CBCP Monitor - CBCP Media Office

Page 3Monitor
CBCP
Vol. 11 No. 4
Benedict
XVI4,Tells
February
19 - March
2007
Page 5
Youth to
“Dare to Love”
Page 11
Pope’s Message for Lent
2007
Page 12
Poverty, Main Reason Why
Filipinos Migrate
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www.cbcponline.net/cbcpmonitor
PPCRV Launches
Poll Monitoring
Manual
A CHURCH coalition of more than
3,100 parish units nationwide pushed
anew its campaign for ensuring credible elections by launching a “bible”
for its poll watchdogs.
PPCRV / P4
1
The Search for Christian Unity:
Where We Stand Today
Cardinal Asks
Arroyo to Recall
GE Rice
CBCP Monitor
MANILA Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales urged President Arroyo
to look into the sale of genetically
enhanced rice in major supermarkets
and stop the import of such rice from
the United States.
Protagonist of Truth, Promoter of Peace
February 19 - March 4, 2007
Vol. 11 No. 4
Php 20.00
Cardinal / P4
EDSA 1 Failed but the Spirit Remains
by Royroy Lagarde
EDSA / P4
Oppressed by
Poverty, 3,000
Filipinos Sell
Their Organs
by Santosh Digal
MORE and more Filipinos are
selling their kidneys and other
organs to rich Westerners seeking transplants. An order has
been issued from the
Malacañang Presidential Palace for the Department of
Health to take every measure
necessary to stop this practice.
According
to
government’s own figures, at
least 3,000 Filipinos have been
involved in illegal transplants.
Executive Secretary
Eduardo Ermita said a meeting
is scheduled on Saturday (February 10) among officials of the
Oppressed / P4
Formation in
Ecumenism Needed
in Christian Unity,
Say Bishops
© www.rcam.org
AMIDST the present political
frenzy, a young Catholic bishop admitted that Edsa 1 celebration “no
longer stir” the people into participation but said its spirit remains
unshattered.
Bataan bishop Socrates
Villegas, a longtime aide of the late
Jaime Cardinal Sin, said the feeling
during the first People Power seem
no longer expressive in these commemorations.
“The feeling is not there,” said
Villegas.
But while some people may
have somehow lost the ideals of the
famous revolt, the bishop believes
the spirit of Edsa I remains just as it
was when it happened.
“It is alive in the young people
whose hearts yearn for goodness,
truth and love. It is alive in people
who selflessly serve the poor, setting up cooperatives and other livelihood projects to lift them out of
their helplessness,” he said.
“The feeling will fade, but the
spirit remains,” he added.
In 1986, millions of Filipinos defied tanks and troops to fight the
Marcos dictatorship.
The bishop said that when Edsa
I is commemorated, it is to reaffirm
the values we stood for and gathered together without guile but with
much courage and firm determination.
Last year, Villegas criticized the
government for its “low key preparations” for the 20th anniversary celebration.
“Let the anniversary of Edsa I be
our special day of prayer for its spirit
to remain in us, for its spirit to be
passed on through all generations, as
the epiphany of God’s love for us, and
“The Search for Christian Unity: Where we stand today?”: Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo, CBCP President, with Cardinal Walter Kasper,
President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity at a seminar held at Pope Pius XII Catholic Center Manila, February 8-10, 2007.
WHILE the quest for tangible Christian unity demands brilliant ideas to
hurdle denominational differences,
Catholic bishops said it definitely
needs education aimed at amplifying basic Christian faith.
If the faithful are called to work
for unity, they must know and believe the faith they claim to share,
the prelates said in a statement issued after the Asian Bishops’ Seminar on Ecumenism held in Manila
last February 7 to 11.
“All Catholics are called to work
for Christian unity; there is a pressing need for ecumenical formation,
especially for clergy and laity who
have leadership roles in the
Formation / P4
On the Season of Lent, CBCP Urges Sharing
AS the whole Christendom enters
Lenten season on Ash Wednesday,
Catholic bishops are calling on the
faithful to surmount indifference to
the poor and share what they have
with the needy.
CBCP head Archbishop Angel
Lagdameo urged the Catholics to
look at the needs of their brethren in
a country still marred by “poverty,
hunger thirst, suffering, brokenness
and violence.”
“We are in the beginning of the
Lenten season. Lent is sacrifice. Lent
is loving… Jesus has said that whatever is given to the least, the lost and
the last of our neighbors is given to
him. And whoever so gives repeats
the experience of Jesus,” he said.
In his message, Lagdameo underscored the 35th anniversary day
the Alay Kapwa (AK), the Lenten
action-evangelization project of the
Philippine Catholic Church which is
observed every Ash Wednesday.
The campaign, which is under
the supervision of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Social Action,
Justice and Peace (ECSA-JP) calls for
sharing of one’s resources in favor
of the less fortunate. It also invites
people to volunteer time, talent and
Bishop Condemns
Mining Resumption in
Rapu-rapu
A CATHOLIC bishop condemned the recent
government decision to allow Australianbacked Lafayette Philippines to resume largescale mining operations in Rapu-rapu, Albay.
Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes said the
reopening of mining activities would surely
endanger the health and safety of his flock.
“We strongly object to the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
Sec. Angelo Reyes’ approval for the irresponsible mining company to resume operations,”
he said.
The bishop said he would hold Reyes and
Lafayette responsible for further danger and
damages that will befall on the island.
Based on experience, other scientific studies and expert opinions, the mining in Rapurapu is “inappropriate” and “detrimental” to the
environment, said Bastes.
“They just don’t get it,” he said.
Reyes announced the government has allowed Lafayette to resume open pit mining opBishop Condemns / P4
energy in the service of the poor in
the community channeled through
the parishes.
The proceeds from AK contribute towards supporting and sustaining the social action programs of the
Church.
Lagdameo appealed to the faithful to “give generously” to this worthy cause of the CBCP.
“Alay Kapwa is one way in
which our ‘little’ will become ‘much’
when joined with the little which others give. The measure is not ‘how
much you give,’ but ‘how generous
you are,’” he said.
Bishops Assail Antiterror Bill
THE country’s new anti-terrorism bill could lead
to rights abuses, Catholic bishops say.
The Congress approved the bill recently
to root out and detain suspected terrorists without charge for three days and to access
suspect’s bank accounts.
A nagging concern from some prelates on
the “controversial” bill is the possibility that
authorities might use it to suppress civil liberties.
Caloocan bishop Deogracias Iñiguez said
the bill could further intensify human rights violations in the country.
“We should be very cautious and vigilant
about this controversial bill,” he said.
Some 172 congressmen who were present
during the February 19 session approved the
law. There are 230 members in the lower house,
but some did not attend the session.
The Senate had ratified the measure earlier
and Arroyo must sign it into law.
“This is another sad experience how we
are manipulated by numbers,” said Iñiguez.
The bill, known as the Human Security Act
Bishops Assail / P4
AK, he said, is people living and
experiencing the solicitude of God
for the poor, the abandoned, the victims of natural calamities, the victims
of injustice and violence.
The CBCP president added that
to have the spirit of Alay Kapwa, one
does not have to be wealthy or powerful or influential; only to be good
and committed to one’s neighbor.
“In order to give to Alay Kapwa
Lenten Fund Campaign you do not
have to be rich or to have plenty,
you need only to be generous, desirous like Jesus to serve and to give
life more abundantly.”
Pope Appoints Auxiliary
Bishop for Tuguegarao
THE Pope has chosen a new auxiliary bishop to
serve the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao.
Fr Ricardo Lingan-Baccay, 45, the rector of
San Jacinto Minor Seminary in Tuguegarao has
been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as Auxiliary Bishop the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao.
The archdiocese headed by Archbishop
Diosdado Talamayan covers a total of three
suffragan bishoprics, namely, the dioceses of
Batanes, Bayombong and Ilagan.
Born on October 19, 1932, Talamayan will be
reaching his retirement age eight months from
now. Church law dictates that every bishop should
request permission of the Pope to resign from the
Episcopal office at the age of 75.
The new auxiliary, however, does not have
the right of succession.
Bishop-elect Baccay was born in Tuguegarao
and studied Philosophy and Theology at the
University of Santo Tomas in Manila.
He also received his Masters of Arts in EducaPope / P4
World News
2
Apostolic Exhortation on Eucharist is “Imminent”
ROME, February 22, 2007—Pope
Benedict XVI has announced that
he will soon release the apostolic
exhortation summarizing the work
of the Synod on the Eucharist,
which concluded its deliberations
16 months ago.
The appearance of the apostolic
exhortation is “imminent,” the Holy
Father told priests of the Rome diocese, during a traditional earlyLenten meeting in the Hall of Benedictions at the Vatican on Thursday
morning.
In June 2006, the bishops who
make up the ordinary council of the
Synod completed a final text on the
previous year’s Synod on the Eucharist, to be submitted to the Pope as
the basis for his apostolic exhortation.
The Synod of Bishops met in
October 2005 to discuss the theme,
“The Eucharist: Living Bread for
Peace in the World,” with 256 bishops from 118 countries participating
in the discussions. In a break from
the usual practice, the Synod fathers
made public an “unofficial” list of the
50 propositions approved at the conclusion of their deliberations.
Ordinarily the propositions
remain confidential to be used by
the Pope in preparing an apostolic exhortation on the topic of
the Synod’s deliberations. But
Pope Benedict approved the public release of the conclusions.
During his February 22 meeting with priests of Rome, the
Pope said that his apostolic exhortation would offer a series of
meditations on some of the key
points made during the Synod.
Pope Benedict did not mention the motu proprio that he is
also expected to release in the
near future, allowing broader use
of the pre-conciliar Latin liturgy.
Several Vatican journalists have
suggested that the motu proprio
is likely to appear in conjunction
with the apostolic exhortation on
the Eucharist, although the Holy
See has not confirmed that speculation. (CWNews)
Nuncio in Sri Lanka: a Forgotten Country at War
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, February 22,
2007—On the fifth anniversary of the
signing of a ceasefire between the
Colombo government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE),
peace is very far from Sri Lanka. Yesterday in Batticaloa, in the east of
the island, an attack on a police patrol killed three people, including an
officer, and injured 16. The Catholic
Church frequently draws attention
to the tragedy of the people, which
however does not seem to touch the
international community in the same
way as the tsunami catastrophe.
The Nuncio of Sri
Lanka, Msgr. Mario
Zenari, told AsiaNews
that the war was
building barriers in Sri
Lanka, a tragic reality
made all the more poignant by the generous support which
poured into the island
from abroad in the
wake of the Tsunami
tragedy in 2004. “After the Tsunami, the
people of Sri Lanka
experienced an unprecedented wave
of solidarity all over the world,” he
said.
“Still today many delegations
come from all over the world, from
thousands of miles away, to show
their solidarity and to inaugurate
projects of reconstruction and development, while we, on this small
island, cannot move from one part
to another, cannot move from relatives to relatives, from friends to
friends, from one parish to the next
because of the increasingly strict and
impenetrable barriers imposed by the
conflict.”
In the midst of this sad and humbling scenario, continued Msgr.
Zenari, “it is consoling to see that
the people keep praying and trusting in the merciful love of God”.
Civil war erupted in Sri Lanka in
1983, when movements within the
Tamil minority took extreme action
following systematic pogroms that
claimed the lives of thousands of
people. The Tigers, who are aiming
for the creation of an autonomous,
self-governing state in the north and
north-east, have taken control of
entire swathes of land.
On 22 February 2002, thanks to
international mediation, especially
from Norway, a cease-fire in force
since Christmas 2001 was signed.
Today the ceasefire is valid only on
paper. More than two decades of war
have claimed the lives of between
60,000 to 80,000 people. Since December 2005, the country has seen a
resurgence of hostilities between the
rebels and military that has claimed
the lives of 4,000 people including
660 since the beginning of 2007.
(AsiaNews)
Catholic Media Council Sponsors Seminar on
Evangelization on the Internet
TOKYO, Japan, February 4, 2007—
The Catholic Media Council’s seventh seminar was held at the Paulist
convent in Wakaba, Tokyo, Jan. 27.
The theme was “new openings for
evangelization on the Internet” and
among the more than 60 people attending the seminar were some who
manage church homepages and others searching for ways to proclaim
the gospel through the internet.
In the opening address, auxiliary
Bishop Kazuo Koda of Tokyo, explained the “gospel hints” that are offered on the Tokyo archdiocese
homepage. These “hints” were started
by Bp. Koda to aid people when reflections on the gospel did not continue at churches where there was no
priest present. The hints form a detailed guide to the Sunday gospels.
However, in mentioning that
there were some people who read
these hints alone, Bp. Koda emphasized that, “the gospel is passed
along through contacts among
people,” and the Internet must be
seen as “an opportunity for real
people to meet each other.”
Hirauki Hirai, who manages the
Tsukuba Church’s homepage in
Saitama prefecture, said that if the
purpose of a homepage is refined and
the work involved lessened, information can be delivered regularly.
Among the proposals made at
the seminar was to “record some
parts of the Mass and put them on a
church site.”
Fr. Masahide Haresaku of Tokyo archdiocese, vice president of
the council, said, “The age of the
Internet could be compared with the
changes brought by the Guttenberg
age. It is an opportunity for the
Church, and should be thought of
as a mission for us.”
The Catholic Media Council is
the Japanese branch of the international Catholic media organization
SIGNIS for those involved in media
work. In September the Asian meeting of SIGNIS will take place in Japan for the first time. Preparations
for this meeting are already underway, and appeals for volunteers and
donations are being made. (Japan
Catholic News)
Public cradles against abortion
TOKYO, Japan, February 23, 2007–
Japan has also set up “public
cradles against abortion”. Following India, which last week launched
a “cradles scheme” against abortions and foeticide of girls, the Japanese Health Minister approved a
decision taken by a hospital in
Kumamoto to have a “baby box” for
the public.
Hospital officials said the box
was intended to ensure absolute privacy for those parents who wanted
to abandon their newly born babies.
The “box” is an incubator which is
always working and monitored by a
nurse of the hospital. Babies can be
put there through an opening in the
hospital wall.
According to officials of the
Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the proposal “does not violate
any law but should be supported because it protects the safety of unwanted babies.”
Clearly, they added, from a legal
point of view, the hospital would
have to answer for the safety of the
children. All the same, “the government will do everything possible to
help through adoption and tax reduction campaigns”. (AsiaNews/Agencies)
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
5 in Line for Canonization
VATICAN CITY, February 20, 2007—
The Church intends to canonize four
male saints from Malta, Poland, Brazil and the Netherlands, and one female saint from France.
The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff announced today that on Friday, in the
Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace, an ordinary public consistory
will be held for the canonization of
the following blessed:
• George Preca (1439-1482), Maltese,
priest, founder of the Societas
Doctrinae Christianae.
• Szymon of Lipnica (1439-1482), Polish, priest of the Order of Friars
Minor.
• Charles of St. Andrew (born
Johannes Andreas Houben),
(1821-1893), Dutch, priest of the
Congregation of the Passion.
• Antonio de Santa Ana (born Antonio Galvão de Franca), (1739-1822),
Brazilian, priest of the Order of
Alcantarine, or Discalced Friars
Minor, and founder of the Convent
of
Conceptionist
Sisters
Recolhimento da luz
• Marie-Eugénie de Jésus (born
Anne-Eugénie Milleret de Brou),
(1817-1898), French, founder of the
Institute of Sisters of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.
The ordinary consistory is convened to provide the formal assent
of the cardinals for the approval of
decrees for the canonizations. (Zenit)
Nobel prizewinner Yunus to leave
Grameen Bank and run for office
D H A K A ,
Bangladesh
Dhaka, February 20, 2007—
Mohammad
Yunus, inventor
of microcredit
and
Nobel
peace Prizewinner for 2006, has announced his intention to leave the
Grameen Bank (literally, ‘Village’ or
‘Rural’ Bank, i.e. the Bank of the poor)
he founded in order to run for office
in the upcoming Bangladeshi elections.
Since last October the country
has been shaken by a major crisis
that forced President Iajuddin Ahmed
to postpone parliamentary elections
scheduled for January 22 of this year
and declare a state of emergency.
Mr Yunus’s party will be called
Nagarik Shakti, Citizens’ Power or
people’s power in Bengali.
Reactions to his decision to join
the fray have been multiple and disparate. Some view him as the “Saviour of the fatherland;” others are less
generous and see him as trying to
capitalise on his Nobel fame.
Papers are full of responses to
his ‘open letter’ to the population in
which he asked citizens for their
views on his plan to set up a political party.
For many Bangladesh experts,
Yunus’s decision to float his idea in
the press seems good and at least
runs against the grain of the established system in which parties are
groups of supporters of absolute
leaders with no democracy and internal debate. A good idea is also
that of setting up village level units
upon which to build a national party.
However, Yunus is a political
neophyte and has always taken a
neutral stance even when neutrality
meant supporting corruption and injustice, according to some analysts.
Now this neutrality is bound to
change and a political program with
its guidelines and alliances must be
formulated.
Moreover, nothing is known
about his ties to the Bangladesh’s
army, which remains an institution
everyone must reckon with.
Hopefully, Yunus won’t play up
too much his Noble prize and use
the respect and prestige he gained
to further his political ambitions; otherwise, he will be in trouble very
soon. (AsiaNews)
Pope Hails Focolare Movement’s
Charism
VATICAN CITY, February. 8, 2007—
Benedict XVI greeted a group of 85
participants in the annual congress
of bishop-friends of the Focolare
Movement, and called the
organization’s charism of unity a richness for the Church.
The bishops attending the meeting, held in Castel Gandolfo (south
of Rome), are from around the world,
including countries such as Lebanon, Sudan and Pakistan.
The meeting, which ends Friday, is on the theme “The Crucified
and Forsaken Christ, a Light in the
Cultural Night.”
The Pope greeted the bishops
today in audience, along with the
bishop-friends of the Rome-based
Community of Sant’Egidio.
Benedict XVI said that he was
pleased to take advantage of “this
occasion to send Chiara Lubich my
best wishes and blessing, which I
extend to all the members of the
movement that she founded.”
The Pope said: “The Focolare
Movement, precisely from the heart
of its spirituality, that is, Jesus crucified and forsaken, underlines the
charism and the service of unity,
which is realized in the different social and cultural realms as, for example, in the economic, with the
‘economy of communion,’ and
through the paths of ecumenism and
interreligious dialogue.”
During the meeting, the Pontiff
said that bishops and the new
ecclesial realities that have arisen
over the last decades “can together
address with stronger drive the challenges” that urgently face them at
the “beginning of the third millennium.”
The Holy Father said he was
thinking “in the first place of the
search for justice and peace and of
the urgency to build a more fraternal
and solidaristic world, beginning
precisely in the countries some of
you come from, which are being tried
by bloody conflicts.”
Lubich founded the Focolare
Movement in Trent, Italy, in 1943.
(Zenit)
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
VATICAN CITY, February 5,
2007—Benedict XVI exhorts
young people to “dare to
love,” in his message for the
upcoming diocesan-level
World Youth Day.
“Everybody feels the
longing to love and to be
loved,” the Pope says in his
message. “Yet, how difficult it
is to love, and how many mistakes and failures have to be
reckoned with in love! There
are those who even come to
doubt that love is possible.
“But if emotional delusions or lack of affection can
cause us to think that love is
utopian, an impossible dream,
should we then become resigned?”
“No!” the Holy Father
replies. “Love is possible, and
the purpose of my message is
to help reawaken in each one
of you — you who are the future and hope of humanity —
trust in a love that is true,
faithful and strong; a love that
generates peace and joy; a
love that binds people together and allows them to feel
free in respect for one another.”
The
diocesan-level
World Youth Day will be held
on Palm Sunday, April 1.
Benedict XVI continues
in his message: “Let us now
go on a journey together in
three stages, as we embark on
a ‘discovery’ of love.”
3 stages
The papal message explains that the first stage is
learning that God himself is
love, as St. John explains.
The second stage, the
Pope states, is knowing “love
in all its magnitude” as re-
News Feature
Malaybalay Celebrates
Week of Peace
Benedict XVI Tells
Youth to “Dare to Love”
vealed by Christ, especially on
the cross.
The third stage, the Holy
Father writes, is realizing that
love longs to be shared:
“Christ cried out from the
cross: ‘I am thirsty’ (John
19:28). This shows us his
burning thirst to love and to
be loved by each one of us.
“It is only by coming to
perceive the depth and intensity of such a mystery that we
can realize the need and urgency to love him as he has
loved us. This also entails the
commitment to even give our
lives, if necessary, for our
brothers and sisters sustained
by love for him.”
The papal message ends
by giving “the secret of love,”
namely, the “indispensable
support of divine grace.”
“Each one of us, my dear
friends, has been given the
possibility of reaching this
same level of love, but only
by having recourse to the indispensable support of divine
grace,” the message states.
“Only the Lord’s help will allow us to keep away from resignation when faced with the
enormity of the task to be undertaken.
”It instills in us the courage to accomplish that which
is humanly inconceivable.
Contact with the Lord in
prayer grounds us in humility
and reminds us that we are
‘unworthy servants.’”
Benedict XVI urges
young people to discover
the Eucharist.
“Above all, the Eucharist
is the great school of love,”
he explains. “When we participate regularly and with devotion in Holy Mass, when we
spend a sustained time of adoration in the presence of Jesus
in the Eucharist, it is easier to
understand the length,
breadth, height and depth of
his love that goes beyond all
knowledge (cf. Ephesians
3:17-18).
“By sharing the Eucharistic Bread with our brothers
and sisters of the Church
community, we feel compelled,
like Our Lady with Elizabeth,
to render ‘in haste’ the love of
Christ into generous service
towards our brothers and sisters.”
In his message the Pope
also invites young people to
Sydney, Australia, for World
Youth Day in July 2008.
(Zenit)
Voters’ Forum Gets Candidates’ Commitment to Life, Family, Country
ELECTION fever swept the
Bulwagang Balagtas of the
Polytechnic University of the
Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa
last February 3 where some
800 people gathered to affirm
their commitment to vote only
for Pro-life candidates this
coming May election.
Among those who attended the Voters’ Forum were
Congressmen Ed Zialcita (1st
Dist., Parañaque), Bienvenido
Abante, Jr. (6 th Dist., Manila),
Rene Velarde, BUHAY Party
List (represented by his chief
of staff) and Christian Señeres
(BUHAY Party List) and
Hermilando Mandanas (2nd
Dist., Batangas) and Mayor
Lito Atienza. Other party lists’
represented were AKMA,
ASCOPH and ABA AKO and
KAPATIRAN, a new national
party. Senatorial candidate
Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III,
son of Senator Nene Pimentel
also attended the occasion.
Pro-Life Philippines orga-
3
nized the event as its opening
salvo for Pro-Life Month. The
forum was attended by parish
workers, youth and a few elderly folks who witnessed the
candidates’ signing of the
Covenant for Life, as their
commitment to upholding prolife, pro-family and pro-Filipino
principles during their term of
office if ever they are elected.
Courageous advocates
of the pro-life movement,
Zialcita, Mandanas and
Señeres, reiterated their
pledge to defend life and family values in legislation.
Abante tackled in his speech
how the bills on divorce,
same-sex marriages and reproductive rights were defeated
with the involvement of both
legislators and concerned citizens.
Pampanga archbishop
and head of the Episcopal
Commission on Family and
Life of the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines
(get pictures taken by
royroy on this event)
(ECFL-CBCP) Most Reverend
Paciano Aniceto, signed the
Covenant for Life as a witness
to the commitment of these
political candidates.
Earlier in the day, Pro-Life
held its annual convention
wherein pro-life activism and
volunteerism were taken up
by speakers Ed Sorreta and
Cory Arevalo, both long-time
advocates of the pro-life
cause. Counselors, parish
ministry and community workers, medical practitioners,
teachers and students took
part in the event. (By Jose
Descallar)
Bike for peace. A group of cyclists led by Fr. Robert Selecios biked
to Dabong Dabong Valencia City for peace and the environment.
THE
Diocese
of
Malaybalay celebrated
Mindanao Week of Peace
last November 30 to December 7, 2006 with activities
aimed to bring a greater
awareness among people
of their responsibility in
caring for the earth, and
greater unity among Christians, Muslims and
Lumads.
To kick off the weeklong celebration, Fr. Robert
Selecios led a group of bicycle riders and one employee from the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to go
to Dabong Dabong,
Valencia City to nurture the
trees planted there during
the previous months.
Other activities included reading of the
bishop’s pastoral letter and
harmony prayer in the
Mosque of Valencia.
A symposium with the
theme “Care of the Earth”
was also organized and
held on December 2, 2006.
The symposium which was
participated by Christian,
Muslim and Lumad leaders,
tackled the theme from three
different perspectives—
that of Muslim, Lumad, and
Christians as Shepherd.
Ustadz Alem Sanussi
Pandapatan said that the
earth’s resources were created by God for the benefit
of all living beings. Datu
Crispin Linsagan spoke of
their beginning, their livelihood, their cultural practices and affinity with the
earth. Sr. Nila Sajelan, MCM,
speaking from the perspective of Christians as Shepherds and carers of creation, talked about the four
pillars of peace; such as,
truth, freedom, justice and
charity.
Other pressing issues
tackled in the forum included environmental degradation and pollution, illegal logging and mining,
and land development.
The harmony prayer
was aired on December 4 at
station DXDB (the diocesan
Catholic radio station) and
also in the campuses of
schools belonging to the
Bukidnon Association of
Catholic Schools (BUACS).
In Valencia Cluster, the harmony prayer was aired at 5
am at the Mosque. It was the
first time in the history of
Bukidnon Silsilah Forum
that such activities were initiated together by Christians, Muslims and Lumads.
It was also on this day,
that the Valencia Cluster celebrated the Mindanao
Week of Peace. Muslims,
Christians and Lumads
were all part of the celebration. The event started in
the morning with the reading of the Holy Qur’an by
Ustadz Abdul Fatah
Mindalano. The grade
school Christian and Muslim pupils of San Agustin
Institute of Technology did
an interpretative dance of
the harmony prayer. Other
activities included collage
and poster-making contest
on the theme’s celebration.
In his message during
the event, Malaybalay
bishop Honesto Ch.
Pacana, SJ, explained the
beginning of the Bishop’s
Ulama Forum. He emphasized that the profound
meaning of care for the
earth is care for people.
Inevitably, he said, when we
care for people, we care for
the earth. He challenged everyone to be a part of the
continuing dialogue.
The Bishop-Ulama
Conference was organized
in 1984 as a means of helping solve the escalating
discord between the Muslims and the Christians in
Mindanao. But what was
initially meant for
Mindanao only has now
spread all over the Philippines and abroad. The
Christian-Muslim Dialogue eventually evolved
to a Tri-People Forum
which now includes the
Lumads. One of the annual
activities of this forum is
the week of Peace which
starts on the last Thursday
of November. (Pinky
Barrientos, FSP)
Dumaguete Holds Vocation Youth Camp
WITH the theme, “Searching? Come and See!”, the
Diocese of Dumaguete
marked its second vocation
youth camp last February
3-4. More than 600 youth
celebrated an overnight
camp of songs, dances,
prayers and talks meant to
touch the hearts of the participants to discern God’s
call.
Don Bosco School in
Dumaguete City hosted the
event. Participants from different parishes and youth groups
in the diocese converged at the
school’s gymnasium as early
as 12:00 noon. Various religious congregations and seminaries set up vocation exhibits. Priests, nuns and seminarians animated the young
people with informal conversations during their visit to the
exhibit areas.
The evening program had
moments of lively animation, a
talk deepening the theme of the
program, presentations by vocation promoters, a Taize
prayer service and sharings.
Bishop of Dumaguete, Most
Rev. John F. Du, D.D., came to
encourage the participants to
“continue searching for God
and respond to His invitation
to ‘come and see’.”
The overnight activity
culminated with the celebration of the Holy Mass after
which the youth erupted
into songs and dances.
Dumaguete Vocation
Director, Fr. Marcelo
Kinilitan, said, he looks forward to see more young
people participating in the
next celebration of the diocesan camp in 2008. (With
reports from Fr. Marcelo
Kinilitan)
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4
Reasons Why Catholics Move to Pentecostals Discussed
CATHOLIC bishops said that
Church leaders should consider the
larger picture why their members
especially the youth are leaving
their congregation in search for
other denominations.
“Catholics who leave their parishes often long for a sense of
Christian community and direct
spiritual experience that they find
lacking,” said Cardinal Walter
Kasper.
Kasper, who heads the Vatican
office for better relations among
Christians, said many Catholics
have not been taught and do not
even know to how respond to criticisms of their faith.
At the seminar held February
7 to 11, at Pius Catholic Center in
Manila, the German prelate presided over the discussions on
ecumenism and the challenges
posed by the Pentecostalism,
among others.
The particular focus on Pentecostals is a response to the steep
rise of Catholics who identify themselves with the Pentecostal tradi-
tion.
Kasper noted that Pentecostal denominations have about 600
million members worldwide. Pentecostal churches and the noncatholic charismatic movement are
the fastest growing Churches in
the Christian world.
The Vatican official said Pentecostal beliefs have a stronghold
in the major churches in several
countries.
Imus Bishop Luis Antonio
Tagle said the primary target of the
seminar is to get to know what the
“growing” Pentecostal movement
is all about.
“It’s very difficult to respond
without full knowledge. It’s not
easy,” he said.
Tagle said the seminar should
also serve as an opportunity for
Church leaders to learn how to respond to this recent “phenomenon”.
“This is an opportunity because we are able to ask ourselves
what Catholics find in Pentecostal
groups that they do not find in us.
It might be an opportunity to purify ourselves.”
Kasper has also called for better faith formation, which does not
denigrate other Christian denominations, prayer activities and Bible
studies where people can form a
close spiritual community.
The seminar on ecumenism is
one of several organized by the
Pontifical Council for Christian
Unity, in cooperation with various
bishops’ conferences, to know the
extent of ecumenical work, particularly in Asia.
Previous conferences were
held last year in Nairobi, Kenya;
Dakar, Senegal; Sao Paulo, Brazil;
and Seoul, South Korea.
A total of 133 delegates including local and foreign bishops and
lay leaders attended this year ’s
seminar.
Among the Asian bishops’
conferences that were represented
include the countries of Taipei,
Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia,
Taiwan, Singapore, Brunei and Japan.
tial part of ecumenism today.
The bishops’ statement also
underscored that such ecumenical
formation should prepare and enable the faithful to respond fully and
personally to the challenge of promoting Christian unity.
“Comprehensive ecumenical
formation must shape attitudes by
heightening an ecumenical awareness and sensitivity in its human,
spiritual, intellectual and apostolic
aspects,” it said.
But the bishops clarified that
in assisting the process of ecumenical formation, ecumenists must be
deserving and well-trained so that
they can make the faithful understand and respond positively to the
challenges facing the work for Christian unity.
The goal of this formation is
“to develop a true ecumenical spirit
among Catholics.”
Kasper also presented during
the seminar his “Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism” to the Asian bishops.
The handbook includes many
concrete suggestions on how
Catholics can prepare spiritually for
the gift of Christian unity.
When applied to the real situations of the Churches in Asia, the
bishops said, the handbook promises to be a valuable companion for
individuals and communities who
are committed to work in the
apostolate of Christian unity.
Kasper said “spiritual
ecumenism,” must be accompanied
by “fundamental ecumenism,” a
common Christian focus on the basics of faith.
Over the past half-century,
ecumenism has been based on a
conviction that Christians can and
must build shared beliefs to find a
way to overcome their divisions and
unite fully in one faith, he added.
several issues on entry and sale of
genetically made products in the
country.
In that petition, the archdiocese
urged the government to impose a
moratorium on the importation of GM
rice from the US.
They also asked Arroyo “to certify as urgent” the bill that would
require mandatory labeling of all imported and locally-manufactured
processed food and other agricultural products.
Rosales also said that the Department of Agriculture (DA) must
require the mandatory testing of all
rice imports from the US to determine
if the GMOs are among its components.
“As a Church institution we
have the moral obligation to protect
the interest of God’s people and their
inherent right to safe food and
healthy environment,” he said.
Independent and environmentally concerned local and international scientists, he said, already
warned that genetically modified
crops and food products could be
very harmful to the environment and
to human beings.
“We therefore strongly endorse
the petition and in addition request
you to order the recall and stop the
sale of all US rice contaminated with
LL601 GE rice together with Uncle Sam
Texas Long Grain Rice from all markets
and grocery stores,” added Rosales.
book contains everything a poll
watcher should know on Election
Day—before the opening polls, during the voting period, the counting
of votes, and up to the different levels of canvassing.
All election procedures and
rules in the manual also come complete with illustrations.
The PPCRV said election monitoring is an important defense
against fraud at polling stations on
Election Day.
The group will start conducting
an extensive poll watching training
next month in the country’s different dioceses.
De Villa said at least 500,000 poll
watchers are needed to effectively
monitor some 260,000 precincts nationwide.
In the manual, volunteers are
also instructed with the procedural
and observation techniques during
elections.
De Villa said that serious poll
watchers could only happen through
the seriousness of their formation
and training.
“This election monitoring manual
is an indispensable part of this training,” she said. “This is also our tribute
to the volunteers who give so much
of themselves without making noise.”
“It is ‘the heroism of the little
ones’—the PPCRV poll watchers who
might still transform Philippine elections into an act of God,” said De Villa.
Formation / from p1
Church,” read the statement.
The seminar, organized by the
Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity (PCPCU), the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), and the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) brought together 133
participants and representatives of
different Episcopal conferences in
Asia.
The participants included
PCPCU head Cardinal Walter
Kasper, CBCP president Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, Manila
Archbishop Cardinal Gaudencio
Rosales, Cebu Archbishop Cardinal
Ricardo Vidal and 33 other bishops.
Kasper earlier said that
ecumenism is based on unity of
faith and, therefore, “Christians
must know and believe the faith
they claim to share”.
Teaching the basics of the
Christian faith, he said, is an essen-
Cardinal / from p1
In a letter dated February 9,
Rosales asked Arroyo to recall from
the market “Uncle Sam Texas Long
Grain Rice”, which is being distributed by Purefoods Inc.
“We believe that we should
strongly oppose any experiment or
attempt to use genetically engineered
food that is not safe or good to the
environment,” he said.
“We should feed our people
with food that are produced through
natural means.”
The US rice was reportedly negotiated recently under the US-RP
PL480 Agreement on loan basis.
The Cardinal also endorsed a
petition initiated by the Archdiocese
of Manila Ecology Desk which raised
PPCRV / from p1
The “Election Monitoring
Manual” published by the Parish
Pastoral Council for Responsible
Voting (PPCRV) is a new and updated
complete guidebook for PPCRV poll
watchers.
“It’s like a bible for men and
women volunteers who will be
PPCRV’s witnesses to truth in the
voting precincts nationwide,” said
Ambassador Henrietta de Villa,
PPCRV national chairperson.
The manual has lots of information to provide the PPCRV poll watchers together with all its organizational
partners a detailed operational procedure for effective poll watching in
the May mid-terms.
De Villa said the 97-page guide-
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
EDSA / from p1
our love for Him and our country,”
said Villegas.
Still, another bishop lamented
that after another people power that
toppled Joseph Estrada in 2001,
vested interests remain in business
and the national unity is in tatters.
Lipa Archbishop Ramon
Arguelles in his homily on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the
people power at the EDSA Shrine,
cited reasons behind the “apparent collapse” of turnouts at its anniversary celebration.
“The pursuit of self-interest
prevailed, true welfare of the people
was set aside and instant heroes
turned perpetual traitors,” he said.
He bewailed some politicians
constantly grabbing the credits as
EDSA heroes even if they were
absent during those days of courage.
“The seeming EDSA 1 collapse
is due also to the nation’s return to
trusting the weapons of war as well
as the prevalent belief that the
nation’s future depends on foreign
investments and financial advancements,” Arguelles added.
Present political situation and
government’s policies might have
fuelled people’s disappointment,
the archbishop said.
Arguelles said the rate of poverty and starvation rose “as the wellfed continue to feast at the expense
of those who have nothing to eat.”
“The poor exalted in EDSA 1
as the true Filipino has been
marginalized more than ever,” he
stressed.
“EDSA has never died. It has
only been allowed to bloom in the
proper way. The EDSA that only
God can claim as the source has
been snatched by the wrong
hands,” he said
Bishop Condemns / from p1
erations “with stringent monitoring
by the DENR”.
Lafayette was suspended in November 2005 due to the two spill incidents that resulted to cyanide contamination and fish kills.
The DENR issued the lifting of
the cease and desist order on February 8 though it contradicted an earlier
verdict that the mining firm is guilty
of technical, management and operational lapses that violate “responsible
mining” standards.
Bastes said Reyes called him up
on February 7 asking for a dialogue
to justify government’s decision to
allow Lafayette to resume operations.
The prelate said he is not convinced with Reyes’ assurance that
everything is “okay” with the mining
operations.
“It’s clear that the government
is only after the welfare of
transnational corporations and not of
our people,” he said.
Meanwhile, a local alliance opposing Lafayette mining vowed of a
continued fight to block mining operations in Rapu-rapu.
“You can count on it. Our campaign to save the people and environment of Rapu-rapu Island continues,” said Fr. Felino Bagauisan of
“Sagip Isla” movement.
“We will do everything to drive
out Lafayette in our communities.
We will intensify our protests and
we will file legal actions against
Lafayette,” the priest said.
Bishops Assail / from p1
of 2007, includes a provision that
grants wrongfully detained persons
a right to compensation of up to P500,
000.
The bill also authorizes surveillance of suspects and sentences of
up to 40 years’ imprisonment.
A political motive that lies beneath the legislation, meanwhile, is
what is being sensed by Novaliches
Bishop Antonio Tobias saying that
the bill is a threat to the people who
are against the Arroyo administration.
“We believe that more than curbing the terrorism, this Act is directed
against the people who are working
for political, social, and economic
changes in the country,” Tobias said
reading the statement of the Kilusang
Makabansang Ekonomiya (KME) in
a press conference.
Iñiguez and Tobias are senior advisers of the KME, a group of churchmen, economists, businessmen and
academics critical of Arroyo’s economic policies.
“Generally in a weak and corrupt
government, this law will be most certainly abused, as even without it, the
events of the past two years already
show the propensity of this present
dispensation to abuse the basic human rights,” he said.
It is “a de facto dictatorship under the pretext of preserving human
security,” Tobias also said.
Other bishops also raised questions about the new bill but an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said
the Permanent Council had yet to take
a collective position on the matter.
The council, headed by CBCP
President Angel Lagdameo, is in
charge in policy making when the
CBCP is not in plenary session. Such
a session is held only twice yearly, in
January and July. (Roy Lagarde)
Oppressed / from p1
Department of Health, the National
Kidney Foundation, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, the Philippine Medical Association, the Philippine Hospital Association and
prominent doctors to see how to control the problem of organ “brokers” operating in the country.
Ermita said guidelines are being
prepared “so that where there are criminal liabilities involved, then they have
to be proceeded against.”
Senator Luisa “Loi” Ejercito
Estrada assailed another reported plan
of the Department of Health to double
the number of foreigners being given
kidney transplant in the Philippines as
part of the administration’s medical
tourism program.
“If allowed, this would be one of
the most hideous tourism program
ever designed by any government—
make its own citizens as the source of
human organ parts needed by rich but
dying foreigners,” Estrada said.
Making matters worse, the plan
would reserve a proportion of organs
to foreigners. The new policy on kidney transplant would mean that for every 100 kidney transplant patients, 20
slots would be immediately reserved
for foreigners.
This would mean continued discrimination of the poor. (AsiaNews)
Pope / from p1
tion at the Lyceum of Aparri, as well as
a Doctorate in Educational Management.
Baccay was ordained a priest at
the age of 26, and served as Secretary
to the Archbishop from 1987 to 1993.
He also served as a pastor of Saint
Dominic Parish in Gataggamman and
Santo Niño Shrine in San Gabriel.
Baccay’s appointment was published in Rome Friday at 12 noon (7
PM local time).
CBCP Monitor
Feature
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
5
Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent 2007
7 QUESTIONS for
“They shall look on Him
whom they have pierced”
(Jn 19:37)
Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal, D.D.
How is the Church’s Social Concern
agenda being implemented in your
Archdiocese?
The Archdiocese of Cebu started last
2005 its pastoral thrust of inculcating the
Spirituality of Stewardship among our
people. This thrust has been carried over
to the pastoral year 2006-2007 to include
the Social Doctrine of the Church.
As the basic stewardship program of
the Archdiocese, we have been implementing since 1997 an archdiocesan-wide microfinance program we call the Cebu
Archdiocesan Program for Self Reliance, or
CAPSR, patterned after the Grameen banking system. This program has benefited
hundreds of households throughout the
Archdiocese, having released as loan a cumulative amount of P143 million. Parishes
have also initiated their own stewardship
programs, based on the needs of their respective localities.
As part of the Pastoral Thrust, we have
started also to update and rework our accounting system in the parishes to make it
more transparent and the parish priests more
accountable. At the level of formation, we
will be giving a catechesis on the Social
Doctrine of the Church to all the parishes
and down to the Basic Ecclesial Communities, using as basis the Compendium of the
Social Doctrine of the Church.
It has been your practice to
celebrate your Christmas
novena masses in different
parishes in the archdiocese.
How did it come about and
is it helping your Episcopal
ministry?
How would you assess the quality of
vocations in the Archdiocese today?
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
I have to be realistic that while there
may be an abundant harvest, eventually the
chaff will have to be separated from the
grain. The big number of vocations does
allow us to be more selective and strict in
our standards.
What is the status of the family life
program in your Archdiocese?
The Family and Life Apostolate is very
active in giving seminars to couples intending to marry. They give Pre-Cana Seminars
in the parishes. A major concern is to educate young couples in natural family planning methods, but the parishes have been
slow in catching on. The Apostolate is also
active in pro-life advocacies.
The changing patterns of families
today, that is; one or both parents
not around to provide moral guidance to their children, is one big
challenge to the Church. How does
the Family and Life apostolate respond to this?
Given the new challenges faced by families today, I think the Family and Life
Apostolate should be given more impetus
to face new realities. I am especially concerned about the
lifestyle created by so called “Call
Centers”, where young people
work the night shift and sleep during the day. To be proactive, there
should be a program cut out for
these young people who are earning much but have very little opportunity to attend formation programs.
The changing face of the Filipino family does present a great challenge
to the Church. Demographics and economics have conspired to create a situation
where old notions of family ministry no
longer work. We have families with parents
who are migrant workers. Young people
work different hours in “call centers”. We
have a situation where parish-based programs are no longer very effective. We cannot simply wait for parishioners to come to
our rectories. We cannot set fixed schedules for people and simply wait for them to
come. If we insist on our static institutions,
we risk losing our people to new forms of
“spirituality”, especially those that suit their
lifestyle and working conditions.
7
QUESTIONS
I started the practice since I
assumed the office of Archbishop
of Cebu. It started with some parishes inviting me to celebrate one of the
novena masses, and other parishes followed
suit, so it became part of my program during the Advent season. When I go to the
parish, I do not just celebrate the mass at
dawn, I come the night before so I can sit
down with the Parish Priest and the Parish
Pastoral Council and be able to hold a forum with them. Certainly, this has given me
a more intimate view of the situation in the
parishes.
The archdiocese traditionally celebrates the vocation month by organizing vocation campaigns and jamboree. How have these activities
been helping in the increase of vocations?
The vocation campaign and jamboree
have certainly increased vocation awareness in the Archdiocese but I cannot give
exact statistics establishing a direct relationship between these activities and the
increase in vocations. I can however cite
the fact that the Diocesan seminaries in
Cebu are full to capacity, even when new
buildings were constructed. I have about
five hundred seminarians from the Minor
to the Major, and I ordain an average of ten
priests per year within a twenty-five year
period. Right now, I have more than 300
priests. Vocations are also booming among
the religious congregations and orders,
male and female. So many congregations
want to open in Cebu and some I have to
tell to locate in places far from the city so
their ministries can be spread out to other
areas.
© ETTORE FERRARI/epa/Corbis
A native of Marinduque, Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal, was
installed as Archbishop of Cebu, in 1982. He was elevated
to the Cardinalate in 1985. Recently, the soft-spoken
Cardinal shared with CBCP Monitor how the social
concerns program is being implemented in his archdiocese,
his traditional practice of celebrating Christmas novena
masses in different parishes, concerns on the quantity and
quality of vocations entering the seminary, the
archdiocesan family and life program, and his perception of
mainstream media’s treatment of Church issues in the news.
What is your take of the mainstream
media’s treatment of Church issues
in the news?
The media will always act as media. We
can only go so far in educating them to be
fair and balanced. What is needed by the
Church is expertise in handling the media,
not in the sense of manipulating events or
reports, but in the sense of knowing when
and how and what to say in order to maximize media’s potential to highlight and to
magnify. We in the Church must also be aware
that we have contributed to the notion of
the freedom of the press. We should therefore not feel threatened by a reality to which
we have contributed in creating. If there is
anything we need to do, it is that we in the
Church must live lives that are beyond reproach, act honestly and with humility in
instances where we have failed, and choose
always the way of truth in every case.
“They shall look on him
whom they have pierced” (Jn
19: 37). This is the biblical
theme that this year guides our
Lenten reflection. Lent is a favorable time to learn to stay
with Mary and John, the beloved disciple, close to him
who on the Cross, consummated for all mankind the sacrifice of his life (cf. Jn 19: 25).
With a more fervent participation let us direct our gaze,
therefore, in this time of penance and prayer, at Christ Crucified who, dying on Calvary,
revealed fully for us the love
of God. In the Encyclical Deus
caritas est, I dwelt upon this
theme of love, highlighting its
two fundamental forms: agape
and eros.
God’s love: agape and
eros
The term agape, which
appears many times in the
New Testament, indicates the
self-giving love of one who
looks exclusively for the good
of the other. The word eros,
on the other hand, denotes the
love of one who desires to
possess what he or she lacks
and yearns for union with the
beloved. The love with which
God surrounds us is undoubtedly agape. Indeed, can
man give to God some good
that he does not already possess? All that the human creature is and has is divine gift. It
is the creature, then, who is in
need of God in everything. But
God’s love is also eros. In the
Old Testament, the Creator of
the universe manifests toward
the people whom he has chosen as his own a predilection
that transcends every human
motivation. The prophet
Hosea expresses this divine
passion with daring images
such as the love of a man for
an adulterous woman (cf. 3: 13). For his part, Ezekiel, speaking of God’s relationship with
the people of Israel, is not
afraid to use strong and passionate language (cf. 16: 1-22).
These biblical texts indicate
that eros is part of God’s very
Heart: the Almighty awaits the
“yes” of his creatures as a
young bridegroom that of his
bride. Unfortunately, from its
very origins, mankind, seduced by the lies of the Evil
One, rejected God’s love in the
illusion of a self-sufficiency
that is impossible (cf. Gn 3: 17). Turning in on himself,
Adam withdrew from that
source of life who is God himself, and became the first of
“those who through fear of
death were subject to lifelong
bondage” (Heb 2: 15). God,
however, did not give up. On
the contrary, man’s “no” was
the decisive impulse that
moved him to manifest his
love in all of its redeeming
strength.
The Cross reveals the
fullness of God’s love
It is in the mystery of the
Cross that the overwhelming
power of the Heavenly
Father’s mercy is revealed in
all of its fullness. In order to
win back the love of his creature, he accepted to pay a very
high price: the Blood of his
Only Begotten Son. Death,
which for the first Adam was
an extreme sign of loneliness
and powerlessness, was thus
transformed in the supreme
act of love and freedom of the
new Adam. One could very
well assert, therefore, together
with St Maximus the Confessor, that Christ “died, if one
could say so, divinely, because he died freely”
(Ambigua, 91, 1956). On the
Cross, God’s eros for us is
made manifest. Eros is indeed,
as Pseudo-Dionysius expresses it, that force which
“does not allow the lover to
remain in himself but moves
him to become one with the
beloved” (De Divinis
Nominibus, IV, 13: PG 3, 712).
Is there more “mad eros” (N.
Cabasilas, Vita in Cristo, 648)
than that which led the Son of
God to make himself one with
us even to the point of suffering as his own the consequences of our offences?
“Him whom they have
pierced”
Dear brothers and sisters,
let us look at Christ pierced
on the Cross! He is the
unsurpassing revelation of
God’s love, a love in which
eros and agape, far from being opposed, enlighten each
other. On the Cross, it is God
himself who begs the love of
his creature: He is thirsty for
the love of every one of us.
The Apostle Thomas recognized Jesus as “Lord and God”
when he put his hand into the
wound of his side. Not surprisingly, many of the saints
found in the Heart of Jesus the
deepest expression of this
mystery of love. One could
rightly say that the revelation
of God’s eros toward man is,
in reality, the supreme expression of his agape. In all truth,
only the love that unites the
free gift of oneself with the impassioned desire for reciprocity instills a joy which eases
the heaviest of burdens. Jesus
said: “When I am lifted up
from the earth, I will draw all
men to myself” (Jn 12: 32). The
response the Lord ardently
desires of us is above all that
we welcome his love and al-
low ourselves to be drawn to
him. Accepting his love, however, is not enough. We need
to respond to such love and
devote ourselves to communicating it to others. Christ
“draws me to himself” in order to unite himself to me, so
that I learn to love the brothers with his own love.
Blood and water
“They shall look on him
whom they have pierced”. Let
us look with trust at the
pierced side of Jesus from
which flow “blood and water”
(Jn 19: 34)! The Fathers of the
Church considered these elements as symbols of the Sacraments of Baptism and the
Eucharist. Through the water
of Baptism, thanks to the action of the Holy Spirit, we are
given access to the intimacy
of Trinitarian love. In the
Lenten journey, memorial of
our Baptism, we are exhorted
to come out of ourselves in
order to open ourselves in
trustful abandonment to the
merciful embrace of the Father
(cf. St John Chrysostom,
Catecheses, 3, 14ff.). Blood,
symbol of the love of the
Good Shepherd, flows into us
especially in the Eucharistic
mystery: “The Eucharist
draws us into Jesus’ act of
self-oblation... we enter into
the very dynamic of his selfgiving” (Encyclical Deus
caritas est, n. 13). Let us live
Lent, then, as a “Eucharistic”
time in which, welcoming the
love of Jesus, we learn to
spread it around us with every word and deed. Contemplating “him whom they have
pierced” moves us in this way
to open our hearts to others,
recognizing the wounds inflicted upon the dignity of the
human person; it moves us in
particular to fight every form
of contempt for life and human exploitation and to alleviate the tragedies of loneliness and abandonment of so
many people. May Lent be for
every Christian a renewed experience of God’s love given
to us in Christ, a love that
each day we, in turn, must “regive” to our neighbor, especially to the one who suffers
most and is in need. Only in
this way will we be able to
participate fully in the joy of
Easter. May Mary, Mother of
Beautiful Love, guide us in
this Lenten journey, a journey
of authentic conversion to the
love of Christ. I wish you, dear
brothers and sisters, a fruitful
Lenten journey, imparting with
affection to all of you a special Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican
21 November 2006
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
CBCP Monitor
Opinion
6
Editorial
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
“We cannot afford yet another controversial electoral
exercise that further aggravates social distrust and
hopelessness.”
Social Dimension of a Vote
WHEN elections are coming, it is customary to
hear certain common observations about the
significance of voters and their votes. Voting is
both a democratic privilege and a civic duty. A
vote is not only precious but also sacred. To
vote is a moral duty and a civic commitment.
But add another complementary view on
the distinct implication of a vote. This: every
single vote cast has a signal social dimension.
This simply means that a vote of one person
impacts everybody else. When someone
votes, he or she necessarily implicates all
others with it.
When a citizen casts his or her vote for a
candidate with integrity and capacity, all others
are benefited in the event that the candidate wins.
The opposite is also true. When one casts a
vote in favor of a lying, cheating and/or stealing
candidate, the others are all harmed if the
candidate wins and gets the office.
An elected public official assumes a public
office and handles public funds for public service
and welfare. If the official who is adorned with
sound moral values such as honesty and industry
gets elected, he becomes a big blessing for all
the constituents. Its opposite constitutes a big
curse for the people.
Abp. Angel N. Lagdameo, DD
In and Out of Season
THIRTY-TWO years ago, in 1975, on Ash
Wednesday, the Lenten project ALAY
KAPWA was born. This project of the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines through its Episcopal Commission
on Social Action, Justice and Peace has
for its objective the evangelization of the
Catholic communities towards Christian
awareness of their social responsibility
with preferential option for the poor.
Alay Kapwa is people responding to
the Gospel demand to love as Jesus loves,
to care and share as Jesus wants us to
care and share (cf. Jn. 15/12). Alay Kapwa
is people living and experiencing the solicitude of God for the poor, the abandoned, the victims of natural calamities,
the victims of injustice and violence. Alay
Kapwa is people united by the spirit of
Jesus and of the Father in solidarity with
the sorrowing, with those who hunger
and thirst, with the pure of heart, the
peacemakers and the persecuted (cf. Mk.
5/1-10).
To have the spirit of Alay Kapwa you
do not have to be wealthy or powerful or
influential, you need only to be good and
committed to your neighbor. In order to
give to Alay Kapwa Lenten Fund Cam-
Something the same can be said about those
qualified to vote but do not in fact vote for one
untenable reason or another. One vote for a
good candidate that is not cast is a loss for many
others. This is the underlying rationale of the truth
that to vote is both a moral duty and a civic
commitment.
The social dimension of every single vote
should be duly disseminated and understood as
a distinct service to a democratic society where
every voter is a constituent member. This is
precisely the reason why every voter should
vote, why the voter should vote for the right
candidate, why the voter should see to it that
his or her vote is counted—and why cheaters
in elections have no place in a decent society.
Selling one’s vote is a threefold evil. One,
the voter becomes a traitor to society. Two, the
elections become a farce. Three, the vote
undermines the democratic processes. This is
evil as its best!
CBCP Monitor
of
Tr u t h ,
Promoter
of
Peace
Pedro C. Quitorio
Pinky Barrientos, FSP
Editor-in-Chief
Production Manager
Melo M. Acuña
Rowena T. Dalanon
Managing Editor
Circulation Manager
Dennis B. Dayao
Ma. Lourdes G. Ebilane
On-Line Editor
Marketing Supervisor
Roy Q. Lagarde
Ernani M. Ramos
News Editor
Comptroller
The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the CBCP
Communications Development Foundation, Inc., with
editorial and business offices at 470 Gen. Luna St.,
Intramuros, Manila. P.O. Box 3601, 1076 MCPO. Editorial:
(063) 404-2182. Business: (063)404-1612.
Email:
[email protected] Website:
www.cbcpworld.net/cbcpmonitor
Layout by Blue Flame
P r o ta g o n i s t
paign you do not have to be rich or to
have plenty, you need only to be generous, desirous like Jesus to serve (cf. Mk.
10/45) and to give life more abundantly
(cf. 10/10).
After 32 years of Alay Kapwa, the task
of social transformation goes on. There
are still poverty, hunger, thirst, suffering,
brokenness, violence. The work of Alay
Kapwa must continue. Our vision of social transformation, of an end to
underserved poverty, of an end of man’s
inhumanity to fellowmen, the birth of hope
for those who suffer from calamities, necessarily demands radical personal conversion. No reform is possible unless the
reformers are themselves reformed. No
renewed society unless the agents are
themselves renewed.
The evangelical call is still there: to
build a society where truth, freedom, justice and love reign. With or without
miracle, we must build it on the foundation of personal conversion to charity. We
must build it on the foundation of people
willing to forego their personal interests,
to overcome their selfishness, to limit their
enjoyment and satisfaction for the sake
of their needy brothers and sisters. That
Caring for Gay Loved-Ones Means
First Understanding Them
ISSN 1908-2940
A FEW months ago, His Holiness Pope
Benedict VI stirred up a lot of discussion when he issued guidelines to seminaries on accepting applicants who have
homosexual tendencies or are actively
involved in gay life-styles. Knowing
that schools also encounter problems
and questions on homosexuality, Prolife Philippines sponsored a forum last
February 17 on “Caring for Gay Loved
Ones” at Bahay Ugnayan inside the
Good Shepherd Compound, in Quezon
City. It was attended by over a hundred
teachers, counselors and college students. The forum was not to promote
acceptance of homosexuality but it was
a way for the participants to learn how
to reach out to homosexuals with the
love of Christ.
Highlight of the morning’s activity
was a monologue play presented by
Bagong Pag-asa, a Christ centered ministry designed to help people struggling
On Ash Wednesday:
Alay Kapwa, Age 32
is being patriotic.
Social transformation is possible.
With the help of God we can change the
corrupted image of our country. But remember: the work of God does not happen in a vacuum. The material of the work
of the Spirit of Jesus in the transformation
of human society according to the
Father’s dream is in the heart of men and
women willing to transform their selfishness into patriotic acts of justice and love.
The inspiration of our Alay Kapwa
Lenten Campaign is Jesus himself, Jesus
giving, sharing, caring, curing, healing. We
are praying for the miracle to start in the
heart of every Filipino. We are praying for
personal and communal conversion towards total social transformation. This appeal for Alay Kapwa will be preached in all
Catholic Churches throughout all dioceses
of the country. Let us give generously to
this worthy cause of the CBCP National
Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and
Peace. Alay Kapwa is one way in which our
“little” will become “much” when joined
with the little which others give. The measure is not “how much you give,” but “how
generous you are”.
In and Out / P12
Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, RGS
with homosexuality to leave their pastlife. The play “Haring Kopas” portrayed
three characters seeking an answer. In
real life, the three actors are former gays,
having surrendered their past life to the
healing touch of the Lord. The play portrayed the lives of:
Rhoda na pinalayas ng
kanyang tatay nang siya’y 14 taong
gulang dahil sa kanyang “pagkatao”.
Mula sa Tagbilaran, dumayo siya sa
Maynila at namasukan sa isang maliit
na parlor sa isang maliit na eskinita.
“Bakit Niya ako ginawang ganito?”
ang nalilitong katanungan niya sa
kanyang sarili.
Gian longs for his dad’s love and
affection. Sadly his dad’s attention is
poured on his athletic brother, Jojo. His
younger sister Andrea, became his best
friend. They grew up playing Barbie dolls
together. Gian grew up to be a “closet
queen”, and now a yuppie in Makati. He
Love Life
asks himself, “Kasalanan ba ang maging
isang homosexual?”
Stefan, a successful and driven visual artist, had a huge crush on Antonio,
the Boy Scout leader, during his high
school days. Confused, he asks “Ang
pagiging bading ba ay nakaguhit sa isip
lang o nakaukit sa kaluluwa?”
“Haring Kopas” attempts to explore
a way out from the quagmire of homosexuality. Is change really possible? What
is the role of the Church, society, and the
family in the homosexual issue?
After the play, representatives of exgay and lesbian support groups gave
their individual reactions and additional
input on effective ways of ministering to
the homosexuals. For more information
on how to get in touch with Bagong Pagasa and Courage, contact Pro-life office
at 911-2911 or email at [email protected].
Our website also carries topics on homosexuality (www.prolife.org.ph)
CBCP Monitor
Opinion
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
Jose B. Lugay
Laik
o Lampstand
Laiko
THERE is no news more devastating to
a patient than hearing a doctor’s verdict
that he/she has End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Both kidneys of the patient are diseased and can no longer
eliminate toxic wastes that the body
generates. Slowly the toxin accumulates
in the blood and must be removed and
cleaned by hemodialysis. It is a costly
process and a family with an average
income can not sustain paying highpriced medicines and the twice a week
hemodialysis longer than 6 months without outside help. As they say, this is a
disease for the super rich.
The advances of medical science
had perfected organ transplantation
several decades ago. Although man has
2 kidneys only one is needed for him to
survive and live normally. Thus, this
breakthrough, success in kidney transplantation using cadaver donors, created a big demand for kidneys from braindead victims mostly of vehicular accidents. To protect exploitation of these
victims and selling of kidneys, Republic
Act No. 7170, the Organ Donation Act
of 1991 was passed. This act regulated
the harvesting of kidneys from cadavers with the consent of the next of kin,
or if none, the effort required and the
period of waiting before harvesting is
done. Severe penalties are also imposed
for trafficking of organs, that is, by brokers who convince persons to sell their
organs and profit by it. However there
are no guidelines for Living Non-Related
Donors (LNRD) who donate their kidneys willingly for altruism and receiving some incentives but not as a precondition for the donation.
A kidney donated by a living nonrelated donor (LNRD), when used for
kidney transplant gives the patient more
years to live than a kidney from a deceased donor. These are findings of
many years of statistical study. This big
advantage made an instant demand for
LNRD kidneys especially by the growing number of diabetic patients. The sale
of kidneys by a broker whose victims
were poor fishermen of one island in
Mindanao was exposed by the journalist, Jessica Soho sometime in 1990 and
created public awareness of this abuse.
She won the Peabody award for this ex-
It’s Showtime!!!
THESE days we get to see candidates
for national and local positions smiling,
doing the usual visits to the countryside
and in high spirits rubbing elbows with
the common tao. We see them on television and newspapers and get to listen to
them during interviews over the radio and
television networks.
Issues from the form of government
to governance to garbage collection and
the environment would be discussed.
This early, there are candidates whose
views may well be considered “motherhood statements.” In fact, all these can
be described as “seriously thought of but
mean nothing.” Didn’t they say “diplomacy is the science of thinking twice before saying nothing”?
What do these candidates say about
poverty, overseas employment, the widening gap between the rich and poor communities and families as well as human
rights?
Of course, there are serious and well
prepared candidates who have some-
By the R
oadside
Roadside
pose. Definitely a law is needed to prevent the wanton sale of kidneys whose
victims are the poor barrio folks with no
steady means of livelihood. But what is
the mechanism to address the donation
of kidneys from living non-related donors?
To handle this sensitive issue, the
Philippine Organ Donation Program
(PODP) was established in 2002 by the
Department of Health—Administrative
Order No. 41. It defines how volunteers
called living non-related donors (LNRD)
may be accepted as kidney donors by
transplant surgeons. The Administrative
Order also created the National Ethics
Committee on living organ donors including living related donors (LRD) or
immediate relatives and LNRD’s It also
serves as an accreditation body to approve hospitals where transplantation
may be done. The committee provides
control and prevention of hospitals to
abuse ethical guidelines that have been
set. The Order, among others, stipulates
that foreign patients may be allowed to
receive kidneys from Filipinos but limLaiko / P10
Melo M. Acuña
Issues and Concerns
thing between their ears. These persons
have wider perspectives of issues that
affect the country and their immediate
communities.
According to our Catholic bishops,
these candidates ought to be screened
by the faithful. One serious consideration is whether these candidates are
morally upright. One ought to know the
difference between right and wrong and
should be expected to fear God at all times.
It is also expected these candidates
should have some recall or should have
some acceptance from the general public. They ought to have advocacies which
could very well summarize the aspirations
of the Filipino people.
What stands in the middle is the competence of the candidate. Would the candidate be an effective executive or lawmaker? This is as important as one’s character and popularity. Take a long hard
look at some members of the Philippine
Senate. There are several of them whom
we haven’t heard from Day One. While
Rev. Euly B. Belizar, SThD
IT WAS just a simple chat. We started
with an innocuous topic, namely, possible local candidates for local positions.
Then my friend who, by the way, is as
church-going as anyone in my parish,
said, “If there are a hundred ways to skin
a cat, there are a thousand more ways to
cheat so as to win an election, Philippine
style. And there’s nothing you can do
about it.” He was referring, of course, to
the Church’s efforts through PPCRV to
stem what I feel has become a ‘cultural
tide’ of election cheating and other election-related irregularities in the land of
Rizal, Mabini et al.
So are PPCRV and other well-meaning Filipinos only whistling in the dark
and, worse, merely charging against the
windmills?
I refuse to agree. And so do many
others. But neither do I take the situation
lightly. I live and minister to God’s People
in very rural Eastern Samar. Very rural
doesn’t mean very naive though. Right
now, ordinary Eastern Samar Pinoys don’t
give much attention to the already loud
election brouhaha bruited about largely
by the sensational-starved media, at least
not yet. But I’m sometimes disarmed by
the honesty with which some local vot-
Kidneys Not For Sale But
Donated To Save Lives
it’s true we have seen these honorable lawmakers attending sessions, cutting ribbons and attending fiestas their job demands serious participation during floor
deliberations and committee hearings.
One should also think of the
candidate’s track record, political affiliation and business interests. While it is
true everyone has the right to seek public office as guaranteed in our Constitution (provided they meet the basic qualifications), it’s definitely interesting to
watch and listen to them debate on national and local issues.
Debates would provide everyone the
chance to discover what these candidates think of significant issues i.e. urban development, migration, unemployment and underemployment.
Come to think of it, there are candidates aspiring to be lawmakers or executives simply at the dictate of some highlyplaced persons and interests. This early,
we can truly say the coming months
would be “showtime.”
Buying or Selling
Votes? Think Again
ers admit to having received money from
local politicos or their agents for their
votes in past elections.
And when I begin raising the issue
of the evils of such a practice, bad governance being the most obvious aftermath in the Eastern Samar context, at best
I get a shrug of the shoulder. It’s as if to
say, “You are a priest, Father. You are expected to tell me those things, or you
have no business being a priest. But you
can’t stop vote-buying or vote-selling
any more than you can stop the rain from
falling down.”
I was stunned by a local barangay
captain, a very close friend to many
priests, who within my hearing gave what
he thought a sage advice to some wouldbe voters, “Take the money, and vote for
your choice candidates anyway. Period.”
Again I refuse to bite this common
mindset. But I understand that fighting
against vote-buying, vote-selling and
election-rigging in general don’t only rest
on how they flout basic morality (of
which most practitioners don’t much give
a thought anyway). They also rest on
how the practice blinds us to commonsense, practical wisdom the lack of which
has brought Pinoys and their country to
the weeping point.
I have gathered five arguments that
are really plain common sense wisdom.
First, the (Filipino value of) ‘shame’
argument. All indicators tell us that the
value of ‘hiya’ hasn’t left our shores with
many decent Pinoys who have migrated
elsewhere. The question is, are we
ashamed enough to see that buying and
selling votes and election-rigging are still
with us in this day and age? Are we
ashamed enough to stop pointing to the
poverty of the masses as the fundamental culprit behind the practice simply because it means we just don’t want to go
against an evil deeply imbedded in our
culture? As an ordinary citizen recently
put it in an interview on television originally referring to COMELEC’s refusal to
implement the automation law: “Pag
gusto, laging may paraan. Pag di gusto,
laging may dahilan (If one wants it, he
always finds a way. If he doesn’t want it,
he’ll always find an excuse).”
Isn’t the poverty of our people the
convenient excuse we invoke because we
just don’t want to lift a finger and make
their lot better? Besides, the poverty of
our masses is not the sole explanation to
Roadside / P13
7
Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS
…and tha
uth!
thatt ’s the tr
truth!
Our priest’s neighbors
I STEP out of the chapel and notice a brownish blob in the
little garden inside the gate. An adult, I am sure, had
defecated there while Mass was going on. Clearly it wasn’t
a dog—dogs wouldn’t bother with privacy, wouldn’t
choose to “do it” in this hidden path leading to the ossuary
behind the chapel.
That tiny chapel—big enough to hold a dozen daily
Mass goers—is at the rear end of the building that houses
the church and the parish convent. Behind that building
is a street full of “urban poor”—a polite name for what
used to be called “squatters.” It’s in a parish within Makati,
overlooking Ayala Avenue’s skyscrapers and a stone’s
throw away from the South Superhighway.
Every morning I’d park my car and cross over to the
chapel; even in the dark I’d know I’m there because of the
odor pervading the morning air: the odor of human feces—some wrapped in newspaper and flattened out by
the tires of passing motorists, the rest simply lying naked
on the pavement. Still some newspaper-wrapped “flying
saucers” would sometimes land in the churchyard.
Right around the corner is a virtual fortress made up
of sidewalk dwellings slightly bigger than the dog houses
of the rich. The houses of the urban poor—like surreal
dovecotes piled one on top of the other. They have no
toilets.
Curiosity would drive me to chat with a few of them
one morning I came way too early to find the chapel gate
still closed. Then I saw how they’d begin their day. The
sidewalk bustled with industry: two women washed
clothes; another was minding a steaming cauldron while
her husband (maybe?) loaded their kariton (a wooden
pushcart) with plastic eating utensils.
Another man boiled corn beside a male teenager peeling pineapples and passing these on to a teenage girl (his
sister?) to slice and pack in plastic bags.
Farther out, close to the entrance to a vacant lot, a
man grated coconut (maybe for ginataan, I thought); next
to him a wiry old man chopped wood, perhaps collected
from the trees the typhoon had felled along Buendia Avenue.
Soon the woman minding the cauldron would load
this into a kariton already half filled with two sooty pots—
the whole assortment would be breakfast for the many
laborers passing by their way to work: mami, lugaw,
tokwa, ginataan.
I admired their industry, rising so early to make a living, and I couldn’t bear to think that such a hardworking
lot would be the same people littering the churchyard with
human waste.
These perplexing people are our parish priest’s neighbors.
One particular morning our parish priest seemed short
of his usual verve at Mass, I learned of a new development. His neighbors had added another storey to their
sidewalk abodes, and one of the units is clinging to the
wall of his living quarters.
“Hindi ako mapakali. Doon nila itinayo ang bahay
nila mismo sa tapat ng bintana ng kuwarto ko, idinikit
nila sa pader ko. Nasisilip nila ako, baka nga kahit
nasa banyo ako nakikita nila ako… Baka lumipat na
lang ako sa third floor.” (I can’t be at ease. They’ve built
their houses on the wall right outside my room’s window.
They can see me, maybe even when I’m in the bathroom…
Maybe I’ll just move up to the third floor).
Not only that. The young priest, not quite 29, is
robbed of sleep by the videoke sessions of his “urban
poor” neighbors. He tried to call the attention of the
barangay captain to this but beyond lending the priest an
ear he seemed unable to do what was expected of him.
The priest’s sidewalk-dwelling neighbors are increasing in number, and seem to have occupied as well the
vacant lot whose owner nobody knows. The daily Mass
goers bear the unsanitary environs in silence, but some
parishioners have suggested he talk to Archbishop
Rosales, hoping the latter could nudge Mayor Binay to
action, but the young priest merely smiled at this. He
knows he could ask help from Bayani Fernando,”Pag
isinumbong ko iyan, talsik yan, pero ayokong humantong
doon. He’s my last ace, but I don’t want to go that far.”
So how does he endure the nocturnal revelers, the
vandals, the shacks clinging to his wall? “I once requested
the videoke people to refrain from being so loud at least
from midnight to 6 a.m. For a day or two it was quiet, but
soon it was back to usual.”
As for the filth in the church’s periphery, he has appealed to the elders in the neighborhood but what else
could he do? They have no toilets—their children have
been spotted “doing it” in the streets—and their water
most likely comes through illegal connections.
It’s doubtful whether they can connect cleanliness
with health, and they are not “church people” who would
come to learn to improve their lives by imbibing of the
Word. “In fact, they are of the KBL mentality, Kasal,
The Truth / P12
8
CBCP Commissions
Introduction
THE work of updating the Philippine
Program of Priestly Formation (PPPF)
spans almost a decade of work under
the three chairmen of the Episcopal
Commission on Seminaries. Mandated
by PCP-II, the updating of the ratio
was initiated by Archbishop
Gaudencio B. Rosales in 1995, continued by Bishop Benjamin J. Almoneda
from 1999 to 2005, and completed by
Bishop Mylo Hubert C. Vergara last
year (2006). In November 2005, the
updated ratio received recognition
from the Congregatio de Institutione
Catholica (De Seminariis Atque
Studiorum Institutis) for an unlimited
period, “ad tempus prout
Conferentiae Episcopali vel huic
Congregationi necessarium vel utile
visum fuerit.”
The updating of PPPF was a logical demand of a Church which wants to
renew herself. If the Philippine Church
is to inch forward along the pathway of
renewal as envisioned by PCP-II and
National Pastoral Consultation on
Church Renewal (NPCCR), then the
point of departure is always the seminary. A renewed seminary formation
produces renewed clergy. Renewed
clergy becomes agents of renewal of
the Church. And the renewed Church
is what we need to renew our country.
Renewal is therefore an interpretative key to the understanding of the
updated ratio. It is for this reason why
the whole document is painstakingly
devoted to the crystallization of the
agenda of renewal in the Philippine
seminaries. Thus, it is anchored on the
source of the movement of renewal:
the Vatican II and PCP-II. It ensures
the continuity of the different stages
of seminary formation. It links seminary formation with the ongoing
priestly formation after ordination. It
captures the context of the seminary
formation in the Philippines. It ensures
integration and interaction of all the
aspects of seminary formation in the
context of community life. It identifies
all the agents of seminary formation.
This article presents five points.
The first narrates the historical background of the document. The second
point explains the genre of the document. The third presents the composition and content. The fourth clarifies
the essential features and characteristics of the document. The fifth is a survey of comments on the updated ratio.
Historical Background of PPPF
A. The 1995-1996 Draft
The mandate to update the Philippine Program for Priestly Formation
comes from Article # 75 of the Acts and
Decrees of PCP-II which stipulates that
“the Episcopal Commission on Seminaries shall propose for the approval of
the Bishop’s Conference an updated
Philippine program for priestly formation based on the Ratio Fundamentalis,
Pastores dabo vobis and emphasizing
a deep spiritual formation.”
In 1995 the Commission on Seminaries, under the leadership of Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales, hosted a
national consultation of seminary personnel at San Carlos Seminary, Makati
City. The 110 participants reflected on
their experience of seminary formation
in the light of Vatican II, PCP-II and
Pastores dabo vobis. The results of the
consultation served as reference materials for the drafting of a program for
priestly formation in the Philippines. Fr.
Luis Antonio Tagle collated the obtained data from the national consultation and wrote the draft for theology
and college formation. Comments from
bishops and seminary personnel on the
first draft were sent to the Commission
on Seminaries starting 1996.
B. The 2001 Draft
When Bishop Benjamin J.
Almoneda assumed the chairmanship
of Episcopal Commission on Seminaries in 1999, one of his priorities was to
continue the work of updating started
by Archbishop Rosales in 1995. But
when the period of redrafting came,
Episcopal Commission on Seminaries (ECS)
The Updated
Philippine
Program of
Priestly
Formation
By Fr. Augusto Jesus Angeles, APD
some seminary personnel voiced out
the need to take into account new societal realities. The April 2001 meeting of
commission consultants, which included among others, Fr. Danny
Huang of San Jose Seminary, Fr.
Honorato Castigador of UST, Msgr.
Mylo Vergara, the former Executive
Secretary, Fr. Augusto Angeles, the
present Executive Secretary, and Msgr.
Jonnie Aguirre of the Holy Rosary
Minor Seminary, recommended that
the Commission on Seminaries consult
the seminary formators once again all
over the country through regional consultations in view of the pastoral priorities identified by the NPCCR and the
new realities taking place in the Philippine Church and society.
The group also decided to add introductory chapters dealing with the
vision of the priesthood and objectives
of seminary formation. Fr. Augusto
Jesus Angeles wrote the additional
chapters, which together with the two
chapters written by Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle, became the martyr document
presented to the regional consultations
from November 2001-June 2002.
C. The 2003 Draft
The Regional Consultations on
Seminary Formation (2001-2002), attended by 278 formators from the entire country, produced volumes of recommendations. The document has
gone through the following stages of
revision after the four regional consultations:
Stage of Collation and Incorporation
The Commission on Seminaries
collated the materials coming from the
four regional consultations from JuneAugust 2002. The collated recommendations were sent to the drafters for
intense study of the materials.
The Board of Drafters, composed
of Bishop Benjamin Almoneda, Frs.
Aloysius Cartagenas and Carmelo
Diola of Cebu, James Agoo of Davao,
Timoteo Ofrasio, S.J. of Cagayan De
Oro, Rodel Cajot of Naga, Eddie
Mercado of Manila and Augusto Angeles of ECS, had two meetings devoted to the work of incorporating the
recommendations to the draft. The first
meeting, held at Seminaryo Mayor de
San Carlos of Cebu from August 1820, 2002, focused on the formation of
the rules on revision and the division
of labor. The second meeting, held at
San Carlos Seminary of Manila from
November 8-13, 2002, was devoted to
the actual work of revision. The two
meetings were periods of intense study
of the materials collated from the four
consultations. The output of these
meetings was the 2003 draft.
Expert Correction and Finalization
After incorporating all the materials coming from the four regional con-
sultations, the final draft was handed
over to Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle, D.D.
and Fr. Daniel Patrick Huang, S.J for review and correction. Likewise, the permanent council of CBCP assigned five
bishops to critique and evaluate the
revised draft. At a commission meeting
on January 2003, the experts recommended the rewording of the first three
chapters. The bishops requested
Bishop Tagle and Father Huang to do
the work of revision which they accomplished in June 2003. The revised three
chapters were presented again to the
drafters for final deliberation. Thereafter, the Updated Philippine Program for
Priestly Formation was finalized for presentation to the Plenary Assembly.
D. The Approved Version
Comments from the plenary assembly of the bishops were incorporated
from February to October 2004. The
document was sent to the Congregatio
de Institutione Catholica for approval.
With some observations, the Decree of
Recognition from the Congregatio de
Institutione Catholica was granted on
November 2005, after a year of waiting.
The work of incorporating the proposed amendments coming from the
congregation and the final grammatical
correction started in November 2005 and
was completed in June 2006. By July
2006, the updated ratio was printed and
was launched during the Plenary Assembly of Philippine Bishops.
Genre of the Document
What Type of Document is the
Philippine Program of Priestly Formation?
First, it is not a document to be
published under the name of seminary
personnel but that of CBCP. Seminary
personnel gave valuable input but
they are not the authors.
Second, it is not a recipe enumerating ingredients and techniques for a
flawless formation process. Rather, it
provides a vision that can adopt various forms of “enfleshment.”
Third, it is not a panacea but a
tool for discernment and edification.
Fourth, it is not a theological treatise that seeks to promote a particular
theological system’s view of priesthood. Rather, it is a pastoral vision and
guide for use in the formation of priests
in the Philippines. These spell out the
limits and also the greatness of the
document.
Composition and Content
A. Composition
The Updated Philippine Program
of Priestly Formation has two parts.
Part One deals with the context, vision
and objectives of priestly formation in
the Philippines. Part Two is about the
stages and aspects of seminary formation.
Part One is composed of three
chapters:
Chapter 1 - The Context of
Priestly Formation in the Philippines
Chapter 2 - AVision of the Church
and the Ministry and Life of Priests in
the Philippines
Chapter 3 - The Objectives of Formation for Priestly Life and Ministry
in the Philippines
Part Two consist of two chapters:
Chapter 4 - Theology Seminary
Formation Program
Chapter 5 - College Seminary Formation Program
B. Content
Chapter 1 provides the context of
seminary formation in the Philippines.
It also suggests that a reformulated
program of seminary formation should
reflect an awareness that the seminarians are products of the new realities
reshaping Philippine culture and society. Thus, the revised Philippine Program of Priestly Formation of 2003 is an
attempt to respond to this need.
In Chapter 2, the ecclesiological
vision provided by Vatican II and PCPII is the backdrop for the vision of ordained ministry, not only as demanded
by the Universal Church but also as
demanded by the needs of the Church
in the Philippines. The ordained ministry is determined by the specific demands of being a Community of Disciples of Jesus Christ, a Church of the
Poor and a Church in Mission (Renewed Integral Evangelization). This
is so because a vision of the Church
entails a vision of priestly ministry.
Conversely, a particular vision of
priestly ministry mirrors a vision of the
Church. Seminary formation in the
Philippines becomes effective only if
it conscientiously and purportedly
molds seminarians in the complex world
of formation according to the vision
of priestly ministry at the service of
the Church in the Philippines andAsia.
Guided by the vision of the ordained minister in the Church in Chapter 2 and following the fourfold conception of formation that John Paul II
articulates in Pastores dabo vobis,
Chapter 3 sets the goals or objectives of diocesan seminary formation
in the Philippines.
Using the areas of seminary formation identified by John Paul II in
Pastores dabo vobis, Chapters 4 and
5 spell out the goals or objectives of
formation, as well as propose general
orientations governing the aspects
and stages of seminary formation.
Chapter 4 deals with Theology
Seminary Formation. This chapter follows the ASPECTS of formation identified by Pastores dabo vobis: human,
spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral. The
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
treatment of each aspect of formation
is done under three headings:
a. VISION governing the particular
aspect of formation is first discussed. Why is this aspect of formation important in the Philippines?
How is Jesus the model and norm in
this aspect of formation? How is this
aspect integrated with the other aspects of formation?
b. SPECIFIC AREAS of concern are
identified for each aspect of formation. This section relies heavily on
the national consultation of
formators in 1995 and the four regional consultations from 2001-2002.
c. The third heading deals with how to
RESPOND to the specific areas of
concern. The realities of life in the
Philippines are kept in focus. All
agents of formation are mentioned
in order to show the integration and
interaction of the aspects of formation and to emphasize the corporate
responsibility (as against “department” responsibility) of seminary
personnel.
Chapter 5 is about College Seminary Formation. The same structure as
found in Theology Formation is followed but described in ways applicable to the needs and level of seminarians in college. How the college
seminary can prepare for eventual theology formation is stressed.
Essential Features and Characteristics of the update PPPF
1. Both Rooted in Tradition and Responsive to the Signs of the Times.
The document springs from the
wellspring of Vatican II, follows faithfully the orientation provided by
Pastores dabo vobis and considers
the Second Plenary Council of the
Philippines in great detail. But at the
same time, the document listens to
the contemporary development and
issues. As such, it incorporates the
pastoral priorities of NPCCR and
their implications to the priestly formation. It acknowledges the role of
CCC and CFC in the seminary as part
of the intellectual formation and religious education of the seminarians.
Contemporary issues, both secular
and ecclesial, such as globalization,
technology, pro-life are also treated.
Pressing issues that need to be addressed in the seminary are also included, like cultural heritage of the
Church and interreligious dialogue.
2. Clear Vision and Objectives.
Vatican II’s and PCP-II’s vision of
the Church and of the Priesthood
provide the guiding principles for
the formulation of the document. A
vision of the Church entails a vision
of priestly ministry. Conversely, a
particular vision of priestly ministry
mirrors a vision of the Church. Seminary formation in the Philippines
becomes effective only if it conscientiously and purportedly molds
the seminarians in the complex world
of formation according to the vision
of priestly ministry at the service of
the Church in the Philippines and
Asia. Therefore, these guidelines for
priestly formation in the Philippines
emanate not from theological speculations, but from a clear vision and
objectives enunciated by the Philippine Church in PCP-II.
3. Priestly Formation Seen as a Continuum. The document ensures the
continuity of the different stages of
seminary formation. The advantage
of this approach gives the seminary
formators not only a panoramic view
of the seminary formation. It also
clarifies the goals of every stage of
seminary formation and establishes
the linkages between stages. As
such, different stages are seen not
as isolated formative process but as
one leading to the other, ensuring
continuity and interrelatedness.
Thus, as we identify the goal, content and strategy of the different
stages in priestly formation, we are
also able to see clearly how one stage
is preparatory to the next stage.
Seminaries
/ P9
CBCP Monitor
Feature
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
THE treasures of Masbate are best depicted in its hundreds of years of civilization and the goldmines. The Calanay
Pottery Complex strongly shows that
as early as 2000 years ago, the rich culture of Masbate was already evident
as the pottery designs were delicately
and elegantly sculptured. Meaning, the
early Masbateños did not exhaust all
their efforts merely in looking for food
or producing them. They lived an
above-average lifestyle as they were
already into the arts early on.
(for this article, get a good picture in
Legazpi/Albay in our library, taken by
roy or melo acuña)
The Evangelization of Masbate
The evangelization of Masbate
started in 1569. Under the Luis de
Enriquez expedition, Fray Alonzo
Jimenez, an Augustinian Missionary,
settled in Burias and allegedly baptized
a chieftain there with 49 children from
several wives. They were the first to be
converted to Christianity; consequently making Masbate as the place
where Christianization in Bikol and
Luzon began. The Secular Clergy took
charge in 1609-1688 when the Bishop
of Caceres was unable to visit Masbate
as often as was needed. It is said there
was a rule before that “A certain diocese should only extend up to 12
leagues (100km in area) so that the
Bishop could attend to parishioners.”
Way back then, there were only four (4)
dioceses namely: Vigan, Caceres, Manila and Cebu. In 1700, the Masbate
mission was under the parish of Bulan
in Sorsogon.
The population of Masbate from
1700-1790’s didn’t go beyond 2000. To
become a parish, the population must
be 2500 and up. That was the reason
why Masbate could not be declared a
parish just yet. Up to 1794, only 3 parish priests were assigned in the province. From 1688 to 1974 Masbate was
under the care of Recollect Missionaries due to the shortage of secular
priests.
In 1571, a manifest from one of the
galleons that traveled from Masbate to
Spain and kept in a museum (also in
Spain) showed that the first OFW was
an “indio natural” with the (Christian)
name Francisco who traveled to Spain
to accompany Fr. Diego de Herrera, Provincial of Augustinians. Francisco,
though not recorded with a surname,
could have been a native of Ticao,
Masbate as the galleon they boarded
came from said areas. Unfortunately, in
April 1576 on its way back the galleon
was wrecked by a typhoon near
Catanduanes. There De Herrera (and
most probably Francisco) was martyred
by the natives of the place.
The Faith as a Diocese
It was in 1968 when Masbate became a diocese by virtue of the bull
9
The
Diocese
of
Masbate
By Jennifer Salvador
(Sorsogonensis Dioecesis) issued by
Pope Paul VI in March 23, 1968.
In June 17, 1968, Msgr. Porfirio
Iligan was appointed the first bishop of
Masbate. He was installed September
25, 1968, taking under his protection the
265,000 Catholics (62%) in the province.
Amidst the socio-economic, cultural
and political problems that plagued the
province, Bishop Iligan stood strong.
He became the “financial wizard” despite the years of agitation (1968-1969),
when finances for liturgy, the apostolate,
among others, couldn’t possibly be
provided for. The socio-economic situation was worse: there was no electricity, roads were so bad, political killings
continued even in broad daylight. But
the new diocese withstood. Twenty
one (21) priests were assigned to
Masbate during that first year. They
were Fathers Ricarte, Virtucio, Almazan,
Lachica, Redillas, Curimao, Villaroya,
delos Santos, Rosero, Robles, Estipona,
Erestain, Golimlim, Dooc, Embile,
Balang, Lanuza, Salivio and Pura.
From 1968 to 1970 a number of
priests were ordained. On July 1972,
the community of religious women
emerged with the arrival of Daughters
of Mary—a catechetical group under
Sr. Paz Albao. In the same year, the
diocese built Saint Anthony High
School Seminary (SAHSS) in
Pulangbato on a donated seven- hectare property. In 1979, Bishop Iligan
founded the Daughters of St. Joseph.
Ten years later, another fellowship of
women, the Sisters of Sacro Costato
arrived from Italy. Other religious
groups who settled in Masbate were
the Monastic Benedictine Sisters in
Aroroy, Fazenda da Ezperança in
Bangad and the Augustinian Recollect
Sisters in Palanas.
Several educational institutions
were founded also within the diocese.
There were the Liceo de Masbate run
by the Dominican Sisters and the Liceo
de Baleno run by lay stockholders.
After sometime, these institutions were
acquired by the diocese with the efforts
of Bishop Iligan and eventually became
diocesan schools: Liceo de Masbate,
Liceo de Baleno, Holy NameAcademy
and the Immaculate Conception Academy.
In June 1986, Msgr. Hermas Laurio
started the catechetical formation of 21
catechists. It was through this effort
that a diocesan newsletter “Mansanas”
was born.
The diocese celebrated its 20th
anniversary in 1988 with the theme:
“Evangelization: History and Perspective.” It was then that the fruits of 20
years of hard work and labor became
visible. In the span of 20 years, the diocese produced 43 priests.
In the 90’s various Church renewal
movements came and ecclesial communities were started. In 1992 a
sourcebook for all catechetical groups
was released. In 1994, the Apostolic
Nuncio visited the diocese.
Most Rev. Joel Z. Baylon was assigned as second bishop of Masbate
in March 25, 1998 upon the resignation
of Bishop Iligan.
The year 2000 was highlighted by
the Jubilee Celebration. In 2002 the
conceptualization of the renovation/
expansion of St. Anthony of Padua
Cathedral was made under the supervision of Msgr. Quintin Ferraren. The
renovated Cathedral was dedicated on
September 25, 2004. The event was attended by hundreds of parishioners
coming from all over the diocese, marking yet another distinct milestone of the
diocese.
fore and after ordination.
5. Contextualized and Inculturated. The
document is a product of one national
consultation in 1995 and four regional
consultations from 2001-2002. This
ensures not only comprehensive
consultations on the problems and
concerns of seminary formators in
the entire country but also the possibility of capturing the context of
seminary formation in the Philippines.
This also ensures that the principles
articulated in Pastores dabo vobis
are integrated into the document, but
in an inculturated way.
6. Integrated and Interactive. Careful
attention was taken so that all the
aspects of seminary formation, following Pastores dabo vobis, are
treated in such a way that they are
integrating and interacting with one
another. Human formation is acknowledged as the necessary solid
foundation of the entire priestly formation. Spiritual formation is considered as the one that unifies all the
aspects of formation. Intellectual formation is seen in its totality and not
just an end in itself. All the aspects
are geared towards pastoral forma-
tion. And all the aspects integrate and
interact in the context of community
living. Thus, communio is the living
context of integration and interaction.
7. Agents of Formation Identified. The
treatment of formation expands to the
treatment of agents of formation,
which identifies not only the seminary priests as agents of formation,
but also the whole diocese starting
from the bishop to the Christian communities, including the families of the
seminarians. It also highlights the
need for collaboration among the
agents of formation. As such, the
document provides not only clear
guidelines as to the contribution of
all the agents of formation but it also
clarifies the coordination with and the
working relationship of the different
agents of seminary formation.
Diocesan Founding Anniversary
Activities
The following activities were
spearheaded to mark the 38th anniversary of the founding of the diocese on
September 25, 2006.
Trade and Skills Fair cum Diocesan
Exhibit
The Trade and Skills Fair “Saodan
sa may Simbahan” was conceptualized
to showcase the talents and skills of
Mabateños. Products from the different parishes were brought and put on
exhibit. Put also on display were photos of the 28 parishes/churches of the
diocese.
2nd Diocesan Catholic Family Bible
Quiz
The 2nd Diocesan Catholic Family Bible Quiz was held at Sienna Hall,
Liceo de Masbate (LDM), on September 24, 2006 with the theme: “The Word
of God is Alive! Source of One’s Hope.”
Paila sa Kabataan
In his message during the celebration of “Paila sa Kabataan”, Bishop
Baylon explained the meaning of the
four panels of stained glass of the cathedral. The first portrays the first Spanish Missionaries to set foot in the Island of Burias in 1569. The second panel
was about the galleon trade which, according to history, frequently visited
Masbate specifically Ticao Island
where they got their supply of water
needed in the voyage, as well as manpower among the natives of the Island.
The galleons from Spain would pass
through San Bernadino straight between Sorsogon and Ticao going out
of the Philippines on their way to
Mexico. The third panel is about the
birth of our diocese in 1968 with Bishop
Iligan taken from Caceres (Naga) and
installed as the first bishop of Masbate.
The last panel depicts the diocese of
Masbate today, focused on reconciliation. Masbate celebrates three aspects
of life: Culture, Traditions and Youth.
MUMHO
MUMHO was launched during
the concelebrated mass at St. Anthony
of Padua Cathedral on September 25,
2006 marking the 38th founding anniversary of the diocese of Masbate.
MUMHO is a program which aims to
give back to the poor their names and
dignity by helping them sustain their
needs for food, shelter, education, good
health and most importantly, their spiritual needs through catechism.
MUMHO is sharing with our least
brothers and sisters what we have in
excess, instead of throwing them off.
Cultural Expression
A cultural presentation called The
Journey of Faith was held at
Magallanes Coliseum in the evening of
September 25, 2006 to showcase the
richness of Masbate’s culture. The
event was a collaborative effort of different schools and their students, parishes, clergy and lay people.
The Filipino animistic worship, as
well as the fertility dance, selected Filipino songs, interpretative dance and
indigenous dances such as
Pagdulang and Pangalimango, were
performed by participants to an enthused audience
Both indigenous dances are now
listed as official Philippine traditional
dances by the Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP), and they have been
performed in several places, e.g. CCP,
Folk Arts Theater, and have received
wide acclaim.
IMPORTANT FACTS
Population .......................... 707,055
Catholics ........................... 639,897
Area ........................ 7,000 sq. kms.
Bishop ...........................................1
Priests:
Diocesan ................................ 76
In the Diocese ......................... 52
Outside the Diocese ............... 17
On study leave ..........................1
Others (resident abroad) ..........6
Religious ....................................... 2
Deacons ....................................... 2
Sisters ........................................ 37
Seminarians:
Highschool ............................. 55
Pre-College ............................... 3
Philosophy .............................. 45
Theology ................................... 7
Diocesan Divisions:
Vicariates ................................. 7
Parishes .................................. 27
Chaplaincy ................................ 1
Institutions:
Retreat Houses ........................ 2
Seminaries / from p8
Therefore, in terms of aspects and
stages of priestly formation, we are
operating not in the abstract but in
the concrete.
4. Seminary Formation Linked with
the Ongoing Formation of the
Priests. The document sees the importance not only of the continuity
in the stages of seminary formation,
but also in view of the ongoing
priestly formation after ordination.
The logical consequence of seeing
formation for priestly life and ministry as a continuum is the
acknowledgement that formation, as
a life long process, should continue
even after ordination. Hence, the
document stipulates that close linkages among the various stages of
priestly formation (high school, precollege, college, pre-theology, theology, and ongoing formation) should
be maintained and their continuity
be promoted. This, in turn, proposes
the need for a very close coordination between the Commission on the
Clergy and the Commission on Seminaries and the need for coming up
with the program that ensures the
continuity of priestly formation be-
What are they saying about the
updated Ratio?
In its letter of approval, the
Congregatio de Institutione Catholica
remarked:
“Our Congregation has completed
its study of The Updated Philippine
Program of Priestly Formation. This
text is most satisfactory: it is written in a
clear and practical manner; it openly
discusses various challenges that face
the seminaries of your country; and it
is suitably concerned for the unity of
formation. The redactors of the document, therefore, are to be congratulated
for their work.”
Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales,
D.D., Archbishop of Manila and the
Chairman of the CBCP Commission on
the Clergy, commended the Commission on Seminaries in these words:
“Congratulations to the Episcopal
Commission on Seminaries of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines for effectively bringing together
on several occasions the different
agents of seminary formation, pastors,
theologians and specialists on related
areas to share and discuss, to reflect
and pray, to discern and come up with
this inspiring document—faithful to the
vision of the Second Vatican Council
and the Second Plenary Council of the
Philippines, sensitive and responsive
to the present situation, filled with the
wisdom of Pastores Dabo Vobis.”
Most Rev. Angel N. Lagdameo,
D.D., the Archbishop of Jaro and the
President of CBCP welcomed the updated ratio with these comments: “The
formation of future priests in accordance
with the vision of Vatican II and PCP-II
is an important priority of the Philippine Church. We therefore welcome the
present updated Philippine Program for
Priestly Formation…. which reflects the
CBCP Commission on Seminaries’ ongoing sensitivity to the “signs of the
times.”
Most Rev. Mylo Hubert C. Vergara,
D.D., the Bishop of San Jose, Nueva
Ecija and the present Chairman of the
CBCP Commission on Seminaries believed that the Philippine Church is “indeed blessed because of the updated
program with a Vatican stamp that Bishops, priest-formators and all those involved in formation work can use to
form future ordained servant-leaders of
the Church.” He singled out that “integral formation in seminaries is one of
the top priorities we have to address to
achieve renewal in the Church and in
our country. We hope this document
will be a guiding light for us in our passionate quest to be instruments of renewal in this crucial task of formation.”
Liturgy
10
Distributing Communion to Concelebrants
A Question was sent to Zenit by J.C. Venice of Florida; answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of
liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum University.
Q: Paragraph 246 of the General
Instruction of the Roman Missal provides that the deacon may present
the chalice for the Communion of
concelebrants at Mass, but Paragraph 242 says that the paten may be
passed to the concelebrants by another priest concelebrant. The deacon is not mentioned. Does this mean
that the deacon may not distribute
the consecrated Host to the
concelebrants? — J.C., Venice, Florida
A: The paragraphs in question
are: “242. When this prayer before
Communion is finished, the principal
celebrant genuflects and steps back
a little. Then one after another the
concelebrants come to the middle of
the altar, genuflect, and reverently
take the Body of Christ from the altar.
Then holding it in their right hand,
with the left hand placed below, they
return to their places. The
concelebrants may, however, remain
in their places and take the Body of
Christ from the paten presented to
them by the principal celebrant or by
one or more of the concelebrants, or
by passing the paten one to another.”
“246. If Communion is received
Membership in
the Masons
Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina
Apostolorum University, answers the following question on masonry.
Q: Amember of the RCIA program was told by another member
of the parish that if they were going
to become Catholic they needed to
terminate their involvement with the
Masonic lodge before they could
join. Is this still the case in the United
States? — T.N., Howard City, Michigan
A: This question is more canonical than liturgical. The Church’s
position with respect to membership
of Masonic lodges, even though
canon law no longer explicitly mentions the Masons, has not substantially changed.
The new code states in Canon
1374: “A person who joins an association which plots against the
Church is to be punished with a just
penalty; however, a person who promotes or directs an association of
this kind is to be punished with an
interdict.” An interdict is an ecclesiastical penalty that deprives the person of the right to celebrate or receive the sacraments but is less
harsh than excommunication.
This text greatly simplified the
former code which had specifically
mentioned the Masons. This
change led some Masons to think
that the Church no longer banned
Catholics from being Masons,
since, among other things, in many
CBCP Monitor
countries membership at a lodge was
merely social and had nothing to do
with plotting against the Church.
In order to clarify the issue the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith published a declaration on Nov.
26, 1983, shortly before the present
Code of Canon Law came into effect.
This declaration, signed by Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger, states:
“It has been asked whether there
has been any change in the Church’s
decision in regard to Masonic associations since the new Code of Canon Law
does not mention them expressly, unlike the previous Code.
“This Sacred Congregation is in a
position to reply that this circumstance
in due to an editorial criterion which
was followed also in the case of other
associations likewise unmentioned inasmuch as they are contained in wider
categories.
“Therefore the Church’s negative
judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their
principles have always been considered
irreconcilable with the doctrine of the
Church and therefore membership in
them remains forbidden. The faithful
who enroll in Masonic associations are
in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.
“It is not within the competence of
local ecclesiastical authorities to give a
by drinking directly from the chalice,
one or other of two procedures may
be followed:
“a. The principal celebrant,
standing at the middle of the altar,
takes the chalice and says quietly,
Sanguis Christi custodiat me in vitam aeternam (May the Blood of
Christ bring me to everlasting life). He
consumes a little of the Blood of Christ
and hands the chalice to the deacon
or a concelebrant. He then distributes
Communion to the faithful (cf. above,
nos. 160-162).
“b. The concelebrants approach
judgment on the nature of Masonic
associations which would imply a
derogation from what has been decided above, and this in line with the
Declaration of this Sacred Congregation issued on 17 February 1981
(cf.AAS 73 1981 pp. 240-241; English
language edition of L’Osservatore
Romano, 9 March 1981).
“In an audience granted to the
undersigned Cardinal Prefect, the
Supreme Pontiff John Paul II approved and ordered the publication
of this Declaration which had been
decided in an ordinary meeting of
this Sacred Congregation.”
The congregation’s judgment,
therefore, was not so much based
on whether the Masons as such or
any specific group of Masons effectively plot against the Church today. This does not deny that some
Masonic groups have historically
combated the Church nor that even
today, in some countries or at certain levels, the lodge remains at the
forefront of those who oppose the
Church’s freedom of action.
Rather, the Vatican congregation above all stressed the incompatibility of some Masonic principles
with those of the Catholic Church.
This incompatibility resides in
some aspects of Masonic ritual, but
more importantly in elements regarding the question of truth.
In its effort to bring together
people of different provenances,
Masonry requires that its members
adhere to a minimal belief in a supreme architect of the universe and
leave aside all other pretensions of
truth, even revealed truth.
It is thus basically a relativistic
doctrine, and no Catholic, nor indeed
any convinced Christian, may ever
adhere to a group that would require
him, even as a mere intellectual exercise, to renounce the affirmation of
such truths as Christ’s divinity and
the Trinitarian nature of God.
Of course, for many people active in Masonic lodges, the conversations and activities are more social
in nature and rarely veer toward the
realm of philosophical speculation.
A Catholic, however, cannot ignore
the fundamental principles behind an
organization, no matter how innocuous its activities appear to be.
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
the altar one after another or, if two
chalices are used, two by two. They
genuflect, partake of the Blood of
Christ, wipe the rim of the chalice, and
return to their seats. (Zenit.org)
“c. The principal celebrant normally consumes the Blood of the Lord
standing at the middle of the altar.
“d. The concelebrants may, however, partake of the Blood of the Lord
while remaining in their places and
drinking from the chalice presented
to them by the deacon or by one of
the concelebrants, or else passed
from one to the other. The chalice is
always wiped either by the one who
drinks from it or by the one who presents it. After communicating, each
returns to his seat.”
The texts actually refer to two
different moments. No. 242 refers to
the distribution of the hosts to all
concelebrants before the “This is the
Lamb of God.” No. 246 (d) refers to
the deacons presenting (but not administering) the Precious Blood when
there are numerous concelebrants.
The intent of these norms is to
attempt to foresee various possible
situations, and indicate the best possible procedure. No. 242 indicates a
preferred situation: each concelebrant
coming to the center of the altar, but
also offers other solutions if this is
not feasible.
It is clear however that, at this
moment, distribution of the hosts by
the deacon is not contemplated.
No. 246 (d) also presents several
ways in which the concelebrating
priests consume the Precious Blood.
No mention is made of the deacon
presenting the hosts because No. 246
is presuming that the priests have already consumed the Body of Christ.
It is in Nos. 248-249 that the possibility is contemplated of the priests
consuming both species at the altar,
either one after the other, or by
intinction.
The missal cannot foresee all situations, and there are cases when the
number of concelebrants is so large,
or the space available so restricted,
that it is impracticable for all the priests
to approach the altar.
In such cases it is possible for
the priests to either remain at their
places or to move toward pre-designated places where deacons or priests
present them the paten and chalice.
Communion in this case may be either one species after the other or,
more commonly, by intinction.
In these situations the deacons
or priests presenting the patens and
chalices to the priests do so in silence
without saying “the Body of Christ.”
This is because they are assisting in
the distribution of Communion but
are not administrating Communion to
the concelebrants as they would to
the faithful.
This latter solution, which is not
found in the missal, has been the practice for very large concelebrations in
St. Peter’s Basilica and other similar
situations.
For instance, for Rome’s Chrism
Mass, which gathers about a thousand priests, a large number of deacons, vested in dalmatics, present the
patens and chalices to the priests who
all remain in their places.
Laiko / from p7
ited to not more than 10% of the
total transplants performed in a particular institution, and only if a Filipino recipient is not available. (Kidney transplantation is not part of
the Medical Tourism program recently launched by the DOH)).
Through a Memorandum of
Understanding with the DOH, the
Kidney Foundation of the Philippines (KFP) was delegated to be the
sole body to grant assistance to
donors approved by the Hospital
Ethics Committee. Walk-in LNRD’s
undergo stringent screening requirements, namely: a) legal age
(more than 18 years) b) consent of
wife or parent, c) no communicable
disease, d) passing laboratory clinical results, c) attending a pre-transplant operation d) passing psychiatric evaluation.
The Kidney Foundation of the
Philippines who gets donation from
different sources including rich
transplant patients, provide the following: a) financial support for the
loss of income during period of kidney transplantation and recovery,
b) laboratory expenses during
health monitoring up to a period of
10 years, c) health insurance, d)
support for livelihood undertaking
after the transplant. In this case,
the money does not go to the kidney donor but is directly paid to the
supplier, for example, of the tricycle
or of the sari-sari store goods according to the donor’s choice.
While the incidence of endstage renal disease needing kidney
transplant has increased tremendously worldwide, the availability
of kidneys from cadaver or deceased donors remained low. The
waiting time to obtain kidneys from
deceased donors for ESRD patients
in the U.S., Europe and Japan, is as
long as 5 to 8 years. It is only in
Iran where there is no waiting time
since payment is given by the government to living non-related donors. This situation encouraged opportunists in the United States to
use the internet in kidneys for sale.
Countries all over the world represented by their organizations for
kidney donors are actively searching for better ways of filling the need
for living non related donors, with-
out going against their established
laws that ban the trafficking of kidneys.
Last February 10, the PODP
sponsored a symposium with the
theme, Towards a National Consensus on Living Non-Related Donor in Kidney Transplantation at
the Crowne Plaza Galleria, attended
by heads of transplant hospitals
throughout the Philippines and
members of their Hospital Ethics
Committee. As a member of the
National Kidney & Transplant Committee, I was privileged to be invited
to this well-attended event. The
main speaker was Janet RadcliffeRichards, Ph. D., Director of Center
for Bioethics & Philosophy of
Medicine of the Royal Free & University College of Medical School,
London. The session was opened
by the talk on A Brief History of
Organ Donation in the Philippines
by Dr. Enrique T. Ona, executive director of the National Kidney &
Transplant Institute followed by Dr.
Angeles Tan-Alora, Director of
Southeast Asian Center for Bioethics who talked on The Ethics of
Human Organ Donation. This was
immediately followed by the talk of
Dr. Richards entitled, Is it Ethical
for Patients with End Stage Renal
Disease to Purchase Kidneys from
the World’s Poor? The other speakers dwelled on the survey on opinions of Filipinos regarding organ
donation and other statistics.
While the argument that the
sale/purchase of kidneys was philosophically and logically defended
as a result of the kidney donation
by the altruistic claim of the poor
donor, Rev. Fr. Fausto Gomez, representing CBCP and a member of the
Southeast Asian Center declared
that the sale of human organs is
morally wrong, considering our
Catholic doctrine of the resurrection
of the body.
While everyone receives compensation in the process of kidney
transplantation, including the nephrologist, the transplant surgeon, his
team and the hospital, can we accept the fact that a poor kidney donor whose main aim in life is to have
enough food for his family to eat
Laiko / P12
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
GRINDING poverty and lack of
better job opportunities at home
often force thousands of Filipinos to leave their families behind and try their luck for a job
overseas, according to Episcopal Commission on Migrants
and Itinerant People’s (ECMI)
executive secretary Fr. Edwin
Corros.
Corros said that although
people have different motives
why they go abroad, economic
remains the primary reason behind the move.
ECMI celebrates National
Migrants Sunday on February
25 to pay homage to thousands
of overseas Filipino workers
(OFW) and their families left
behind.
Now on its 21st year of paying tribute to thousands of
OFWs, this year’s national celebration of Migrants Sunday
focuses on the theme: Social
Costs of Migration, a Deep
Concern for the Church.
Reports show that scores
of overseas workers experience
a lot of hazards in and outside
the workplace. Numerous Filipinos have fallen prey to human trafficking and illegal recruitment. Others have succumbed to illness or even lost
their mind due to loneliness and
isolation. Evidently, news
about OFWs finding themselves in a quandary seems not
about to stop so soon yet. Just
recently, information about the
24 Filipino workers in Nigeria
having been kidnapped hit the
headlines. But despite difficulties, cultural or otherwise, many
OFWs prefer to stick it out just
to be able to send money home
to provide loved ones with a
better life and send children to
school.
Undeniably, families left
behind by OFWs enjoy material benefits but the effect of not
having either one or both parents around to provide moral
guidance often has its negative
toll on the children. The upshot
is that the children grow up materialistic and emotionally distant from the parents. In addition, marital infidelities, breakups in marriage, dysfunctional
Social Concern
A Letter of Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ,
Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro to Parish Priests
and Family Life workers in the Archdiocese.
Termination of MOA between
CWL and DOH/POPCOM
Migrant Ministry of the Diocese of Antipolo
Poverty, Main Reason
Why Filipinos Migrate
By Pinky Barrientos, FSP
family relationships are also
seen as consequences of migration.
In the face of all this, what
is the Church doing?
“We have help desk in
some organized dioceses”
Corros said. “We remind the
government (of its responsibility) and we fill in the gaps.”
Referring on the recent
news generated by the kidnapping of Filipinos in Nigeria,
Corros said, “The risks are
sometimes not noticed by our
people. What exactly is the feeling of those left behind?”
The social costs of migration are high, according to
Corros. When the relative working abroad is in difficult situation, the family left behind suffers not only economically, but
also emotionally and psychologically.
“Their remittances has
been cut, their communication
has been cut, the emotional
pressures on them with regards
to what happened to the relative that has been kidnapped;
the children in school, who
have lost their father momentarily,” said Corros.
ECMI offers seminars as
part of its ongoing programs for
migrants. But Corros admits
that people do not appreciate
their programs.
“People have different reasons in going abroad. Most of
the time, it is motivated by economic (reasons),” Corros
pointed out. “Do you think the
Church is seen as an economic
resource?”
ECMI coordinates with the
government especially in helping OFWs who are in difficult
situations.
Recently, ECMI supported the Department of
Labor’s (DOLE) upgrade of policies concerning deployment of
domestic workers in an effort
to empower domestic workers
on their rights. ECMI’s support,
however, drew a lot of flak from
a migrant organization claiming
that such move would make Filipino workers less competitive
to other domestic workers from
Indonesia and Thailand.
Economic benefits notwithstanding, the social costs
of migration are keenly felt not
only among immediate families
of OFWs but also in the country as a whole. The nation is
experiencing a brain drain because of the continuous exodus of professionals. Filipino
doctors and nurses fill up foreign hospitals while Philippine
hospitals have to make do with
less. The foreign demand for
Filipino nurses and caregivers
spawned the proliferation of flyby-night nursing schools in the
country.
“Every institution in this
country contributes to this
mentality of migration,” Corros
lamented.
Dubbed as the modernday heroes, OFWs sent back
home remittances amounting
to billions of dollars which
contribute a lot in propping up
the Philippine economy. In
2006 alone, Filipinos overseas
sent into the country around
11.4 billion dollars in remittances.
There is an estimated 8
million Filipinos living overseas
at present. Migration figures
show 3.60 million of this estimate are OFWs or contract
workers, 3.19 million are immigrants, while 1.30 million are
undocumented workers. Figures also show that leading
countries of OFW destination
are Saudi Arabia, Japan,
Hongkong, United Arab Emirates and Taiwan; while permanent residents or immigrants
are in the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, United Kingdom
and Germany.
Press Statement on the Occasion of the National Migrants Sunday 2007
THE Church in the Philippines
celebrates the annual National
Migrants Sunday on February 25,
this year. The celebration aims to
promote awareness among the
faithful and the society on the
ever growing phenomenon on migration and particularly its “social costs”. This year’s theme focuses on the “Social costs of migration, a deep concern for the
church”. The Episcopal Commission on the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People
(ECMI) of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) chose this theme to affirm the “Year of Social Concerns” proclaimed by the CBCP
in 2006. It also echoes the Message of the Holy Father Benedict
XVI on the World Day of Migrants and Refugees last January
14, 2007 which dealt with the
“Family of Migrants”. The church
and society are invited to look at
the impact of migration on the
families of our migrants.
The Balikbayan Box could
very well be seen as the strongest
symbol of Filipino migration. It
continues to project the hope of
many Filipinos that migration is
the only way to improve their economic condition and that of their
families. Currently, approximately 8 million Filipinos are
11
working and residing overseas.
An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 Filipinos depart for overseas jobs.
Many women too leave to work as
nurses, teachers, household service workers, entertainers and
other jobs proper of women. Who
would then look after the children
or take care of the house left behind? Filipino migration has acquired a new face that of feminization—more and more women
migrate for work—which, challenges some values in the family
and society. The absence of mothers in the family has great ill-effects in up-bringing of children.
As more Balikbayan boxes appear
at our airports, our concern for the
welfare of the migrants and their
families especially the children
left behind becomes more frightening. The Church and society
and the government should face
this challenge with greater concern and dedication.
As the service arm of the
CBCP on the issues and concerns
of migrants, ECMI tries to combine pastoral and social services.
ECMI has three basic programs
for our OFWs and their families:
Talakayan, an educational
program that aims to promote
awareness of migration issues
and their implication on value
formation.
Dulugnayan, a direct assistance program offering paralegal
services and counseling support
to OFWs and their families left
behind.
Unladsanayan, refers to the
programs aimed at promoting
growth in the economic capacity
of families through training on
socio-economic development
and livelihood initiatives, budgeting and the value of savings.
ECMI regularly organizes
monthly gathering, through its
diocesan partners, for training
leaders and providing value formation seminars to families of
migrants.
Furthermore, ECMI actively
lobbies and advocates for the continuous protection of the rights of
the migrants and their families
and the promotion of their welfare. Recently therefore, ECMI
supported the POEA’s package of
reforms concerning the state of
the Household Service Workers as
announced by the DOLE early
this year, which the ECMI believes contains wise reforms
which would eventually bring
genuine and long term benefits to
the sector concerned and to the
country as a whole, particularly
when these reforms are appropriately implemented.
ECMI continues to hope
with the Filipino people for a
socio-political and economic
change in our country which
would provide better work opportunities for every Filipino worker
here in our very own country so
that our countrymen will not be
forced to leave their homes at the
expense of the proper growth of
their families and children. Such
social change could happen if we
all would take active part in the
genuine change of our political
climate this forthcoming May
elections. ECMI joins everyone
who are committed to work for a
clean, honest and credible elections. We urged also our migrant
workers to also participate in the
exercise of their suffrage for the
welfare of our country.
ECMI continues to reiterate
its appeal to the government and
its corresponding agencies for the
labor and economic areas to provide quality legislations and programs which will promote the
benefits and welfare of workers
particularly the migrants and
their families. After all, they are
doing our country and society
significant economic support
through their work and sacrifices.
ECMI-CBCP
February 23, 2007
Intramuros, Manila
AT the CBCP general assembly last week, I had a
dialogue meeting with
bishop-members of the
Episcopal Commission on
Family and Life. They expressed their concerns
about the reported Memo
of Agreement on Natural
Family Planning between
the archdiocesan chapter
of the Catholic Women’s
League and the regional
offices of the Department of
Health and the Commission
on Population. Although
ECFL members agreed with
the objectives of the MOA,
apprehensions were raised
about the sincerity of government agencies in promoting solely an NFP program, based on their past
record. There were also perceptions publicized in the
media that the church was
now for “population control” and condoned the use
of contraceptives. Similar
apprehensions were earlier
raised by a number of Family and Life workers in
Mindanao.
In order to allay these
fears and for the sake of
collegialitas affectiva, I
have
requested
the
archdiocesan chapter of
CWL as well as the regional
DOH and POPCOM offices
to terminate their MOA by
February 15th. In this manner, the archdiocese and
church-related organizations
will maintain their identity and
keep a critical distance from
government agencies on
matters of family and life.
On the other hand, as
was also mentioned during
the CBCP deliberations, we
should not be afraid to dialogue with government agencies – particularly with regard
to their avowed program on
responsible parenting and
the promotion of only natural family planning. Related
to this, I would like to point
out three distinctions to
clarify issues that were raised
at the CBCP plenary assembly. For lack of time, these
issues could not be properly
discussed by the three resource persons who gave
contrasting perspectives on
the Standard Days Method
as a simplified NFP method.
(1) Our All-NFP program in the archdiocese has
the goal of promoting responsible parenthood, not
population control. Regardless of how the population growth rate is interpreted, responsible parenthood through NFP is a desirable goal for all couples.
This reiterates what the Second Plenary Council of the
Philippines has stated:
“Christian parents
must exercise responsible
parenthood. While nurturing a generous attitude towards bringing new human
life into the world, they
should strive to beget only
those children whom they
can raise up in a truly human and Christian way. Towards this end, they need
to plan their families ac-
cording to the moral norms
taught by the Church.”
(Acts and Decrees of the
Second Plenary Council of
the Philippines, CBCP,
Manila, 1991, no. 583)
(2) We should distinguish SDM as an NFP
method in itself, and SDM
as it may be presented by
non-church groups. We include SDM in our All-NFP
program, without combining it with contraceptives.
Other programs by government entities or NGOs may
suggest back-up contraceptives with SDM. This is not
our program. Indeed, SDMcum-contraceptives cannot
be considered a natural
method any more.
From our field experience, we find that many
couples prefer a natural
method all the way and can
handle the twelve-day abstinence period of SDM (which
is actually shorter than that
of the average cycle in the
Basal Body Temperature
Method.)
(3) Finally, SDM has
been characterized as being
unreliable, not scientific, and
a return to the old calendar
rhythm method. The scientific basis for SDM in terms
of computer simulation and
the calculation of an average cycle through the science of statistics has to my
mind been sufficiently explained by the available literature. But perhaps the
most convincing evidence for
our NFP promoters is the
adoption of SDM by more
than 1,300 couples in the
Prelature of Ipil over the past
five years. From their testimonies, SDM is an NFP
method that is simple, reliable, and effective.
In this regard, we
should distinguish between
effectiveness and the acceptability of various NFP methods. Other NFP methods,
when properly followed, may
have a higher effectiveness
rating than SDM – e.g. 98%
vis-a-vis 95%. In terms of
acceptability, however, SDM
from our field experience is
adopted by two-thirds of all
NFP-users. Indeed, in terms
of acceptability SDM does
not have to be contrasted
with other NFP methods.
Rather we should see it in the
larger context that NFP, due
to the availability of simplified methods, has now become much more acceptable
vis-à-vis artificial contraceptives.
This then is the opportunity and the challenge for
all of us in our All-NFP program: to make available information on all modern
NFP methods with the concomitant value formation
and to reach out to all our
kapilya
communities
through resident providers.
With or without the help of
government agencies, we
shall continue to carry out
our ministry and to pursue
our goal of promoting responsible parenthood
through All-NFP.
Statements
The Search for Christian Unity:
Pastoral Statements issued during the 94th Bishops’ Plenary Assembly
Where We Stand Today
A Bishops’ Seminar on Ecumenism
The seminar, “The Search for
Christian Unity: Where We Stand
Today,” jointly sponsored by the
Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity (PCPCU), the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences
(FABC), and the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP),
was held on 7-11 February 2007, in
Manila, Philippines. The seminar
brought together 133 participants and
representatives of the Episcopal conferences of Kazakhstan, Japan, Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei, the Philippines, and Taiwan, and a representative of the Catholic Church in
Mongolia. The participants included
Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of
the PCPCU, Cardinal Gaudencio
Rosales of Manila, Cardinal Ricardo
Vidal of Cebu, Archbishop Angel
Lagdameo, president of the CBCP,
and 33 other bishops. The seminar
was generously hosted by the Archdiocese of Manila and held at the
archdiocese’s Pius XII Catholic Center.
The keynote address, entitled
“Ut Unum Sint and Catholic Principles
of Ecumenism: Implications for
Churches in Asia,” was delivered by
Cardinal Walter Kasper. Other speakers in the seminar included Bishop
Luis Antonio Tagle (diocese of Imus),
Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez (diocese
of Kalookan), Msgr. Juan Usma
Gomez (PCPCU), Fr. Ramil Marcos
(diocese of Pasig) and Fr. Thomas
Michel (FABC). Fr. Jose Salvador
Mallari, Ms. Amelita Herrera, and Ms.
Norma Valencia gave personal testimonies to the spiritual values they
experienced in their ecumenical encounters.
Theological Foundations of
Ecumenism
In Cardinal Kasper’s keynote
address, he stated that in ecumenical
endeavor, three things must be kept
in mind: a) an awareness that our goal
is nothing less than the fullness of
communion among Christians; b) a
realization that the other Churches
and Ecclesial Communities possess
elements of ecclesiality, sanctification
and grace, and therefore are already,
even though only partially, in communion with the Catholic Church; and
c) an acceptance that communio is
the basic ecumenical principle. The
Catholic Church’s ecumenical commitment is a journey towards a full sharing with all Christians in the one faith,
sacraments, and apostolic ministry,
bearing in mind that unity does not
mean uniformity.
Spiritual Ecumenism
The ecumenical movement is inspired by the Holy Spirit, who moves
people to pray fervently and work sincerely to restore the unity intended
by Christ for his disciples. Spiritual
ecumenism involves prayer, change
of heart, and holiness of life. By presenting Cardinal Kasper’s A Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism, the
seminar offered a renewed appreciation of what is described by Unitatis
Redintegratio as “the soul of
ecumenism.” The handbook provides
insightful perspectives, practical suggestions and concrete courses of action to be taken in the pursuit of unity.
When applied to the real situations
of the Churches in Asia, the work
promises to be a valuable companion
for individuals and communities who
are committed to work to build Christian unity. Participants recommended
that our episcopal conferences will
promote study and reflection on this
important aspect of ecumenism.
Ecumenical Formation
All Catholics are called to work
for Christian unity; hence there is a
pressing need for ecumenical formation, especially for clergy and laity
who have leadership roles in the
Church. Such ecumenical formation
should prepare and enable Catholics
to respond fully and personally to the
challenge of working to promote
Christian unity. Comprehensive ecumenical formation must shape attitudes by heightening an ecumenical
awareness and sensitivity in its human, spiritual, intellectual and apostolic aspects. The goal of this formation is to develop a true ecumenical
spirit among Catholics. To assist in
the process of ecumenical formation,
the local Churches must have welltrained ecumenists accompanying
our people to understand and respond positively to the challenges of
the search for Christian unity.
The broad attractiveness and
rapid growth of Pentecostalism
present the Church in Asia with both
a challenge and an opportunity. In its
response to this phenomenon, (1) the
Church’s ecumenical engagement
must begin from a dialogue of love
and life and involve the Church more
deeply in the task of spiritual
ecumenism. (2) While keeping in mind
that ignorance of the faith and the
rootlessness caused by rapid urbanization are among the causes of departures from the Catholic Church, we
consider it urgent to educate our
faithful more deeply in the beauty of
the Catholic faith through lively
catechesis, sermons and Christian
formation of adults. (3) The Church
must help Catholics to rediscover a
sense of belonging and overcome
their anonymity; in this regard, the
following are necessary: a warm, familial atmosphere in churches; worship services characterized by participation and joyful prayer; an enhanced
openness to the contributions of the
laity; solidarity with the poor, and others with physical and spiritual needs;
and the restructuring of parish life
into welcoming, neighborly basic
communities.
Changing Situation and New Opportunities
Pastoral Suggestions
Therefore, we suggest the following concrete measures:
• We should support Basic Christian
Communities, which will help our
people overcome the sense of feeling unknown and uncared for by
creating an affectionate and neighborly communitarian life.
• We can learn from the insights of
the Pentecostal and Charismatic
movements that worship should be
joyful and participatory, without
losing sight of the august and solemn character of our liturgical tradition.
• Where they are not already being
held, our parishes, BCCs, and
ecclesial movements should inaugurate weekly Bible study programs, whereby our people can be
guided by the Gospel message and
enrich one another with their own
insights into the Word of God.
• The Church can help its members to
benefit from the personal testimonies of faith and salvation in Jesus
Christ by creating courses, days of
recollection, and retreats which focus on testimonial approaches to
one’s personal experience of
Christ’s saving power.
• Reflection on the implications of the
Ecumenical Directory and the
Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism
is needed.
• Parish communities, religious congregations, contemplative orders,
and ecclesial movements must be
exhorted to pray for the unity of
Christians.
• Ecumenical formation of future
priests and lay pastoral workers
must be a priority.
• The Bishops’ Conferences should
invite other Churches to explore
prayerfully the possibilities of new
ecumenical associations.
nated kidney not only passes the
criteria for matching of tissues, but
also whether the well being of the
donor is attended. Will there be an
assurance that what he receives will
be spent to support a livelihood
project to support his family? In
short, is it a life for life exchange
and not a sale? The real danger is
the abuse even of this well-crafted
scheme. The Medical Tourism drive
of the government rears its ugly
head. Although kidney transplan-
tation is not part of the tourism
drive, the thousands of foreigners
who have been waiting for donated
kidneys for many years now, will
create pressure on the hospitals to
increase the percentage of LNRD’s
for foreign patients. While the
many poor are still with us and the
government can not immediately
rescue them from their survival
stage, the Philippines will become
the target source for kidneys – yes,
for the world’s rich!
The Pentecostal Challenge
Since the appearance of the phenomenon of Pentecostalism in Asia,
profound changes, both positive and
negative, have been taking place
within the Churches. Positive developments are the rediscovery of the
powerful activity of the Holy Spirit and
the Spirit’s charisms and gifts, a stress
on personal prayer, and the experience
of a continuous and explicit personal
conversion. Indeed, there are very attractive elements in Pentecostalism:
their joyful and spontaneous worship;
the intimate, friendly nature of their
community life; and the opportunity
for all believers to contribute their talents and charisms for the spiritual benefit of all. These are factors in drawing
Christians from other Churches into
the Pentecostal fold. However, there
are also negative elements, such as the
overemphasis on wealth and health
that often leads to a disregard for the
message of the cross, the stress on
feelings at the expense of truth, worship perceived more as a moment of
entertainment rather than an encounter with Jesus, the misuse of mass
media, and the unwillingness to recognize the validity of other Christians’
faith commitment and spiritual experience. The richness of Catholic sacramental life can be abandoned in favor
of emotional experience and the centrality of faith, hope, and love in Christian life can be overshadowed by reliance on the “lesser” charismatic gifts.
Laiko / from p10
three times a day be deprived of the
financial help from well endowed
kidney recipients? On this issue,
the Kidney Foundation of the Philippines, a non-profit organization
together with the Ethics Committee
of the hospital concerned, screens
and regulates the rush of applicants
– the living non-related donors. In
its screening process and deliberation of the donors’ expectations of
benefits, the Ethics Committee is
tasked to determine whether a do-
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
Message of Pope
Benedict XVI on
Pro-life Day in
Italy
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
TODAY Pro-life Day is being observed in Italy, promoted by the
episcopal conference with the
theme “Love and Desire Life.”
I cordially greet all those who
have gathered in St. Peter’s
Square to witness to their commitment in favor of life, from conception until natural death. I join
the Italian bishops to renew the
appeal, launched several times
also by my venerated predecessors, to all men and women of
good will to receive the great and
mysterious gift of life.
Life, which is the work of
God, must not be denied to any
one, not even the smallest and
defenseless newborn, and much
less so when he has serious
handicaps. At the same time, echoing the pastors of the Church in
Italy, I urge you not to fall into
the deception of thinking that one
can dispose of life to the point of
“legitimizing its interruption with
euthanasia, masking it perhaps
with a veil of human mercy.”
The “Week of Life and Family” begins today in the Diocese
of Rome, an important occasion to
pray and reflect on the family,
which is the “cradle” of life and of
every vocation.
We know well that the family, based on marriage, constitutes
the natural environment for the
birth and education of children
and, therefore, to ensure the future of the whole of humanity.
However, we also know that
it is going through a profound
crisis and that it must face numerous challenges.
© Alessandra Benedetti/Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis
12
CBCP Monitor
Therefore, it is necessary to
defend, protect and value it in its
unique and irreplaceable character. If this commitment is first of
all the duty of spouses, it is also
a priority duty of the Church and
of all public institutions to support the family through pastoral
and political initiatives, which
take into account the real needs
of spouses, of the elderly and of
the new generations.
A peaceful family atmosphere, enlightened by faith and
the holy fear of God, also favors
the rise and flowering of vocations at the service of the Gospel.
I am referring in particular, not
only to those called to follow
Christ on the path of the priesthood, but also to men and women
religious, consecrated persons,
whom we remembered last Friday
on the World Day of Consecrated
Life.
Dear brothers and sisters, let
us pray so that with a constant
effort in favor of life and of the
family our communities may become places of communion and
hope, in which is renewed, despite
the many difficulties, the great
“yes” of authentic love to the reality of the human being and of
the family, according to the original plan of God.
Let us ask the Lord, through
the intercession of Mary Most
Holy, that respect will grow for
the sacred character of life, that
there will be ever greater awareness of genuine family needs, and
that the number will increase of
those who contribute to bring
about in the world the civilization
of love.
In and Out / from p6
We are in the beginning of the
Lenten Season. Lent is sacrifice. Lent
is loving… Jesus has said that whatever is given to the least, the lost and
the last of our neighbors is given to
him. And whoever so gives repeats
the experience of Jesus. He becomes
a living reminder of Jesus. He becomes
a living witness of the love of God.
What we give may not be much,
but Jesus needs it. It may well be that
society does not experience the transformation it needs, that the world is
denied miracle after miracle and triumph after triumph, that people remain deprived of home, job, opportu-
nity and land, because we will not
bring to Jesus what we have and are.
Social transformation starts from the
heart.
The Alay Kapwa Lenten Program
goes on. For many reasons the poor
is still with us. The approach to the
solution must be double-pronged:
addressing both the reasons for poverty and poverty itself. That is why
Alay Kapwa is both an evangelization
program and a fund campaign. It must
hit the mind, the heart and the pocket.
It opens the mind, the heart and the
pocket. It is for everybody who
wishes to be a Christian neighbor.
The Truth / from p7
Binyag, Libing,” says the priest.
“We can’t expect much of them. We
must pray for them. Sometimes I’m
almost driven out of my wits, tired,
sleepless and ignored by them, but
what else can we do? I go to them…
I go on house-to-house visits, try to
open our doors to them. We’ve begun holding street Masses, too. I was
surprised so many of them came for
the mass wedding,” the priest flashed
a smile.
I can empathize with the priest in
this dilemma, walking the thin line
between compassion and powerlessness. What do you do when you ache
to help but your help is unwanted?
How do you strike a balance between
firmness of hand and tenderness of
heart? When does our charity fail to
help the poor? Do the poor truly want
to stop being poor, or is their poverty
really their comfort zone? Do we
“church people” really love the poor
so much we would want to be poor
ourselves?
Our parish priest’s situation is by
no means rare, nor is it the worst fate
that can befall a parish priest in the
Philippines. Nonetheless, for a priest
who’s barely been ordained I believe
he is certainly taking it most graciously, ministering in this neighborhood dirtied by dogs and children,
seeing God in this place of love and
squalor. And that’s the truth.
CBCP Monitor
Statements
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Consecrated
Men and Women on the 11th World Day of Consecrated
Life, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
13
MESSAGE FOR NATIONAL
BIBLE SUNDAY
January 28, 2007
God’s Word: Standard of Justice and Right Living
(Proverbs 14:34 and 2 Timothy 3:16)
February 2, 2007
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am glad to meet you at the end
of the Eucharistic Celebration that
has gathered you in this Basilica
this year too, on an occasion so
meaningful for you who belong
to Congregations, Institutes, Societies of Apostolic Life and New
Forms of Consecrated Life; you
constitute a particularly important
element of the Mystical Body of
Christ.
Today’s liturgy recalls the
Presentation of the Lord in the
Temple, the feast chosen by my
venerable Predecessor, John Paul
II, as the “Day of Consecrated
Life”.
With great pleasure I address
my cordial greetings to each one
of you present here, beginning
with Cardinal Franc Rodé, Prefect
of your Dicastery, to whom I am
grateful for his kind words on
your behalf. I then greet the Secretary and all the members of the
Congregation which looks after a
vital sector of the Church.
Today’s celebration is especially
appropriate for asking the Lord
for the gift of an ever more consistent and incisive presence of
men and women religious and
consecrated persons in the
Church journeying along the
roads of the world.
Dear brothers and sisters, the
Feast day we are celebrating reminds us that your Gospel witness, to be truly effective, must
stem from a response without reserve to the initiative of God who
has consecrated you to him with
a special act of love.
Just as the elderly Simeon
and Anna longed to see the Messiah before they died and spoke
of him “to all who were looking
for the redemption of Jerusalem”
(cf. Lk 2:26,38) so also in our time,
especially among young people,
there is a widespread need to encounter God.
Those who are chosen by
God for the consecrated life make
this spiritual longing their own in
a definitive way. In it, in fact, they
have one expectation: the Kingdom of God: that God reign in our
will, in our hearts, in the world. In
them burns a unique thirst for love
which can be quenched by the Eternal One alone.
By their example they proclaim
to a world which is often bewildered
but, in fact, increasingly in search of
meaning, that God is the Lord of life
and that his “steadfast love is better
than life” (Ps 63[62]:4[3]).
By choosing obedience, poverty and chastity for the Kingdom of
Heaven, they demonstrate that any
attachment or love for people and
things is incapable of definitively
satisfying the heart; that earthly existence is a longer or shorter period
of waiting for the “face-to-face” encounter with the divine Bridegroom,
an expectation to be lived with an
ever vigilant heart, to be ready to recognize and welcome him when he
comes.
Consecrated life, therefore, is by
its nature a total and definitive, unconditional and passionate response
to God (cf. “Vita Consecrata,” n. 17).
And so, when one renounces everything to follow Christ, when one
gives to him all that one holds most
dear, braving every sacrifice as did
the divine Teacher, the consecrated
person who follows in Christ’s footsteps necessarily also becomes “a
sign of contradiction”, because his/
her way of thinking and living is often in opposition to the logic of the
world, as it is almost always presented in the media.
Indeed, in choosing Christ we
let ourselves be “conquered” by him
without reserve. How many people
thirsting for the truth are struck by
this courage and attracted by those
who do not hesitate to give their life,
their own life, for their belief.
Is not this the radical evangelical fidelity to which every consecrated person is called in our time
too? Let us give thanks to the Lord
so that many Religious men and
women in all the corners of the earth
may continue to offer a supreme and
faithful witness of love to God and
to the brethren, a witness that is often marked by the blood of martyrdom. Let us also thank God so that
these examples may continue to inspire in the souls of many young
people the desire to follow Christ always in an intimate and total way.
Dear brothers and sisters, never
forget that the consecrated life is a
divine gift and that it is the Lord in
the first place who ensures its success in accordance with his plans.
This certainty that the Lord leads
us to a successful conclusion despite our weakness; this certainty
must be a comfort to you, protecting you from the temptation of discouragement in the face of the inevitable difficulties of life and the
many challenges of the modern
epoch. Indeed, in the difficult period in which we live many Institutes may feel a sense of dismay
at the failings they discover within
them and the many obstacles they
encounter in carrying out their
mission.
Today that Child Jesus who
is presented at the Temple is alive
among us and invisibly supports
us so that we may cooperate faithfully with him in the work of salvation, and he does not abandon us.
Today’s liturgy is particularly
evocative because it is marked by
the symbol of light. The solemn
procession with candles which
you made at the beginning of the
celebration points to Christ, the
true light of the world who shines
in the night of history and illumines every seeker of the truth.
Dear consecrated men and
women, burn with this flame and
make it radiant with your life so
that a gleam of the brightness that
shone from Jesus, the splendor
of the truth, may shine everywhere.
By dedicating yourselves exclusively to him (cf. “Vita
Consecrata,” n. 15), you witness
to the fascination of the truth of
Christ and the joy that derives
from love for him. In contemplation and in activity, in solitude and
in fraternity, in service to the poor
and the lowly, in personal guidance and in the modern areopagi,
be ready to proclaim and to witness that God is Love and that to
love him is sweet.
May Mary, the Tota
Pulchra, teach you to transmit to
men and women today this divine
fascination that must transpire
from your words and actions. As
I express to you my grateful appreciation for the service you render to the Church, I assure you of
my constant remembrance in
prayer and I warmly bless you all.
ecrate the persons who engage in
them.
Three, the consequence argument. This is most obvious in the
Philippine over-all situation seen
from a larger perspective and in my
province, Eastern Samar, from a local perspective. Surveys, both local
and international, have made us eat
humble pie and there seems very little
indication that we are responding
positively. We rank among the last
in development and poverty-alleviation but among the first in corruption. Clearly, cheating in our elections has produced leaders who
largely fall short of the basic standards of good governance or have
so misgoverned that the systems
and structures of the country no
longer work for the people’s welfare.
They have become the milking cow
of those who are in power and, by
extension, by those who are within
their spheres of favor.
Four, the exclusion argument.
When we sell our votes, we do so to
the highest bidder. It struck me once
when, on a past election day, I saw
people not voting till the last hour. I
asked a lay leader why this was so.
He answered, “Father, they are waiting for the really big money, the highest bids from the politicos’ agents.”
I said to myself, “Yes, Virginia. The
problem is not in the stars but in
ourselves. The problem with our Philippines is Filipinos.” When only
those who can buy our votes get
elected, we do not get the best because if we did, we won’t be where
we are now. The best do not buy our
votes because they not only tend to
be poorer than the crooks but also
refuse to insult us by buying our
sacred trust. No, the best are excluded because we have sold them
out.
Five, the altruistic argument.
Altruism is rooted in the Latin word
‘alter’ which means ‘other’. Don’t sell
Roadside / from p7
our rampant election irregularities. If
it were, then why do even moneyed
politicians sell their candidacies, say
by withdrawing from an electoral
contest in favor of an opponent to
the tune of millions of pesos (go ask
Mang Panday, it’s amazing how
much he and his likes know the
truth)?
Two, the self-strike or ‘paniki’
(night bat) argument, otherwise
known as the sanctity of the ballot
argument. Legend has it that when a
night bat or ‘paniki’ takes a pee, it
urinates on itself. In much the same
way, a citizen who buys or sells votes
slaps himself/herself because that
action desecrates the sanctity of his
right to choose his/her leaders that
fit their office. To say that power resides in the people is only half true.
Power is ultimately of God; to treat it
as a plaything or an object of commerce is to offend its ultimate Source.
In effect, buying and selling votes
and election-rigging in general des-
Roadside / P14
My dear brothers and sisters:
“Righteousness makes a nation
great; sin is a disgrace to any nation.” (Proverbs 14:34).
THE Book of the Proverbs, many of
whose sayings are rightly attributed
to King Solomon, considered the
wisest man of Israel, teaches that
righteousness or virtue makes a nation great, while wickedness is a
cause of disgrace to any nation. The
righteous or wise person is a source
of advantage not only to self but also
to the society of which one is a part.
It is very clear then that the wisdom
teachers of the Old Testament emphasize in their teaching that a human being is a creature who lives in
society and is responsible for the
welfare of society. Thus the righteous person must live in solidarity
with others, not only concerned with
a personal good or the interest of
one’s family and dear ones but also
involved with the situation of a town
or city, province and the whole nation.
The same book describes in
glowing terms the reward of the righteous men and women already in this
life both as individuals and as a nation. For the wise men of the Old Testament a nation that is righteous will
enjoy success, wealth and honor. Virtuous people will never be hungry but
will enjoy prosperity and peace. Aided
by prayer the righteous persons gain
the life they desire. Like the trees in a
well-watered garden their root will
never be moved, their house stands,
and their light does not go out. The
righteous will endure forever. They
are an influence for good that is effective after their lifetime. They are
thoughtful of the poor people and
kind even to animals and the whole
creation. Their speech is a source of
life and blessing. The righteous persons walk the way of life, while the
wicked walk the way of death. By the
grace of God the righteous will rule
over the wicked. Their wisdom will
prevail over the foolishness of evil
men and women. And because of this
the whole nation will rejoice in their
triumph.
What a beautiful picture of a
righteous and virtuous nation! It is
an image of a nation that enjoys a
“civilization of life and love”. It is a
dream that our beloved Philippines,
the largest Christian country in Asia
today, has not yet achieved. Is ours
a civilization of life and love, which
should be a gift of God to a Christian
nation? Certainly not! For as a people
and church we are confronted daily
with an uncertain future. Most of our
folks still suffer crunching poverty.
There is a lingering political and economic instability on account of many
issues such as the change of the
Constitution, alleged electoral frauds
and extra-judicial killings. Corruption
in private and public life has not
stopped and insurgency has worsened because of the declaration of
total war against the rebels of the
government.
We celebrated The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines fifteen years ago, where we envisioned
a Church renewed through a renewed integral evangelization and
by announcing a message of liberation. However, our social situation
has not substantially changed. In
some ways it has even deteriorated.
So the Church in the Philippines has
declared the current year as the Year
of the Social Concerns to remind us
that the Church’s social doctrine is
an integral part of her evangelizing
mission. And the Word of God is the
primary source of the Church’s social teaching.
Thus, now more than ever we
need to turn to God’s Word, where
we find guidance for our life and faith
as individuals, family and nation. As
Christians we believe that God’s
Word should be the standard of justice and right living. It must become
the norm, the ideal, the benchmark,
the banner, the measure, the pattern
and the yardstick of our life as a
Christian nation.
St. Paul in his second letter to
Timothy stresses the social value of
Sacred Scripture, which gives the
wisdom bringing total salvation. He
says: “All Scripture is inspired by
God and is useful for teaching the
truth, rebuking error, correcting
faults and giving instruction for right
living.” (2 Tim 3:16)
Again and again Scripture has
opened for men and women the way
to God, for there is a saving wisdom
here that is in no other book in the
world. Among all the books only the
Bible is God-inspired. For this reason the Sacred Scriptures are of use
in teaching, are valuable for reproof,
useful for correction and are an excellent guide for right living for persons both as individuals and as a
nation.
The Bible is the best
catechetical book for basic Christian
formation. For instance, it illustrates
Jesus’ meaning of conversion, which
is essential for every human being
to enter the Kingdom of God. After
repentance Jesus stresses “belief”
in the gospel, whose full meaning can
only be understood by examining the
biblical doctrine on faith. And renewal of the nation starts from the
conversion of each and every citizen of the country.
It is beyond argument that the
Scriptures are valuable for reproof.
This does not mean that the Bible is
valuable for finding fault but that it
is valuable for convincing a man or a
woman of the error of his/her ways
and for pointing him/her on the right
path. When St. Paul says that the
Scriptures are of use for correction,
the meaning of this is that all theoretical and ethical teachings are to
be tested against the Bible. For example, if a certain law, proposed by
the legislators, contradicts the
teaching of Scriptures and of the
Church, we Christians have the duty
to reject it and to fight against its
promulgation.
The final point of St. Paul’s passage is very opportune for us Filipinos today. The study of Scriptures
gives instruction for right living. The
Bible trains a human person in righteousness so that one is equipped
for every good work. The essential
conclusion is that we Christians
study, meditate and pray with the
Word of God not only for our own
good but the good of our fellow men
and women. For conversion has a
social dimension. If we turn to God’s
Word as the standard of justice and
right living, there is great hope that
our beloved nation will taste the
dawning of God’s Kingdom, a “Kingdom of truth and life, a Kingdom of
holiness and grace, a Kingdom of
justice, love and peace.”
Most Rev. Arturo M. Bastes, SVD
Bishop of Sorsogon
Chairman, Episcopal Commission on
Biblical Apostolate
Reflections
14
Prayer Power:
Reminiscence of EDSA
By Bp. Jose Manguiran
I’LL tie a yellow ribbon at my
door to welcome you home
Ninoy. You have arrived at my
doorstep that August 21st,
but bloody and dead.
We tie a yellow ribbon
around our head and hearts
to keep you alive in spirit; and
you gave us the exiled democracy, golden and alive.
On the 25th of February
1986 the King by the Pasig
River was forced to desert his
palace and given a sanctuary
at Uncle Sam’s domain. The
howl of a million crowd
pierced the King’s ears. The
deluge of tears woeing over
the thousand victims killed
during the reign of teeth
flooded his heart. The King
could not hold the stabbing
thrust; he has to run for his
life.
Come out prisoners of
cause! “Come out Lazarus”
LOVE songs, no matter how human and,
therefore, imperfect and with limited
scopes, can’t help but bear traces of divine love. It’s amazing that with some
simple tunes and lyrics, they can make
us fly to infinity, to eternity.
This is simply because these love
songs have God as their ultimate inspiration. God is love, and anything related to
love in our life somehow begins and ends
with God. This is true even if we are not
aware of this reality.
These songs can be very dramatic.
And we can easily excuse them when they
exaggerate a little, or even a lot. They
exercise tremendous power over us, generating a manifold of impulses that are all
meaningful and satisfying to us.
Singing or humming them, or simply
playing them in our mind or in our heart,
without sound, can evoke peace, joy,
thrill, suspense, longing, hope, memories,
tears, a smile, a reconciliation, an embrace,
a kiss, etc., etc.
This is the power of love songs. With
their melody, they easily arouse our
senses, activate our emotions and passions. With their words and messages,
they can crackle to life and intense activity our intelligence and heart.
Before we know it, we become aware
there’s something burning within us. We
are brought to different worlds, go
through the past, the present and the
future, made to consider various situations and precious lessons. If we are
lucky, they can even lead us to God—as
they should, in the end.
While I was in high school, way before my Bible-reading years and my immersion in philosophy and theology,
there was one song that caught my attention immediately. The melody struck
me first, but it was the lyrics that hooked
me to singing it.
from the tomb and let the sunshine stroke your pale face.
Leap over the Pasig River.
There’s none to be afraid of.
You, mouths glued by silence, shout on the
mountaintop to recapture
your fading voice. You, fettered feet, stretch out a milestep over the yellow fields.
February 26, 1986 is the
golden page in our history.
On that day, for the first time
in twenty years of suppression of will, we unleashed the
“people power” by non-violence to crush tyranny. We
have demonstrated that nonviolence is no longer a myth,
it is real; that Filipino Christian identity in Asia is not a
myth either; it is alive.
That moment of February
24, 25, where the civilians, with
courage alone; forming a human barricade to prevent a
bloody revolution was a show
of civilian protection to the
military. That was the moment
of emphasis on the constitutional truth that the civilian prevails over the military. That was
the moment that the civilian
regained his political posture
in the democratic Philippines.
Today, God reminds the
power-hungry politicians that
pride can drive them to shame.
The life of Mr. Marcos serves
as a warning. His pride runs at
its peak. He prides over his
being a hero without equal,
parading twenty-seven medals
of heroism on his shoulder,
claiming to have a messianic
covenant with his people, believing that nobody else but he
alone is the brightest son of
Juan de la Cruz to make this
nation great again, pasting our
landscape and homes with his
images. So proud is he to feel
invulnerable for there are the
military hardware to shield him,
there are the military dobberwatchdogs to secure his palace, there are the technocrats
of international brand baked at
Oxford, Harvard, Wharton to
read the stars.
The law was at the tip of
his fingers and in fact, he was
the law. So powerful was he
to believe he was the law; so
invincible he believed to be.
But, in the slap of time, on the
25th of February he sunk on
his knees before a “housewife
only.”
It is a gravitational truth
that the highest the pride is,
the lowest and loudest is the
fall. Almost all dictators fall
into the same trap.
As Christians, the Filipinos have proved to the world
that they have the capacity to
break the chain of slavery; not
by bullets, but by rosary
beads, by crucifix, by candles,
by flowers, by holy water, by
pan de sal, by pleading knees,
by courage. All these things
halted the pilots of the steel
tanks. For inside that steel is
a heart penetrable by love.
Love disarms as David to
Goliath.
Love disarms death as
Jesus does by resurrection.
The Power of Love Songs
It went: “If it takes forever / I will wait
for you. / For a thousand summers / will
wait for you.” That may sound corny to
some, but to my innocent ears then, it gave
me tremendous lessons. Love knows how
to wait! The realization came with the wonder and surprise of a discovery.
Imagine the thrill I got recently when
someone lent me a Sting mp3 entitled, “A
thousand years.” The same idea is dramatized in a modern and secular way.
Again the music first got me intrigued. It
has a different and haunting beat. But
the words are just marvelous. As people
say, they are to die for.
It goes: “A thousand years / a thousand more / a thousand times a million
doors to eternity.” I find these words
graphic enough of what is to wait. When
one is in love, the distinction between a
moment and an eternity dissolves.
The idea is reiterated in finer nuances, making you flow in a beautiful
stream of consciousness. “If it takes another thousand years / a thousand wars
/…I could shed another million tears / a
million breaths / …A million suns / ten
put it, you may please some
and surprise the rest of us.
Yes, the rest of us who have
lost faith in the Filipino’s capacity to be who he truly is.
A story has it that the philosopher Diogenes was sent
by God back to earth. He is still
going around the world with
his lamp. After going to several countries in Europe, North
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
Bo Sanchez
You Never Graduate
from Love’s Academy
CAROL was peeking
through the window again.
Daily, she’d watch the
sweet couple next-door, doing their morning ritual: Before the husband went off
to work, he’d kiss his wife,
give her a hug, and declare
to her, “I love you!” for all
the world to hear. Each
morning, Carol saw this
sight, and every time, her
heart was filled with envy.
Finally, one day, she
couldn’t take it anymore.
So Carol confronted
her husband Pete. “Why
can’t you be like our nextdoor neighbor?” She
pulled the curtain for him to
take a look. “See? This man
kisses his wife, embraces
her, and says, ‘I love you!’
every morning. Every
Morning! Why can’t you
do that?”
Pete’s face was pale.
“Honey, I can’t do that!”
“Why?” Carol asked
angrily.
“Why, Honey, I… I
don’t even know that
woman!”
“Sheeeeeesh. Pete,
I’m not asking you to do it
with that woman. I’m asking you to do it with me!”
“Oh…” he muttered
blankly.
“Tell me that you love
me again. I haven’t heard it
in a long time now!”
Pete shrugged his
shoulders. “Gee, Carol, I
don’t know. I mean, I said,
‘I love you’ thirty years ago
during our honeymoon.
And I told you that if I
changed my mind, I’d tell
you. Well, I haven’t.”
By now, I think many
wives reading this would
like to throw a few cooking
pans in the direction of
Pete’s head.
Let me ask you a question. Why is it necessary
for spouses to tell each
other, “I love you” each
day? I mean, can’t one ‘I
love you’ be sufficient for
the next thirty years?
This is the same principle that works for reading
the Bible. Or, from learning
about God. (Huh?)
That’s right. As mushy
as this may sound, the Bible
is God’s love letter to you.
And so, in your daily
“Scripture” time, you can’t
say, “This is boring. I’ve
read this story before”; or,
“Oh no, today’s reading is
the Prodigal Son again.
Gosh, I’ve read this a million times; or, “The beatitudes? Again? I can recite
that in my sleep!”
So what? You see,
you’re forgetting one thing:
Christianity isn’t just a religion. It’s primarily a relationship.
It’s a personal relationship where “I love you” is
repeated for a million times.
The temptation among
Christians is to look for the
new, the esoteric, the higher
learning, the advanced
subjects with big words—
thinking that they can
graduate from the basics.
Stuff like trust. Obedience.
Humility. Faith. Surrender.
And God whispering,
“I love you” in our hearts
again and again and again.
If you feel like you can
graduate from the basic
stuff, I think you’re in the
wrong religion. Because
this one has no graduates.
We remain students of
love, forever.
FROM THE INBOX
By Fr. Roy Cimagala
million years of uncertainty…”
All of these because, “If there was a
single truth / a single light / a single
thought / a singular touch of grace,” the
truth is “I’ve kept this single faith / I have
but one belief / I still love you / I still
want you.”
The song ends very powerfully: “A
thousand times the mysteries unfold
themselves / like galaxies in my head /
On and on the mysteries unwind themselves / eternities still unsaid / ‘TILL YOU
LOVE ME.”
I must say that the song helps me to
pray. When I consider the words, and of
course, when I hear the melody, I think of
how our relationship with God and one
another should be. Sorry, I don’t waste
these thoughts on just one creature.
I realize that God, who is love and
who loves us first before we know how to
love, precisely waits for us in time and in
eternity, willing to suffer whatever, if only
we learn to love the way he loves us.
However things may be, the bottom
line is: love endures and conquers all,
dude!
Roadside / from p13
or buy votes for the sake of
your ‘significant others’,
namely, your spouse, your
children, your relatives, your
neighbors, children and the
young who look up to you not
only as older but also as wiser.
If you truly value your fellow
Filipinos or your countrymen,
do it for them. Do what is right
so that, as Mark Twain once
CBCP Monitor
America, Latin America, Africa
and Australia, he recently visited the Philippines. Everywhere he went he was always
asked why he was carrying a
lamp and his answer was: “I’m
looking for an honest man.” In
the Philippines he was last
seen at the Luneta and several
cops found him at Rizal’s monument without his lamp. The
cops said, “We know who you
are. And we suppose that you
are in the Philippines looking
for an honest man.” Diogenes
said, “I was.” Then he looked
into their eyes and said, “But
now I’m only looking for my
lamp.” Someone stole it. Stealing—Yes, that’s what buying
and selling votes and electionrigging are really all about.
Isang panawagan sa darating na halalan
Likha at titik ni Noel Malicdem, Dubai, UAE
Malayo man ako sa ating bayan
Gusto ko lang ibahagi ang nararamdaman
Pagmamalasakit sa patuloy na kahirapan
Umaasang may pagbabago sa darating na halalan.
Malapit na naman ang pambansang halalan
At halos wala pa ring pagbabago sa ating bayan
Walang katuparan mga pangako sa mamamayan
Kung sino nakapuwesto sila lang ang nakikinabang.
Walang pinagbago ang mga politiko sa ating bayan
Trapo pa rin at walang pakinabang
Sa maling sistema at huwad na katauhan
Kaya ang bayan patuloy ang kahirapan.
Gamit ang masa sa panlilinlang
Magmumukhang santo nandamay pa ng simbahan
Takutin ang mamamayan sa pamamagitan ng karahasan
Mas masahol pa kapag nanalo sa halalan.
Paulit-ulit na lang ang ganitong kaganapan
Sa tuwing sasapit ang pambansang halalan
Hahamakin ang lahat sa maling paraan
Upang mapanatili sa mga gawaing puno ng katiwalian.
Nakakasawa na ang mga politikong namamahala
Kung hindi kapamilya isa itong laos na artista
Paikot-ikot lang at walang plataporma
Inabutan na ng halalan wala pa ring nagawa.
Batu-bato sa langit
Ang tamaan huwag magalit
Sa mga politikong hatid lang ay pasakit
Sa bansang wala nang narinig kundi panlalait
Sana suriing mabuti ang mga kandidato
Kung siya ba’y karapat-dapat na mamumuno
Tapat sa pangako at handang magsakripisyo
Para sa kapayapaan at tunay na pagbabago
Paalala lang sa darating na halalan
Maging matino sa araw ng botohan
Iboto ang kandidatong tapat manungkulan
May takot sa Diyos at pagmamahal sa bayan.
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
Moral Assessment
Abhorrent
Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome
Exemplary
Technical Assessment
Poor
Below average
Average
Above average
Excellent
CINEMA Rating Guide
VA - For viewers of all ages
V13 - For viewers age 13
and below with parental
guidance
V14 - For viewers 14 and
above
V18 - For mature viewers 18
and above
NP - Not for public viewing
CINEMA Reviews
Title: LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
Running Time: 140 mins
Lead Cast: Ken Watanabe,
Kasunari Ninomiya, Nishi
Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase,
Shido Nakamura
Director: Clint Eastwood
Producer: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriter: Iris Yamashita
Music: Kyle Eastwood, Michael
Stevens
Editors: Joel Cox, Gary Roach
Genre: Drama/History/War
Cinematography: Tom Stern
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Location: USA
Technical Assessment:
Moral Assessment:
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 14
and above
Japanese soldiers under the
command of Lt. Gen Tadamichi
Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) are entrenched on the island of Iwo Jima,
preparing for the IS invasion of
Mount Suribachi. Some of the Japanese soldiers are fighting out of a
sense of duty when they would
rather be home, as when it is peace
time. These soldiers include Saigo
(Kasunari Ninomiya), a young baker
who has left his pregnant wife and is
Title: FACES OF LOVE
Running Time: 100 mins
Lead Cast: Christopher de Leon, Angel Aquino, Juliana Palermo,
Alfred Vargas, Mon Confiado, Bembol Roco
Director: Eddie Romero
Producer: Eddie Romero
Screenwriters: Eddie Romero, Rica Arevalo
Music: Jobin Ballesteros
Editor: Ron Dale
Genre: Drama.Romance
Cinematography: Jun Aves
Distributor: Independent
Location: Manila
Technical Assessment:
Moral Assessment:
CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 13 and below with parental
guidance
Nang mabiyuda si Don
Arcadio (Christopher de Leon),
tanging ang mga misteryosong
love letters na ipinapadala sa
kanya ang nagpapasaya dito.
Ngunit makalipas ang maraming
taon, biglang huminto ang
pagdating ng mga sulat kaya
nagpasya siyang kunin ang
serbisyo ng isang abogado at
imbestigador na si Toby (Alfred
Vargas) upang alamin kung
kanino nanggagaling ang mga
sulat. Sa pangangalap ni Toby
ng impormasyon ay malalaman
niyang minsang nagkaroon ng
ugnayan si Don Arcadio at ang
nurse na si Ligaya (Angel
Aquino). Hindi na nahirapan si
Toby na hanapin si Ligaya dahil
sinamahan siya ng pamangkin ni
Don Arcadio na si Skip (Juliana
Palermo).
Pagdating
sa
kinaroroonan ni Ligaya ay
malalaman nilang biyuda na rin
pala ito at napatay sa kulungan
ang kanyang asawang si Leandro
na pinaghihinalaang lider ng mga
rebelde. Ibinalita ni Toby at Skip
ang mga ito kay Don Arcadio at
kinumbinsi nilang puntahan niya
si Ligaya upang damayan man
lang. May mabuo kayang
ugnayan muli sa kanilang dalawa?
Si Ligaya nga ba ang
nagpapadala kay Don Arcadio ng
mga sulat?
Ang Faces of Love ang
pagbabalik pelikula ng ating National Artist for Film na si Eddie
Romero na nakilala sa kanyang
mga klasikong obra tulad ng
Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo
Ngayon at marami pang iba. Ito
ang kauna-unahang digital film ng
respetadong direktor. Hindi
maitatatwang sa kanya nga ang
Faces of Love dahil sa makaluma
nitong diyalogo at payak na
pagkakabuo. Naging abala ang
kuwento kay Don Arcadio
samantalang mas may buhay ang
kuwento ni Ligaya at Leandro pati
na ang kaugnayan nila sa pulis na
papel ni Bembol Roco. Marami ring
karakter na tila napabayaan at
paminsan-minsan ay naliligaw ang
manonood sa tunay na buod ng
kuwento. Naging mahusay naman
ang mga artista sa kanilang papel.
Sayang nga lang at pawang hindi
naging gaanong angkop ang
pananalita ng mga nagsiganap na
pawang makalumang Pilipino ang
salitang ginamit. Epektibo naman
ang paggamit ng mga simbolismo
tulad ng tsokolate at typewriter na
siyang naglubid sa buong istorya.
Sa
kabila
ng
mga
kakulangang teknikal, naging hitik
naman ang pelikula sa
magagandang mensahe ng pagibig. Nangunguna na rito ang
mensahe ng pagsasakripisyo ng
kaligayahan alang-alang sa iba.
Kahanga-hanga ang karakter ni
Ligaya na nagawang isakripisyo
ang lahat alang-alang sa pag-ibig
sa asawa. Kitang-kita na dalisay
ang hangarin nito sa pag-iwas sa
masama. Isang makabagong babae
rin ang ipinakita niyang tapang at
lakas ng loob na ipaglaban ang
tama hanggang sa huli. Si Skip
bagama"t modernong babae ay
nagpakita
pa
rin
ng
konserbatibong pananaw ukol sa
tunay na kahulugan ng pag-ibig
na hindi kailanman masusukat sa
yaman at salapi lamang. Sa kabila
ng mga mensaheng ito, dapat pa
ring gabayan ang mga batang
manonood sa mga sensitibong
tema na ipinakita tulad ng
pagrerebelde, pagpapakamatay, at
pag-iibigan ng mga magkatulad na
kasarian. Sa kabuuang konteksto
ng pelikula, namamayani naman
ang iba't-ibang mukha ng pag-ibig
bagama't hindi lahat ay wagas; sa
bandang huli, ang kabutihan pa rin
ng puso ang namamayani.
Sinasabi ng Faces of Love na
walang kasing-sarap ang umibig
kung dalisay ang puso at malinis
ang layunin.
now longing to see his baby; Baron
Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara), an equestrian
and Olympic medalist who has
brought his favorite horse with him
on the island; and Shimizu (Ryo
Kase), who was discharged from the
kempetai after five days of service
and virtually demoted to fight the
American GIs on Iwo Jima. Although
a patriot and a man of honor, Lt. Gen.
Kuribayashi is held in suspicion by
a handful of officers for being
15
friendly with Americans, having
served years ago as Japanese envoy
to the United States.
With Letters from Iwo Jima, director Clint Eastwood provides the
other half of the circle that began with
Flags of Our Fathers. Flags? saw
one of the most crucial battles of
World War II, the 40-day battle of
Iwo Jima in 1945, from the American
perspective; Letters? now views the
same battle through Japanese lenses.
Letters from Iwo Jima is an emotionally gripping film that owes much of
its technical power to the sensitive
directing, topnotch acting and masterful use of cinematic device, such
as shooting in desaturated color,
using English subtitles for the almost
totally Nihonggo dialogue, etc. It
looks almost like a documentary except that it haunts like gut-rending
poetry?a thing of beauty that combines ferocity and fragility. There is
a great deal of violence and gore as
may be expected of a war movie, but
in predominantly black and white
film, blood loses its power to terrorize or nauseate. Letters from Iwo Jima
is definitely stronger than Flags of
Our Fathers; director Eastwood out-
did himself here, a sure contender
for the Oscars.
The drama in Letters from Iwo
Jima spins around the characters'
struggle to reconcile conflicting loyalties: deep human/personal needs
versus compelling patriotic obligations; family versus country; my
happiness versus my people's glory.
The film is absolutely an anti-war
statement, revealing war and international conflict as the offspring of
ignorance. The film's theme may not
appeal to young people, although it
is rich with values that could be discussed with the entire family: patriotism, honor, suicide, compassion,
our shared humanity in spite of cultural, racial, social and other kinds
of differences. Perhaps mulling on
the message of Letters from Iwo Jima
would lead one to see the senselessness of war, as one Japanese soldier
does upon hearing a letter read from
a mother to her son, an American soldier they had captured and who died
clutching the letter. The Japanese
soldier says. "I thought Americans
were savages? but the letter of that
soldier's mother? those are the same
words my mother writes to me?"
the stories that her mind shows
her. Together they discover the
"kingdom of Terabithia" which
they could reach by swinging on a
rope from their side of the river to
the other side, a place of wonder
and adventure.
The very imaginative visual
effects, well composed shots and
sequences and enhanced cinematography, instead of overwhelming
the story, actually serve as the
means to focus on the situation of
Jess and Leslie. Josh Hutcherson
and Anna Sophia Robb are effective as two preteens who experience problems in their young life.
Viewers of their age-range with
similar difficulties may find themselves empathizing with the characters.
Jess and Leslie find themselves
not accepted by their schoolmates.
Jess did not also like Leslie the first
few time she tried talking to him.
But they soon found out that they
were two of a kind and they quickly
became the best of friends. They
were always together, going places,
doing things, helping each other,
enjoying imaginary adventures
and places. It is a positive friendship that helped them grow, learn
to accept the not so ideal real
world, appreciate praise from the
teacher, feel for caring parents, do
what they could, and respond to
efforts to becoming peace loving
persons.
Title: BRIDGE OF TERABITHIA
Running Time: 98 mins
Lead Cast: Josh Hutcherson,
Anna Sophia Robb, Zooey
Deschanel, Robert Patrick,
Bailee Madison, Lauren
Clinton
Director: Gabor Csupo
Producers: Hal Lieberman,
Lauren Levin, David Peterson
Screenwriters: Jeff Stockwell,
David Peterson
Music: Aaron Zigman
Editor: John Gilbert
Genre: Fantasy/Drama/Adventure
Cinematography: Michael
Chapman
Distributor: Walden Media
Location: New Zealand
Technical Assessment:
½
Moral Assessment:
CINEMA Rating: For viewers age
13 and below with parental
guidance
Difficulty in relating to people
has made young Jess Aarons (Josh
Hutcherson) keep to himself. His
schoolmates make him a target of
their teasing and pranks. At home
he is neither faring well with his
parents and little sister Mabelle
(Bailee Madison). His time is spent
working on his scrapbook filling it
with sketches and drawings. When
the school scheduled a racing contest, Jess decides to enter it and
win. But a newcomer to his fifth
grade class, Leslie Burke (Anna
Sophia Robb) beats him to the finish line. She tries to make friends
with him. After several attempts he
relents and they become fast
friends, sharing the same interest:
he draws and sketches what he
imagines, as she writes and tells
CBCPMonitor
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16
People, Facts & Places
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 11 No. 4
February 19 - March 4, 2007
Nobody Gives up on a Brother Priest
The Commission on Vocation team of the Archdiocese of Lipa
Lipa Celebrates Vocation Month
THE archdiocese of Lipa kicked off
its month-long celebration of vocation promotion with a concelebrated
mass presided by Msgr. Alfredo
Madlangbayan, V.G., at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian,
Lipa City last February 4. The vocation month has the theme, A Life with
Christ: My True Vocation.
After the mass, people participated in a Walk for Vocation from
the Cathedral to Carmel of Our Lady
Mediatrix of All Grace, where a holy
hour for vocation took place.
Lipa’s Commission on Vocation
team, headed by Rev. Fr. Rochester
Charles “Toter” A. Resuello, designed
programs and activities that would
encourage the youth to discover the
“seed” of vocation and assist them
in the process of discernment.
A month-long vocation exhibit
on the life and mission of different
religious congregations is on display in one wing of the Cathedral to
give everyone an idea about religious life.
A sports festival (junior division) was held last February 17 at St.
Francis de Sales Minor Seminary
grounds for Altar Knights and servers ages thirteen and below.
Other activities also include
visit to schools and parishes for vocation campaign and promotion.
This year’s celebration is highlighted by a vocation campfire which
will take place on the afternoon of
February 24 until dawn of the following day. Priests, nuns, seminarians, students and young professionals are expected to participate in this
activity.
In celebrating the event, the
Commission on Vocations aimed to
help in the realization of the
Archdiocesan Pastoral Thrust
through vocation education, promotion and preservation. (by Emma D.
Bauan)
107 Couples in Mass Wedding on
Valentine’s Day
MANG Fidel does not celebrate
Valentine’s Day but the occasion has
become the happiest time of his life.
After many years of waiting, his
son finally got married right on
Valentine’s Day.
“I’ve been praying for this day
to see my son get married,” the 60year-old father said.
His son Mark, 35, and his wife
were among the 107 couples that
participated in a mass wedding in two
separate churches within Intramuros
that was sponsored by the Knights
of Columbus.
The first ceremony was held at
the San Agustin Church with 72
couples exchanging vows.
Around 35 couples, meanwhile,
showed up for the holiday nuptials
at the Manila Cathedral with Manila
Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal
Rosales presiding the ceremony.
“We’ve been doing this for
years now. Here, we are really looking for those couples that are not
yet married but have been living together for years,” said Noel
Lacanilao of the KC Manila Council
1000.
He said they even exceeded their
target number of couples this year
that went up to 107.
“This number is actually seven
times more compared to previous
years,” said Lacanilao.
Aside from the church wedding,
the KC also provided the couples’
wedding rings including electric fans
as their wedding gift to each couple.
“We really hope their union will
last a lifetime,” he said.
In another development,
Novaliches
Bishop-emeritus
Teodoro Bacani criticized the yearly
kissing dubbed as “Lovapalooza” as
“ugly and does nothing in promoting true love”.
“There are things you do to
show intimate love and you do it
quietly or privately between the two
of you. That Lovapalooza should not
be encouraged,” said Bacani.
Around 6, 000 couples gathered
along a popular seaside walkway
“locked lips” during the event that
touted to kick off Valentine’s Day
celebrations.
A toothpaste company wherein
couples kissed for 10 seconds to set
a new world record organized the
event.
Bacani urged the people behind
this year’s Lovapalooza to stop the
activity that should be done in privacy.
“There are ways of showing
love that are good for some people
and are not good for some people,”
he said.
The bishop said that if you love
a person, you just don’t show things
that are private between two of you.
“We are against this just as we
are against the promotions of motel
accommodations during Valentine’s
Day,” the prelate said.
Bacani said that in Lovapalooza,
the real essence of genuine love is
belittled because here the intention
is to beat a world record and not authentic love.
He said other conservative
countries might jeer at Filipinos for
doing things just to achieve fame and
popularity.
Bacani instead urged the faithful to seek God-centered true love.
“Let’s love one another even those
who hurt us,” he said. (CBCPNews)
By virtue of their common sacred
ordination and mission, a regional
clergy convention reiterated a vital
call that all priests are bound together in a sacerdotal brotherhood.
Around 400 priests and bishops
attended the 34th Annual Clergy of
the Diocesan Clergy of Mindanao
(DCM) held at the Clergy House of
Mati, Davao Oriental on February
12-14.
Organizers of the event chose
the theme “Nobody Gives up on a
Brother Priest” to emphasize the
value of mutual concern among
priests, especially during trying
times.
The Diocese of Mati, located
approximately 1,025 kilometers
southeast of Manila, is the Capital
town of Davao Oriental province.
Kidapawan Bishop Romulo
Valles said that each and every priest
is joined to his brother priests by a
bond of love, prayer and every kind
of cooperation.
He told the participants that
though they have been brought into
“communion with God”, support
among “all clergy in brotherhood”
is all the more needed.
Priests, Valles said, should be
especially solicitous toward fellow
priests who are suffering, afflicted,
overburdened with work, lonely or
who have failed in some way.
But the bishop clarified that
supporting fellow priests is not only
viewing each other through practical difficulties but also building a
“counter-culture” to the growing materialism of modern society, which
threatens to weaken even the priesthood.
Past conventions highlighted
the need for priests to be encouraged to develop some kind of communal life, which may mean a shared
roof where feasible or at least a frequent and regular gathering.
The ecclesial territories in
Mindanao include five archdioceses, 12 dioceses, one vicariate and
three prelatures. Nearly a fourth of
the country’s 76.5 million people live
in Mindanao.
All the ecclesial territories were
represented, except for Isabela
prelature, which covers Basilan province. Fourteen bishops from the region graced the occasion.
Mati Bishop Patricio Alo said
the convention is the “perfect avenue” for beautiful transformations
and camaraderie that live up to their
theme.
“It is an opportune time for the
priests, to come together, talk about
their problems, and look for ways to
be of help,” he said.
The convention also focused
on the role of the priests, especially
along teachings of Pope Benedict
XVI.
At the convention, Fr Danilo
Fuentes of Mati diocese was elected
as DCM president for the next three
years.
The priest said he accepted the
position with the challenge of leading the Mindanao clergy.
The participants also decided
to hold next year’s convention in
Iligan City, Lanao del Norte province.
“Separation on Church and State: Its Impact on the Arena of Politics.” Bishop Leonardo Y.
Medroso, Bishop of Tagbilaran and Chair of the CBCP Commission on Canon Law, delivers his
talk to the members of Canon Law Society of the Philippines (CLSP) at the UST Martyrs’ Hall,
Manila, on January 12, 2007.
Markings
APPOINTED. Ricardo L. Baccay
by Pope Benedict XVI as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese
of Tuguegarao; on February 23,
2007. Upon his appointment,
Bishop-Elect Baccay was Rector
of San Jacinto Minor Seminary in
Tuguegarao. Baccay finished his
theology studies at the Central
Seminary of the University of
Santo Tomas; Master of Arts in Education and Doctorate in Educational Management at the Lyceum of
Aparri. Prior to rectorship at the minor seminary, he
was secretary of the Archbishop, Director of the
Archdiocesan Commission on Catechesis, and Parish Priest of Gataggamman and, later, of San Gabriel
in Tuguegarao.
ELECTED. Fr. Nielo M.
Cantilado, SVD, as Provincial Superior of the Philippine Central
Province of the Society of the
Divine Word; January 22, 2007.
Prior to his election, he was President of Divine Word College of
Calapan Mindoro. Societas Verbi Divini (SVD) is an
international missionary congregation for men
founded by St. Arnold Janssen in 1875. At present,
there are more than 6,000 SVDs from 35 nationalities
working in 67 countries worldwide. There are now
500 Filipino SVDs with 120 of them working abroad.
In the Philippines, the SVD has three provinces: the
Philippine North (PHN) that attends to missionary
works from Pangasinan to Aparri, the Philippine Central (PHC) that covers Tarlac, Manila, Mindoro, Bicol
and Palawan and Philippine South (PHS) that takes
care of the Visayas and Mindanao islands.
CELEBRATED. Silver
Jubilee of the following
Franciscan Apostolic
Sisters (FAS). Sr. Lea
Mapula, Sr. Ma. Delia
Brimon, serving at the
Archdiocese
of
Tuguegarao; Sr. Susan
Turingan, serving at the
Diocese of San Carlos and Sr. Agnes Infante, serving
at the Diocese of Alotau, Papua New Guinea. Most
Rev. Diosdado Talamayan, D.D. presided the Eucharistic Celebration at Fr. Gerry Filippetto Memorial
Chapel at Sta. Cruz, Sta. Ana, Cagayan on February 2,
2007 in thanksgiving for the Silver Jubilee Celebration of the four Franciscan Apostolic Sisters. The
Franciscan Apostolic Sisters (FAS) of Sta. Cruz, Sta.
Ana, Cagayan paid tribute to Archbishop Talamayan
in thanksgiving for his fatherly assistance in accompanying the apostolic and spiritual journey of the
FAS congregation from its foundation to its Pontifical Recognition in 2003.
LAUNCHED. The centennial celebration of St. Paul University
Philippines on January 20-26,
2007 in Tuguegarao City with the
theme, “Celebrating Life and Mission”; to culminate with a grand
celebration on December 16-22, 2007. The rationale:
“Rediscovering Paulinian roots in the Cagayan Valley through a span of one hundred years brings us
back to the charism that led to the four founding
Paulinian Sisters to answer the invitation of Bishop
Dennis Dougherty to come to this verdant land and
spread the Good News. The spirit that inspired Father Louis Chauvet to raise the Congregation more
than three hundred years ago is the same spirit sown
on fertile ground that has borne abundant fruit in
service to God, Church and Society. Celebrating 100
years of Paulinian presence is an act of grace, thanksgiving and joy—a sustained promise to remain faithful to our chosen ministry and continual affirmation
of our commitment to God’s call”.
DIED. In January 2007: Rev. Fr.
Pedro Guia, Diocese of Tagum;
Rev. Msgr. Macario Puno, Archdiocese of San FernandoPampanga; Rev. Fr. Peter Marcial,
Diocese of San Pablo; Rev. Msgr.
Amado Lopez, Diocese of
From L-R:Cortez,
Ms. Cynthia
Banta,
Urdaneta; Rev. Fr. Carmelo
Diocese
of
President
of Mission
Appeal
Antipolo; Sr. Aurice Nelly
Palma, SSpS;
in February
for Seminary
Support
(MASS);
2007: Rev. Msgr. Orlando
Balatibat,
Archdiocese
of
Bishop Oscar Solis, first FilLipa; Rev. Msgr. Nicanor
De
Villa,
Archdiocese
Am bishop of Archdiocese of
of
Lipa; Rev. Fr. Esteban Los
Salva,
Diocese
of Dr.
SanZenaida
Carlos;
Angeles;
and
Rev. Fr. Nestor Abad, Diocese
of Imus;
Rev. Fr.
BenRotea, MD,
executive
Secretary of CBCP
on
jamin Dela Paz, Archdiocese
of San Office
FernandoWomen.Baleares, RVM.
Pampanga; Sister Ma. Susana