ARCHBISHOP Fernando Filoni, Apostolic Nuncio and Plenipotentiary, signed on behalf of the Holy Father an Agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of thePhilippines on the Cultural Heritage of the Catholic Church. Secretary Alberto Romulo of the Dep artment of Foreign Affairs signed the document on behalf of the PhilippineGovernment in the presence of Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales of Manila, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal of Cebu and CBCP President Archbishop Angel Lagdameo.
Boac Diocese Marks 11th year ofMarinduque Mining Disaster
CBCP Head Seeks Arroyo’s Help forJustice of Slain Indo Priest
Symposium to Shed Light onChurch Law Held
Cardinal IssuesCriteria for
Choosing LeadersIN another effort to informthe electorate on how tovote worthy candidates, theArchdiocese of Manila hasissued guidelines for re-sponsible voting.
In a pastoral statement,Manila ArchbishopGaudencio CardinalRosales said election is aprocess of choosing leaderswho, with the people, willseek the common good ofall.
“Choosing and holdingthe leaders accountable tothe governed is a criticallyimportant choice that mustfollow moral guidelines,”he said.
He asked the voters to re-spect the sacredness of theelection by not selling andbartering their votes with
Church Stands FirmAgainst Contraceptives
DESPITE social survey results, the CatholicChurch remains undaunted with its firm standon family planning.
Pulse Asia survey recently showed that nineout of ten Filipinos support artificial birth con-trol programs.
The survey, which was based on 1,800 re-spondents nationwide, also showed 75 percentof voters will support candidates in the May14 elections who endorse government fund-ing for family planning.
NASSA, NAMFREL JoinHands for Quick Count in
May PollsTHE Catholic Church’s social action armand the National Movement for Free Elec-tions (NAMFREL) have agreed to step uptheir cooperation for the conduct of a quickcount for the May 14 elections.
NAMFREL Chairman Edward Go saidan accord has been signed with the Na-t ional Secretar iat for Socia l Act ion(NASSA) to work together using each
FOR the first time, a frameworkagreement on cooperation hasbeen signed between the Phil-ippine government and theVatican to clinch the protectionof the Catholic Church’s cul-tural heritage in the country.
Papal nuncio ArchbishopFernando Filoni, who repre-sented the Holy See, said theVatican “desires that the eccle-siastical cultural heritage bepreserved and cared for withevery single-minded attention,for it’s an expression of faith,culture, and art.”
“Similarly, the Republic ofthe Philippines takes to heartthe fact that this same heritagecontinues to represent an incal-culable resource for the nation,”Filoni told the audience at theDepartment of Foreign Affairs(DFA) office where the pact wassigned.
Almost every town in thecountry has at least one churchbuilt during the Spanish colonialperiod and currently preservedby parish communities and usedfor liturgical activities.
These properties are underthe legal ownership of localecclesiastical instrumentalitiesof the Catholic Church and are“vivified” by the Christian be-lief of the Filipino faithful.
“These works of art are ad-mired not only for their beautyand historic values, but alsobecause they represent a deepexpression of the faith of thesoul of the Filipino people,”said Filoni.
The cooperation includes thelegal protection by the govern-ment of movable and immov-able cultural heritage of artisticand historic significance, mostespecially those of the colonialchurches.
The nuncio expressed hopethat the agreement between thegovernment and the Vaticanwill not fail to work in fruitfulcollaboration so that the objec-tives of the treaty will be ful-filled.
“Consequently, it is our com-mon wish that the religious-his-toric-cultural heritage avails it-self of all those public and pri-vate energies that will facilitateits preservation and alsogrowth for the future,” saidFiloni.
IN a rare display of unity and volunteerism, thou-sands of faithful led by the Diocese of Boac gath-ered together on March 24 to clean up both em-bankments of the 26-kilometer Boac River to com-memorate the 11 th anniversary of the country’sbiggest mining tragedy that killed the said streamin 1996.
Organized by the diocese’s Marinduque Coun-cil for Environmental Concerns (MACEC), theactivity was in response to the Pastoral Letter is-sued by Marinduque’s Bishop ReynaldoEvangelista and a resolution adopted by theMarinduque provincial government.
Evangelista emphasized in his letter to thefaithful read in all the Sunday masses on March18 that: “It is high time for the entire Marinduquecommunity to work together in reclaiming theintegrity of our creation as part of our responsi-
bility before God to enrich the beauty and bountyof our remaining natural resources.”
“In this sense, our collective dignity asMarinduqueños will wipe out the infamy whichthe Boac River disaster of 1996 brought to ourisland-paradise. However, the local Church andthe local governments have the common tasks tocontinuously seek justice for our people and forour environment,” he stressed.
Justice DelayedMarinduqueños have been seeking justice from
the various Courts in the country and abroad todetermine the liabilities of Marcopper Mining Cor-poration and Placer Dome, Incorporated (boughtby Barrick Gold in 2006) over the disasters their30-year mining operations have caused the people
CBCP Callsfor Prayerfor CleanPollsTHE Catholic Bishops’Conference of the Philip-pines (CBCP) has ap-pealed to Filipinos to re-main steadfast in prayer asthe country prepares forthe May 14 polls.
According to CBCPpresident Archbishop An-gel Lagdameo it is signifi-cant to seek God’s inter-cession to prevent “evilfrom getting in control”and avoid others from do-ing evil things duringpolls.
Lagdameo, who is alsothe archbishop of Jaro inIloilo, said this in his lat-est pastoral statementabout the next month’ssynchronized local andnational elections.
“We exhort everyone tobe vigilant, to pray and tooffer penance for this in-tention,” the CBCP said.“May the hand of Godstop evil from getting incontrol . We need theLord’s help, withoutwhich our best efforts willcome to nothing.”
The bishops urged BasicEcclesial Communit ies(BEC) and the parishes na-t ionwide to organize“Holy Hours” of prayervigils from May 5 to 14,election day.
“Humble and trustingprayers are needed tosafeguard the sanctity ofthe ballot and of the entireelectoral processes,” thestatement read.
The prelate likewise en-couraged contemplativemen and women in morethan 100 monasteries na-tionwide to pray for thecountry—“especially forall voters, candidates andelect ion off ic ials andworkers.”
The CBCP also urgedlay faithful in this pre-dominantly Catholiccountry to take seriouslytheir role as citizens bytaking active participationand choosing right peopleto run the government.
It said people shouldnot just vote but out topract ice vigi lance andmonitor the election pro-cesses to ensure credibleresults.
3 Old Churches Identified Among theArchitectural Heritage Sites in Leyte
AT least three old churchesare included in the six Archi-tectural Heritage sites in Leytewhich will be showcased inthe Architectural HeritageTour on May 1, 2007.
The event is in connectionwith the commemoration ofthe National Heritage Monthin the month of May.
The first heritage destina-tion identified is Tanauanwhere the Our Lady of As-sumption Parish Church isone of the oldest churches andwhere the Rectory was re-stored to its natural design.
Then there is Dulag, wherethe ruins of the 1595-built Je-
A ONE-DAY symposium onCanon law was held at the Sa-cred Heart Center in CebuCity on April 18, 2007.
Organized by the CanonLaw Society of the Philippines(CLSP), the activity was opento all the members of theclergy, institutes of conse-crated life and the lay faithfulof the Cebu archdiocese.
Three Church law expertsspoke in the symposium,which focused on the processfor the Declaration of Mar-riage Nullity, the legal aspectfor the establishment of NewInstitutes of Consecrated Lifeand the Law on EucharisticLiturgy.
The CLSP noted that the
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Limbo Reflects “RestrictiveView of Salvation”
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“Common Good, anInalienable Right”
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Bible QuizChallenge Accepted
in Europe
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A New Saintwith a Link tothe Philippines
CBCP Calls / P4Boac / P4 RP Signs / P4
CBCP head Archbishop AngelLagdameo and IndonesianCatholics in the Philippineshave asked the government tosolve the killing of an Indone-sian priest in Kalinga provinceearly this month.
In a letter sent to PresidentArroyo, Lagdameo appealedfor “speedy delivery of jus-tice” for Fr. FransiskusMadhu, SVD who was shotdead April 2.
CBCP Head / P4
Symposium / P4
Old Churches / P4
NASSA / P4 Church Stands / P4
By Roy Lagarde
Cardinal / P4
Most Rev. Reynaldo Evangelista, DDBishop of Boac
MOST Rev. Honesto Ongtioco of Cubao delivers his talk on the Family and the Sanc-tity of Marriage at the 7th Tri-State Convention of the Knights of Columbus held inCagayan de Oro City on April 20-22, 2007. Other speakers were CBCP PresidentArchbishop Angel Lagdameo, Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma,Malaybalay Bishop Honesto Pacana, SK Stephen Feiler of the KC Supreme Office,and Msgr. Pedro Quitorio of the CBCP Media Office.
Panel Backs Hopes for UnbaptizedInfants Who Die, OKs Publicationof Report on LimboVATICAN CITY, April 20, 2007—Benedict XVI authorized thepublication of a report that expressesthe hope that babies who die withoutbaptism are able to get to heaven.
The report by the InternationalTheological Commission, publishedtoday, concluded that there areserious theological and liturgicalgrounds for the hope that such babiesare saved and enjoy the beatificvision.
The commission says thetheological hypothesis of “limbo”appeared to be based on an unduly
Chinese Government Forces 9-Month Women to Abort
YOUJIANG, China, April 21,2007—The Chinesegovernment’s cruel abortioncampaign continues: on April
17, in the southern province ofGuangxi, police forced 41women to abort their children,dragging them into the local
hospital to carry out thetermination. The followingday the same fate awaited afurther 20 women.
China Aid Association (CAA),a United States based nongovernment organizationwhich fights for religiousfreedom and human rights inChina reported the cases.
Eye witnesses reported toCAA that provincial policetransported the women toYoujiang District People’sHospital; they were injectedforcefully with an abortivedrug. The agents were led byFamily Planning officials. Inless than 24 hours 61 fetuseswere dead.
At Bed number 37, HeCaigan was 9 monthspregnant. Officials injected herbaby’s head and after 20
World News
State Funeral for Beijing’s Patriotic Bishop, Party “Property”HONG KONG, April 21,2007—Michele Fu Tieshan,Patriotic Archbishop ofBeijing, will receive a funeralfit for a “head of state”. Therewill be no Vaticanrepresentative present, neitherthe religious ceremony nor thestate burial.
Church sources in HongKong told AsiaNews thatmembers of the Beij ingPatriotic Associationexpressed their desire thatthere should be a Vaticanrepresentative at the burial,but it is “highly improbablethat someone will attend.There was no Vaticanrepresentative at last year’sfuneral of Msgr. Li Duan[archbishop of Xian] who was
in deep communion with thePope and Vatican”. Despitethis, the sources add, all of thefaithful in China and abroad“should pray for his soul,which is now at the mercy ofGod’s justice”.
Michele Fu Tieshan diedyesterday evening at 19.50(Beijing time), at BeijingHospital. In the officialstatement however, thePatriotic Association, decidedto make it appear that he diedat 8.08 in the evening, becauseof the “luck” that number “8”brings in Chinese fortunetelling. “Lets’ just hope thatthey don’t put Taoist cards orMajiang playing cards in hiscoffin!” was the comment ofone Beijing Catholic. The
reference is to the superstitiousnature of the deceased bishopand his passion for Majiang(Chinese dominos).
The capital’s faithful noticewith some bitterness that thepatriotic bishop’s body was“sequestered” by the PA—ofwhich Fu was nationalpresident—in order topublicize his “contribution tothe nation”, without a singlereference to the Catholic faith.“He died as he lived—onewoman notices—that is asCommunist Party property”.The same official Partystatement, exalts him as a“patriotic religious leader,social activist and great friendof the Chinese communistparty”.
The PA has sent out acommuniqué in which theyask all of the parishes in Chinato pray for him. In Beijing’s’Nantang (Church of theImmaculate), the capital’scathedral, there will be a 7-dayperiod of mourning with masscelebrated in his memory eachday for the repose of the soulof Fu Tieshan.
Among Beijing’s faithfulthere are some who doubt theveracity that the bishop diedyesterday. According to somehis death dates to April 12th.Since then in fact most of thepeople who wished to visithim, had to contentthemselves with prayers forhis recovery instead, outsidehis room. From a window
minutes of pain and suffering,her baby stopped moving anddied.
About 6am on April 18,Pastor James Liang’s wife WeiLinrong gave birth to a boy,but he was dead because of theinjection. She received threedoses of injection-one is toinduce the birth and the othertwo to kill the baby in thewomb.
After China Aid reported theforced abortion, police wereseen surrounding the sectionof the hospital where theseabortions took place. In fact forsome time now the Chinesepopulation has been protestingagainst Beijing, which allowsrich and famous couples to ig-nore the family law on onechild, which is instead appliedwith force on the less well off.
restrictive view of salvation.The 41-page document noted this is
an “urgent pastoral problem,”especially because of the largenumber of unbaptized babies who dieas victims of abortion.
The commission’s documents arenot considered official expressions ofthe magisterium. But the commissiondoes help the Holy See to examineimportant doctrinal issues.
The Catechism of the CatholicChurch in No. 1261 explains: “Asregards children who have diedwithout baptism, the Church can only
entrust them to the mercy of God, asshe does in her funeral rites for them.
“Indeed, the great mercy of Godwho desires that all men should besaved, and Jesus’ tenderness towardchildren which caused him to say:‘Let the children come to me, do nothinder them,’ allow us to hope thatthere is a way of salvation forchildren who have died withoutbaptism.
“All the more urgent is theChurch’s call not to prevent littlechildren coming to Christ through thegift of holy baptism.” (Zenit)
looking into his room all thatwas visible was the immobilebedridden figure of theBishop, perhaps in coma, oralready dead. (AsiaNews)
Secretary of StateDefends Pius XII
VATICAN CITY, April 19,2007—The Vatican secretaryof state says that Pope PiusXII signed a letter asking allreligious institutes to opentheir doors to Jewspersecuted by the Naziregime.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertonesaid that Wednesday whencommenting on a caption inthe Yad Vashem, a Holocaustmuseum in Jerusalem, whichasserted that Pius XII wassi lent in the face of thepersecution against the Jews.
Cardinal Bertone explainedthat on Oct. 25, 1943, Pius XIIsigned “a bulletin from theSecretary of State whichmandated that rel igiousinsti tutions and even thecatacombs be opened to
welcome the Jews persecutedby the Nazis.”
The president of YadVashem, Avner Shalev, has
The politics of family plan-ning, the bastion of the com-munist government, affects 90million Chinese families. Thisprovokes social problems suchas the imbalance of sexes andthe aging population.
Since 1978 only one childhas been permitted to urbanresidents, two to ruralcouples. The average familyhas dropped from the 5.83children per household of the1970’s to 2.1 in the ‘90’s andthe current 1.8. Thegovernment aims to containthe population within 1.37billion by 2010. These policieshave led to a massivecampaign of forced abortionsand infanticide of femalebabies, in order to have a maleheir to maintain the familyname. (AsiaNews)
More UK DoctorsRefusing to Do
AbortionsLONDON, England, April 17,2007—A growing number ofdoctors in the United Kingdomare refusing to performabortions for ethical reasons, anew report shows.
A report by the Royal Collegeof Obstetricians andGynecologists lookedspecifically at the number ofabortions that now take place atprivate clinics instead of publicones because of unavailable staff.
The number of abortions inprivate clinics 10 years ago was 20%;now the number is closer to 40%.
Still, the newspaper Independentreported on Monday that thenumber of abortions in Englandand Wales is at a record 190,000 ayear. With fewer doctors willing toperform the procedure, abortionsupporters say that within fiveyears, there may be more demandfor abortions than doctors toprovide them.
Furthermore, with fewer doctorsin public clinics willing to performabortions, hospitals must referthose seeking abortion to privateclinics. And the National HealthService, which funds four out of fiveabortions in Britain, is struggling tocope with the bills.
Saving, not taking lifeJulia Millington of the London-
based ProLife Alliance said that thenews of fewer abortions at publicclinics is certainly welcomed.
In a press statement, Millingtonadded: “We have been hearing forsome time now that young doctors,in particular, do not want to workin this field.
“Those choosing to go intomedicine presumably do sobecause they want to cure sicknessand disease, not end the lives ofinnocent human beings.”
In the United Kingdom, abortionis legal throughout the entirepregnancy if the doctor believes thebaby suffers a severe disability, orif the mother’s life is at risk.
Otherwise, depending on themental health of the mother, anabortion can be had up to 24 weeks.
On another front, a LondonCatholic hospital will ban abortion-referral, contraception provisionand in vitro fertilization followinga campaign to restore its Catholicidentity.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor of Westminster askedthat the ethical code of the Hospitalof St. John and St. Elizabeth berevised after learning that doctorswere providing the morning-afterpill and referring women forabortions.
The new code is expected to beagreed upon by the hospital boardnext month. (Zenit)
Pope Pius XII
Secretary / P9
Pastor Says ‘Words Are Not Enough’to Comfort Virginia Tech Families
Spanish Cardinal Slams Ideologies“That Seek to Wrench God from
Heart of Man”MADRID, Spain, April 17,2007—The Archbishop ofToledo and Vice President ofthe Spanish Bishops’Conference, Cardinal AntonioCañizares has renewed hisopposition to the courseEducation for Citizenshipwhich Spanish law isrequiring be taught in schoolsnext fall saying, “We arerisking a lot with theseideologies that seek to wrenchthe vision of the creator Godfrom the heart of man.”
During a day-long meetingorganized by the Archdioceseof Toledo to study theEducation for Citizenship
course, the Cardinal said theissue was of utmostimportance and “affects oursociety both today and in thefuture.” He warned that thecourse would “impose amoral relativism and ideologyof gender” that demands“responsible and devotedconsideration.”
The Cardinal said Spaniardswere rightly alarmed aboutthe course and he called forclarity in social, moral, andanthropological concepts.
The problem with“Education for Citizenship,” headded, “is not one issue or
Catholic Leaders Shocked OverMurder of Protestant Staff in TurkeyROME, Apri l 20, 2007—Catholic leaders in Turkeywere shocked by the murderof three employees of aProtestant publishing house,said an official at the Vaticannunciature in Ankara,Turkey.
“We are upset,” said Msgr.Georges Marovitch. “Witheach explosion of violence, itis l ike al l our work fordialogue is beingquestioned.”
The three employees of theZirve publishing house inMalatya, a city in centralTurkey, were found deadwith their throats slashedApril 18.
Police arrested four men in
the Zirve offices shortly afterthe murders and a fifth man,who was hospitalized withhead injuries after apparentlyjumping from a fourth-storywindow in the Zirvebuilding. Five more suspectswere detained April 19.
Turkish press reportsreported that some of the menarrested told police theyacted to defend Islam.
Msgr. Marovitch told theItalian newspaper Corrieredella Sera , “We understandthat the victims belonged toa Protestant group thatdistr ibuted Bibles on thestreet in a Muslim society,and this irritated nationalist
BLACKSBURG, Va. , April2 0 , 2 0 0 7 — W o r d s a r e n o tenough to comfort grievingparents, said a priest whospent time with the parentso f s e v e r a l o f t h e s l a i nV i r g i n i a T e c h s t u d e n t sw h e n t h e y f i r s t l e a r n e dtheir son or daughter wasdead.
In the early hours aftert h e m u r d e r r a m p a g e o ncampus that left 33 dead,F a t h e r J a m e s A r s e n a u l t ,pastor of St. Mary Parish inB l a c k s b u r g , w a s a tM o n t g o m e r y R e g i o n a lHospi ta l wi th those whowere wounded and the i rfamilies.
Then he went to the Inn atVirginia Tech, a hotel onc a m p u s w h e r e p a r e n t sseeking information abouttheir children were asked togather. He said he left theparish at 8:30 that morningand did not get back until1:30 the following morning.
In a brief interview in hisrectory late April 18—afterthree full days of seeing tothe pastoral care of victims,f a m i l i e s a n d s t u d e n t s —Father Arsenault said thatapproaching parents whohad just heard their childwas dead, he would simplysay something like, “Words
Catholic / P9 Pastor / P9
Spanish / P9
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Vatican Commission: Limbo Reflects‘Restrictive View of Salvation’
By John Thavis
VATICAN CITY—After severalyears of study, the Vatican’s In-ternational Theological Com-mission said there are good rea-sons to hope that babies whodie without being baptized goto heaven.
In a document publishedApril 20, the commission saidthe traditional concept oflimbo—as a place where un-baptized infants spend eternitybut without communion withGod—seemed to reflect an “un-duly restrictive view of salva-tion.”
The Church continues toteach that, because of originalsin, baptism is the ordinary wayof salvation for all people andurges parents to baptize infants,the document said.
But there is greater theologi-cal awareness today that God ismerciful and “wants all humanbeings to be saved,” it said.Grace has priority over sin, andthe exclusion of innocent babiesfrom heaven does not seem toreflect Christ’s special love for“the little ones,” it said.
“Our conclusion is that themany factors that we have con-sidered ... give serious theologi-cal and liturgical grounds forhope that unbaptized infantswho die will be saved and en-
joy the beatific vision,” thedocument said.
“We emphasize that these arereasons for prayerful hope,rather than grounds for sureknowledge,” it added.
The 41-page document, titled“The Hope of Salvation for In-fants Who Die Without BeingBaptized,” was published inOrigins, the documentary ser-vice of Catholic News Service.Pope Benedict XVI authorizedits publication earlier this year.
The 30-member InternationalTheological Commission acts asan advisory panel to theVatican, in particular to theCongregation for the Doctrineof the Faith. Its documents arenot considered expressions ofauthoritative Church teaching,but they sometimes set the stagefor official Vatican pronounce-ments.
The commission’s documentsaid salvation for unbaptizedbabies who die was becomingan urgent pastoral question, inpart because their number isgreatly increasing. Many in-fants today are born to parentswho are not practicing Catho-lics, and many others are theunborn victims of abortion, itsaid.
Limbo has never been de-
fined as Church dogma and isnot mentioned in the currentCatechism of the CatholicChurch, which states simplythat unbaptized infants are en-trusted to God’s mercy.
But limbo has long been re-garded as the common teachingof the Church. In the modernage, “people find it increasinglydifficult to accept that God isjust and merciful if he excludesinfants, who have no personalsins, from eternal happiness,”the new document said.
Parents in particular can ex-perience grief and feelings ofguilt when they doubt theirunbaptized children are withGod, it said.
The Church’s hope for theseinfants’ salvation reflects agrowing awareness of God’smercy, the commission said.But the issue is not simple, be-cause appreciation for divinemercy must be reconciled withfundamental Church teachingsabout original sin and about thenecessity of baptism for salva-tion, it said.
The document traced the de-velopment of Church thinkingabout the fate of unbaptizedchildren, noting that there is“no explicit answer” fromScripture or tradition.
In the fifth century, St. Au-gustine concluded that infantswho die without baptism wereconsigned to hell. By the 13thcentury, theologians referred tothe “limbo of infants” as a placewhere unbaptized babies weredeprived of the vision of God,but did not suffer because theydid not know what they weredeprived of.
Through the centuries, popesand Church councils were care-ful not to define limbo as a doc-trine of the faith and to leave thequestion open. That was impor-tant in allowing an evolution ofthe teaching, the theologicalcommission said.
A key question taken up bythe document was the Church’steaching that baptism is neces-sary for salvation. That teach-ing needs interpretation, inview of the fact that “infants ...do not place any personal ob-stacle in the way of redemptivegrace,” it said.
In this and other situations,the need for the sacrament ofbaptism is not absolute and issecondary to God’s desire forthe salvation of every person, itsaid.
“God can therefore give thegrace of baptism without the
TURIN, Italy, Arpil 17, 2007—Father Luigi Boccardo, knownas an apostle of merciful love,was proclaimed blessed in hisnative city of Turin.
Cardinal José Saraiva Mar-tins, prefect of the VaticanCongregation for Saints’Causes, presided over the be-atification Mass, held Sundayin the Church of the HolyFace. Cardinal SeverinoPoletto, archbishop of Turin,concelebrated.
Luigi Boccardo was bornAug. 9, 1861, the seventh ofnine children.
He was ordained a priest in1884, and served as assistantpastor to his brother and god-father, Father Giovanni MariaBoccardo, who was beatifiedby Pope John Paul II in 1998.
Father Luigi then served asvice rector and spiritual direc-tor at the Consolata Collegefor young priests, and as a the-ology professor at the dioc-esan seminary.
The priest also spent hourshearing confessions at theShrine of the Consolata andvisiting prisoners.
Father Luigi became the su-perior general of the Poor Sis-ters of San Gaetano, foundedby his brother, after FatherGiovanni Maria died in 1913.
In 1919, Father Luigi be-came director of an institutefor the blind. In that time hebuilt the Shrine to Jesus Christ,King and Priest.
In 1932, he founded the Or-der of Sisters of Christ theKing, a contemplative branchof the order founded by hisbrother.
He died June 9, 1936.Mother Teresa Ponsi, supe-
rior general of the Poor Sistersof San Gaetano, spoke of thenewly beatified to Vatican Ra-dio: “His charism as educatorand founder was to reveal themerciful love of Jesus, priestand king, to his brothers, es-pecially in the education of theclergy ... and in the spiritualdirection of so many that ap-proached him in the confes-sional.”
Father Luigi “could be de-fined as ‘a priest, always apriest,’” the superior generaladded. “For him, to be a priestwas the most marvelous ad-venture.”
Mother Ponsi added thatthe priest and founder was a“teacher and guide for theyoung clergy, confessor andspiritual guide for all types ofpeople.”
She added that he was a“priest of divine mercy,” andthat he “disseminated this ingreat abundance.”
Mother Ponsi continued:“A contemplative and anapostle, he had a knowledgeof delicate charity in under-standing that even blindpeople can live a religious life,because before God no im-pediments exist with respectto who, by his grace, is calledto consecrate their life to him.”
“Because of all this, BlessedLuigi Boccardo is an exampleand a motivation in the coher-ent search for holiness,” anda “witness of charity,” sheadded.
Cardinal Poletto wrote inthe diocesan pap”r: “Theevent of two brothers, priestsin our diocese, being declaredblessed by the Church, is anextraordinary grace.” (Zenit)
Limbo / P8
News Feature
A Priest of the MangyansBy Madonna T. Virola
CITY OF CALAPAN, Philip-pines—Thirty-four-year oldRev. Gabayno “Gabby”Calinog Oybad, a member ofthe indigenous tribe called“Mangyans” in the province ofMindoro, was ordained apriest on April 17 in RomanCatholic rites blended with in-digenous tradition at the Sto.Nino parish church.
The Mangyans of Mindoroare indigenous people whohave retained their pre-His-panic writing. Most of themhave been pushed to the moun-tains by land grabbers and mi-grants. Because of poverty,they are often treated as sec-ond-class citizens.
And so, Oybad’s ordinationwas a big reason to celebrate.
“This is an event for thewhole Catholic church,” saidFr. Ewald Dinter, director ofMangyan Mission-OrientalMindoro.
Almost a hundred priestsconcelebrated the mass, all ofthem with a red piece of clothwrapped around their heads,as a sign of solidarity with theMangyans.
The cathedral was filled withMangyans from different sub-tribes and towns in OrientalMindoro, some volunteerswho helped in the celebration,and some foreign nationalssupportive of the Mangyans.
“It’s the fruit of MangyanMission’s journey with theMangyans towards the fullnessof life with God and their ac-tive response to participate in,and ultimately lead, the jour-ney”, said Fr. Rod Salazar,SVD.
Mangyan gong, flute, andsticks were played to mark thehighlights of the program,their sounds penetrating theheart.
Ordination rites
The ordination itself was ablending of liturgical rites andthe Mangyan tradition. Itstarted with the tuob, wheretwo Mangyan elders paradedaround the venue some incense(smoke from a burned piece oftree and coconut husk) as a wayof cleansing the place from badspirits, with a prayer to shooaway all bad spirits and an in-vitation for all blessings tocome in. In the same way, thesacristan held an incense usedin Christian rituals.
When Rev. Oybad was to beordained, he was called inthrough a Hanunuo Mangyandance (called taruk), whichmeans the coming of the spiritand transfer of power forOybad to become a healer of allillnesses. Here, the candidatebecame an elder and a dance isperformed for God whom theycall Mahal na Makakaako.
After the homily, the candi-
date sat on the floor with twoothers, a male and a female el-der. The elders advised him onthe life that he has chosen sothat he will be able to performhis functions and responsibili-ties effectively.
In the ordination proper, allthe priests placed their handson the head of the candidate,followed by a prayer. A daniw(healer) led a prayer whereblessings were sought.
Bishop Warlito Cajandig,who led the ordination, wasjoined by six elders of the tribewith their arms near their eyesclosed in prayer.
“This (the ordination) is im-portant for the inculturation ofthe message of Jesus”, said Fr.Dinter. He quoted John Paul IIwho said that a faith that doesnot become culture is a faithwhich has not been fully re-ceived, not fully lived.
The parish of the Risen Christwhich looks after the pastoralconcerns of all Mangyan Catho-
lics in Oriental Mindoro wasalso jubilant.
The road to priesthood
“I’m proof that a Mangyan,when given the opportunityand support, with perseveranceand despite poverty, can suc-ceed in any undertaking. We’reall equal before God anyway”,said Oybad.
He graduated first honors ina public elementary school andproceeded to Catholic schoolswhere he got support from mis-sionaries. In high school, hehad to balance his studies withhis responsibilities as a conventboy.
During the vocation cam-paign of the St. Augustine Mi-nor Seminary in Calapan,Oybad was attracted by the re-ligious life.
So after high school, he tookPhilosophy at Christ the Kingseminary in Quezon City.
He then proceeded to Theol-
Digos Holds Catechists’Formators Seminar
By Fr. Bong Lunas, DCD
THE Diocesan CatecheticalCenter of the Diocese of Digosheld the 1st Catechists’Formators Institute (CFI) onApril 10-13, 2007 at the Dioc-esan Seminar House, Home ofthe Clergy Compound inDigos City.
Participants in the seminar,131 in all, included Catechistswho came from all the par-ishes and mission stations ofthe diocese; and, campus min-isters of the Digos City Na-tional High School. Lecturerson various topics were Fr.Nestino Alerta, Fr. JuanMacalisang, STL, PhD, Fr.Ferdinand Lariosa, M.A. andFr. Ronald Lunas, STL. Sr.Mary Claire Romeo, OSB, thediocesan catechetical programcoordinator, supervised theentire event. She was assistedby Mrs. Fely Padillo.
This is the 16th year the Cen-ter has been holding such kindof formation for catechists. Inthe previous years, however,the program was called Sum-mer Catechetical Institute(SCI). The name has beenchanged to Catechists’Formators Institute since inthe past two years, theInstitute’s objective, hasshifted into forming catechiststo assist their head catechist intheir respective parishes in theformation of volunteer cat-echists.
Since 2005, these formator-catechists followed a certainprogram of formation notonly during summer butthroughout the year. Aside
from their four-day seminar insummer, they also haveclasses in their respective vi-cariates three times a year. In2005-2007, they took up“Christology.” The CFI is onlya part of their year-round for-mation program.
The CFI keeps the triad ofDoctrine, Liturgy and Moral-ity, and includes Spiritualityand Methodology as well. Fr.Lunas, a teacher of SystematicTheology, concluded his se-ries of lecture on Christology;Fr. Macalisang, a professor inMoral Theology, continuedhis last years’s lecture on the“Ten Commandments” withan input on the “Beatitudes”as truly guides to Christianliving; Fr. Lariosa, instructorin Liturgy, concentrated on Li-turgical Music.
The three priests belong tothe Diocese of Digos, andpresently teaching at the St.Francis Xavier Regional Semi-nary of Mindanao in DavaoCity. Fr. Alerta, by way of“Recollection” introduced theparticipants to “CenteringPrayer.” During the seminar,a new set of lessons for the firstcommunicants, to be used inthe next school year, adexperimentum, was also pre-sented.
Upon return to their par-ishes, participants to the CFIwould also organize the an-nual renewal program andformation of the volunteer cat-echists both for the publicschools and the Basic Chris-tian Communities (BECs).
Thousands Celebrate atDivine Mercy Shrine
KRAKOW, Poland, April 16,2007—On April 15, the feastof Divine Mercy, about 50,000people attended a Mass cel-ebrated by Cardinal AdamJoseph Cardinal Maida at theDivine Mercy shrine inKrakow, Poland.
Groups were present fromthe US, Canada, Nicaragua,Haiti, Finland, England, Ire-land, Romania, Spain,France, Italy, Germany, Aus-tria, Slovakia, and the CzechRepublic.
In other news, an interna-tional architectural competi-tion for the Pope John Paul II
Center in Krakow will soonbe underway. The 13,000-14,000 square-meter complexwill include a museum, mul-timedia library, a chapel aswell as a prayer room forother faiths, and a conferenceroom. One member of thejury for the competition isSpanish architect RafaelMoneo, who designed thenew cathedral in Los Ange-les, California.
Cardinal Dziwisz will blessthe site selected for the Cen-ter on May 18th, the 87thbirthday of John Paul II.(CWNews)
Vol. 11 No. 8April 16-29, 2007
CBCP MonitorCBCP Monitor4 News
DFA Secretary AlbertoRomulo represented thegovernment in signing thehistoric agreement.
Catholic Bishops’ Confer-ence of the Philippines(CBCP) president Arch-bishop Angel Lagdameo,Manila ArchbishopGaudencio CardinalRosales and Cebu Arch-bishop Ricardon CardinalVidal were present to wit-ness the ceremony.
favors, and not allowing them-selves to be coerced to vote forcertain candidates.
The statement, which wasread last Sunday in allchurches within the Manilaarchdiocese, called on theclergy and the faithful to votefor candidates who:
1. Love and fear God.2. Guided by a well-formed
conscience, sensitive to thechoice of what is good.
3. Live and serve consis-tently with moral prin-ciples.
4. Honest, non-violent andcompassionate.
5. Respect and protect thelimited sources in natureand requires others to dothe same.
6. Ready to sacrifice per-sonal, party or group in-terest for the sake of unity,
suit Seminary at the Our Ladyof Refuge Parish Church stillremain.
In Carigara could be foundthe Old Settlement Ruins atthe Cass idy ElementarySchool, the Balay nga GawasIt Harigi and the CarigaraCommunity Museum.Carigara is the place whereChristianity was first intro-duced in Leyte.
In Baybay Leyte, there iswhat is called as the HeritageStreet , the Mabini Streetwhere people are still occu-pying heritage houses of dif-ferent vintages.
The Fian Ancestral Housein Albuera, Leyte is repre-sentative of the rich architec-tural heritage in Leyte.
Finally, in Hilongos, Leytethere remains the Fort andOld Church Ruins which are
“I earnestly appeal to YourExcellency to give this concerndue attention and action,”wrote Lagdameo.
Madhu was killed while hewas about to celebrate Mass inthe town of Lubuagan, afourth-class town with apopulation of 9,875 people in1,764 households.
The terror that we feel,Lagdameo said, are evenmade greater by the fact thatit happened while he was pre-paring for the Holy Mass.
“As we sympathize with thefamily of Fr. Madhu and theSVD Community, and as weoffer prayers for his eternalrest, we the Bishops cannotbut express once again ourvery deep concern about theunabated killings and otheracts of violence happening inour country,” Lagdameostated.
Attached with Lagdameo’sletter to Arroyo was anotherstatement of concern and a callfor justice by the Communityof Catholics of East NusaTenggara and the IndonesianCatholics in the Philippines
But the influential CatholicBishops’ Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) stand oncontraceptives or birth con-trol stays stronger than ever.
CBCP president Arch-bishop Angel Lagdameo saidthere is no way the Churchwill change its position in op-posing the use of artificialbirth control methods.
“Surveys favoring contra-ceptives or birth control willnot alter the Church’s posi-tion and insistence in teach-ing the objective moral lawsregarding the dignity of hu-man life and family,” he said.
Lagdameo said the use ofcontraceptives, even withgovernment support, and therising cases of abortions donot change the object ivemoral law on birth control.
The CBCP head reacted tosome perceptions that themoral stand of the Church isobstructing the economicprogress of the country andmaintained that there’s nocorrelation between popula-tion and poverty.
He also disputed the claimthat population in the coun-try has been rising citing sta-tistics from the United Na-tions (UN) and the National
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and environment inMarinduque island.
These include the criminalcases filed separately by the De-partment of Environment andNatural Resources against JohnEric Loney, an Australian whowas the President and CEO ofMarcopper, Steven Paul Reid,also an Australian national andResident Manager of MarcopperTapian Office, and PedroHernandez, a Filipino whoserved as Senior Manager forMaintenance.
The three were the officials ofthe mining company during thecollapse of one of the dredgetunnels of Marcopper’s TapianPit on March 24, 1996 thatcaused the biologic death ofBoac River, the biggest andlongest waterway inMarinduque.
The officials were charged forviolation of the Philippine Wa-ter Code, the Anti-PollutionLaw, the Philippine Mining Actof 1995, and the Revised PenalCode docketed in the Munici-pal Trial Court in this town asCriminal Cases Nos. 96-44 to95-55 (People of the Philippinesv. John Eric Loney, Steven PaulReid and Pedro Hernandez).The criminal cases have beendragging for eleven years al-ready.
MACEC Executive SecretaryMyke Magalang explained “thedelay in the administration ofjustice for the victims of envi-ronmental disaster inMarinduque and the uncon-scionable plunder of our envi-ronment are reflections of inef-ficiency in the bureaucracy ofthe country, including the judi-cial branch.”
Court records reveal that af-ter the filing of the cases inApril 11, 1996, the accusedMarcopper officials filed a Mo-tion to Quash before the BoacMTC.
After the exchange of variouspleadings, the complaints forviolation of the Philippine Wa-ter Code and the Anti-PollutionLaw were dismissed by thelower court but the accusedmining company officials werearraigned for the remainingcases on May 28, 1997.
The prosecution appealed theruling at the Regional TrialCourt in Marinduque while theaccused sought the interventionof the same court praying forthe quashing also of the casesfor violation of the PhilippineMining Act. On March 20, 1998,the RTC reversed and set asidethe ruling of the lower courtand reinstated all the criminalcases filed against the accused.
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Lagdameo, for his part,said the agreement meansthat both the CatholicChurch and the governmentwill mutually preserve, pro-tect, as well as appreciatethe proper use of the Cul-tural Heritage of theChurch.
“It can be done. It will bedone. Both on the financialand artistic aspects, thisagreement is a very wel-come event,” he said.
This ruling was appealed bythe accused in the Court of Ap-peals and in the SupremeCourt. Eight years after, theSupreme Court finally upheldthe RTC ruling on February 10,2006 and ordered the reinstate-ment of all criminal cases,which in effect, remanded thesame to the court of origin.
The only progress of the caseswas on November 22, 2006when the Provincial Prosecutorfiled a manifestation and mo-tion to set cases for hearing andonly after MACEC presented acomputer downloaded copy ofthe Supreme Court decision.
Magalang assailed “the ex-treme inefficiency of the justicesystem because it is unimagin-able why until now the prosecu-tion and even the MunicipalTrial Court of Boac were not of-ficially furnished with copies ofthe Supreme Court Decision.”
The Prosecution’s manifesta-tion informed the MunicipalTrial Court that “it is in posses-sion of what appears to be a com-puter generated copy of the de-cision in G.R. No. 152644” andopined that it would perhapssuffice in “paving the way for theresumption of the hearing.”
Magalang further emphati-cally said that such “is indeeda grave insult to the already dis-
Bishop Renews Call forEnvironment ProtectionTHE need for protecting envi-ronment and saving “our-selves” was stressed by ManilaAuxiliary Bishop BroderickPabillo, who led a Mass in cel-ebration of Earth Day on April24.
In his homily, Pabillo saidwe should treat our environ-ment with a lot more respect
and not just regarded it as asource of money.
The bishop was saddened tonote that while the country isindeed rich in natural re-sources it is not however prop-erly protected.
He singled out large-scalemining operations in the coun-tryside as a big blow towards
creating “irreparable damage”to our environment.
“With the rapid economicdevelopment, our environ-ment is getting worse andworse,” he said. “They don’tsee the importance of our en-vironment that when de-stroyed, we can never restoreit back,” he said.
Earth Day, according toPabillo, “reminds us to have awider perspective” of environ-ment conservation.
“Problems in the environ-ment are so serious that all ofus must give attention to it," hesaid. “Let’s give respect to thisworld where we live in.”(CBCPNews)
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illusioned and disheartenedpeople of Marinduque who arecontinuously suffering andthreatened to die one by onefrom heavy metal poisoning.”
“That is why we are callingthe attention of the Departmentof Justice to direct the panel ofprosecutors to prioritize thiscase of the Filipino peopleagainst the foreign nationalsand officers of the multinationalmining company which plun-dered our national patrimony,”he said.
Unpaid local taxes Another important concern
that MACEC strongly pursuesis to find ways and means tocompel Marcopper MiningCorporation and Placer Dome,Inc. to pay their unpaid realproperty taxes to the provinceof Marinduque and the munici-palities of Boac, Mogpog, Sta.Cruz and Torrijos which is over1 billion as of the second quar-ter of 2006.
“This is an extreme insensi-tivity of a company whichamassed billions of dollars inprofit and which claims to be agood corporate citizen of thecountry but neglecting its pri-mary duty to pay legitimatetaxes to the government,” saidMagalang. (Roy Lagarde)
world of Canon Law remainsa mystery for most Catholicfaithful. Many times, it said,this is due to a general lack ofjuridic sense not just in eccle-siastical affairs but also evenin civil life.
Sometimes, the CLSP said,this may also be due to a falsepastoral approach, which“tends to undermine ChurchLaw and discipline in favor ofa misunderstood charitywhich is tantamount to rela-tivism and license.”
“Whatever the reason, theresult is confusion and abuse,which cannot but lead to abreakdown of authentic Chris-tian life,” it said.
The symposium also coin-
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peace and the integral de-velopment of the countryand the people.
“In the past, enormous suf-ferings resulted from politicalambitions, maneuvers andgroup adventurism resultingin the country’s poor becomingeven poorer,” Rosales la-mented.
The Cardinal also called onthe teachers, the armed forces,the youth and volunteer citi-zens who help the Commissionon Elections (Comelec) ensurethat votes are accuratelycounted and properly turnedover to the provincial and na-tional canvassers.
He also urged the faithful topray for guidance so that Godmay “softly suggest in prayer”that the country needs “moral,humble and repentant trust-worthy leaders.” (CBCPNews)
cided with this year’s 15 th Na-tional CLSP Convention onApril 16 to 18, with the Arch-diocese of Cebu as the host.
Roman Rota Judge Msgr.Cormac Burke along withcanon lawyers from across thecountry participated in thegathering.
CLSP is an association ofcanon lawyers, establishedwith the encouragement of theCatholic Bishops’ Conferenceof the Philippines (CBCP) in1993. It has close to 200 mem-bers, 95 percent of them arepriests engaged in differentEcclesiastical Tribunals, agrowing number of bishops,and a handful of laypersonsand nuns. (CBCPNews)
rich in architectural heritage.The Architectural Heritage
Tour on May 1 will be par-ticipated in not only by thearchitecture s tudents butalso by the media and themembers of the United Ar-chitects of the Philippines,Leyte Chapter.
This is a good way of learn-ing what cannot be learnedin school, the actual experi-ence of seeing for oneself theactual rich architectural heri-tage of the province of Leyte.
Indeed, the choice of Leyteas the venue of the GrandOpening of the Nat ionalHeri tage Month not onlyshowcases the rich heritageof the province of Leyte butalso serves as an eye-openerfor the Leyteños who shouldbe proud of their province.(PIA-8)
for Madhu’s death.“We, the Indonesian priests,
religious brothers and sistersresiding in the Philippines de-mand justice for our fallenbrother and appeal for thespeedy resolution by law en-forcement agencies of his mur-der,” the statement read.
“We pray that the death ofour brother shall not be fornaught,” it added. “His life,which he lovingly offered forthe people of Lubuagan, andhis blood, that was spilled intheir land, shall hopefullybear more testaments of cour-age and faith that willstrengthen the mission workhere and around the world.”
Charges have already beenfiled before the Kalinga pro-vincial prosecutor’s officeagainst four suspects in thekillings of Madhu.
The Philippine National Po-lice (PNP) identified the sus-pects as Nestor Wailan, JoelAwingan, and AcmorBonggawen who are now un-der manhunt operation. Thefourth suspect remains uni-dentified. (CBCPNews)
Statistics Office (NSO).“According to the UN, the
country’s population growthrate has declined from 2.36percent to 1.84 percent. ForNSO, its 2.05 percent,” hesaid. “Our country’s total fer-tility rate is not 3.5 but 3.2(UN/NSO) and is headed to-wards further decline.”
But the prelate clarified theChurch is not against familyplanning per se if the meth-ods used are moral and pro-tect the dignity of human life.
“Let it be done, [but] not ac-cording to some “cafeteriamethods” with instant re-sults, such as through contra-ceptives, abortions, ligationsand vasectomy,” saidLagdameo.
The formation of core val-ues, he said, as well as theeducation in the naturalmethods of family planning ispart of the advocacy of theChurch’s Family LifeApostolate.
He also called on for moreparticipation of lay faithful inthe family apostolate in theparishes and barrios—espe-cially married couples. “Pa-tient and continuous educa-t ion is necessary in thisapostolate.” (CBCPNews)
other’s manpower and vitalresources.
“There are regions in thecountry where (one of eitherof our groups) has a betterpresence. There are also ar-eas where we jointly man-age. We want to use the bestof both organizations,” saidGo.
Under the agreement, thetwo groups will do the quickcount using the NAMFRELaccreditation by the Com-miss ion on E lec t ions(COMELEC).
NASSA also sought ac-c redi ta t ion f rom theCOMELEC to conduct aquick count but approvedNAMFREL’s pe t i t ion in -stead.
Go is the newly appointedNAMFREL chairman afterbusinessman Jose Concep-tion tendered his resignation
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as a precondition made bythe COMELEC for the pollwatchdog’s accreditation forquick count.
The COMELEC ruled thatConception cannot head acitizen’s arm because he ispublic official, being villagechairman of classy BarangayForbes Park in Makati City.
NAMFREL secretary-gen-era l Er ic Alvia sa id theyneed more vo lunteers tocover the country’s 308,000polling precincts and trans-mit the election returns tothe main tabulating center.
“The volunteers will alsocover all bases in cases of lo-ca t ion cons t ra in ts ,” sa idAlvia.
Go said NAMFREL is setto hold a national assemblyto brief members in the con-duct o f a qu ick count .(CBCPNews )
The CBCP also called ontheir flocks to reject violence,cheating and other forms ofimmoral acts that could pos-sibly happen during the elec-tion period.
It s ingled out “dagdag-bawas” or vote padding andshaving as the common formsof poll fraud that should be“disapproved and con-demned”.
“Let both candidates andtheir supporters face thejudgment of democratic elec-tion with humility and mag-nanimity,” the CBCP said.
The pastoral exhortationwas released during the sign-ing of the “Covenant of
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H.O.P.E” at the Pope Pius XIICenter in Manila on April 24.
The Covenant for Honest,Orderly and Peaceful Elec-tions was the brainchild of theArmed Forces of the Philip-pines’ National Capital Re-gion Command.
Among the signatories ofthe covenant were the CBCP,Commission on HumanRights, Department of Educa-tion, National Capital RegionPolice Office, Parish PastoralCouncil for Responsible Vot-ing, the Fi l ipino All ianceMovement-Support Group,Bantay Bayan Inc. , andDeltaCom, a civic group.(CBCPNews)
A New Saintwith a UniqueLink to thePhilippinesBy Ming Roxas
7QUESTIONS
The implementation ofthe social concernagenda of the Church isan ongoing program ofthe dioceses to addressthe situation of our poorpeople. How is this be-ing realized in your dio-cese?
We are in the process ofimplementing the decreesand statutes of the FirstSynod of Balanga (2006).One of our eight pastoralpriorities is the Communionwith the Poor. The socialconcern agenda of the dio-cese rests on the theology ofthe Kingdom of God. Weare not doing programs forthe poor because we wantthem to become million-aires. Our service for thepoor must lead to the pro-motion of the plan of Godfor His people which is full-ness of life. We are essen-tially different from theDSWD or other NGO’shelping the poor. Our realand only treasure to sharewith the poor is Jesus Christ.
Concretely, we have a di-ocesan home for abandonedchildren, a home for aban-doned elderly, a micro fi-nancing program for smallinvestors, a basic educationfull scholarship program for150 children, most of themfrom the Aeta families, andthe diocesan program forhelping the poor calledAGAP (Alay Galing saPagpapakasakit).
Would you consider par-ticipation in politics apart of the social con-cern agenda of theChurch?
Dirty politics isone of the greatscourges of our na-tion. Politics be-comes dirty andburdensome forthe people when itis conducted with-out Christ. It is theduty of theChurch—clericsand laity—to in-fuse the spirit of holinessinto politics. There must beseparation of Church andState but there should be noseparation of man fromGod.
What is the diocese do-ing to minimize, if not al-together eradicate theprospect of cheating andvote-buying in the up-coming mid-term elec-tions?
Democracy will onlywork if the people in whomtrue democratic power ema-nates are educated and usetheir right responsively andwisely. There is an ongoingvoters’ education in thewhole diocese using themodules of the PPCRV.Vigilance is the small pricethat we must pay if we wishto remain free.
As third bishop ofBalanga, how would youdescribe the journey ofthe diocese in terms ofgrowth in faith of theflock, and developmentof the diocese in the ar-eas of structure and or-ganization?
I am standing on theshoulders of two great
Churchmen—Bishop CelsoGuevarra and Bishop Hon-esto Ongtioco. They havesown good seeds in Bataanwhen they were bishopshere. It is springtime forBataan now because of thelegacy of our first two bish-ops. Bishop Guevarra laidthe foundations of the newdiocese by promoting voca-tions to the priesthood.Bishop Nes laid the ground-work for the first synodthrough the diocesan pasto-ral consultation that he con-ducted. These two greatbishops made life for me somuch easier and the workvery much lighter.
How is the family and lifeprogram in your dio-cese?
The seedbed of all ourpastoral programs is thefamily. The end goal of allour pastoral action is thefamily. The agent for thevarious pastoral agenda isthe family. You will noticethat family life does not ap-pear in any of the eight pas-toral priorities of the dio-cese. It is because family lifepermeates all of them.
The diocese seems to begetting sufficient num-ber of vocations for thepriesthood, how wouldyou appraise the qualityof vocations entering theseminary today?
By the grace of God, weare seeing a remarkable in-crease of seminarians fromthe Diocese of Balanga.How do I explain the in-crease of priestly vocations?First is the example of many
good priests inBataan. Second isthe encouraging at-mosphere ofprayer within thefamily. Many moreyoung men couldhave been admit-ted to the seminaryif the standard ofeducation in publicschools were better
than what it is now. Thereis a lamentable deteriorationin English proficiencywhich is so vital for semi-nary studies. There is alsothe remarkable decline inthe spirit of self disciplineand sacrifice. The culture ofeasy and quick pleasure hasalso sadly affected our semi-nary applicants.
Do you have in your dio-cese concrete programsfor the ongoing forma-tion of your clergy?
Cardinal Sin and CardinalVidal both gave me thesame advice when I was ap-pointed Bishop of Balanga:“Love your priests!” I havealways set the fraternal careof priests as first in my lifeagenda. We have a regularmonthly recollection andpenitential service together.I give some points for spiri-tual growth during thesemonthly gatherings. This ismy regular way of minister-ing to my brothers. In addi-tion to our annual retreat,we also have a five-day re-newal program for someupdating in canon law, lit-urgy, pastoral administra-tion and, of course, spiritu-ality. The minister is moreimportant than the ministry.
MARIE-EUGÉNIE of Jesus,Foundress of the Religious ofthe Assumption, will be canon-ized in Rome on June 3, 2007,along with 3 other saints, at aMass in St. Peter’s Square pre-sided by the Holy Father, PopeBenedict XVI.
Born Anne Eugénie Milleret,Marie-Eugénie believed in thetransformation of societythrough education, to formmen and women of faith, andmen and women of action. Hervision: a world transformed bythe Incarnation of Jesus Christand animated by the Church.Her objectives: to know andlove Jesus Christ, make Himand his Church known andloved, and work for the exten-sion of His Kingdom in soci-ety.
Marie-Eugénie believed thateducation should form the in-tellect enlightened by faith. Theintellect allows the person tounderstand the world, whileFaith provides Gospel values asthe standard by which to for-mulate decisions. For Marie-Eugénie, the goal of educationis the transformation of thewhole person, allowing eachone the freedom to develop ac-cording to God’s plan. InMarie-Eugénie’s words: “Toeducate is to transform; to trans-form is to set a person free.”
Marie-Eugénie’s work con-tinues through the congrega-tion she founded. Today, theReligious of the Assumption isin 34 countries in Europe, Asia,the Americas and Africa.Working with their lay part-ners, over 1,200 sisters in 170communities throughout theworld continue MarieEugenie’s way of spreading theKingdom through love.
The Congregation carries outits educative mission in diverseapostolates: through its schoolsand formation centers forwomen, in health clinics, spiri-tuality and retreat centers andwelcome houses, in centers ofprofessional education as wellas technical and commercialformation and in its ministry toindigenous peoples and mi-grants, through its ecumenicalwork and inter-faith dialogue.
The rich diversity of the mis-sion is mirrored in the Philip-pines-Thailand Province,where the Assumption sisterstransforms society through itsinvolvement in education and
immersion in the communitiesin which they are situated: inKauswagan, Lanao del Norte,being Assumption is a peacecenter for Christians andMaranaws; in Kibangay,Bukidnon, as well as in Makati,Passi, Antipolo and Iloilo, it isa consolidation of lay and Sis-ters working together in basiceducation, including tertiaryeducation in San Lorenzo,Makati; in Malibay, Pasay Cityand in San Simon, Pampanga,poor communities have beentransformed and empoweredby education and the presenceof the Sisters; in Baguio aninculturated community haslearned to accept and respecteach other’s ethnicity with thehelp of Assumption; in XavierUniversity in Cagayan de Oro,and in Saint John’s Universityin Bangkok, the Sisters are in-volved in campus ministrywhile in Thabom, a village innortheast Thailand, the Sistersrun the parish school.
Who was Marie-Eugénie?
Anne-Eugénie Milleret wasborn in Metz, north-east ofFrance in 1871 shortly after thedefeat of Napoleon. Her fatherwas a rich banker and politicianbut, when Anne-Eugénie was13, he lost all his money, theirbeautiful house was sold andthe family split up. She went tolive with her mother in Pariswhile her brother Louis stayedwith their father. Two yearslater, when she was just 15, hermother caught cholera and dieda few hours later. Anne-Eugénie was left alone in theworld.
After several years, stayingwith different families, out-wardly having a good time, butinwardly lonely and restless,Anne-Eugénie found herself inthe Cathedral of Notre Dame inParis. There, listening to an elo-quent preacher, the AbbéLacordaire, she was convertedto Christ and the Church. Shedecided to give her life to JesusChrist.
She was convinced that eachof us has a mission on earth . Whatwas the mission God had des-tined for Eugénie? She saw thatin the world she lived in, mostpeople were growing up with-out any sense of the true mean-ing of life and of their respon-sibilities. There were amazing
new possibilities in science andtechnology, lots of people werenewly rich and even more werein desperate poverty. To manypeople, God was irrelevant.Then she met a priest, Fr.Combalot, who persuaded herthat the best way for her to col-laborate with Jesus in makingthe world what God wanted itto be was to start a new reli-gious family dedicated to edu-cation: the Religious of the As-sumption.
Events that led to Marie-Eugénie’s canonization
Marie-Eugénie was beatifiedon February 9, 1975 by PopePaul VI. In 1996, the cause forcanonization was formallystarted by the Congregation.
The canonization of Marie-Eugénie was made possible bya miracle attributed throughher intercession to a Filipinochild, Risa Bondoc, who, at ageone year and 3 months, was di-agnosed with ‘septo-optic-dys-plasia with left schizencephaly’.MRI findings showed the ab-sence of a septum pellucidum andthe corpus callosum joining thetwo hemispheres of her brainnever formed. Risa was alsodiagnosed to have hypoplasia ofthe optic nerve and both herpituitary gland and hypotha-lamic stalk were small. Doctorsin the United States said shewould never see, walk or talk.
Risa had been adopted byRosendo and Carmen Bondocsoon after birth in 1995. Whenher condition was first diag-nosed, the Bondocs started thenovena to Marie-Eugénie andRisa was made to wear a medalwith a relic of Marie-Eugénie.Risa was also brought to Parisand, in the presence of the Su-perior General and two of herCouncil, was laid on the tombof Marie-Eugénie and com-mended for cure throughMarie-Eugénie’s intercession.Today, Risa is a student at theBasic Education Division ofAssumption College, afriendly, sociable and articu-late young lady with all the
interests of girls her age.
Marie-Eugénie’s way of life
Marie Eugenie’s way is tolive our Christian life fully byknowing and loving JesusChrist and His Church andworking for the extension ofGod’s Kingdom here on earth,in ourselves and in others. Herentire being was fixed firmly onJesus Christ and the extension ofHis Kingdom. Marie Eugeniebelieved in the goodness of theworld God had created and inthe possibility for goodness inevery single person. She un-derstood that when we loveother people we liberate thegood that is in them so thatthey can grow into the personsGod wants them to be.
The conditions of the worldMarie Eugénie grew up in arevery similar to what we facetoday. Yet, in that world, shefound the Kingdom of Godhere on earth. She believed thatthe earth, each of us, is a placeof glory for God. As we lookat the life of Marie Eugénie, wecan see that what makes her asaint can help us become saintstoo. Her philosophy and pathto sainthood will help us in ourpersonal search for meaningand make us partners in thegreat mission of Jesus for thesalvation of the world.
The Philippines-ThailandProvince will be represented bya large delegation of pilgrimscomposed of Sisters, laypartners, alumnae, students,faculty and staff from thedifferent communities for theofficial celebration in Romefrom June 2-4.
The canonization will becarried live by EWTN in thePhilippines on June 3, 2007starting at 4:00 PM (Philippinetime). A Philippine celebrationof the canonization is beingplanned for August 2007.
(Ming Roxas is a faculty of theCommunication Department ofAssumption College. She heads theCommunication Committee for theCanonization of Blessed Marie-Eugénie.)
Risa Bondoc, the girl whose miraculoushealing was attributed through the inter-cession of Blessed Marie-Eugénie
7 QUESTIONS for
Bishop Socrates B. Villegas, DDMost Rev. Socrates B. Villegas, DDwas appointed third bishop ofBalanga by Pope John Paul II onMay 3, 2004. A true shepherdthat he is, Bishop Soc (as he isfondly called), puts first thefraternal care of his clergy inhis life agenda. In this issueof CBCP Monitor, BishopSoc shares his thoughtson issues that concernthe diocese such as theimplementation of theprogram on socialconcerns, the issue ofpolitics and theupcoming elections, thespiritual growth of hisflock, the family and lifeapostolate, vocations and the ongoing formation of thediocesan clergy.
Feature
The official photo that will be displayed in St. Peter’s Square at the canonization ofBlessed Marie-Eugénie
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Vol. 11 No. 8April 16-29, 2007
CBCP MonitorCBCP Monitor6
(This is lif ted from the homily of ArchbishopAngel Lagdameo during the closing Mass of theNational Conference of PPCRV on March 11,2007 at Pius XII, Manila.)
PPCRV, Parish Pastoral Council for Re-sponsible Voting. Another meaning is:Preserving and Promoting the Call forResponsible Voting. Yet another mean-ing: Prayer, Penance and Collaborationfor Renewing Our Voters.
PPCRV, born in 1991, is a lay responseto the call of the Second Plenary Coun-cil of the Philippines for renewing Phil-ippine politics. Even if it comes with thecollaborative support of the clergy, reli-gious and bishops, PPCRV must main-tain its lay character. It is a lay move-ment within the Church.
In the Catechism for Filipino Catholicswe read: “Since we Filipino Catholicsconstitute the great majority of our na-tion, we hold the primary responsibilityfor building a just Philippine Society”(CFC. No. 1193). The challenge of the Ser-vant of God, Pope John Paul II for the la-ity is “Never to relinquish that participa-tion in public life… In the many differ-ent economic, social, legislative and ad-ministrative and cultural areas which in-tend to promote organically and institu-tionally the common good” (CFC No. 43).
The first image given by the Gospel is
Pedro C. QuitorioEditor-in-Chief
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that of the parable of unfruitful fig tree(Lk. 13:6-9). In spite of the work of thegardener digging around the fig tree andputting in some fertilizer, it still re-mained unfruitful . The owner whowanted it destroyed was prevailed uponby the gardener—to give the fig tree yetanother chance. If the tree bears fruits,so much the better; if not it may be de-stroyed.
In this image, the owner is undoubt-edly God, the fig tree is our country, thefertilizer are the efforts to renew ourelectoral conduct, in order to make ourelections clean, honest, accurate, mean-ingful and peaceful election. The gar-dener is the PPCRV. You can develop theimage and enlarge the picture. The em-phasis in this image is on the work ofthe gardener, the PPCRV which with“faith and fire” wants to make the figtree, our country, fruitful in terms ofchoosing the right leaders in a climateof credible election.
The second image is the healing of acrippled woman, crippled for eighteenyears, bent over and unable to stand upstraight. Here there is no intermediaryas telling in the first. There is only Jesuswho performs a miracle by telling thecrippled woman “Woman, you are setfree from your ailment!” And presto! She
is cured. Is this what we want to happento our country? Would that it will be thatway! That after more than half a centuryof struggle for good election, somemiracle will happen! To free our coun-try from the evils of “bad elections!” Theimage is like that of EDSA I and II; butnot quite because in these divine inter-vention, accompanies the human inter-vention.
The three day convention comple-ments the “faith and fire” in the heartsof PPCRV agents. I like to hear what hasbeen said that “once a PPCRV, always aPPCRV.” I like to think that a merger ofthe two images may well be the fruit ofyour prayer and penance: that you, mydear PPCRV cooperators, are God’s in-strument of new miracle, waiting to hap-pen. You can make things happen! As Il isten to your observations anddesiderata, I could not but say within:“Prepare for worst.” But as I look at yourenthusiasm and determination, I couldnot but say within: “Hope for the best.”
Who was it that said: “The Filipino isworth dying for”?
And who was it that said: “It takesonly one person to do nothing for evilto triumph.”
And so we go back again to what wesaid last December “watch and pray.”
In and Out of SeasonIn and Out of SeasonIn and Out of SeasonIn and Out of SeasonIn and Out of Season
Poverty, Politics and theParish
THERE is too much at stake in the vi-ability of this nation as a democracy. Themedia’s continuous harping of the pos-sibility of another Hello Garci situation,the lack of trust in the COMELEC, thepolitical killings, the new outburst inSulu—a shooting war between theMNLF and the Philippine army—allthese will come to a head during and af-ter election, come May 14. We pray thatthings will turn out better—that the re-sults of the elections are not tainted withcheating. We pray that our democraticinstitutions will survive and the Filipinonation will be on the road to progress.
Politics and its accompanying corrup-tion, is a two-edged sword that cutstwice—first, with the money share fromcorrupt practices to buy the votes of thepoor, and second, with the pork barrelfunds to keep the family dynasty inpower. And who are the victims? Theyare the 20 million families that live be-low the poverty line. They are the 3.4million households who experience hun-ger twice a month. These unfortunatesare not aware that they can wield powerduring election time. For lack of educa-tion and lack of time to care to under-stand political platforms from which toselect the right candidates, they wouldrather spend precious moments to eke aliving in tilling the soil or catching fish,
or harvesting coconuts or choose to mi-grate to urban areas to seek a livelihoodbut sometimes end up in ghettos im-mersed in crime-ridden surroundings.
Is there anything that the PhilippineChurch, the Church of the Poor can do? Wehave in our library two books of theChurch that give a complete analysis ofthe Philippine situation, including pov-erty, politics and parishes, our thesis forthis column. These are the “ACTS ANDDECREES of the SECOND PLENARYCOUNCIL of the PHILIPPINES (20 Janu-ary – 17 February 1001) and CHURCH RE-NEWAL, Proceedings and Addresses ofthe National Pastoral Consultation,CBCP, The Challenge to Catholicism in theNew Millennium. 22-27 January 2001. Notethat these 2 masterpieces in defining thePhilippine Church situation are 10 yearsapart. In another 4 years CBCP, I am surewill come out with another assessment.In jest, one of the bishops predicted, thiswill be another NATO—NO ACTION,TALK ONLY. We can laugh at it if it werenot to end in tragedy.
If ever there is any time that lay em-powerment is needed it is during elec-tion time. It is admirable that the PPCRVis now in the forefront in voters’ educa-tion. The television debate of the politi-cal candidates hopefully will educatemost of the Filipinos, at least those who
have television sets to see and hear thecandidates speaking. I am sure the A,B, and C classes of society will be ableto discern who the worthy candidatesare. The families belonging to the D andE category, 20 million of them, will needface-to-face intervention. The best forawill be during meetings of the BasicEcclesial Communities of the Parishes.Consider that each voter will have to re-call 38 names and a party list to fill theballot. Some have not handled pencil andpaper for months. Dedication of the pa-rishioners to spend a little time for con-ducting an election exercise with sampleballots will have tremendous effect. Donot forget that the political party who es-pouses the PCP-II social doctrines astheir platform is KAPATIRAN. And thecandidates are PAREDES, SISON andBAUTISTA.
The best output of lay empowermentis attaining social transformation. Itstarts with choosing the leaders who putGod in politics—the party’s principlesand political platform. Remember theparishes outnumber the total number oftowns—2,703 versus 1,510 towns. Thisappeal is addressed to all lay leadersespecially those who are involved in theBEC’s. Let us see if we can be the changeagent in the voting practices of ourpeople.
Opinion
Nothing Really Bad with RP-China Agri Deals
THERE is really nothing bad with the recent RP-ChinaAgribusiness deals which were signed during the state visitof Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao last January. There wereimmediately 17 agreements placed in the bag amounting toP197.7 billion that, reportedly, will cover 1.2 million hectaresof farmlands.
The Agriculture Secretary calls the breakthrough “the goldenage of bilateral relations between the Philippines and China,and heralds the ascendancy of China as a strategic partnerof the Philippines in its drive for agricultural modernizationand global competitiveness.”
There is real gold in this venture which is expected to soarup to P240 billion worth of Chinese investments once allagreements are totally concluded.
The only rub is, a cursory check with some of the Filipinocorporations in partnership with the Chinese investorsreveals some anomalous transactions in the offing. For howwould a corporation be in partnership with multi-billioninvestors when its incorporation happened only months agoand its subscribed capital stock totals only a measly millionpesos? And this, not to mention the names of incorporatorsthat are not known in business circles who may easily bedummies. This sounds like a repeat of the computer dealsat COMELEC which until now are squirming with worms.
And we are not yet talking about environmental issueswhere forest lands may be part of the millions of hectaresthat will be converted for agribusiness use of the Chinesewho are not known for environmental safety.
There is really nothing bad with RP-Chinese agribusinessdeals—except that these are deals entered into by dirtyhands in a land that tops the Asian list of the most corrupt.
Population and CorruptionA RECENT survey said that a rather big majority of itsrespondents favored the use of contraceptives. Obviously,the intention is to lessen the population in the country andconsequently, as if by cause and effect, have prosperity inthe land. Immediately, anti-population characters in thelegislature and administration joined the pro-contraceptivechoir.
Truth to say, this is a simplistic stance to population. Lesserpopulation automatically means prosperity. Biggerpopulation readily means poverty. This is the so-calledsimple and plain “pie approach”. The more persons eat thepie, the lesser portion they have. The fewer people partakeof the pie, the bigger pieces. This equation is not that hardto understand.
Even children are much aware of such a simplisticquantitative truth the more so do anti-population proponentsknow such a numerical approach. More people are definitelybad for the national economy. Less people are infalliblygood for national socio-economic development. Theequation is self-evident. The conclusion is elementary.
But this is wrong.
The people in this country are poor not simply because oftheir number but rather on account of the endemic graft andpervasive corruption in their government.
The government directly and/or indirectly taxes each one ofthe millions of Filipinos. Yet it has a dismal performance inpromoting their common good in return.
The truth is, were it not for population of the country, thegovernment would not be all well in keeping the nationaleconomy still somehow afloat through OFW remittances.
Population is not an impediment to prosperity but rather theengine of development. The obstacle to national developmentis found in corrupt government agencies; in graftersoccupying public offices. Plus a basically incapablegovernment that is rich in super visions but poor in realityperformance.
As to the emerging popularity of contraception to readilyand effectively lessen population instead of the commonresolve to clean the government of graft and corruption, letit be said that what is easy is not necessarily right just aswhat is difficult is not automatically wrong.
Contraception is but a smoke screen in squarely lookingat and really resolving the poverty in the country.
HAVE you ever met Baby Joshua? This isthe name I gave to the plastic model of athree month old unborn baby that I use todemonstrate in my pro-life presentations.
In biology, a three month old human be-ing in the mother’s womb is called a fetus,after it has passed its being a zygote andan embryo. The Latin word fetus actuallymeans “my little one”. What a cute, endear-ing name, right? But nowadays, those whopromote abortion belittle the value of theunborn baby by calling it fetus to removeany positive feelings for babies. No onewants to kill a baby. But who cares about afetus, they say.
And that is why, when I speak to theyouth about respect and care for life, I firstshow them the wonder of creation—thegrowth and development of the baby insidethe uterus. Then I show them the ugly pic-tures of abortion and what it does to thebaby. Then I show them the fetal model toemphasize how innocent, weak and vulner-able it is, needing our care and love. Then Iinvite the audience to join me in the Spiri-tual Adoption Prayer for Unborn Babies. Iexplain: somewhere, there is a girl or awoman who is in distress because of a preg-nancy she is not ready for. The baby in herwomb is target for abortion. But with thepower of prayer, she might meet someonewho could give her the correct advice andhelp so she will be able to go on with herpregnancy. I tell the audience to think of aname to give to that baby that needs to besaved. The name I always choose is BabyJoshua. Joshua is the Jewish version of Jesus,
Hesus or Jesu. And Jesus means Savior.This plastic fetal model has saved so
many babies in danger of abortion. I showit to the young women who come to ourcounseling center insisting that abortion isthe only way out of their predicament. Theyask me, knowing I am a nurse, to give themthe name of any medicine they can take inorder to have their menses again, that is, tomake them unpregnant. I then hold BabyJoshua in my palm and explain how everypart of his body is now fully formed. Thebaby can feel, feed, and sleep or kickaround at the age of three months.
Usually, the pregnant girl looks at themodel in awe, begins to cry, and admitsthat she really does not want abortion. Shejust does not know what to do—
abandoned by the father of the baby, fear-ful of the anger of her parents, unsure ofwhat her future will be.
Step by step, we discuss her situation,looking for resources that she could tap,and offering our own resources: confiden-tiality (they are so afraid that the world willknow), a place to stay while pregnant, goafter the father of the baby to find out whathe himself intends to do since this is hisresponsibility, or refer her to an OB for herprenatal check up and delivery. We also saywe can find families who will foster care ofthe baby for a few months if she is unableto take care of him/her and if she has notdecided to have the baby for legal adop-tion yet. There are so many childlesscouples just wanting to adopt a child.
Finally, we discuss with her what led her
to this pregnancy that she was not readyfor. If she is single, then we discuss aboutproper boy-girl relationships. If she is mar-ried, we explain to her the effectiveness ofthe modern, scientific natural family plan-ning methods. We do not advice artificialcontraceptives because they fail so oftenand this makes the woman go for abortionif a baby is conceived.
It is such a joy to be able to help thesepregnant women decide to give birth totheir babies. They walk out of our counsel-ing center with a radiant smile and newhope, so different from the time when theywalked in with long faces and puffy eyesfrom crying every night due to desperation.
We, counselors, have many stories to tellwhen we gather together (without mention-ing names, of course). We are proud to bepart of God’s apostles for life. We call our-selves the Life Savers! If you want to knowmore about our mission and maybe, some-day, you could also be part of our rescueteam, call Pro-life Office at 911-2911. Or justtext me at 0920-945-5494. We care.
Please say this daily with me and helpsave many babies from abortion!
Spiritual Adoption Prayer for the unborn.Jesus, Mary, Joseph,I love you very much.I beg you to spare the lifeOf the unborn child thatI have spiritually adoptedWho is in danger of abortion.The name of the baby I have adopted
is:__________ (Composed by Bishop Fulton Sheen)
HAVEN’T you noticed footages, photosand radio reports about the sad state of jailsunder the management (or mismanage-ment) of the Bureau of Jail Managementand Penology, all reported the inhumanconditions in local jails? People are lockedin crammed facilities easily considered firetraps. There have been no marked improve-ments in physical structures, sanitation andmost probably, meals served the inmatesover the past years. It appears both nationaland local government agencies have forgot-ten people inside the jails.
The Quezon City Jail was originally builtto house a little over 800 inmates but nowhas over 3,000 individuals. Chief PublicAttorney Persida V. Rueda-Acosta led law-yers from her office and doctors from theDepartment of Justice to check on the in-mates who ought to be released after serv-ing time inside the congested facility. Ifound time to see for myself what’s goingon. One would definitely have an idea ofwhat hell is inside the facility.
Such a facility leaves me more questionssuch as how Quezon City Jail escapedsafety inspectors from the Bureau of Fire
Some Questions (Part 1)Melo M. Acuña
Issues and ConcernsIssues and ConcernsIssues and ConcernsIssues and ConcernsIssues and Concerns
Protection, known to be meticulous andstrict to the slightest deficiencies and vio-lations for the Fire Code of the Philippines.They could have easily recommendedsprinklers and their preferred fire extin-guishers which come at almost unimagin-able costs.
The Bureau of Fire Protection is a sisteragency of the Bureau of Jail Managementand Penology, along with the PhilippineNational Police, all under the Departmentof Interior and Local Government. Has theBureau of Fire Protection set their sights toofar they failed to see what’s at the tip oftheir noses?
Lives are at risk at the Quezon City Jail.Our Justice system provides rehabilitationand reformation. One who undergoes pun-ishment should not be exposed to dangersposed by neglectful officials for it does notnecessarily mean we will no longer extendhumane living conditions to detention pris-oners. Would the concerned governmentexecutives do something before it is toolate?
* * *
Will ordinary mortals like us get to peekat the income tax returns of our favoritesenatorial, congressional and local candi-dates, now too visible across the media?The answer is a resounding “No” as every-one is entitled to some privacy.
BIR Commissioner Jose Bunag saidthere’s got to be a law for them to releasevital records to the public. I do not see anyproposed law would ever pass first read-ing. It all makes us wonder where all thesevery visible candidates get their resourcesto fund their campaign. CommissionerBunag, in an interview over Veritas 846 saidthese campaign funds came from their sup-porters and donors. BIR should take a longhard look at this practice for they ought tocharge Donor’s tax, right? Are the donorsthat endowed they can afford to contrib-ute hundreds of thousands, if not millionsof pesos. There’s a strong possibility someof these candidates received some financ-ing syndicates, say those involved injueteng , but nobody’s talking. Who wouldanyway?
AS a pastor of a particular Church, I have been wonderinghow to effect the harmonious and dynamic relationship be-tween the lay faithful and the priests that would lead not onlyto the appreciation of their dignity but would also maximizethe exercise of their functions as priests, kings and prophetsin the parishes. It is true that Canon 208 provides for closecollaboration among the faithful when it states: “From theirrebirth in Christ, there exists among all the Christian faithful atrue equality regarding dignity and action by which they allcooperate in the building up of the Body of Christ accordingto each one’s own condition and function.” But it does notspell out in the concrete how it looks like and how this couldbe realized.
The early Christian community in Jerusalem as describedin the Acts of the Apostles with the members’ concern for oneanother motivated as they were by the celebration of the Eu-charist is usually conjured as the model of how cooperationin the Church would appear. But the complexity of the worldof today simply demands for other Church models that wouldstrike that dynamic relationship among its members.
Meantime, a glimmer of it was recently shown me in theChrism Mass in the Diocese of Tagbilaran. As a new pastor ofthe place, it was my first time to preside at the liturgy. Andthere I saw a model how the clergy and the laity could moreeffectively work together in the building up of the Body ofChrist on earth. It was Monday of Holy Week. Priests gath-ered together in the morning and had a short recollection inpreparation for the Chrism Mass and their renewal of theircommitment as priests in the Church of Tagbilaran. For a widerperspective of their priesthood they took as their speaker alay man in the person of Mr. Frank Padilla, the founder of theCFC.
In the early afternoon, the lay faithful came in and congre-gated in the Cathedral, made a recollection with the bishop ofTagbilaran himself as the speaker. After that they made theHoly Hour and Stations of the Cross as their prayer for thepriests. It was only after these separate preparations that theChrism Mass proper was celebrated. It was a Liturgy to be-hold: the lay people praying for their priests; the priests re-newing their commitment to serve the lay faithful with re-newed vigor and enthusiasm, the bishop absorbing them allin his own person and office, bringing them all up to God,pleading for His choice blessings for the particular Church,the Diocese of Tagbilaran.
In the ministry of governance, the bishop has the pastoralobligation to assist the lay faithful to understand and to ac-cept the kingly gift that they received in baptism. Accordingto Benedict XVI in his address to the bishops of Provinces ofLouisville, Mobile and New Orleans, this kingly office is firstexpressed in that “royal freedom which enables the faithful toovercome the reign of sin in their own lives and, by servingChrist in others…, to guide them to that King whom to serveis to reign” (ZEO4120520). And since for the lay faithful theexercise of this kingly office is directed to the spread of theKingdom of Gospel through secular activities, imbuing, thatis, the world with the Spirit of Christ so that justice, love andpeace may reign, the bishop has to encourage them throughcatechesis and continuing formation, to recognize their dis-tinctive dignity and mission. As the Pope continued his ex-hortation: “This means that the laity must be trained to distin-guish clearly between their rights and duties as members ofthe Church and those which they have as members of humansociety, and encouraged to combine the two harmoniouslyrecognizing that in every temporal affair they are to be guidedby their Christian conscience, since there is no human activ-ity—even in the temporal order—that can be withdrawn fromGod’s dominion” (ibid.; also, Vatican II, LG, no. 36; also, Canon227)).
The implication of the words of Benedict XVI is that the layfaithful should not remain as the “long hand of the hierar-chy”, a group that moves only when mandated by the bishopand their pastors. They should be empowered. Empowermenthere means due recognition of the legitimate freedom of thelay faithful to undertake on their own the apostolate due tothe baptism that they received. They are commissioned bythe Lord Himself, expected to undertake the spread of theGospel in their own right and to perform their functions aspriests, kings, and prophets by the sheer fact that they are bap-tized and confirmed. It too means that they have their distinc-tive role in the mission of the Church. “They live in theworld…They are called there by God that by exercising theirproper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they maywork for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven.In this way they may make Christ known to others” (LG 31).
And more importantly, it demands from the hierarchy theproper discernment to appreciate the workings of the HolySpirit in their lives. They are in the world and they are thereprecisely to reinvigorate the Church in places where the clergycannot reach. Many of them receive charisms for the buildingup of the Church. They are not aliens nor are they enemies ofthe Church; neither do they intend to put up a parallel Church,competitors for the allegiance of the people. They are therebecause “their specific vocation and their mission is that ofexpressing the Gospel in their lives and, in that way, of insert-ing the Gospel as leavening into the reality of the world inwhich they live and work” (John Paul II, “The Task of theLaity to Permeate”, L’Osservatore Romano, October 15, 1980).
The lay faithful, that is, the young men and women whoare acting as leaven of the secular world and the hope of thefuture of the Church, the married couples who lived the loveof Christ in their homes and families; and, all the men andwomen who bring the Gospel to their homes, workplaces,politics and the to the world as a whole, are invaluable mem-bers of the local Church. An appreciation of their secularity,their distinctive gifts and apostolate will lead to a greater com-mitment and shared responsibility.
The bishop has to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spiritwho is forever, living, working and speaking in the baptizedindividuals and groups of individuals. He should know howto discern the workings of the Spirit, the rich variety of charismsand ministries which are poured upon some lay members forthe building up and renewal of the Church. This of coursedemands from the pastor the conscious effort to listen, to dis-cern, to appreciate, and even to put up structures of commun-ion and participation.
The lay faithful praying for their priests, the priests renew-ing their commitment to spend their lives to bring to the layfaithful the Word and the Sacraments, the bishop working forthe fruitful collaboration and harmonious cooperation betweenthese two members for the building up of the Body of Christ,was mirrored in the Mass of the Chrism last Holy Monday inthe Cathedral of Tagbilaran. It is our fondest hope that thispicture of communion and participation in the liturgy be soontransported to the day to day living of the Christian Faithfulin the local Church in Bohol.
THIS is an open letter to Manny Pacquiao,loudly rumored to be intending to run forCongressman in the coming May elections.I’m writing it weeks before the March 29deadline set for filing one’s candidacy, butwhether this unsolicited advice reachesManny, or not at all, wouldn’t worry me.I’m thankful I can tell my truth, even if itexposes me to (chuckle!) ridicule. So here:
Dear Manny: Since the first time I inter-viewed you, in 2002, I’ve sort of followedyour career. Not that I’m that keen aboutboxing—bloody sport!—it’s only that I hap-pen to believe you’re a different boxer.You’re a “ring evangelist”, someone whowitnesses to the power of God from theboxing ring.
What struck me most when we first metwas your apparent surrender to God, theease with which you attributed your victo-ries to Him, your avowed gratitude to TheSource for all that you have. You guilelesslyrecalled your lowly beginnings, and youdreamed aloud about sharing your bountywith the needy, especially the young whoyou believed could be lured away from viceby the discipline of sports. Knowing youcould enter the ring as a champion andleave it as a corpse, you were consistent insaying that your life is in His hands—thisexplained the Sign of the Cross you’d makebefore and after each round, and the Ro-sary worn around your neck before andafter each game. No doubt your virtualasceticism, denying yourself pleasureswhen training for a fight, was your key tocareer excellence, but even that you won’ttake credit for—everything for you was“Salamat sa Diyos.”
A more cynical bystander would prob-ably think it’s all talk with you, all a showto win “pogi points” with media, but it’salso true that “out of the bounty of theheart, the mouth speaks.” I do believe youspoke from your heart, and I do know, too,that one can’t just blabber on about surren-der to God if one doesn’t have in his heart
at least the desire for it.So I’m wondering now—why this im-
pending career-switch from God-fearingathlete to politician? Call this meddling ormaternal instinct, but if you were my son,this is what I’d say: You are already abovepolitics, serving your people and yourcountry in full freedom by being yoursimple, sincere, generous self—so whywant to be something else?
I can’t claim to know you inside out, butI think you’ll just be treated like a glamor-ized pawn in politics. You’re hot prop-erty—see how boxing promoters are slug-ging it out for control over you? It’s thesame divisive game with politicians—onlybloodier, and veiled in so-called noble in-tentions. They will use your money, capi-talize on your fame, and take advantage ofyour inexperience by saying you can servepeople better by becoming one of them.
Don’t just listen to me, Manny; listen toyour fans who truly care for you, and lis-ten to history. Since Cicero’s time, politicshas been essentially the same: bread, cir-cuses, broken promises. Politics thrives onlies, and as English writer George Orwellwrote in 1946, “Political language…is de-signed to make lies sound truthful andmurder respectable, and to give an appear-ance of solidity to pure wind.”
Your simplicity is your strength, but inthe land of wolves that politics is, it will beyour Waterloo. Being a greenhorn you’llbe at the mercy of scheming politicians—and as history proves, politicians are notexactly the most well-meaning people onearth.
Those who defend your intention toserve your people egg you on by saying youdon’t need to be a lawyer to become a con-gressman; I say you don’t need to becomea congressman to serve your people.You’ve been doing much more for thecountry than any congressman can evenhope to do. The millions you’ve been shar-ing with the needy come not from a pork
barrel but from your own sweat and blood,from risking your life on the ring in order“make Filipinos happy and to bring honorto the country.” You are free—you needno signatures from the higher ups to dogood works.
Stay free, Manny, but also ask yourselfwhy you are attracted to politics, for itcould also be your yen for gambling that’sspurring you on to hop into the politicalarena. Politics is gambling, and the stakesthere are much higher than those in anycasino or cockpit. Your “supporters” claimthat by entering politics you are making a“big sacrifice in order to serve the people.”A big sacrifice? The biggest sacrifice youcan make is to convert your rich man’s vicesinto rich man’s virtues. Instead of blow-ing away your “barya” (loose change) onexpensive pastimes, funnel your moneyand time into your dream of developing theyouth. You said it’s your way of thankingGod for all He has given you: leaving alegacy to your countrymen by putting upsports complexes all over the country forthe young. You’re a hero, a politician inyour own right; you need no political partyto approve your projects.
You’ve always said you fight to win andmake the Filipinos happy. That patrioticintention, simply stated, speaks of a free-dom to love that has set you apart from andabove partisan politics, and it has bornefruit. Each time you fight they watch andpray. When your country celebrates yourvictory, your kababayans the world over re-joice—there are no rich, no poor, no Mus-lims, no Christians, no leftists, no rightists,no pro-administration, no opposition—justFilipinos proud that the champ is a Filipino.
You see, you’re a national treasure,Manny, a heaven-sent “pambansangkamao” that inspires hope in the Filipino.Without even trying to, you make of thePhilippines one nation, one people. That,neither President nor Cardinal has everdone. And that’s the truth.
Don’t, Pacman, don’t!Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS
…and tha…and tha…and tha…and tha…and thattttt’’’’’s the trs the trs the trs the trs the truth!uth!uth!uth!uth!
Bp. Leonardo Y. Medroso, JCD, DD
TTTTTidbitsidbitsidbitsidbitsidbits
Opinion
Vol. 11 No. 8April 16-29, 2007
CBCP MonitorCBCP Monitor8
ECBA Trains Families for Family BibleApostolate
Bible Quiz ChallengeAccepted in Europe
“And the Word was made flesh; He had made His tent pitched among us, and wehave seen His Glory, the Glory of His only Son, coming from the Father: fullness oftruth and loving kindness (Jn 1:14)”
By. Fr. Oscar Alunday, SVDTHE National Secretariat forthe National Catholic FilipinoBible Quiz witnessed God’sglory manifested in thechanged lives of the Family par-ticipants both in the 1st and 2ndNational Catholic Family BibleQuiz in the Philippines. TheWord of God continues to beflesh and blood in the childrenand among the youth togetherwith their parents.
“I never thought we could cometogether to read and pray, reflect,and study the Bible together as aFamily.” “Our parents are verybusy and we are also busy with ourbooks. But we don’t have time toopen the Bible as a family.” Theseare the laments of parents andchildren on the difficult realityof family life. But during thepreparations and Bible Quizproper, the family was broughttogether in prayer and reflec-tion. One father of a family con-testant said, “I could see Godembracing each of us in our fam-ily as we gathered around the Wordof God and answered the questionsduring the Bible Quiz.” TheFather’s embrace has broughttogether 483 Filipino Familiesfrom 458 parishes and 413 layBible animators during the 2ndNational Catholic Filipino BibleQuiz. (2006).
After viewing the MTV of thesong “Power to Unite,” the com-munity of Chaplains for the Fili-pino Migrant Workers in Italy,who were gathered for a two-day workshop from Feb.12-13,2007 at the Mater Amabilis Li-turgical-Pastoral Center inVicenza, Italy, expressed theiradmiration and wonder for thecommitment of Filipino fami-lies who zealously studiedGod’s Word as a Family.“Nakaka-inspire at nakaka-touch!” (It was so inspiring!).
These 16 Chaplains are min-istering in different major citiesof Italy where thousands of Fili-pino migrants are working:seven are from Rome; two fromMilan; two from Vicenza; onefrom Padova; one from Brescia;one from Verona; one fromAncona–Osimo, and one fromTreviso . Some are officially as-signed as Chaplains for the Fili-pino Migrants and others workas volunteers in the ministrybecause some are full time stu-dents or assigned with specialmissions by their Congrega-
tions. They work closely withthe Episcopal Commission forthe Pastoral Care for Migrantsand Itinerant People (ECMI-CBCP, Manila) and with theEpiscopal Commission onPontificio Collegio Filippino(ECPCF-CBCP, Rome).
Their ministry consists ofmany pastoral activities such asgiving health care to the sickworkers who need first aid orreferrals to hospitals. They alsoprovide Family and Youth Min-istry in coordination with theRadio Pinoy sa Roma (Filipino inRome). They work actively inemergency communicationslike “Hopeline,” where anyonecan call at anytime to talk tosomeone in times of distress orpressure. They have alsoopened a Website (http://www.centrof i l ip ino .com)where anyone can access theCentro Filipino. Some Chap-lains are also involved in theSea Ministry, working with Fili-pino seafarers who come andgo.
These priests and religiouspeople who devote themselvesto serving our kababayans (fel-low citizens) give only theirbest: their physical presence inlistening and attending to theemotional, psychological, andspiritual needs of the overseasworkers; their active liturgicalcelebrations combined with thesacramental and catecheticalformations; and many others.They also assist Filipino work-ers struggling with legal prob-lems concerning their employ-ment and work permits. Theydo much in the advocacy pro-grams for the rights and protec-tion of our migrant Filipino sis-ters and brothers. “Eto na yongsagot sa maraming hindipagkakaunawaan ng mgakababayang manggagawa at patina rin sa amin sa Chaplaincy.Kailangan talaga ang Salita ngPanginoon bilang susi ngpagkakaunawaan at pagkakaisaupang matatag sapaghahanapbuhay. Rendiamograzie a Dio.” (This is the re-sponse to the trivial misunder-standings of the migrant work-ers and even in the Chaplaincy.God’s Word is indeed neces-sary as the key to understand-ing and unity to achieve a bet-ter life. Let us give thanks toGod.)
This was the “chorus” of theChaplains in their firm convic-tion on the importance of theWord of God in the Chaplaincy.The Chaplains enthusiasticallyengaged in asking questionsand clarifications about themechanics of the Bible Quiz. Agood number of suggestionsregarding the venue, the num-ber of family participants, thepreparations, and review wereclarified to everyone. After agood understanding of theproject as a ministry to the Fili-pino Catholic Families, they alldeclared: “We will accept thechallenge of celebrating the FirstInternational Catholic FamilyBible Quiz in Europe.”
The group cheered loudly intheir optimism for the successof the endeavor. After a solemnprayer of thanksgiving, theChaplains sang a beautiful Fili-pino Marian song invoking theaid of the Mother of the Incar-nate Word. It was almost mid-night when the Pinoy Chap-lains rested in the cold winternight.
And so God’s Word willcontinue to be made flesh andblood in more Filipino Catho-lic families so that with theirfaith strengthened, “the Filipinomigrants and people on the movemay give witness to Christ wher-ever they go.” (ECMI goal) AsPope Paul VI said, “The family,like the Church, ought to be aplace where the Gospel is trans-mitted and from which the Gos-pel radiates. In a family which isconscious of this mission, all themembers evangelize and are evan-gelized. The family not only com-municates the Gospel to their chil-dren; but from their children, theycan themselves receive the sameGospel as deeply lived by them.And such a family becomes theevangelizer of many other fami-lies, and of the neighborhood ofwhich it forms a part.”(PCPII Art23,1) The 1st InternationalCatholic Family Bible Quiz inItaly is a response to this callof Mother Church.
May the Holy Spirit, who isour “advance partner,” ever in-spire and move many of themore than 10 million FilipinoFamilies affected by migration,to spread God’s Word as theSource of Hope and better liv-ing. (World Impact Communi-cations, Inc.)
By Pinky Barrientos, FSP
THE Episcopal Commission on BiblicalApostolate (ECBA) facilitated a four-day re-treat with the families of National CatholicFamily Bible Quiz (NCFBQ) champions onApril 12-15, 2007, at the SVD Retreat Housein Tagaytay City.
ECBA executive secretary Fr. OscarAlunday, SVD conducted the spiritual activ-ity with Joy Candelario, secretary general ofthe Youth Secretariat of Federation of AsianBishops’ Conference (FABC). The retreat wasbiblical following the “bibliodrama” element.
“We were reflecting on the experience ofthe Holy Family as a family; like [life in]Nazareth, presentation of Jesus, when he gotlost in the temple, [and Mary and Joseph}looking for him,” explained Alunday.
The first retreat for family of championswas held in 2004 after the first National Fam-ily Bible Quiz. The recently held retreat inTaytay had the families of those who won in2004 and in February 2006-January 2007 quiz.
ECBA hopes to organize twenty Catholicfamilies rooted in the word of God who will,in turn, continue in their respective regionsto bring awareness to families on the impor-tance of being entrenched in the Bible.
“Our vision is to come up with twentyCatholic Filipino families who will becomethe core group of the family [bible] apostolatein the Philippines,” said Alunday. “We aretraining the pioneers. So, we already haveeight families.”
By 2010, the NCFBQ would have produced20 champions from different regions of thecountry. The families of these twenty cham-pions will constitute the pioneering group ofthe family bible apostolate in the Philippines.
NCFBQ in Italy
On April 22 this year, the first Family BibleQuiz for OFW’s will be held in Florence, Italy.After Florence, the Bible Quiz is scheduledto be held in Milan, after which it will go toVenice and then Rome, where the final quizwill be held in October.
According to Alunday, they hope to repli-cate in Italy their idea of forming twentyCatholic families who are rooted in the wordof God, to evangelize the Filipino migrantworkers and their families.
ECBA is currently coordinating with theEpiscopal Commission on Migrants and Itin-erant People (ECMI) and the chaplaincy pro-
gram of the Filipinos in Europe. Alunday saidItaly was the first European country that wel-comed the idea. But he is optimistic the effortcan be replicated in other countries also, cit-ing Germany as another possibility becauseof the active participation of OFW’s in thebible apostolate there.
First held in 2004 in Guadalajara, Mexicoon the occasion of the International Congress,the Family Bible Quiz has brought ECBA inclose collaboration with various national anddiocesan commissions, such as the NationalSecretariat of Bible Quiz, Eucharistic Con-gress Committee, ECMI, Liturgy, Commis-sion on Youth and Family and Life.
“Power to Unite”
Since the NCFBQ is intended to involve thewhole family, organizers thought of a way tomake the youth participate in the celebration.The recently concluded 2nd NCFBQ in Janu-ary 2007 included a song contest which wasparticipated in by the youth.
The song “Power to Unite,” which ex-presses the joy of understanding and livingthe word of God, won the contest.
Alunday happily noted that ArchbishopRomulo Valles, current chairman of the Epis-copal Commission on Liturgy has allowed thesong “Power to Unite” to be sung in churchesduring liturgical celebrations.
Bibliodrama – depicting the present ation in the temple
Bibliodrama – depicting the Annunciation episode in theBible
sacrament being conferred, andthis fact should particularly berecalled when the conferring ofbaptism would be impossible,”it said.
This does not deny that allsalvation comes through Christand in some way through theChurch, it said, but it requires amore careful understanding ofhow this may work.
The document outlined sev-eral ways by which unbaptizedbabies might be united to Christ
— A “saving conformity toChrist in his own death” by in-fants who themselves suffer anddie.
— A solidarity with Christamong infant victims of vio-lence, born and unborn, wholike the holy innocents killed byKing Herod are endangered bythe “fear or selfishness of oth-ers.”
— God may simply give thegift of salvation to unbaptizedinfants, corresponding to hissacramental gift of salvation tothe baptized.
The document said the stan-dard teaching that there is “nosalvation outside the Church”calls for similar interpretation.
The Church’s Magisteriumhas moved toward a more “nu-anced understanding” of how asaving relationship with theChurch can be realized, it said.This does not mean that some-
one who has not received thesacrament of baptism cannot besaved, it said.
Rather, it means that “there isno salvation which is not fromChrist and ecclesial by its verynature,” it said.
The document quoted St.Paul’s teaching that spouses ofChristians may be “conse-crated” through their wives orhusbands. This indicates that theholiness of the Church reachespeople “outside the visiblebounds of the Church” throughthe bonds of human commun-ion, it said.
The document said theChurch clearly teaches thatpeople are born into a state ofsinfulness—original sin—whichrequires an act of redemptivegrace to be washed away.
But Scripture also proclaimsthe “superabundance” of graceover sin, it said. That seems tobe missing in the idea of limbo,which identifies more withAdam’s sinfulness than withChrist’s redemption, it said.
“Christ’s solidarity with all ofhumanity must have priorityover the solidarity of humanbeings with Adam,” it said.
Liturgically, the motive forhope was confirmed by the in-troduction in 1970 of a funeralrite for unbaptized infantswhose parents intended topresent them for baptism, it said.
The commission said the newtheological approach to thequestion of unbaptized babiesshould not be used to “negatethe necessity of baptism, nor todelay the conferral of the sacra-ment.”
“Rather, there are reasons tohope that God will save these in-fants precisely because it wasnot possible to do for them thatwhat would have been most de-sirable—to baptize them in thefaith of the Church and incorpo-rate them visibly into the bodyof Christ,” it said.
The commission said hopeful-ness was not the same as cer-tainty about the destiny of suchinfants.
“It must be clearly acknowl-edged that the Church does nothave sure knowledge about thesalvation of unbaptized infantswho die,” it said.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,now Pope Benedict, was presi-dent of the commission and headof the doctrinal congregationwhen the commission beganstudying the question of limbo ina systematic way in 2004.
U.S. Cardinal William J.Levada now heads the commis-sion and the doctrinal congrega-tion. Cardinal Levada met withthe pope to discuss the docu-ment Jan. 19 and, with thepope’s approval, authorized itspublication. (CNS)
Limbo / from p3
CBCP Commission
Airport Chaplaincies, A Response to TerrorismVATICAN CITY, April 18,2007—”Dialogue in airportchaplaincies as a response toterrorism” is the theme ofthe 13th world seminar ofCatholic chaplains andmembers of civil aviationchaplaincies, due to be heldin Rome from April 23 to 26.
According to a communi-que made public today “theseminar, organized by thePontifical Council for thePastoral Care of Migrantsand Itinerant Peoples, aimsto support and encouragethe pastoral efforts of thosewho concern themselveswith this sector of humanmobility.”
As an introduction to thework of the seminar, Arch-bishop Angelo AmatoS.D.B., secretary of the Con-gregation for the Doctrineof the Faith, will present
some “philosophical and theo-logical” reflections on the sub-ject of evil.
Experts from the United Na-tions and from the InternationalAir Transport Association(IATA) will explain strategies“to protect airport structuresand workers, as well as passen-gers and the general public.”
“The seminar,” the commu-nique goes on, “aims to con-tribute towards countering ter-rorism through ecumenicaland inter-religious dialogue inthe world’s airports” wherepeople from various Churchesand ecclesial communities andother great religions work, andwhere people from differentcultures and nationalities cometogether.
In this context, “in order tohelp participants to discoverthe paths of dialogue,” Cardi-nal Paul Poupard, president of
the Pontifical Council forInter-religious Dialogue,will speak on the subject of“inter-religious dialogue tocounter terrorism,” andBishop Brian Farrell L.C.,secretary of the PontificalCouncil for PromotingChristian Unity, on “ecu-menical collaboration in re-lation to the threats of ter-rorism.”
The program of the semi-nar also includes the testi-mony of two chaplains: Fr.David Baratelli of the air-port of Newark who willrecount his experiencesduring and immediatelyafter the attack on theWorld Trade Center inNew York, and Fr. PaschalRyan of Heathrow, whowill talk about the discov-ery of plans for an attackagainst that airport. (VIS)
The winner, other family participants, organizers from Italy and the NCFBQ Secretariat in Manila pose after the Florence Biblequiz competition at the San Barnaba Church.
THE Diocese of San Jose deNueva Ecija lies in the northernpart of the province of NuevaEcija. The Augustinians werethe first missionaries who evan-gelized the place. TheFranciscans followed soon af-ter, and then the Missionariesof the Sacred Heart, who laterhelped the diocesan clergy.
Nueva Ecija is located 160kms. north of Manila. The mainsource of livelihood is agricul-ture—rice, corn, sugar cane,coconut, onions and others.
The diocese was created onFebruary 16, 1984 by Pope JohnPaul II and canonically erectedon July 14, 1984. Its territory,mostly from the northern partof Nueva Ecija, was taken fromthe Diocese of Cabanatuan.
In July 14, 1984, the Holy Seeappointed Most Rev. FlorentinoCinense, as the diocese’s firstresidential bishop. In the fol-lowing year, Bishop Cinensewas appointed coadjutorbishop of Tarlac, and ApostolicAdministrator of San Jose. Thefirst Filipino Salesian bishop,Most Rev. Leo M. Drona, SDB,DD, succeeded Bishop Cinenseas prelate of San Jose in July 25,1987. In May 14, 2005, MostRev. Mylo Hubert C. Vergara,succeeded Bishop Drona asthird bishop of the diocese ofSan Jose de Nueva Ecija.
Pastoral Thrusts
The diocese is divided intothree vicariates—Sts. John,Dominic and Joseph, compris-ing 20 parishes and one quasi-parish. At present, there are 23diocesan priests and 12 reli-gious priests from three congre-gations who serve the needs ofthe flock.
The diocese continues to re-invent itself in order to respondto its pastoral thrusts whichwere started by Bishop Leo M.Drona, and expressed in thefour Diocesan Pastoral Assem-blies (DPA); the organization ofthe Damayang Kristiyano, LayEmpowerment, Stewardship,Formation of Lay Leaders andSocial Concerns.
Damayang Kristiyano
Under the Commission onIntegral Formation (CIF), thediocese, after much prayer andcontinued discernment as thePeople of God, expressedDamayang Kristiyano (DK) as thepriority program. Currently,the CIF has gone through a pro-
cess of evaluation with the DKof different parishes. The vi-sion/mission of the parishesand even of the differentapostolates are already being
written down, expressed inclear terms that are achievableand “owned” by the faithful.There is at least one DK workerfor every parish. They are nowundergoing formation so thattheir vision/mission can becrystallized. Under the DK pro-gram is the mobilization ofcommunities so that they willbe able to form small caringgroups through the TripleCommunication of the DK (asharing on one’s relationshipwith God, the self and the com-munity). The Social Action Cen-ter-Gratia Plena (SACGP) hasbeen at the forefront in helpingthese DK address their eco-nomic life by organizing themin groups called cooperatives.
Cathedral of Saint Joseph, San Jose City
(KApatiran ng Kaparian ngSAn Jose, MAtatag at tapat nanaglilingkod ayon sa misyon niKristo). This succinctly ex-presses their identity, theirGod-given abilities and theirmission. Faithfulness to this vi-sion/mission unlocks the po-tentials of the DK as well as ofother thrusts and programs.The concrete manifestationsand expressions are the SLA(Standard Living Allowance),tithing, pooling of resources,and their full cooperation, par-ticipation in the implementa-tion of the diocesan pastoralprograms with the bishop astheir father.
Looking Forward into theFuture
It seems that the movementof the Spirit is towards the re-covery of ancient apostolic wayof life—a small, caring andsharing community. As ex-pressed in the DK programs ofthe diocese, and is manifestedin the bits and pieces of its veryown life, it is still aneschatological reality. The “al-ready” programs, formations,processes are in place and hasstarted to move; and the com-munities are already feelingtheir belongingness and unityas one Body of Christ. The “notyet” are the journeying towardsthe fullness of life, towards thefulfillment and perfection of theDK. As a diocese nearing its sil-ver jubilee on 14 July 2009, it iswith gratitude, much anticipa-tion and joy that we look for-ward to celebrating that gra-cious day which is a testimonyof God’s unconditional loveand faithfulness. In the endwhat matters is not how muchwork the diocese had done,how many DK groups were or-ganized, and how orderly theprocesses are; but as one holyperson would say, it is in howmuch love we put in the thingswe do, how much heart wehave invested without countingthe cost, even to the point of ourvery own death.
At present, these coops produceorganic rice, meat and veg-etables which are being sold infamous supermarkets such asLandmark in Makati andRustan’s Supermarket. Peoplewho are interested in organi-cally grown produce are theprimary customers of thesecoops through the marketingefforts of SACGP.
Processes and Programsunder the DK
First, there are 10 CatholicSchools in the diocese that aregrouped together under anumbrella organization calledAssociation of Catholic Schools(ACS). Of the 10 schools, only
one, San Sebastian School inMuñoz, Nueva Ecija, is beingmanaged by the Missionaries ofthe Sacred Heart (MSC) fathersfor a 50-year term. There aretwo priests in charge of theschools, the superintendent/di-rector and the assistant super-intendent/assistant director.The school director’s salariesare being remitted to the dio-cese and form part of the poolof resources being used to fundthe allowances of the clergy, thevarious apostolates of the dio-cese and other needs.
Second, another source of thefunds for pooling, is the 10% ofthe gross income as well as the60% of the net income of theparishes.
Third, the Pondo ng Pinoy hasbeen launched initially to theschools and as of this date, thesum remitted alreadyamounted to more thatP60,000.00. The vicariates willbe launching this fund drive tothe parishes progressivelywithin this year.
Fourth, the clergy health andretirement fund has been pro-gressively increased and theprimary sources are the contri-butions coming from the clergythemselves.
Fifth, the diocese has initiatedthe budget hearings for each ofthe 21 commissions represent-ing their apostolates.
Sixth, the priests now regu-larly donate a certain portion oftheir stipends to the diocesethrough tithing.
Seventh, the members of theclergy now receive a standardliving allowance (SLA).
Through these programs,processes and movements, thediocese of San Jose de NuevaEcija is trying to put flesh in itscore program, the DamayangKristiyano.
Key: The Clergy
Crucial to the implementa-tion of the diocesan thrusts arethe priests in the diocese. Theclergy has, for its mission vi-sion, KASAMA ni KRISTO
Population ……………..706,661Catholics ……………... 565,291Area ...……….. 2,540.8 sq.kms.
promised to reconsider theway that Pius XII is portrayedin the museum.
While participating in thepresentation of a book byMaria Franca Mellano, whichdocuments the rescue ofhundreds of Jews who tookrefuge in the Pius XI Instituteof Rome, Cardinal Bertonecalled such cases “a luminoushistory of generosity.”
“But this was possible, notonly in this situation but inany of them, due to thebulletin from the secretary ofstate signed by Pius XII,” thecardinal added. “It isimpossible that Pius XII, whosigned that bulletin, wouldnot have approved thatdecision.” (Zenit)
and fundamentalist Turks.”Msgr. Marovitch said that
Zirve and other Protestantgroups “carry out biblicalpropaganda in anenvironment where there areno Christ ians, giving theGospel to Muslims andprovoking their reaction.Then fanatical groups react,saying: ‘Why are you lookingfor converts among us? Webelieve in Allah, go preach tothe pagans.’”
Msgr. Marovitch saidCatholic groups working inthe area do not attempt directoutreach to Muslims but focuson serving the small Christiancommunity in the country.
A source in the office ofBishop Luigi Padovese, theapostolic administrator ofAnatolia, told Catholic NewsService April 19 the attack wasseen by the local Christiancommunity as the latest in aseries of assaults againstChristians.
The first attack was the 2006assassination of FatherAndrea Santoro, an Italianpriest working in Turkey.
Father Santoro’s murder,along with other attacks onpriests, prompted Turkishofficials to put BishopPadovese under constantpolice protection, said thesource, who asked not to benamed.
“This is not by chance; thereare people out there who arenot just anti-Christian, butalso anti-priest,” the sourcesaid. (Alicia Ambrosio / CNS)
are not enough to expressh o w s a d w e a r e . I ’ m s osorry! I ’m so sorry!” andthen try to wrap them in abig hug.
When he hugged them,they would break down andcry, he told Catholic NewsService.
After staying with them awhile, he would pray theOur Father and Hail Marywith them and lead them inprayers for the dead , hesaid.
Mia Ortega, a 26-year-oldgraduate student who alsoworks for the university instudent af fa irs , sa id in aphone interview April 19w i t h C N S t h a t s h e w a sreceiving “a lot of supportf r o m m y f a m i l y a n d m yfriends” to help her copewith the tragedy. She saidshe has had messages o fprayers and support froma l l o v e r , i n c l u d i n g f r o mfr iends she worked wi thl a s t s u m m e r a s a J e s u i tv o l u n t e e r i n D u b l i n ,Ireland.
In an e -mai l to f r iendse a r l y A p r i l 1 8 , O r t e g awrote, “It is hard to believethat i t has only been twodays. The days are long herein Blacksburg.
“I am doing my best to getby. I slip from being numbto uncontrol lable crying.Sometimes I forget aboutt h e w h o l e t h i n g , a n dsometimes reality slaps mehard in the face. ... In somew a y s , I a m e x p e c t i n g t o
wake up. It is like walkingthrough a lucid nightmare.”
To help people cope withthe fear that the VirginiaTech tragedy may provoke,t h e U . S . b r a n c h o f t h eC h r i s t i a n F a m i l yMovement , a ne twork o fparish- or neighborhood-based groups of fami l iesthat meet to support oneanother in Christian living,h a s p o s t e d a “ L i v i n gWithout Fear” program oni t s W e b s i t e , h t t p : / /c f m . o r g . ( T h e “ L i v i n gWithout Fear” l ink takesvisitors to a section called“ S p e c i a l M e e t i n g s ” ; t h eprogram is No. 8.)
The nine-page program,which can be downloaded,provides a structured guidefor a group meeting to reflecton fear, how it arises andhow it affects people, and todiscuss ways to face it froma Christian perspective. Itbegins with Scr ipturereadings and severalstatements by individuals ororganizations, including theU.S . b ishops and theDepartment of HomelandSecurity, about living withfear and overcoming it.
The guide for groupdiscuss ion fo l lows the“observe, judge, act” patternthat the Christ ian FamilyMovement uses as a way ofmoving from reflection andunderstanding to concreteactions dealing with an issueconstructively in one’s ownlife. (CNS)
another within the course, it’sthe underlying vision of man,”and that from the beginning thebishops have expressed theirconcern with the material.
After the Cardinal finishedhis remarks, Jaime Urcelay,President of Professionals forEthics, called the matter one of“utmost gravity” that has beenthe subject of “polemics,controversy and social alarm”since 2004.
In his judgment, Educationfor Citizenship will disruptSpanish society during a“delicate moment” in which theissue of freedom of educationhas yet to be resolved andschools are facing a profoundcrisis of authority. (CNA)
Secretary / from p2
Spanish / from p2
Catholic / from p2
German Churches WinTax Windfall DespiteDeclining AttendanceMUNICH, Germany, April 17,2007—Revenues for GermanCatholic dioceses rose in 2006,despite declining churchattendance, thanks to thecountry’s tax system, DeutscheWelle reports.
German churches receivebetween 8 and 9% of the taxespaid by their registeredmembers. In 2006, thanksprimarily to a growingeconomy, the total taxrevenues to Catholic churcheswere about €4.5 billion (over $6billion), the newspaperreports. That figure represents
an increase of more than 8%over the previous year’srevenues.
The tax system has enabledGerman dioceses to escape thefull effects of declining churchmembership. Between 2000and 2005, Deutsche Welle notes,more than 680,000 Germansdropped their churchregistration, and thus escapedthe tax payment. The decliningnumber of registered Catholicsthreatens to undercut churchrevenues in the long term,regardless of economicconditions. (CWNews)
Papal prayers forVirginia Tech VictimsVATICAN, April 17, 2007—Pope Benedict XVI has sent amessage promising his“heartfelt prayers” for thevictims of the April 16 shootingspree at Virginia Tech.
The Pope’s message—conveyed in a telegram thatwas sent by the VaticanSecretary of State, CardinalTarcisio Bertone to BishopFrancis DiLorenzo of
Richmond— referred to themassacre as a “senselesstragedy.”
The Pope offered his prayerto “the entire schoolcommunity,” as well as thevictims of the shooting, andexpressed the hope that thoseaffected would find “thespiritual strength whichtriumphs over violence.”(CWNews)
Divine Mercy Sunday(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university, answers aquestion sent from Ireland on Divine Mercy Sunday)
The Right to the Sacramentsby Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.
Q: Would you please clarifywhat is “special” about Di-vine Mercy Sunday, and whatthe faithful and priests haveto do in order to obtain thespecial grace associated withthis day? According to thepriests that I have spoken to,the same graces can be ob-tained at reception of holyCommunion on DivineMercy Sunday as on anyother day when Communionis received by a communicantin a state of grace, i.e., a ple-nary indulgence. So what isdifferent about Divine MercySunday and how should theliturgy be properly celebratedso that the faithful may re-ceive the special graces asso-ciated with it? — J.C.,Ballina, Ireland
A: The devotion to the DivineMercy stems from the revela-tions made to the Polish nun St.Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)over a number of years and atseveral convents, including theone in Krakow where she isburied.
There are several elementsinvolved in this devotion. Oneis the image of the mercifulJesus based on a vision of Feb-ruary 1931. In it Our Lord ispictured in the act of blessing,with two rays, one red and theother pallid (representing bloodand water), shining from hisheart. The words “Jesus, I trustin thee” are placed at his feet.
Copies of this image are todayfound in many churches all overthe world—a sign of the rapidexpansion of this devotion.
Other elements are the hourof mercy, at 3 in the afternoon,in which the Passion is medi-tated upon and certain prayersrecommended by the revela-tions are recited. As well as this,there is the chaplet of DivineMercy with its attendant litany.It is recited using rosary beadsbut substituting other prayerssuch as “Through your sorrow-ful Passion, have mercy on usand on the entire world” on thebeads of the Hail Mary.
A special request of these vi-sions was that the first Sundayafter Easter should be the feastof Divine Mercy and that on thisday the Divine Mercy should beproclaimed in a special way.
The spirituality of Pope JohnPaul II was deeply influencedby the devotion to the DivineMercy, and he dedicated hissecond encyclical, “Dives inMisericordia,” to this theme. Asarchbishop of Krakow he pro-moted the beatification of Sis-ter Faustina and on the occasionof her canonization in April2000 announced that henceforththe second Sunday of Easterwould be the feast of DivineMercy.
This announcement was fol-lowed by two juridical acts byVatican offices.
With the decree “Misericors etMiserator” (May 5, 2000) theCongregation for Divine Wor-ship and the Sacraments stated:“And so with provident pasto-ral sensitivity and in order toimpress deeply on the souls ofthe faithful these precepts andteachings of the Christian faith,the Supreme Pontiff, John PaulII, moved by the considerationof the Father of Mercy, haswilled that the Second Sundayof Easter be dedicated to recall-ing with special devotion thesegifts of grace and gave this Sun-day the name, ‘Divine MercySunday.’”
The congregation explainedthat the change consisted in theadditional name for this day.The liturgy would suffer nochange whatsoever. All thetexts and readings would re-main those of the Second Sun-day of Easter.
The second decree was pub-lished two years later by theApostolic Penitentiary. ThisVatican tribunal, among othertasks, oversees the granting ofindulgences. This decreegranted new perpetual indul-gences attached to devotions inhonor of Divine Mercy.
Among other considerations,this text states:
“The faithful with deep spiri-tual affection are drawn to com-memorate the mysteries of di-vine pardon and to celebratethem devoutly. They clearlyunderstand the supreme ben-efit, indeed the duty that thePeople of God have to praiseDivine Mercy with specialprayers and, at the same time,they realize that by gratefullyperforming the works requiredand satisfying the necessaryconditions, they can obtainspiritual benefits that derivefrom the Treasury of theChurch. ‘The paschal mysteryis the culmination of this reveal-ing and effecting of mercy,which is able to justify man, torestore justice in the sense ofthat salvific order which Godwilled from the beginning inman, and through man, in theworld’ (Encyclical Letter ‘Divesin Misericordia ,’ n. 7).…
“Indeed, Divine Mercy knowshow to pardon even the mostserious sins, and in doing so itmoves the faithful to perceive asupernatural, not merely psy-chological, sorrow for their sinsso that, ever with the help of di-vine grace, they may make afirm resolution not to sin anymore. Such spiritual disposi-tions undeniably follow uponthe forgiveness of mortal sinwhen the faithful fruitfully re-ceive the sacrament of Penanceor repent of their sin with an actof perfect charity and perfectcontrition, with the resolution toreceive the Sacrament of Pen-
ance as soon as they can. Indeed,Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches usin the parable of the ProdigalSon that the sinner must confesshis misery to God saying: ‘Fa-ther, I have sinned againstheaven and against you; I am nolonger worthy to be called yourson’ (Lk. 15,18-19), realizing thatthis is a work of God, “for [he]was dead, and is alive; he waslost, and is found” (Lk. 15,32).…
“The Gospel of the SecondSunday of Easter narrates thewonderful things Christ theLord accomplished on the dayof the Resurrection during hisfirst public appearance: ‘On theevening of that day, the first dayof the week, the doors being shutwhere the disciples were, forfear of the Jews, Jesus came andstood among them and said tothem, “Peace be with you.”
When he said this, he showedthem his hands and his side.Then the disciples were glad tosee the Lord. Jesus said to themagain, “Peace be with you. Asthe Father has sent me, even so Isend you.” And then hebreathed on them, and said tothem, “Receive the Holy Spirit.If you forgive the sins of any,they are forgiven; if you retainthe sins of any, they are re-tained”’ (Jn 20,19-23)….
“To ensure that the faithfulwould observe this day with in-tense devotion, the SupremePontiff himself established thatthis Sunday be enriched by aplenary indulgence, as will beexplained below, so that thefaithful might receive in greatabundance the gift of the conso-lation of the Holy Spirit. In thisway, they can foster a growing
love for God and for their neigh-bor, and after they have ob-tained God’s pardon, they inturn might be persuaded toshow a prompt pardon to theirbrothers and sisters…
“Thus the faithful will moreclosely conform to the spirit ofthe Gospel, receiving in theirhearts the renewal that the Sec-ond Vatican Council explainedand introduced: ‘Mindful of thewords of the Lord: “By this allmen will know that you are mydisciples, if you have love forone another” (Jn. 13,35), Chris-tians can yearn for nothing moreardently than to serve the menof this age with an ever grow-ing generosity and success. ... Itis the Father’s will that weshould recognize Christ ourbrother in the persons of all menand love them with an effective
love, in word and in deed’ (Pas-toral Constitution, Gaudium etspes, n. 93)….
“Three conditions for the ple-nary indulgence:
“And so the Supreme Pontiff,motivated by an ardent desire tofoster in Christians this devotionto Divine Mercy as much as pos-sible in the hope of offering greatspiritual fruit to the faithful, inthe Audience granted on 13 June2002, to those Responsible forthe Apostolic Penitentiary,granted the following Indul-gences:
“a plenary indulgence,granted under the usual condi-tions (sacramental confession,Eucharistic communion andprayer for the intentions of Su-preme Pontiff) to the faithfulwho, on the Second Sunday ofEaster or Divine Mercy Sunday,in any church or chapel, in aspirit that is completely de-tached from the affection for asin, even a venial sin, take partin the prayers and devotionsheld in honor of Divine Mercy,or who, in the presence of theBlessed Sacrament exposed orreserved in the tabernacle, recitethe Our Father and the Creed,adding a devout prayer to themerciful Lord Jesus (e.g. Merci-ful Jesus, I trust in you!”);
“A partial indulgence,granted to the faithful who, atleast with a contrite heart, prayto the merciful Lord Jesus a le-gitimately approved invocation.
“For those who cannot go tochurch or the seriously ill:
“In addition, sailors workingon the vast expanse of the sea;the countless brothers and sis-ters, whom the disasters of war,political events, local violenceand other such causes have beendriven out of their homeland;the sick and those who nursethem, and all who for a justcause cannot leave their homesor who carry out an activity forthe community which cannot bepostponed, may obtain a ple-nary indulgence on DivineMercy Sunday, if totally detest-ing any sin, as has been said be-fore, and with the intention offulfilling as soon as possible thethree usual conditions, will re-cite the Our Father and theCreed before a devout image ofOur Merciful Lord Jesus and, inaddition, pray a devout invoca-tion to the Merciful Lord Jesus(e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust inyou).
“If it is impossible that peopledo even this, on the same daythey may obtain the Plenary In-dulgence if with a spiritual in-tention they are united withthose carrying out the pre-scribed practice for obtainingthe Indulgence in the usual wayand offer to the Merciful Lord aprayer and the sufferings of theirillness and the difficulties oftheir lives, with the resolution toaccomplish as soon as possiblethe three conditions prescribedto obtain the plenary indul-gence.
“Duty of priests: inform pa-rishioners, hear confessions,lead prayers:
“Priests who exercise pastoralministry, especially parishpriests, should inform the faith-ful in the most suitable way ofthe Church’s salutary provision.They should promptly and gen-erously be willing to hear theirconfessions. On Divine MercySunday, after celebrating Massor Vespers, or during devotionsin honor of Divine Mercy, withthe dignity that is in accord withthe rite, they should lead therecitation of the prayers thathave been given above. Finally,since ‘Blessed are the merciful,for they shall obtain mercy’ (Mt5,7), when they instruct theirpeople, priests should gentlyencourage the faithful to prac-tice works of charity or mercyas often as they can, followingthe example of, and in obeyingthe commandment of JesusChrist, as is listed for the secondgeneral concession of indul-gence in the ‘EnchiridionIndulgentiarum.’
“This Decree has perpetualforce, any provision to the con-trary notwithstanding.”
In conclusion, it must be men-tioned that our correspondentwas misinformed when she wastold that Communion on this orany other Sunday granted a ple-nary indulgence. This is not thecase. For more on indulgencesin general, see our columns ofFeb. 15 and March 1, 2005.
Finally, because of the specialliturgical nature of this Sunday,all devotions must be made out-side of Mass and no change maybe made in the liturgical texts orreadings. Mention of the themeof Divine Mercy may be made,however, during the homily,commentaries and during thegeneral intercessions.
TWO recent incidents in myfamily have provoked thisletter. The first had to dowith our handyman, whohas been living-in with hisgirlfriend for more than ayear. When I finally con-vinced him to get married inChurch, he came back to mewith a problem: His parishhas a fee of P4,000 for thecheapest wedding! Hecouldn’t afford it yet andwill have to save till nextyear. The second incidenthad to do with my cousin,who wanted to get married,but couldn’t attend the pre-Cana seminars since theywere spread out to two Sat-urday mornings, and bothhe and his fiancée had workon Saturdays. Despite theirpleadings, they were notgiven any considerations, soin a huff they got “married”in an Aglipayan church. Incontrast, I also know that inmy parish, even if there is arequirement for parentsfrom other parishes to at-tend a seminar for the bap-tism of their baby, the par-ish waives the requirementwhen the parents can pro-duce proof of an equivalentcatechetical instruction orformation received else-where.
What does Canon Lawreally establish for thesecases?
THERE are several issuesat stake in these incidents,and we have to tackle themseparately. From the mostgeneral (and fundamental)to the most specific (and ac-cidental), we can enumeratethem as follows: 1) The fun-damental right of the Catho-lic faithful to the sacra-
ments; 2) the consequent non-indispensable nature of pasto-ral programs for their recep-tion—e.g., the Pre-Cana semi-nar and the pre-baptismal semi-nar; 3) the absolute injustice ofcharging a fee for the adminis-tration of any sacrament.
The Fundamental Right ofthe Faithful to the Sacra-ments
At first glance, no manshould have a right to the chan-nels of grace—which are whatthe sacraments really are—since nobody has a right tograce itself, which is freelygiven by God. Nevertheless,God has wanted to redeem
mankind by the Passion, Deathand Resurrection of JesusChrist, who instituted theCatholic Church as his continu-ing presence—Sacramentummagnum—in human history,giving her the mandate topreach the Good News of sal-vation to all men, to baptizethem and to lead them towardsthe fullness of Christian life.Concretely, Christ institutedthe sacraments of the New Lawas means of salvation for men(sacramenta propter homines), inorder to enable each of them toparticipate in the fruits of theRedemption. Thus, throughbaptism, the faithful acquire theright—indeed not towards God
but towards the HierarchicalChurch—to have access to allthe means of salvation. Thisfundamental right is enunci-ated by the Code of Canon Lawin the following terms:
Can. 213 — The Christianfaithful have the right to receiveassistance from the sacred pas-tors out of the spiritual goodsof the Church, especially theword of God and the sacra-ments.
This juridic principle iscomplemented by another one,which stems from the need tosafeguard the sanctity of thesacraments and the fact thattheir celebration always consti-tutes an act of public cult of the
whole Church. This is enun-ciated by the Code in the fol-lowing terms:
Can. 843 — §1. The sacredministers cannot refuse thesacraments to those who askfor them at appropriatetimes, are properly dis-posed and are not prohib-ited by law from receivingthem.
§2. Pastors of souls andthe rest of the Christianfaithful, according to theirecclesial function, have theduty to see that those whoseek the sacraments are pre-pared to receive them by thenecessary evangelizationand catechetical formation,taking into account thenorms published by thecompetent authority.
An attentive reading ofc.843, §1 makes it clear thatthe right of the faithful to thesacraments—which are themeans of salvation andsanctification—is limitedonly by three factors: 1) ap-propriateness of time, 2)proper disposition of thepassive subject, and 3) ab-sence of a prohibition bylaw.
Furthermore, the secondparagraph, far from addinganother factor that may barthe faithful from receivingthe sacraments—i.e., theirpossible lack of prepara-tion—in fact only strength-ens their right to them byprecisely declaring the dutyof the pastors of souls andthe rest of the Christian faith-ful to make sure that thosewho seek the sacraments areadequately prepared to re-ceive them—i.e., through thenecessary evangelization andcatechetical formation.
DOING business “under-the-table” is al-ways done hastily, away from the pryingeyes of the public. Shady deals are of thesame league. Such type of agreements isliterally hatched under the cover of dark-ness, like what one sees at the movies.
That is what the 19 RP-ChinaAgribusiness deals were made of. Cer-emonially signed on January 15, 2007 byPresident Gloria Arroyo and Wen Jiabao,the agreement in its entirety is foul andbereft of any development or financial re-turns to the supposed beneficiaries. Itwould never alleviate the country’smarginalized sector at all. If ever, only thescheming and sinister officials involvedwill ultimately gain a cash windfall, add-ing to their already bloated pockets.
Some major appalling facts about theagreement, supposedly aimed at develop-ing joint RP-China marine/aquacultureprojects would reveal:
• Contracts were signed devoid of anypublic consultation with people thatwould be directly affected, the stakehold-ers—farmers and fisherfolk organizations;there was not even public disclosure con-cerning details of the agreement;
• There was no indication that Congresswas informed about the agreement. ThePhilippine Charter, however, clearly pro-vides that “ the President shall notify the Con-gress of every contract entered into in accor-dance with this provision, within thirty days
from its execution,” (Art 12, Sec 2, par 5);• The projects would secure between 1.2
million hectares of Philippine lands whereto grow food, fruit, flower, vegetable andbio-fuel crops for China and would ulti-mately include: lands already covered un-der the Comprehensive Agrarian ReformProgram (CARP); CARPable lands, and ar-eas under the Community-based ForestManagement (CBFM);
•Filipino firms who are party to theagreement are either bogus or overnightcompanies with dubious track record;
• Some of the agreements are silent anddo not have provisions regarding leaseholdduration. Article 12, Section 3 of the Con-stitution states: “…Private corporations orassociations may not hold such alienable landsof the public domain except by lease, for a pe-riod not exceeding twenty-five years, renewablefor not more than twenty-five years, and not toexceed one thousand hectares in area…” Butunder the agreement not only a thousandbut millions of hectares of land would becovered.
• Seven out of nineteen projects wouldcover vast marine areas for aquaculturethrough raising certain fish species thatwould be exported to China as food com-modity while endangering the Philippine’sown food security and sovereignty. Such actcontradicts basic Philippine Constitutionalguarantees: “The State shall protect thenation’s marine wealth in its archipelagic wa-
ters, territorial sea, and exclusive economiczone, and reserve its use and enjoyment ex-clusively to Filipino citizens.” (Art. 12, Sec2, par 2).
In Totality, the 19 RP-ChinaAgribusiness deals were coated with lay-ers of deception and vested interests ofcorrupt officials involved, underminingthe collective interest of the under-privi-leged. It reeks with greed and Constitu-tional inconsistencies slurring the Nation’ssovereignty and human rights guarantees.Being so, it deserves to be quashed.
The broad network of agrarian reformand peasant advocates is aghast that theFilipino people’s rights to determine itspath towards economic, social and cul-tural development are being abjectly de-prived by this deceptive and onerous deal.An agreement cloaked in the so-called“non-confrontational-land-reform-para-digm” that, on the contrary, would onlyfurther sow discontent and unrest at thecountryside—in communities that wouldbe affected by the projects.
For the sake of truth and the commongood, these 19 RP-China Agribusinessdeals should be made known to the Fili-pino people. And so are the deceptionssurrounding these deals entered into bypublicly-acknowledged corrupt govern-ment officials—which voters should bearin mind on their way to the polls this forth-coming May elections.
Challenge to May 14, 2007 Voters
Vote OnlyCandidates who
Truly Care for theEnvironment!
By Lou Valencia Arsenio
PLANET Earth is God’s gift to all. It is the only planet inthe galaxy that God has endowed with fullness of life,balanced ecosystem and complete biodiversity where allliving beings share interdependence and interrelatedness.Human beings as stewards of God’s creation get theirfood, medicine, all basic needs and livelihood from theecosystem. The current ecological crisis such as globalwarming, contamination of our bodies of water, soil, airand food; the rapid destruction of our forest, mountainsand the over extraction of our mineral deposits, man-groves, animal and marine resources are very alarmingthat indeed need our serious attention during the com-ing election.
The May 14 election is a critical opportunity to judgethose offering to serve us as councilors, mayors, boardmembers, congressman, governors and senators by thedegree of importance they give to the environmentthrough their lifestyle, personal/family practices, busi-ness relations, policies and support on the following:
• mining or logging of our mountains especially byforeign companies or allowing foreigners to own partof our natural resources;
• dumping of foreign toxic wastes in the country;• use of coal plant or nuclear power plants;• the importation and propagation of genetically modi-
fied organisms especially Bt Corn, hybrid rice, andthe like, as well as the use of chemical pesticides andfertilizers in agriculture
• establishment or maintenance of dumpsites, landfillor incinerators;
• poor implementation of Ecological Solid Waste Man-agement Act, Clean Air Act and other environmentlaws;
• own or supports big fishing companies that throwtheir wastes in the sea, use dynamite and neglect ordenied the concerns of the small fisher folk;
• favors given to the concerns of the big companiesand neglect those of the small and ordinary citizens;
• push for the use of LPG powered vehicles withoutthorough study/ research on its impact to environ-ment and health.
If we truly love our children and the next generations,we should take this challenge seriously. Let us preventthe worsening of global warming and leave behind a bet-ter clean and healthy environment to our children. There-fore, let this coming election be an opportunity for all ofus to choose wisely, scrutinize prudently the candidatesand fearlessly follow the dictates of our God-given con-science to vote only for the God fearing and truly envi-ronment loving candidates. (Ms. Lou Valencia Arsenio isthe Coordinator of the Ecology Desk of the Archdiocese of Ma-nila)
RP-China Agri Deals:A Deathblow to SufferingFarmers and Peasantry
The Non-indispensable Na-ture of Pastoral Programsfor the Proper Reception ofthe Sacraments
Because of the above, what-ever pastoral programs or requi-sites may be formulated by thepastors of souls to assure theproper disposition of the faithfulcannot be converted into sine quanon conditions for their access tothe sacraments. The only excep-tion would be if such indispens-able condition is expressly statedby the Local Ordinary, subject tothe approval of the Supreme Au-thority in the Church who is theonly one competent to regulatethe sacraments. This is stipulatedby the Code:
Can. 841 — Since the sacra-ments are the same for the uni-versal Church and pertain to thedivine deposit, it is for the su-preme authority of the Churchalone to approve or define thosethings which are required fortheir validity; it is for the samesupreme authority of theChurch or other competent au-thority in accord with the normof c.838, §§3 and 4 to determinewhat pertains to their lawful cel-ebration, administration and re-ception and also the order to beobserved in their celebration.
This acquires special impor-tance for some sacraments, to wit:
1) The so-called Pre-CanaSeminar. The ius connubi—theright to marry, which is a con-sequence of marriage being anatural institution—is limitedonly by the so-called impedi-ments. As we had previouslyseen, only the supreme author-ity of the Church can fix suchimpediments. Making atten-dance in the so-called Pre-CanaSeminar an indispensable re-quirement for marriage wouldbe tantamount to adding a newimpediment to marriage—thatof non-attendance to the semi-nar—something which nobodysave the supreme authority inthe Church is competent to do.
2) The seminars for parentsand godparents (or sponsors).
Can. 851, 2º provides that the par-ents of an infant and likewise thosewho are to undertake the office ofsponsor are to be properly in-structed in the meaning of this sac-rament and the obligations whichare attached to it; personally orthrough others the pastor is to seeto it that the parents are properlyformed by pastoral directions andby common prayer, gathering sev-eral families together and wherepossible visiting them.
While such seminars are in-deed desirable, it is clear fromthe tenor of the canon that theobligation is laid on the pastorto facilitate such instruction; butin no way does it say that he isto deny administering the sac-rament if such previous instruc-tion somehow were not feasible.
The Sacraments cannot beconditioned by a Fee
An interesting consequence ofthe fundamental right of thefaithful to the sacraments is theabsolute prohibition of condi-tioning their administration tothe payment of some fee or someother temporal good—which istantamount to simony: the buy-ing and selling of spiritual goodsor realities attached to suchgoods.
The Code is quite explicit onthis point, typifying simonyeven as a crime in c.1380: A per-son, who through simony celebratesor receives a sacrament, is to be pun-ished with an interdict or suspen-sion. So strong is this prohibitionagainst simony, that even thesemblance of it is proscribed—e.g., c.947: Even the semblance oftrafficking or trading is to be en-tirely excluded from Mass offerings.
A different matter are thealms (stipends) which the faith-ful voluntarily give—even basedon a fixed suggested rate—onthe occasion of the celebration ofsome sacraments andsacramentals (e.g., Mass sti-pends, baptisms, weddings, fu-nerals). This is what happens inthe Philippines, where the bish-ops have adopted the so-calledArancel System, which lists
fixed amounts for stipends to beoffered to the Pastor on the oc-casion of every celebration of thesacraments, with an additionalclause that free administrationshould be extended to the poor.
Such stipends are not pay-ments or fees for the administra-tion of the sacraments, but rathera practical way of quantifyinganother right-duty of the faith-ful—stipulated by c.222,§1 of theCode of Canon Law—namelythat of supporting the ministersin particular and the wholeevangelizing work of theChurch in general.
ConclusionIt is licit for a parish to have a
fixed amount for the celebrationof marriage—as decided by theArchdiocese and approved bythe Holy See. It is even under-standable for the parish to stipu-late an additional amount to de-fray the cost of utilities and décorthat may go into more elaborateweddings. A tiered system ofcontributions can also be estab-lished, whereby those who canafford subsidize those who can’t.
However, nothing stands inthe way of celebrating it (and anysacrament for that matter) with-out such costs, and thus withoutany stipend, for indigent parties.In the extreme case, marriage canbe celebrated in its bare essen-tials—i.e., in the parish office, inthe presence of the required twowitnesses other than the sacredminister, with hardly any coststo the parish to speak of.
The Pre-Cana Seminar shouldnever be made an indispensablerequirement for marriage. Thesame can be said of what some-body has called Pre-Jordan Semi-nar—i.e., the seminar for parents(desiring to have their infantchild baptized). They should bewaived, when there is proof ofa similar preparation acquiredanother way, thereby reason-ably combining the pastoral aimof assuring proper reception ofthe sacrament with the right ofthe faithful to receive the meansof salvation.
Sacraments / from p10
Vol. 11 No. 8April 16-29, 2007
CBCP MonitorCBCP Monitor12
“The Attention of the Church HasBeen on the Social Question”
Papal Address to the 9th International Youth Forum
IT gives me great pleasure tosend my cordial greeting toyou, Venerable Brother, to theSecretary, to those workingwith the Pontifical Council forthe Laity, and to all those whoare taking part in the 9th Inter-national Youth Forum on thetheme “Witnessing to Christ inthe world of work” that is tak-ing place this week in Rocca diPapa. It is with particular af-fection that I direct mythoughts to the young del-egates from the bishops’ con-ferences and the internationalmovements, associations, andcommunities that have comefrom the five continents andwho work in very differentfields. I extend my respectfulgreetings to the distinguishedspeakers who have agreed tocontribute to the meeting withtheir expertise and experience.
The theme is very much atopical issue and takes into ac-count the transformations thathave taken place in recentyears in the fields of econom-ics, technology and communi-cations, changes that haveradically changed the appear-ance and conditions of the la-bor market. The progressachieved has, on the one hand,given new hope to youngpeople, but on the other it hascreated disturbing forms ofmarginalization and exploita-tion with more and more situ-ations of personal hardship.Because of the noticeable dif-ference between the educationand training received and theworld of work, it is now moredifficult for them to find em-ployment that meets with theirpersonal skills and studies,and there is no certainty that
they will be able to maintaineven unstable employment forany length of time. The processof globalization taking place inthe world entails a need formobility that obliges numer-ous young people to emigrateand live far from their homecountries and their families.This brings about an unsettlingfeeling of insecurity that un-doubtedly has repercussionson their ability to not onlydream and build up a projectfor the future, but even to com-mit themselves to matrimonyand start a family. These arecomplex and delicate ques-tions that must be faced in duecourse, keeping in mind thereality of our times while refer-ring to the social doctrine ofthe Church. This is duly pre-sented in the Catechism of theCatholic Church and especiallyin the Compendium of the So-cial Doctrine of the Church.
The attention of the Churchin recent years has been con-stantly directed on the socialquestion, and in particular onthat of work. We remember theencyclical Laborem exercenspublished a little over twenty-five years ago, on 14 Septem-ber 1981, by my well loved pre-decessor John Paul II. This re-affirmed and updated the greatintuitions developed by PopeLeo XIII and Pius XI in the en-cyclicals Rerum novarum (1891)and Quadragesimo anno (1931),both written during the periodof the industrialization of Eu-rope. In a context of economicliberalism conditioned by mar-ket forces, of competition andcompetitiveness, these pontifi-cal documents forcefully callon the need to evaluate the hu-
man dimension of work and toprotect the dignity of the per-son. In fact, the ultimate refer-ence of every human activitycan only be the human person,created in the image and like-ness of God. A close analysisof the situation, in fact, showsthat work is part of God’s planfor humankind and that it isparticipation in his work ofcreation and redemption. Ev-ery human activity should bean occasion and place for thegrowth of individuals and so-ciety, the development of per-sonal “talents” that should beappreciated and placed at theordered service of the commongood, in a spirit of justice andsolidarity. For believers, more-over, the ultimate aim of workis the building up of the King-dom of God.
While I invite you to treasurethe conversations and reflec-tions that take place over thenext few days, I hope that thisimportant assembly of youngpeople may be a profitable oc-casion of spiritual and ecclesialgrowth for the participants,through the sharing of experi-ences and personal accounts,and common prayer and litur-gies celebrated together. To-day, more than ever, it is nec-essary and urgent to proclaim“the Gospel of Work”, to liveas Christians in the world ofwork and become apostlesamong workers. In order tofulfill this mission it is neces-sary to remain united to Christthrough prayer and a deep sac-ramental life, and for this pur-pose, to hold Sunday in specialhigh regard, for it is the daydedicated to the Lord. While Iencourage young people not to
lose heart when faced withthese difficulties, I invite themto participate next Sunday inSaint Peter’s Square in the sol-emn celebration of Palm Sun-day and the 22nd World YouthDay, the final stage of prepa-ration for the World Youth Daythat will take place in Sydney,Australia next year.
The theme for reflection thisyear is: “Just as I have lovedyou, you also should love oneanother” (Jn. 13:34). Here I re-peat what I wrote to youngChristians all over the world,that there may be awakened inyoung Christians, “trust in alove that is true, faithful andstrong; a love that generatespeace and joy; a love that bindspeople together and allowsthem to feel free in respect forone another”, and allows themto develop their abilities to thefull. It is not simply a questionof becoming more “competi-tive” and “productive”, but itis necessary to be “witnesses ofcharity”. It is only in this waythat young people — with thesupport of their respective par-ishes, movements and commu-nities, in which it is possible toexperience the greatness andvitality of the Church — willbe able to experience work asa vocation and true mission. Tothis end, Venerable Brother, Iassure you of my prayers, withthe heavenly protection ofMary and Saint Joseph, patronof workers, I send you and allthose participating in the Inter-national Forum and all youngChristian workers, a specialApostolic Blessing.
BENEDICTUS PP XVI28 March 2007
“Promote a Culture Respectful of theRights of the Least-protected”
Vatican’s Address to U.N. on Population(Transcript of the statement delivered April 10 by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations, at the 40th
session of the Commission on Population and Development of the U.N. Economic and Social Council.)
“A CommonGood …anInalienable
Right”Message for World Water Day
(The message sent by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican sec-retary of state, on behalf of Benedict XVI, on the occasion ofthe celebration for the World Water Day on March 22, 2007.This was sent to Jacques Diouf, director general of the U.N.Food and Agriculture Organization, headquartered in Rome.)
Mr Jacques Diouf,
On the occasion of today’s celebration of World WaterDay, His Holiness Benedict XVI charges me to convey toyou, Mr. Director General, and to all the participants atthis meeting respectful and cordial greetings and encour-agement for your action in favour of those in the worldwho are suffering from a shortage of water.
In the context of the Decade 2005/ 2015, which the Gen-eral Assembly of the United Nations has declared “TheInternational Decade of Action: Water for life”, this year’stheme: Coping with water scarcity, gives us an opportu-nity to think about the importance of water as a sourceof life whose availability is essential for the vital cyclesof the earth and fundamental for a fully human exist-ence.
We are all aware of the difficulty of achieving at a worldlevel the goal fixed by the international community tohalve the number of people who are without access tohealthy water and basic hygiene services by 2015, throughthe development, among other things, of integrated man-agement plans and an efficient use of water resources.
However, we are likewise all convinced of the impor-tance of not falling short of these goals, given the cen-trality of water in any process destined to foster the pro-motion of an integral human development.
Furthermore, appropriate investments in the sector ofwater and hygiene services represent a significant mecha-nism for accelerating economic growth and sustainabledevelopment, for improving human health and hygiene,for uprooting poverty and for combating the degrada-tion of the environment.
Water, a common good of the human family, consti-tutes an essential element for life; the management of thisprecious resource must enable all to have access to it,especially those who live in conditions of poverty, andmust guarantee the liveability of the planet for both thepresent and future generations.
Access to water is in fact one of the inalienable rightsof every human being, because it is a prerequisite for therealization of the majority of the other human rights, suchas the rights to life, to food and to health.
For this reason, water “cannot be treated as just an-other commodity among many, and it must be used ra-tionally and in solidarity with others. ...The right to wa-ter ... finds its basis in human dignity and not in any kindof merely quantitative assessment that considers wateras a merely economic good. Without water, life is threat-ened. Therefore, the right to safe drinking water is a uni-versal and inalienable right” (Compendium of the SocialDoctrine of the Church , n. 485).
World Water Day is a precious opportunity to encour-age the international community to identify effectiveways to permit this basic human right to be promoted,protected and enjoyed.
In this regard, the sustainable management of waterbecomes a social, economic, environmental and ethicalchallenge that involves not only institutions but the wholeof society.
It should be faced in accordance with the principle ofsubsidiarity, that is, through the adoption of a participa-tory approach that involves both the private sector andabove all the local communities; the principle of solidar-ity, a fundamental pillar of international cooperation,which requires a preferential attention to the poor; theprinciple of responsibility to the present generation andthose to come, from which derives the consequent needto re-examine the models of consumption and produc-tion, often unsustainable with regard to the use of waterresources.
It is in addition a responsibility that must be sharedand that becomes a moral and political imperative in aworld that has levels of know-how and technologies thatare capable of putting an end to situations of water scar-city and to their dramatic consequences that affect inparticular the regions with a lower income, in which ac-cess to water can often spark real conflicts, whereas itcan become a motive for interregional cooperation wher-ever people appreciate a farsighted approach foundedon hydrological interdependence that binds those whouse the water resource in neighboring countries in a jointagreement.
These are aspects, Mr. Director General, that not onlydemand the responsibility of government leaders andpoliticians, but that challenge every individual. We areall called to renew our life-styles with an educationaleffort that can reassign to this common good of human-ity the value and respect that it ought to have in our so-ciety.
Moreover, an educational effort of this kind could drawfrom many sacred texts of the traditional religions, suchas the Bible, where water is symbolically a source and asign of life and its presence is often associated with joyand fertility, assuming in addition a role of purification,renewal and rebirth.
On this World Water Day, the Holy Father invokes theLord’s Blessings on all those who are committed to reach-ing the goals concerning water that have been set by theinternational community. Mr. Director General, I am hon-ored to convey to you this Message from His Holinessand ask you to accept the expression of my highest es-teem.
CARDINAL TARCISIO BERTONESecretary of State of His Holiness22 March 2007
Mr. Chairman,
Indicators continue to suggest that by2050 the world’s population should stabi-lize at about 9 billion. Although this im-plies that national populations will notneed to be regulated as proposed by radi-cal opinion in the past, this commissionshould continue to serve a useful purposein monitoring the demographic trends inall parts of the world. In this regard, policygoals and the means to achieve them mustremain sound and focused on the dignityof the human person.
This 40th session of the commission co-incides with the 40th anniversary of adocument on population and develop-ment written by the late Pope Paul VI,known as “Populorum Progressio,” that is,“The Progress of Peoples.”
At a time when the world was com-monly divided into two blocs, East andWest, the document focused instead onpeoples and societies, whose conditionswere marked not by being Eastern orWestern, but by the levels of developmentand well-being in some parts of the world,in contrast to the degree of poverty andunderdevelopment in others.
The emphasis placed by the documenton the individual and on societies, bothas the primary focus of development poli-cies and as protagonists of their own de-velopment, even today provides a sureguide for demographic policies to pro-mote a culture respectful of the rights ofthe least-protected members of our humanfamily, especially before birth and in ex-
treme old age.The reports made to the commission this
year suggest that dependency ratios are setto soar in some places, where an increas-ing number of elderly people will lay aheavier burden on the active population.It is to be hoped that states will work tofoster respect for human life in all its stagesand to find solutions that are right andjust, not merely pragmatic. Here in par-ticular, promoting solidarity between gen-erations will be very valuable.
While by 2050 Europe is set to have anelderly dependency ratio similar to that ofAfrica’s in the 1960s, Africa is set to havethe lowest dependency ratio in the world.This projection should hand that continentan unprecedented advantage in economicterms, as a young and numerous workforce should be available to it until at least2050, while the demographic dividend inmost other regions will have run out.
To assure that Africa will not miss thiswindow of opportunity for economic de-velopment, it must be helped, inter alia, toinvest in its human capital and infrastruc-ture to underpin economic growth. Be-cause many of this future work force arealready born and are already of school age,my delegation believes that the most de-cisive investment to be made here is ineducation.
The U.N. Secretariat estimates that toachieve primary education for all by 2015would cost $9 billion estimated in 1998dollar value. By any estimate, this canhardly be considered a high price to payfor such a prize.
Moreover, education, especially for girlsand young women, can have a notable im-pact on population growth. As women be-come better educated, they gain greater re-spect; they become breadwinners; they ac-quire maturity in parental responsibilityand a greater say in family affairs. Invest-ing in people in this way, especially ineducation, is surely to be preferred to le-gal imposition of limits, to artificial cor-rective measures and drastic policies, andto the unacceptable practice of eliminat-ing fetuses, especially females, in order tolimit population growth.
Finally, since this commission’s 39th ses-sion last year, important initiatives havebeen both completed and launched, in par-ticular concerning migrants, a topic of nosmall importance in relation to the chang-ing age structures of populations. My del-egation regards last year’s High-Level Dia-logue on International Migration and De-velopment as having been useful and wel-comes the offer of Belgium and othercountries to maintain its momentum in theform of the forthcoming Global Forum onMigration and Development.
It is to be hoped that the Forum willbuild upon what was achieved during thehigh-level dialogue. There is almost nocountry in the world untouched by migra-tion and it has become an extremely im-portant source both of labor and of remit-tances depending on each country’s cir-cumstances. Therefore, it is in the inter-ests of all states—not to mention the mi-grants themselves—that the forum be al-lowed room to succeed.
Election 2007A Pastoral Letter to Priests and Faithful of
the Archdiocese of Manila
Take an Active PartA Pastoral Statement on the 2007 Elections
Diocese of San Jose de Antique
“Citizens should take an active part in public life as far as possible.” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church #410)
What Does the ResurrectionMean for Us Today?
“The Son of man was destined to be handed over into the power of sinful men and be crucified, and rise again on the third day… Peter went back homeamazed at what had happened.” (Lk. 24, 7.12)
MY dear Reverend Fathers, Re-ligious Sisters and Brothers,Lay Women and Men:
May the Peace of the RisenLord be with you all!
The resurrection of JesusChrist, is not only a historicalevent, a thing of the past. It isa reality that continues to haverelevance in the present, inyour life and mine—a life thatserves the truth and bringslight and hope to a darkenedand despairing world.
The Letter of the CatholicBishops’ Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) to Diocesesand Parishes dated 28 January2007 expresses this relevancethus: “In these two years past,we are only too aware, it hasbecome easier to succumb toapathy and hopelessness about
our country and its politicallife. But as followers of the cru-cified and risen Lord, we arecalled never to lose hope thatcreates energy and the lovethat creates responsibility.”
Therefore, let us be the fol-lowers of the crucified and risenLord we are called to be. Let usbe bringers of hope in the com-ing 14 May elections. May thefollowing be of help:
1. We exhort the qualifiedand registered voters: GOOUT AND VOTE. It is yourright and responsibility.
2. We plead with passion:Voters, DO NOT SELLYOUR VOTE; Candidates,DO NOT BUY VOTES!
3. We encourage the parish-ioners, the LOMAS (lay or-ganizations, movements,associations and societies)
in the parishes, and BECs:HELP MAKE THE 2007ELECTIONS A CHAMP(clean, honest, authentic,meaningful, peaceful).Volunteer and get in-volved in our PPCRV (Par-ish Pastoral Council forResponsible Voting) –DSAC (Diocesan SocialAction Center) activitiessuch as voters’ education,pollwatch and vote count.
4. We ask our lay leaderswho are candidates: RE-SIGN OR TAKE A LEAVEOF ABSENCE FROMYOUR PARISH/DIOC-ESAN RESPONSIBILI-TIES. The lay leaders whowill win shall continue tobe considered resigned oron leave. Those who willlose may re-apply and be
re-admitted to their previ-ous parish/diocesan re-sponsibilities if approvedby the proper decision-making body or authority.
This statement is valid for the14 May elections and succeed-ing ones unless revised by theproper authority.
I end with the final exhorta-tion of the CBCP letter: “TheLord of truth and justice be withus all in this crucial undertak-ing to his greater praise andglory. And may Mary, OurLady of Peace, intercede forus.” I also bless you and yourendeavors.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
† Romulo T. De La Cruz, D.D. Bishop of San Jose de Antique 10 April 2007
MY dear brothers and sisters inPagadian Diocese:
Greetings for Easter! Let meinvite you to reflect on what theResurrection event means inour situation today and to prayfor more hope and courage toface its challenges.
The Easter mystery began indarkness and in death. In themidst of darkness at the begin-ning of creation God pro-nounced his creative Word: Letthere be light! And light wascreated. In the face of death atthe beginning of our salvationstory the Father pronounced hissaving Word: Let there be life!And life was created: JesusChrist rose from the dead. TheEaster story begins very earlyat dawn in the first day of theweek when there is still dark-ness. Its most beautiful expres-sion is no other than the newlife in Christ when darknessgives way to the New Light al-ready shining. This is what wenow celebrate: the resurrectionof Christ whose life enlightensall men and women. This cel-ebration is an invitation foreach of us to come out of dark-ness into the light of the RisenChrist.
Peter went back homeamazed at what had happened!The light came into the worldbut people preferred darknessto the light because their deedswere evil. The life of the onlySon of the Father was the Lightshining on all. But the Jewishleaders refused to accept thelight and were only too pleasedto offer Judas a bribe, in pay-ment for betraying Jesus with akiss. Only God could see theirevil thoughts and fathom thedepths of their being! Saddledwith a troubled conscience andhopeless spirit due to his hei-nous crime Judas threw back
the adulterated money at theunscrupulous leaders andhanged himself. Are we notalso amazed, just like Peter was,at our situation today? Howcould the demonic leaders af-ford to fool the people, espe-cially the poor, through theirdirty, immoral, despicable tac-tics of bribery and buying offpeople’s votes? How couldpeople choose darkness insteadof the light by accepting stainedmoney and betraying their ownconscience? Is it due to fear ofthreats or to an empty capriceand love of money and passingpleasure? How fervently do wekiss the Crucifix on Good Fri-day and then readily go into thedark by desecrating the sacred-ness of the ballot on ElectionDay? Woe to those who havebecome modern Judases, whoneither refuse dirty money norreturn this to the wicked menwho violate their dignity anddespise their being the imagesof God. Woe to the rich andpowerful politicians who havebecome scandalous temptersand partners of Satan! Howcould they escape from the un-ceasing remorse and distur-bance of their own conscience?How could they escape fromthe last judgment when thegoats will be isolated for reject-ing the light in favor of dark-ness through their evil deeds?
Peter went back homeamazed at what had happened!The light came into the worldbut people preferred darknessto the light because their deedswere evil. Didn’t the Jewishleaders manipulate the situa-tion and contrived that thecrowd be left without choicebut to shout out for the cruci-fixion of Jesus and the releaseof Barrabas, the criminal thathad caused trouble among thepeople? Are we not also
amazed in our times just likePeter was? For, have the richand powerful not long enteredinto deals and machinationsthat leave people without genu-ine choices in the May elec-tions? Is it not true that formoney considerations and toensure power, they manipulatepeople and force on them thenames to shout out and vote induring the elections? Isn’t it amockery of the democratic sys-tem to pre-empt and deprivethe people of their sacred rightto choose leaders of integrityand competence? Can one callit true democracy when peoplehave no other choice butBarrabas? Faced with that eviland immoral process is it theChristian way not to protestand to just remain silent?
What significance and conse-quence then would our celebra-tion of Christ’s resurrectionhave? Doesn’t his resurrectionmean the conquest of the pow-ers of evil and the darkness ofsin? Doesn’t our Easter celebra-tion mean our rejection of thevestiges of sin and of the mani-festations of eternal death? Bap-tized with water and the HolySpirit did we not promise toreject Satan and all his evildeeds?
My brothers and sisters inChrist, have we forgotten thatthrough baptism we are incor-porated into Christ’s resurrec-tion and share in his life? Isn’tit our call to come to the lightand to let it shine in our com-munities? Let us stand by theLight. Let us be wise lest we befooled by wolves masquerad-ing like sheep!
In discerning what candidatewe should vote for, the follow-ing questions may be of help:does he have unexplainedwealth? How does he intend tofight corruption in government
and among the people? Howdoes he avoid using moneystained by drugs if he were toremain a person of integrity? Ishe an ally of drug lords and ofcorrupt people? Does he buyvotes? Where does his cam-paign money come from? Is itfrom questionable sources orthrough evil dealings? Is he in-volved in drug issues,carnapping, or violation of hu-man rights? Does he supportbusiness or activities that de-stroy the environment like min-ing, which is destructive of lifeand of the livelihood of people,especially our indigenousbrothers and sisters? If no can-didate passes these sample testsor criteria would it not be wiseto leave the ballot blank as asign of protest that a worthycandidate has not yet surfaced?Wouldn’t that give a clear mes-sage that whoever would getthrough with only a few votesdoes not really have a clearmandate from the people?Wouldn’t that kind of protestbe a clear indication that you donot subscribe to the distortedculture that only the wealthyand powerful could be electeda leader?
Dear brothers and sisters letus listen to and follow the dic-tates of our conscience as wepray that the Spirit of Peace andRighteousness would reign inour communities especiallyduring the elections! May theSpirit of the Resurrection touchour hearts and those of the can-didates so that enlightened bythe Light of Christ we may notsuccumb to evil schemes! Maythe Lord of the Resurrectionand our Mother of PerpetualHelp be with us always!
+Emmanuel T. Cabajar, C.Ss.R. Bishop of Pagadian April 8, 2007
Working and Praying forHonest, Orderly and
Peaceful ElectionsA Pastoral Exhortation
“The Church values the democratic system inasmuch as itensures the participation of the citizens in making politicalchoices, guarantees to the governed the possibility of both
electing and holding accountable those who govern them...”(John Paul II, Centessimus Annus, #46).
Statements
AS we approach once againthe critical moment of ournational election on May 14,let us meet the new cross-roads in our history with ourbest efforts to make it an Hon-est, Orderly and PeacefulElection. Being in a democ-racy, this is the Covenant ofHope that we are all enjoinedto give for our country’s fu-ture.
To ensure credible resultsfrom the coming election, wecall on everyone in theChurch and in civil society,and on all participatinggroups and parties, toCHAMPION the cause ofdemocratic election, by en-suring it to be Clean, Honest,Accurate, Meaningful andPeaceful.
We must disapprove, rejectand condemn as immoral allacts of violence and cheating,including the evil of “votepadding and shaving”(dagdag-bawas) in favor of oragainst any candidate. Letboth candidates and theirsupporters face the judgmentof democratic election withhumility and magnanimity.
We exhort everyone to bevigilant, to pray and to offerpenance for this intention. Letus accompany with extremevigilance and prayer the cru-cial period of campaigning,voters’ education, transport-ing of election paraphernalia,poll watching, and very espe-cially, the canvassing and re-porting of the votes. May thehand of God stop evil fromgetting in control. We needthe Lord’s help, withoutwhich our best efforts willcome to nothing. Thus, weurge everyone to invoke thegrace if the Holy Spirit toguide our people in this elec-toral exercise, for the renewalof our country towards genu-ine common good.
We want this exhortationto reach every Filipino. Let us
be one in prayer, penance andvigilance. In a particular way,we request for the prayers ofour contemplative men andwomen in the monasteries;there are more than a hun-dred of such monasteries allover the country. As theykneel before the Most BlessedSacrament, we request themto pray for our country—es-pecially for all voters, candi-dates, and election officials/workers.
Let our prayer also accom-pany the work of the PPCRVand NAMFREL, theCOMELEC and the thou-sands of teachers in the field,the social action ministries ofCBCP-NASSA, LENTE (Le-gal Network for TruthfulElection), as well as the assis-tance of the AFP and PNP,and of the hundreds of reli-gious organizations and civilsociety groups—all hopingand championing the causeof credible election.
We strongly recommendthat the parishes organizeHoly Hours or prayer vigilsin their churches or chapelsfor these intentions, betweenMay 5 and May 14, with thehelp of the Apostleship ofPrayer and other religious or-ganizations. We likewise en-courage the Basic EcclesialCommunities to do the samein their centers. Humble andtrusting prayers are neededto safeguard the sanctity ofthe ballot and of the entireelectoral processes.
May our Blessed MotherMary, the Mediatrix of allgrace, and our Guardian St.Joseph the Model of honestand prayerful work, inter-cede for our beloved countryas we face a new transition inour history.
+ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO Archbishop of Jaro President, CBCP 24 April 2007
ELECTION is a process ofchoosing leaders who, withthe people, will seek thecommon good of all. Thusthe Church encourages andsupports “the citizens inmaking political choicesthat guarantees to the gov-erned the possibility of bothelecting and holding ac-countable those who governthem and of replacing themthrough peaceful meanswhen appropriate”(Centesimus Annus, 46).
Choosing and holding theleaders accountable to thegoverned is a critically im-portant choice that must fol-low moral guidance.
The sacredness of an elec-tion recalls to us that votesare not for sale or to be bar-tered with favors. Neithercan a vote be cast under anyform of coercion. The searchis for the best possibleleader.
1. The best possible leaderis a person who lovesand fears God.
2. One who is guided bya well-formed con-science, always sensi-tive to the choice ofwhat is good.
3. One who lives andserves consistently withmoral principles.
4. One who is honest,non-violent, and com-passionate.
5. A person who respectsand protects the limitedresources in nature andrequires others to dothe same.
6. One who is ready tosacrifice personal, partyor group interest for thesake of unity, peace andthe integral develop-ment of the country andthe people.
In the past, enormous suf-ferings resulted from politi-cal ambitions, maneuversand group adventurism re-sulting in the country’s poorbecoming even poorer.
Pray for guidance becauseGod may softly suggest inprayer that this time whatthe country needs are moral,humble and repentant trust-worthy leaders who canlead and move the countrycloser to its vision.
We are grateful to and weencourage the teachers, themen and women of thearmed forces, the youth andvolunteer citizens who helpthe task of COMELEC inensuring that votes areproperly cast, accuratelycounted at the precincts, areauthentically reported to themunicipalities and cities,and forwarded safely andun-tampered to theCOMELEC Provincial andNational offices.
May Mary, our mother,guide us in our choice oftrustworthy leaders andbring us to her Son, Jesus,the only Way, Truth andLife.
God bless!
+Gaudencio B. CardinalRosales, DD Archbishop of Manila
Contemplatives orPeeping Toms?“ S A C R A M E N T U Mcaritatis,” Latin for the sac-rament of charity, referringto the sacrament of the HolyEucharist, is the title of thelatest document issued byPope Benedict, released lastFebruary 22.
It’s a beautiful summaryand in-depth comment of thePope on the observations,suggestions and resolutionsmade by the bishops and car-dinals in their synod on thesacrament in October 2005 inRome.
Reading it, I was immedi-ate ly impressed by theamount of wisdom containedin that document that skill-fully described the sacramentas a mystery to be believed,to be celebrated and to belived.
I consider that plan of de-veloping the topic verytimely and clever, since itgives a comprehensive cov-erage, unified and organic, ofhow the sacrament, and themystery it involves, shouldbe treated.
The sacrament should notonly be believed, it has to becelebrated, and properly.And it should not just be cel-ebrated, it has to be lived toits last consequences.
The Holy Mass, after all,has been described as thesource and summit of Churchlife and mission, the vital linkbetween heaven and earthnow. It has to infuse its sub-stance in our entire being—from our minutest pore to ourgrandest dimension.
Often, we get stuck in onestage or another. We need togo all the way. This is a re-
quirement of our human con-dition, to be consciously pur-sued and fulfilled since ourtendency is to reduce what isproper for us.
There is a beautiful and in-cisive description, for ex-ample, of what active partici-pation in the Mass ought tobe. It’s not just mutteringprayers and joining in thes inging. One has to gothrough a continuing conver-sion as he immerses himselfin the mystery celebrated.
Also there is a wonderfuldiscussion about the socialand other practical implica-tions of the sacrament. Thisshould greatly help in cor-recting the tendency to con-s ider the Mass as purelyChurch or spiritual affairwith hardly any effect on theother aspects of our lives.
With all these, I was just alittle dismayed when it cameout. The media only gavescant consideration to it, giv-ing a line or two to highlighta minor but, to them, curiousdetail, like the Mass can becelebrated in Latin in inter-national gatherings.
In the meantime, the presswas busy following every lu-rid detail about the latestperversion of Paris Hilton,the la test aberrat ion ofBritney Spears, and the latestlove life hitch of our KrisAquino.
For these items, a river ofink was spent, rolls and rollsof footages were used. I tseems there’s a big industryout there involved in spread-ing every twist and turn inthe lives of these unfortu-nately irresistible celebrities.
It’s not for me to say whatshould appear in the papers.But I just find it funny thatan important event in reli-gion and Church life doesnot stand a chance, not a rat’schance, to compete with ce-lebrity gossips in terms ofmedia space.
I get the impression themedia wants us only to bepeeping toms and backbiters,rather than contemplativesand thinking and sensiblepeople. It simply wants to tit-illate our curiosity, imagina-tion and adrenalin.
It’s contented with playingto the gallery. Hardly lead-ing the crowd, it rather fol-lows the mob. I wonder whatits understanding of its na-ture and role in society is.Does religion have a promi-nent place in it?
It starves our finer sensesand higher faculties. The ra-tionalization is that to be fairand objective, it has to bemoral ly undef ined andgenderless. The law of themarket is its main guide.
Often quick to question ev-erybody, it is slow to evalu-ate i t se l f and i ts perfor-mance. Its judgments andopinions are often given atinge of infallibility.
Well, no one is perfect inthis l i fe . That ’s why weshould just help one another,by making timely reminders,constructive suggestions andcorrections.
I wish the media investmore seriously in the area offaith and religion, develop-ing talents through time. Ibel ieve the future we a l lwant is there.
Nurture Your Secret Life“Your assignment is to clean the toilet everyday.”
Who Knows Your Secrets?
Ongoing Formation forDiocesan Clergy
Fr. Jose Rembert G. Rivera
Atty. Jo Imbong
Many years ago, I was part of a celibate broth-erhood. And on my first day there, an olderbrother gave me my assigned chore: Toiletcleaning.
“I don’t know how to clean toilets,” I mut-tered meekly, “can you teach me?”
“Let’s start with the toilet bowl,” he smiled,as he grabbed a sponge, sank his hand intothe toilet water, and started scrubbing the in-sides of the bowl. Believe me, every hair onmy body stood on end and my innards shookviolently.
“Gee… uh, I recall Mom using a stick…” Imumbled, but he interrupted, “But this cleansit so much better,” his forearm almost disap-pearing inside the Throne.
With his hand still dripping, he handed methe sponge and said, “You want to try?” I al-most choked and wondered if God could takemy life that second.
“Okay…” I held the foam as manly as Icould. Being at a loss for words, I started pray-ing in tongues. I plunged my hand into thewater, and realized that my state-of-life dis-cernment was over. That very night, I wasgoing to escape the brotherhood, and getmarried.
But the days became weeks, and the weeks,months.
I cleaned that toilet for a whole year. And Ibegan to love it. It became “my toilet” and“my sponge”. I’d have withdrawal pangs if Ididn’t clean the toilet in a day.
Indeed, the celibate brotherhood taught methe meaning of “The Secret Life”.
You see, I was already preaching in bigprayer rallies at that time. After such events,people took my pictures, got my autograph,and—hear this—tried very hard to shake myhand. Oh, if they only knew what I held justa few hours before.
My “public life” was symbolized by the mi-crophone.
But my “secret life” was symbolized by the
sponge. And it put me in my place, keepingpride away from my heart.
I love Bill Hybell’s definition of “Charac-ter”: Character is who you are when no one’slooking. It’s easy to be a disciple in front ofan applauding crowd. But when no one’slooking, was I still a disciple?
Thanks to my sponge, I had an answer: Yes!I remember one Saturday night. We had a
big feast—and all the brothers washed thedishes together. We even sang happy songswhile soaping, rinsing, and drying.
That night, I was soaping. When it was al-most over, I was removing a stubborn foodparticle stuck in a fork—when I noticed some-thing about the sponge in my hand. It lookedoddly familiar.
I gasped. Because I knew my sponge! Whatwas it doing here in the kitchen? Just to besure, I rushed to the toilet and opened thecabinet under the sink—the usual place whereI stored my sponge. It wasn’t there.
I entered the kitchen hesitantly, wonderingwhether to tell the brothers. But I saw themsinging and happy. How could I break theircheery mood? So I decided to join the sing-ing, get my sponge, and soap the few remain-ing plates. (To this day, I have never told themwhat happened that night. When they readthis, they will kill me.)
I have a question for you: How’s your se-cret life?
Who are you when no one’s looking?In the unspectacular, mundane, routine of
your day?I tell you. Nurture your Secret Life.I BELIEVE that on Judgment Day, God will
give me a 365-room mansion in heaven. Andwhen I ask Him why the lavish reward, I’dexpect Him to say, “Because of your preach-ing to thousands,” or “Because you foundeda Home for the Elderly,” etc. But instead,He’d say, “For each day you cleaned that toi-let with love in your heart…”
I ’M privi lege to jo in atwelve-week sabbatical pro-gram for Roman Catholicpriests held at St. Patrick’sSeminary in Menlo Park,California.
The program was con-ducted on September 13 toDecember 10, 2006 under theable leadership of Fr. J imMyers, SS, our Director. Theprogram started last 1972 andhas already served over 35countries around the world.
Being a priest from theThird World, I realized threethings in my life and minis-try as a priest:
a) Personal growth andDevelopment. After spend-ing 25 years in my activeministry, I felt the need toundergo the ongoing forma-tion for my personal growthas a minister and as a person.I consider myself perfection-ist, avant-garde in my workand mission in life but to mysurprise that seem not essen-tial in my life. I realized that
to be a good priest means sin-cere prayers, total sacrifice,and attuned to the guidanceof the Holy Spirit. I know I’mnot alone in my struggle tobe a faithful, honest, and celi-bate priest in the Church.
b) Theological and pasto-ral updating. After 9 years offormation in the diocesanseminary, I realized that allmy formation activities wereall gone and depleted. I con-tinue to pray, study and up-date myself—but they are notsufficient to my personal andsocial growth. My experienceat Vatican II Institute hasgiven me new impetus forsound theological updatingand pastoral renewal.
c) Social involvement. Iconsidered myself a lonerand ego-centered. So, I gotfew leaders or friends withwhom I communicate openlyand shared my life. The sab-batical program finds me in-teract ing with my fe l lowclergy from 7 nations, com-
ing from 3 cont inents ofAmerica, Asia and Africa—areal socially mixed group ofpersons with various theo-logical formations.
The lectures, socials, andinteraction with seminariansand theologians are really agreat experience for me. Ourlecturers are all experts intheir own field of work.
I wish to call the diocesanclergy in the Philippines toavail of this program. The fi-nancial requirement is veryhigh but some scholarshipgrants can be availed of.
My director encouragedme to organize a First Gen-eral Assembly of Vatican IIInstitute graduates from thePhilippines. I was given 12names of graduate priestsbut without addresses orcontact numbers. For thoseinterested with the programand the assembly, I maybecontacted at: St. Paul’s Par-ish, Cauayan, Negros Occi-dental, 09176409882.
I MEAN, your deepestthoughts and noble dreams,the secrets of your heart, thosequestions and cares which youdare not open up even to yourspouse, your special friend, oryour mother?
Can there be someone whowill ungrudgingly listen toyour frustrations without asnicker? Can he believe you tobe 100% sincere deep in yourheart about your real inten-tions? Can there be someonein your phonebook who willunderstand why you chooseto be what you are and thentell you to continue pursuingyour dream with more pas-sion? Will he bless your zeal?
If you can answer ‘yes ’ to allthat, then you have under-stood what it takes to live a re-ligion. And you have learnedthat living a religion consistsin the sharing of one’s lifewith another. But it is not justa sharing of superficialities—such as where to get the bestlatte , or where to find the mostauthentic Italian risotto .Rather, it is a sharing of thedeeper things of one’s life,where the One at the other endalso makes known to you thesecrets of his heart. “ I nolonger call you servants; I callyou my friends.” Christ, onwhose breast you find rest,shows you the plot of his ownlove story. It only remains foryou to do the same.
The way to do this is quitesimple, in fact you probably
are doing it already with yourpersonal confidante, if notwith Christ altogether. GeraldVann, O.P. spoke of this divinefriendship quite so simply:
“First, the need of words,the need of telling him—assimply and directly as wewould tell a human friend;there is no need of formal lan-guage—of all the things thatmake up our lives, the bigthings but the small thingstoo, the crosses and trials andproblems but the joys and gai-eties too. And if we are faith-ful to this daily attempt to talkto him as a friend, and ifthrough that sharing of ourlife with him in those quietmoments of prayer every daywe really come to be aware ofhim and to make that aware-ness a deep and essential ele-ment in our life; then it maywell follow in time that theneed of words will grow lessand less, the friendship willbecome established, secure;and as in the times set apartfor prayer we may be ablesimply to rest silently or al-most silently in his presence,so the sense of that presencewill not wholly leave us atother times, it will be a back-ground to all the other activi-ties that make up the life ofevery day; and so in those ac-tivities we shall be wiser andgentler and stronger and ofmore service to the humanfamily, because we shall beacting in his presence, and his
Reflections
By Fr. Roy Cimagala
wisdom will guide us and hislove will energize us.”
Once you have found yourtrue Friend, you can onlymaintain the relationship bymeans of two things: your sin-cerity and your truth. We dotreasure these qualities in ourfriends, don’t we? Thus, to puton a mask or pretend to sayone thing and mean another—you kill the relationship.
But can we really pretendbefore Christ? How silly of us!He knows everything about useven before we were evendreamed of by our parents.
How comforting then for usto know that we can approachhim with no guard, no affec-tation. And if we are alsohumble, he will lift us up fromthe dregs where we havesunk, even before we havereached the final verse of oneof your favorite Psalms... “ Iknow my transgressions, and mysin is always before me. Againstyou, you only, have I sinned...wash me, and I will be whiterthan snow...” And as we unfoldthat bent knee to receive hisproffered hand, we catch ourbreath, our eyes are dazzled.The Spirit drowns us andwords are put into our hearts,“What is man that you are mind-ful of him, the son of man thatyou care for him? You made hima little lower than the heavenlybeings and crowned him withglory and honor.”
The true Friend has foundyou.
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Emily WatsonDirector: Cris NoonanProducers: M. Medavoy, D. Thwaites, A. Messer,
C. SienegaScreenwriter: Richard Maltby Jr.Music: Nigel WestlakeEditor: Robin SalesGenre: Drama/Biography/RomanceCinematography: Andrew DunnDistributor: MGM, Weinstein Co.Location: EnglandTechnical Assessment: Moral Assessment: ½CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 13 and below
with parental guidanceTitle: SUNSHINERunning Time: 105 minsLead Cast: Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Chirs Evans,
Director: Danny BoyleProducer: Andrew McDonaldScreenwriter: Alex GarlnadMusic: Karl HydeEditor: Chris GillGenre: Sci-fi /SuspenseCinematography: Alwin H. KachleyDistributor: Fox SearchlightLocation: The UniverseTechnical Assessment: Moral Assessment: CINEMA Rating: For viewers14 and above
In the not-so-distant future, the sun failswhich causes the Earth to freeze. As a last hope,a spacecraft, Icarus II with a crew of eight menand women is launched. The Icarus II carries astellar bomb that aims to re-ignite the sun. Thefirst Icarus left seven years ago with the samemission but contact was lost. As Icarus II headstowards the sun, the crew of eight see the dis-tressed Icarus ship that had been missing forseven years. Capa (Cillian Murphy), the physi-cist who controls the bomb, persuades the groupinto a decision to rendezvous with Icarus forpossible repair of the ship, so as to give them-selves another bomb to increase the chances ofthe success of their mission, should their bombfail to deliver the desired effect. What happensnext is a series of challenges for the entire crewas they decide to change direction, risking IcarusII’s mission and the entire humanity’s hope forsunshine.
This science fiction flick begins with a strongpremise of the Earth’s future although it fails tovisually describe what the Earth really looks likewithout the sun’s rays. Most of what it tells theaudience is left to the imagination. But thenagain, the movie’s focus is on the spacecraft, thecrew and the mission, so audiences are takendirectly to outer space where the film is true toits sci-fi look and form. In a usual “ship of fools”plot, the director succeeds in fleshing out thehumanness of the characters, each endowedwith exceptional intelligence, and shows howindividual differences determine either failureor success of a mission such as Icarus II. But thenthe film fails to explore further characters’ rela-tionships and backgrounds, leaving the audi-ence with narrow understanding of their innermotivations. Although the plot is interestingwith the not-so-predictable twists, it drags to-wards the end with the introduction of a char-acter that is both alien and alienated and which
Title: ANG CUTENG INA MORunning Time: 100minsLead Cast: AiAi delas Alas, AnneCurtis, LuisManzano, EugeneDomingo, JohnLapus, DJ Durano,Nikki Bacolod,Vince SaldanaDirector: WennDeramasProducers: Vincentdel Rosario,Veronique delRosario CorpusScreenwriter: MelMendoza-DelRosario, ArleneTamayo, WennDeramas
Music: Vince de JesusEditor: Marya E. IgnacioGenre: ComedyCinematography: Sherman SoDistributor:Viva Production Inc.Location: MalabonTechnical Assessment: Moral Assessment: ½CINEMA Rating: For viewers13 and below with
parental guidance
Si Christine (Anne Curtis) ay ipinanganak saMelbourne, Australia ng magkasamangAustralyano at ang kanyang Pinay na ina na siGeorgia (Ai-Ai delas Alas). Pagkalipas ngdalawampung taon ay binalak ngAustralyanong ama ni Christine na pakasalansi Georgia ngunit tumutol siya. Masama angloob niya dahil akala niya ay natiis ng kanyangina na hindi sila balikan sa Melbourne, Austra-lia pagkatapos ng mahabang panahon. Bumaliksiya sa Pilipinas kasama ng kanyang yaya,Nanny Ninonu (Eugene Domingo) upangpatunayan na hindi karapat-dapat si Georgia sakanyang ama. Mistula namang piyesta ng bayanang inihanda ni Georgia sa pagdating ni Chris-tine. Habang pinagsisikapan niyang mapamahalsa anak ay patuloy naman si Christine sa pakananitong siraan ang kanyang ina. Nang lumaonay nawili na rin siya sa Malabon at napalapit saampon ng kanyang ina na si Val (Luis Manzano)samantalang nakursunadahan naman ni Nanny
The film is the engaging life story of BeatrixPotter, the world famous creator of Peter Rabbit(one of the best loved characters in children’s lit-erature) and one of the best selling authors ofchildren’s books of all time. Like most ladies bornto gentility in the Victorian Era, Beatrix (ReneeZellweger) lived a sheltered and restricted lifewith her parents in London. But gifted with alively imagination and a talent for drawing andinventing tales, she created her own world popu-lated by her furry “friends”. Unlike most girls ofher time she was not interested in proposals formarriage of convenience. Instead, she was deter-mined to have her book of stories and illustra-tions published. But even her own mother didnot believe in her art or her capabilities. No pub-lisher would publish what they called her bunnybook, until the publishing company of FrederickWarne and Sons decided to give it as a project tothe youngest son Norman (Ewan McGregor) whowas raring to join the company. Though callowand inexperienced, Norman took the work seri-ously as he collaborated closely with Beatrix. Itwas 1902 and Beatrix’s first book The Tale of Pe-ter Rabbit instantly became a best seller. Work-ing together, Norman and Beatrix fell in love.Thirty-two-year-old, resolved spinster Beatrixwanted to marry Norman to the vehement ob-jection of her snobbish parents who thoughtsomeone in “trade” was not good enough fortheir daughter. Beatrix would realize that life hasstrange twists and turns.
Much of the charm and appeal of this wellcrafted bio-pic lies in its simplicity. The pleasant
story is well told with general ease and smooth-ness. There are no hidden messages or disguisedsub-texts. The beautiful love story has a touch ofsentimentality that helps endear the lead charac-ters to the viewers. There is very good casting.The performances are excellent. Zellweger un-deracts but comes across as an independentminded Beatrix. McGregor’s character Normanmay be clumsy at times but retains his innocentcharm. The two leads have great screen chemis-try. Other stand-outs are Emily Watson asNorman’s liberated sister Millie, Barbara Flynnas Beatrix’s insensitive mother and MatyelokGibbs’s comic doddering chaperone. A nicetouch of Director Chris Noonan is his occasionalanimation of Beatrix’s creations as she sees them.The cinematography is breathtaking, and hascaptured the indescribable beauty and serenityof the Lake Country District of England.
Beatrix Potter lived about a hundred years agobut some of the values of her time as shown inthe movie are still relevant to us today. Here wasa woman who was talented and wanted to riseabove the conventions of her time to make some-thing of herself but was unappreciated, met withindifference, perhaps considered odd, evenlaughed at behind her back. Today there arewomen in the same predicament though perhapsin a different situation. To them, Beatrix is aninspiration. Strong willed, she never gave up herdreams, continued to persevere until she suc-ceeded. Aside from being lauded for her literaryachievements, she should also be appreciated fornurturing the seed of women empowerment.Another negative value shown in the film is theattitude of some as being superior to others be-cause of social standing and wealth, like Beatrix’sparents. And Beatrix condemns this as pure pre-tense. When Beatrix settled in the Lake District,she decided to buy out farm lands near her prop-erty so she would prevent these from being ur-banized by developers. She wanted to preservethe beauty of her surroundings so as to enableothers after her to savor it, too. Eventually shebequeathed to the British people her estates andfarms through a Land Conservation Trust sothese places will be forever preserved in its natu-ral, untarnished beauty. Besides appreciatingBeatrix Potter as someone who used her talent inservice of others by writing and publishing booksfor children, we also commend her as a “femi-nist” and environmentalist.
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Ninonu ang baklang katulong na si Junjun (JohnLapus). Natuklasan ni Val ang video camerakung saan isinusumbong ni Christine sa amaang mga kapintasan ni Georgia. Galit nabumalik sa Pilipinas ang Australyano upangharapin si Georgia. Huli na nang mabatid niChristine ang kanyang mga pagkakamali. Paanokaya malulutas ang mga napakagusot napangyayari?
Mababaw at slapstik na komedya angpelikulang ito. Sapagkat patok sa takilya angTanging Ina ni AiAi de las Alas ay sinundan itong Ang Cute ng Ina Ko. Itinaon angpagpapalabas sa Pasko ng Pagkabuhay nangumano’y maka-aliw sa mga tao ngunit masmalakas ang dating na pang-komersyal angpelikula. Nababagay at natural angpagkakaganap ni Anne Curtis sa kanyang papelsapagkat talaga namang laking Australya ito.May kapilyuhan ang isiningit na eksena napaghuhubad ni Luis Manzano nang maligo salabas dahil as nalublob ito sa patisan. Inuulitang mga popular na linya sa ibang pelikula,telenovela, at mga pulitiko at hinahalo sadiyalogo. Kahit hindi kapani-paniwala ay pilitkinukuha ang kiliti ng mga tao sa mga eksenakagaya halimbawa nang maiwanan si AiAi saeroplano, nang ginawa siyang hostage at dinalapa sa tuktok ng mataas na billboard, at nangnahulog siya sa isang talon (waterfall).
Ang magandang aral na mapupulot ay angpagmamahal ng isang ina sa kanyang anak. Sakatunaya’y ipinangalan pa nga ni Georgia kayChristine ang produkto nitong patis. Huminging kapatawaran si Christine at ang kanyang amakay Georgia sa kanilang pagkakamali. Ngunitsa kabuuan ay pangit ang paglalarawan ngkababaihan sa pelikula: nagka-anak sa isangdayuhan si Georgia na hindi pa nakakasal,nagpakasal si Georgia sa negosyante ng patismakaahon lang sa kahirapan, may kabit angAustralyanong ama ni Christine, walang respetosi Christine sa kanyang ina na pilit niyangsinisiraan, marahas ang pagaaway nina Geor-gia at Nanny Ninonu, sinuntok ng baklang siJunjun ang yaya na nahuhumaling sa kanya. Samga magdadala ng bata sa pelikulang ito,makabubuting ipaliwanag sa kanila na may mgabagay na hindi dapat pagtawanan at tularansapagkat makasasama ang mga ito hindi lamangsa kanilang kapwa kundi na rin sa kanilangsariling pagkatao.
makes the film look more of a horror flick thanscience fiction.
Sunshine poses many moral arguments abouthuman life. To begin with, is the life of one per-son less important as compared to many? In thefuture described in the film, the gauge of hero-ism is either dying or killing to save mankind.It is disturbing to see in the film that a crewmember would need to commit suicide as therest of the group decide to kill him so as to beable to complete the mission of saving mankind.Killing is always morally wrong even if the mo-tivation for doing it is good. Then towards theend, the movie throws a deeper argument: If inthe future, the sun fails to shine as part of God’splan for the human race to die out, should hu-mans interfere and prevent it from happening?Do humans have God’s permission to alter thecourse of the universe? Sunshine reminds view-ers of the limitations of the human person nomatter how brilliant the mind is. The film makesthe audience ponder on the significance of God’sgift, the “sunshine” which human beings expe-rience every morning but most of the time takefor granted. Because of the strong language andviolence in the film, CINEMA recommends thatthe movie may be viewed only by audiences 14-years-old and above.
Technical Assessment
PoorBelow averageAverageAbove averageExcellent
Moral Assessment
AbhorrentDisturbingAcceptableWholesomeExemplary
QUOTES IN QUIZBooklets available atBOOKSALE stores inSM, Robinsons andselected malls inManila. For mail ordertext 0919 2803036.
ANSWER TO THELAST ISSUE:
(1) VIOLENCE ANDARMS CAN NEVERRESOLVE THEPROBLEMS OF MEN.- POPE JOHN PAULII
(2) SOCIAL JUSTICECANNOT BEATTAINED BYVIOLENCE.VIOLENCE KILLSWHAT IT INTENDSTO CREATE. - POPEJOHN PAUL II
Entertainment
Vol. 11 No. 8April 16-29, 2007
CBCP MonitorCBCP Monitor16
Divine Mercy AsianCongress Held
AWARDED. MOSTREV. FRANCISCO F.CLAVER, SJ, DD, ap-ostolic-vicar emeritusof Bontoc Lagawe;with Fr. Neri SaturAward on Environ-mental Heroism, April18, 2007; at a workshopheld at the Departmentof Foreign Affairs forthe worldwide observance of Earth Day. Bp.Claver was cited for his outstanding servicein championing the cause of indigenouspeoples, their rights, and the survival of theirhabitat, history and heritage.
C E L E B R A T E D .MOST REV.DINUALDO D.GUTIERREZ, DD, 68,bishop of Marbel; 45th
anniversary of sacer-dotal ordination; April7, 2007. Born on Febru-ary 20, 1939 inRomblon, Bp.Gutierrez finished his
Philosophy and Theology studies at St.Vincent Ferrer Seminary in Jaro, Iloilo City.He was ordained to the priesthood on April7, 1962 at the Immaculate Conception Cathe-dral in Roxas City. Bp. Gutierrez obtained hisBachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology (S.T.B.)and Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) atthe Angelicum University in Rome in 1969,and Doctoral degree in Sacred Theology(S.T.D.), also at Angelicum in 1971. He wasordained to the episcopacy on January 28,1981 at our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church inRoxas City.
CELEBRATED. REV.FR. PABLO A. YNTIG,SSP, 25th anniversary ofordination to the priest-hood, March 25, 2007.Born on February 1, 1952in Balamban, Cebu, Fr.Yntig entered the congre-gation of the Pious Soci-ety of St. Paul, an Insti-tute of religious men founded by BlessedJames Alberione; on June 22, 1972. He finishedhis Philosophy and Mass Communications
degree from St. Paul Seminary and obtaineda degree in Theology from San Carlos Semi-nary in Makati City. He was ordained to thepriesthood on March 21, 1982. Fr.Yntig is cur-rently the Director/General Manager of STPAULS Diffusion.
C E L E B R A T E D .MSGR. TIRSO N.ALCALA, DCS, 25th
anniversary of sacer-dotal ordination;April 20, 2007. Msgr.Alcala finished histheology studiesfrom the RegionalMajor Seminary(REMASE) in Davao and was ordained to thepriesthood on April 20, 1982 at Siargao Islandby Most Rev. Miguel C. Cinches, SVD. He at-tended renewal courses at SVD Nemi Re-newal in Rome from April-August 1994, andCSsR Renewal Program in England fromApril-July 2001. Msgr. Alcala’s current assign-ments are: Vicar General of the Diocese ofSurigao, Oeconomus and Parish priest of Sta.Cruz Parish, Placer, Surigao del Norte.
C E L E B R A T E D .MSGR. PRESCILOP. IRAL, DCS, 25th
anniversary of sacer-dotal ordination;April 23, 2007. Msgr.Iral graduated fromcollege at St. PeterSeminary inAmpayon, Butuan
City. He finished his theology studies fromthe Regional Major Seminary (REMASE) inDavao City. He was ordained to the priest-hood on April 23, 1982 at St. Peter Claver Par-ish, Surigao del Norte by Most Rev. MiguelCinches, SVD. Msgr. Iral taught at REMASEfor ten years. Currently, he is assigned as Pa-rochial vicar of Cathedral Parish in SurigaoCity; at the same time the Episcopal Vicar forthe Youth.
PASSED TO ETERNALREWARD. Rev. Fr. LeviGarcia, Diocese ofDipolog, April 15, 2007; S.Ma. Domingo S. Palanca,RVM, April 17, 2007.
THE Association of DivineMercy Asia held an Asian Con-gress on Divine Mercy lastApril 21 and 22 at the Clamshellin Intramuros, Manila, inpreparation for the 1 st ApostolicCongress on Mercy to be heldin Rome on April 2-6, 2008.
The event which was a legacyof the late Paul John Paul II,dubbed as the Pope of the Di-vine Mercy had the theme: “TheEmpowerment of the Poor with
the Divine Mercy in Asia.”A representative from Rome,
Secretary General of the WorldApostolic Congress on Mercy,Rev. Fr. Patrice Chocholskicame to grace the two-dayevent and spoke about the Ap-ostolic Congress on Mercy to beheld in 2008.
Other panel of speakers in-cluded Most Rev. Teodoro C.Bacani, Jr, DD who expoundedon the topic “Ecclesia in Asia—
Mission through the DivineMercy Apostolate.”
The prelate said “if Jesus is tobe revealed as the merciful sav-ior” to the majority of the poorin Asia, then the Church muststrive to make the poor feel thecompassion of Christ not onlythrough preaching of the gos-pel but also through concreteworks of mercy.
Meanwhile, Caritas ManilaExecutive Director Fr. Anton T.Pascual talked on the empow-erment of the poor with the Di-vine Mercy, stressing that hun-ger and poverty in the countrycan only be effectively ad-dressed through economic em-powerment by means of microfinance cooperative.
The second day of the Con-ference had MAPSA Superin-tendent Msgr. Gerry Santos, Ed.D. delivered a talk entitled “AMission of Love and Service inAsia,” while Bro. VictorPestaño spoke on the topic “Di-vine Mercy, Not Only a Devo-tion but A Way of Life.”
Divine Mercy Apostolate ofthe Philippines (DMAP) Presi-dent, Sr. Monina Tayamen,OCDS, reported to the assem-bly the different programs ofDMAP which are aimed athelping the poor meet their ba-sic needs such as food, liveli-hood programs and healthcare.
About 500 delegates comingfrom all over the country cameand participated in the two-daycongress. Other participants in-cluded priests and nuns fromChina, Indonesia, Thailand,Taiwan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka,Vietnam and Japan. (PinkyBarrientos, FSP)
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Vol. 11 No. 8April 16-29, 2007
CBCP MonitorCBCP Monitor16 People, Facts & Places
First Mangyan Priest OrdainedIN a beautiful and solemn litur-gical celebration, Fr. GabaynoOybad made his sacerdotal com-mitment before Most Rev.Warlito Cajandig, DD on April17, 2007 at the Sto. Niño Cathe-dral in Calapan, OrientalMindoro.
The 35-year old Oybad, whobelonged to the Hanunuo tribe,was the first Mangyan to be or-dained to the priesthood.
Replete with symbolisms, theordination of Oybad was high-lighted by a meaningful gestureof his parents handing him overto the bishop. The gesture im-plied that Oybad was beinggiven way to the service of theChurch. The bishop as Shepherdaccepted the gesture in the nameof the Church. The act of offer-ing was sealed with the sound-ing of gongs and thunderousapplause from the congregation.
Episcopal Commission on Bib-lical Apostolate (ECBA) execu-tive secretary Oscar Alunday,SVD, who was present in the cel-ebration, expressed elation in theordination of Oybad.
“It was a happy occasion anda very memorable one. [Throughthis ordination], we have addedmore colors and more music tothe liturgy of the Church,” saysAlunday.
Alunday, a Tingguian fromAbra, said the Church even upto now considers the indigenouspeople (IP) as objects of evange-lization. He believed that bothIP’s and non-IP’s should be co-agents in evangelization stress-ing that it is a “challenge also forthe Filipino to know and dis-cover our roots together.”
“Because we were all indig-enous at one time but somehowyou have forgotten much of yourown roots. So we try to discovertogether to enrich the Philippinesand the Church in a new way,”said Alunday.
The momentous event gath-ered together various represen-tatives from the differentMangyan tribes as well as Clergyand Religious working in bothparts of Mindoro.
Oybad, a product of an indig-enous system of education, took
THE newly elected officers of the KC Priest-Scholars Association: Fr. Rene Sapungan (Boac), President; Msgr. Yulito Asis(Daet), Vice-President for Luzon ; Fr. Potenciano Dulay (Catarman), Vice-President for Visayas; Fr. Rodolfo Iran (Cotabato), Vice-President for Mindanao; Fr. Benjo Fajota (Manila), Secretary; Fr. Joel Cariaso (Cabanatuan), Treasurer; Fr. Emmanuel Hipolito(Pasig), Auditor; Fr. Rex Palaya (Caceres), Publications Committee Head; Fr. Rene Retardo (Tagum), Formation CommitteeHead; and Fr. Salvador Banga (Pagadian), Scholarship Committee Chair.
his seminary training at Saint Au-gustine Seminary in Calapan andChrist the King Mission Semi-nary in Quezon City where hefinished AB Philosophy. He en-tered Divine Word School ofTheology in Tagaytay for histheological studies. Twice, hewent out of seminary formation.He became a teacher in MangyanEducation Center. In 1997, heenrolled in Asian Social Institutefor a masteral degree in PastoralSociology after which he becamea volunteer of Samahan ng PitongTribu (Kapulungan para sa LupaingNinuno). Briefly, he taught at Mt.Tabor Mangyan Education Cen-ter before going back definitivelyto the seminary to finish his the-ology.
Although the first to becomepriest, Oybad was not the firstMangyan to commit a life ofservice to God. About twoyears ago, a young womanfrom the same tribe professedher religious vows and becamea member of the Sisters of theHoly Spirit. (Pinky Barrientos,FSP)
1st Columbian Squires Luzon Jamboree Set April 26-29THE First Columbian Squires Luzon Jam-boree will be held on April 26-29, 2007 inBarangay Nangapungan, along theDipalo River in San Quintin,Pangasinan.
This was formally announced byJamboree Director DionisioMagpantay, of the San Roque Council13535 of Mandaluyong City and VirgilioMañalac, Jr., chairman, Columbian Squires,Luzon Jurisdiction and State Chief, SquireCarlo Emmanuel Fabros.
The event is hosted by the Roundtable Districtof the Diocese of Urdaneta headed by Sir KnightRamon Castronuevo, District UO3 Deputy SirKnight Fernando Estrada, Jr., San Quintin CouncilNo. 12507 led by Grand Knight SK Amor Capillanand San Roque Council 13535 of Mandaluyong Cityled by Grand Knight/SK Gilber Yupangco.
The gathering has for its theme: “Squires,Young Christian Gentlemen—Commit-
ted in Faith and in Service”.The Columbian Squires is an inter-
national youth organization of theKnights of Columbus with 12,000members all over Luzon. Invited alsoare representatives from the Visayas
and Mindanao jurisdictions includingthe World Columbian Squires representa-
tives.Expected to participate in this unprecedented
event are some 5,000 squires. The Council’s GrandKnight shall endorse participating Squires of theregistered circles, whose age ranges from 10 to 18years, physically and mentally fit to undergo camp-ing activities.
“Brother Knights are encouraged to register andjoin the campaign”, said Magpantay. (CBCPNews)
