1954
23rd
May
Modesty in Dress
|
Modesty in Dress Every Filipina must ask herself what a true friend, one who wishes her only the best, would want to see in her external appearance. Whether parent, brother, sister, husband, perceptive child, or one who seeks a lifelong partner, the Filipino takes pride in seeing a woman enhanced by her modesty. The Filipino has always esteemed the woman who is endowed with that air of mystery that comes from her vocation to nurture life within her. It is in this context that a woman’s style and manner of dress must be understood. For there is a subtle connection between a woman’s dress and her manner, and between these and her vocation to intimacy of love and the procreation of new life. From the first awareness of the shape of one’s body, to that of the boy-girl relationship, of sensuality, sex, social life, marriage, family, community, Church, eternity – there is a progressive growth in the fulfillment of but one design. The presentation of one’s figure in dress, and the study of its movements: these are parts of that one design. It is then a naturally feminine trait to seek to be noticed and admired through one’s manner of dressing. The desire to be attractive is again a part of the design for creative love. But there is a wholesome way of making oneself attractive, and a way that is debasing. The woman of Christian sense esteems her body and her lovely features as instruments of a human and altogether holy love. She understands that she has no right to use them to signal unwholesome thoughts and desires in men. Compassion directs her to deny encouragement to the perennial playboys who refuse to distinguish between easy women and honest women. This will explain the true character of “fashion” as a means, and not an end. Unless properly used, fashion exercises a tyranny with its every whim. Fashion tends to dictate what every woman, indiscriminately, must look like: now like a seductress, now like a little girl, now like a shapeless mannequin, now like a boy,. It is an obligation of women to make fashion serve its proper uses and not be dominated by it. This can be done by developing “taste”, particularly, a Christian taste. Taste means the ability to select that is most becoming to one’s dignity as a person, and to adapt it to pecularities of age, occasion, mood, etc. The obligation to develop taste arises from the role of woman to establish what is harmonious and beautiful in human situations. The test of authentic taste is not “chic” but “elegance”, that quality that is produced not so much by the cut or quality of the dress, as by wholesomeness of personality, and by the bearing and attitude of the wearer. Traditionally there is elegance in even the most simply dressed Filipina. Authentic taste is, at the same time, the best guarantee of modesty. Poor taste makes victims not merely of the light-headed, but even of those who sincerely desire to be faithful to modesty but fail in courage. A safe rule to follow is the inner feeling, the sincere conviction of the conscientious woman about a particular dress: does she feel “right”, in it? The uneasiness of abbreviatedly dressed Filipinas when sitting in public places comes from the right instinct. But taste, unlike information, is not had for the asking. Each person must be formed in it. And in this matter, parents bear the principal responsibility. They must be sensitive to the connection between dress and manner of behavior. There are subtle forms of sensuality in dress which find their way into the manner of their wearer. The affectionate gesture, the casual closeness which creates moral problems – these are often encouraged by the manner and style of the dresses worn. Many parents are amused at the first evidence of slightly overt sensuality in the dress of their maturing child, and they are flattered by the comments and prolonged glances the boys cast upon their growing daughter. They forget that their daughter is no longer a child. They face the serious task of gradually educating their daughter in responsibility towards the moral well being of other. It is not enough to be innocent in intent — like those who adopt even the risque and suggestive, more as a symbol of maturity and worldly wisdom than as a manifetation of sensuality. The particularly vulnerable psychology of the male in these matters, must become the concern of the growing Filipina. It is in the family that the first basic rules must be formulated: what type of dress is acceptable, where it is appropriate, etc. When some decisions are open to dispute, the fathers of families will be excellent judges of what constitutes modest dress for their daughters. It is not amiss to point out that boys too can be sensual in their fads. Tight, low-slung pants, unbottoned shirt fronts, the manner of their behavior — all this can be sensually stimulating to the other sex too. The best motivation that parents can present to the young, who are so much engrossed in self, the appeal to their innate sense of idealism: to the noble and creative destiny of their bodies. It is this which will most effectively make modesty a meaningful quality in their external behavior and inner attitudes. This idealism must be heightened by presenting the chaste Mary as model and Mother, and must be strengthened by recourse to the Sacraments as well as by the practice of self-sacrifice. The young Filipino has a right to hope that when he marries, his future bride will be both chaste and modest. But his hope will be in vain should the traditional modesty of the Filipina, that indispensable guardian of chastity, be abandoned and finally lost. For the Catholic Hierarchy of the Philippines: (Sgd.)+JULIO R. CARDINAL ROSALES, D.D. |
|||||
23rd
May
CARTA PASTORAL Sobre La MODESTA FEMENINA CRISTIANA y Los CONCERSOS DE BELLEZA Por El Emmo. Y Rvdmo.
|
CARTA PASTORAL DR. D. ENRIQUE PLA Y DENIEL Cardenal Arzobispo de Toledo, Primado de España A nuestro Exem. Cabildo Catedral, Sacerdotes y fieles de la Archidiocesis Toledana, Salud y paz en el Señor: En la Consagracion Episcopal el Consegrante, antes de proceder a la misma, somete a un severo interrogatorio al consegrando, una de cuyas preguntas es: Quieres con el auzilio de Dios custodiar la castidad y la sobriedad y enseñarla? Y el consagrando responde: Quiero. No creerismos ser fieles e esta solemne promesa que hace treinta y cinco años hicimo ente el altar del Sennor, si callaramos como perro mude ante el desbordamiento de la inmodestia femenina que hemos de deplorar aun en nuestra catolica España en proporciones ciertamente menores que en algunas otras naciones, pero desgraciadamente suficientes para enervar y aun destruir la modestia tradicional, el mejor ornato de la mujer española. Los principios de la moral cristiana en las costumbres son ciertamente distintos de la moral pagana y de la moral naturalistica de los ateos y materialistas de nuestros dias. Las doctrinas cristianas conceden una gran nobleza y sienten un gran respeto per el cuerpo humano que consideran templo del Espiritu Sanot (1), pero establecan a la vez la necesidad de la custodia del pudor, pues de otra suerte los estimulos muy poderosos de la sensualidad y de las pasiones desordenadas de la carne le induciran a la deshonestidad y la corrupcion. Cuan hemosa y bella es la castidad cristiana en todas las edades de la vida, en todos los estados, en los dos sexos, pero sobre todo en la mujer! Como resplendece la belleza de las virgenes cristianas y la suave majestad de las matrones prudentes castas como una Blanca de Castilla, una Isable la Catolica! La castidad se llama lipieza y el pecado de impureza se liama sucio. En que podredumbra fisica y moral suelon acabar las victimas de la vida impura! La belleza casta y serena infunde respeto y veneracion. Con la belleza impudica todos se atreven; es corruptora y corrompida. La custodia necesaria de la castidad,sobre todo en la mujer, son el pudor y la modestia; por ello, el enemigo de las almas nado intente con mas empeño que hacer perder este pudor y esta modestia por medio de modas indecorosas y provocativas: un dia sera con rediculas faldas cortas contrarias a las lineas de la verdadera elegancia feminan; otro dia sera promoviendo gastos y posturas impropias y peligrosas en jovenes que piensan contraer matrimonio; otro sera con desmanes faltos de todo recato on publicos baños de los sexos; otro suprimiendo totalmente las mangas, exhibiendo los brazos desnudos por las calles en tiempo de verano: Y con que incauta e incosciente docilidad acatan la tirania de la moda,por inverecunda que ella sea, la mayoria de las mujeras: Debarian todas las que se llaman cristianas tener siempre presente lo que recientemente decia Su Santidad Pio XII a las jovenes de Italia: Lo que Dios os pide es que recordeis siempre que la moda no es ni puede ser la regla de vuestra conducta; que sobre los dictados de la moday de sus exigencias teneis otras leyes mas altas e imperiosas, principios superiores o inmutables que en ningua caso pueden sacrificarse en eras del placer o del capricho… Si sigundas cristianas sospechazen las caidas y las tentaciones cue causan en otros con su ligereza, a la que den tan poca importacnia, so espantarian de su responsabilidad… No permitais, carisimos sacerdotes y rectores de Iglesias toledanes, que lleguen las modas inverecundas a profenar tambian el templo o las procesiones o la recepcion de los Santos Sacramentos. Sad prudented, pero firmen, en esta matoria. Prevenid con avisos puestos en las puertas de la Iglesia, que podeia pedir a la Curia Diocesana. En nuestra Catedral Toledana, tan visitada por españolas tienen mucho mas respecto a la santidad del templo que el que se tieno en otros paises. Ello cede, ciertamento, en su honor; pero si la piedad y el puder femeninos brillan muchas veces en España en el templo, por que no han de brillar tambian en las calles? Mirad, que si es cierto que debe imponeros respecto la presencia de Jesus Sacramentado en el Sagrario, toda cristiona sincera deberia toner en cuenta la presecia de nuestro Padre que esta en los cielos, en las calles y plazas de nuestra tierra a cuya mirada nada sa esconde y que un din nos pedrira estrecha cuenta de nuestras faltas graves, pero tambien de nuestras ligarezas y faltas demodestia, sun en los casos de no llegar a la gravedad del pecado mortal. No os hagais tampoco ilusioces de que el Señoe admita estas conpaginaciones de vida cristiana y de vida pagana segun las horas y los lugares, de muestras de piedad en el templo al recibir los Sacramentos y de impudica desenvoltus ra en la calle o an lugares de espectaculos y diveradones. Nuestra vida integra y completa es la que sera juzgada. Sobre todo debris tener esto oresente las que haceis profesion de deficaros al apostolado,por pertenecer a la Accion Catolica o a las Congregaciones Marianas, u os gloriais de ser Eijas de Maria. Vueatro primer y mas eficaz apostolado ha de ser el del ejemplo, uniendoos pera no cuedar aisladas ante la corriente de una moda indecorosa, a la cual si tambion cedieseis vosotras, arrastratisis a las domas. Deberism las mujeras catolicas organizarse al efects fe procurer que las modas no nos viasisen a España del extranjero, sino que se estableciesen en España y con normas conforme a la moral catolica, sino que se estableciesen en España y con normas conformenos en esta Archiodecesis Tolenana se recuerdan cada año en la fiesta de la Immaculada Concepcion de Maria, segun mandato de la Sagrada Congregacion del Concilio. Una de las funestas modas que del extranjegro no has venido a España de estos ultimona tiempos, son los llamados concureos de belleza. Por ella primero a un en Espala eran llamadas misses, pero al adoptares tambian aqui esta moda, so las transforma algunas veces en reinas. Poco hace el nombre; lo que importa es la esencia del concurso y el concuso es solo sobre la belleza corporea femenina, que es un don de Dios an quien la ha residobo, pero que no debe transformarae en objecto de concurno. En los concursos de ganados, se atiendde solo al cuerpo de los animales que carecan de alma racional, pero en los concuras de himbres o mujeres, de personas humanas, hay que atender a algo mas que al cuerpo, y no prescindir de las personas humans, hay que atender atender a algo mas que al cuerpo, y no prescindir de las cualidades intelectuales, morales, de capacidad profesional, o aun deportiva. El culto de Venus, tan impropio de cristianos. Son may propios estos concursos para hacer perder el pudor a la mujer, exponiendola a graves peligros, porque a la vez fomenta la sensualidad en los hombres. Se dira tal vez por algunos que en España los consursos de belleza no han revestido las formas abiertamente immorales que en otros paises. Es posible; pero no es necesario llegar a tales extremos de immoralidad para reprebar un espectaculo de si peligroso, dañosa y que puede llegar a taes abiertas immoralidades. Y al reconocer el mayor pudor de la mujer española y comom consecuencia el mayor respecto que se le tiene, no hay cue olviar que no es solo en España don de se levantan voces centra los concursos de belleza, pues bien racientemente tambian en el extranjero se han leventado voces contra tales concursos; como sun en Jefe militar norteamericano en Europa ha prohibido las modas femeninas inverecuades a las esposas e hijas de sus subordinados. Por todo allo creemos que los periodicos catolico, que aceptan la censura eclesiastica, no has de convertise sa propagadores de lamoda extranjara y peligrosa de los concursos de belelza. Lamentamos profundamente que el diario El Alenzar n osolo se haya converido en especial propagandar de lates concursos, sino sun haya organizado ano catre las elegidas en concursos especiales, invitando a dar su voto en cosa tan sujetiva como el aprecio de la mayor o menor belleza femenina, fomentando asi la frivolidad entre sus lectores. El Alcazar, sun cuando impreso hoy en Madrid, vions a ser el diario de Toledo, per su titulo, por habor nacido durante in gloriosa apopera de fama mundial y por de dicar paginas especiales a Toledo. La Hermandad del Alcazar tiene la prerogativa de poder conceder el uso de dichop titulo a una empresa periodistica; pero la Hermandad, que es una verdadera Cofradia con Consiliario nombrado por Nos, tiens la obligacion mientras tenga este caracter de no ceder el uso del titulo de “El Alcanzar” sino a condicion de reservarse la vigilancia del mismo para que no se publique nada contrario a la patria o al ejercito, pero tampoco nada contrario a la religion o a la moral, que ten profundamente sintieron los defensores del Alcazar, verdaderos fundadores del diario El Alcazar. Por ello nos consta el profundo sentimiento y disgusto que ha causado on muchos supervivientes defensores del Alcazar y miembros de su Hermandad, la libertad escabrosa y frivolidad de el gunos grabados publicados por El Alcazar desde su reciente reforma editorial, y tambien por haber organizado, este con curso de belleza con capones para emision del voto. No pretendemoz que se convierta el diario en una Hoja parroquial o en una revista ascetion. Pero la mision de la prensa diaria no es solo informer, sino tambien formar a los lectores; y ciertamente los grabados frivolos o indecorosos so forman, sino que deforman, sobre todo a los niños, adolescentes y jovenes de uno y otro sexo, consituyendo un diario frivolo en sus grababos un peligro para los hogares cristianos. Asi lo hemos advertido particularmento a la direccion del periodico, cumpliando uno de nuestros deberes pastorales, aun antes de is desafortunada promocion del ultimo Concurso de Belleza que por esto nos ha sorprendido verdaderamento. Asi como el edificio del Alcazar Toledana no podria, sin una profanacion inimaginable, convertirse en un local de espectaculos frivolos que no faltan en otros lugares con el titutlo de El Alcazar), Asi tampoco sin una verdadera profanancion puede convertirse el diario “El Alcazar” en un diario que bata el record de frivolidad entre los damas diarios, dentro de lo tolerado hoy por la autoridad civil en esstra materia en España. Los piadosos y patrictas antiguos defensores de El Alcazar no pueden admitir que este glorioso titulo se convierta en un titulo sin significacion alguna, ni Nos podemos tampoco admitirlo; no los primeros, porque estra en ellos muy vivo tadavia el recuardo de su epopeya, en la cual aus sentimientos religiosos y su devocion a la imagen de la Concepcion de la Virgen Santisima, que con tanto fervor hoy veneran, sostuvieron su valor religioso y patriotico e la vez; ni Nos tampoco, porque como Arzobispo de Toledo hemos de velar porque no sea mancillado con la frivolidad el nombre glorioso de El Alcazar, simbolo de una Cruzada que deade sus comienzos, eun antes de ser Arzobispo de Toledo, y cuando no era seguro todavia su triunfo, propugnamos como tal en nuetra Pastoral de 30 de septiembre de 1936 Las Dos Ciudades, considerando el Movimiento Nacional, no como una mera querra civil en la cual no habriamos en manera alguna intervenido, sino como una verdadera cruzada por Dios y por España, consderandola ya desde entonces como una verdadera lucha internacional en el territorio de España, a la cual entendimos que podiamos y debiamos ayudar con la unica arma que hemos manejado durente toda nuestra vida, con nuestra pluma; y era precisamente en los mismos dias de la epopeya de la defensa de El Alcazar Toledano, cuando Nos escribiamos en Salamanca la Pastoral Las Dos Ciudades, defendiendo la legitimidad y el verdadero caracter de nuestra Cruzada, que despues de terminada ella y despues de terminada la guerra mundial, ante España y ante el extranjero hemos defendido invariablemente. Y con que tragica y apacaliptica grandeza etamos hos contemplando la lucha extendida a todos los continentes de las Dos Ciudades, que segun San Agustin, padre de la Filosofia de la Historia, hicieron dos amores: la terrena, el amor de si hasta el desprecio de dios; la celeste, el amor de Dios hasta el desprecio propio: De un lado los sin Dios; sin moral; sin familia; muchas veces sin patria. Del otro los creyentes en Dios y amantes de la moral, de la familia y de la patria. La historia nos enseña que Roma, mientras tuvo cost umbres morigaradas, su imperio se extendio al mundo entonces conocido, mientras que cuando sus costumbres se transformaron en muelles y afaminadas, los barbaros lo destruyeron en todas partes. Tambien hoy nuevos barbaros han implantado el regimen de terror y de sangre en casi medio mundo; y una generacion formada en la frivolidad no renovaria la epopeya del Alcazar. Como en nuestros tiempos no falten quienes (como ha advertido y condenado energicamente Su Satidad Pio XII, en su Alocucion a los Cardenales y Obispos que concurrimos a la Canonizacion de San Pio X), lejos de acatar el magisterio de la Jerarquia Eclesiastica y de los Obispos, pretenden erigiree en sus mentores y consejeros, tal vez no falte quien crea inutiles muestros esfuerzos en defensa de la modestia femenina cristiana. Nuestros siete lustros de Episcopado nos han hacho conocer experimentalmente, pordesgracia, el servilismo a las modas impudicas aun cuando sean contrarias a la moral evangelica y a las reprobaciones de los Papas y Obispos, pero esto sucedia ya al Apostol San Pablo, quien decia: (Tango por nada el ser juzgado por vosotros.. Quien me juzga es el Señor) (1). Nosotros si callaramos ante los estragos que se estan causando en la modestia femenina de la mujer española con modas y costumbres impudicas importadas de paises extranjeros, nos presentariamos con miedo ante el Tribunal del Señor por no haber cumplido la promesa solemne hecha en nuestra consagracion episcopal de custodiar y enseñar la castidad y conveniente austeridad. Al Pastor de almas se le exige la predicacion de la verdad, pero no se le hace responsable de que los fieles no le oigan o le acatan, pues ni el pueblo israelitico, escogido por el Señor, oyo siempre e Este, ni muchos contemporaneos de Cristo le escucharon tampoco. Por ello, el profeta Ezequiel, inspirado por el Espiritu Santo, nos dice: Si autem tu anuntiaveris impio, et ille non fuerit conversus ab impietate sua, et a via sua impia: ipse quidem in iniquitate sua morietur, tu autem animam tuam liberasti (1). Ni se crea que sea nunca completamente inutil la condenacion de una moda impudica, pues queda siempre en la historia al menos la protesta de quien debia hacerla, y las modas son de si variables y mudables, y aparecen lue go muchas veces como ridiculas, mientras que la Verdad del Señor permanece eternamente. Tampoco, sun en los casos de un seguimiento borreguil por la masa de una moda impudica, faltean almas delicadas que se mantienen fieles a la modestia; y a estas hay que ayudarlas y defenderlas. Al corregir las prueblas de esta Carta Pastoral recibimos el ultimo numero de Acta Apostolicae Sedis del 20 de este mes y en el se publica una Carta que la Sagrada Congregacion del Concilio dirige a todos los Obispos del mundo por mandato de Su Santidad Pio XII sobre la costumbre inhonesta de vestir; y en ella se lamenta que no hayen sido suficientemente escuchadas y atendidas las exhortaciones del Papa a que en este Año Mariano todos los cristianos y sobre todo la juventud se mostrasen imitadores de la Santisima Virgen Maria, ofreciendose por el contrario escandalos en el modo de vestir por calles y playas y aun a veces aen las mismas iglesias, escandalos luago reproducidos en diarios, revistas y peliculas cinematograficas; y exhorta a los Obispos a que defeindan el pudor y las costumbres cristianas. A ello nos impelian ya nuestras solemnes promaras en la consagracion episcopal y a ello ha ido dirigida la presente Carta Pastoral. Rogando a la Santisima Virgen del Sagrario, en cuyo octavario escribimos esta Carta Pastoral, que al menos entre nuestros fialas Toledanos, tan devotos de la que veneran como su Reina y Madre, no carazca de eficacia nuestra paternal admonicion, a todos bendecimos en el nombre — del Padre y – y del Espiritu Santo. Dado en nuestro Palacio Arzobispal de Toledo, a 22 de Agosto de 1954, octava de la Santisima Virgen del Sagrario. (SGD)+ENRIQUE CARDINAL PLA Y DENIEL |
|||||
23rd
May
Joint Statement of the Catholic Hierarchy on the YMCA
|
Joint Statement of the During recent years, the young Men’s Christian Association of the Philippines has exerted more than usually strong efforts to enlist Catholic young men into its membership, insisting that it is non-secretarian and that it offers no danger to the faith of Catholic members. An official statement issued in 1949 concerning its attitude on religion, The Religious Policy of the YMCA in the Philippines , states that there are no religious tests of membership and office and expressly denies any desire to change the religious affiliation of its members. On the contrary it asserts that it is the wish of the YMCA to promote among its members greater fidelity to their respective churches. Very recently in the Philippine YMCA’s 42nd annual meeting in Baguio, these professions were reiterated and express declaration was made that priests are welcome to the Y to serve the spiritual interests of the Catholic members. What is to be said of this claim that the YMCA is non-sectarian? The YMCA was founded in England in 1844 by a Protestant for the promotion of Protestantism. In its American form, the well-known very Protestant Portland basis (1869) dominated the YMCA’s religious policy for forty years. The YMCA was first introduced into the Philippines by a Messrs. Glunz and Jackson in 1898, who made themselves conspicuous by their Protestant zeal. Mr. Glunz later became a member of the Protestant Siliman University, where he still was in 1940, completing in the words of the Protestant author Rodgers, the “longest continuous service as a Protestant religious worker in the Philippines.”1 From that beginning to our times, the YMCA has continued Protestant. It was for many year’s a member of the Evenagelical Union of the Philippines, whose object as stated in its Constitution was “to unite all the evangelical forces in the Philippines for the purpose of securing comity and effectiveness in their missionary operations.”2 In 1930, Mr. Ryan, a Protestant minister, President of the Union Theological Seminary and General Secretary of the Philippine Council of Religious Education, described the “emphasis” of the YMCA as “decidedly Protestant in tone.” 3 In 1930, Owen E. Pencem a YMCA official, writing in The YMCA and Social Need warned that so-called liberations regarding membership requirements, and nominations of those in Catholic countries like the Philippines should not lead anyone to doubt the YMCA’s thoroughly Protestant character. He says:
And he says:
Therefore, in spite of the recent claims of the YMCA to be non-sectarian, it is still definitely Protestant, and recognized as such by Protestant authorities. We do not accuse the YMCA officials of mendaciousness or bad faith when we deny their assertions. When the YMCA spokesmen say that their organization is non-sectarian, they mean that does not expressly teach any specifically sectarian doctrines or promote membership in any church or churches. The YMCA has arrived at this religious position in the wake of Protestant religious development, and this doctrineless Christianity is precisely that form of modern Protestantism which in our time commands the largest number of adherents. Many Protestant churches have little by little deserted their characteristic doctrines and have come to consider humanitarianism the essence of Christianity, a tendency which has expressed itself in numerous “unions” and “ecumenical” movements, with which the YMCA has been closely associated and of which the YMCA may very truly be called one. Therefore the YMCA is still Protestant but with a Protestantism that shows little interest in beliefs , and devotes itself to social service, to education, to health and to recreation. These things are good but to propose them as the principal part of Christianity is erroneous. In fact, without the supernatural motivation derived from doctrines they are not even part of Christianity but are what the Holy Office called in 1920 “a meaningless form of religion which has nothing in common with the religion of Jesus Christ.”6 Though the YMCA professes to hold aloof from doctrinal differences, nevertheless there are implicit in its organizations and activities certain doctrines which are contrary to Catholic teachings. 1. The Catholic Church teaches that She is the sole guide to Christian faith and morals. 2. The Church teaches that Christ established a hierarchial Church to be ruled by Bishops and priests, and over all his vicar the Pope. The YMCA holds that laymen are independently competent in religion. 3. The Church teaches that Christian life consists in: (a) acceptance of Christ’s teaching, and (b) conduct in harmony therewith. And that of these, acceptance of the body of Christian doctrine or dogma is at least as important as conduct, and is more fundamental. The YMCA implicitly teaches that the acceptance of Christian dogmas is of little consequence and that conduct is, if not the unique, at least the only important component of Christian life. 4. The Church teaches that Christianity consists in a supernatural life, acquired and sustained by supernatural means. The YMCA implicitly teaches that Christianity consists in natural humanitarianism expressed in social service. 5. The Church maintains that She alone is competent to say what Catholics may do or may not do, and what is consistent with Catholic belief. The YMCA holds against the Catholic authorities that membership in the YMCA is not inconsistent with Catholic belief, and induces Catholics to defy their Bishops. The YMCA has been forbidden to Catholics by the Holy Office. In concluding its prohibition, the Decree calls on all Bishops –
We are here carrying out the instructions of the Holy Office and warn our children to have no part in the YMCA. As regards the assertion of the YMCA authorities that the organization has no designs upon Catholic members, our answer is that this assertion may reflect their personal intentions, but it does not alter the character and influence of the organization they represent. The YMCA is a religious organization whose history, purpose, principles and control have always been and still are Protestant. In spite of the assurances of contemporary leaders, it is impossible that this Protestant organization, even apart from overt inducement, should not exert a Protestant influence on Catholics, weakening their faith and alienating their loyalty. That the evangelical Christianity which inspires the YMCA pays scant heed to doctrines and to the existence of visible hierarchical Church does not constitute it non-sectarian, but rather subtly anti-Catholic, and against it we warn Catholics with all earnestness and seriousness. WHEREFORE, WE, the members of the Hierarchy of the Philippines, hereby declare that the YMCA is a Protestant organization and, as such, should be avoided by Catholics, that is, no Catholic may be a member of this organization or contribute to its suppport or lend his name for propaganda purposes, or make use of its facilities. The same applies for the Y.W.C.A. Given in Manila, August 15th, 1954. (Sgd.)+JULIO ROSALES, D.D. (Sgd.)+SANTIAGO S. SANCHO, D.D. (Sgd.)+JAMES T.G. HAYES, SJ, D.D. (Sgd.)+PEDRO P. SANTOS, D.D. (Sgd.)+JOSE MA. CUENCO, D.D. (Sgd.)+RUFINO J. SANTOS, D.D. (Sgd.)+CESAR MA. GUERRERO, D.D. (Sgd.)+LUIS DEL ROSARIO, SJ, D.D. (Sgd.)+MANUEL M. MACARINAS, D.D. (Sgd.)+MIGUEL ACEBEDO, D.D. (Sgd.)+MARIANO A. MADRIAGA, D.D. (Sgd.)+ALFREDO OBVIAR, D.D. (Sgd.)+JUAN C. SISON, D.D. (Sgd.)+WILLIAM BRASSEUR, CICM, D.D. (Sgd.)+ALEJANDRO OLALIA, D.D. (Sgd.)+REV. VICENTE P. REYES, D.D. (Sgd.)+MANUEL YAP, D.D. (Sgd.)+GERARD MONGEAU, OMI (Sgd.)+PEREGRIN DE LA FUENTE, OP, D.D. (Sgd.)+WILLIAM DUSCHAK, SVD (Sgd.)+LINO GONZAGA, D.D. (Sgd.)+ANTONIO FRONDOSA, D.D. (Sgd.)+FLAVIANO B. ARIOLA, D.D. (Sgd.)+TEOPISTO ALBERTO, D.D. (Sgd.)+PATRICK SHANLEY, ODC (Sgd.)RT. REV. CLOVIS THIBAULT, PME (Sgd)RT.REV.PATRICK CRONIN,MSC (Sgd.)RT. REV. GREGORIO ESPIGA, ORSA (Sgd.)RT. REV. CHARLES VAN DEN OUWELANT, MSC 1 Forty Years in the Philippines by J.B. Rodgers (1940), p. 120. |
|||||
23rd
May
Statement of the Administrative Council of the Catholic Welfare Organization (CWO) on the Accusations of Being Communists
|
Statement of the Administrative Council
Communism being what it is, to accuse anyone of being a Communist or a Communist sympathizer is a very serious matter. To make such an accusation in public against an innocent person would constitute grievous, perhaps irreparable harm to his good name. Not even the urgency of fighting Communism can justify such an action, for we may not do evil that good may result. It must not be forgotten however that Communism is a movement committed to the total destruction of the social and political order in which we live, and that according to Communist doctrine, any means whatever, not excluding conspiracy is by its very nature secret. Hence, it may sometime happen that enough evidence is available to point to its existence, though not the kind of evidence that is acceptable in a court of law. What is to be done in such cases? In democratic states, citizens in possession of such evidence have not only the right but the duty to bring it to the attention of the authorities, in order that effective measures of prevention may be set in motion. Obviously, all the necessary safeguards must be taken to protect the innocent in the process of reporting and evaluating such evidence. The investigations to which it may lead must be conducted in the strictest confidence by officials of unquestioned integrity. If these conditions are fulfilled, such a course of action is by no means undemocratic. Indeed, our democracy would be quite defenseless against the ruthless power that threatens to destroy it unless security measures of this sort are undertaken. The internal problem presented by Communist conspiracy in a democratic state is a grave one. All the more reason, then, why we should approach it reasonably, calmly, without hysteria. We shall do so if we keep in mind the following simple norms of action: first, indiscriminate to public denouncements of specific persons or class of persons as Communists or Communist sympathizers, when unsupported by proof, is immoral; second, reliable information which may be useful in combatting Communist infiltration should be reported to the proper authorities; third, such information must be restricted to this specific purpose, and so kept that the reputations of innocent persons may not be jeopardized thereby. Given on the 6th day of July, in the year of Our Lord, 1954. For the Catholic Hierarchy of the Philippines: (Sgd.)+JULIO R. CARDINAL ROSALES, D.D. |
|||||
23rd
May
Joint Pastoral Letter of the Philippine Hierarchy on the Marian Year
|
Joint Pastoral Letter of the Philippine
The Archbishops, Bishops, and other prelates of the Philippines to all the venerable clergy, both secular and religious, and to all the faithful of our republic, health and spiritual renewal in Mary. The proclamation of the Marian Year by Our Holy Father, Pope Pius XII, affords us a magnificent opportunity to address ourselves to you, our beloved children, and to exhort you to celebrate it worthily, and in this manner reap the abundant spiritual fruits which the Holy Father expects of such a happy occasion. Basis and aims of the Marian Year As you already know, this year of grace 1954 marks the first centenary of the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin, which the Supreme Pontiff, Pius IX, of happy memory solemnly proclaimed on December 8, 1854. And since the solemn definition greatly contributed then to revive the devotion of the faithful toward the Blessed Virgin, and Christian virtues flourished in the highest degree, the Supreme Pontiff, Pius XII, in proclaiming the Marian Year, wishes and expects that the same spiritual fruits obtain for the faithful with the celebration of its centenary. “This centenary celebration,” says the Pontiff in the Encyclical Fulgens Corona, should not only serve to revive Catholic Faith and earnest devotion to the Mother of God in the souls of all, but Christians should also, in as far as possible, conform their lives to the image of the same Virgin.” And we ardently desire that our people, so profoundly in love with Mary since the divine light of the Gospel dawned upon them, should partake in a special degree, of the graces, which such dearly beloved Mother will shower in this year consecrated to her. Excellencies of Mary With a view to enkindling and reviving in the souls of the faithful the devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin, it is fitting that you recognize and understand well her fundamental excellencies and privileges, for otherwise your piety would be superficial and would degenerate easily into pure sentimentality. God Himself girdled the most pure brow of Mary with a radiant crown of singular graces and privileges, because she was destined to be the worthy Mother of God, Mother of men, and Queen of the universe. Mary, Mother of God Giving her free consent so that in her virginal womb and, by the Holy Ghost, the Son of God might take human form, the humble maiden of Nazareth became the natural and true Mother of God. The Divine Maternity, which in the expression of the Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas, entails an honor that is almost infinite, (I, q.25, a.6 ad 4) is, next to the hypostatic union, the most excellent gift which God can bestow upon a creature, and for this reason it elevates Mary and places her not only above men but even above the very angelic choirs. Thus is taught by the Supreme Pontiff, Pius IX, in his Encyclical Ineffabilis Deus : “The plenitude of grace and sanctity in Mary surpasses the grasp of all created intelligence in such a way that no one, outside of God, can so much as skim its loftiness and gradeur.” Mary, Mother of men Mary is the natural and true Mother of God, and for this reason she becomes the true, if spiritual, Mother of all men. And this is because in the plan of God the Father, Jesus Christ is not merely an individual man; He is and we are; that is to say, the Father wishes that Jesus Christ should be the Leader and Head of all men redeemed with His blood. Jesus Christ, therefore, is the Head, and we are His members. Now a mother is not merely the mother of the Head, but also of all the members. And therefore, by giving birth to Jesus, in a certain sense, she gave birth to us. Let us listen to the testimony of the great Pontiff, Pius X, whose cannonization we await this year: “Because we are united with Christ, as the Apostle says, ‘we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones’ (Ephes. V, 30); we have come out of the womb of Mary, in the same way that the body comes united with the head. “Spiritual mother, but truly the Mother of the members of Christ that we are.” (S. Augustinus, lib, De Virginitate, c. VI. Enc. Ad diem illium Feb. 1904). We will set forth one more reason. A mother is a woman from whom and by whom one receives existence and life. But, next to God, it is Mary from whom and by whom we have received the life of Children of God. Without Mary, Jesus, our Redeemer, would not have been born, and we would have remained in death; and without Mary, we would not have obtained the sanctifying grace, wich gives us the nature and the life of children of God. “Giving birth to the Author of Grace”, says the Angelic Doctor, “she has transmitted it, in a certain manner, to all men.” (III, q. 27, a. 5 ad 1). But it was on Calvary where definitely and in an official manner the Blessed Virgin became consecrated and constituted as our Mother, when Jeus told her: “Woman, behold thy Son.” (John XIX, 26). It was as if He had said, from this moment I give you a new son, which is all humanity, so that you may administer to it the offices of a real mother. This doctrine was taught by the immortal Leo XIII in his encyclical Quamquam Pluries, 1899: “From the very fact that the Most Holy Virgin is the Mother of Jesus Christ, she is the Mother of all Christians, whom she bore on Mount Calvary amid the supreme throes of the Redemption.” Let us expound a little further on this sweet Christian truth. We must not lose sight of the fact that the economy of the redemption is an economy of regeneration. God has predestined us to be made heirs of His glory through our likeness to the image of Christ, sharing through grace His eternal and natural filiation. (Rom. VIII, 17, 29). Now, if Mary is our Mother, as is believed and professed by the living Christian perception, she has to be so by begetting us in some way to the supernatural life, communicating to us the sanctifying grace, which transmits to us the divine filiation and makes of us true children of God. This communication of the divine life comes from God as the first efficient cause; from Christ as the principal meritorious cause, and from Mary as associated with Christ. That is why our life is divine, for it proceeds from God; Christian, for it proceeds from Christ; and Marian, for it proceeds from Mary. Everything which we have expounded on the maternity of Mary with respect to men is condensed in Catholic liturgy, — which is lex Orandi based on the Lex Credendi — in the following formula: Maria, Mater Gratiae , that is to say, Mary is the Mother of Supernatural life, of the grace that makes men the children of God. Therefore we are her children. From the foregoing it can well be seen that the motherhood of Mary toward men is not a metaphor, nor an expression devoid of theological contents, but a fundamental truth of our faith, contained and explained in the ordinary teachings of the Church. The Queenship of Mary The Blessed Virgin has still another title which Christians take delight in recognizing, and it is that of Queen of all men, of the angels, and of the entire universe. Let us expound on this beautiful title of our Mother. It is customary in all nations and at all times to call queen the mother of a king. Well then, Mary is the true Mother of the Messiah-King, as attested to by Holy Scripture of the old and new testaments. The angel Gabriel announced to Mary: “Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end” Luke 1,31-33). Whence it can be inferred that Mary, being the Mother of the Messiah-King, is also Queen and not only in a metaphoric sense in so far as by her gifts and excellences she is elevated over all creatures, but rather in a proper sense and in the language of all nations, because she is the true and natural Mother of the Son of God, who is true King with regard to His two natures, divine and human. The voice of tradition acclaims her since the first ages, saluting her as Ave, Regina Coelorum, Ave, domina Angelorum, Salve Regina, Mater Misericordiae . And in consonance with tradition, Leo XIII writes: “It is thus that she will reach a height of glory granted to no other creature, whether human or angelic, because no one will receive a reward for virtues to be compared with hers; it is thus that the crown of the kingdoms of heaven and of earth will await her….” (Encyclical Magnae Dei Matris, Sept. 1892). Reason for Expounding on these fundamental Truths If we have expounded with some profundity and theological technicality on these fundamental truths of Christianity it is for a two-fold motive: firstly, because we desire that your piety be sane, solid and well-grounded, and not based on pure sentiments, so that when it should grow and expand, as we expect, on this Marian Year, it may not swerve to paths that lead to error; and secondly, because in our Pastoral Ministry we do not lose sight of those children who, blinded by error, do not know the sublime grandeur of the divine maternity and the privileges that are derived therefrom, and thus rebel, at times even with anger, against us for the special honor or hyperdulia which we render to Mary, as if that would lessen in the slightest the homage due to Christ, or tarnish in any manner His divine perfections. Our Office toward Mary: Veneration “It is good and useful to invoke the saints and to honor their images,” teaches the holy Council of Trent (Ses. XXV). And it is so because veneration, no one fails to know, is rendered to a person for his supernatural excellence. But, because of her dignity and singular perfections, Mary deserves to be venerated and honored more than any other saint or creature. She, in truth, is the natural and real Mother of God and Queen of the universe, as has been said, and by the plenitude of her graces (Luke I, 28) she was associated by Christ to the work of the redemption of mankind. No one, therefore, who thinks rightly and serenely would fail to admit that to the Most Blessed Virgin is owed a homage, and a special one, on account of these three supernatural excellences which pertain solely to her. Jesus and Mary, the second Adam and the second Eve, for having been intimately united by God in the plan of man’s redemption, are also inseparably united in the liturgy, to such an extent that he who would strive to separate the veneration of Mary from that of Jesus as irreconcilable, will be striving against the plan which God himself conceived from Eternity and revealed in Paradise when he announced man’s reparation after the Fall. Mary, by the will of God, is bound to the vital mystery of Christianity; the Incarnation and the Redemption, and for this reason, occupies in Christian worship a special place, much superior to that of the saints and the angels, but at the same time infinitely inferior to the that of God. If this were understood rightly by the enemies of our faith, they would not find it strange nor would they censure us for the homage which we render to the Blessed Virgin, swayed by our deep filial love to her who bears the singular titles of Mother of God-Redeemer; Mother of all men, and Queen of heaven and earth. Offices of Mary Toward us If it is good, useful and just to honor her who is the Mother of Christ-Redeemer, our Mother and Queen of the universe, it is by virtue of these same titles that the Blessed Virgin is obliged in the most proper sense to concern herself with the sanctification and salvation of her children, all men. How sweet and consoling it is to think and ponder upon the reaches of this obligation of Mary! We know well that the duties of motherhood do not end with the bringing forth of the child, but that they increase after the birth, for it is then when the mother is more watchful in the upbringing of her child, providing it with sane, sufficient and proper nourishment, and later imparts to it moral and intellectual education until the child reaches maturity. In the same manner, the office of Mary, our Mother, cannot end with the spiritual birth she gives us through sanctifying grace. As with Jesus who, as Head of the human race, keeps pouring Life into His members, Mary as Mother has to care for and nourish this supernatural and divine life of her children while they be in need of her care, which lasts all through life in as much as that divine life, the seed of eternal life, is exposed to being lost at any moment, threatened to death by the three concupiscences. And could the Blessed Virgin look on with indifference at the loss of divine life in souls and their eternal damnation? By no means. Mary’s love for mankind, her maternal tenderness, has to be measured by the love she professes for God, by the immensity of the sorrows she suffered in our redemption, and by the number and depth of our own miseries. And it is not the heart that is evident, that characterizes mothers? A mother without a heart, without love, does not deserve the name of mother, and the maternal heart is one of the most admirable works that God has created in the natural order. For what heart would He not have placed in the breast of Mary, who was destined to be His worthy Mother and the Mother of all men? Intervention of Mary The constant intervention of Mary in the world and her visible apparitions in almost all the Christian nations and in almost all periods should no longer surprise any one. They are only in keeping with her mission as Mother of men and Queen of the universe. God willed in His wisdom that the Redeemer should come to the world through Mary, and therefore, the spiritual renewal of men which we expect cannot come except through Mary. The Voice of the Pope The state of the present world is one of the most serious in history, and that is why the Roman Pontiff wishes that in these anguished moments we cast ourselves into the arms of our Immaculate Mother, confident of finding in her most loving and maternal Heart “the satisfaction of our fervent aspirations, and the safe harbor in the midst of the tempests which beset us on every side”. Our Final Exhortation Seconding the desires of our Holy Father, the Pope, we exhort all of you that in this Year consecrated to Mary, guided by such a good Mother, you adjust your lives to the precepts of the Christian law, striving for an innocence and integrity of life which would make you flee from and abhor the slightest stain of sin, even as we commemorate the mystery of Mary Immaculate. In the devout recitation of the Most Holy Rosary — compendium of Christian dogma and morals within the reach of all — Jesus and Mary will serve you as the model and incentive for the acquisition and practice of all the Christian virtues. Depositive Part With a view to this same end, by these presents
Given this 9th day of April in the year of Our Lord 1954. (Sgd.)+JULIO ROSALES (Sgd.)+MANUEL YAP (Sgd.)+SANTIAGO C. SANCHO (Sgd.)+GERARD MONGEAU, OMI (Sgd.)+JAMES T.G. HAYES, SJ (Sgd.)+PEDRO P. SANTOS (Sgd.)+PEREGRIN DE LA FUENTE, OP (Sgd.)+JOSE MA. CUENCO (Sgd.)+RUFINO J. SANTOS (Sgd.)+WILLIAM DUSCHAK, SVD (Sgd.)+CESAR MA. GUERRERO (Sgd.)+LUIS DEL ROSARIO, SJ (Sgd.)+LINO GONZAGA (Sgd.)+MANUEL M. MASCARINAS (Sgd.)+ALEJANDRO OLALIA (Sgd.)+VICENTE P. REYES (Sgd.)+ANTONIO F. FRONDOSA (Sgd.)+MIGUEL F. ACEBEDO (Sgd.)+FLAVIANO B. ARIOLA (Sgd.)+MARIANO A. MADRIAGA (Sgd.)+TEOPISTO V. ALBERTO (Sgd.)+ALFREDO MA. OBVIAR (Sgd.)+PATRICK SHANLEY, CDC CDC(Sgd.)+JUAN C. SISON (Sgd.)CLOVIS THIBAULT, SSC (Sgd.)+WILLIAM BRASSEUR, CICM (Sgd.)PATRICK CRONIN, SSC SSC(Sgd.)GREGORIO ESPIGA, OASA (Sgd.)VERY REV. CHARLES VAN DEN OUWELANT, MSC |
|||||
23rd
May
Statement of the Philippine Hierarchy on Masonry
|
Statement of the Philippine Hierarchy on Masonry
In spite of the many and repeated condemnations of Masonry issued by the Holy See, there still seems to be some doubt as to whether Catholics may become Masons. It is frequently asserted that the various Masonic societies here in the Philippines are non-secretarian organizations which Catholics may join without injury to their Catholic faith. This is false and We wish to reiterate in the strongest and most solemn terms of which We are capable the ruling decreed by the Holy See that a Catholic who knowingly and willingly becomes a Mason automatically incurs excommunication, may not receive any of the Sacraments of the Church and may not be buried in a Catholic cemetery. A little reflection is enough to show the justice and reasonableness of this prohibition. All assertions to the contrary not withstanding, Masonry is today what it has always been: a naturalistic religious sect which denies or ignores many of the truths contained in Sacred Scripture and defined by the Catholic Church as necessary for salvation. For example, the official doctrine of Masonry denies, explicitly or by implication, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the strict sense. According to Masonic teaching, Christ is a mere man; a great and wise man, indeed, but nevertheless only a man; and hence, if He is called the Son of God, it can only be in a loose or metaphorical sense, not in the literal sense in which Christ Himself claimed to be the Son of God. Hence, to subscribe to the official doctrine of Masonry by membership in that society is, in effect, to deny or doubt an essential truth of Catholic belief. It is true that Masons believe in some kind of a supreme diety whom they call the Architect of the Universe; but this deity as described in the official books of Masonry is very far indeed from the Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, one nature in three divine Persons whom Catholics acknowledge and worship. In fact, the term “Architect of the Universe” has been and is interpreted by Masons in many ways, some of which are not even Christian. Moreover, this very vagueness as to the nature of God and our relations to Him is in itself a serious danger to religion, because it is a powerful inducement to religious indifferentism and ultimately to scepticism and even atheism. But it is not only on doctrinal grounds that Masonry is unacceptable to Catholics. The conditions of membership in this society, and its known practices, are in direct violation not only of Christian morality but even of the Natural Law. Statement on Masonry All Masons, for instance, are obliged to take a solemn oath to keep absolutely secret whatever they may subsequently be told regarding the doctrines and the duties of Masonry, under pain of the direct punishments not excluding death itself. There are many objections to such an oath. In the first place, it is clearly wrong to swear to keep secret something that ought not to be kept secret. Secondly, the grave consequences of violating the oath, which include torture and destruction at the hands of the other members of the Masonic fraternity, are either seriously meant or not. If not, the supreme majesty of God is invoked to witness to a trivial and ridiculous proceeding, an act which partakes of the nature of sacrilege. If seriously meant, a power is attributed to the Masonic society, the power of capital punsihment, which has been given by God to the State alone, and that under the severest limitations. Finally, the absolute and unrestricted loyalty to a private organization implied by such an oath is directly contrary to the Natural Law, which prescribes that our adherence to such voluntary societies is necessarily limited by our primary obligations to God, to the Church, to civil society and to the family. In spite of Masonry’s outward profession of neutrality and even of friendship towards all religions, it is an historical fact confirmed by countless examples that the Masonic society as such has been and is consistently hostile to the Catholic Church, and even to many forms of non-Catholic Christianity; and in several cases priests have been prevented by Masons from hearing the confession and reconciling Masons on their death bed. Masonry has consistently advocated and actively promoted the exclusion of Catholicism from any position of influence, however legitimate, in almost every walk of life. So bitter and relentless is this hostility of Masonry to the Church, that a prominent Filipino Mason was widely applauded by his fellow-Masons when he publicly asserted not long ago that the Roman Catholic Church is a greater enemy of the Filipino people than atheistic Communism. To sum up — Catholics are forbidden to join the Masonic Fraternity. Catholics who knowlingly and willinlgy become Masons are automatically excomunicated; they may not receive any of the Sacraments of the Church; they may not act as sponsors in Baptism and Confirmation; they may be excluded from acting as witnesses in Catholic marriages where such action would cause scandal, and finally Masons may not be buried in Catholic cemeteries. Given this 14th day of January, 1954. For the Catholic Hierarchy of the Philippines: (Sgd.)+JULIO ROSALES, D.D. (Sgd.)+SANTIAGO C. SANCHO (Sgd.)+JAMES T.G. HAYES, SJ (Sgd.)+PEDRO P. SANTOS (Sgd.)+JOSE MA. CUENCO (Sgd.)+RUFINO J. SANTOS (Sgd.)+CESAR MA. GUERRERO (Sgd.)+LUIS DEL ROSARIO, SJ (Sgd.)+MANUEL M. MASCARINAS (Sgd.)+MIGUEL ACEBEDO (Sgd.)+MARIANO A. MADRIAGA (Sgd.)+ALFREDO OBVIAR (Sgd.)+JUAN C. SISON (Sgd.)+WILLIAM BRASSEUR, CICM (Sgd.)+ALEJANDRO OLALIA (Sgd.)+VICENTE P. REYES (Sgd.)+MANUEL YAP (Sgd.)+GERARD MONGEAU, OMI (Sgd.)+PEREGRIN DE LA FUENTE,OP (Sgd.)+WILLIAM DUSCHAK, SVD (Sgd.)+LINO GONZAGA (Sgd.)+ANTONIO FRONDOSA (Sgd.)+FLAVIANO ARIOLA (Sgd.)+TEOPISTO ALBERTO (Sgd.)+PATRICK SHANLEY, ODC (Sgd.)MSGR. CLOVIS THIBAULT, PME (Sgd.)MSGR. PATRICK CRONIN (Sgd.)GREGORIO ESPIGA, ORSA (Sgd.)REV. CHARLES VAN DEN OUWELANT, MSC |
|||||
