CBCP Monitor Vol. 19 No. 08

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PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

SUPPLEMENT ISSUE THE CROSS: A SUPPLEMENT PUBLICATION OF KCFAPI AND THE ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

April 13 - 26, 2015

CBCPMONITOR.COM CBCPMONITOR@CBCPWO

CBCP

Netizens: Church-State separationnot hindrance toclergy’s freedomof speech

AMID the heated debate overthe move to make divorcelegal in the country, Catholiclay netizens from across thePhilippines emphasize the factthat priests have as much rightto voice their dissenting viewson issues affecting them as doall Filipino citizens.

Priests and Pinoys“Sorry to say it bluntly. Butit is just downright stupid whenpeople say priests and bishopsshould not speak on politicalissues and controversial bills.So freedom of speech for ev-eryone except for the clergy? E‘di wow. Aren’t they citizens of

Pope says Year of Mercy willbe time to heal, to help, to

forgive, A3

WHAT’S INSIDE

Netizens / A6

Pope Francis proclaims‘Holy Year of Mercy’

By Jennifer M. Orillaza

STRESSING the importanceof mercy in the life of theHoly Mother Church, PopeFrancis on Saturday of ciallyproclaimed the dedicationof the upcoming Jubilee cel-ebration to the Holy Year ofMercy.

In his Apostolic Letter MisericordiaeVultus (Te Face of Mercy), the SupremePontiff reminded the Catholic faithful thatmercy is the “wellspring of joy, serenity,and peace” that connects God and manand opens their hearts to the hope of beingloved forever despite being lled with sin.

“Mercy is the very foundation of theChurch’s life. All of her pastoral activityshould be caught up in the tenderness shemakes present to believers; nothing in herpreaching and in her witness to the worldcan be lacking in mercy,” Pope Francis said.

“Te Church’s very credibility is seen inhow she shows merciful and compassionatelove…Without a witness to mercy, life be-comes fruitless and sterile, as if sequesteredin a barren desert. Te time has come forthe Church to take up the joyful call tomercy once more,” he said.

Te Holy Father released the Bull ofIndiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee Yearof Mercy last April 11, moments beforepresiding over Vespers in St. Peter’s Basilicafor the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday.

“It is time to return to the basics and tobear the weaknesses and struggles of ourbrothers and sisters. Mercy is the forcethat reawakens us to new life and instillsin us the courage to look to the future withhope,” he added.

Term ‘genocide’ angers Turkey, whilepope says memory leads to healing COMME MORA -ING the 100th anni-versary of the Armeniangenocide, Pope Francissaid atrocities from thepast have to be recog-nized -- not hidden ordenied -- for true rec-onciliation and healingto come to the world.

However, urkey’stop government of-ficials criticized thepope’s use of the term“genocide”—citing a

2001 joint statement bySt. John Paul II and thehead of the Armenian

Apostolic Church—inreference to the deaths

of an estimated 1.5 mil-lion Armenians duringtheir forced evacuationby Ottoman urks in1915-18.

urkey rejects theaccusation of genocide,and the governmentcalled its ambassadorto the Holy See backto urkey “for consul-tations” April 12, thesame day Pope Francismade his statement.he government also

summoned Archbish-op Antonio Lucibello,nuncio to urkey, tolodge a complaint.

Before concelebrat-

ing the Mass in St. Pe-ter’s Basilica on DivineMercy Sunday, PopeFrancis greeted themany Armenian faith-ful who were present,including ArmenianPresident Serzh Sarg-syan.

he pope lamentedthe continued forcedexpulsions and atro-cious killings of Chris-tians in the world say-ing, “ oday, too, we

are experiencing a kindof genocide created bygeneral and collectiveindifference” and “com-plicit silence.”

Humanity has livedthrough “three mas-sive and unprecedentedtragedies the past cen-tury: the first, whichis generally considered‘the rst genocide of the20th century,’” struckthe Armenian people,he said, quoting a jointdeclaration signed in2001 by St. John Pauland Catholicos KarekinII of Etchmiadzin, pa-triarch of the Armenian

Apostolic Church.Te other two 20th-century tragedies werethose “perpetrated byNazism and Stalinism,”

wh il e mo re rece nt ly“other mass extermina-tions” have been seenin Cambodia, Rwanda,Burundi and Bosnia,Pope Francis said.

“It seems that thehuman family refuses tolearn from its mistakescaused by the law ofterror, so that there arestill today those who tryto eliminate their ownkind with the help ofsome and with the com-

plicit silence of others who act as bys tanders,”he said.

Addr es si ng Ar me -

CBCP head: Don’t silencegroups excluded from BBL

HE president of theCatholic Bishops’ Confer-ence of the Philippines(CBCP) has called on thePhilippine government notto silence nor ignore thosegroups in Mindanao thatclaim they were brushedaside from the deals leadingto the Bangsamoro Basic

Law (BBL), saying such amove will not help forgepeace in the region.

“Te sectors that claimthey were not included inthe deals leading to theBBL [Bangsamoro BasicLaw] should not be si-lenced. Neither shouldthey be ignored. I refer in

particular to the MNLF[Moro National LiberationFront] and to indigenouscultural communities, as

well as to Christian com-munities in Mindanao. Noagreement that is perceivedto be favorable to one sec-tor alone will ever bring the

Solon: RH law is a ‘national problem’

A LAWMAKER known for his pro-lifeand pro-family views has alerted thefaithful about what he fears could be the

wide-ranging effects of the hotly-debatedReproductive Health (RH) Law, not onlyon particular groups of people, but on the

whole country.“Tis [RH Law] is a problem that con-

cerns the entire nation. Tis is not justthe problem of our group, or some other

[pro-life] groups for that matter,” BuhayParty-list Rep. Lito Atienza told Church-run Radio Veritas in an interview.

Contraceptive mentality “Once we fail to do our part for life,

those pushing for birth control, as well asabortion, all over the world would likelyprevail. Tis kind of mentality will get hold

Tagle to vain people: Behuman, not ‘cabinets’

NO ING how vanity andmaterialism have been the ruinof many, Manila’s chief priesthas raised the alarm on dan-gers of false beliefs and emptypromises, reminding them tobe human and “not cabinets.”

“Don’t believe that your worth as a person depends onthe number of jewelries you

wear. If that’s the case, you can’tbe considered a person. You area cabinet … Be human!” Ma-nila Archbishop Luís AntonioG. Cardinal agle shared in arecent homily.

Singling out the young peo-ple in his audience, the prelateurged them not to allow them-selves to be swayed by novelbeliefs and ideologies.

Vain ads“Don’t be tricked into pa-

tronizing such and such aproduct just because an adver-tisement tells you so,” he said.

“Don’t believe that you’lllook human only when youhave smooth and silky hair,”he added.

IS wearing veils to Masssimply an outdated practicefor an über conservative,pre-Vatican II C atholicChurch? Hardly. For manyyoung Catholic women,

wearing veils is freshly radi-cal or radically fresh, de-pending on whom you ask.

In an interview withCBCP News, 26-year oldVietnamese Victoria Ly,a health inspector, sharedhow veil-wearing is as muchan interior attitude as muchas it as an external sign ofdevotion.“For me, wearing a veil

is kind of a sign point to- war ds God. .[L ike ] look ,this is something so muchgreater than us, so muchmore beautiful than us,”explained Ly.

Drawn to Christ Genesis Rigor, a nurse

based in Canada, cited St. John Chrysostom, who said wearing the veil is much likehow “the woman is drawnto the man..a woman isdrawn to Christ, to Hisside, close to His heart,under His arm, to be safe.”

Do more young womenprefer veils?

Vatican City - April 11, 2015. Pope Francis stands in front of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica on April 11, 2015 during the Convocation of the Year of Mercy. The HolyFather publicly proclaimed a Jubilee for Mercy, which will begin Dec. 8 and end in November 2016.© L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO

CBCP President Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas of Lingayen-DagupanFILE PHOTO

Pro-lifers in red march in the early morning streets of Baguio on the day the Supreme Court ruled on theconstitutionality of the RH Law, April 8, 2014.CBCP NEWS

Manila Archbishop Luís Antonio G. Cardinal TagleFILE PHOTO

Proclaims / A6

Healing / A7

Cabinets / A6 Veils / A7 National / A6

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Misericordiae Vultus, B1

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A2 CBCP MonitorApril 13 - 26, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 8WORLD NEWS

Vatican Briefing Pope recalls slaughter of Armenians in ‘first genocide of the20th century’Pope Francis today referred to the mass killing of Armeniansby the Ottoman urks in 1915 as a “genocide,” promptingthe urkish government to summon the Vatican’s ambassadorfor questioning. “In the past century our human family haslived through three massive and unprecedented tragedies.Te rst, which is widely considered ‘the rst genocide ofthe twentieth century,’ struck your own Armenian people,the rst Christian nation,” the Pope said April 12. Francis’reference to the genocide was taken from a common declara-tion signed by both Pope Saint John Paull II and Supreme

Armenian Patriarch Karekin II in 2001. His comments tookplace before celebrating Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday, whichis a feast instituted by St. John Paul II and celebrated on theSecond Sunday of the Church’s liturgical Easter season.(CNA)

Consecrated men, women denounce persecution of ChristiansConsecrated men and women from around the world issueda message April 10 “to urgently denounce” the persecutionof Christians and to urge the international community to“implement concrete interventions” for peace. Te message

was signed by Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Con-gregation for Consecrated Life and Institutes of Apostolic Life,on behalf of the nearly 1,300 Catholic religious gathered for aninternational congress in Rome. Te participants at the April7-11 conference represent dozens of religious congregationsand thousands of religious men and women worldwide. “Wefeel particularly close to those in the world who are suffer-ing because of their faith in Jesus Christ and we express ourcommunion with all consecrated men and women who, inthe various peripheries of the world, suffer because they areChristian and consecrated,” said the message. Te religiousthanked their suffering brothers and sisters for “their witness ofdelity” to their vocation and mission and for remaining “closeto those who suffer,” assuring them of their prayers.(CNS)

Sex abuse commission members meet cardinal overChilean bishopFour lay members of the Pontical Commission for the Pro-tection of Minors met with one of Pope Francis’ top cardinaladvisers at the Vatican April 12 to voice their concerns aboutthe appointment of a Chilean bishop, accused of covering upfor an abusive priest. Te four sa id in a written statement thesame day that Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, who isalso the protection commission’s president, “agreed to pres-ent their concerns to the Holy Father” about the nominationof Bishop Juan Barros to the Diocese of Osorno, Chile. Te

bishop had been accused of covering up for a priest who was known to have committed sexual abuse. Bishop Barros,however, denied having had knowledge of Father FernandoKaradima’s criminal behavior, prior to news about the abusein the press. Commission member Marie Collins from Irelandexpressed her satisfaction with their discussion at the Vatican,posting on her witter feed April 13 that she was “headinghome after a good meeting” with Cardinal O’Malley. (CNS)

Do more to help the poor, pope tells leaders at Summit ofthe Americas

With an obligation to lead and protect everyone in their na-tions, government officials cannot be content “to hope thatthe poor collect the crumbs that fall from the table of therich,” Pope Francis said in a message to the Summit of the

Americas. Tirty-ve heads of state from North, Central andSouth America met April 10-11 in Panama City, Panama, fordiscussions under the theme, “Prosperity with Equity: TeChallenge of Cooperation in the Americas.” Cardinal PietroParolin, Vatican secretary of state, was invited to the meeting

and read a message from Pope Francis to the participants, whoincluded U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban PresidentRaul Castro. In his message, the pope said he liked the themeof the gathering and hoped the leaders would nd ways notonly to promote economic growth, but also to guarantee therights of the poor to the “basic needs” of land, jobs, shelter,health care, education, security and a healthy environment-- things “no human being should be excluded from.” Whileeveryone says they want greater equa lity and justice, the popesaid, “unfortunately, it is still far from a reality. Tere continueto be unjust inequalities that offend human dignity.”(CNS)

Kasper is not the ‘Pope’s theologian,’ says leading African cardinal A top African cardinal says that German cardinal WalterKasper—who’s stirred controversy over his views promot-ing Communion for the divorced and remarried—does notnecessarily represent Pope Francis’ theological stance. He alsorejected efforts to claim the Pope for either side of the debateahead of the upcoming synod on the family. South Africa’sCardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier dismissed a news report’s labelof Cardinal Walter Kasper as the “Pope’s theologian,” saying,“I believe Pope Francis is a theologian in his own right. Sohe does not need anyone to be presented as ‘his’ theologian.”Cardinal Napier, the Archbishop of Durban, told CNA April9 that the Pope is “the head of the Church in general and ofthe College of Bishops in particular.” “It is wrong thereforefor any one group or individual to try to ‘own’ him or even toclaim him as the adherent to one particular school or anotherof theology.” (CNA)

Evangelization isn’t a synonym for advertising, Pope saysGiving witness to Jesus Christ is more than mere advertising,Pope Francis said: it’s the act of courage in proclaiming theGospel “with frankness” even to the point of martyrdom.Christians do not simply “advertise Jesus Christ” with theaim of increasing our numbers, the pontiff noted during hisdaily Mass homily on April 13. “Tis is not necessary.” “Whatthe Christian does is to announce with courage, and theproclamation of Jesus Christ causes, through the Holy Spirit,that astonishment that keeps us going,” he said, according toVatican Radio’s translation. (CNA)

Pope Francis: Vocations are about quality, not quantity Well-formed vocations are more important than numerousvocations Pope Francis said in an address to religious formatorson Saturday at the Vatican. “Tere is not a vocations crisis

where there are consecrated people able to transmit the beautyof consecration with their own witness,” the pontiff sa id, ac-cording to Vatican Radio’s translation. Even in the midst ofdeclining numbers in some religious communities, the Popesaid formation—rather than recruitment—should nonethelesstake priority. “It is necessary to be lovingly attentive to the pathof each and to be evangelically demanding in every phase ofthe path of formation,” he said, “beginning with vocationaldiscernment, so that the eventual crisis of ‘quantity’ might notdetermine the much graver crisis of ‘quality.’” Pope Francisspoke to a gathering of some 1,300 formators who were inRome Apr. 7-11 for a ve-day conference on the theme: “Liv-ing in Christ according to the way of Life of the Gospel,” anevent put on by the Congregation for Consecrated life andSocieties of Apostolic Life.(CNA)

Church in Cuba enters new era withthaw of US diplomatic relationsHAVANA, Cuba, March 28,2015—As the fty year economicembargo and diplomatic isolationbetween the U.S. and Cuba comesto a close, the thaw of their his-

torically icy relationship could havemore than just social and culturalimplications.

Te renewed affiliation betweenthe two countries, which beganlate last year, could have implica-tions on how the Church operatesin Cuba. In fact, the rst Catholicchurch since the 1959 Cuban revo-lution is set to be built in the smalltown of Sandino - a promisingstart to the renaissance of Catholicculture within the country. “Letus hope that the future will bringpeace and normality to the rela-tions between the two nations,”Bishop Alfredo Petit Vergel, anauxiliary bishop of the Archdioceseof St. Christopher of Havana, toldinternational Catholic charity Aidto the Church in Need March 25.Te Holy See aided in the resto-ration in Cuban-US diplomaticrelations, playing a key role behindthe prisoner exchange between thetwo countries last December withhopes that the restored relationship

will improve human rights and reli-gious freedom within Cuba. SomeUS politicians and commentatorshave argued that the move is a“victory for oppression.” BishopPetit responded that arguing thatthe lifting of the embargo gives avictory to a government that deniesfundamental rights to its people “isa poor consideration of the Cubanreality as a whole.” “Let us wait forfuture events to see who is right,”he advised. Under Fidel Castro,

who came to power in 1959, only

two years before Bishop Petit wasordained a priest, the Church washeavily restricted, with thousandsof priests jailed or exiled. Al-though some measures of freedomhave been allowed since then, theChurch in Cuba is still monitored.Bishop Petit said that “Among otherobstacles, there has been the lack ofpriests and pastoral workers. Tegovernment has always controlledthe number of priests in the coun-try—and it is never enough to dothe pastoral work. Tat numberhas always been capped at 400 in acountry of 11 million people.” “Te

other difficulty for the Church hasbeen gaining access to the media,”he added, while also noting thatthe Cuban government does notcurrently have oversight or con-trol over the Church’s initiativesin the country. he greatest needof the Church in Cuba is prayers,Bishop Petit reflected. “ hen,

we must fi nd wa ys to addre ssthe lack of priests and pastoral

worker s. Als o, the re is a need foreconomic support so that we cansupply medicines and food to thevery poorest people and we needthe means to fulfill all our pastoral

duties and attend to the spiritualneeds of the faithful.” He reectedthat “the members of the CatholicChurch in Cuba, as in every otherplace in the world, are part of theCuban people,” saying the presenceof the Church in Cuba brings atranscendent and Christian dimen-sion to everyday life. “Te CatholicChurch does not look for specialprivileges in Cuban society,” BishopPetit concluded. “ he CatholicChurch in Cuba, as in every othercountry of the world, looks only forthe space to preach the Gospel of

Jesus Christ.” (CNA)

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Havana, Cuba. JAMES EMERY/CNA

Divine Mercy’s amazing moment with the Armenian peopleBEIRU , Lebanon, April11, 2015— omorrow’s Di-vine Mercy celebration inSaint Peter’s Basilica will bean amazing moment for Ar-menians, a moment to com-memorate the unspeakablebrutality that was visitedupon them collectively inthe nal years of the Otto-man Empire, between 1915and 1918.

Wil l Pope Franci s sayanything to Karekin II and

Aram, Catholicos of Ech-miadzin (Armenia) and An-telias I (Lebanon), NersesBedros XIX, the Patriarch

of Catholic Armenians, andthe Armenians from aroundthe world who will attendthe Mass the pontiff willcelebrate for them, otherthan what the feast of DivineMercy says, namely words oftrust, strength and forgive-ness? Endorsed by SaintFaustina Kowalska, a Polishnun who died in 1938, thefeast day was establishedby John Paul II as God’sresponse to the tragic timesin which we live. Our ageplunges back into the 19thcentury, and manifests itselftoday in the disorientationof the western world, a time

when whole part s of theChristian presence in theEast are collapsing under theblows of a new barbarismthat claims to be a returnto the sources of Islam. We

should hear what EmmanuelMounier has to say aboutthe crisis of the West. Inone of the rst pages of hisintroduction to existential-isms, he described it as “theend of the evangelical age,”like the “death of God” thatNietzsche had announced inthe 19th century to the men“who, even after having beenresponsible for it, dared notaccept it as a fact.” Such aspiritual night lasted untilthe turn of the 21st century

when, following the silentcollapse of the Christianfaith in the West and itscurrent physical collapse inthe East. In his encyclicalletter ‘Rich in mercy’ of

1980, John Paul II spokemore explicitly about mercy,saying that it is not sim-ply an “attribute of God”but its very same name. Inadmirable arguments thatdeserve further thought, thepope showed that mercy is“the most perfect incarna-tion of justice” because italone is capable of ‘restor-ing man to himself “(14).Certainly, the memory ofthe Armenian Genocide willnever be erased. Te samegoes for all other genocides,historical evidence of whatman’s sinful demons mayinict on his fellow men.In commemorating the Ar-menian Genocide in Saint

Peter’s, on the Sunday of theDivine Mercy, the unjustsuffering of all the peoplesthroughout history will takecentre stage, regardless of re-ligious affiliation or race. Ofcourse, the order of justice

wil l not disa ppea r, Jean-Paul II said, but the humancity will be built patiently,laboriously, with the toolsof peace instead of war. Itis in this spirit that Francis

will speak to Armenians ina language that John PaulII used in 2001 during hispastoral visit to Armenia. Atthe time, John Paul II chosehis words carefully, clearingreferring to the genocide,but without blaming ur-

key, speaking instead of the“terrible violence” and “bigdisaster”. Francis mightaddress a “free Armenia”(as John Paul II put it),not an Armenia captive ofCommunism, or an Ar-menia scattered aroundthe world; nevertheless, he

will call on its people toassume their regained free-dom. On Tursday, whenhe met the patriarch of the

Armenian Cath olic s in aprivate visit, he called for“concrete gestures of rec-onciliation”, in accordance

with the laws of nations and

states rather than resistanceand liberation movements.Sunday’s ceremony will havean ecumenical aspect withthe proclamation of SaintGregory of Narek as a Doc-tor of the Universal Church.Unlike the ecumenism ofthe martyrs, which Arme-nians have so painfully butgloriously experienced, thisecumenism will be of theChristian faith from patristictimes. A joint ChristologicalDeclaration signed in Romein 1996 by Pope John PaulII and Karekin I, Catholi-cos of All Armenians, hadalready brought the Arme-nian Catholic Church and

Armenian Apostolic Churchcloser together in their theo-logical understanding of themystery of the Incarnation.(AsiaNews)

India bishop: Christ is working through the tragedy of present-day martyrdom MIAO, India, April 6, 2015—In

his Easter letter released this week,Bishop George Pallipparambil ofMiao reflected on Christ’s workthrough the tragedies of this life,noting the ongoing persecutionof Christians and in particular themartyrdom of 21 Coptic Christiansin Libya earlier this year.

“Te gory sight of the 21 youngmen being mercilessly beheadedrecently, because of their faith, theforgiving attitude of their folks backhome and the thousands of thou-sands who are being killed, jailedand tortured in many parts of the

world and their refusal to deny theLord is the greatest inner strengththat the Lord gives us,” BishopPallipparambil wrote in the letterreleased April 5. “If Jesus had nottaken our human form, lived likeus avoiding sin, undergoing humili-ation and the passion and death, ourlife with all its crosses would haveno meaning.” He noted recentlythat he was asked, in light of suchtragedies, “why is Jesus not doinganything?” “I was not confused orshocked,” he wrote, recounting thathe replied: “the Lord is doing a lot.He is allowing himself to be cruci-ed, beheaded, persecuted, he is also

weeping with us for his lost brother,sisters, father, mother, just as hisshameful death led to the gloriousresurrection, these currents events

will lead to a new reign of God.”However, Bishop Pallipparambilmaintained that the response tothe question does not end there,and “we need to go further.” Heturned to the importance of fam-ily, in light of the upcoming Synodon the Family, saying, “we need tofocus our attention to this mostsacred organ of the mystical bodyof Christ.” Bishop Pallipparambilcalled the family the “intimate andsacred unit of humanity which isthe foundation of the society andchurch, where love is experienced,given and taken at great sacrice but

without counting the cost, wherevalues are imbibed without beingtaught, where attitudes are culti-vated without questions and suspi-cion and where feeling of belongingand responsibility are learnt andtaught not through well plannedlessons or demonstrations but byall the intricacies of plain lives,”lamenting that it is “fast becomingthe most affected unit of humanity.”Economic concerns should not pushfamilies “to the background, or evenout of mind,” he said, urging thatChristians be a light for others. Tebishop asked, “Can we make thisEaster a different experience? Not

just for ourselves and our immedi-ate families … but for the manyfamilies in our neighborhood thatare struggling to survive.” “Without

making deliberate attempts to showthe light, can we be emanating lightas a natural outow from life? Tefamilies of the young Egyptians

wh o were behe aded have ju stdone that. Can their example gounheeded?” Bishop Pallipparambil

concluded, praying that “may oursbe homes where God has a place

and he gives meaning. As historyand present age shows convincingly,any attempt to silence or removeGod from our families will be thedestruction of it. Te Risen Lord

who has given us the Holy Spirit who wants to be ever present with

us. Do we have a place for him?”(CNA)

Faithful in India’s Miao diocese pray in a candlelight vigil for persecuted Christians in theMiddle East, March 1, 2015. FR. FELIX ANTHONY/CNA

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Pope says Year of Mercy will betime to heal, to help, to forgive

VA ICAN CI Y, April 11,2016—Mercy is what makes Godperfect and all-powerful, PopeFrancis said in his document of-cially proclaiming the 2015-2016extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy.

“If God limited himself to only justice, he would cease to be God,

and would instead be like humanbeings who ask merely that thelaw be respected,” the pope wrotein “Misericordiae Vultus,” (“TeFace of Mercy”), which is the “bullof indiction” calling a Holy Year tobegin Dec. 8.

Standing in front of the HolyDoor of St. Peter’s Basilica April11, Pope Francis handed copies ofthe document to the archpriests ofthe major basilicas of Rome andto Vatican officials representingCatholics around the world.

Portions of the 9,300-wordproclamation were read aloudbefore Pope Francis and his aidesprocessed into St. Peter’s Basilica tocelebrate the rst vespers of DivineMercy Sunday.

In his homily at vespers, the

pope said he proclaimed the Year ofMercy because “it is the favorabletime to heal wounds, a time notto be weary of meeting all those

who are waiting to see and touch with their hands the signs of thecloseness of God, a time to offereveryone the way of forgiveness

and reconciliation.”Te boundless nature of God’smercy—his willingness alwaysto forgive anything—has been aconstant subject of Pope Francis’preaching and is explained in detailin the document, which outlinessome of the specic projects thepope has in mind for the year.

Pope Francis asked that all dio-ceses around the world designate a“Door of Mercy” at their cathedralor another special church or shrine,and that every diocese implementthe “24 Hours for the Lord” initia-tive on the Friday and Saturdaybefore the fourth week of Lent. InRome the last two years, the popehas opened the celebration with apenance service in St. Peter’s Ba-silica and churches around the city

were open for the next 24 hoursfor confessions and Eucharisticadoration.

Te pope said he will designateand send out “Missionaries ofMercy” to preach about mercy;they will be given special authority,he said, “to pardon even those sins

reserved to the Holy See.” Underchurch law, those sins involve: aman who directly participated inan abortion and later wants toenter the priesthood; priests whohave broken the seal of confession;priests who have offered sacramen-tal absolution to their own sexualpartners; desecrating the Eucharist;and making an attempt on the lifeof the pope. Usually, the Apos-tolic Penitentiary, a Vatican court,handles those cases.

And he urged all Catholics tospend more time practicing whattraditionally have been called thecorporal and spiritual works ofmercy. he corporal works are:feeding the hungry, shelteringthe homeless, clothing the na-ked, visiting the sick, visiting the

imprisoned, giving drink to thethirsty and burying the dead. Tespiritual works are: convertingsinners, instructing the ignorant,advising the doubtful, comfort-ing the sorrowful, bearing wrongspatiently, forgiving injuries andpraying for the living and dead.

Te date the pope chose to openthe year—Dec. 8—is the feast ofthe Immaculate Conception andthe 50th anniversary of the closingof the Second Vatican Council.Both dates, he wrote, are relatedto the Year of Mercy.

Mercy, he said, is “the bridgethat connects God and man, open-ing our hearts to a hope of beingloved forever despite our sins.” Tatbridge was made concrete whenGod chose Mary to be the motherof his son.

Recognizing that they have beentreated with mercy by God, he said,Christians are obliged to treat oth-ers with mercy. In fact, the Gospelsays that Christians will be judgedby the mercy they show others.(Cindy Wooden/CNS)

Practical help for thedemon-possessed:Vatican rolls out newexorcism courseVAICAN, April 10, 2015—Tismonth the Vatican will gather a

wide range experts in the eld ofexorcism with the aim of sheddinglight on demonic possession fromboth theological and scientificperspectives.

Te annual course, “Exorcismand Prayer of Liberation,” is de-signed for priests and lay personsinterested in learning how to rec-ognize a case of demonic possession

when they see one—and what todo about it.

Tis year’s session will run from Apri l 13- 18 at Rome’s Regi na Apostolorum University, and willfeature interventions by a widerange of experts in the field ofexorcism from priests—includingpracticing exorcists—medical pro-fessionals, psychologists lawyers,and theologians. It’s sponsoredby the Vatican Congregation forthe Clergy and organized by theSacerdos Institute.

Accord ing to Breitb art NewsNetwork, one of the primary objec-tives of the course will be to helppriests and lay people distinguishdemonic possession from psycho-logical or medical conditions.

Te sessions will also examinea series of other related issues, in-

cluding occult practices, Satanism,and nihilism among young people.

Pope Francis has frequently warned against think ing of thedevil as merely “a myth, a gure,an idea, the idea of evil.”

“Te devil exists and we mustght against him,” the Pope saidin an Oct. 30 homily, adding thatthe battle against temptation is not

with small, trivial things, but withthe principalities and ruling forcesof this world, rooted in the deviland his followers.

In a separate homily, the pontiffstressed the importance of knowinghow to discern the presence of evilin our lives.

he International Associa-tion of Exorcists (AIE) met fortheir 12th annual conference inRome last October. Accordingto AIE spokesperson Dr. ValterCascioli, an increasing numberof bishops and cardinals askedto participate in the conferencedue to an increase in demonicactivity.

“It’s becoming a pastoral emer-gency,” Cascioli told CNA. “Atthe moment the number of dis-turbances of extraordinary de-monic activity is on the rise.”(AnnSchneible/CNA/EWTN News)

The Vatican considers – what does vocationalformation look like in the modern age?VA ICAN, April 9, 2015 -- Religious for-mators gathered in Rome for a seminar onfashioning new vocations in contemporarysociety – a task the Vatican’s point man forconsecrated life says is not easy, but still fullof hope.

Consecrated life is rooted in “the actionof God, in the Holy Spirit, (who) ca lls somepeople to follow Christ closely, to transmitthe Gospel in a specic way of life, to readthe signs of the times with eyes of faith, torespond with creativity to the needs of theChurch,” Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, said April 8.

Organized by the Congregation for In-stitutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of

Apostolic Life, the April 8-11 seminar washeld during the Year for Consecrated Lifecalled for by Pope Francis.

Te event began with a prayer vigil April 7,and will close April 11 with a Mass celebratedby Cardinal Braz de Aviz, prefect of the con-gregation, in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Roughly 1200 religious from all over the world gathered to discuss the fundamentalidentity of consecrated life as well as forma-tional needs unique to the contemporary age.

In addition to the scheduled presentations,there will be more than 50 workshops on cur-rent issues that participants can attend. Teseminar will close with a formation forum

Be God’s mercy to others — preacherMANILA, April 13, 2015—Re-ecting on what theologians dub“God’s greatest attribute,” a Catho-lic lay speaker has reminded those

whose lives have been touched byGod’s Mercy of their duty to share it

with the underprivileged, especiallyin this Year of the Poor.

“Let us proclaim the Mercy ofGod by showing mercy to oth-ers. We must be the image ofthe Divine Mercy,” said MarwilN. Llasos during the monthlyrecollection of the Company ofSt. Dominic (CSD), on Sunday,“Feast of Divine Mercy,” held atSanta Catalina College in Legarda,Sampaloc, Manila.“God is merciful. We should be

merciful. We who obtained mercymust also show mercy to others,”he exclaimed.

In his lecture, the lawyer-preach-er from Bicol told the audience thatas Jesus Himself extended mercy tothe “lost, the last, and the least” ofHis time, so too are today’s faithfulcalled upon to do the same to theirless fortunate neighbors.

Mercy in action According to him, the Gospels

abound in stories of Christ pityingthe paralytic, the lepers, the lame,the possessed, the blind, the needy,the widows and orphans: those

whom Pope Francis calls “peoplein the peripheries.”

“Look at the Gospels. Eachtime a person approached Jesusand exclaims to Him, ‘Lord, havemercy,’ has there been a time thatthat person was rebuffed? Has therebeen a time that Jesus did not showmercy to someone who is sick, tosomeone who is dying, to someone

who is dead, to a widow, to anorphan?” Llasos asked.

To the peripheries“Tese are the people we must

go to, so that through us they willexperience the Mercy of God,” hestressed.

Noting that the poor, the out-cast, those in the margins cannotexperience the Divine Mercy unless

they experience it rst in others,the lawyer-preacher challenged thefaithful to be God’s Mercy to them.

Mercy IncarnateHe described the Son of God

as no less than Mercy IncarnateHimself from whose Sacred HeartBlood and Water ow the DivineMercy.

Llasos explained that by dyingon the Cross, Jesus showed man-kind how merciful God is.

“We must take advantage of themiracle of God’s Mercy. Because

we all know that there is no miserythat could be a match to the Mercyof God,” added. (Raymond A.Sebastián/CBCP News)

Lawyer-preacher Marwil N. Llasos discusses the Divine Mercy and how people whoselives have been transformed by it are duty-bound to be merciful to others by followingthe example of Jesus, “God’s Mercy Incarnate.”RAYMOND A. SEBASTIÁN

Tagle to OFWs: Don’taccept bags, etc.from strangers

Pope Francis during Vespers on Divine Mercy SundayCNA

vMANILA, April 14, 2015—“Ihave an appeal to make to ourfellow Filipinos who are planningto work abroad: Do not just ac-cept parcels or bags from people,especially [from] those you do not

know.”

Manila Archbishop Luís An-tonio G. Cardinal agle had thisto say as a reminder to future andcurrent Overseas Filipino Workers(OFW) to avoid sharing the fateof Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipinasentenced to die by ring squad inIndonesia for allegedly possessing2.6 kilos of heroin in 2010.

‘Drug mules’In an interview over Church-run

Radio Veritas, the prelate advisedOFWs to always be on theirguard and to refuse any persons,

whether casual acquaintances ortotal strangers, who request themto carry something in their stead.

“If you have no idea what isinside that bag, you will be the oneresponsible because it is in yourpossession. If the content turns out

to be illegal, you might be arrestedfor it,” agle said.

In the same interview, the cardi-nal addressed narcotics dealers andother lawless elements involvedin drug trade not to exploit un-suspecting OFWs in their illicit

activities who often end up payingfor the crimes of others.Due processMoreover, agle pleaded with

the Indonesian government togive Veloso, a 30-year old singlemother from Cabanatuan, NuevaEcija, as well as other OFWs whohave run afoul with the law in theirhost countries, the proper hearingeveryone deserves.

“I appeal that Mary Jane Velosobe given due process. While I dorespect the laws of other othercountries. I appeal on behalf of allpeople who will be arrested, thattheir rights be respected and thatdue process be extended to them,”he added. (Raymond A. Sebas-tián/CBCP News with reports from Roxanne dela Rosa)

Manila Archbishop Luís Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle FILE PHOTO

having an interdicasterial vision.Cardinal Braz de Aviz spoke with the for-

mators at the beginning of the seminar, tell-ing them that the Year for Consecrated Lifeis an occasion to “establish common points”on their journey, specically in the area offormation, which he said is “so important.”

“For all of us the call remains to make fruit-ful the paths already traveled by many truedisciples of Jesus,” the cardinal said, explain-ing that to bear fruit in this sense involveslooking at the present moment, which isnew, complex and challenging.(Elise Harris/ CNA/EWTN News)

Religious sisters at the Training Center “School of Love” in Kkottongnaeon, South KoreaCNA

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EDITORIAL

WE have spoken at length about joy and love, but the word ofGod also speaks about the fruit of peace (cf. Gal 5:22).

Peace in society cannot be understood as pacication or themere absence of violence resulting from the domination of onepart of society over others. Nor does true peace act as a pretextfor justifying a social structure which silences or appeases thepoor, so that the more affluent can placidly support their lifestyle while others have to make do as they can. Demands involving thedistribution of wealth, concern for the poor and human rights

cannot be suppressed under the guise of creating a consensus onpaper or a transient peace for a contented minority. Te dignityof the human person and the common good rank higher than thecomfort of those who refuse to renounce their privileges. Whenthese values are threatened, a prophetic voice must be raised.

Nor is peace “simply the absence of warfare, based on a precari-ous balance of power; it is fashioned by efforts directed day afterday towards the establishment of the ordered universe willed byGod, with a more perfect justice among men”. In the end, a peace which is not the result of integral development will be doomed;it will always spawn new conicts and various forms of violence.

People in every nation enhance the social dimension of theirlives by acting as committed and responsible citizens, not as a mobswayed by the powers that be. Let us not forget that “responsiblecitizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moralobligation”. Yet becoming a people demands something more. Itis an ongoing process in which every new generation must takepart: a slow and arduous effort calling for a desire for integrationand a willingness to achieve this through the growth of a peaceful

and multifaceted culture of encounter.Progress in building a people in peace, justice and fraternitydepends on four principles related to constant tensions pres-ent in every social reality. Tese derive from the pillars of theChurch’s social doctrine, which serve as “primary and funda-mental parameters of reference for interpreting and evaluatingsocial phenomena”. In their light I would now like to set forththese four specic principles which can guide the development oflife in society and the building of a people where differences areharmonized within a shared pursuit. I do so out of the convictionthat their application can be a genuine path to peace within eachnation and in the entire world.

--Evangelii Gaudium , #217-221

YES, the political scene in the country is anything but a reasonto celebrate, a phenomenon to jump for joy. Yes, the politicalculture imbibed by the Filipinos in general is certainly neither thatinspiring nor that convincing to proclaim. But yes, signs of hopeare there for politics in the Philippines to be commendable and wherefore acceptable. While there is no room yet for optimism,neither is pessimism in order. And this promising eventuality is

anchored on different factors such as the following:More and more simple people are poised to vote wisely, i.e.,over and above the wealth and popularity of the candidates. Inaddition to this, they are also more conscious of the necessity ofhaving their votes duly counted through credible means. Tey feelthat they have had enough of the political gimmickry among thecandidates whose election into office precisely made their alreadypoor life and simple living even more miserable.

More and more civic-minded Filipinos share their time, talentand resources through healthy volunteerism in the formation oforganizations and movements primarily intended to inform andguide the voters on voting wisely by knowing the candidatesbetter as to their persons and credentials. Te truth is that thevoters in general are already aware of what crooked politicianseventually do to their already difficult lives.

More and more non-traditional politicians are elected intooffice in the same way that more and more young and idealistic,trustworthy and competent candidates for public office are emerg-ing, challenged as they are by the evils brought about by power

and money politics. ogether with the Filipinos in general, theyfeel that they themselves—their own families included—havealready had enough of dirty politics.

Te above-cited more positive and inspiring signs of hope in theeventual transformation of Philippine politics for the commongood and public welfare of Filipinos are neither but dreams normere imaginations. Te rallies for a better government—whichis the same as saying the quest for better political officials—arestaged not only in Metro Manila but also in the different regionsof the country.

But just the same, it is good to remember the wise saying: “Onestep at a time, goes far in a day.” In other words, such a huge and widespread viciousness in Philippine politics can be effectivelycounteracted by the salutary pairing of duly-informed and civic-minded citizens plus upright, competent and working politicians.Te plain and simple truth is that if the citizens themselves allowcrooked, incompetent and avaricious politicians to govern them,complain they may not because such an odious political realityis, in effect, their own making by their social indifference, civicpassivity.It is not really hopeless. Philippine politics can still be trans-formed into what really is politics and what it is really for. Teincumbent politicians—given their misdirected interests plusdisabled vision—are doing much to awaken the Filipinos to bepolitically vigilant.

The common good and peace in society

Signs of hope

OPINION

Order amidtoday’s clutter Fr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

MonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE CBCP

Pedro C. QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Nirva’ana E. DelacruzAssociate Editor

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The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the Areopa-gus Social Media for Asia, Inc. with editorial and businessoffices at 3rd Flr. HHC Building, Victoria cor. Basco Sts.,Intramuros, Manila. Editorial: (632) 404-2182. Business:

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Candidly Speaking / A5

In Solidarity withJesus and Mary

Oscar V. Cruz, D.D. Views and Points

DURING this time of Holy Week and theEaster season, it is most tting to recall thebeautiful and appropriate words of Pope Francis,spoken in his impromptu homily in aclobanon January 17, 2015. Celebrating the Mass

while clothed in his yellow plastic raincoat, thePope said: “If today all of us are gathered here,fourteen months after the passage of yphoon

Yolanda, it is because we are certain that we willnot be disappointed in our faith, for Jesus hasgone before us. In his passion he took uponhimself all of our sorrows.”

“Let me tell you something personal. WhenI witnessed this disaster from Rome, I felt that Ihad to be here. Tat is when I decided to comehere. I wanted to come to be with you. Maybeyou will tell me that I came a little late; that istrue, but here I am!”

Jesus, Our Faithful Brother. Pope Franciscontinued: “I am here to tell you that Jesus isLord, that Jesus does not disappoint. ‘Father,’one of you may tell me, ‘he disappointed mebecause I lost my house, I lost my family, I losteverything I had, I am sick.’ What you say istrue and I respect your feelings, but I see himthere, nailed to the cross, and from there he does

not disappoint us. He was consecrated Lord onthat throne, and there he experienced all thedisasters we experience. Jesus is Lord! And, heis Lord from the cross, from there he reigned.”

“So many of you lost everything. I do notknow what to tell you. But, surely he knows

what to tell you! So many of you have lostmembers of your family. I can only be silent; Iaccompany you silently, with my heart.”

“Many of you looked to Christ and asked: Why, Lord? o each of you the Lord respondsfrom his heart. I have no other words to say toyou. Let us look to Christ: he is the Lord, andhe understands us, for he experienced all thetroubles we experience.”

Mary, Mother of the Poor. Pope Franciscontinued his meditation by inviting the suf-fering poor to look to Mary who stood with

Jesus beneath the cross. “Let us be still for amoment; … let us look to our Mother, and belike a little child, let us reach out, cling to herskirt and say to her in our hearts: ‘Mother.’ Letus make this prayer in silence; let everyone sayit whatever way he or she feels.”

“We are not alone; we have a Mother; wehave Jesus, our older brother. We are not

alone…. Tis is all that I feel I have to say toyou. Forgive me if I have no other words. But,be sure that Jesus does not disappoint us; be surethat the love and tenderness of our Mother doesnot disappoint us.”

Prayer of Faith and Gratitude. Pope Francisnoted at the end of the Mass that Jesus, throughhis passion, death and resurrection, accompa-nies us on our journey. Ten, Francis pausedto pray with the suffering people: “Tank you,Lord, for being with us here today. Tank you,Lord, for sharing our sorrows. Tank you, Lord,for giving us hope. Tank you, Lord, for yourgreat mercy. Tank you, Lord, because you

wanted to be like one of us. Tank you, Lord,for giving us hope. Lord, may no one rob us ofhope! Tank you, Lord, because in the darkestmoment of your own life, on the cross, youthought of us and you left us a mother, yourmother. Tank you, Lord, for not leaving usorphans.”

Tank you, Lord, for sharing our lives as ourcrucied-risen Savior. Tank you, Lord, forgiving us Mary, your own mother, to journey

with us through suffering and death to the joyof the resurrection.

WE cannot deny that today’s clutter has growna lot more than in the previous generations. Ithas gone ballistic and viral, as they say, becausethe clutter mentality is highly contagious. Ithas become something like an epidemic. Tereare just too many things around, small and b ig,ordinary and very important. You look around,and almost always tha t’s what you see—clutter.

Tis is not only in the eld of the materialand the physical. More serious than that is themental clutter which can betray an even deeperdisorder. Many of us are so overloaded withdata and pieces of information, with plans andconcerns, often without connection with eachother, that we would not know anymore whatto do with them.

If ever there is some concern for order, it isoften pegged on shallow and highly ephemeralreasons if not self-serving motives. oday’s ideaof order does not go much further than mere

window-dress ing or sweeping things underthe rug.

Because of this, we also see a lot of waste

around. Recycling waste helps very little, since what is recycled goes back to the vicious cycle

of producing too many things that often are just junk. We need to examine more closelythe wisdom behind recycling, since whatevereconomic and ecological benets recycling canachieve may already be outweighed by its con-tribution to the vicious cycle.

Anyway, the re are many other bad conse-quences of clutter and disorder. We would notknow, for example, which task to do rst, sinceour sense of priority would already have gonehaywire.

We would be prone to give knee-jerk reac-tions, and raw, unprocessed responses to thingsand events. We would easily be at the mercyof passing conditionings, fads and trends. Webecome forgetful of many things. We can de-velop the vices of improvisations, shallow andnarrow-minded considerations, precipitatedactions that often show rash judgments and lackof thoughtfulness.

We need to launch a big campaign to reinstallthe sense of order in everyone. It seems thisvirtue has been taken for granted. And people

do not know anymore the value of order, norits basis and purpose, and much less the ways

to live it.Some techniques at keeping order, of course,

are helpful. Te habit of acting on things im-mediately without unnecessary delay is one ofthem. Keeping schedules and knowing to putthings in their proper places is another. Mak-ing plans or thinking ahead before acting isstill another.

But all these techniques can only go so far. What is most basic about this whole businessabout order is to know where order starts from.

We just should not content ourselves with ourown idea of order. Tat would often lead to acertain and subtle form of disorder sooner orlater.

We need to unders tand that order start salways with God, and is kept and developedproperly with Him. After all, God is our Creatorand supreme lawgiver, who maintains every-thing in order, not only physical and worldlyorder, but also and more importantly, moraland spiritual order. Outside of Him, there canonly be disorder that unavoidably causes clutter.

Tis is a very important consideration because

Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM Living Mission“Year of the Poor” Re ections

Environment

“Te relationship of man with theworld is a constitutive part of hishuman dignity. Tis relationsh ipis in turn the result of another stilldeeper relationship between man and

God.” (Compendium of the SocialDoctrine of the Church, Chap. 10,IV, p. 263 ss)

HE above quotation is but onecomposite truth that is both inthe natural order as well as in thesupernal sphere. It consists ofsome kind of both a simple yetalso profound triangle of objectivetruths—in the following descend-ing order: God-World-Man. Tefollowing questions thus cometo mind: What is the world for

without man and how would manbe without the world? Is man forthe world or is the world for man?Does the world come from man or

does man come from the world?If man does not come from the

worl d and the wor ld does notcome from man, where do the

world and man come from? More

than a mere academic or simplespeculative exercise, the abovequestions raised are worth answer-ing in all sincerity and truth.

All the above queries have thefollowing answers—not only ac-cording to the reach of the mind inline with the understanding as wellas with the feeling of someone whois realistic and rational, objectiveand logical: Man who cannot evenmake but himself, could not havemade the world. Te world beingdevoid of intelligence and feelingcould not have brought man aboutconsidering that the latter has a ra-tional faculty, spirit, emotion, andother superior qualitative attributes

the world is altogether devoid of.So is it that if man could not havecome from the world, and the

world could not have come fromman, there is but one objective

truth and sound conclusion in thelight of human reason and in thesphere of faith: Both the world andman come from God—or from aDivinity.

And considering that the worldis for man, man may not but carefor the world, viz., caring for the

world as required by what naturereveals and dictated by reason andethics. In the same way, consider-ing that man comes from God, hemay not but recognize his omnipo-tence and goodness, his providenceand benevolence. And consideringfurthermore that the world likewisecomes from God, it is incumbentupon man to protect and preserve

its natural integrity and connatu-ral features. Te above premisesand conclusions are neither thatprofound nor that complex intheir respective meaning and im-

plication such that only those whohave superior intelligence and su-pernatural faith could understandand affirm. Honesty and sincerityare also effective means to know thetruths not only about the world butalso about man and about God.

So is it that just as the world hasman to care for, man cannot butalso care for the world—simplyfor their mutual advantage andbenet. And as man attends toand protects the world from beingabused and wasted, so does the

world in turn attend and protectman from being victimized by akiller world. God made the worldfor man!

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Treading the thin line ofcitizenship and mercy

San Roque Cathedral@ 200th Years

‘Touch Me Not’

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

Duc In Altum

Candidly Speaking / A4

Who will inherit theearth? Not atheists,

anyway

Carolyn MoynihanCommentary

I WAS robbed. Yes, las t week, my kas amb aha y of four

years, whom we already regarded as family,claimed that she was convinced by a gang ofbudol-budol to make not one, but two tripsto my house, get personal valuables and hand

it over to people who supposedly told her thatshe would earn a hefty amount in exchange.Her incredible story reeked of inconsistenciesand it was clear to me that she fell to the lureof an easy, sizable sum.

Like a good citizen but with a heavy heart,I went through the motions of reporting theincident to the authorities and they appre-hended her. However, the authorities were notunable to arrest the rest of the gang nor werethey able to retrieve any of the stolen valuables.Like a good citizen, I faced the prosecutor andrelayed the entire story. Like a good citizen, Iallowed the wheels of justice take its course.But I couldn’t prevent my tears and my kneesfrom weakening when I heard that the caseof qualied theft was non-bailable and thesentence could range from twenty years toreclusion perpetua or lifetime imprisonment!Tat seemed a little drastic to me but as theysay, the law is harsh, but it is the law.

oday, my daughter and I visited her in jai l. Aga in, my heart brok e and my tea rsfell. Our little ate was clutching a rosary andthere were novena booklets strewn around her

small, dingy wretched space. She burst intotears when she saw me and started relayingher story once again that is full of loopholesand left me with even more questions. Welistened. In our hearts, we forgave her for herbetrayal of our trust.

he incident reminded me of the Pope John Pau l II and how he readily forgave hisassailant Ali Agca right after he came out fromthe hospital. It reminded me of Jesus and howHe forgave his persecutors from the cross. Inever thought that mercy could be so darndifficult. I once thought that my random actsof mercy such as giving alms and visiting pris-oners, the elderly and children during parishoutreach activities were more than enough.hey felt good inside. I thought I was beingso merciful to my brothers. But this incidentopened my eyes to the real mercy that the

world needs . Oftentimes , we reel, bewilderedand overwhelmed by the instances of evil andfear we see i n our world every day. When allsense of fairness lies on the balance, ca n youreally find it in your heart to forgive and showmercy? Would you give in to pity at the riskof letting the real culprits ply the streets oncemore and wreak havoc on the unsuspecting?

Our family was confronted by a complexdecision. When do we draw the line betweenbeing a good citizen, letting the law takes itscourse and being a good Christian and forgiv-

ing? We were confronted by the ques tion of justic e. We may be pe rsonally magnanimousbut should our magnanimity allow us to over-ride the public justice?

We prayed. Hard. We looked to the RisenLord who offered His love that pardons,

reconciles and reopens hearts to love andcompassion. We looked to St. John Paul II who promoted mercy. Do we rest rain thesentiment of severe justice and allow ourselvesto be moved by the wretchedness of the situa-tion? Do we forget four years of togethernessand act on the basis of the “fairness” of thelaw? Have we really been so driven by imper-sonal and “fair” things that we have grownuneasy to the idea of mercy?

It was extremely agonizing, but our familyhas reached a decision. It is a decision that wepray is based on mercy, good citizenship andmore importantly, a love that may hopefullyconvert the heart and give peace to us all.I realized that we would never escape fromthe scourges of wars, misery, discrimination,human rights violations and hunger if ourown hearts were not changed. Perhaps this isthe mercy and compassion, especially for thepeople at the peripheries that Pope Francis

wishe d for us to have in ou r hea rts. Perhapsthis is the hope that the Risen Lord bringsand the Divine Mercy that St. John Paul IIhoped for us all.

MOS Rev. Francisco de Leon,D.D., Apostolic Administratorof the Diocese of Kalookan,together with the clergy and thelaity of San Roque Cathedralled the solemn celebration ofthe 200th Anniversary of the

canonical erection of the Parishof San Roque, which had beenraised to the status of a cathe-dral in 2003, when the Dioceseof Kalookan was decreed. Terites of blessing and opening ofthe Jubilee Door of San RoqueCathedral, preceded the HolyMass with Bishop Francis as themain celebrant and the Kalookanclergy as concelebrants.

Present during the EucharisticCelebration were the officersof the Parish Pastoral Council(PPC), church organizationsand the lay faithful of San RoqueCathedral headed by Ms. IdaNocum and Mr. Warren Bularan,PPC Chairman and Vice Chair-man, respectively. Mayor OscarMalapitan, Vice Mayor Macario

Asistio III and city councilorsalso graced the celebration.o mark the occasion, His

Holiness Pope Francis issued thedecree dated March 06, 2015granting to Bishop Francisco deLeon and all the Christian faith-ful, who are present at the sacredrites, the Papal Blessing with ple-nary indulgence under the usualrequired conditions (SacramentalConfession, Eucharistic Commu-nion and Prayer for the intentionof the Holy Father).

Te decree further states thatthe Christian faithful, who de-voutly receive the Papal Blessingeven if by reasonable circum-stances are not physically presentat the rites, for as long as they

are able to participate devoutlyin the rites themselves throughthe television or radio, will beable to receive the plenary indul-gence according to the norms ofcanon law.

Te plenary indulgence “may

be applied by way of suffrage, tothe souls of the faithful detainedin Purgatory, if they visit theCathedral Church of Kalookanby way of a pilgrimage and theydevoutly attend the determined

jubilee celebrations or would atleast for a signicant period oftime offer prayers to God for thedelity of the Filipino people totheir Christian vocation and im-plore sacerdotal and religious stateand for defense of the institutionof the human family, concluding

with the Lord’s Prayer, the Creedor invocations to our Blessed Vir-gin Mary and San Roque.”

Fr. Gaudioso Sustento, Rectorof San Roque Cathedral, and Fr.Benedict Cervantes, ParochialVicar, read the decree during the

Mass, in Latin and in agalog,respectively.

***It seems that there is a never-

ending persecution of Christiansin different parts of the world;peace is still difficult to attain.

As discussed in our last issue, weneed to pray harder, we have toappeal to the Lord our God forunderstanding among men andnations, we must give up prideand vested interests to give peacea chance, to achieve peace in ourhearts and in our community.

Last Maundy Tursday, theSomalia-based al-Shabaab mili-tants attacked the Garissa Uni-versity College which left 148

young Christian students dead.he President of the KenyanBishops’ Conference urged theEaster worshippers to pray forpeace and security in their coun-try. In his message, Pope Fran-cis condemned the assault by

Somali militants, calling it anact of “senseless brutality.” HisHoliness condemns the senselessbrutality and prays for a changeof heart among its perpetrators.

***No less than our very own,

His Excellency CBCP President Archbishop Socrates Villegas alsoasked for prayers for victims ofreligious persecution. In his Eas-ter Sunday message, ArchbishopSoc enumerated the forms ofcorruption in the governmentand the Mamasapano case asamong the country’s “litany offrustrations”. He said that thesechallenges are among the reasons

why many Filipinos are failing tond joy in the Christian life. Te

litany of frustrations includes Yolanda, Mamasapano, the un-solved problem of governmentcorruption, the loneliness of ourOFWs (Overseas Filipino Work-ers). Archbishop Soc prayed “Weask Jesus, the Victor over death,to lighten the sufferings of ourmany brothers and sisters whoare persecuted for his name, andof all those who suffer injusticeas a result of ongoing conictsand violence.”

He implored for peace forSyria, Iraq, the Holy Land,Libya, Yemen, Nigeria, South Su-dan, Congo. Kenya, Ukraine. Heprayed for those who have beenkidnapped, and for those forcedto abandon their homes and their

dear ones. He prayed for peaceand freedom for the many menand women subject to old andnew forms of enslavement onthe part of criminal individualsand groups. Peace and liberty forthe victims of drug dealers; peace

for this world subjected to armsdealers. He prayed that the “mar-ginalized, the imprisoned, thepoor and the migrants who areso often rejected, maltreated anddiscarded, the sick and the suf-fering, children, especially those

who are victims of violence; all who today are in mourning, andall men and women of goodwill,hear the consoling voice of theLord Jesus: “Peace to you!” (Lk24:36). “Fear not, for I am risenand I shall always be with you”(cf. Roman Missal, Entrance

Antiphon for Easter Day).

***he Parish of San Ildefonso

de Navotas, through its ParishPriest Fr. Jerome Cruz, invites the

lay faithful to support its “SIM-BAYANIHAN 2585 Project”(Bayanihan para sa Simbahanni San Ildefonso), a fund raisingproject of the parish to nance theconstruction of its church. Sincethe construction of the presentchurch in 1965, it is only nowthat it will be rehabilitated, wid-ened and refurbished. Te Projectneeds a total fund of Php 30 mil-lion; all donations are to be dulyreceipted; nancial reports are an-nounced during Sunday Masses.Donations may be remitted to theparish office at Estrella corner M.Naval St., Navotas East, NavotasCity. Interested parties may callup the parish (Nancy or Angel)at (02) 281-0453.

Fr. Francis OngkingcoWhatever

“I ’S ca lled ouch-Me-Not,” my fa ther said when he saw me curiously trying to identify athorny weed. he plant had thickly c arpetedgreen the borders of the path we were trek-king upon in one of our casual hikes througha gulley near our house.

“Go ahead, stroke any leaf,” he told me.Dad saw I was a bit hesitant about the thorns.He knelt down and touched a leaf.

It was an amazing discovery! At the slightesttouch, the plant’s leaves started to quiver a ndclose upon itself. I was so intrigued by thisnatural wonder that I could not be removedfrom the spot as I experimented on the weed’sother possible reactions.

Some years later I was reminded aboutthis childhood experience during high schoolFilipino class when we studied Jose Rizal’s

writings. Our teacher explained the title ofRizal’s famous book, the Noli me tangere. Shesaid, that it was Spanish for touch me not.

Many more years later, I again encounterthe phrase, but this time in a class on SacredScripture. hey were Jesus’ words to MaryMagdalene after His Resurrection. I was againreminded about sprawling thorny weed of mychildhood days.

his time, however, I wondered whatmay have prompted our Lord to say sucha thing when it was only natural for MaryMagdalene –a faithful and devoted dis-ciple–not to only touch our Lord, but alsoto embrace Him.

Our teacher in Scripture explained,based on commentaries on the Gospel of

John , tha t thi s was a “nega tive impera tivein Greek, indicating that our Lord was infact telling

Mary to release her hold on Him, to letHim go, since she will have another chanceto see Him before His Ascension into Heav-en. (Commentary from the Navarre Bible)”

Despite this now clearer explanation about Jesus’ enigmatic e xpression, I beli eve that w eare quite far from following Mary’s exampleof really touching Jesus. I’m referring how ourfaith can sometimes be too formal, distantand dry. Unlike Mary Magdalene, our faithhas not yet engaged us to the point of bearingfruit to a distinctive expression and personalencounter with our Lord.

Speaking of the sense of touch, JacquesPhilippe reflects that although it is the firstsense we developed even while in our mother’s

womb, it is not as powerf ul and ric h asthe senses of seeing and hearing. However,Philippe says, “touch is the most primordialsense and the one most essential to life andcommunication. And above all, it has oneadvantage that the other senses don’t have:reciprocity, meaning that we cannot touch anobject without being touched by it. ( hirstingfor Prayer)”

his unique feature of the sense of touchcommits the individual, because he mustnecessarily render himself vulnerable to thetouch of the other. Unlike the other senses,Philippe observes, “we can see without beingseen by something or hear without beingheard” (Ibid.)

hus, during our Lord’s time, there werecountless men and women who saw and heardHim, but were never touched because they re-mained at a comfortable distance from Christ.Like them, we, too, could end up satisfied

with a long-di stance relationship w ith Jesus. We are cautious, calcul ating and afraid thatby touching Jesus and truly meeting Him, Hemay ask more of us, complicate our lives anddisrupt our comfort settings.

Because of this, we could be, in fact, theones telling our Lord, noli me tangere, Lord.

his echoes wha t Peter proudly exclaimedimpulsively, “You [Lord] will not wash myfeet!” But afterwards Simon was humbledand succumbed to the Master’s servile gesture

when he realized he had to allow his feet to be washed if he wanted to ‘have grea ter intimacy with Jesus Christ.

We the refo re rea lize tha t our fai th likeall the saints before us, can grow more. “Byfaith we can ‘touch God’ and let ourselves betouched by Him, set up an inner communion

with Him and allow ourselves to be trans-formed little by little by His grace. (Ibid.)”

On the contrary, when we do not allowGod to touch us with His mercy and grace,

we react like the thorny ouch-Me-Not plant. We close our souls and shy away from God’sgoodness. We prefer to be left where we are,how we are and as we are. We are momentaryamusements of passersby whose childliketouches of curiosity fail to even draw us awa yfrom the midst of barren rocks and bramblesthat are choking us in this world.

RELIGION, as certain members of the media never fail to re-mind us at this time of year, seems to be on the decline, and fordisgruntled secularists, the end cannot come quickly enough. Butthe death of God, at least in the hearts of most human beings, isa Western illusion. New demographic projections suggest that it’snon-believers who are more likely to languish while the religiousinherit the earth.

Writing in the peer-reviewed journal Demographic Research justbefore Easter, Conrad Hackett, of the Pew Research Centre, andothers acknowledge that the number of people who say they areatheists or agnostics or “nothing in particular” is growing in regionssuch as North America and Europe. But they say the assumptionthat the whole world will go the same way ignores the impact ofdemographics. Putting it bluntly, religious people have more k ids.

For a start, religious women are younger – by six years at medianage (28 vs 34). For the period 2010 and 2015 their average fertility(total fertility rate or FR) is 2.59 children per woman, compared

with 1.65 children per woman among the religiously unaffiliated, which is “nearly a full childless”. High fertility (“more than two”)also lends momentum to population growth.

On this basis, and taking into account different religions, theage structure of populations and patterns of religious switching(disaffiliation or the reverse) the researchers project the size ofthe religious and non-religious population of the world in 2050.

Tey nd that although the number of non-religious people will continue to increase, that growth will be outpaced by fasteroverall population growth driven disproportionately by religious

women. In their main scenario, the researchers foresee a declineof the religiously unaffiliated share of the population from 16.4percent in 2010 to 13.2 percent in 2050. Even in a scenario

weighted in favor of disaffiliation, this share would be smaller thannow at 14.3 percent.

Tese gures show that the world overwhelmingly leans towardsreligion, and indicate that it will continue to do so. Even in North

America and Europe, if the projections are anywhere near the truth,three out of four people will claim religious affiliation in 2050. Inthe Middle east, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa between 97percent and 100 percent of people will remain affiliated.

No room for complacency However, there is no room for complacency among religious

people. While the outlook is gloomy for atheists, it is not particu-larly bright for Christians. Another Pew report shows that they will barely hold their numerical dominance over a more rapidlyincreasing Muslim population. Indeed, if it weren’t for the youthand vigour of Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, Christians globally

would lose their edge. Four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in that region by 2010.

In the United States, for example, Christians will decline frommore than three-quarters of the population to two-thirds as youngerpeople increasingly give up the faith, or at least nominal religiousidentity, of their parents. Te same is true of many Europeancountries. Australia and the United Kingdom are among sevenChristian majority countries in which Christians will be less thanhalf of the population by 2050. In New Zea land, France and theNetherlands the unaffiliated will be the largest group.

In the Asia-Pacic region, however, the unaffiliated population will decline along with a general decrease in the world’s share ofpopulation owing to advanced age and low fertility. Tis region in-cludes China, which currently has 62 percent (700 million people)of the world’s unaffiliated population, but also India, where boththe Hindu and Muslim populations are younger and more fertile.

Sub-Saharan Africa’s population will grow more, and faster,than any other region’s. Despite a near doubling of the unaffili-ated (from 26 million to 50 million) the religious population willincrease more.

How it matters What effec ts would these changes have on countries, regions

and the world at large? Hackett and colleagues point out thatchanges in religious identity can have important consequences forfamily formation (religious people are more likely to marry andstay married), educational attainment, civic engagement (churchattendance is a plus for family stability) and health outcomes(some research links going to church with greater longevity andbetter health).

“At the societal level,” the researchers say, “changes in the unaf-liated share of population could inuence political elections as

well as how science and religion are taught.” (Or perhaps whetherreligion can be taught at all.) Communication between increas-ingly secularized but less fertile Europe and north America on theone hand, and highly affiliated and rapidly growing African andMiddle-Eastern regions on the other, could become more difficultand heighten geopolitical tensions.

Of course, none of this is written in stone. What would hap-pen, for example, if China became a democracy with true religiousfreedom? Even under heavy controls, and often persecution, tens ofmillions of Chinese have become Christians, so there is potentialthere to boost religious affiliation enormously.

What difference would further development of emerging econo-mies make? Demographers tend to assume that as people grow

wealthier they will give up religion. But Hackett and colleaguessay that should not be taken for granted: “Tere is currently noprecedent for this sequence in a Muslim-majority country. InHindu-majority India, religious affiliation remains almost universaleven as the country is experiencing major social changes.” Chinaalso bucks the assumed trend.

One of the great unknowns is whether Christians in Europeand the Anglo-American world will get off their feather beds andbecome counter-cultural. oday, that would involve a greater com-mitment to marriage and children, without which they will slowlybut surely be eclipsed. Beyond 2050, the projections look even lessfavorable.(Carolyn Moynihan is deputy editor of MercatorNet)

many times our idea of order isbased only on some worldly valueslike efficiency, effectiveness, prot-ability, convenience, aesthetics,etc. hese obviously have theirimportance, but if not founded onGod and His laws, these can onlygive us a false or incomplete if notdeceptive sense of order.

We have to disabuse ourselvesfrom the thought that God hasnothing to do with our duty tokeep order and avoid clutter. Orthat God can only get in the wayof our work and pursuits for order.Or that His requirements and con-ditions for order are too idealisticand are undoable.

hese have no basis at all. Ifthere’s anyone who is most inter-

ested in order, and knows how toachieve it, what it involves, whoenables us to live and develop it,it is God. He even expands ouridea of order to include not onlyphysical and worldly order but alsospiritual and moral order.

It is an order that would bringus to our eternal life, and not justsomething pragmatic that no mat-ter how useful will only have a shelflife. A God-inspired sense of order

will always make use of whateverhuman, natural and worldly criteriaof order there are, but will purifyand elevate them to the supernaturallevel where our destiny is.

We have to be vitally united with

God if we need to live order amidtoday’s clutter.

Tessa G. Mangahas

Pilgrim at the Periphery

8/9/2019 CBCP Monitor Vol. 19 No. 08

6/20

A6 CBCP MonitorApril 13 - 26, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 8LOCAL NEWS

Grant of indulgencehe Extraordinary Jubilee of

Mercy will open on Dec. 8 thisyear, during the Solemnity of theImmaculate Conception, to re-mind the faithful that “no one haspenetrated the profound mysteryof the incarnation like Mary andthat her entire life was patternedafter the presence of mercy madeesh.”

Its opening will also coincide with the 50th anniversary of theclosing of the Second Vatican Ecu-menical Council, another monu-mental phase in Church historythat marked “a fresh undertakingfor all Christians to bear witness totheir faith with greater enthusiasmand conviction.”

During the Jubilee Year, theHoly Doors of the four PapalBasilicas in Rome will be openedfor the pilgrims to enter and gainplenary indulgence.

According to the Holy Father,the gift of indulgence will notbe limited to Rome as a similardoor may be opened in churches,sanctuaries, and shrines around

the world “as a visible sign of theChurch’s universal communion.”

“On that day, the Holy Door wil l bec ome a Door of Merc ythrough which anyone who enters

will experienc e the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instillshope,” Pope Francis said.

“When faced with the gravityof sin, God responds with the full-ness of mercy. Mercy will alwaysbe greater than any sin, and noone can place limits on the love ofGod who is ever ready to forgive,”he added.

Te Jubilee year will close withthe liturgical Solemnity of Christthe King on Nov. 20, 2016.

“As we seal the Holy Door, weshall be lled, above all, with asense of gratitude and thanksgivingto the Most Holy rinity for havinggranted us an extraordinary time ofgrace,” the Holy Father said.

Dedication, sacricePope Francis added that to be

capable of mercy, the faithfulmust be dedicated and willingto sacrifice so they may find the

strength to embrace God’s mercyand practice being merciful toothers.

He reminded the faithful “notto judge and not to condemn”,noting that “if anyone wishes toavoid God’s judgment, he shouldnot make himself the judge of hisbrother or sister.”

“ o refrain from judgment andcondemnation means, in a posi-tive sense, to know how to acceptthe good in every person andto spare him any suffering thatmight be caused by our partial

judgmen t and our presumptionto know everything about him,”he added.

But more than judging others,it is also important to “forgiveand give”, particularly to become“instruments of mercy” and to be“generous with others” as a form ofgiving back the blessings one hasreceived from the Lord, the HolyFather said.

In this Jubilee Year, Pope Francisis also calling on the laity to opentheir hearts to those who are poorand suffering—heal their wounds,

bind them with mercy, and curethem with solidarity and vigilantcare.

“Let us not fall into humiliatingindifference or a monotonous rou-tine that prevents us from discov-ering what is new. Let us ward offdestructive cynicism. Let us openour eyes and see the misery of the

world, the wounds of our brothersand sisters who are denied theirdignity, and let us recognize that

we are compelled to heed their cryfor help,” he said.

“May we reach out to themand support them so they canfeel the warmth of our presence,our friendship, and our frater-nity. May their cry become ourown, and together may we breakdown the barriers of indifferencethat too often reign supreme andmask our hypocrisy and egoism,”he added.

Idolatry of money Pope Francis called on the faith-

ful not to be blinded by wealthand riches, and instead focus onfollowing the Lord’s will.

“Do not fall into the terribletrap of thinking that life dependson money and that, in comparison

with money, anything else is devoidof value or dignity. Tis is nothingbut an illusion!... Everyone, sooneror later, will be subject to God’s

judgment, from which no one canescape,” he said.

Te Holy Father reiterated thesame call to those who perpetrateor participate in corruption, add-ing that “corruption prevents usfrom looking to the future withhope, because its tyrannical greedshatters the plans of the weak andtramples upon the poorest of thepoor. “

He urged the people to do cor-poral and spiritual works of mercy,noting that these acts are ways to“reawaken our conscience that hastoo often grown dull in the face ofpoverty.”

He stressed the need to listento the Word of God, adding thatthrough this way, it will be pos-sible for the people to contemplateGod’s mercy and adopt it into theirown lifestyle.

Practicing mercy Pope Francis called on the faith-

ful to open their hearts and gazemore attentively on the Lord’smercy so they may adapt the samein their lives.

“Wherever the Church is pres-ent, the mercy of the Father mustbe evident. In our parishes, com-munities, associations and move-ments, in a word, wherever thereare Christians, everyone shouldnd an oasis of mercy,” he said.

“In this Jubilee Year, let us allowGod to surprise us. He never tiresof throwing open the doors of hisheart and repeats that he loves usand wants to share his love withus. Te Church feels the urgentneed to proclaim God’s mercy,”he added.

“[Te Church] knows that herprimary task…is to introduceeveryone to the great mystery ofGod’s mercy by contemplating theface of Christ. Te Church is calledabove all to be a credible witness tomercy, professing it and living it asthe core of the revelation of JesusChrist,” the Pope said.

Proclaims / A1

According to him, even whensomeone scarcely has a strand of hairleft on his head, he is human as longas he values decency and integrity.

agle, moreover, blasted those who think they affirm their hu-manity every time they embracethe latest trend and fashion.

“Not a chance. I am not im-pressed. I will not tremble beforeyou,” he declared.

Ecce Homohe cardinal stressed he will

tremble only before the PersonPontius Pilate presented to the

Jewish mob, with the words: “EcceHomo [Tis is the Man].”

While he might not have realizedit, the Caviteño prelate explained

what the Roman official utteredultimately had to do with God’ssaving work.

“Jesus was shown half-naked, with nothing to boast of, defense-less, powerless, helpless … He hadno stylish clothes on. He was blackand blue. His hair a mess. Hisfriends abandoned Him,” he said.

Being humanBut despite the horror the Lord

had been through, agle pointedout Christ taught people how tobe human.

“Let us save our brothers andsisters from false humanity. Jesusdid that before us. Let us do asHe did,” agle said. (Raymond A.Sebastián/CBCP News)

Cabinets / A1

of Filipinos,” he added.Noting how the enforcement of RH could

impinge on their civil liberties, Atienza reas-serted the need to ensure that the rights of

women and children will be protected in theface of threats the law poses to the integrity ofthe Filipino family.

Te former Manila mayor also expressed dis-appointment over the failure of the governmentto issue a clear version of the ImplementingRules and Regulation of the RH Law which al-legedly contain revisions based on the SupremeCourt (SC) ruling.

Pro-lifers’ appealMeanwhile, an alliance of pro-life and

pro-family groups led by Pro-Life Philippinesreleased a manifesto recently calling on the gov-ernment to heed the judiciary’s decision on RH.

It laments that Congress passed the RH Act unde r wha t it describes as “less thanappropriate and a cceptable procedures,”and was signed into law on a “largely similarcircumstance.”

“While in many instances we disagreed withthe way this law was impressed upon the peopleas legally legitimate, though morally inrmed,socially damaging, and fundamentally risky tovulnerable individuals, we respected the inevi-table,” it explains.

o read the rest of the manifesto, visit http:// www.prolife.org.ph/?p=6821.

‘Humanae Vitae’Te Catholic Church maintains that Natural

Family Planning (NFP) Method is the onlymorally acceptable way for couples to determinethe number of children they intend to have.

In the controversial encyclical “HumanaeVitae” (“Of Human Life”) issued in 1968, thenPope Paul VI reaffirms what the Church hastaught since time immemorial: that life, as wellas the procreative and unitive nature of conjugalrelations, is sacred.

Total loveParts of the document read: “Love is total—

that very special form of personal friendshipin which husband and wife generously shareeverything, allowing no unreasonable excep-tions and not thinking solely of their ownconvenience. Whoever really loves his partnerloves not only for what he receives, but lovesthat partner for the partner’s own sake, contentto be able to enrich the other with the gift ofhimself.”(Raymond A. Sebastián/CBCP Newswith reports from Reyn Letran)

National / A1

this country, too?” Anna Cosio saidin a Facebook post.

She asked: “And don’t theyrepresent at least 85 percent ofthe Filipino population who areCatholics? In fact, I’d very muchappreciate it if they speak on mybehalf as a Filipino Catholic.

Precisely because there is separationof Church and State, Cosio, a regis-

tered nurse and member of Filipinosfor Life, stressed the Church mustspeak out if the State tries to interfere

with Her teachings, and when rightsand freedoms are threatened.

Misunderstood principleHer friend, Joey Boy Apostol,

expressed disappointment that theprinciple is misunderstood.

Veneracion Winnie agreed, say-ing anti-Catholic camps neitherknow what Church-State separa-tion means, nor what freedom ofspeech entails.

Eric Baena Manalang of Pro-LifePhilippines, also agreed, sayingseparation of Church and State ac-tually seeks to protect the Churchfrom the State, and not the other

way around.He explained that as Filipinos,members of the clergy are free toair their positions on various politi-cal matters.

Manalang said priests,