Bishop Mayugba as
main celebrant.
During the mass the directors were
grouped by threes (triad) where they shared
in a Lectio Divina way their life and mission,
their “disfiguration” and “transfiguration” as
BA directors of their Archdiocese, Diocese,
Apostolic Vicariate and Religious Congregations.
The directors, fresh from the field of mission; shared progress reports, problems and
challenges of doing the Biblical Apostolate.
Programs, activities, modules, seminars,
workshops, bible festivals, radio programs,
bible institutes, meaningful distribution of
bibles, and the like constitute the Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church of Northern
Luzon.
The participants welcomed the newly appointed, elected and installed Board of Directors, Fr. Fidelis Layog of Lingayen-Dagupan;
Sr. Beata Balaso, SIHM of Baguio; Fr.
Devasgayam Savariyappan, SVD of Bangued;
Fr. Danilo Ulep of Tuguegarao; and the subregional coordinators of Northern Luzon.
JPIBC gave an update on the activities of
the biblical center. Hard copies of the reports
were distributed to the directors that include
the accomplishment report of the Word Alive
Biblical Institute (WABI) for this year, the
hard-bound proceedings of the last regional
biblical workshop, the journal of the WABI
2007, the official website where news, reports, letters, workshops and all other concerns pertaining to the Biblical Apostolate
are being published. Updates on the publications of the Biblical Center were also shared.
The directors also shared on the follow up
of the regional biblical workshop held in
Alaminos earlier and their plans regarding
the implementation of resolutions and commitments to the diocesan and parish level.
The Alaminos workshop produced a final
statement with the regional directors committing themselves to a grateful fidelity to
THE WORD OF GOD as revealed and contained in SACRED SCRIPTURES and as lived
and proclaimed by SACRED TRADITION; to
a more biblically inspired and nourished liturgical life; to actively collaborate in the promotion of BECs that are regularly and intensively formed by the WORD OF GOD and
nourished by the EUCHARIST for social
transformation that is specially concerned in
promoting the common good and showing
solidarity with the poor; and to explore creative ways of bringing the WORD OF GOD
to all—young and old—in ways and means
that put to use indigenous and simple materials and such methods of communication
that are relevant and entertaining.
Upcoming Biblical Events
Other matters discussed in the meeting include the International Course on the Biblical Pastoral Ministry in Nemi, Rome slated
on September 10-December 10, 2007. Three
candidates from Northern Luzon, Fr. Armand
Quindo of the Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk;
Mr. Joel M. Bugtong of the John Paul I Biblical Center; and Ms. Silvana de Vera of the
Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan; will participate in the course.
A Seminar on Biblical Figures to be hosted
by Northern Luzon is scheduled on October
15-20, 2007 and will be held at the Immacu-
late Conception School of Theology in Vigan
City. This seminar is open to all who are interested in making biblical figures that could
be used for biblical catechesis, catechetical
instructions, counseling, spiritual accompaniment and the like other than Bibliodrama
seminars. The facilitators who will come from
Germany invented the use of biblical dolls
in Bibliodrama, Sr. Ines Schmiegel and Frau
Susanne Uteschil.
The Special Regional Biblical Workshop
for Northern Luzon is scheduled on October
15-17, 2007 at the Immaculate Conception
School of Theology. Bishop Mayugba convened the regional workshop to prepare the
whole region for the coming big events in
the biblical apostolate local, nationwide and
worldwide. The next regular regional workshop will be hosted by the Diocese of
Urdaneta on October, 2008.
Updates on the programs and other events
for 2008 were also discussed: The National
Bible Week and National Bible Sunday on
January 21-27, 2008; the 16th National Biblical Workshop in Cagayan de Oro City on
February 15-10, 2008; the Catholic Biblical
Federation 7th Plenary Assembly in Tanzania, Africa on June 24-July 3, 2008; and the
Synod of Bishops on the Word of God in
Vatican on October 5-26, 2008.
Online connection
The Northern Luzon Commission for the
Biblical Apostolate encouraged each director to avail of the modern means of Information Technology for faster communications,
networking, coordination, data and document transfers. Weroam or Smart Broadband
offers alternative solutions. Word Alive
Newsletter is now online: http://
jp1bc.wordpress.com
Northern Luzon comprises 14 ecclesiastical jurisdictions, the Archdioceses of
Tuguegarao, Nueva Segovia, LingayenDagupan; the Dioceses of Laoag, San
Fernando de La Union, Urdaneta, Alaminos,
Bayombong, Ilagan; Prelature of Batanes; the
Cordilleras that include the Diocese of
Bangued, Baguio-Benguet, the Apostolic Vicariates of Bontoc-Lagawe and Tabuk.
Filipino chaplains, pastoral
workers to meet in Europe
By Pinky Barrientos, FSP
FILIPINO chaplains and pastoral workers ministering to Filipino
communities in Europe are set to meet in Dublin, Ireland for a fiveday regional consultation meeting on August 27-31.
Episcopal Commission on Migrant and Itinerant People (ECMI)
executive secretary Fr. Edwin Corros, CS said the regional consultation meeting started as a response from Filipino chaplains to meet
the need to accompany and minister to Filipino communities in
Europe.
“It started as a gathering of Filipino chaplains around the world,
later they agreed to meet as a region,” said Corros.
Filipino chaplains are active in their ministry of accompanying
Filipino communities in the regions of Asia, Oceania and Europe,
where a big concentration of Filipino communities can be found.
Corros said Middle East and Africa are regions where labor market is not well established and Filipino communities are spread
out. Except for Filipino missionaries belonging to religious congregations assigned in these countries, there are no Filipino chaplains to minister to Filipinos working in these regions.
“In Africa, Filipinos are usually deployed in far flung areas not
accessible to missionaries,” explained Corros. “Whereas in Middle
East, the practice of religion is not allowed,” he added.
The regional meeting will tackle family and labor concerns affecting Filipino communities in Europe.
A Vatican representative from the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People will deliver a keynote
address on the issue of Workers in the Pastoral Care of Communion.
Priority for the Chaplaincy is to provide specific direction on the
concerns of Filipino family and the youth in Europe as recommended
by the 6th Regional Consultation Meeting.
Participants are also working on the following goals which they
hope to achieve at the end of the meeting: to follow up challenges
posed by the 6th Regional meeting; to share and learn the good
practices employed by chaplaincies to improve services to migrants
and their families; to review and enhance collaboration between
churches, government and other civic organizations through concrete plans of action in their advocacy and linkages; and to review
and ensure the application of the Vatican document “Erga Migrantes
Caritas Christi.”
Already in its 7th round, the regional assembly which started 14
years ago is held every two years. This year’s conference has the
theme, Filipinos and their families, contributors to European church and
society.
THE Pampanga Archdiocesan Migrants Desk
(PAMD) spearheaded the creation of Inter-Agency
Council for Migrants Concerns (PIAMCO) in a bid
to strengthen partnerships and coordination
among local migrant stakeholders.
The local formation of inter-agency council for
the migrants’ concern is a project of the Episcopal
Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People
(CBCP-ECMI). The move is being undertaken in
dioceses that have stronghold programs for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
ECMI, through its Luzon Desk mentored the
PAMD in the creation of PIAMCO. The Archdiocese of San Fernando is the second diocese to hold
such kind of activity following the Archdiocese
of Lipa.
PIAMCO was officially launched July 24 at the
Pampanga Provincial Capitol in San Fernando
City. The Office of the Governor of Pampanga Provincial Government took the initiative as coconvenor of PIAMCO.
The whole day event featured messages and sharing among the invited agencies concerning migrant issues and concerns. Pampanga Governor
Among Ed Panlilio graced the occasion together
with Provincial Board Member Ric Yabut.
The participating agencies agreed on the principles of PIAMCO to serve as a coordinating body
and venue among agencies in the province of
Pampanga to exchange views and information on
programs and services to migrant sector. It will
also share and learn experiences in the formation
and implementation of migrants program.
PIAMCO will also function as a recommendatory
body, lobby group for policy change and give direction on what is lacking in programs and services for the migrant sector.
With ECMI Luzon Desk and PAMD as coconvenors, PIAMCO elected members of its core
council composed of Pampanga Provincial Government-Office of the Governor, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Region 3,
Provincial Public Employment Service Office
(PESO), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education
(DepED) Region 3, Angeles University Foundation,
and Central Luzon Pediatric Society.
Other agencies that participated in the creation
of PIAMCO are National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) Pampanga, Department of Labor and
Employment (DoLE) Region 3, Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),
PHILHEALTH, and Provincial Cooperative Development Office.
The next PIAMCO regular meeting is scheduled
on September 18 at the Pampanga Provincial Capitol.
The PAMD is under the directorship of Fr.
Arnolfo Serrano. He is supported in his task by a
core team of lay people: Rico and Susan Pablo,
Silvano Ortega, Eduardo Balagtas, Rose Feliciano,
Edna Manlapaz, Carmen Lobo and Alex Deang.
LAIKO to celebrate
National Laity Week
By Pinky Barrientos, FSP
THE Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas will spearhead its annual celebration of National Laity Week
on September 23 to 30 to promote lay apostolate
and honor San Lorenzo Ruiz and Blessed Pedro
Calungsod, patron saints of the Catholic Laity in
the Philippines.
The Laity Week event has the theme “Laiko in
Action”, which is a celebration of the Catholic lay
faithful’s contribution to the evangelization of the
“unchurched” in the Catholic community. The occasion also aims to acknowledge the efforts made
by various faith communities and church mandated organizations in the areas of service and
evangelization.
Among the various activities proposed for the
week-long celebration involve both spiritual and
temporal aspects: Eucharistic celebration, liturgy
of the hours, holy hour, bible sharing, novena to
San Lorenzo Ruiz and Blessed Pedro Calungsod;
talks, seminars and fora; visitation to the sick in
the community and hospitals; visitation to the
prisoners; distribution of goods to the needy; and
medical and dental mission.
From the dioceses the celebration will cascade
down to the parish level through the involvement
of Diocesan Councils of the Laity, Diocesan Pastoral Council and National Lay Organizations. A
massive information campaign is being laid out
to achieve greater awareness and participation of
parishioners and members.
The Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas animates
and facilitates, coordinates and integrates all
forms of lay Catholic action and activity of all Lay
Apostolic Movements, Associations and Organizations. Among its affiliates include Councils of
the Laity in 48 arch/dioceses and 42 National Lay
Organizations in the country.
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
Statements
B5
‘Building bridges
of peace with our
peace officers’
A Joint Statement of The BishopsUlama Conference Convenors
16 July 2007
THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and The Philippine National
Police (PNP) are mandated by law to maintain, promote, and protect the
peace and order in our country. Supervised from the AFP Eastern and
Western Mindanao Commands and the six PNP Camps in our region,
our law enforcers carry out this mandate as peace officers and gentlemen.
Since these peace officers and their families and dependents belong to
the Islamic, Protestant, and Catholic faith traditions, their religious needs
and activities are provided for by the corresponding Muslim, Protestant
and Catholic chaplains. These chaplains are supervised and guided by a
Catholic bishop in what is known as the Military Ordinariate, an institution established by a concordat between the Republic of the Philippines
and the State of the Vatican or the Holy See.
Although the objectives of maintaining, promoting and protecting
peace and order may be the same for both law enforcers and religious
leaders, the methods may be different and opposite. Hence there is a
need of building lines and occasions of peaceful communication and
dialogue among them towards an effective mutual collaboration.
The Bishops-Ulama Conference (BUC) is committed to the principle
that respectful and friendly dialogue and collaboration, however long
and tedious, is the only human and humane way of resolving problems
and conflicts. For this reason, we the Convenors urge our peace and
dialogue partners and all those who participate in the celebration of the
2007 Mindanao Week of Peace (November 29 to December 5) to promote
and support the process of building bridges of peace with our peace
officers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine
National Police through responsible dialogue and collaboration. This is
also a mandate arising from our respective faiths which teach us that we
have a common origin and a common destiny. It is only by keeping in
mind and heart this mandate that we can meaningfully be guided in our
work for lasting peace in this beautiful Land of Promise called Mindanao.
May the Compassionate and Merciful God/Allah be upon us all.
FERNANDO R. CAPALLA
Archbishop of Davao
Co-Convenor, BUC
HILARIO M. GOMEZ, JR.
Bishop Emeritus, UCCP
Co-Convenor, BUC
MAHID M. MUTILAN
President, Ulama League
of the Philippines
Co-Convenor, BUC
On the peace Christ brought
‘Not the simple
absence of conflict’
(The address Benedict XVI delivered before reciting the midday Angelus in the courtyard of the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, August
19, 2007)
DEAR Brothers and Sisters!
There is an expression of Jesus’ in this Sunday’s Gospel that always
draws our attention and which needs to be properly understood. As he
is on his way to Jerusalem, where death on the cross awaits him, Christ
confides in his disciples: “Do you think that I have come to establish
peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”
And he adds: “From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against
his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and
a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughterin-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Luke 12:5153).
Whoever knows the least amount about the Gospel of Christ knows
that it is the message of peace par excellence; Jesus himself, as St. Paul
writes, “is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14); he died and rose from the dead
to break down the wall of enmity and inaugurated the Kingdom of
God, which is love, joy, and peace.
How, then, are we to explain these words of his? To what is the Lord
referring when he says that he has come to bring—according to St.
Luke’s redaction—”division,” or—according to St. Matthew’s—the
“sword” (Matthew 10:34)?
Christ’s expression means the peace that he came to bring is not synonymous with the simple absence of conflict. On the contrary, the peace
of Jesus is the fruit of a constant struggle against evil. The battle that
Jesus has decided to fight is not against men or human powers but
against the enemy of God and man, Satan.
Those who desire to resist this enemy, remaining faithful to God and
the good, must necessarily deal with misunderstandings and sometimes very real persecution. Thus, those who intend to follow Jesus and
commit themselves without compromises to the truth must know that
they will face opposition and will become, despite themselves, a sign
of division among persons, even within their own families.
Love of one’s parents is indeed a sacred commandment, but for it to
be lived authentically it cannot be set in opposition to the love of God
and Christ. In such a way, in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus, Christians
must become “instruments of his peace,” according to the celebrated
expression of St. Francis of Assisi. This is not an inconsistent and superficial peace but a real one, pursued with courage and tenacity in the
daily commitment to defeat evil with good (cf. Romans 12:21), paying
in person the price that this carries with it.
The Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, shared the struggle of her son Jesus
against the evil one, to the point of spiritual martyrdom, and she continues to share this struggle until the end of time. Let us invoke her
maternal intercession, that she may help us always to be faithful witnesses to Christ’s peace, never giving in to compromises with evil.
Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI
for the 81st World Mission Sunday 2007
“All the Churches for all the world”
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On the occasion of the World Mission
Day, I would like to invite the entire
People of God—Pastors, priests, men and
women religious and lay people—to reflect together on the urgent need and importance of the Church’s missionary action, also in our time.
Indeed, the words with which the Crucified and Risen Jesus entrusted the missionary mandate to the Apostles before
ascending to Heaven do not cease to ring
out as a universal call and a heartfelt appeal: “Go therefore and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you”. And he
added, “Lo, I am with you always, to the
close of the age” (Mt 28: 19-20).
In the demanding work of evangelization we are sustained and accompanied
by the certainty that he, the Lord of the
harvest, is with us and continues to guide
his people. Christ is the inexhaustible
source of the Church’s mission. This year,
moreover, a further reason impels us to
renew our missionary commitment: the
50th anniversary of the Encyclical of the
Servant of God Pius XII, Fidei Donum,
which promoted and encouraged cooperation between the Churches for the
mission ad gentes.
“All the Churches for all the world”:
this is the theme chosen for the next World
Mission Day. It invites the local Churches
of every continent to a shared awareness
of the urgent need to relaunch missionary action in the face of the many serious
challenges of our time.
The conditions in which humanity
lives have of course changed and in recent decades, especially since the Second
Vatican Council, a great effort has been
made to spread the Gospel.
However, much still remains to be
done in order to respond to the missionary call which the Lord never tires of addressing to every one of the baptized. In
the first place, he continues to call the
Churches of so-called “ancient tradition”,
which in the past provided the missions
with a consistent number of priests, men
and women religious and lay people as
well as material means, giving life to an
effective cooperation between Christian
communities.
This cooperation has yielded abundant
apostolic fruit both for the young
Churches in mission lands as well as in
the ecclesial situations from which the
missionaries came. In the face of the secularized culture, which sometimes seems
to be penetrating ever more deeply into
Western societies, considering in addition the crisis of the family, the dwindling number of vocations and the progressive ageing of the clergy, these
Churches risk withdrawing into themselves to view the future with ever less
hope and weakening their missionary
effort.
Yet, this is the very time for opening
oneself with trust to the Providence of
God, who never abandons his People and
who, with the power of the Holy Spirit,
guides them toward the fulfillment of his
eternal design of salvation.
The Good Shepherd also invites the recently evangelized Churches to dedicate
themselves generously to the missio ad
gentes. Despite the many difficulties and
obstacles they encounter in their development, these communities are constantly growing. Fortunately, some of
them have a large number of priests and
consecrated persons, many of whom, although there are so many needs in loco,
are nevertheless sent to carry out their
pastoral ministry and apostolic service
elsewhere, even in lands evangelized
long ago.
Thus, we are witnessing a providential “exchange of gifts” which redounds
to the benefit of the entire Mystical Body
of Christ.
I warmly hope that missionary cooperation will be intensified and that the
most will be made of the potential and
charisms of each one. I also hope that
World Mission Day will contribute to
making all the Christian communities and
every baptized person ever more aware
that Christ’s call to spread his Kingdom to
the very ends of the earth is universal.
“The Church is missionary by her very
nature”, John Paul II wrote in his Encyclical
Redemptoris Missio, “for Christ’s mandate
is not something contingent or external, but
reaches the very heart of the Church. It follows that the universal Church and each individual Church is sent forth to the nations....
It is highly appropriate that young Churches
“should share as soon as possible in the universal missionary work of the Church. They
should themselves send missionaries to proclaim the Gospel all over the world, even
though they are suffering from a shortage
of clergy’” (n. 62).
Fifty years after the historical appeal for
cooperation between the Churches at the
service of the mission of my Predecessor,
Pius XII, with his Encyclical Fidei Donum, I
would like to reaffirm that the Gospel proclamation continues to be timely and urgent.
In the Encyclical Redemptoris Missiocited
above, Pope John Paul II, for his part, recognized that “the Church’s mission is wider
than the “communion among the Churches’;
it ought to be directed not only to aiding reevangelization but also and primarily to
missionary activity as such” (n. 64).
Therefore, as has often been said, missionary commitment remains the first service
that the Church owes to humanity today to
guide and evangelize the cultural, social and
ethical transformations; to offer Christ’s salvation to the people of our time in so many
parts of the world who are humiliated and
oppressed by endemic poverty, violence
and the systematic denial of human rights.
The Church cannot shirk this universal
mission; for her it has a binding force. Since
Christ first entrusted the missionary mandate to Peter and to the Apostles, today it is
primarily the responsibility of the Successor of Peter whom divine Providence has
chosen as a visible foundation of the Church’s
unity, and of the Bishops directly responsible for evangelization, both as members
of the Episcopal College and as Pastors of
the particular Churches (cf. Redemptoris
Missio, n. 63).
I am thus addressing the Pastors of all the
Churches chosen by the Lord to guide his one
flock so that they may share in the pressing
concern to proclaim and spread the Gospel.
It was precisely this concern that 50 years
ago impelled the Servant of God Pius XII to
bring missionary cooperation more up to
date with the times.
With particular concern for the future of
evangelization he asked the “long established” Churches to send priests to support
the recently founded Churches.
Thus, he gave life to a new “subject of
mission” which took the name of “Fidei
Donum” precisely from the first words of
the Encyclical.
Of it he wrote: “As We direct our thoughts,
on the one hand, to the countless multitudes
of Our sons who have a share in the blessings of divine faith, especially in countries
that have a long Christian tradition, and on
the other hand, as We consider the far more
numerous throngs of those who are still
waiting for the day of salvation to be proclaimed to them, We are filled with a great
desire to exhort you again and again, Venerable Brethren, to support with zealous interest the most holy cause of bringing the
Church to all the world”. He added: “Please
God, may it come to pass that Our admonitions will arouse a keener interest in the missionary apostolate among your priests and
through them set the hearts of the faithful
on fire!” (cf. Fidei Donum, n. 4).
Let us give thanks to the Lord for the abundant fruits obtained by this missionary cooperation in Africa and in other regions of
the earth.
Throngs of priests, after leaving their native communities, have devoted their apostolic energy to the service of communities
which have sometimes only recently come
into being in poor and developing areas.
Among these priests are many martyrs who
have combined with the witness of their
words and apostolic dedication the sacrifice
of their lives.
Nor can we forget the many men and
women religious and lay volunteers who,
together with the priests, spared no effort to
spread the Gospel to the very ends of the
earth. May World Mission Day be an opportunity to remember in prayer these
brothers and sisters of ours in the faith and
all who continue to work in the vast field of
the mission.
Let us ask God that their example may
everywhere inspire new vocations and a renewed mission awareness in the Christian
people. Indeed, every Christian community
is born missionary, and it is precisely on the
basis of the courage to evangelize that the
love of believers for their Lord is measured.
Consequently, we could say that for the
individual members of the faithful it is no
longer merely a matter of collaborating in
evangelizing work but of feeling that they
themselves are protagonists and co-responsible. This co-responsibility entails the
growth of communion between the communities and increases reciprocal help with
regard to the personnel (priests, men and
women religious and lay volunteers) and
the use of the means necessary for evangelization today.
Dear brothers and sisters, the missionary
mandate entrusted by Christ to the Apostles
truly involves us all. May World Mission
Day therefore be a favorable opportunity to
acquire a deeper awareness and to work out
together appropriate spiritual and formative itineraries which encourage interChurch cooperation and the training of new
missionaries to spread the Gospel in our
time.
However, let it not be forgotten that the
first and priority contribution that we are
called to offer to the missionary action of
the Church is prayer. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few”, the Lord said;
“pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to
send out laborers into his harvest” (Lk 10: 2).
“First of all, therefore”, Pope Pius XII of
venerable memory wrote 50 years ago,
“Venerable Brethren, We trust that more
continuous and fervent prayers will be raised
to God for this cause” (Fidei Donum, n. 49).
Remember the immense spiritual needs of
the numerous populations who are far from
the true faith or who stand in such great
need of the means of perseverance (cf. n. 55).
And he urged the faithful to increase the
number of Masses offered for the missions,
saying that “this is in accordance with the
prayers of Our Lord who loves his Church
and wishes her to flourish and enlarge her
borders throughout the whole world” (ibid.,
n. 52).
Dear brothers and sisters, I also renew
this invitation, which is, more timely than
ever. May the unanimous invocation of the
“Our Father who art in Heaven” be extended
in every community, so that his Kingdom
will come on earth.
I appeal in particular to children and
young people, who are always ready and
generous in their missionary outreach. I
address the sick and the suffering, recalling
the value of their mysterious and indispensable collaboration in the work of salvation.
I ask consecrated people, especially those in
cloistered monasteries, to intensify their
prayers for the missions.
Thanks to the commitment of every believer, the spiritual network of prayer and
support for evangelization is being extended throughout the Church. May the Virgin Mary who accompanied with motherly
solicitude the development of the newborn
Church, also guide our footsteps in our time
and obtain for us a new Pentecost of love.
May she especially make us all aware of
being missionaries, that is, those who have
been sent out by the Lord to be his witnesses
at every moment of our life.
I assure my daily remembrance in prayer
to the fidei donum priests, to the men and
women religious and lay volunteers working
on the frontiers of evangelization as well as to
Reflections
B6
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
Atty. Jo Imbong
Must you
flip-flop?
Detail of Jesus Christ with Saint Peter from
The Washing of the Feet by Giotto di Bondone
We come from humble beginnings
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Lk. 14:1, 7-14)
September 2, 2007
Bp. Zacarias C. Jimenez, DD
ONE is intrigued by facts observed in quantum science. Everything in the universe
comes from tiny elements called “quarks”…
a sand developed into rocks, to boulders…
a seed into a plant, a tree… sperm into animals, to human beings… an idea into a book,
to a building,… into endless possibilities.
This fact is reflected in the physical, spiritual, moral and psychological aspects of
human development.
Alfred Adler, Austrian physician, points
out the sense of inferiority as the motivating force in human life. This starts as an infant is able to comprehend the existence of
other people around him who are better
able to care for themselves and cope with
their environment. As feeling of inferiority
is established, the child strives to overcome
it. Inferiority is an intolerable thing, so compensatory mechanisms get set up by the
mind. Oftentimes, this may get out of hand
or out of proportion that self-centered neurotic attitudes, overcompensations, and a retreat from the real world and its problems
stand on the way. And so, we have sibling
rivalry, will to power and dominance, and
mistaken goals of superiority. I find this interesting and necessary in our understanding of our childish natural tendency to be
competitive and even be thrilled by the
speed of a running car or fast moving objects or by the defeat of the so called “enemies”.
There are two things in the Gospel. One,
the usual cultural banquet where invited
people get caught up in their human need
to be recognized and appreciated and so
expect a VIP treatment and grab the first
place on table; and those preparing the banquet reserve the high places to dignitaries
and people special by their office or reputation and the lower to the ordinary. This is
too common to all cultures in the world.
The second is the banquet in the Kingdom
of God where leaders and those in authority
serve the rest under their care and protection; where nobody is rejected or excluded
but everyone is welcome especially those
who do not have power to choose and are
forgotten or despised; where everyone
shares what they have with and serve one
another, and so nobody is left unattended.
This is the real invitation and actual challenge for us.
Jesus had a very deep understanding of
human need to be in touch with our fundamental state of being little for there lies our
real truth, goodness and beauty. Humus is a
Latin word for “ground, soil, earth”. Humility is a state of being grounded in our
basic foundation as creatures, on our very
essence of who we really are. It is where we
discover that we are one with everything
and everyone in the universe, that wholeness in us. It is where we experience our
union with our Creator, the God-ness in us.
In the gospels Jesus referred real greatness,
honor and belongingness to the kingdom
to one’s faith as small as a mustard seed,
…to whoever humbling himself like a little
child as the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven, …to the found lost coin as a cause
for rejoicing, …to those wanting to rule over
others as serving them rather than being
served, ...to those who are last as first and
those first last… and to washing the feet of
one another in loving service.
Humility has always been one of the characteristics of wise and great men. Many of
the saints of the Church are not wanting in
it. Famous thinkers and writers and eloquent speakers in history possessed it. Jesus
himself exalts a person who, humbling him-
self, takes the last seat, and chooses to be
nobody before everybody as Phil. 2:5-11 reminds us: “Have among yourselves the same
attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, who,
being in the form of God, did not regard equality
with God something to be grasped at. Rather he
emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming
in human likeness; and found human in appearance, He humbled Himself and became obedient
to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God also
has highly exalted Him and given Him the name
which is above every name, that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven,
and on earth, and under the earth, and that every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.” Matthew adds in Ch.
25:45, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you are doing it to me.”
In the Liturgy of the Church the Holy
Eucharist provides us the ultimate expression of humility of Jesus in the appearance
of the word we hear and the bread and wine
we share and where no one is supposed to
be excluded. It is in this celebration that we
are called to translate the calling to be
humble into action and enflesh it in our
deeds.
The direction of being Church of the Poor
is supposed to guide our lifestyle, our ministries, apostolates and programs in humble
and loving service. However, much is to be
desired in terms of pastoral strategies. We
are now to organize the banquet of the kingdom. Our Christian communities need to
assimilate the mind of God (Phil 2:5), create
criteria opposite to societal practices, and
make a difference in the world today. How
about family visits, regular street masses,
making the graces of the sacraments most
available to people and unburdening the
people of arancel? How about organizing a
banquet where honored guests serve the
common tao? I would love to.
By Fr. Roy Cimagala
Temperance watch
WITH the way things are developing
nowadays, I strongly feel we need to
have some kind of temperance watch
installed, first, in our own individual
selves, then in the family, community, society, and in every aspect of
our life.
We cannot take things for granted
anymore. There’s so much insobriety,
lack of balance, fairness and objectivity
in our communication, a lot of exaggerations and self-indulgence around.
The irony of it all is that in spite of
our flagrant and screaming socio-economic problems, we on the whole can
still afford to be wasteful of our resources. We seem to create our own
version of “me-generation.”
Of course, behind this disturbing phenomenon are many complicated factors
and causes. We have to study and assess them, and come up with appropriate plans and strategies to continuingly
grapple with the problem.
The aberrations are not only in the
area of food and drinks, in the way we
live our human sexuality, but also in
the way we are developing our media
culture, our entertainment, fashion,
sports and over-all lifestyle.
The other day while browsing
through a number of newspapers and
magazines, I got the impression there
is a conspiratorial effort to highlight
worldly pleasures at the expense of
spiritual values.
Vanity is teased out when in writing
about celebrities, for example, feats are
brought out more for the pride of
people than for the effort, sacrifices involved and their objective contribution
to the true development of persons and
society.
Many writers are hooked with that
kind of mentality. Some others amuse
me because it seems they do not realize
they are being imbalanced and unfair
when in expressing their views, everything boils down automatically, for example, to either being anti-GMA or
anti-Erap. Even when they talk about
sports…
There’s some kind of obsession, to the
extent that one can start questioning the
sanity of these writers. They are not
simplifying things for us. They are being simplistic.
Temperance has to be a constant concern for all of us. As a virtue, it is not
only concerned with self-denials and
sacrifices, though they are always unavoidable. It denies something to affirm
a better value.
It would be wrong to associate it
mainly with the negative things involved in it—the discipline and regimen, the self-control and saying no to
oneself, etc. Its main job is not just suppressing certain things. It’s interested
in developing a sense of self-dominion and refinement in manners.
It’s a positive virtue because in the
end it fosters the supernatural tone of
our life. It produces inner peace and
joy, and the conflicts between the flesh
and the soul are mitigated. Our sense
of God and brotherhood increases.
Of course, even in the human level,
temperance is required. How many
people have to deny themselves from
eating certain food to be in good health,
or just to keep a good shape and form
for their bodies?
The athletes and other sports-minded
people eagerly submit themselves to
diets and schedules and check-ups, restraining if not inhibiting themselves
from certain activities just to be in their
proper fighting condition.
We don’t have to mention the “sacrifices” and other humiliating practices
beauty-conscious people so willingly
undergo just to achieve their desires.
The virtue of temperance, of course,
goes beyond these objectives. It brings
us closer to God and others, since it imbues our body and everything related
to it—our feelings, imagination, etc.—
not only with right reason, but with the
spiritual sense proper to us.
Our life acquires an added dimension,
often missed out when temperance is
neglected. We would see things more
penetratingly, more discerningly. We
would handle things in a more refined
way and with a better sense of purpose.
We have to concretize the details involved in the temperance watch we are
proposing. Like, we can start examining how long we are watching TV, using gadgets. How are we eating, drinking and regulating our sexual urges?
These are more in the personal and
family levels. We have to have the corresponding guidelines when we tackle
the higher levels of our society, media,
entertainment, etc.
YOU wouldn’t be caught dead in Church in your Saturday frock, would you?
You fuss about whether the colors clash in your Monday clothes. You
agonize when you forget to put on that fake LVuitton wristband so your
gray morning will lighten up. You attempt to assemble coordinates for a
“corporate” look as the glossies advertise, but you are missing a favorite
blouse. And so you whine, “I have nothing to wear tomorrow!”
Sundays, however, is another story. It’s not worth being upset about. It’s a
“day off” from the protocols of prim and proper. Why care about what to
wear?
Consider: How can a public personality order three (yes, three) exquisite
ternos from three different salons, put on each one of them twice to test for fit
and impact, and decide to wear—expectedly—only one of the three (tell me,
how can it be more than that?) to last Monday’s SONA? Such dilemma is
unthinkable on a Sunday.
And that flip-flopping about one’s wardrobe brings to mind... well, flipflops, those singularly bare, Y-banded foot slip-ons that are meant for the
beachwalker.
Nowadays, they have acquired snob appeal. They come fully sequined,
bejeweled, beribboned, neoned, silk-flowered. They are as obtrusive as a
matron’s bling-blings. On Boracay sand, they would be perfect. But treading
inside the House of God—otherwise known as Holy Ground—in casual chic
as the magazines call it, brings to mind the guest who was admonished for
going to the wedding feast in improper attire.
In not so distant a time, Bermuda shorts were meant for... well, Bermuda
grass, never the pews. And undershirts remained under, you wouldn’t imagine their sloppy hems peeking out of your shirt sleeves. That alone deserved
raised eyebrows. If you lose a shirt button, it used to augur a major disaster.
But not today. It’s a perfect excuse for sporting an “unbuttoned look”. Might
as well capitulate and tell others to “go ahead, come as you are, the Church is
your tennis court.”
Yes, we’re traipsing on sensitive ground. To insist on dress decorum for
Church wear courts trouble. You can be called “Pharisee.” True, dressing up
according to the occasion has its own demands. Where arms could otherwise
flail freely there is a constricting sleeve. Where the shoulders could otherwise come as bare as a mannequin’s, they could only swelter underneath a
bolero. “Can’t bear the humidity.” “God doesn’t look at the clothes. He looks at the
heart.”
True again, but a good heart inside shows itself outside. It follows. You
cannot repress reverence. You cannot suppress love. For where the heart is,
there is your treasure too. And since you treasure a rendezvous with your
personal God, you appear before Him in proper attire. It’s as simple as that.
Sunday is, after all, Dies Domini.
It used to be that from one’s clothes rack, Sunday best was Sunday best. My
mother would not let me parade a new dress to school unless I wore it first to
Church so it is offered first to the Lord, and then to the world.
By all means, let the humble workman enter in humble clothing. The
lowly garb can be far more edifying in its simplicity. But I have seen far more
edifying attire among the so-called “unlettered.” They assist at mass, decently clothed and they kneel, worshipping with folded hands, hands that
tell of the masonry and wood they have worked on for six laborious days.
But those hands exude such awe and reverence in their supplication. And just
like the wedding guest who comes properly attired, the humility of dress
honors the Divine Host. But if one is not a mason by profession, it does take
a lot of humility to restrain oneself from going casual. And that’s the point.
The humility glorifies the Master Carpenter.
But it has to be said: the Church will not suffer the dictates of the fashion
world. Rather, it is the world that must defer to the sanctity of the place
where The Real Presence dwells.
Unless of course, a frumpy top is the most decent prop you can pull out of
your closet (which is quite unimaginable if you know where to get really
good cheap clothing). In such a case I will say nothing more.
We live in a twisted world where we could unwittingly become much too
casual, insensitive, reckless and too bold. And the great peril in that is to
forget what respect means and how to render it where it is due.
For there is a profound difference between a “Yep” and a “Yes, Sir,” between a “You” and a “Thou.” For propriety shows character. And on Holy
Ground, the proper attire is only character and respect, like Moses who had
to take off his sandals on Mount Sinai. On Church Sinai, flip-flops won’t do
either.
Bo Sanchez
Be good Ads
for God
“YOU need to talk to my sin-infested, vice-ridden, devil-possessed husband!”
I finished preaching in a prayer meeting when this huge woman approached
me and said these acidic words. She went on, “My no-good husband’s here to
pick me up, but can you meet him first and pray that his depraved soul doesn’t
go to Hell?”
“Uh, sure…” I said. During these awkward times, I end up wondering why I
didn’t become a plumber instead of a preacher. After fixing leaky pipes, plumbers can go home. After I preach a sermon, I can’t go home. I still have to fix
leaky pipes—like this woman who “leaked” all that I preached about that
night on love, humility, kindness, etc.
“Just a moment,” she said, hastily turning towards the door. In a few minutes, I saw her with her not-so-pleased husband in tow.
“Here he is, Bo!” she announced as she pulled him towards me. “He’s a lazy
drunkard, a gambler, a womanizer. He doesn’t have the Holy Spirit! He’s so far
from the Lord!” I wondered when this tirade would end. Humiliating and
lambasting her husband seemed to be her spiritual gift. I pitied the guy, who
was now trying to hide his face behind the collars of his denim jacket. I swear
his neck had totally shrunk, and his head was getting shorter and smaller as the
minutes wore on.
Finally, I had to interrupt and greeted the man, “I’m happy that you’re here.
I can see you’re a very caring husband for picking up your wife tonight.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw his wife’s shocked face glaring at me.
“Well, yes, I do care for her…,” he said sheepishly.
“And I apologize for your wife’s, uh, ways,” I winked.
“I’m used to her,” he chuckled, “she does this all the time!”
I bent over and whispered to his ear, “Let’s pray that God will fill her with
the Holy Spirit. She might just change, you know.”
He laughed uproariously. His wife interrupted, “Brother Bo, don’t talk too
softly! I can’t hear you!”
Her husband whispered back to me, “Is there hope for her?”
“God can change anyone,” I declared, “Hey, you’re invited to attend the
prayer meeting next time,” I smiled, “so that you could pray for your wife’s
transformation.”
As the couple walked out of the prayer meeting hall with the man’s head
back to it’s normal position, and his dazed wife right behind him, I began
wondering. How many people don’t come closer to God because of His lousy advertisements?
Hey, the “product” itself is great: Salvation, Forgiveness, Heaven, True Joy!
But God has chosen Ads that are the pits: Human beings called Christians.
We are appointed to advertise God to others, but we do it bizarrely. We
advertise God by condemning, judging, acting self-righteously, pulling rank,
boasting, and so on.
Friends, be good in advertising.
God’s counting on you.
CBCP Monitor
Social Concern
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
THERE are many high
points in the implementation of microfinance in the
Philippines since the 1980s.
The experiment of Nobel
Peace Awardee Professor
Muhammad Yunus of
Bangladesh to provide
small, non-collateralized
loans to women at affordable
interest rates, famously
called Grameen Bank, echoed in the Philippines in the
late 1980s. Its first replicators
were NGOs, the sector most
exposed to the plight of the
poor. Among the pioneers
include Ahon sa Hirap, Inc.,
Tulay sa Pag-Unlad, Inc. (now
known as TSPI Corporation)
and Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation. These
NGO-MFIs offered a wide
array of financial products
and services. First was credit
ration as the forerunner of
microfinance services, and
enjoining private and government financial institutions
to open a special window for
microfinance.
The following years saw
the further entry of
microfinance into the mainstream as the banking system began to recognize its
responsibility to contribute
to poverty alleviation.
Through BSP Circular no.272,
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas exempted microfinance from
the rules and regulations on
unsecured loans issued by
the Monetary Board. It reversed its policy of prohibiting the opening of banks by
allowing the establishment
of new banks which were
microfinance-oriented, led
by
the
Opportunity
Assessing the impact of
microfinance in the lives of
the poor
This prompted the International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions-Philippines (INAFI
Philippines) and the Institute on Church and Social
Issues (JJCICSI) to jointly
undertake a research that
would look into the impact
or contributions of
microfinance on the lives
of the poor clientele. With
funding support from
Oikocredit and ICCO, the
research team of INAFI
and JJCICSI visited ten
MFIs around the country,
interviewed at least six client–and staff-key informants per MFI, and surveyed more than 300 client-respondents. The re-
for the past ten years. On a
scale of 1 to 4 with 4 as very
much achieved and 1 as not
achieved, key informants
gave a score of almost 3.00
to both, indicating that
they perceived the twin
objectives as achieved. Between the two, however,
poverty alleviation was
slightly higher at 2.97 visà-vis empowerment’s rating of 2.83. When the client-respondents were
asked an open-ended question as to the other benefits
they enjoyed from availing
themselves
of
microfinance services
aside from better incomes
and more assets, the responses still referred to aspects of poverty alleviation more than empowerment.
ready source of credit and financial services like savings
and insurance. Top reasons
for borrowing were to acquire additional working
capital (91 percent) and enjoy lower costs of borrowing
(70 percent). Obtaining additional working capital
ranked highest since most of
the projects funded by the
MFIs involved existing undertakings of the clients
which were largely retail
trading or vending.
As majority of the clients
claimed their incomes increased (95 percent) albeit
meager in amounts, the additional funds helped them
finance the basic needs of the
household such as food,
clothing, water, electricity
and other utilities. It also allowed them to accumulate
B7
The impact of microfinance
in empowerment (especially
of the women)
Under empowerment,
community involvement
topped all other indicators at
3.03 while the increase in capacity in advocacy was least
achieved at 2.53. Community
members learned to socialize as 80 percent attended
meetings and 55 percent participated in trainings. Many
of the key informants and respondents confirmed that after their homes and the
workplace, they spent most
of their time in the weekly
group meetings and community activities. They have become more vocal and expressive about their views, but
their concerns remained micro. The clients were more interested in community con-
ity with the market and other
risks. They preferred to stay
with the usual trading business in which they have long
engaged. While this has allowed them to earn steady income, the measly earnings
were not enough to finance
any expansion in the business, much less hire new
hands or create new jobs as
the microfinance program
would have wanted it.
General character of
microfinance in the country
The study is in the process
of being put into final form.
The open forum opened a
venue for healthy exchange
and discussion among the
participants for clarification,
inquiries and further analysis and enhancements of the
study. Overall in the mean-
The impact of microfinance
in the Philippines
By Gemma Rita R. Marin
for productive purposes. The
package included provisions
for saving such as weekly
savings which were kept
safe by the microfinance institution (MFI) and could
only be withdrawn upon the
member’s disengagement
from the group and the MFI.
The MFIs also came up
with loan facilities for consumptive or providential
use such as education loan,
emergency loan, hospital
bill reimbursement, scholarships and death benefit. Borrowers tended to divert the
loan proceeds to pressing financial needs other than the
project or stated purpose. On
the part of the MFIs, it minimized the risk of unpaid
obligations.
Other more productive offerings were micro-insurance or mutual benefit association which mitigated the
vulnerability of the poor clients. In 2003, housing loans,
utility and housing-related
credit such as providing solar power were initiated in
line with improving the
quality of life.
The Philippine government, in its determined fight
against poverty, identified
microfinance as its national
strategy or approach for delivering financial services to
the poor. This was concretized with the creation of the
National Anti-Poverty
Commission (NAPC) in June
1998. Among its mandates
were to develop and promote microfinance by establishing the People’s Development Trust Fund,
strengthening the People’s
Credit and Finance Corpo-
BEC beneficiaries of Micro-finance credit in Davao City
Photo courtesy of CBCP - NASSA
Microfinance Bank (a thrift
bank) based in Antipolo
City. BSP Circular No. 273
also lifted the moratorium on
branching for banks engaged
in microfinance, and BSP Circular no.282 opened a rediscounting window for
microfinance.
However, the achievements and milestones of
microfinance in the country have mostly been confined to the level of the
microfinance institution
and too little on the beneficiary side.
search was concluded last
May, and its findings were
presented in a forum with
an audience of almost 50
people coming from the
participating MFIs and
representatives from the
government, non-government and private sectors.
The research employed
a framework that measured the extent to which
microfinance institutions
have achieved the objectives of poverty alleviation and empowerment
(especially of the women),
The impact of microfinance’s
on poverty alleviation
Under poverty alleviation,
the indicator on increase in
access to financial services /
reduced dependence on highcost credit was seen as most
attained at 3.22 while access
to social services was lowest
at 2.60. The client-survey respondents, numbering 317,
confirmed this observation
when 72 percent agreed or
strongly agreed that they
borrow less from the informal lenders. They recognized
that the MFI has become a
assets (75 percent) such as TV
and refrigerator, and access social services (61 percent), chiefly education.
The income earned from
the projects, however, was
not enough to cover their
health and housing needs,
hence, the lower ratings
registered by these services on the surveys. Any
health, hospitalization or
housing benefit gained
was not derived from
project earnings but usually came with the MFI
package.
cerns rather than in national
or provincial-level issues.
They also would rather concentrate on their businesses
and the policies of the MFI
governing their loan.
Interestingly, the indicator on technical and project
skills enhancement was relatively low at 2.69. Notwithstanding the many skills
trainings offered or referred
by the MFIs to the clients, the
latter failed to apply whatever learning was gained
from the trainings due to
uncertainties or unfamiliar-
time, the study gathered that
the general character of
microfinance in the Philippines is to fund the additional
working capital for the existing micro-businesses or
projects of the poor clientele.
Incomes earned have helped
answer the daily household
and school needs, but were
not huge enough to cover the
various social services. Skills
have not been significantly
improved to allow the clients
to engage in businesses that
would have meant more
hired hands and greater incomes.
There is a lot more to be
done in the microfinance industry for the benefit of the
poor clientele. The MFIs are
gearing up for Business Development Services (BDS) to
open opportunities for diversified and more valueadding business, creation of
new jobs, and higher incomes for many. Government, non-government and
private sectors, both local
and foreign, are willing to
continue promoting or advocating for relevant policies backed up by adequate
research. There is also a need
to come up with a Social Performance Management System to prevent any mission
drift, and to keep MFIs focused and attentive to the
microfinance industry’s
original objectives of poverty alleviation and empowerment of the poor.
(Gemma Rita R. Marin is a
research associate of the Rural
Development Desk of John J.
Carroll Institute for Church and
Social Issues.)
7 Questions / B1
PCP II has defined the greater role of the
laity in the Church. How is this being realized in your diocese?
Part of our preparation for the silver
anniversary of the diocese is the empowerment of the laity. We recognize that they
have their own role to play in the promotion of the coming of God’s kingdom here
on earth. They share in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ. Aside
from giving them the opportunity to assume responsibilities in various offices of
the institutional church they have their
own area of ministry which is proper to
them: the family, the economic and political life most especially.
We have gotten used to the idea that the
best time and place for lay participation is
the collection during the offertory, fund
raisings and pious activities like proces-
CBCPMonitor
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
The CBCP Monitor is published
fortnightly by the CBCP Media Office, with editorial and business offices at 470 Gen. Luna St.,
Intramuros, Manila. PO Box 3601,
1076 MCPO
• Domestic
1 Year
Php 500.00
2 Years
Php 900.00
• Foreign: Asia
1 Year
US$ 55.00
• All Other
US$ 80.00
sion and novenas. In the context of Christian stewardship, the laity become active
members of the Church in sharing their
time, talent and treasure in the particular
field of endeavor they are in, like education, business, government service, politics, family life, police and military, etc.
We tend to narrow down lay participation always in the context of the institutional church (ministers of worship, religious organizations, fiesta celebrations,
etc.) while the life of faith is really tested
in the market place and places of work
where our people earn their living and
relate with one another. Here the challenge is to live according to justice, honesty, hard work, faithfulness to one’s word
and state of life. It is here where one’s being a Christian is put to the test and this
determines the meaning and happiness of
one’s life. The faithful should be given
guidance and encouragement to live as
true followers of Christ so that the sacraments become true instruments of God’s
grace and the Eucharist is recognized as
the source and summit of Christian life.
Consistent with this conviction, we formulated lay leadership training program
that aims to educate, form and empower
the lay leaders to become catalysts and
active builders of Christian community.
Through seminars/workshops/conventions regularly conducted for the members of the Diocesan Council of the Laity
(DCL), the Parish Pastoral Councils, the
different diocesan commissions and religious organizations, we hope to energize
and strengthen the lay leaders to become
responsible agents of a vibrant faith community. The BEC leaders and lay mission-
Name _________________________________________________
(Family Name)
(Given Name)
(Middle Name)
Mailing Address ________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Phone No.: _________ Fax No.: ________ E-mail: ___________
Mode of Payment
Check/PMO enclosed
Cash Payment
aries are likewise given training to articulate the role of faith in the continuing
struggle for human dignity. Through recollections and retreats our lay leaders are
helped to respond to the challenges of daily
life in the spirit of faith and social responsibility. It could not be denied however
that it is still a long way before we could
reach the reality of the Church of the Poor.
Up to what degree should be the participation of the laity especially in terms of
decision making in the local Church?
The Parish Pastoral Council which
meets regularly and tackles the challenges
of running the pastoral and faith life of the
parish is a good setting for lay participation. Sad to say, such set up and practice
remains to be seen in the diocesan level
since the priests are the ones involved in
decision making. I see a greater role for
such set-up in the MSDK and kapitbahayan
level. There are local concerns, the proper
formation, the people there could address
on their own. They should be encouraged
to depend on their own material and personnel resources. At the same time, the
little means that they have should not be
taken away and concentrated in the parish. This will enhance their capability and
increase their self-confidence for autonomy. One very important requirement
for this is that we also train our lay leaders
in the same way that the public and private institutions develop theirs through
constant seminars and updating courses.
(Payable to: CBCP Communications Development Foundation Inc.)
________________________
Signature
PLEASE SEND TO:
CBCP Monitor, P.O. Box 3601, Manila, Philippines
470 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila, Philippines | Tel (632) 404-2182 • Telefax (632) 404-1612
Or e-mail this at cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.com
How is the family and life program in
your diocese?
Through the years the diocese has given
pastoral attention to the care of our families. The Commission on Family and Life
created formation and caring programs
like Marriage preparations (Pre-Cana
seminar), Natural Family Planning Education (NFP), Kasal Misyon (Marriage
Validation), Family Encounter, Marriage
Encounter, Youth Encounter. The movement Couples for Christ is also active. Student Catholic Action, although school
based contributes also to the well-being
of the youth.
As part of our preparation for the 25th
anniversary foundation of the diocese we
devoted the whole year of 2006 for the
Family and Life. Through different activities we emphasized the need for the renewal of our families which in the end
will lead towards the renewal of our society. There is much to be done, but we continue in spite of limitations and setbacks.
How is the quantity and quality of vocations in the diocese today?
This year the diocese has 63 seminarians: 14 in Theology, 37 in College, 7 in
High School and 5 in Regency Program.
For the present academic year 700 young
men took the entrance written examination for college and 300 passed. After the
interview 60 were left. Only 14 finally
enrolled. Although many wanted to enter the seminary, and quite a number
are intellectually capable, the low number of those accepted shows that their
motivation and character did not pass
the screening stage. On the other hand,
are we sure that those we have selected
have the best character, intelligence and
motivation? We just hope. What the
seminary fathers are trying to do is to
give them the kind of guidance based
on the Updated Philippine Program for
Priestly Formation. The college seminary strives to help the seminarians
grow in human maturity through responsible freedom. The theological formation offers ways to deepen spiritual
maturity. We have an average of 2 to 3
ordained priests per year. So far their
commitment and performance have
been encouraging.
B8
Title: Evan Almighty
Running Time: 96 mins.
Cast: Steve Carell, Morgan
Freeman, Lauren Graham,
Johnny Simmons, Graham
Phillips, Jimmy Bennett,
John Goodman, Wanda
Sykes, John Michael
Higgins, Jonah Hill
Director: Tom Shadyac
Producer: Tom Shadyac
Screenwriter: Steve Oedekerk
Music: John Debney
Editor: Scott Hill
Genre: Comedy/ Fantasy
Cinematography: Ian Baker
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Location: USA
Technical Assessment:
½
Moral Assessment:
CINEMA Rating: For viewers of
all ages
FORMER television anchor man
Evan Baxter (Steve Carrell) is elected
congressman. A resident of Buffalo
, New York , he packs off his wife
Joan ( Lauren Graham ) and their
three sons Dylan ( Johnny Simons ),
Jordan ( Graham Phillips ), and Ryan
( Jimmy Bennett ), to their new home
in the pristine hills of suburban Virginia . Reluctant and incredulous at
first to reside in a developing subdivision with but two distant neighbors, his family soon accepts the realities surrounding the life of a man
of power. They give up their beloved Buffalo home and most of all
their friends’ solidarity with Evan,
and feels appreciation for the surprise gift: a palatial mansion overlooking the breathtakingly beautiful Shenandoah Mountains.
Although new to the world of politicos, Evan nurses lofty albeit ungrounded ambitions, one of which
is “to change the world.” It is this
which he tells God in secret, after
asking Joan what she and the boys
have prayed for. Unknown to him,
God (Morgan Freeman) already has
plans for him—and as Evan is to
learn, it is a plan that offers him no
way out. Congressman Long (John
Goodman) invites him to co-sponsor a high-profile bill, and Evan,
sure that it is the answer to his
prayer, prepares to accept Long’s
invitation. Thrilled at the politically correct opportunity, his assistant Rita (Wanda Sykes), chief of staff
CBCP Monitor
Entertainment
Marty (John Michael Higgins) and
intern Eugene (Jonah Hill) egg him
on, and so, while realizing that working on the bill would grab the little
time he has left for his already-neglected family, Evan still accepts the
invitation.
Then an interestingly freckled
black man in white claiming to be
God (Morgan Freeman) appears to
Evan, commanding him to build an
ark. The ark is supposed to save his
friends and family from a flood to
occur next September 22. Self-centered as he is, Evan becomes helpless in the face of that command, particularly when odd things start to
happen to him: this God character
stalks him, appearing everywhere
he turns; birds and even aquarium
fish gravitate towards him; a chest
of ancient carpentry tools arrives at
his doorstep from nowhere and
truckloads of lumber are delivered
unordered to his recently purchased
eight lots adjacent to their home.
Fortunately, Evan’s three sons
gamely join their father as he begrudgingly begins to build the ark,
following instructions from a booklet called “Ark Building for Dummies”. Then the animals, in pairs,
begin to populate the woods close
to their home, eagerly watching the
boat-building progress. Evan realizes his resistance is futile when his
beard grows longer as soon as it is
shaved, matched by his fast-growing hair. Evan understands then that
God wants him to shed his sleek politico image, especially when after
his morning shower he finds a box
containing his new suit: a sackcloth
robe in the style of that Moses wore,
according to Cecil B. de Mille, when
he parted the red sea.
Suspecting that the changes happening to her husband are but the
result of a career switch and a midlife
crisis, the baffled Joan decides to hie
off with the three boys to Canada
and leave Evan to his illusions. But
God intervenes in the person of a
roadside diner waiter with “Al
Mighty” on his nameplate. And the
building work continues, in spite of
the fact that Evan is hardly surae
what will really come on September 22.
Lead actor Steve Carrell had a
brief but memorable part as Bruce’s
nemesis inBruce Almighty, another
Tom Shadyac film and the predecessor of Evan Almighty. Touted
to have earned almost half a billion
dollars in global box-office records,
Bruce Almighty is said to have
owed its blockbuster performance
not to film critics but—as Shadyac
believes—to “moviegoers’ desire
to suspend disbelief and spend time
following extraordinarily funny
people who were put in outlandish
circumstances.” Evan Almighty
might just be another hit despite
some film critics’ harsh judgment
of it, because one thing this movie
does very well is to suspend your
disbelief. You know it’s humanly
impossible to build a ship when you
have never sailed or driven a nail
in your whole life, but you dismiss
that notion in this movie. You know
you can’t put a wolf beside a sheep
and not expect some carnage to take
place, but you also shrug that off as
Vol. 11 No. 17
August 20 - September 2, 2007
Moral Assessment
Technical Assessment
Abhorrent
Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome
Exemplary
a miracle of sorts, enjoying the sight
of the menagerie gathering before
the ark while behaving more civilly than human beings in a crowd.
It is cute also to see them working
as assistant carpenters to Noah
….ooops, Evan , we mean…. especially when you know that the animals used in this set are real and
trained, thanks to the gifted veteran
animal coordinator Mark Forbes
who supervised the selection, care
and training for 177 different species brought in from all over the
USA. The “miracles” Forbes
worked with the animals more than
compensate for the less-than-perfect CGI footage of the water-borne
ark, for the movie couldn’t have
been made without the animals.
The viewer would suspend reason
noticing some lack of logic in the
plot, too, because the point of the
comedy Evan Almighty, as it is so
effectively put across by its more
serious moments, is its message.
The film’s message is: there is a
God who cares about the affairs of
men. And there are still weirdos
who believe in God. Evan Almighty defies genre classification
because it is an uplifting cross be-
ANSWER TO THE LAST ISSUE:
WORDS WHICH DO NOT GIVE THE LIGHT OF CHRIST INCREASE THE DARKNESS.
MOTHER THERESA
Title: The Bourne Ultimatum
Running Time: 111mins
Cast: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David
Straithairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy
Considine
Director: Paul Greengrass
Producers: Frank Marshall, Universal
Pictures
Screenwriter: Tony Gilroy
Music: John Powell
Editor: Christopher Rouse
Genre: Action-Spy-Suspense
Cinematography: Oliver Wood
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Location: United States, Paris, Spain,
India
Technical Assessment:
Moral Assessment:
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 14 and
above
Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) survives
the car chase in Moscow where Bourne
Supremacy ends . On the way to Paris to
meet the brother of his girlfriend Marie
who got killed, Bourne reads an article
in The Guardian where journalist Simon
Ross (Paddy Considine) describes Jason
Bourne and a CIA operation called
Blackbriar. Bourne arranges to meet Ross
in London at Waterloo station. However, Ross is under CIA surveillance, after his mention of Blackbriar in a phone
call to his editor triggered a CIA alert.
The CIA follows Ross to Waterloo, believing him to be meeting his source
Poor
Below average
Average
Above average
Excellent
there. Little did they know that it’s Jason Bourne he’s meeting. CIA official
Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), orders
an assassin to kill Ross and his source
until they recognize Bourne in the security camera. Despite Bourne’s efforts to
keep Ross alive, he is eventually killed
by the assasin. Amidst the havoc, Bourne
steals Ross’s notes from his body. The
notes reveal Ross’s source as Neil
Daniels (Colin Stinton), the CIA’s Madrid
station chief. Now Bourne should find
Daniels for he believes that he holds the
key to his real identity and the real motives of the CIA for wanting him dead.
After the first two well-made
prequels, here comes the latest installment in the Bourne series which is the
most technically superior of the three.
Matt Damon is at his best with his subdued emotions that depict perfectly the
complex nuances of Jason Bourne’s character. Although close to being superhuman and a flat character, Jason Bourne
still comes up as very real and very human wherein audiences can actually feel
his pain and sympathize with him in his
personal quest. With its compelling narrative and fast-paced editing, Bourne Ultimatum has kept the audiences glued
to their seats from beginning to end.
Even without much computer effects, the
film is able to capture enough thrill and
suspense expected from the genre. The
tween a comedy and a fairy tale,
and more. It whispers to the viewer
to turn his attention inward, to the
world beyond the silver screen, to
ponder on what corruption in the
minds of men of power can do to
destroy Earth. Evan Almighty is
about family unity, trusting one’s
parents, having faith in one’s spouse
against all odds. It’s about prayer
and obedience to an irresistible call.
If you, like Evan Baxter, prayed to
God to change the world, and that
God told you to do the impossible
and look like the fool as a result,
would you follow?
QUOTES IN QUIZ Booklets available at
BOOKSALE stores in SM, Robinsons and
selected malls in Manila. For mail order text
09192803036.
psychological screenplay is able to suspend any disbelief viewers may have of
some of the plot’s improbable events.
It’s very rare for an action film to have a
soul, and the Bourne Ultimatum is
surely one of those rarities.
Jason Bourne has always been in
search for his real identity and purpose.
It only started when he began to question the morality of his actions of which
he was not aware at first. It is apparent
in the story, most specifically in this latest sequel, that Bourne’s behavior has
been modified and he is therefore being
controlled by a stronger force other than
himself. With that, Bourne has served
his purpose as an assassin. But because
of a much stronger and supreme force,
Bourne eventually wakes up to reality
that he does not know what he is doing
and he even does not know himself. All
he knows is that he needs to defend himself from people who want him dead so
he could search for the truth about himself. This justifies the certain amount of
violence in the film which reinforces the
idea that we live in a mean world.
Bourne Ultimatum further questions the
actions of the paranoid sectors of the US
government whose only motive is to
maintain control and the status quo. In
the end, truth and justice prevails for
those who are not afraid to die for the
right and good.