cbcp monitor vol. 19 no. 6

8/9/2019 CBCP Monitor Vol. 19 No. 6

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MonitorVOLUME 19NUMBER 6PHP20.00

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

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

March 16 - 29, 2015

CBCPMONITOR.COM [email protected]

CBCP

20 years after FlorContemplacion,

OFWs plagued by

same problems

HROUGH prayers andmeaningful actions, the Na-tional Council of Churches inthe Philippines (NCCP) is setto join the nation and grass-roots migrant organizations inremembering Flor Contem-placion on March 22, “NCCPMigrant Sunday,” remindingthe government the problemswhich led to the death of theFilipina domestic helper, moth-

er, and wife 20 years ago, arethe same problems that plaguemillions of OFWs today.

Greener pastures“We see Flor in every Fili-

pino leaving the country, whichaccording to official estimateshave reached a staggering 6,092

Marginalizing women leads to

sterile society, says Pope, A3

WHAT’S INSIDE

OFWs / A7

Pastoral Moral Guidance on the

Anti-discrimination Bill, B1

EDSA spirit ‘empty’without agrarian reform

By Raymond A. Sebastian

THE head of the CatholicChurch’s social action armcalled on President BenignoS. Aquino III (PNoy) to make

good on the promise of hismother, former PresidentCorazon C. Aquino, to ren-der justice to the farmers,stressing the “spirit of EDSARevolution is totally empty”without agrarian reform.

Constitutional mandateIn a statement, Cáceres Archbishop

Rolando ría irona, who also heads theNational Secretariat for Social Action, Jus-tice, and Peace (NASSA) / Caritas Philip-pines, reminds the Aquino administrationthe distribution of all agricultural lands tolandless rural peasants is a constitutionalmandate the government has a duty toenforce.

As one of the bishops who signed the

letter to Aquino pushing for the immedi-ate passage of House Bill 4296 and HouseBill 4375, the Carmelite prelate says theChurch cannot remain silent hearing thecries of poor farmers.

Continuous appeal Acco rdin g to him, NASSA/Cari tas

Philippines is one in decrying the injusticesthousands of peasants, most of whomstill landless, have suffered for almostthree decades since the Comprehensive

Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) wasimplemented

“We will continuously appeal to thesense of justice and compassion of thePresident and the Congress. While we

Quevedo calls for openness not‘anti-Moro biases’ in BBL AMID growing resistance tothe proposed BangsamoroBasic Law (BBL) due to theMamasapano tragedy, Co-tabato Archbishop OrlandoCardinal Quevedo, OMIurged Filipinos, especiallyChristians, against succumb-ing to their anti-Moro biasesin order to appreciate theoverall principle behind theBBL.

Contradicting sentimentsquestioning the legality of

the creation of a Bangsamoropolitical entity, CardinalQuevedo said the underly-ing principle behind theproposed BBL is enshrinedin the Constitution and iseven inspired by Catholicmoral principles.

Bangsamoro self-determi-nation?

In a letter addressed to allChristians (See complete text

in page B3), Quevedo arguedthat under the proposed BBL,Bangsamoro self-determina-tion will be exercised withina limited territory under thesovereignty of the Philip-pines. Hence, national sover-eignty and territorial integritywill be preserved, contrary tothe qualms of BBL critics.

“he over-all principlethat governs the BBL is theCatholic moral and socialprinciple of subsidiarity, a

principle already enshrinedin our own Constitution,” hestressed out. “Te principlerequires the intervention ofthe national government andits various entities when thecommon good of all requiresit. herefore, no entity ofthe Bangsamoro govern-ment, such as a Bangsam-oro auditing department orpolice force, is absolutely

Isabela City residents read materials that explain the details and implications of the Comprehensive Agreementon the Bangsamoro (CAB) during a public forum on the Bangsamoro in May 2014. Organized by the CatholicChurch and local government officials of the city, the forum aimed to orient the locals about the recently signedpeace agreement. Isabela City is one of the areas in Mindanao that will undergo a plebiscite if the creation of theBangsamoro region pushes through.

O P A P P

After K-12, whathappens to joblessteachers?

HE Association of Ma- jor Rel igi ous Superi or ofthe Philippines (AMRSP)expressed hope that the gov-ernment has a clear plan forteachers set to be affectedonce the controversial K-12program is fully in place.

In an interview overChurch-run Radyo Veritas,

AMRSP Executive SecretaryFr. Dexter oledo, assertedthat while K-12 aims to boostthe quality of education inthe country, the program

The new system of K-12 covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basiceducation: six years of primary, four years of junior high, and two of senior.

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Bishops saddened over

Filipino worker’s execution

HE Catholic bishops said theyare concerned and saddened by thebeheading of an overseas Filipinoworker convicted of killing his bossin Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

However unfortunate, BishopRuperto Santos, chairman of the

Catholic Bishops’ Conference ofthe Philippines (CBCP) EpiscopalCommission for the Pastoral Careof Migrants and Itinerant People,said the execution of Joven Esteva

is a reminder “for us of the ex-

Bishop Ruperto Santos, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People,meets OFWs in Schiphol, Netherlands in November 2014.

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Camillians train ‘barefootcounselors’ for Yolanda survivors

AS an answer to the lack of psy-chologists who could counselfamilies traumatized by typhoon

Yolanda in the Visayas, the Camil-lians created a team of “barefootcounselors” that would providebasic trauma counseling and basichealth care in their communities.

For the first phase, the Order ofSt. Camillus has trained an initial

36 individuals in Samar provinceto be barefoot counselors, who

will go door to door and helppeople suffering from anxiety anddepression, which are reportedlystill among the common problemsencountered by typhoon survivorsmore than a year after.

Rome-based Father Aries Mi-randa, head of the HumanitarianMission Office of the Camillianreligious order, said they are alter-natives to psychologists, who workin disaster-stricken areas.

“After the typhoon, we gavepsychological debriefing to survi-vors but it’s not the cure becausethe effects of trauma is linger-ing. Also, there have not beenenough psychologists there butthe local people themselves cando something so we started thisprogram on barefoot counselors,”

he said. “hey are non-profes-

‘Heavenly’ cookies: Nuns hostbaking course for poor

A LOCAL community of nunsdedicated to the education of thepoor is hosting a short course onbaking for 25 women and two menfrom different local communities.

Te trainees are being taughtto bake cakes, cupcakes, cookies,

and other common pastries at theSisters of St. Dorothy’s communityin barangay Pasong amo, QuezonCity.

Women, mostly mothers, join

a baking class at the Sisters of St.

Agrarian / A6

K-12/ A6 BBL / A6

Execution / A6 Barefoot / A6 Bake / A6

HALFWAY COMPLETE. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma (left) and other organizers inspect on March 13 the construction of a pavilion, which is halfway complete for the 51stInternational Eucharistic Congress (IEC) that will be held in Cebu City in January 2016. The Congress, which is expected to draw thousands of participants – includinglaity and Church leaders – from countries around the world, aims to promote awareness of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Church, to improve understandingand celebration of the liturgy, and to draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist.

S A M M Y N A V A J A

I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y B R O T H E R S M A T I A S

R O Y L A

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Fr. Aries Miranda, head of the HumanitarianMission Office of the Camillian religious order


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A2 CBCP MonitorMarch 16 - 29, 2015, Vol. 19, No. 6WORLD NEWS

Vatican Briefing

Vatican: no papal endorsement for LGBT Catholic video A Vatican official says there will be no papal endorsement for anLGB activist video whose backers want it to reach Pope Francis.Father Gil Martinez, C.S.P., a member of the development team forthe video “LGB Catholics: Owning our Faith,” intended to presentthe video to Pope Francis in a private audience after morning Mass onMarch 17, according to the website of the St. Philip Neri Parish andNorthwest Paulist Center in the Portland, Ore. Te video contains

the personal reflections from self-identified LGB Catholics, severalof whom reject Church teaching. (CNA)

Pope grieves Pakistan bombings, says world hides Christian persecutionIn his Sunday Angelus address Pope Francis lamented today’s terroristattacks against two Christian churches – one of them Catholic – inPakistan, and prayed that such violence will stop. “With suffering,with much suffering, I have learned of today’s terrorist attacks againsttwo churches in the city of Lahore, Pakistan, which have causednumerous deaths and injuries,” the Pope told pilgrims gathered inSt. Peter’s Square March 15. Francis noted how both of the churchestargeted, only a few meters apart, “are Christian churches, the Chris-tians who are persecuted,” and grieved how “our brothers shed theirblood solely because they are Christians.” (CNA)

Pope to teachers: engage with peripheries in your classroomsPope Francis has called on teachers to engage with the peripherieswithin their own classrooms, loving their students for their limita-tions as well as their potential. “Indeed, the duty of a good teacher - allthe more for a Christian teacher - is to love his or her more difficult,weaker, more disadvantaged students with greater intensity,” thePope said, according to Vatican Radio’s translation. Te educationalrelationship of the teacher must be such that each student feels “lovedfor what he or she is, with all of their limitations and potential,” headded. Professional associations of Christian teachers are “called toengage in the peripheries of the school, which cannot be abandonedto marginalization, exclusion, ignorance, crime.” Pope Francis wasspeaking to members of the Unione Cattolica Italiana Insegnati, Di-rigenti, Educatori, Formatori (UCIIM), a Catholic Italian associationof educators, to mark the 70th anniversary of their founding. (CNA)

Lay people at the forefront of the Church’s mission, says PopePope Francis reminded lay men and women of their place in the“front lines” in spreading the Gospel, living as Christian witnessesin the secular world. Being “immersed in the world,” the Pope saidSaturday, lay persons are called to permeate their surroundings withChristian values through their witness, whereby they can encounter“persons in concrete situations.” Te pontiff encouraged the laity,through their various professions and states in life, to be on the“front lines” in the Church’s mission, guiding people in the “spirit ofthe Gospel” through their witness of faith, hope, and charity. PopeFrancis was speaking with members of the lay movement Seguimi—“Follow me”—during a private audience at the papal palace to markthe 50th anniversary of their founding. (CNA)

Pope Francis declares Holy Year for MercyDuring his homily for a Lenten penitential service, Pope Francisannounced an extraordinary Jubilee to start at the end of the year,which will be dedicated to a theme close to the pontiff’s heart:mercy. “Dear brothers and sisters, I have thought about how theChurch can make clear its mission of being a witness of mercy,” thePope told attendees of his March 13 penitential liturgy in St. Peter’sBasilica. “It’s a journey that starts with a spiritual conversion. Forthis reason I have decided to declare an Extraordinary Jubilee thathas the mercy of God at its center. It will be a Holy Year of Mercy.”Te biblical passage for the Holy Year’s theme is from Luke Chapter6 verse 36, in which Jesus tells his disciples, “Be merciful as yourFather is merciful.” (CNA)

Archbishop Romero, Salvadoran martyr, to be beatified May 23May 23 will be the beatification date for El Salvador’s ArchbishopOscar Romero, an outspoken advocate for the poor and repressed whowas martyred in 1980 while celebrating Mass. Archbishop VincenzoPaglia, the postulator of Archbishop Romero’s cause, was expected toannounce the beatification date on Wednesday, according to Avvenire,the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference. Pope Francis approvedthe beatification after a Feb. 3 audience with Cardinal Angelo Amato,prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Te congregation’stheologians on Jan. 8 unanimously recognized the El Salvadoran’s assas-sination as an act of hatred for the faith, a characteristic of martyrdom.Oscar Romero y Galdamez was Archbishop of San Salvador from 1977until March 24, 1980, when he was shot while saying Mass at a SanSalvador hospital. He was a vocal critic of the human rights abuses ofthe repressive Salvadoran government. He spoke out on behalf of thepoor and the victims of repression. (CNA)

Doctrinal chief says bishops must be accountable in abuse preventionBishops of dioceses around the world have an obligation to work toprevent clerical sexual abuse and to ensure that priests in their dioceses

do not commit acts of abuse, said Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefectof the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. “If, unfortunately,these crimes are verified, they fall under the exclusive competenceof the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which, however,always needs the assistance and collaboration of ordinaries andwell-prepared canonists to act effectively and prudently,” he saidin a speech at Rome’s Pontifical Urbanian University. Te Vaticannewspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, printed what it described as“ample excerpts” from the speech March 12. (CNS)

Female staff increases at Vatican, but women are still minorityTe number of women working for Vatican City State has nearlydoubled in the past 10 years, while the number of women in lead-ership positions in the Roman Curia remains low, with only twowomen serving as undersecretaries. Gudrun Sailer, a journalistat Vatican Radio, conducted a study of the Vatican employmentsituation and published the results March 5 in preparation for thecelebration March 8 of International Women’s Day. According toSailer, 371 women were employed by the office governing the citystate in 2014, up from 194 in 2004. Most work in service jobs and

at the Vatican supermarket, post office or museums. Sailer’s researchalso includes women working for the Holy See, which includes theRoman Curia and organizations such as Vatican Radio. Te numberof women employed by the Holy See in 2014 was 391, up from 288three years earlier. Among them, 41 percent had university degreesand worked in professional positions, such as archivists, historians,

journalists and department heads. (CNS)

Euthanasia threatens improvements in end-of-life care, experts sayLegalizing euthanasia risks undermining people’s access to loving,holistic care as they face the natural end of their life, many expertsat a Vatican conference said. As more parts of the world, like inQuebec last year, pass right-to-die legislation allowing the terminallyill to request lethal drugs, euthanasia is being treated as if it were alegitimate form of medical care, said a bishop from the province.“Killing is not care. rue care is palliative care because it is accompa-nying the person with compassion, true compassion,” Bishop NoelSimard of Valleyfield said. Te bishop was one of more than 100religious, medical and legal experts who attended a workshop March6 dedicated to “Assisting the Elderly and Palliative Care,” sponsored

by the Pontifical Academy for Life. (CNS)

China shrugs off Vatican compromiseon bishop ordinationsBEIJING, March 13, 2015--Te Vatican’s spokesman said itwas willing to compromise onbishop ordinations in China inan interview screened in HongKong on Tursday, a proposal thegovernment appeared to dismissvia state-run media.

Father Federico Lombardi toldPhoenix V that the Holy Seewas ready to model its ordinationpolicy with China on that agreedwith neighboring Vietnam fouryears ago: candidates are firstreported to the Vatican, whichconsecrates bishops based ongovernment confirmation.

“Tis means that things canchange, can go on, can be gradu-ally better,” said Lombardi. “Bevery aware that you can be agood Chinese citizen and a goodCatholic at the [same] time.”

In response, China’s ForeignMinistry urged the Vatican toface “the historical tradition andreality of Catholics in China”regarding ordinations, the state-

run Global imes reported onFriday.

“China is always sincere inimproving ties with the Vaticanand has been making continuingefforts to this end. We are willingto have constructive dialogue withthe Vatican... We hope the Vati-can can create favorable condi-tions for the improving relations,”said Hong Lei, a Foreign Ministryspokesman.

he government’s responseindicated it remains unwilling to

give up control of ordinations tothe Vatican following months oftalks, said Joseph Cheng Yu-shek,Catholic chair professor of politi-cal science at City University ofHong Kong.

“On one hand, you may simplysay Chinese leaders are not will-ing to make concessions,” he tolducanews.com. “But this is alsovery typical of China’s negotiationstrategy, it sets certain principles,it sets a certain framework: ‘pleaseaccept my framework and then wetalk.’ So I would say this is morethan just saying ‘no’.”

Te number of Chinese Catho-lics has grown rapidly in recentyears to more than 20 millionpeople, according to estimates,

meaning the Vatican has more togain from an agreement, addedCheng.

“Te Vatican is trying to ap-proach China but basically notmuch progress has been made,”

he said.In February last year, the gov-

ernment said it would be willingto develop relations if the Vaticansevers diplomatic t ies with aiwanand “refrains from interfering” inChina’s internal affairs.

China and the Vatican startedtalks last year aimed at resolvingdisagreements including the ordi-nation process.

In recent weeks, signs that theVatican appeared to be willing tocompromise on bishop ordina-

tions have led to criticism led byretired Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun whoretains significant influence overCatholics in Hong Kong follow-ing his retirement six years ago.

In an interview with the Ital-

ian daily Corriere della Sera on Wedne sday, Zen acc used theVatican of being overly preparedto compromise with a hardlinegovernment it knew little about.

“Beijing doesn’t want to dia-logue,” he said. “Teir delegatesput a document on the table tosign and our people don’t havethe ability or the strength tomake different proposals. Do wewant to sacrifice the nominationand consecration of bishops for abogus dialogue?” (UCAN)

Power of prayer: Contemplative cloisters

coming to Crimea?

SIMFEROPOL, Crimea, March 14, 2015—It’s been one year since fighting broke out inUkraine. Te death toll has surpassed 6,000.

Almost 1 million people have been displaced. And a February ceasefire agreement with Rus-sia has created only a tenuous halt in hostili-ties, leaving the future uncertain.

But, Bishop Jacek Pyl of the Diocese ofOdessa-Simferopol has a plan; he wants toinvite a contemplative order of sisters into theheart of the Crimean peninsula.

“I believe in the strength and the power ofprayer,” Bishop Pyl told CNA. Contempla-tive nuns “are able to obtain many graces forpeople who live here; in the first place to ruinthe walls of all kind of prejudices and atheistichabits, rooted deeply into people’s hearts over

the years of communism.”Bishop Pyl’s plan to bring nuns into Crimeaseems counterintuitive. But it might not be.

While eastern Ukraine remains unstable,Bishop Pyl told CNA life in the Crimean

peninsula is “just as safe as other regions ofRussia.”

Russia annexed Crimea in March of 2014after a referendum in which more than 95percent of Crimeans voted in favor of re-unification. Te Vatican and much of theinternational community has not officiallyrecognized the annexation, but the Churchin Crimea is already working to register withofficials in Moscow.

Bishop Pyl believes a contemplative orderof nuns will help ensure the future of theCatholic Church in Crimea, where Catholicsare a minority.

“We want to save the presence of the Catho-lic Church in this corner of the world,” hesaid. “Te annexation of Crimea has divided

some families and brought in anxiety. Certainnumber of faithful have left Crimea; new onescame. Te Church is trying to overcome thesedivisions and unite people around Christ.”

Te bishop has the support of at least two

U.S. bishops who have seen the effect ofcontemplative orders in their own dioceses.

“I think the bishop’s got the right idea;I concur with him entirely,” said BishopEmeritus Fabian Bruskewitz of the Dioceseof Lincoln. Contemplative nuns “bring notonly a silent and continuous homily to thepeople by their lives and by their attitudes…But, they also bring great joy to the diocese.”

Te Diocese of Lincoln is home to twocontemplative communities: the Holy Spirit

Adoration Sisters (known affectionately bylocals as the “Pink Sisters” because of theirpink habits) and the Discalced Carmelites ofthe Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Te communities were established in 1973and 2001, respectively, and local Catholics donot hesitate to admit the nuns’ powerful effecton the local Church. Te Diocese of Lincolnis experiencing a springtime of vocations,

with the highest number of priests and malereligious since 1976. Female religious are alsosteadily recovering from drastic drops in the‘70s and ‘80s.

Vicar General Monsignor Torburn creditsthe Diocese of Lincoln’s vocation health to theprayers of the contemplative orders.

“Being exposed to religious whose commu-nities have remained faithful to the Church’svision of religious life plants vocational seeds,”he reflected. “Te prayers of all those religioushelp those seeds to come alive.”

Bishop Tomas Olmsted of the Diocese ofPhoenix witnessed firsthand the power of con-templative orders when he was a priest in theDiocese of Lincoln. He was ordained a priestin the same year the late Bishop Glennon Pat-rick Flavin established the “Pink Sisters” andrecalls celebrating weekly Benediction withthe nuns in his first years as a priest.

“I always saw that as part of God’s loving

providence,” Bishop Olmsted told CNA.His experience in the Diocese of Lincolnmoved him to establish new contemplativecommunities in the dioceses of Wichita andPhoenix. (CNA)

Nuns in Burma encourage empowerment of women, end to inequality YANGON, Burma, Marc h 9,2015--A community of women re-ligious held a workshop in Burma’slargest city over the weekend tomark International Women’s Day,exploring sex inequality and wom-en’s rights in the southeast Asiannation also known as Myanmar.

Te Sisters of the Good Shep-herd’s workshop was held March6-7 in Yangon, and focused on theways in which forms of violence

against women threatens holistichuman development and hindersBurma’s growth.

Acc ord ing to Sr. Eli zabe th Joseph , RGS , the reasons thecommunity of Good Shepherdnuns took up the challenge ofcelebrating International Women’sDay was “to empower women’spotentials under our care, and tohelp them realize their dignity andvalue, because women in Burmaare oppressed in many ways.”

“We Good Shepherd Sisters arecalled to live and work for peopleat the margins, especially womenand children … we are women forwomen,” Sr. Elizabeth Joseph toldCNA March 7.

International Women’s Day is cele-brated March 8 in numerous countries

around the world, to inspire womenand celebrate their achievements.

“We want to hear how womenin our care feel about themselvesbeing a woman and how they rec-ognize their strength and abilities,”Sr. Elizabeth reflected. “We wantto see our women as human beingswith dignity, instead of as victims;and all kind of violence againstwomen to be stopped.”

“I believe that violating women’sright is like killing your future,”she said.

More than 65 women joinedthe nuns gathered at their con-vent in Yangon for the workshop,exploring the challenges faced byBurmese women at home and inthe workplace.

Sr. Lucy, RGS, gave a keynotepresentation on the “12 criti-cal areas of concern” to womenin Burma, discussing poverty;education; health; violence; armedconflict; the economy; women inpower and decision-making; insti-tutional mechanisms for women’sadvancement; human rights; me-dia; environment; and children.

During group discussion focus-ing on the realities facing Burmesewomen, the participants pointedout that women’s rights are vio-lated at home, at work, and in so-

ciety, and in many ways only a feware aware of their rights and the

procedures of the legal system.Further, participants observed

the general subjugation of womento men’s authority in Burma, aswell as women being targeted forslave labor and human trafficking.

Te Sisters of the Good Shep-herd have been in Burma since

1865, and their work there is fo-cused on programs for evangeliza-

tion and empowerment; advocacyagainst human trafficking; prisonministry; health; and education.

Sr. Elizabeth reflected thatseeing the brightness on the faceof participants, “we are happyto be women—even though weare in a bad and poor situation,

we will stand together for ourwomen.” (CNA)

Lay Catholics kiss Auxiliary Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin’s ring after his ordination in Shanghai in July 2012.

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A young religious sister prays at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Denver, Jan. 17, 2015.

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Burmese members of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd celebrate InternationalWomen’s Day 2015 in Yangon.

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A3CBCP Monitor March 16 - 29, 2015, Vol. 19, No. 6 NEWS FEATURES

Marginalizing women leads tosterile society, says Pope

VAICAN City, March8, 2015—Women acrossthe globe received a specialgreeting on Sunday from

Pope Francis, who stressedthe importance of theirunique perspectives on theworld.

“A world whe re womenare marginalized is a ster-ile world,” the Pope saidduring his address to thecrowds who had gatheredin St. Peter’s Square totake part in the recitationof the Angelus with thePope.

“Not only do womencarry life,” he said, “but theytransmit to us the capacityto see otherwise—they seethings differently.”

Women also pass on theability to “understand theworld with different eyes, to

feel the most creative, mostpatient, most tender thingswith the heart.”

Te Pope’s words cameon International Woman’sDay, celebrated each year

on March 8 throughoutthe world.

o mark the occasion,the Holy Father offered his

greeting to all those who“seek each day to build amore human and welcom-ing society.”

He also offered a “fra-ternal thanks” to thosewomen who, in thousandsof ways, bear witness to theGospel and work in theChurch.”

Pope Francis’ remarkscoincided with a confer-ence held on Sunday atthe Vatican aimed at givinga voice to those womenworking on the fringes ofsociety.

he gathering, titled“Voices of Faith,” broughttogether various women– human rights activists,

policy makers, academics-- to give witness to theirwork in areas of povertyand the defense of humandignity and equality. (CNA/EWN News)

Pope: Mass in vernacular

helps people understand

God, live the faithROME, March 9, 2015—Al-lowing priests to celebrateMass in the language of thelocal congregation ratherthan in Latin allowed thefaithful to understand and

be encouraged by the word ofGod, Pope Francis said.“You cannot turn back, we

have to always go forward,always forward and who goesback is making a mistake,”he told parishioners aftercommemorating the 50thanniversary of the first timea pope celebrated Mass inthe vernacular following theSecond Vatican Council.

“Let us give thanks to theLord for what he has done inhis church in these 50 yearsof liturgical reform. It wasreally a courageous move bythe church to get closer tothe people of God so thatthey could understand wellwhat it does, and this is im-

portant for us: to follow Masslike this,” he said as he leftRome’s Church of All SaintsMarch 7.

On the same date in 1965,Blessed Paul VI publicly cel-ebrated Mass in Italian for thefirst time in accordance withthe norms established by theSecond Vatican Council.

In his homily at the par-ish, Pope Francis said peopleneed to be able to connectthe liturgy to their own lives.

“he liturgy isn’t some-thing odd, over there, faraway” that has no bearing onone’s everyday life, he said.

“he church calls us tohave and promote an authen-tic liturgical life so that therecan be harmony betweenwhat the liturgy celebratesand what we live out” withthe aim of expressing in lifewhat has been received infaith.

He said the Second VaticanCouncil’s Constitution onthe Sacred Liturgy, “Sacro-sanctum Concilium,” definedthe liturgy as “the primaryand indispensable sourcefrom which the faithful are

to derive the true Christianspirit.”

Whi le the litu rgy is, inpart, about doctrine andritual, its real essence is to be“a source of life and light for

our journey of faith,” he said.Going to church is not justabout observing one’s dutyand “feeling right with a Godwho then must not be too‘bothersome’” afterward inone’s daily life, he said.

People go to church “toencounter the Lord and findin his grace at work in thesacraments the strength tothink and act according tothe Gospel,” he said.

“herefore, we cannotfool ourselves, entering intothe Lord’s house and, withprayers and devotional prac-tices, ‘covering up’ behaviorsthat are contrary to the de-mands of justice, honesty andcharity toward others,” Pope

Francis said. Authen tic wor shi p andliturgical celebrations shouldlead people toward “a realconversion” of heart by let-ting them hear “the voice ofthe Lord, who guides themalong the path of rectitudeand Christian perfection.”

Just like Jesus sought to“cleanse” or purify the templeby driving out the mon-eychangers, people must con-tinue to be committed to “thepurification and inner cleans-ing of the church,” the popesaid, so that it be a spiritualplace and not a superficialplace of worship “made ofmaterial sacrifices and basedon personal interests.”

he pope said he hopedthat commemorating the firstpapal Mass in the vernacularrather than Latin would re-mind people that the house ofGod is meant to be a sourceof spiritual strength, wherethey can hear his word andfeel “not like foreigners but asbrothers and sisters” who areunited in their love for Christ. (Carol Glatz/Catholic NewsService)

Pope Francis: Jesus is waiting for us VAICAN City, March 7,2015—What’s so importantabout an encounter? PopeFrancis thinks one encounteris key to everything.

“Everything in our life,today as at the time of Jesus,begins with an encounter,”the Pope said at a March 7audience. Christ is always

there first: “when we arrive,He is there waiting.”He reflected on the life of

Monsignor Luigi Giussani,founder of the Communionand Liberation movement.His life was not an “encounterwith an idea,” the pontiff said,but “with a Person, with JesusChrist.” It was in this contextof encountering Christ thatMsgr. Giussani taught aboutfreedom, since “Christ givesus true freedom.”

Around eighty thousandCommunion and Liberationmembers from 50 countriesgathered in St. Peter’s SquareSaturday morning to markthe tenth anniversary of thedeath of Msgr. Giussani.

he papal audience alsocoincided with the 60th an-niversary of the movement’sfounding.

Fr. Giussani was born Oct.15, 1922, in the Italian city ofDesio, located just north of

Milan, the country’s secondmost populous city.

Upon his death on Feb. 22,2005, then-Cardinal JosephRatzinger, who was a closefriend and confidant of Gius-sani, delivered the homily athis funeral.

Pope Francis expressed

his gratitude for the priestknown as Don Giussani,praising his writings and thepositive impact they made onhim and his own priesthood.He also praised the priest’s“deeply human way of think-

ing” which reached the “mostintimate yearning of man.”

Pope Francis said theCommunion and Liberationmovement “has not lost itsfreshness and vitality” aftersixty years, but he remindedthose present to rememberalways that Jesus Christ is its

only center. “All spirituali-ties, all charisms within theChurch, must be ‘decentral-ized’: at the center, there isonly the Lord!”

Te Pope cited St. Paul’sdiscussion of spiritual gifts,

called charisms, in the FirstLetter to the Corinthians.Te apostle says that love thatcomes from God is “proper”and “allows us to imitatehim.”

he Pope said that acharism is not meant to be“preserved in a bottle of ‘dis-

tilled water’,” or “turned tostone.” Nor can it be “reducedto a museum of memories,decisions, rules of conduct.”

Pope Francis reflectedupon Christian morality,describing it as a response to

God rather than a force ofits own.

Christian morality is not“a titanic, voluntaristic force”or a “solitary challenge fac-ing the world,” the Popesaid. Rather, morality is theresponse to a mercy that is“surprising, unpredictable,even ‘unjust,’ according to

human criteria.”Tis mercy is from God,“who knows me, who knowsmy betrayals and loves me allthe same, who esteems me,embraces me, calls me again,hopes in me, awaits me.”

Te Communion and Lib-eration movement traces itsroots back to Msgr. Giussani’sclose ties with the Catho-lic “Gioventù Studentesca”(“Student Youth”) group thatwas born in 1954 at Milan’sBerchet High School, wherehe was a teacher.

he movement is com-posed mainly of lay persons.It also has members who arepriests, religious, and conse-crated lay men and women.

Pope Francis concludedhis address by imploringGod’s blessing and Mary’sprotection, reminding thefaithful to remember him intheir prayers. (CNA/EWNNews)

Archbishop Soc on humility:

Say ‘please, thanks, sorry’

MANILA, Marc h 11 ,2015—Archbishop SocratesVillegas has passed on somewords of wisdom to the faith-ful on how to be humble: say“please, thanks and sorry”.

In his webisode “Te Lightof Faith”, Villegas said to be“lowly of heart” is the onlyway “to see the face of God”.

“When we honour our Fili-pino saints, please ask themfor the grace of humility to beable to say thank you, to beable to say please, and to beable to say I’m sorry withoutany hesitation and withoutany fear,” Villegas said.

However, the president ofthe Catholic Bishops’ Con-ference of the Philippines(CBCP) said, humility “is avery tricky issue”.

“If you know you’re honestand you say you’re honest,you’re honest. If you knowyou’re chaste, and you sayyou’re chaste, you’re chaste. Butif you’re humble and you sayyou’re humble, you’re proud,”Villegas said. “So you’re hum-ble not when you humbleyourself but when you let oth-ers humiliate you and you bearit for Christ,” he added.

For the faithful to grow inhumility and to see God, thearchbishop said they mustpractice the expressions of

courtesy, gratitude and con-trition.

He encouraged the Filipi-nos to never feel too big tosay “please”, not to be shy tosay “I’m sorry”, and not tothink it is unnecessary to say“thank you”.

According to him, sayingplease means you recognizethat somebody is more pow-erful than you and that “youcannot look boastful and lookdown on anyone becauseyou’re a person in need”.

hose who say “thankyou”, he added, are humbleand happy people becausethe “fruit of humility is hap-piness”.

“People who are proud willalways be unhappy,” Villegassaid.

Villegas pointed said onlythe humble can say “sorry”and ask for forgiveness.

“When you say I’m sorry itdoesn’t mean that I am wrongand you are right. When yousay I’m sorry it only meansI value our relationship somuch that I will not discussanymore who is wrong andwho is right. I want to hastenthe restoration and healing ofour relationships,” he added.

“As you celebrate yourbeing Filipino, as you takepride that we are Filipinos, behumble because the humblewill be able to see the face of

God,” Villegas also said. (RoyLagarde/CBCPNews)

More married saints, pleaseMANILA, March 15, 2015—A Filipino couple haswelcomed with joy the forthcoming canonizationof a married couple, the parents of St. Térèse ofLisieux, saying the French husband-and-wife tan-dem inspire parents and couples to seriously live outthe hard but noble task of evangelizing the Churchclosest to them: their own families.

Family holiness real

“It’s significant that this canonization will takeplace. It will send a clear message that holiness isa reality even between husband and wife, amongmembers of one family,” said Peter Garcia, theproud head of a household that considers prayingan all-important component of their family life.

In a world that has turned its back on traditionalfamily values, especially on marriage and childrearing, Garcia said it’s refreshing to know thereare couples like Louis and Zélie Martin who livedexemplary Christian lives worthy of the vocationGod had entrusted them, proving that marriageis a calling equal to and as sacred as any religiouscelibate’s.

Christian upbringingDespite persistent hardships, he shared he and

wife Lora strive to raise their three children, twoboys and a girl, as Catholic Christians whoseholy fear of the Lord will arm them against eviltemptations.

While “Te family that prays together, staystogether,” the one-liner made famous by Fr. PatrickPeyton, is one most Filipinos often hear, but arerarely seen doing, it’s not the case with the Garcias.

Importance of prayer“As early as now, I instill in my family the im-

portance of prayer. In fact, my eldest is assigned tolead the graces before and after each meal,” he said.

Lamenting today’s Filipino youth are so muchunlike those of earlier generations, Garcia, whoruns the media arm of the Catholic charismaticfoundation, Children of Light (COL), added heand Lora make it a point to have their kids sleepingin one bed beside them.

Emotional investment “Tey’re not children forever. Me and my wife

are investing on fond memories with them so thatwe have something we can look back to togetherin our old age. We want to make much of the time

we have with them while they’re still young andsmall,” he said.

Te Garcia couple stress they dread the day whentheir kids already have minds of their own, and soare no longer completely “theirs,” too shy to be seenwith their parents, preferring instead the company

of their friends.

Saintly coupleMeanwhile, Angelo Cardinal Amato, Prefect of

the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, recentlyannounced that the parents of the “Little Flower”will be officially proclaimed saints in October, dur-ing the Synod on the Family at the Vatican.

“Tanks be to God in October two spouses,parents of St. Térèse of Lisieux, will be canonized,”Catholic news site Zenit quoted the Salesian prel-ate as saying at a meeting convened by the LibreriaEditrice Vaticana (LEV) which tackled the topic“Of What Use Are Saints?” stressing the importanceof sanctity in the family.

‘Anyone can be saints’“Saints are not only priests and nuns, but also

lay people,” Amato pointed out, referring to theMartin “power couple.”

Married in 1858, Louis and Zélie had nine children,

five of whom, including the future Térèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, entered the religious life.

Zenit reported that the 218 letters by Zélie, writ-ten from 1863 until her death in 1877, record therhythm of life with the War of 1870, the economiccrises, and the births and deaths of their four babies.

A very Catholic family Te Martins were known, not only to attend Mass

daily at 5:30 a.m., recite Angelus and Vespers, reston Sundays, fast during Lent and Advent, but alsoto have fun: jokes and games, fishing and billiards.

Tey invited poor people to dine in their home,visited the elderly, and taught their daughters totreat the underprivileged as equals.

Zélie died of cancer at 46, leaving Louis withfive very young daughters: Marie, Pauline, Léonie,Céline and Térèse, who was only four and a halfyears old then, but who always remembered hermother as a saint.

Louis died in 1894, after suffering a seriousmental illness.

‘Model for our time’Benedict XVI beatified both parents on Oct.

19, 2008. Teir canonization will be the first jointcanonization of a married couple.

Many hail their life of daily holiness as a “model forour time.” (Raymond A. Sebastián/CBCP News)

CBCP president Archbishop Socrates Villegas

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Pope Francis reminds the faithful of the all-important, life changing encounter with Jesus.

K A T H L E E N L U M A N D A

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The Garcias were among the thousands of Filipino families that patiently waited for hours just to catch a glimpse of PopeFrancis passing by during his recent apostolic visit to the Philippines.

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G A R

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C C O U N T

Sister Pat Farrell, OSF, the president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and Sister Janet Mock, CSJ,the group’s executive director, are just some of the women who hold key roles in the Church.

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EDIORIAL

AN attitude of openness in truth and in love must characterize thedialogue with the followers of non-Christian religions, in spite of vari-ous obstacles and difficulties, especially forms of fundamentalism onboth sides. Interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace inthe world, and so it is a duty for Christians as well as other religiouscommunities.

Tis dialogue is in first place a conversation about human existenceor simply, as the bishops of India have put it, a matter of “being opento them, sharing their joys and sorrows”. In this way we learn to acceptothers and their different ways of living, thinking and speaking. We canthen join one another in taking up the duty of serving justice and peace,which should become a basic principle of all our exchanges. A dialoguewhich seeks social peace and justice is in itself, beyond all merely practicalconsiderations, an ethical commitment which brings about a new socialsituation. Efforts made in dealing with a specific theme can become aprocess in which, by mutual listening, both parts can be purified andenriched. Tese efforts, therefore, can also express love for truth.

In this dialogue, ever friendly and sincere, attention must always bepaid to the essential bond between dialogue and proclamation, whichleads the Church to maintain and intensify her relationship with non-Christians. A facile syncretism would ultimately be a totalitarian gestureon the part of those who would ignore greater values of which they arenot the masters. rue openness involves remaining steadfast in one’sdeepest convictions, clear and joyful in one’s own identity, while at thesame time being “open to understanding those of the other party” and“knowing that dialogue can enrich each side”. What is not helpful isa diplomatic openness which says “yes” to everything in order to avoidproblems, for this would be a way of deceiving others and denying themthe good which we have been given to share generously with others.Evangelization and interreligious dialogue, far from being opposed,mutually support and nourish one another.

Our relationship with the followers of Islam has taken on great im-portance, since they are now significantly present in many traditionallyChristian countries, where they can freely worship and become fullya part of society. We must never forget that they “profess to hold thefaith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, mercifulGod, who will judge humanity on the last day”. Te sacred writings ofIslam have retained some Christian teachings; Jesus and Mary receiveprofound veneration and it is admirable to see how Muslims both youngand old, men and women, make time for daily prayer and faithfullytake part in religious services. Many of them also have a deep convic-

tion that their life, in its entirety, is from God and for God. Tey alsoacknowledge the need to respond to God with an ethical commitmentand with mercy towards those most in need.

Non-Christians, by God’s gracious initiative, when they are faithfulto their own consciences, can live “justified by the grace of God”, andthus be “associated to the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ”. But dueto the sacramental dimension of sanctifying grace, God’s working inthem tends to produce signs and rites, sacred expressions which in turnbring others to a communitarian experience of journeying towards God. While these lack the meaning and efficacy of the sacraments institutedby Christ, they can be channels which the Holy Spirit raises up in orderto liberate non-Christians from atheistic immanentism or from purelyindividual religious experiences.

--Evangelii Gaudium, #250-254, 2013

ON the second anniversary of his election, on March 13, Pope Francisannounced the celebration of an extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy thatwill commence on Dec. 8, 2015, the Solemnity of the ImmaculateConception and the 50th anniversary of the closing of Vatican II, andwill conclude on Nov. 20, 2015, the Solemnity of Christ the King.

Te surprise announcement came at the traditional penitentialliturgy celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica as Pope Francis opened theLenten prayer initiative “24 Hours for the Lord.” At about the tail-end of his homily he said: “Dear brothers and sisters, I have oftenthought about how the Church might make clear its mission of beinga witness to mercy. It is journey that begins with a spiritual conversion.For this reason, I have decided to call an extraordinary Jubilee thatis to have the mercy of God at its center. It shall be a Holy Year ofMercy. We want to live this Year in the light of the Lord’s words: “Bemerciful, just as your Father is merciful. (cf. Lk 6:36).” According tothe Vatican, the official and solemn announcement of the Holy Yearwill done on April 12, Divine Mercy Sunday (2nd Sunday of Easter)with the public proclamation of the Bolla in front of the Holy Door.

Mercy and compassion seem to be the overarching theme of PopeFrancis’ Petrine ministry. Tis was the theme of his apostolic journeyto the Philippines this January. Tis prevails, too, in most of his homi-lies and messages. In an interview conducted by Antonio Spadaro,S.J., editor in chief of La Civilta Cattolica, in September 2013, PopeFrancis, albeit simplistically, trail-blazed a rather experiential eccle-siology by looking at the Church as a field hospital. He said: “I seeclearly that the thing the church needs most today is the ability toheal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness,proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless

to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and aboutthe level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Ten wecan talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds.... And you have to start from the ground up.”

Te confessional is a favorite of Pope Francis. His photo kneelingin confession had become viral, inspiring Catholics and non-Catholicsalike. He describes the confessional “not as a form of torture butrather as a liberating encounter, full of humanity, through which we caneducate in a mercy that does not exclude, but rather includes the justcommitment to make amends, as far as possible, for the sin committed.”

Mercy and compassion has been in the Church from day one. Butthe way Pope Francis does it is revolutionary. o borrow the observa-tion of John Allen, the Vatican analyst who recently launched a bookTe Francis Miracle , “If there i s a “revolution underway it’s at the levelof the pastoral application of doctrine, not revisions to that doctrineitself.” One cannot but be excited with how the Holy Year of Mercywill proceed.

Interreligious dialogue

Holy Year of Mercy

Chain of debacles

OPINION

Facing Our Shadows

Fr. Wilfredo Samson, SJ

Pitik-Bulag

When mainstream isactually peripheral Fr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

MonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE CBCP

Pedro C. QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

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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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I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y B L A D I M E R U S I

Oscar V. Cruz, D.D.

Views and Points

Candidly Speaking / A5

BY way of introduction, it is but just and properto make mention of the “Mendiola Massacre”where some twenty-two farmers from the thenand now still infamous Hacienda Luisita weregunned without mercy, without reservationduring the reign of the then President. Andsome time later, this was replaced by the “arlacMassacre” when some seven farmers—one kindold Aglipayan bishop included—were all shotto death for staging a strike against the Haciendalabor mismanagement.

And to make such a disgusting compositephenomena really historical, there was a Chief

Justice who dared apply the law to the sameHacienda and the result was called “Impeach-ment”—not only placing the Legislative De-partment under the command of Malacañangbut also making the Supreme Court fearful intreating the Executive Department as an equal

branch of government as provided by no lessthan the Constitution of the Land.Te in-coming government—be this before

or after 2016—has much to do as well as toundo in favor of the People of the Philippinesin the pursuit of truth for the emergence of

justice and reign of peace, but definitely notthrough dissemination of lies, the promotionof inequity, the instigation of hostilities suchas the composition and promotion of the nowdebatable if not infamous BBL. Hence:

Please: Do not promote the OFW phenom-enon for the material gains of the State at theexpenses, worries and separation of families.Stop such detrimental invention as PPPwhereby privatization of public utilities promoteprivate profits – not public welfare. Do awaywith taxation unlimited under different titlesbut with the same victims such as the poor, themiserable people.

Please: Do away with the now famous KKK- a title that desecrates the original, noble and

heroic individuals the letters stand for. Getrid of the incarnation of graft and corruptionthrough the infamous DAP and PDAF. And

no more official reception and accompanimentof any Napoles figure.

Please: Do stop making the Philippines aGambling Republic. In the same way, get ridof the proliferation of the local Drug Industry.

And stop women trafficking plus child prosti-tution due to the lack of the means of decentlivelihood, on account of the lack of propereducation.

Please: Do not prefer to see how cars aremade with big and continuous foreign profits,instead of giving honor and showing bereave-ment for wasted lives and desecrated bodies.

And do away with an inverted socio-economicprogress where the rich become richer and thepoor emerge even poorer.

Please: No more Luneta Massacre. No more Atimonan Massacre. No more MamasapanoMassacre. Enough is enough.

No wonder then there is the increasingpeople’s clamor for someone’s resignation! Leavethem alone! Tey will do better!

POPE Francis’ visit here in our country left uswith a clear message that we have to care for the

poor and those who are considered to be in theperipheries of society, whose hold on human lifeand the very basic of human dignity is consid-ered at best as tenuous, or weak and unstable.

Tis message should be taken seriously andshould elicit in us a sincere desire and all-outeffort to help in any way we can. We need to getout of our comfort zone and be ready to get wetand dirty in this urgent business of helping thepoor, the sick, the ignorant and illiterate, thosewith disabilities, the prisoners, beggars, etc.

In our country, in spite of the many advanceswe already have made to address this issue, wecan still find many of our people suffering fromall kinds of inhuman privation and indigence,lending credence to what Christ once said, “Youwill always have the poor with you.” (Mt 26, 11)

he papal message is yet another strongreminder of that classic call for a “preferentiallove for the poor” that should not be too ro-manticized and idealized that it becomes divisive

instead of unitive, giving rise to unnecessarydistinctions and conflicts among ourselves.

We have to keep it from playing the subtlegames of some ideologies that in the end are

not very human and, much less, Christian. Ina sense, all of us are poor because irrespectiveof our social and economic status, we are allin need of God. Tis is the poverty commonto all of us.

Tis kind of poverty, which I consider to bethe ultimate form of poverty, may even be moresevere among the so-called educated and the richpeople. It’s a poverty that refuses to consideritself to be so, and that is the worst cut.

In some instances, the poor may even givemore than the rich, not in terms of money,but more of the heart. Te rich may be poor interms of cultural, moral and religious poverty.

Just recently, a priest-friend of mine who isdoing some renovation work for his churchwas moved to receive a small piggy bank froma poor woman with a note that she was givingall she had in that little box for the churchworks with the request that the priest pray forher intentions.

Te reaction of my friend was that he nowunderstood better what Pope Francis said in

one of his addresses during his visit here—thatwe should learn from the poor. Indeed, this is a

reprise of that gospel episode of Christ praisingthe poor widow who gave her two mites morethan the rich who gave a lot to the treasury. (cfrMk 12,41ff)

And given the power and influence that richpeople with this graver kind of poverty wieldsin society, the moral and religious poverty theysuffer can in fact be the mainstream in society.Tat is when we have to see in this mainstreamone of the worst peripheries that we have to takecare of. We should not ignore this fact. Tis isa great challenge.

We need to reach out to them for another anddeeper conversion of heart so that they can real-ize their poverty and hopefully start to developthe real Christian poverty of detachment fromthings and generosity of heart to offer everythingthey have to God and share what they have witheverybody else.

Let’s remember that gospel episode whenChrist told a rich young man, who wanted to

know how to get to heaven, to sell all that he

I USED to play with my shadowswhen I was a young. It was amus-ing to seeing the shadows followme wherever I go, and I couldn’teven run a away from them. Andyet, when I face my shadow anddecided to approach it, it was myshadow that turned to run awayfrom me. I realized that is the best

way to handle my shadows! Facethem!Shadows are produced when we

block the source of light. It is notthe absence of light. Unfortunately,we love to run away from ourshadows.

We have lots of shadows in ourlife. And it causes us stress andnegative feelings, such as fear and

anxieties. Our Shadows may comefrom our bad past, from our secretsins, from inner core issues, fromour fear of people or relationships.

oday, let’s face our shadows thatunconsciously haunt us. It’s uselessrunning away from our shadows.Tey will just follow us.

Here is a simple “Detox Process”

of how to face shadows with God.1. SILENCE. Enter into yourprayer and dispose yourself toname and face your shadows. Havea ten-minute silence. Do yourusual breathing exercise.

2. GRACE. Ask the Holy Spiritto accompany and guide you inyour prayer. Ask for the grace ofidentifying your shadows and the

courage to face them.3. READ. Read Matthew 26:

36 - 56. Tis is the story of Jesuspraying in Gethsemane.

What do you feel when Jesussaid, “Lord, if it’s possible, takeaway this cup away from me. Yetnot what I want, but what youwant”?

See that even Jesus fears Hisshadows. He was tempted to runaway. But He decided to face them.Stay with these thoughts. And notehow he faced those who wouldarrest him.

See also how the disciples runaway when Jesus was arrested. Areyou one of them? Running awayfrom your shadows?

Are there any things from thepast that haunt you? Or people thatyou are always avoiding for manyreasons? Or something in yourheart or issues you are avoiding?Or a secret personal sin?

Are you tired of running awayfrom them? It’s time to face themnow, or they will haunt you for the

rest of your life. Face your shadowsand see them run away.Now bring them all in front of

Jesus. Listen to what Jesus will sayto your shadows and how you willface them. Have a colloquy withHim and discuss your shadows.

“For God will command hisangels concerning you to guard youin all your ways.”


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A6 CBCP MonitorMarch 16 - 29, 2015, Vol. 19, No. 6LOCAL NEWS

Groups ‘shocked’ by Ampatuan son’s release HE Coalition AgainstDeath Penalty (CADP) ex-pressed disbelief that DatuSajid Islam U. Ampatuan wasable to bail himself recentlyout of prison where he hadbeen held as a suspect in theMaguindanao Massacre in2009 with his father, former

Maguindanao Governor An-dal Ampatuan, Sr.

‘Heinous’In an interview over

Church-run Radyo Veritas ,CADP spokesperson RudyDiamante reminded the pub-lic the crime for which the

Ampatuans are impli catedis “heinous,” in that they aretagged responsible for thebrutal killing of no less than58 individuals, 32 of whommembers of the media.

“I find it incredible that thecourt allowed him to buy hisfreedom, citing the weak evi-dence of the prosecution. Justfor the record: the crime hecommitted is heinous. … It

is now very important for the

Department of Justice (DOJ)to step in, and to questionthe court how it concludedthat the case against Sajid

Ampatuan is weak,” he said.

Php 11.6 million“Why is this so? Is this

going to be a precedent for

similar high-profile cases inthe future?” he asked.Diamante said it is a cause

of wonder for his group howa “big fish” like the younger

Ampatuan managed to postthe Php 11.6 million bailconsidering the governmenthad earlier ordered the freez-ing of his family’s assets.

58 counts of murder“Where did he get that

amount? We thought 58counts of murder are enoughto assure us they can nolonger enjoy their money,”he added.

According to Diamant e,there are many other prison-ers accused of lesser crimes,

but who are not even given

the chance to post bail.He stressed the Ampatuan’s

release, although probational,proves the country’s justicesystem, which favors onlythose who have money andconnections, cries out forreforms given that it remainsindifferent to the plight of

the poor.‘erribly disappointed’

Meanwhile, the NationalUnion of Journalists of thePhilippines (NUJP) says itis “terribly disappointed” atthe release on bail of Sajid

Ampatuan.“As we predicted, secur-

ing the amount, which mostFilipinos can only dreamabout, was easy for a memberof a clan that had built vastwealth, much of it ill-gotten,during a decade of misruleover Maguindanao prov-ince,” group chair RowenaC. Paraan shares in a March9 statement.

Faulty presentationt

NUJP adds it fears for thecourse of the search for justicefor the 58 victims in what itdescribes as “the worst inci-dent of electoral violence inrecent Philippine history andthe single deadliest attack onthe press ever recorded.”

Te group blasts the grant

of bail to Sajid, who was act-ing governor when the mas-sacre happened, and “wouldcertainly have been in on themurderous plot,” blaming theprosecution’s “faulty presen-tation of its case.”

Nefarious deal?“At best, because of incom-

petence, at worst as part ofsome nefarious deal,” it says.

“We demand that the DOJget to the bottom of this andmove quickly to repair thedamage lest a miscarriage of

justice in this case be added tothe long litany of sins againstpress freedom and justice thisadministration has commit-ted,” it adds. (Raymond A.

Sebastián/CBCP News)

The National Union of Journalists’ of the Philippines (NUJP) mark the 7th anniversary of the Maguindanao Massacre

on November 23, 2014 by recreating the scene of the carnage with papier-mâché bodies.

N U J P

Bishop: Concrete faith more important than rituals A CAHOLIC prelate has remind-ed the faithful that living out one’sfaith concretely is more importantthan carrying out merely outward,ritualistic penitential acts, in orderfor them to better share in Christ’sPassion this coming Holy Week.

Concretizing the faith Whil e cou nt le ss indivi dual

Catholics practice penance dur-ing Lent, San Fernando AuxiliaryBishop Pablo Virgilio S. Davidlamented many are misguided,stressing they still need to knowthere are safer and more concreteways of expressing contrition likedoing the corporal works of mercy.

“Here in Pampanga, we havereintroduced the corporal worksof mercy. Tese … are inspired byMatthew 25. Just recently we havelaunched the Lenten Savings for

Alms Giving, which encourages the

faithful to set aside the money theywill save from fasting for charity as aconcrete expression of Lenten sacri-fice,” the prelate said in an interviewover Church-run Radyo Veritas.

Corporal worksBased on Matthew 25:35-40, the

seven corporal works of mercy areas follows: to feed the hungry, togive drink to the thirsty, to clothethe naked, to shelter the homeless,to visit the sick, to visit the impris-oned, to bury the dead.

David, who also chairs theCatholic Bishops’ Conference ofthe Philippines (CBCP)’s Episco-pal Commission for the Biblical

Aposto late (ECBA), hails fromPampanga, a province where “mor-tification of the flesh” like crucifix-ion and self-flagellation are popularforms of Lenten penance, especiallyamong Kapampangan males.

Retreats, recollectionshe prelate called on Church

groups to hold Lenten recollectionsand retreats, but advised against lim-

iting participation exclusively to theirmembers so that other interestedCatholics can also take part. (Ray-mond A. Sebastián/CBCP News)

San Fernando Auxiliary Bishop Pablo Virgilio S. David

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Institute offers anewsummer program onmarriage, family HE Pope John Paul II NationalInstitute for Studies on Marriageand Family in Bacolod, Centro

Associato of the Pontifical JohnPaul II Institute in Rome, is offer-ing its fourth cycle of the Summer

Academic Program, Maste rs ofEducation in Marriage and Family.

Held for the first time in thesummer of 2012, the program isnow open to continuing and newstudents from the dioceses in thePhilippines and abroad.

Program organizers have ob-served a growing interest in thefamily and life ministry, especiallyafter the visi t of Pope Francis in thePhilippines.

Strong pro-life statementsIt can be recalled that in his ad-

dress to Filipino families the Popewas firm in defending “opennessto life” and the definition of thefamily, warning the faithful againstthe onslaught of an “ideologi-cal colonization” that, similar tothe political colonization of thecountry, threatens to destroy the

institution of the family.In the same encounter withfamilies, the Pope issued one ofhis strongest statements on theChurch’s teaching against the“culture of death”, calling familiesto “be sanctuaries of respect forlife, proclaiming the sacredness ofevery human life from conceptionto natural death.”

he John Paul II Institute isexpecting more students notonly for the summer programbut also for the two-year Masterthesis program on Marriage andthe Family.

o illustrate the importance ofstrengthening the family and lifeministry, Fr. Ronaldo Quijano,Dean of Studies of the John PaulII Institute said: “Every diocese

has its own pastoral concerns andpriorities but there is one livingthread that can truly provide aunifying framework to all ourministries, that is, the familyministry.”

Context of family He acknowledged that “every

ministry is important but weshould not compartmentalizethese.”

“Liturgical ministry is expressedin the context of the family. Cat-echesis is taught within the fam-

ily. Social apostolate is orientedin caring for poor families,” thepriest added.

“hus, a well integrated fam-ily framework can reshape ourdiocesan structures to respondbetter to the call for lay empow-erment, motivating people to beactively involved in the Church’sevangelizing mission. here is noauthentic community renewalunless it is family-based. Weneed more stakeholders of fam-ily ministry in order to make itas a diocesan priority,” Quijanoexplained.

Minimal feeFor the summer of 2015, the

course will run from April 8 untilMay 2.

he subjects offered for thefourth cycle are Sociology andDemography; Anatomy; Devel-opmental Psychology; MagisterialDocuments with John Paul’s IITeology of the Body; and Peda-gogy of the Family with PastoralCounseling.

Students of the summer courseare given an opportunity to studywith no charges for tuition or boardand lodging while enrolled in Ba-colod. Only a minimal amount formiscellaneous, and for entranceexaminations for new students,is needed for enrolment for theMasters of Education in Marriageand Family at the Pope John PaulII Institute.

Interested parties may contactthe John Paul II National Institute

for Studies on Marriage and Fam-ily in Bacolod City at telephonenumbers (034) 4348396 or (034)4322877, or email [email protected]. (Fr. Mickey Cardenas /CBCPNews)

must not be used to further marginalize thethousands of Filipinos who support themselvesby the meager sum they earn from teaching.

Cost of quality “We understand that K-12 only wants to raise

the quality of education in the Philippines so thatit will already be at par with global standards. Butthis should not be at the expense of many educa-tors who will stand to lose their teaching jobs onaccount of the program,” he said.

“We are praying that the government willdo its part, and come out with solutions to theimpending massive unemployment which willresult from the educational reform,” he added.

oledo stressed that even as the governmentstrives to improve the country’s education sys-tem, it must not forget to look after the welfareof teachers.

More years in schoolUnder K-12, two more years, referred to as

senior high school, will be added to the current

education system.Te new system covers Kindergarten and 12

years of basic education: six years of primary,four years of junior high, and two of senior.

During senior high, students are expected tospecialize on the career tracks they want to pursue.

K-12 suspensionMeanwhile, a group consisting of the Council

of eachers and Staff of Colleges and Universi-ties in the Philippines (COESCUP), faculty,non-teaching staff, parents, labor unions andfaculty associations, earlier urged the SupremeCourt (SC) to suspend K-12 implementationpending a review.

In a statement, the Coalition for K to 12 Suspen-sion led by Professor Rene Luis adle, says it wasformed because “based on the consultations we con-ducted, we found out that the country’s educationsystem is woefully ill-prepared for this program.”

Additional burdenadle explains the majority of Philippine high

schools lack classrooms and facilities to accom-modate “the additional number of students asa result of this program”, describing K-12 as“an additional burden for our already grosslyunderpaid teachers.”

He laments most of the parents are noteven aware of the details of this program,let alone the financial burden it will bringthem.

“he present system worked for the ear-lier generations, and there is no reason whyit shouldn’t work for the present crop of stu-dents. We just need to fill in the shortages inclassrooms, teachers, desks, and books; andincrease the salaries of teachers,” he notes.

80K jobless teachersTe group estimates as many as 56,771 out

of 111,351 college teachers and 22,838 non-teaching staff are likely to lose their jobs due tothe dramatic decline in the number of collegeenrollees starting Academic Year 2016-2017.(Raymond A. Sebastián/CBCP News)

K-12/ A1

independent of their nationalcounterparts.”

Te Philippine Congress initiallytargeted to pass the draft law of theproposed BBL this month but arecent meeting of the Upper andLower House leaders postponedthe deadline until June. Congress isset to adjourn on March 21 for theHoly Week but the second regularsession of the 16th Congress willlast until June 12.

Public angerDespite being championed

by no less than President Be-nigno Aquino III, many believepassing the proposed BBL inCongress will require an uphilleffort after the Jan. 25 clashbetween police forces and Moromilitants in Mamasapano, Ma-guindanao province. At least44 Special Action Force com-mandos perished during the firefight along with 18 Moro rebelsand five civilians.

he public’s anger over theMamasapano tragedy has virtuallysuspended the Congress’ work in

deliberating over the BBL, withsome saying that justice must beserved first to the victims of thefirefight before BBL is passed intolaw. However, Quevedo counteredthis, calling on lawmakers andChristians against letting emotions,biases and prejudices to prevailover objective reason so that theMamasapano incident will notrepeat itself.

“In the face of outrage and callsfor all-out war for the mannerby which our law enforcers losttheir lives, I call for peace. I call

for rationality rather than emo-tionalism. I call for justice that isnot selective. I call for opennessand fairness rather than bias andprejudice,” he said.

“Te BBL was negotiated pains-takingly with stops and detours forat least five years. It is not an agree-ment that was hurriedly done. Itfulfills the Bangsamoro aspirationfor self-determination. It preservesour fundamental principles ofnational sovereignty and territo-rial integrity,” Quevedo added.(CBCPNews)

BBL / A1

treme difficulties of our OFWs gothrough and experience.”“We in the Church are challengedeven more to widen and strengthenour ministry and apostolate to ourOFWs so that we can bring thempastoral, psychological, emotionaland spiritual needs, especially intimes of trials and tests in theirlives. Let us continue to help themthrough our prayers and constant

concern,” Santos said.Te Filipino driver was executedyesterday after Philippine govern-ment’s appeals to get forgivenessfrom the victim’s family had failed.Esteva, who was employed as fam-ily driver since 2006, was convictedfor stabbing his employer the

following year and injuring thevictim’s son.Despite an appeal by Filipinoauthorities that Esteva was not inhis right state of mind during theincident, the Court of Cassationreaffirmed the death sentence.“We are saddened by the death ofour kababayan in Saudi who wasexecuted for a crime he committedthere. Every life is important and

we pray for him that his soul mayrest in peace through the mercy ofGod,” Santos said.Department of Foreign AffairsSecretary Charles Jose said Esteva’sbody was subsequently buried inSaudi Arabia in accordance withtheir law. (CBCPNews)

Execution / A1

sionals but they can be trained onhow to deal with trauma.”

As community leaders, anotherthrust of the team is to link people,he said, and help them coordinatewith concerned agencies and or-ganizations in times of calamities.“It’s like guiding them to lessentheir worries and somehow preventtrauma,” Miranda added.

“We’re building communitysupport so that in the event of a di-

saster, these trained people alreadyhave the capability on disaster riskmanagement,” the priest explained.

With more trainings coming up,he said barefoot counseling will goa long way in helping the people inareas ravaged by calamities.

Te Camillians, also referred to asthe Servants of the Sick, are involvedin the development of health care

and health facilities in developingcountries. (CBCPNews)

Barefoot / A1

Dorothy’s community in barangay Pasongamo, Quezon City. (Photo: Oliver Samson)“Tey cook cupcakes and other sweets on order,”said Sr. Celia Agius Vadala, the community’sMaltese superior, describing how the commu-nity’s livelihood trainings have produced skilledwomen, who have since organized themselves

into a group called “Te Baking Mothers.”Dressmaking, cosmetology “Tey sell [the deserts] around and share the

profit among themselves,” she added. According to Sr. Annie Catania, the commu-

nity’s livelihood coordinator, who is a Maltese,the community has organized several employ-able skill trainings under the city government

that has benefited over a hundred of peoplesince the congregation arrived in the country,said Catania.

Te courses include dressmaking, cosmetol-ogy, massage, and hotel and restaurant services,Vadala said.

“What is consoling to us is many of them

have found a job,” disclosed Catania.Te course, which is supposed to be taken for sixmonths, is running for three months only becausethe class had started late, Catania said on March 11.

Mother-bakersSome in the class buy their own baking materials,

she said. Others are provided by the community.

Te women are all mother, except for three,Catania noted.

he city government requires at least 25participants for them to provide a teacher forthe course, said Sr. Celia Agius Vadala, the com-munity’s superior, who is also a Maltese.

Te Sisters of St. Dorothy was founded in

1934 by Paula Frassinetti, an Italian, who wasbeatified in 1930 and canonized in 1984.Te congregation arrived in the Philippines in 2003.Currently, it is the only community in the

country composed of nuns from Malta, Austria,and Asian countries like China, and Malaysia,and has one novice and two juniors from thePhilippines. (Oliver Samson/CBCPNews)

Bake / A1

welcome his respect for subsidiarityof government agencies, he is alsoduty-bound to directly look afterthe rights of the poor which mustprecede his decisions and actions,”the archbishop shares.

win billsHB 4296 seeks to renew for two

years the Department of AgrarianReform (DAR)’s authority to issue

notices of coverage and provideadequate funding for support

services to agricultural landhold-ings that have not yet been placedunder CARP.

HB 4375 seeks to create anindependent Agrarian ReformCommission to review the actualaccomplishment of CARP and in-vestigate circumventions and viola-tions of the CARP Law with a viewto cause these landholdings to beredistributed to qualified beneficia-

ries. HB 4375 does not yet have acounterpart measure in the Senate

and such needs to be certified bythe President as a priority measure.

“oday, we express our prayersand support with the religiousgroups, lawmakers and civil societyorganizations as the peasants willintensify their campaign to extendand overhaul the implementationof the 27-year old CARP,” ironaadds.

House’s turnIn June 2014, PNoy certified

as “urgent” the passage of HB4296, although the House has yetto pass the supposed priority billon third and final reading eightmonths after the chief executive’scertification.

Meanwhile, Speaker FelicianoBelmonte Jr. assured farmers of hisunequivocal support to HB 4296’spassage.

Te Senate has already done its

part by passing Senate Bill 2278 inSeptember last year.

Agrarian / A1


7/20

A7CBCP Monitor March 16 - 29, 2015, Vol. 19, No. 6 DIOCESAN NEWS

Cagayan faithful alertedon risks of miningUGUEGARAO City—

A prie st from the Arch -diocese of uguegaraohas alerted the faithfulon the natural calamitiesthat might strike Cagay-an anytime soon shouldillegal mining operationsin the province continue,urging them to push forthe end of these activitiesbefore it’s too late.

In an interview overChurch-run Radyo Veri-

tas, Fr. Augustus King S.Calubaquib, head of theepiscopal see’s Social ActionCenter (SAC), appealed forthe cessation of all projectsdetrimental to the environ-ment like blacksand min-ing already rampant in thecoastal towns of Cagayan.

Most disaster-prone Acco rding to the 5th

Annual Natural HazardsRisk Atlas, Cagayan places

second out of ten Philip-pine provinces most proneto natural disasters.

Moreover, a study con-ducted by Verisk Maplec-roft shares uguegarao,Cagayan’s capital city, alsoranks among the most ca-lamity-exposed cities of thecountry.

Fearing the worst Given these findings, the

cleric fears the worst once

the planned coal-fueledpower plant has been builtin the province.

He warned all Cagayanosagainst big businessmenwho might woo them intoaccepting the proposal atthe expense of the prov-ince’s rich natural resources.

Stewards of creationCalubaquib went on

to assure the Cagayanfaithful the Church ve-

hemently opposes all ele-ments that seek to destroythe integrity of creationwhose stewards they sup-posedly are.

Even as the Churchpromises to monitor thesituation from the fore-front, the priest stressedshe needs to know that thepublic is just right behindher in this endeavor. (Ray-mond A. Sebastián/CBCPNews)

Bacolod diocese

honors ‘Team Patay/

Team Buhay’ lawyers BACOLOD City— Te dioceseof Bacolod honored on March 8the lawyers who served as the legalteam of Bacolod Bishop Vicente

M. Navarra to the Supreme Courtconcerning the eam Patay/eamBuhay tarp issue of 2013.

Navarra conferred the St. Tom-as More Diocesan Award duringthe 10 a.m. Mass at the San Se-bastian Cathedral on Atty. RalphSarmiento, Atty. Raymundo Pan-dan, who served as legal counsels,and Atty. Romulo Macalintal and

Atty. Lyndon Caňa who helped aslegal consultants.

Atty. Mitch Abella, a previous St.Tomas More Awardee in 2012,was given a Certificate of Recogni-tion for his role as legal consultant.

Supreme Court victory Te legal team successfully de-

fended the diocese of Bacolodwhen it was ordered by the Com-

mission on Elections (Comelec) toremove tarpaulins with names ofsenatorial candidates and the partylist groups classified into “eamPatay” and “eam Buhay”.

Te matter was brought to theSupreme Court (SC) that eventu-ally ruled in favor of the bishop andthe Diocese of Bacolod.

Along with the St. Tomas More Awardees, the prelate also acknowl-edged the Citizens’ Alliance for theProtection of Human Life for theirefforts in the campaign against theRH Bill.

Te St. Tomas More Diocesan Award is given to lawye rs whohave significantly contributed theirlegal expertise for the promotion

of genuine peace based on justiceafter the example of the Englishstatesman.

Patron of politicianshe awardees also received a

citation written in Latin and a bustof St. Tomas More, an Englishsaint and lawyer who stood for hisfaith and the truth at the expenseof his life.

St. John Paul II proclaimed St.Tomas More Patron of Statesmenand Politicians during the Great

Jubilee Year 2000.In the Apostolic Letter issued on

Oct. 31, 2000, Pope John Paul IIsaid there are many reasons for pro-claiming Tomas More Patron ofstatesmen and people in public life.

Among these reasons is the need

felt by the world of politics andpublic administration for crediblerole models able to indicate thepath of truth at a time in historywhen difficult challenges and cru-cial responsibilities are increasing.

In this context, St. John Paul IIsaid: “It is helpful to turn to the ex-ample of Saint Tomas More, whodistinguished himself by his con-stant fidelity to legitimate authorityand institutions precisely in hisintention to serve not power butthe supreme ideal of justice.” (Fr.Mickey Cardenas/CBCPNews)

Bring back Church’s ‘lost’ – priest to faithfulPALO, Leyte—“Who among youpray for the conversion of theChurch? What do you do to thosewho drop out of the church? Who

will invite them back?”Fr. Wilson Chu, the oeconomusof the Archdiocese of Palo andco-pastor of the urban Sto. NiñoParish in acloban City, hurledthese challenges to church volun-teers of the parish in a whole-dayrecollection held at the chapel inGonzagahaus (Archbishop’s Palace)in Palo, Leyte on March 14.

Te priest gave a reflection onhow a “globalization of indifference”takes a toll on people’s openness andwillingness to serve God throughthe Church, particularly the RomanCatholic Church, more specificallyin their respective parishes.

Te mistake of indifferenceHe talked of a general trend

across the archipelago of young

people leaving the Catholic Churchin favor of other sects where theyfeel more a sense of belongingness.

“One mistake of man is indif-ference,” he stressed, which isexhaustively discussed in this year’sLenten message of Pope Francis.

Locally, though, this concerncould be properly addressed bythe members of the Church whoalready know their identity as the“Church”. hey could do it byinviting those who have turnedtheir back on the Catholic Church,encouraging them come back andmake them feel that they are the

Church through active participa-tion in the parish’s various activi-ties, Chu said.

Te priest, in stirring the church

volunteers to positively respondto Pope Francis’ exhortation andthe local churches’ need to inviteback those who have dropped outfrom the Roman Catholic churchor from Christianity, urged them“When we pray, we must pray alsofor those who are lost, the poor andthose longing for the love of God.”

Chu further asked the churchvolunteers to ponder more deeplyon the how they have given theirtime, talent and treasure in servingGod. Tis, he said, should be qual-ity time, and talent and treasure,which they should share withoutlimits, freely given when neededto serve their brethren and God.

’Islands of mercy’In his Lenten message written on

Oct. 4, 2014, Feast of Saint Francisof Assisi, Pope Francis stated: “Tisselfish attitude of indifference hastaken on global proportions, tothe extent that we can speak of aglobalization of indifference. It is aproblem which we, as Christians,need to confront.”

He added, “One of the mosturgent challenges which I wouldlike to address in this Message isprecisely the globalization of indif-ference. Indifference to our neigh-bour and to God also represents areal temptation for us Christians.”

Pope Francis exhorts, “How

greatly I desire that all those placeswhere the Church is present,especially our parishes and ourcommunities, may become islands

of mercy in the midst of the sea ofindifference!”Further he encouraged the faith-

ful: “During this Lent, then, brothersand sisters, let us all ask the Lord:“Fac cor nostrum secundum cortuum”: Make our hearts like yours(Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus).In this way we will receive a heart,which is firm and merciful, atten-tive and generous, a heart which isnot closed, indifferent or prey to theglobalization of indifference.”

La Mesa ni Martha Fr. Ronel aboso, the parish

pastor cum moderator, also urgedthe church volunteers in his hom-ily during the said recollection toserve in the Church as a gesture of

gratitude to God for the gifts andblessings received.“Be happy so you can inspire

other serve,” he further exhorted,stressing, “It is God who chose youand not you who chose to serve.”

he Sto. Niño Parish will belaunching soon the La Mesa niMartha, a charity outreach under-taking initiated by Palo Archbishop

John Forrosuelo Du, where thechurch will regularly open itsbreakfast table to indigent localsand street-children for free, nutri-tious meals. (Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros/CBCP News)