2005
12th
April
“KARANGALAN NG BAYAN, PAMILYA ANG PAGMUMULAN” – A Pastoral Letter on the National Celebration of Family Week on September 19-25, 2005
“KARANGALAN NG BAYAN, PAMILYA ANG PAGMUMULAN”
A Pastoral Letter on the National Celebration of Family Week on September 19-25, 2005
BELOVED PEOPLE OF GOD:
The Church joins the nation in its celebration of Family Week on September 19 – 25, 2005 to call on all families to reflect on the theme “KARANGALAN NG BAYAN, PAMILYA ANG PAGMUMULAN”.
Aware that the well-being of the Philippine society and the nation are intimately tied to the good of the family, the Church invites all Catholics to take to heart the plan of God for marriage and the family as the only way to achieve genuine human and Christian development as well national development.
The Filipino Family is the only hope for the nation today. The family has been designed and structured by God Himself. The Christian Family is the domestic Church in which the life of grace flows.
As events move many of us to reflect on the fate of our country now beset by so many crises, it is time to ask ourselves, “What is the Lord trying to tell us?” or “Is this the Will of the Lord for our families and for our nation?”
During FAMILY WEEK let us recall the Psalmist words: If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor. With Pope Benedict XVI, we believe that indeed, a sound society is born from the commitment of all its members, but it needs the blessing and support of that God who, unfortunately, is too often excluded or ignored. (Pope Benedict XVI)
What happens most of the time is that we have become too independent that we do not realize that we have our own limitations and that we need to depend on God’s grace. Yet with the Lord, everything is possible. We recognize the importance of our human efforts but without the blessings of God, human endeavor is inadequate and sadly often misdirected. Ora et Labora, St Benedict admonishes us.
Dear families, let us bring back prayer into our homes. Parents as the first teachers are reminded that they have to answer to God for any negligence as parents. Parents must bring back Christian values in rearing our children and building our homes.
The Filipino family, the basic unit of society, can change the course of this nation only if it is rooted in deep prayer before it goes to proclaim the Good News to everyone. Prayer and Work go hand in hand.
Last February 15th, a committee in Congress approved HB3773, a bill on population control, “reproductive health”, sexual rights for young people, and mandatory child sex education, among others now scheduled for voting in the Plenary Session in Congress. The measure imposes fines and imprisonment for parents, spouses, and health professionals who impede “sexual and reproductive rights.” It creates a program for fertility control by encouraging the limitation of family size to two children. It gives incentives to 2-child families. Women—married or single—will be taught “all methods and techniques to prevent pregnancy.” The sponsors have called the proposal “responsible parenthood” and “population management.”
Families be alert to legislative initiatives such as HB3773 which will destroy the family, and the nation, in the long run! The Family and the nation will not be blessed by such initiatives.
For we know by our Faith what is authentic “responsible parenthood”: It means respect for one’s generative functions. It calls upon married persons to use discernment and generosity in their decisions. It calls for due regard to physical, economic, psychological and social conditions in deciding “to raise a numerous family.” It includes the spouses’ decision “based on grave motives and with due respect for the moral law, to avoid for the time being or even for an indeterminate period, a new birth.” Responsible parenthood makes parents “free and responsible collaborators of God the Creator.”(Humanae Vitae)
As we join the nation in celebrating Family Week let us review the family’s mission and the four general tasks for the family:
1) forming a community of persons;
2) serving life;
3) participating in the development of society;
4) sharing in the life and mission of the Church.
The educational role of the Christian family therefore is very important. In this sense, the renewal of the Catholic school must give special attention both to the parents of the pupils and to the formation of a perfect educating community. The right of parents to choose an education in conformity with their religious faith must be absolutely guaranteed.
The State and the Church have the obligation to give families all possible aid to enable them to perform their educational role properly. Therefore both the Church and the State must create and foster the institutions and activities that families justly demand, and the aid must be in proportion to the families’ needs. However, those in society who are in charge of schools must never forget that the parents have been appointed by God Himself as the first and principal educators of their children and that their right is completely inalienable. (Familiaris Consortio)
The family is the foundation of society and the nation. It is from the family that citizens come to birth and it is within the family that they find the first school of the social virtues that can guarantee a better future for this country and development of society itself.
Let our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Family, be our loving Advocate in these challenging times. Entrust to her our families. Let us pray for the graces which the Lord promised to those who invoke her in this Eucharistic and Marian Year.
For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines:
(SGD.)+FERNANDO R. CAPALLA, D.D.
Archbishop of Davao
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
September 18, 2005
»12th
April
LET US FACE CHALLENGES WITH SOBRIETY AND FAITH
Let us face challenges with sobriety and faith
We the members of the CBCP Permanent Council, just held our regular meeting which had been scheduled during our Permanent Council Meeting last December 2004.
In response to recent developments affecting our country’s governance, we are hereby issuing a sequel to our Pastoral Statement of July 2005. In view of the prevailing situation in our country today which threatens our integrity as a nation, we have deemed it best to state that:
- The search for truth must continue and must be guided by the principles of the rule of law provided for in the Constitution, and by the moral principles of justice and the common good as we stated in our July 10, 2005 Pastoral Statement.
- We should now move forward and address the more important and urgent problem of grinding poverty of our people – poverty which has to a considerable extent been caused by excessive politicking. Let us not further contribute to this poverty by our inordinate involvement in activities that further oppress the poor and divide our people.
- As stated also in our July 10 Statement, we remind our people – especially our Basic Ecclesial Communities, lay organizations and movements – that the political arena is their responsibility as baptized Catholics.
- We again exhort our people to intensify prayer – sustained communal and personal prayer which will open our hearts to the God among us.
- Finally, as your pastors, we appeal to the people to meet our present trials with sobriety and faith in a God who loves and cares for us. Let us see our present situation as a God-given challenge to grow and mature as a people.
(SGD)+FERNANDO R. CAPALLA
Archbishop of Davao
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
September 13, 2005
»24th
May
Journey with Mary to Peace
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Journey with Mary to Peace BELOVED PEOPLE OF GOD: Greetings of peace in the Lord Jesus and in our Blessed Mother Mary!
Devotedly yours in Jesus and Mary, + FERNANDO R. CAPALLA, D.D 28 August 2005
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24th
May
RESTORING TRUST: A PLEA FOR MORAL VALUES IN PHILIPPINE POLITICS
RESTORING TRUST:
A PLEA FOR MORAL VALUES IN PHILIPPINE POLITICS
The Pastoral Situation
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As a people we seem to have passed from crisis to crisis in one form or another. For many analysts, reinforcing these crises are ambivalent cultural values such as palakasan, pakikisama, utang na loob, and family-centeredness. As Bishops we have long contended that the crises that we have suffered are basically moral – the lack of moral values in ourselves, in our relationships, in our social structures.
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Today we are beset with yet another political crisis of such magnitude as to polarize our people and attract them to various options ranging from the extreme right to the extreme left. In this grave situation, various groups take advantage of one another, manipulate situations for their own agenda and create confusion among our people sometimes by projecting speculation or suspicion as proven fact, with the aim of grabbing power.
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At the center of the crisis is the issue of moral value, particularly the issue of trust. The people mistrust our economic institutions which place them under the tyranny of dehumanizing poverty. They also mistrust yet another key institution – our political system. This mistrust is not recent. For a long time now, while reveling in political exercises, our people have shown a lack of trust in political personalities, practices, and processes. Elections are often presumed tainted rather than honest. Congressional and senate hearings are sometimes narrowly confined to procedural matters and often run along party lines. Politics has not effectively responded to the needs of the poor and marginalized.
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This question of trust in national institution has taken a critical urgency with the resignation of some key Cabinet members, the realignment of political parties and the creation of new alliances. Amid this realignment of forces we commend the clear official stand of our military and police authorities who reiterated their loyalty to our Constitution that forbids them from engaging in partisan politics.
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Moreover within academe, business, professional and civil society varied positions have been taken with regard to President Macapagal Arroyo. Some want her to resign; others want her to go through due process. Some want a Truth Commission. Others impeachment. Some want a constitutional process and others an extra-constitutional process. On the other hand there is also a wide manifestation of support for the chief executive by a cross section of society.
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Today we ask ourselves, “As Bishops what can we offer to our people? Can we provide some clarity and guidance in the present confusing situation?” We can only answer these questions from who are. We are not politicians who are to provide a political blueprint to solve political problems. Rather we are Bishops called by the Lord to shepherd the people in the light of faith. With Pope Benedict XVI we do not believe in the “intrusion into politics on the part of the hierarchy.” But we are to interpret human activities such as economics and politics from the moral and religious point of view, from the point of view of the Gospel of Jesus and of the Kingdom of God. We are to provide moral and religious guidance to our people. This is what we offer in the present crisis. Not to do this would be an abdication of our duty.
Our Pastoral Role and Our Stand
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In the welter of conflicting opinions and positions our role is not to point out a specific political option or a package of options as the Gospel choice, especially so when such an option might be grounded merely on a speculative and highly controvertible basis. In the present situation we believe that no single concrete option regarding President Macapagal Arroyo can claim to be the only one demanded by the Gospel. Therefore, in a spirit of humility and truth, we declare our prayerfully discerned collective decision that we do not demand her resignation. Yet neither do we encourage her simply to dismiss such a call from others. For we recognize that non-violent appeals for her resignation, the demand for a Truth Commission and the filing of an impeachment case are not against the Gospel.
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In all these we remind ourselves that a just political and moral order is best promoted under the present circumstances by a clear and courageous preference for constitutional processes that flow from moral values and the natural law. Hence, we also appeal to the people, especially their representatives and leaders, to discern their decisions not in terms of political loyalties but in the light of the Gospel values of truth, justice, and the common good. We urge our people in our parish and religious communities, our religious organizations and movements, our Basic Ecclesial Communities to come and pray together, reason, decide and act together always to the end that the will of God prevail in the political order. People of good will and credibility who hold different political convictions should come together and dialogue in order to help move the country out of its present impasse. We believe with Pope Benedict XVI that through prayer the Filipino people and their political representatives and leaders, guided by moral principles, are capable of arriving at decisions for the common good that are based not only on political realities but above all on moral precepts.
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Yet having said this we wish to subject specific situations to moral inquiry to guide our people in deepening their moral discernment.
Restoring Moral Values
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On Moral Accountability: “Political authority is accountable to the people. Those who govern have the obligation to answer to the governed” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 408). President Macapagal Arroyo has admitted and apologized for a “lapse of judgment” for calling a COMELEC official. The admission further eroded that people’s trust on the already suspected electoral system and raised serious questions on the integrity of the elections. Beyond apology is accountability. Indeed, with forgiveness is justice. To restore trust would require a thorough, credible, and independent process to examine the authenticity of the so-called Garcillano tapes, verify any possible betrayal of public trust, and mete out due punishment on all those found guilty. Punishment should also be imposed on those duly found guilty of corruption and illegal acts, such as jueteng and wire-tapping. Moral accountability calls for radical reforms in various agencies of government to make them more responsive to the requirements of integrity as well as to the needs of the poor.
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On Constitutionality: In the present crisis some calls are being made for measures that are counter-constitutional. The Constitution enshrines cherished values such as human dignity and the common good, freedom, the rule of law and due process. On this basis, we reject quick fixes that cater to selfish political agenda and advantage rather than to the common good. We deplore the attempts of those groups who seek to exploit our vulnerable national situation in order to create confusion and social chaos, in order to seize power by unconstitutional means. We reject calls for juntas or revolutionary councils. Our political leaders have to be the first to observe and faithfully implement the Constitution. Resolving the crisis has to be within the framework of the Constitution and the laws of the land so as to avoid social chaos, the further weakening of political systems, and greater harm in the future.
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On Non-Violence: Violent solutions, as Pope Paul VI taught us, “produce new injustices, throw more elements out of balance, and bring on new disasters” (Populorum Progressio, 31). There are today, on different sides of the social and political spectrum, those who would instigate violence in order to promote their own agenda or causes. We reject the use of force and violence as a solution to our problems. Such cannot be an option of the Gospel, for we know that Jesus the Lord taught a Gospel of love and non-violence.
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On Effective Governance: “Public authority in order to promote the common good… requires also that authority be effective in attaining that end” (Pacem in Terris, ch. IV). Together with competence, personal integrity is one of the most necessary requirements of a leader. Ineffective governance may be due to a lack of personal integrity or lack of competence. It could also be the result of a confluence of factors that have eroded trust and credibility and hence effectiveness. In our present situation we recognize that blame could be attributed to many, even to all of us. Yet we would ask the President to discern deeply to what extent she might have contributed to the erosion of effective governance and whether the erosion is so severe as to be irreversible. In her heart she has to make the necessary decision for the sake of the country. We all need to do the same. Indeed, moral discernment is very difficult since it is not based on political allegiances and alignments but no moral considerations.
Conclusion
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Dear People of God, sadness and anxiety were our feelings when we as Bishops first met to study the various aspects of the crisis. To confront the fears and hopelessness that at the daily companions of our poor is to realize that we of the Church likewise contributed to them by our neglect, our bias, our selfishness.
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To respond to the pastoral situation we commit ourselves to a more effective evangelization in word and deed so that moral values might become dynamic forces of human life in economics, politics, and culture. We especially commit ourselves to the formation of men and women endowed with competence and integrity and empowered to effective leadership in the economic and political spheres. With the Gospel of truth, justice, peace and love in their hearts they might, indeed, be a leaven of social transformation for our country.
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This Year of the Eucharistic reminds us of the abiding, loving and healing presence of the Lord Jesus in our midst. By the grace and mercy of God and the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we pray that a deep sense of hope will prevail in these dark moments of our history. Our loving God will not abandon us no matter what pit of evil have fallen into. We shall emerge stronger from this crisis. We shall rise endowed with greater integrity. We shall be witnesses to the power of God’s grace to transform us into a noble nation, a holier Church, a united people.
For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines:
FERNANDO R. CAPALLA, D.D.
President
Archbishop of Davao
July 9, 2005
»24th
May
PASTORAL STATEMENT ON THE COCO LEVIES AND THE COCONUT FARMERS
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PASTORAL STATEMENT We view with alarm the grim condition of the small coconut farmers in our country today. They number about 20 million including their respective families, tenants, and farm workers. Most of them live in depressing misery and abject poverty. Some have died already because of it. For 18 years they have struggled to demand that the coco levies, which had been collected from the sale of copra and which are now valued in billions of pesos, must be utilized for their benefit as well as for the benefit of the coconut industry. Theirs has been certainly a difficult and painful struggle. Since 1998 until today Catholic and Protestant leaders and Muslim scholars or ulama and tribal leaders have joined their struggle by supporting their demand for justice and assisting other NGOs involved in the cause of the coconut farmers. To strengthen their auxiliary role they and the farmers organized themselves into a conference which goes by the name BUPPFALUC, an acronym for Bishops, Ulama, Priests, Pastors, Farmers, Lumad Conference. After 18 years the struggle of the coconut farmers seemed to have come to an end, or the beginning of the end, when the Supreme Court categorically declared in a partial summary judgment that the coco levies are public in character. Subsequent decisions by the Sandiganbayan confirmed that the assets of the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB), the Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIP) Oil Mills and the 27% CIIF block of shares in San Miguel Corporation had been purchased with the use of the coco levy funds. In other words, these assets amounting to billions of pesos were ordered re-conveyed to government as HOLDER IN TRUST FOR THE COCONUT FARMERS. In view of these developments and to put life to those court pronouncements as well as to fast track the final resolution of the coco levy issue, we respectfully suggest that Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo offer an opportunity for the group representing the major coconut farmer organizations and its support NGOs to present to her personally some realistic proposals on the administration, management, and utilizations of the coco levy funds. We are sure that this humble gesture on the part of the Chief Executive will signal the eventual end of this long litigated and hotly debated issue. We hope too that this presidential act will also prevent recourse to bloody violence which has rumored to have been fueled and provoked by the impatience and hopelessness on the part of some coconut farmers. To prepare for a fruitful meeting with the President we also suggest that the said coconut farmers group enter into a respectful and friendly dialogue with the combined heads of UCPB, CIIF, COCOLIFE and other institutions established with coco levy funds. The same dialogue is also recommended with the PCGG Commissioners. We believe that in order to clarify issues and effectively resolve differences there is no other human and humane way except through a peaceful, respectful, and friendly dialogue however long and tedious this may be. We believe that such dialogue to be effective and fruitful must be anchored on a moral framework rather than on a legal one. This is the framework that promotes peace and reconciliation through social healing. And social healing cannot happen without sincere repentance and forgiveness. This is also the situation that facilitates the answering of the legal demands of justice. This is the teaching and practice beautifully exemplified by the late Pope John Paul II. It is for this reason that we appeal to all coconut farmers organizations and the support NGO’s nationwide to leave behind their personal and ideological differences and unite as one solid group with one common stand. Within this moral framework it is not difficult to see the possibility of an early and acceptable out-of-court settlement. This moral framework is the reason why our religious leaders – Catholics, Protestants, Ulama and Lumads – are involved in this very important issue. It is the same reason why we are issuing this Pastoral Statement. We consider the resolution of the issue a moral imperative. It is in this context that we can understand and take to heart the wise and fatherly advise of our beloved Holy Father, the late Pope John Paul II who in January 1, 2003 celebration of the World Day of Peace said: “There is no peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness.”
For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines: +FERNANDO R. CAPALLA RVM Retreat House |
24th
May
Hacienda Luisita: Theatre of Hope
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Hacienda Luisita: Theatre of Hope The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) aware of the danger to our social order should the agrarian problem in Hacienda Luisita remain unresolved, issued its Pastoral Statement of 23 January 2005 entitled: Vince in Bono Malum—Overcome Evil with Good. This title was taken from the 2005 Message of Pope John Paul II for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace, 01 January 2005. In his message, the Pope stated that: “The one way out of the vicious circle of requiting evil for evil is to accept the Apostles words, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” The recent killings of persons who support the cause of the strikers at the Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac carry the danger that we shall be caught within that “vicious circles of requiting evil for evil.” Should this happen, we shall find ourselves reliving a bloody chapter in our history when in the 1950s thousands of peasants armed themselves and rebelled against an unjust paternalistic social system that denied them economic justice through a genuine land reform program. The murders of Tarlac City Councilor Abelardo Ladera, of Philippine Independent Church priest William Tadena and the attempt of the life of Atty. Romeo T. Capulong call for immediate Government investigation especially since the military is suspected to author these assassinations. Let us learn from our history and not repeat its mistakes. The “iron fist” policy of President Manuel Roxas in the late 1940s aggravated the peace and order situation. The army’s artillery shells and bombs killed innocent people while undisciplined civilian guards and special military units burned houses, destroyed crops, looted property and assassinated innocent people. We do not want this bloody scenario to repeat itself in our time. Thus the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has entered with decisive commitment to help bring peace and justice into this explosive agrarian problem which once again revives the unresolved historic conflicts between landlords and peasants. The Church is doing its utmost to bring the mercy of Good Friday and the peace of Easter Sunday to the sorrowing and blood-stained land of Hacienda Luisita. We ask that our initiative to bring peace be accompanied by our government’s own audacious policy decisions to create a climate of freedom that encourages frank dialogue between management and strikers. Such a precondition for a just settlement is absent when the government is seen as indifferent in investigating the assassination of key supporters of the strikers. Hacienda Luisita has become the nation’s social theatre where peasants and hacenderos, police and strikers, activists and religious, the CBCP and Bayan Muna with other Leftist organizations are the actors. But they possess different scripts. There are scripts whose core plot is violence; others are centered on the majesty of the law backed up by police power. But the script which the Church uses is authored by Christ. It unfolds a new horizon of peace and justice, a new civilization of life and love. It rejects violence from whatever source. Violence in the words of Pope John Paul II, “destroy what it claims to defend: the dignity, the life, the freedom of human beings.” The CBCP is in the Hacienda Luisita as the co-convenor and facilitator instrumental in bringing to the negotiating table both the representatives of management and of the strikers. Archbishop Capalla, Archbishop Aniceto and Bishop Cinense define the negotiating framework as one where management and strikers could meet not as adversaries but as brothers and sisters of one national family. The goal was not to arrive at perfect solutions but rather to adopt a realistic process which would lead to sustained dialogue. The workers and farmers have repeatedly expresses their joy in our presence at these negotiations which often ended late at night; while management felt that our support of a step-by-step process which narrowed down the areas of disagreement was an acceptable approach. The CBCP followed up these formal meetings with several “back-door” meetings which further strengthened the negotiation process. The Church does not have the technical competence to propose concrete solutions regarding complex agrarian reform questions. But its mandate is to teach and promote those moral values that help define the purpose of economic enterprise like haciendas. Thus the Church judges the economy by what it does for and to people. Something is wrong in a system where large numbers of workers are caught in a vicious cycle of heavy debt and who are denied the possibility of owning land. This concern for a just agrarian system is not a new emphasis for the CBCP. Back in 1968 it organized a National Rural Congress which “saw the roots of much of our social evils in the present pattern of land ownership in our country” which condemns the farmer-tenants to a miserable condition of economic dependence and strips him of his freedom and dignity. In 1997, the CBCP published the first Catechism for Filipino Catholics. In its section on the Importance of Work, (nn. 1181-1184) the Catechism states three basic rights, namely, the right to work; the right to a just share in the fruits of the work and the right to organize “for the purpose of defending their interests and contributing as responsible partners to the common good.” (1981 Speech of Pope John Paul in Bacolod) At present, the momentum of the negotiation process has stalled due to the slaying to two loyal supporters of the workers and strikers of the Hacienda Luisita. But at the end of this dark tunnel, we can divine the light of hope. Hope based on what we experienced in the course of the negotiations: the respectful hearing which each side gave the other; the request to start each session with a prayer for Divine help and enlightenment; the reflection of a peasant leader that solutions will come from the heart rather that from might; the willingness of the young members of the hacienda the livelihood of the sugar workers, the desire to continue with back-door meetings moderated by the CBCP – all these are signs that our prayer to the Crucified Christ for a peaceful and just solution to the Hacienda Luisita problem are being heard. It is time to forsake our resentment and selfishness towards one another. Let us walk hand in hand as brothers and sisters under a sky lit by a new dawn of national unity and reconciliation. A Blessed Easter to you and your families! For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference: +FERNANDO R. CAPALLA, D.D. PALM SUNDAY
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24th
May
“HOLD ON TO YOUR PRECIOUS GIFT”
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“HOLD ON TO YOUR PRECIOUS GIFT” BELOVED PEOPLE OF GOD: Last February 15th, a committee in Congress approved a bill on population control, “reproductive health”, sexual rights for young people, and mandatory child sex education, among others. The measure imposes fine and imprisonment for parents, spouses, and health professionals who impede “sexual and reproductive rights.” It creates a program for fertility control by encouraging the limitation of family size to two children. It gives incentives to 2-child families. Women—married or single—will be taught “all methods and techniques to prevent pregnancy.” The sponsors have called the proposal “responsible parenthood” and “population management.” During committee deliberations, the authors have also denied the beginning of human life at fertilization. What is the underlying agenda? The central idea is to reduce our population purportedly to spur economic growth. This is also saying that in order to eliminate poverty, we must reduce our human resource. The premises are all wrong. A long line of serious economists and demographers have long discredited the Malthusian myth that positive population growth stunts economic growth. Modern history has also demolished this myth. Since a population control program was put in place in the country in the 1970s—with billions of public money spent every year to fund it–our population growth has been declining and continues to do so today, and yet, poverty has not been reduced. Official government data attest to this. If this population trend continues—and it will if we remain unmoved—the Philippines, much to its peril, will lose precious human capital. A “Ligtas Buntis” Program. While this is happening in Congress, the Department of Health is now implementing nationwide a Program called “Ligtas Buntis.” Touted as an information campaign for “maternal health”, “Ligtas Buntis” targets two million MEN, WOMEN and COUPLES OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE, ADOLESCENTS 15-19 years old, and the POOR among us. Even INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES are identified as priority areas. In this program, barangay health workers will interview couples, map and make a master list of families after house-to-house, door-to-door, and person-to-person “surveys” on their fertility control methods used. Sexuality education, contraceptive pills and devices will be dispensed. The surveys will be recorded, reported, and monitored. Everything will be documented. THE CHURCH CANNOT REMAIN UNMOVED 1. The legislative proposal to limit the size of the Filipino family in the guise of “reproductive rights” is unjust, arbitrary, and unreasonable legislation. It has no place in public governance. 2. “Responsible Parenthood” goes beyond simply providing for a family’s material needs. While we must preach about providing bread, there is no substitute for first preaching about the higher truth about man. For we know by our Faith what is authentic “responsible parenthood”: It means respect for one’s generative functions. It calls upon married persons to use discernment and generosity in their decisions. It calls for due regard to physical, economic, psychological and social conditions in deciding “to raise a numerous family.” It includes the spouses’ decision “based on grave motives and with due respect for the moral law, to avoid for the time being or even for an indeterminate period, a new birth.” Responsible parenthood makes parents “free and responsible collaborators of God the Creator.”(Humanae Vitae) 3. The “LIGTAS BUNTIS” Program is not simply what it claims to be: an information campaign for “maternal health.” It violates and mocks the privacy and autonomy of couples and families. It desecrates the sanctity of marriage and family life. 4. We CONDEMN the pressure to deny the presence of human life at the moment of fertilization. Humanity cries for justice for the millions of crimes and senseless abortions because of this lie. From the fusion of the basic cells of the father and the mother following the marital act, the fruit is already human. No human ordinance can turn that truth into error. To our leaders and lawmakers: A well-formed Christian conscience does not permit you to write or support measures which contradict the basic rights of families and the fundamental imperatives of faith and morals.” (“On the Participation of Catholics in Political Life”, Vatican, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.) Christian leaders have both a political and moral obligation to safeguard “the laws of nature and of nature’s God.” Failure in this duty is a betrayal of public trust and an open defiance of your Faith. To all spouses: Build your family on the rock of Christian generosity and discernment. Your right to found a family is rooted on your Christian responsibility and freedom of religious belief, together with the right to act according to that belief. That freedom may not be breached. To our Health Workers: You have the right to conscientious objection. It is both a civic right and a Christian duty to insist on it. To all the faithful—Defend truth. It gives light to our reason, and preserves us from error. Resist the enticements of false “freedoms” and counterfeit “rights.” Defend the privacy of family. Take heart and stand firm. Be courageous in the Faith. Hold on to that precious gift—that “pearl of great price.” It is the source of unfailing strength. It is your breastplate when you face the storms that besiege conscience. Let our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Family, be our loving Advocate in these challenging times. Entrust to her our families. Let us pray for the graces which the Lord promised to those who invoke her in this Marian Year. For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines: +FERNANDO R. CAPALLA, D.D. February 18, 2005 |
24th
May
VINCE IN BONO MALUM OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD
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VINCE IN BONO MALUM This is the challenge of the Pope in his Message for the World Day of Peace – “Overcome Evil with Good!” (January 1, 2005) In his landmark message at the beginning of the New Year, the Pope grieved over the presence of pervasive evil in the personal lives of men and women and in their communities. He deplores the destruction of the fabric of mutual understanding through conflicts which feed on violence and reprisals. The Pope tells us that the solution to our social conflicts is through our commitment to justice and peace. Our fight for a better world is waged effectively with the weapons of love. When good overcomes evil, love prevails and where love prevails, there peace prevails. It is the prayer and deep desire of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) that peace prevail in Hacienda Luisita. And for this to happen, justice must also prevail. We join the call for true justice for the victims of the November 16, 2004 confrontation that led to the deaths of seven and the wounding of hundreds. We call for an impartial investigation that will identify and punish the perpetrators of this violence and indemnify the families left behind by the victims. We call for the resumption of negotiations between the strikers and management in a context of mutual respect. For we must not confront one another as adversaries but live as brothers and sisters under the same sky and sharing in a common dream of a better life. Our Christian faith tell us that we must strive to constantly look out for the good of others as if it were our own. It is by strengthening the common bonds of our humanity that we overcome our hatreds and selfishness. Vince in Bono Malum / Overcome evil with good. Let us overcome the evil of violence with the good of peace. Let us overcome the evil of economic poverty with the good of social justice where workers receive just wages. Let us overcome the evil of a divided society by fostering love among us in a nation where labor is not pitted against management, where authority is not exercised with arrogance, where rich and poor work together as partners building a Philippines strong with the values of justice, freedom, and peace. For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines:
+FERNANDO R. CAPALLA, D.D. January 23, 2005 |
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24th
May
CBCP STATEMENT ON GAMBLING
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CBCP STATEMENT ON GAMBLING In the past few days some writers and politicians have attacked the integrity and credibility of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) with regard to gambling. In view of this the CBCP issues the following statement:
To inform the public better about the reasons for this CBCP position, we present the following moral teachings and pastoral imperatives:
Today the CBCP renews its commitment to combat the growing culture of gambling in our country by faithfully adhering to the policy its members had collectively agreed upon. For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines:
+FERNANDO R. CAPALLA, D.D. January 23, 2005 |
