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PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE CBCPMONITOR@AREOPAGUSCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

WHAT’S INSIDE

Reducing food waste couldhelp solve hunger – TagleBy Roy Lagarde

CARDINAL LUIS Antonio Tagle ofManila has called

on world leaders tolook at the issue offood loss dierent-ly, not just throughtechnical solutions but with a responsethat comes from a vision of human de- velopment.

In an address to theUN’s Food and Agriculture

Organization in Rome,the president of CaritasInternationalis said “foodloss” is the “consequence”of a system centered onthe market, instead of the

human person. (See page B1 fo r co mple te te xt of Address)

“If we want that foodsystems ensure the rightto adequate food foreveryone, including themost disadvantaged ones,this requires sound policiesand effective measures toprevent food losses,” Taglesaid.

Centered aroundthe person

“The problem of foodloss is clearly a systemicproblem, the consequenceof food systems not centered

around the human person, bu t ra th er ar ou nd th emarket,” he said.

The Church’s internationalhumanitarian agency saidup to third or 1.3 billion tonsof all food is spoiled beforeit is consumed by peopleevery year.

Food is lost or wastedthroughout the supply chain,from initial production to

 when it rea che s people ’shomes and creating a“massive impact” on poorfamilies who rely directlyon agriculture for their food.

Decrying the huge amount

of food that is harvested but neve r cons umed , thecardinal stressed the needfor a “new way to frame theproblem”.

“If we want that foodsystems ensure the rightto adequate food foreveryone, including themost disadvantaged ones,this requires sound policiesand effective measures

to prevent food losses,”stressed the prelate.

For everyone’s benet“The fruits of the earth

are to benet everyone. This

requires [us] to adopt a socialperspective which takes intoaccount the fundamentalrights of the poor and theunderprivileged,” he said.

Tagle also suggested that world leaders could learn fromthe experience of Catholiccharities, sharing how Caritashave worked with the most

 vulnerable and marginalized

How BenedictXVI’s resignation

changed thepapacy 

 WHEN Pope emeritus BenedictXVI resigned as pontiff three

 year s ag o, he ad de d a ne wdimension to the papacy, said hispersonal secretary ArchbishopGeorg Ganswein.

 A r c h b i s h o p G a n s w e i nremains prefect of the Pontical

Household. He works closely with both Benedict and PopeFrancis.

The archbishop spoke aboutBenedict’s pontificate andits wake at a May 20 bookpresentation of “Oltre la crisidella Chiesa” (Beyond theChurch’s Crisis) by FatherRoberto Regoli, an historianand professor at the PonticalGregorian University. The bookaims to be the rst history-basedevaluation of Benedict XVI’sponticate.

 Archbishop Ganswein stressedthat there is only one legitimatePope – Francis. However, forthe last three years, Catholics

have lived “with two livingsuccessors of Peter among us.”He said Benedict and Francis“are not in competition witheach other, though they have anextraordinary presence.”

For Archbishop Ganswein,Benedict XVI’s resignationannouncement on Feb. 11, 2013marked the introduction of anew institution into the CatholicChurch: the Pope emeritus.

Pope Benedict used a keyphrase in his resignation speech:“munus Petrinum.” This phraseis often translated “PetrineMinistry.” According to thearchbishop, the Latin word“munus” has many meanings:

service, commitment, guide,gift, even wonder.

“Benedict XVI thought of hiscommitment as a participationin that Petrine ministry,” thearchbishop said. “That meansthat he left the papal throne,

 but he did not abandon thisministry.”

Benedict XVI now acts “with acollegial and synodal dimension”and a “common ministry” thatappears to echo his episcopaland papal motto: ‘cooperatores

 verit atis, ’ ‘cooperators of theTruth’,” he said.

Hence, “since Pope Francis’election, there are not twoPopes, but there is a de facto

Filipino archbishop to UN: Winyoung minds in fight against terror 

 A FILIPINO representative of the HolySee to the United Nations has urgedglobal leaders for a dierent kind of warin ghting terrorism.

 Ar ch bi sh op Be rn ar di to Au za , th e Vatican’s permanent observer to the UNin New York, said it is represents a sizeableelement that doesn’t always t squarely

 with other ideas such as military strikes.He said it is a war of “ideologies” that needs

an eective policy that “strike terrorism atits very roots and where it must primarily befought: namely, in the hearts and minds ofmen and women”, especially the youth.

Building bridges“The Holy See is convinced that if we

are to win the minds and hearts of ourchildren and young people and prevent

their joining terrorist groups, we must build inclusive societies and prevent illicitarms tracking, build bridges rather than

 walls, and engage in dialogue rather thanin mutual isolation,” Auza said.

He said governments should engage withcivil society to protect the communities mostat risk of radicalization and to achieve the“satisfactory social integration” of those areas.

 Auza said young people who turn toterrorism often come from poor immigrantfamilies, “disillusioned by the lack ofintegration and values in certain societies.”

Those who feel excluded from, or liveat the fringes of, society are immediatelyattracted to terrorists, said the Bohol-native archbishop.

Education is key 

The archbishop furthered by stating that

education was the most important tool incombating these of ideologies of terrorism.

“Much of the recruiting success of terrorgroups,” according to him, “is based onmisinformation and the distortion of bothhistory and the meaning of sacred texts.”

“Objective education would counterthese false narratives,” Auza added.

The Vatican ocial also said that the ghtagainst violent extremism is the responsibilityof all, including the faith leaders.

He said the problem summons allreligions “to unite in confronting not onlythe unacceptable misuse of religion bythese groups, but also all forms of religious

 bigotry, stereotyping and disrespect for

 what people hold sacred.” (CBCPNews)

Church to intensify disaster response

 WITH the Chur ch at th eforefront in disaster reliefand reconstruction, several

dioceses have come togetherin Legazpi City on Monday to better prepare for these typesof emergencies.

Organized by CaritasPhilippines, the topics that

 wi ll be discu sse d in firs tNational HumanitarianResponse Summit will focuson “linking Church structuresand mechanisms” to disasterresponse.

Fr. Edw in Garig uez,Caritas Philippines executivesecretary, said there is a need

for more mechanisms forcollaboration for emergencyresponse in the Church

network.“The summit is being heldto be able to share goodexperiences of the dierentdiocese on how they respondto disasters,” he said.

“We also have a NationalContingency Plan and we aresharing it so that we could bemore ecient in our disasterpreparedness and responseusing these tools,” explainedGariguez.

 Welcoming the participants,

‘People should be center of humanitarian aid’

Papacy / A6

Hunger / A7

 Archbis hop Bernard ito Auza, the Vatican’s permanen tobserver to the UN in New York. KRIS BAYOS

Response / A6

Aid / A7

 AN OFFICIAL of the Vatican’stop social justice body hascalled for a reshaping ofhumanitarian assistance byputting the welfare of human

 beings at its very core.

Talking over VaticanRadio, Caritas InternationalisPresident Cardinal Luis

 An toni o Ta gle of Mani lasaid the foremost concrete

A6

B1

After 115-year US stay,‘bell of peace’ back

home

A3 Don’t turn faith intoideology, charity intophilanthropy, pope says

 The problem of foodloss: views fromthe Catholic socialteachings bandsolutions from Caritas

SUPPLEMENT ISSUE

UGNAYAN: THE NEWS SUPPLEMENTOF COUPLES FOR CHRIST

CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma and Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo lead the launching of the commemorative book of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress at the IEC Pavilion in Cebu City on May 28,

2016. The 284-page book contains the talks, reflections, and selected photos of the historic ecclesial event. SAMMY NAVAJA

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Vatican Briefing Iraqi refugee children makeFirst Communion in Erbil campERBIL, Iraq, May 28, 2016—On Friday, the rst of threerounds of displaced Iraqi

children made their FirstCommunion in a refugeecamp in Erbil, providing asilver lining to an otherwise

 bleak situation.Out of the 5,500 people

living in Erbil’s Aishty 2camp for the displaced, themajority—more than 2,000—are children. Of these, 470 willmake their First Communionin the coming weeks.

The number of childrenreceiving the sacrament is upfrom last year’s class, whichnumbered about 400.

Since this year’s numberof recipients is so high, thechildren have been divided

into three groups. The rst,numbering around 175, madetheir First Communion onFriday, May 27.

Next Friday, June 3, asecond group of about 145

 will rece ive the Eucharis t, whi le the thir d and finalgroup of about 150 willreceive the sacrament Friday,June 10.

 All of the children are fromthe Syriac-Catholic rite, andmost ed the city of Qaraqosh,the former Christian capitolof Iraqi Kurdistan, with theirfamilies when ISIS militantsattacked the night of Aug. 6,2014.

The May 27 Mass for therst group was celebrated bySyriac-Catholic Archbishopof Mosul Yohanno Petros

Moshe in the camp’s large,prefabricated church.

 With a capacity for roughly800 people, the churchstarted out as a tent whenthe Christian refugees firstpoured into Erbil two yearsago, asking for a place topray. Now it serves as themain parish for the city’s

 Aish ty camp, whic h is thelargest in Erbil and is dividedinto three smaller camps:

 Aishty 1, 2 and 3.The majority of people in

the camp are from Qaraqosh, which is where the formerSee of their Church had beenlocated before ISIS’ assaultin 2014.

 After moving the ocial Seeof their Church from Mosul to

Qaraqosh several years agodue to both security concernsand the fact that most of thefaithful resided in the city,Syriac-Catholics have now

 been left without any ocialdiocese or headquarters

 whatsoever.Now residing in a largely

Chaldean dominated Erbil,they have been welcomed

 by the local Church and are working daily to keep up thespirits of their faithful, whoface an uncertain future inthe country.

For nearly 500 childrent o r e c e i v e t h e i r F i r s tCommunion in the campis a s ign of hope in aplace where the flame ofChristianity is flickering,

growing dangerously closerto burning out.

 An ot her si gn of ho pefor Iraq’s Christians wasthe March ordination offour deacons in the sameprefabricated parish. Theyare now working withrefugees around the clock,and will likely be ordainedpriests in a few months’ time.

Three of the deacons,alongside the DominicanSisters of St. Catherineo f S i e n a — w h o l a r g e l ymake up the backbone ofErbil’s extensive displacedChristian community—have

 been in charge of teachi ngthe children’s catechesisin scripture and liturgy. (CNA)

Refugee children in Erbil receive their First Communion May 27, 2016. PHOTO COURTESY OF DEACON RONI MOMICA

Deportation could be a death sentence,bishops warn as raids increase

 WASHINGTON D.C., May 26, 2016—Renewed immigration raids against

 women and children fail to recognize theseverity of situations faced by migrants,

 who leave Central America to escapedeath, the U.S. bishops said.

“Sending women and children backto Central America will not serve asan effective deterrent to migration

 because this is a humanitarian crisis andindividuals from the region are beingforced to ee for their lives,” BishopEusebioElizondo said May 25. BishopElizondo is an auxiliary bishop of Seattleand chairman of the U.S. bishops’Committee on Migration.

“These operations spark panic amongour parishes,” the bishop continued. “Noperson, migrant or otherwise, shouldhave to fear leaving their home to attendchurch or school. No person should haveto fear being torn away from their familyand returned to danger.”

Reuters on May 12 reported that U.S.immigration officials are planning a

series of raids in May and June to deporthundreds of Central American mothersand children who entered the countryillegally.

 Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, who will soon take over aschairman of the bishops’ migrationcommittee, said the raids are “yetanother depressing sign of the failedstate of American immigration policy.”

The raids are expected to targetindividuals with deportation orders. TheU.S. bishops said there was a lack of dueprocess for many of these orders, giventhat they in many cases were issuedto individuals who were absent fromcourt or lacked legal representation.In a January 2016 letter to Secretaryof Homeland Security Jeh Johnson,the bishops objected to any removal ofmigrants without conrming they had“meaningful opportunities to presenttheir asylum claims” at immigrationcourt hearings.

January immigration raids focused

on Georgia, Texas and North Carolina,and detained 121 people, mostly womenand children.

Bishop Elizondo said the U.S. bishops’migration committee and Migration& Refugee Services aims to protect

 vulnerable populations.Both Bishop Elizondo and Archbishop

Gomez said enforcement actionsthat cause constant fear contradictlong-standing American values andundermine every person’s God-givendignity.

Central American migration hasincreased in recent years, with migrants

 being detained for illegal entry into theU.S. In the period from October 2015through March 2016, the U.S. borderpatrol detained more than 32,000family “units,” meaning mothers andchildren traveling together. In that sameperiod from 2014-2015 only 14,000

 wer e det ain ed, whi le in 201 3-2014about 19,800 were detained, accordingto Reuters. (CNA)

How Catholic leaders are responding to the Queen’s prison reform speech

LONDON, England, May26, 2016—The Catholic

 bi sh op s of En gl an d an d Wales are ready to supportthe government’s proposedprison reforms outlined inQueen Elizabeth II’s speechto Parliament.

“The Church has a strongpractical contribution tomake. Our chaplains workin every prison throughoutEngland and Wales, andare often at the forefrontof supporting prisoners intheir rehabilitation,” Bishop

Richard Moth of Arundel andBrighton said.

“This is a remarkableopportunity to place reformand redemption at the heartof our prisons,” he added. “Itis only through a properlyresourced system focused ongenuinely helping people toturn their lives around that

 we will create a safe r andmore civilized society.”

Bishop Moth is the bishops’liaison for prisons. He saidrecent conversations with theMinister for Prisons and hisstaff have been “extremelyhelpful.”

The bishop’s comments

 were a response to the queen’s

Queen Elizabeth II arrives at the Vaticanon April 3, 2014 for an audience withPope Francis. LAUREN CATER/CNA

May 18 speech to Parliament wh ich su mm ar ize d thelegislative agenda.

“My government willlegislate to reform prisonsand courts to give individualsa second chance,” she said.

“Prison governors will be gi ve n un pr ec ed en te dfreedom and they will beable to ensure prisonersreceive better education,” sheadded. “Old and inecientprisons will be closed and

new institutions built where

prisoners can be put moreeectively to work.”

She said there will be better mental health care forindividuals in the criminal

 justice system.Prisons will be required

to publish statistics oneducation, reoending, andinmates’ employment whenthey are released, BBC Newsreports.

Green MP Caroline Lucashas criticized the reformproposals, saying progress

 would be undermined by big

cuts to prison budgets andovercrowding.

The queen’s speech alsotouched on anti-extremismmeasures.

“ L e g i s l a t i o n w i l l b eintroduced to preventr a d i c a l i z a t i o n , t a c k l eextremism in all its forms,and promote communityintegration,” she said.

 A s p o k e s p e r s o n f o rt h e C a t h o l i c B i s h o p s ’Conference of England and

 Wa le s sa id Pa rl ia me nt ’sexpected anti-extremismlegislation must be produced“with diligence and carefulconsideration.”

“It is vital that measures

to keep the public safe donot inadvertently curtailfree speech or alienatecommunities. The best

 way in which to undermineextremist beliefs will always

 be through the promotion ofeective integration.”

Some Catholics and othercommentators have voicedconcern that measuresapparently meant to counterIslamist extremism, suchas the government’s pushto teach “British values” inschools, could harm sincere

religious believers and burden Catholic schools.

In 2014, governmento f f i c i a l s d o w n g r a d e dthe high-performing St.Benedict’s Catholic Schoolin Suf folk becaus e i tsstudents allegedly were notaware of the dangers ofextremism and were notprepared for contemporaryBritish l ife. The schoolsaid parents complainedthat the inspectors askedchildren as young as 10about homosexual acts andtranssexualism.

The Catholic EducationService demanded an apology

for the action. (CNA)

George Clooney among celebrities honored byPope FrancisOn Sunday, May 29, Pope Francis praised Hollywoodactors George Clooney, Salma Hayek, and RichardGere at a conference promoting a Vatican educationinitiative that helps poor communities. Speaking in thePaul VI’s Synod Hall, the Pope reminded the celebritiesof their responsibility to “help the world recover thelanguage of gestures.” During the gathering, theactors received the “Olive Medal” of peace, which werepresented by the Scholas Occurentes initiative, whoorganized the Vatican conference. (CNA)

Pope Francis to author new book answeringteens’ questions

 After becoming the rst Pope to author a children’s book earlier this year, Pope Francis will soon comeout with another, based on his responses to questionsposed by youth through a new online platform.Speaking at the May 27-29 World Encounter of theDirectors of Scholas Occurrentes, Italian journalistand author Tiziana Lupi explained the idea behindthe new book, which she said seeks to “open a door”to dialogue with youth. Scholas was founded by PopeFrancis in August 2013 as an initiative to encouragesocial integration and the culture of encounter throughtechnology, arts and sports. The foundation hasorganized several events at the Vatican, including twoGoogle hangout sessions with Pope Francis, as well as2014’s interreligious Match for Peace. (CNA)

Pope Francis asks kids to join Syrian childrenin praying for peaceMillions of children have either been killed, displaced ororphaned as a result of Syria’s ongoing, bloody civil war.Some have witnessed bombings, the death of friends andloved ones, and have been forced to leave their homesand villages, seeking refuge in places where soldiers andgunre don’t wake them up at night. Hundreds of Syrianchildren, scarred by ve years of civil war, will now bethe protagonists in a special June 1 prayer event, whichtakes place on International Children’s Day and will jointogether Christians from both Catholic and Orthodox

Churches in Syria to pray for peace. (CNA)

Pope Francis meets with Singapore’s presidentat the VaticanOn Saturday, May 28, Pope Francis met with thepresident of the Republic of Singapore, marking 35

 years of diplomatic relations between the Southeast Asian country and the Holy See, and the rst ever state visit by a Singaporean president to a Pope. Duringthe visit, President Tony Tan Keng Yam and theponti addressed topics relating to “the importanceof interreligious and intercultural dialogue for thepromotion of human rights, stability, justice and peacein south-east Asia,” according to a statement by theHoly See press oce. The “cordial discussion” alsoaddressed the “good relations between the Holy Seeand Singapore,” and the “collaboration between theChurch and the State, especially in the educational andsocial elds,” the statement continues. (CNA)

Exploiting workers is a form of tracking,Pope Francis saysDuring his Mass on May 19, Pope Francis preached a

 warning to the rich who oppress the poor, focusing onemployers who accumulate wealth by misusing those

 who work for them. “We consider this drama of today:the exploitation of the people, the blood of these people

 who become slaves, the trackers of people – andnot just those who deal in prostitutes and childrenfor child labour,” Pope Francis said May 19 duringhis Mass in the chapel of Santa Marta House in the

 Vatican. In addition, he said, there is a “more – so tospeak – ‘civilized’” form of tracking which happens

 when an employer says, “I’ll pay you this much, without vacation, without health care, … everything under thetable… But I will become rich!” (CNA)

Ignore the church schedule and serve the

people, pope tells deaconsDeacons are called to be servants who set aside theirown self-serving plans and are generous with theirlives, Pope Francis said. A servant “is not a slave tohis own agenda,” but rather always is prepared for theunexpected and responds, even if that means ignoringthe parish schedule, the pope said May 29 at a Massfor the Jubilee of Deacons in St. Peter’s Square. “Itpains my heart when I see a schedule in the parishes-- ‘from this time to that time’ -- and then, the door isclosed. There is no priest, no deacon, no layperson to

 welcome the people. This is wrong. Have the courageto ignore the schedule,” he said. Thousands of deaconsand their families, braving the increasingly hot andhumid Rome weather, attended the nal Mass of thethree-day Year of Mercy celebration dedicated to thediaconal ministry. (CNS)

Don’t turn faith into ideology, charity into

philanthropy, pope saysTo follow the path of Christ means to serve the poor andthe downtrodden while not turning Christian virtuessimply into ideas and humanitarian endeavors, PopeFrancis said. “In them, you touch and serve the eshof Christ and grow in union with him, while alwayskeeping watch so that faith does not become an ideologyand charity is not reduced to philanthropy so that thechurch doesn’t end up becoming an NGO,” the pope toldmembers of the general chapter of the Little Work ofDivine Providence May 27. Founded by St. Luigi Orione,the order is comprised of two religious congregations --the Orionine Fathers and the Little Missionary Sisters ofCharity -- who care primarily for the sick, the elderly andpeople with learning disabilities. The pope encouragedthe religious congregations to follow the example of theirfounder, who sought to heal the wounds of people inneed of “bread for the body and the divine consolationof faith.” (CNS)

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Don’t turn faith into ideology, charityinto philanthropy, pope says 

 VATICAN, May 27, 2016—To followthe path of Christ means to servethe poor and the downtrodden

 while not turning Christian virtuessimply into ideas and humanitarianendeavors, Pope Francis said.

“In them, you touch and serve theesh of Christ and grow in union

 with him, whil e always keep ing watch so that faith does not becomean ideology and charity is notreduced to philanthropy so that thechurch doesn’t end up becoming anNGO,” the pope told members of thegeneral chapter of the Little Work ofDivine Providence May 27.

Founded by St. Luigi Orione,the order is comprised of tworeligious congregations—theOrionine Fathers and the LittleMissionary Sisters of Charity—who

care primarily for the sick, theelderly and people with learningdisabilities.

The pope encouraged the religiouscongregations to follow the exampleof their founder, who sought to healthe wounds of people in need of“bread for the body and the divineconsolation of faith.”

“With Don Orione, I also exhort you to not remain closed in yoursurroundings, but to go out.There is much need of priestsand religious who do not remainsolely in charitable institutions—albeit necessary—but who alsoknow how to go beyond their own

 boun daries in orde r to bring toevery environment, even the mostdistant, the perfume of Christ’scharity,” the pope said.

Pope Francis also called on themto not lose sight of the “church’smission to bring God’s mercy to all

 without distinction.”Their service to the church, he

said, will be all the more eective by taki ng care of thei r pers onalcommitment to Christ and theirown spiritual formation.

By “giving a witness to the beauty”of consecrated life, the Little Workof Divine Providence can oer anexample of the “good life of thereligious servants of Christ andthe poor,” especially to youngergenerations, the pope said.

“Life begets life; a holy and happyreligious person can inspire new

 vocations,” Pope Fr ancis said .(Junno Arocho Esteves/  Catholic News Service)

 Vatican City - November 12, 2015. Pope Francis embraces the sick and the elderly while meeting with the Don Guanella charity organization (GuanellianFamily) at the Paul VI audience hall on November 12, 2015. CNA

St. John XXIII’s aide,oldest member Collegeof Cardinals, dies at 100

 VATICAN, May 27, 2016— Th eformer secretary to a saint and theoldest member of the College ofCardinals died May 26 at the ageof 100.

Italian Cardinal Loris Capovilla, who served St. John XXIII beforeand after he became pope, died inBergamo, near Milan.

Cardinal Capovilla was born inPontelongo, Italy, on Oct. 14, 1915,and ordained to the priesthood in1940.

 A journalist before starting to work for the future saint, he was anenergetic and eloquent storyteller,drawing on his remarkable and

 vividly detailed memory. When the freshly named patriarch

of Venice, Cardinal Angelo Roncalli,chose 37-year-old Father Capovillaas his private secretary in 1953, askeptical adviser told the cardinal— who would become Pope JohnXXIII—that the priest looked toosickly to bear the strain of his new

 job.But the cardinal outlived his

employer by half a century and wasa dedicated custodian of his legacy,running a small museum dedicatedto the saint’s memory in the latepope’s native town of Sotto il MonteGiovanni XXIII, near Milan.

 A friend and condant, he was by the pope’s side during a pivotalpoint in the church and the world’shistory: for the launch of the Second

 Vatican Council and the escalationof political and military tensions ofthe Cold War.

He turned many of his storiesinto numerous writings, includinga memoir published in Englishas “The Heart and Mind of JohnXXIII.”

The papal secretary also servedPope Paul VI for a time after hiselection, following St. John’s death

in 1963. He was made archbishop ofChieti-Vasto in 1967 and appointedprelate of Loreto in 1971, retiringin 1988.

Pope Francis made him the world’s oldest living cardinal whenhe elevated him to the College ofCardinals in 2014 at the age of 98.

Some observers saw the honoras an indirect tribute to Pope John,

 whom Pope Francis canonized justone month later.

But the then-cardinal-designatetold Catholic News Service at thetime, in a telephone conversation,that his elevation was a “sign ofattention to all those thousandsof priests around the world whohave spent their lives in silence, inpoverty, in obedience, happy to serveGod and our humble people, whoneed, as Pope Francis continuallysays, tenderness, friendship, respectand love.”

In a telegram May 27 to the bishopof Bergamo, Pope Francis oeredhis condolences and expressed hisaection for “this dear brother who,in his long and fruitful life, gave

 witness to the Gospel with joy andmeekly served the church.”

He praised the late cardinal’sattentive and caring service toSt. John as well as for being the“dedicated custodian” of hishistorical memory and “validinterpreter” of his ministry.

The pope said Cardinal Capovillahad always been fully dedicated tothe well being of priests and thefaithful, reecting “a rm devotionto the direction of the Second

 Vatican Council.”Cardinal Capovilla’s death leaves

the College of Cardinals with 213members, 114 of whom are underthe age of 80 and therefore eligibleto vote in a conclave. (Carol Glatz/ Catholic News Service)

Pray without ceasing – not just when you want to, Pope says VATICAN, May 25, 2016—For Pope Francis, prayeris neither a “magic wand”used to get what we wantnor something casual we do

only when we feel like it, butis rather the strength thatsustains our faith in dicultmoments.

“Jesus says that we need ‘topray always, without growingtired,’” the Pope said May 25.

 What that means is that “it’snot just praying sometimes,

 when I feel like it. No.”“Everyone experiences

moments of fatigue anddiscouragement, especially

 when it seems like our prayerseems ineffective,” he said,

 but assured that “God answershis children promptly, even ifit means he does it in timesand ways other than what we

 would like.”Francis spoke to pilgrimsgathered in a sunny St. Peter’sSquare for his Wednesdayg e n e r a l a u d i e n c e . H econtinued his catechesison mercy as understood inscripture, focusing on theparable of the unjust judgefrom the Gospel of Luke.

The parable recounts howa dishonest, indierent judgeis swayed by the constantrequests of a widow, whoinsistently pleads for justice.In the end, the judge concedesdue to the widow’s frequentappeals.

In his speech, the Pope

noted now the judge inthe parable representsa “ p o w e r f u l p e r s o n a ”responsible for passing

 judgement according to theLaw of Moses.

Because of this, “biblicaltradition recommendedthat judges were God-fearing people, trustworthy,impartial and incorruptible,”Francis said, adding in ano-the-cu comment that “it

 would do good to listen to thiseven today!”

However, he noted howinstead, the judge in theparable neither fearedGod nor respected other

people. “He was an unjust

 Vatican City - December 9, 2015. Pilgrims praying the rosary in St. Peter’s Square for the general audience on December 9, 2015. CNA

 ju dg e, wi th ou t sc ru pl es , who didn’t take the law intoaccount but did whatever he

 wanted, according to his owninterests,” the Pope observed.

The widow, on the otherhand, was considered to beamong the weakest class insociety, along with orphansand foreigners.

“A poor widow by herselfcould have been ignoredand left without justice,l i k e t h e o r p h a n , t h eforeigner, the migrant,” yet

 when conf ront ed with the

indifference of the judge,“the widow resorts to heronly weapon: continuinginsistently to bother him bypresenter her request for

 justice,” he said.Pope Francis noted that it

 was precisely because of the widow ’s pers everance thatshe achieved her goal in theend. Even the judge admitsthat he grants her justice “sothat she doesn’t constantlycome to pester me,” ratherthan out of genuine mercy.

The Pope stressed that ifthe widow was able to bendthe unjust judge with her“insistent demands,” then

“how much more will God,

 who is a good and just father,‘make justice for his elect

 who cry out to him day andnight.’”

It is because of this thatJesus urges us to pray “withoutgrowing tired,” he said,explaining that “prayer is nota magic wand” we wave to get

 what we want when we want.Rather, prayer “helps us

to keep faith in God and toentrust ourselves to him even

 when we don’t unders tandhis will,” Francis said, andpointed to Jesus as a prime

example.He referred to the passagein St. Paul’s letter to theH ebrew s in w hich theapostle notes how duringJesus’ earthly life, “he oeredprayer and supplication, withloud cries and tears, to God

 who could save him fro mdeath and, because of his fullabandonment to (the Father),

 was heard.”St. Paul didn’t make a

mistake on this point, thePope said, noting that Godreally did save Jesus fromdeath by giving him full

 victory over it, “but the pathtaken to get to it was through

death itself!”

The same goes for Jesus’prayer in Gethsemane,

 when Jesus, “ass ault ed bylooming anguish,” prays tohis Father to deliver him fromthe “chalice” of his Passion.However, even though Jesusasks for delivery, his prayer“is pervaded by condencein the Father and he entrustshimself to his (Father’s) will

 without reserve.”“The object of prayer

passes into second place; what is most important aboveall is his relationship with the

Father,” Francis said, andexplained that what prayerdoes is transform one’s desireand “models it according tothe will of God, whatever it is,so that whoever prays aspiresrst of all to union with Him.”

Pope Francis concludedhis address by pointing toJesus’ question at the end ofthe parable: “But the Son ofMan, when he comes, will hend faith on earth?”

 With this question “we areall put on guard,” he said,and stressed that we mustnever cease praying, even if itdoesn’t always “pay out” the

 way we want.(Elise Harris/ 

CNA/EWTN News)

 VATICAN, May 25, 2016—Two members of the Vatican

 bank’s board of supervisorshanded in their resignationover a dierence in opinionconcerning the bank’smanagement.

C a r l o S a l v a t o r i a n dClemens Borsig decided tostep down from the Vatican

 bank, know n formal ly asthe Institute for the Worksof Religion, “in light oflegitimate reflections andopinions concerning themanagement of an institute

 whose nature and purpose”are “so particular,” the

 Vat ican said in a writ ten

communiqué May 25. W i t h t h e i n s t i t u t e ’ s

annual report “having beencompleted in a positivemanner,” the two financee x e c u t i v e s “ r e c e n t l ypresented their resignationsto the president of theCardinals’ Commission ofthe IOR,” Cardinal Santos

 Abril Castello. The cardinal“thanked the two membersof the board and acceptedthe resignations,” the Vaticanstatement said.

“The two board membersmade a competent andqualified contribution inthis important phase for the

stability and integrity of theinstitute and its conformitynot only to internal Vaticanr e g u l a t i o n s , b u t a l s oobligations taken by the HolySee on a European level,” thestatement said.

Salvatori is president of the Allianz insurance companyand the investment bankLazard Italy. Borsig served aschairman of the supervisory

 board of Deutsche Bank forsix years and has been amember of the boards ofseveral companies, includingDaimler and Bayer. TheItalian and the Germanexecutives were part of an all

new board of six lay members

 brought in to the IOR in 2014along with its new president—Jean-Baptiste de Franssu.

Borsig, along with fourother former Deutsche Bankofficials, was acquitted ina German trial April 25 ofcharges of lying to judges ina long-running civil lawsuit

 by a media magnate againstthe German bank.

J e s u i t F r . F e d e r i c oL o m b a r d i , V a t i c a nspokesman, told reportersMay 25 that the now-vacantpositions would be lled, butthat the screening and hiringprocess could take “months.”Led by de Franssu, the

supervisory board currentlyincludes U.S. law professorand former Ambassadorto the Vatican, Mary AnnGlendon, Australian MichaelHintze and Chilean MauricioLarrain.

In a “completely unrelated”communique released thesame day “by chance,”Lombardi said, the Vaticanconf irmed i t w as s t i l lcooperating with Italy inan investigation of AngeloProietti. Italian authoritiesplaced the building contractorunder house arrest May 19on suspicion of aggravatedfraudulent bankruptcy.

The Vatican said it beganits investigation of Proiettiin 2013 and seized all ofhis “re levant f inanc ialresources” at the Vatican

 ban k fol low ing rep ort s ofsuspicious transactions.

The Italian news agency AN SA re po rt ed Ma y 19that Italian police seizedseveral accounts Proiettiheld at the Vatican bank.Italian investigators said hesiphoned o 11 million eurosfrom “Edil Ars,” a buildingcontractor for several Vaticanand Italian government

 bodies and agencies. (CarolGlatz/Catholic News

 Service)

Vatican bank supervisorymembers step down overmanagement differences

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A4 CBCP MonitorMay 30 - June 12, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 17

IT’S amazing that even as Christ wasalready talking about his impendingpassion, death, and resurrection, twoof his apostles, James and John, weremore interested in occupying specialplaces in heaven—that they may sit “oneat your right and the other at your left.”(cfr. Mk 10, 32-45)

This elicited a sharp rebuke fromChrist and the clarication that “whoever

 wishes to be rst among you will be theslave of all. For the Son of Man did notcome to be served but to serve and togive his life as a ransom for many.”

Before saying those words, he toldthem: “You know that those who arerecognized as rulers over the Gentiles

lord it over them, and their great ones

make their authority over them felt. Butit shall not be so among you.”

These words are a timely reminderfor all of us, and especially our newly-elected public officials, who wield acertain authority over others due to ourposition and status in life. They clearlyspell out how our attitude should be withrespect to power and authority that wecan have.

Power and authority is meant forserving. To serve is the language and theexpression of love. It authenticates anyarmation of love we do, converting itfrom intention to tangible reality.

This is the attitude meant for us, withGod himself as the exemplar. Imagine,

Christ served us by dying on the cross.

Before that, he shocked his apostles when he insiste d that he be allowedto wash their feet. That was to give anexample to them, and us, so that whathe did we would also do to one another.

The angels too, superior to us innature, are made to serve us, followinga divine law articulated by Christ himself

 when he said: “Let him who is greatestamong you become as the youngest, andhim who is the chief as the servant.” (Lk22,26)

 We need to be more keenly aware ofthis law. This is truly what is good forus, providing us with the basic sourceof strength and consistency we need as

 we grapple with life’s endless challenges.

 ADMITTEDLY, the 2016 National Elections may, be thefastest in terms of transmission rate, the quickest count interms of national canvass and the highest in voter turnout.The issues like disenfranchisement of voters or failure ofelections in hotspot areas common in previous elections were

never prevalent, if at all, this time. But, admittedly too, theseelections was the most vicious and divisive in recent history. And this can be attributed to a lot of factors. The clamor forchange was loudest vis-à-vis the organized campaign for thestatus quo perpetrated by the party in power that crusadedin the belief that “Matuwid na daan” is still the best option—despite the popular perception that subscribed to the contrary.The fatal cracks of the incumbent administration were tooheavy to be whitewashed by the economic gains trumpeted

 by the economic planners of the Aquino administration.The viciousness and division of the election campaign may

 be said to be initiated by the entire machinery of the “yellow”administration of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III thatcast its absolute and massive support to the hierarchy of theLiberal Party, as if the entire government’s resources were anentitlement of the favored political party. The most dramatic

 was Kris Aquino, the president’s sister who campaignedfor Mar Roxas, the administration’s candidate, using thegovernment’s helicopter, military, and sundry resources—

 with nary any respect for neither law nor propriety. From the

rst day of Oce, President Aquino always wore the divisive yellow as if deprived of any slightest idea that the oce of thepresident is a symbol of unity and never an exclusive domainof one political party.

 Vote-buying has always been the scourge of Philippineelections. But this time it was the most massive and the mostpervasive—especially in the provinces. The archdiocesancoordinator of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible

 Voting in Iloilo, Msgr. Meliton Oso was quoted saying, “Vote- buying and vote-selling is the cancer of the electoral process inour country and is a slap on the face of our faith as Catholics…It was reported to me that candidates and party list groups

 were giving our Php500 per voter. I was also informed thatPhp3,000 per family was given out in the guise of scholarshipprograms.”

But then again the biggest vote-buyer, and therefore the biggest violator of the Omnibus Election Code, could be the Aquino Administr ation. Aside from the cash reportedlyshoved to voters on Election Day, the Bottom-Up Budgeting(BUB) program of the government was allegedly intended to

 buy the support of local government ocials. CNN Philippinesreports of the Duterte camp accusing the Liberal Party and itsstandard bearer Manuel Roxas II of vote-buying through theBUB. Peter Laviña, spokesman and head of Duterte’s mediateam was quoted as saying, “The BUB is aimed at corneringsupport from local ocials, and is supported and blessed byno less that President Benigno Aquino… BUB is ocially acampaign kitty of the administration bet.” This perception

 was shared by other contending political parties. Mon Ilaganof United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), for instance, cried foul

 when he said, “the LP’s vote-buying through BUB is so terrible.This is the biggest pork barrel in election history. It appearsthat the public money is being used by the administrationparty to bride the electorate.”

The government’s apologists parried these accusations ofmassive vote-buying through BUB as normal governmentassistance to local governments. But to dangle Php100 billionin government funds to LGUs on a run-up to elections issuspect. This is why the clamor for change has grown loudest.Serious or not, Rodrigo Duterte has promised to answer thatclamor.

MonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE CBCP

Pedro QuitorioEditor-in-Chief 

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OPINION

Candidly Speaking / A7

Revving up our Eucharistic devotion

Election for change

 WITH the celebration of Solemnity of Body and Blood ofChrist, we are reminded to grow continually in our Eucharisticdevotion. A cursory look at how the Eucharist is celebratedin many places today can readily reveal that it has practically

 become banal and stale. In the rst place, only old pious womenseem to be regular at attending it. Other than them, many ofthose who are there look as if they are merely complying withsome religious duties or social expectations.

There is a need to rekindle our Eucharistic amazement and tointensify our Eucharistic piety, since in the Eucharist we reallyhave Christ with us and he oers himself as food for our earthly

 journey toward eternal life. We need to understand and live theintrinsic link between the Eucharistic adoration and its socialconsequences. Our personal encounter with the Lord in theEucharist should strengthen our social mission contained in it.

I remember Pope Emeritus Benedict saying, “The Eucharistseeks to break down not only the walls that separate the Lordand ourselves, but also and especially the walls that separateus from one another.”

These are nice words that certainly convey a deep insightabout the mystery of the Eucharist. The challenge now is howto make everyone aware of this reality. Little things count a lothere. The care and devotion we give when we kneel or genuect

 before the Blessed Sacrament, for example, can already go along way in helping us enter deep into Christ’s presence andinto the lives of people.

This will be an entering that goes beyond our psychological,temperamental or social and cultural conditionings. It will

 be an entering that is led by faith and love. It will enable usto savor Christ’s presence and people’s lives in a manner that

 beggars description.

EDITORIAL

Fr. Roy Cimagala 

Candidly Speaking The fundamentalattitude to serve

Abp. Oscar V. Cruz 

 Views and Points Personalismand democracy

 AS values usually stand for what is proper and correct, what is right and worthwhile, what is ideal and the like ,people should be vigilant andcareful lest their value system

 become but ego-cen ter ed.These are the times that seemto promote if not actuallyarm the social liability ofpersonalism in what is right or

 wrong, what is virtue or vice—particularly in the sphereof governance anchoredon egoism. Whereas suchdownright egoism wouldreadily and eventuallypromote if not even facilitatesocio-political disorder interms of individuals and/orgroups thereof simply doing

 what they please, a supposedlydemocratic government

 would nd it really hard if notpractically impossible to work

for the common good, forthe public welfare of societyin general—precisely undersuch a personalistic or egoisticorientation in the local/national level of governance

anchored on egoism.Democracy and s el f -

d i s c i p l i n e a r e n o tcontradictory. True freedomand proper regulations are notmutually exclusive. In other

 word s, with out disc ipl ine,democracy becomes a moraldiculty if not a downrightpolitical impossibility. Thereis, however, a big dierence

 b e t w e e n t h e f r e e d o mupheld and promoted bytrue democracy vis-à-visrelativism subscribed to and

 justied by liberalism whichconsiders objective truths asinimical even to what is true,right, and proper. The truth isthat freedom promotes choicesuch that there is even thereality known as “Freedom ofChoice”. So it is that there isreally no objective ethical andmoral choice between what is

 virtuous and what is vicious, what is democratic and whatis tyrannical.

In a democratic systemof government, politicalauthority is accountable to the

people. Such accountabilityis by virtue of the freeelection of those holdingaccountable public authority.So it is that—when eventuallyperceived and actually

proven incapable of headinga democratic leadership—despotic public authority areultimately dismissed fromoffice in due time by thepeople themselves throughsubsequent uprising if notfree elections. As it is correctlysaid, some individuals canfool some people some of thetime—but denitely not allpeople at the same time.

To make civil life proceed well in its over-all coursetowards truth and justice,peace, and development—s u c h i s t h e o v e r - a l lcommitment of those elected

 by the people to public oces

in a true, actual, and lastingdemocracy. And those thusrepresenting the people ingeneral are held accountableto the same people thatgave them their respective

elective public authority ina democratic government.This, however, in no waymeans that public officialsmay just remain passiveagents, indolent individuals,

laid back characters. The saidofficials should then havethe freedom to fulll theirmandate generally in termsof knowing and workingfor the common good ofthe people, whereas publicoffices are categoricallyintended for public servicein favor of the common good.

So it is thus provided:“ T h e P h i l i p p i n e s i s ademocratic and republicanState. Sovereignty residesi n t h e p e o p l e a n d a l lg o v e r n m e n t a u t h o r i t yemanates f rom them.”(1987 Phil. Constitution,

 Art. II, Sec. 1) So it i s that

in the context of the aboveprovision, personalism,eg ois m, indiv idual is min government are theenemies of people living ina democratic country.

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS 

 And That’s The TruthDigong and Leni

 WHEN I left the country, thepresident was Noynoy; whenI returned, it was Digong. Nothaving had the chance to vote,I had no “dirty nger” to show

off to kababayans abroad.Sad, but obligations as amember of the EcumenicalJury at Cannes Film Festivalcompelled me to be inCannes, France, by May 9for pre-festival meetings.But the hectic schedule thatstretched from my arrival upto the festival’s conclusionon May 22 wouldn’t stop mefrom updating myself onlineon the election’s outcome.

I didn’t get to meet thatmany Filipinos in Cannes

 but the one s I did —I wassurprised to discover—werereally keeping abreast of

goings-on in the country’spolitical arena. I was evenmore surprised when anIndian national who sawB r i l l a n t e M e n d o z a ’ scompeting lm, “Ma Rosa”,casually said over an ociallunch, “I am sure your newpresident will like that lm,about corrupt police anddrugs.”

My standard question forPinoys encountered was,

“What do you think of thenew president?” “Did you

 vote for him? Why? Or Whynot? Outside of the festival,most of the feedback that

came under my radar wasfrom OFWs coming homefor a vacation—a miner fromBrazil, a housewife from

 Amsterdam, a teacher/DHfrom London, an engineerfrom Nice, handymen fromItaly, etc. I met and struckcasual chats with them whileairborne, at airport loungesfrom Amsterdam throughTaipei to Manila, in theimmigration control queues,

and even while in line for acab that took forever to arriveat Manila’s Terminal 3. No

 wasted time for this supersnoop trying to feel the pulse

of the man on the street. While not all of them voted

for “Du30”, most of theirresponses were variations onthe same theme—“wait andsee”. Samples: “Sige lang,nandiyan na ‘yan eh, sana ngamabago niya ang bansa.” (Letit go, it’s done, let’s hope hechanges the country.) “Binotoko siya kahit ayaw ng mgamagulang ko, kasi bilib ako

And That’s The Truth / A6

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A5CBCP Monitor May 30 - June 12, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 17

Collection BoxFr. Jerome R. Secillano, MPA

OPINION

To Serve,Not To Be Served!

Priest and Eucharist

The Christian family:

Eucharistic missionariesof God’s mercy

Vigilant CollaborationFr. Eutiquio ‘Euly’ Belizar, Jr. SThD 

By the RoadsideFr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, STD 

 Along the Way

“THE greatest promise the Churchcan offer any government is vigilantcollaboration, and that oer we make

now. We will urge our people to work with the government for the good of all,and we shall continue to be vigilant sothat ever so often we may speak out toteach and to prophesy, to admonish andto correct—for this is our vocation..”

This last paragraph of the CBCP post-election statement signed by ArchbishopSocrates Villegas sums up the stanceof the Catholic Church vis-à-vis theadministration of the presumptivepresident Rodrigo Duterte.

“Vigilant Collaboration” This is howthe Church as an institution will engage

 with the Duterte government for thenext six years.

There are two elements: in thisstance (1) collaboration—working

 wit h the gov ernment for the goo d

of all. (2) vigilance—to speak out, toteach, to admonish or in other words,to be prophetic.

The Church will urge her membersand the leaders to work for the commongood. There are specic areas relatingto the common good that the Churchshould support and collaborate with thegovernment: the economic eld – thismeans working together in addressing theeconomic needs of the citizens, especiallythe poor. The contribution of the Churchis to continue its work of charity andpoverty-alleviation program. The Church,as part of civil society, should also work

 with the government in addressing theproblem of the environment and theconsequent climate change.

The prospects for the continuation

and conclusion of the peace process is very bright under the Duterte presidency.Thus, the Church should fully support the

peace process between the governmentand the NDF that will lead to a peaceagreement and will address the roots ofthe insurgency. The Church should alsosupport the full implementation of thepeace agreement between the governmentand the MILF—especially the BBL.

The Church should also express hersupport of the government’s campaignagainst corruption and criminality.The Church’s main contribution hereis in the area of moral reformationthat should underpin the government’sdrive. Without a change of heart,

 without moral conversion, the campaignagainst corruption and criminalitycannot be sustainable.

 While working with the government inpursuit of the common good, the Church

 will always remain vigilant and exerciseher prophetic vocation.This requires exercising her role as a

conscience of society—supporting whatis right and good and exposing anddenouncing what is wrong and evil.

The primary area of vigilance is that ofthe respect for human rights—especiallythe right to life and due process. TheChurch will constantly monitor anddenounce any abuse and violation ofhuman rights – especially extrajudicialkillings. This can be carried out throughthe social action programs and ministries.The Church will also oppose any attemptto revive the death penalty. This is apotential area of conflict and tension

 between the Church and the Government. Another potential area of conict is

in the implementation of the RH law. While the Church supports responsibleparenthood and natural family planning

methods, the Church opposes the neo-Malthusian paradigm promoted by thegovernment which instead of lookingat its growing population as humanresource, regards overpopulation asthe cause of poverty and prescribesaggressive population control throughthe use of medically harmful methodsor that could induce abortion.

 Anot her ar ea of vigi lance is th eDuterte administration’s support forthe construction of coal-fired powerplants as solution to the energy problem.This is deadly to the health of the peopleand contribute to global warming. Coal-red power plants are sustained by thedirtiest form of mining which contributeto the poisoning of the environment.

The Church will continue to promote a

consistent ethic of life and reject policiesthat promote the culture of death.The Church will also be vigilant

against any effort to impose anti-democratic and autocratic forms ofgovernance.

In carrying out her prophetic vocation,the Church should avoid working withany elements in society that seek to oustthe present adminstration through extra-legal or undemocratic means. Thus, theChurch should not support and shouldreject coup attempts by the militaryor armed power grab by any group -

 whether from the Right or the Left.This vigilant collaboration should

 be practic ed at all levels— nati onal ,regional, diocesan, parish, and the BasicEcclesial Communities.

Duc in altumAtty. Aurora A. Santiago 

DEAR President Rody. Letme address you as such, as

 you wish to be called after you take your oath of oce onJune 30 as our new President.

 Your recent declarationsabout the hypocrisy of theCatholic Church, the Catholic

 bishops, and priests alarmedus Catholics, especiallythose who voted for you.

 Yes, millions voted for you -members of dierent religionsand those who do not havereligion. But not all the 16.6million votes you garneredcan be credited to them.

The Philippines is 80%Catholic and we must acceptthe fact that more than 50%of those who voted for youare Catholics. We are theones who cast our conscience

 votes, not because we disobeyour bishops and priests, but

 because we are sick and tiredof the status quo. We hadenough of corruption in thegovernment which was neversolved as promised in the 2010

elections. Ours is a protest

 vote, a real desperate vote,a referendum to discontinue“Daang Matuwid” whichremains insensitive to theplight of the Filipinos.

Pres ident Rody , w e,Catholics, are some of thosegenuine Filipinos who heardand listened to your call forchange, and together we,Catholics, answered your

call for change, that changeis coming for a better life.Our vote for you does notmean that it is a vote to leavethe Catholic faith. No! WeCatholics stand rm in ourfaith; we are ready to defendour faith!

Mayor Digong, as you arestill called, you acknowledgedthat the recent electionsdivided the nation and greatlycaused wounded feelingsamong family members,relatives, and friends. When

 you oered reconciliation andhealing to your opponents inpolitics, we Catholics werehappy. When you thanked

everyone—whether they

 voted for you or not – we,Catholics, were delighted.

 As ou r ne w Pr es id en t, yo u ar e no w ou r Ta ta yDigong, the father of theFilipino Nation, the fatherof all Filipinos. You are ourTatay Digong, irrespectiveof our religion—Catholics,Protestants, Born Again,Iglesia ni Cristo, Mr. Quiboloy

and his followers, Muslims,Jehovah’s Witnesses, Aglipay,and others.

 Wh en yo u cal le d our b i s h o p s a n d p r i e s t shypocrites, when you labeledthe Catholics as hypocrites,

 we we re ve ry mu ch hurtand saddened. We do notclaim that we are saints; weacknowledge our sinfulness.

 As a co nver t to Ca th ol icfaith says, “If a preacher,religious, or layman fails tolive up to the standards he ispreaching, the blame lies withhim and not with the messagehe preaches. His actionssay much about himself but

not about the teachings of

Christ.” His actions anddeeds are not the actions ofthe Catholic as a religion andas an institution. Human as

 we are, sinners as we may be, we may also aspire to be holy.The Lord himself says, even acommon criminal may workfor his holiness, and becauseof their conversion, some ofthem were declared saints.

Our Lord Jesus Christ oeredhis life to save mankind fromsins. Thus, we must also lookfor a single dot of goodness inevery human being.

Tatay Digong, the voiceof the people is the voice ofGod. You have been anointed

 by our Lord to be our newPresident. Despite yourcurses, we, Catholics, still

 vot ed for you bec aus e wend in you the political willto bring change, for that

 we respect you. As our newPresident, we, Catholics, alsodeserve respect; our bishopsand priests also deserverespect; the Catholic Church

SEPTEMBER 28, 2002 was a memorabledate for the Archdiocese of Manila.Twelve deacons were ordained to thepriesthood by then Auxiliary BishopSocrates Villegas. It was exactly twentyone years ago to that day that thearchdiocese had the same large numberof ordinandi. But it was a big day notonly because of the number. It was a

 big day also because of the quality ofthose to be ordained. Bishop Soc said,“My dear twelve deacons, yes you aregood but you are not good enough.

 You are not good enough to be priests.Remember that always”.

I was one of those twelve and hestarted o by introducing each one of us

 by name. Surprisingly, he described ususing very kind and generous words thatleft all of us humbled, quietly grateful,and calmly proud. But just as quickas the praises, Bishop Soc suddenlydropped the bombshell that we are notgood enough to be priests and we shouldnot forget it!

That day marked for me a signicantrealization of what the priesthoodis all about. We priests can be good

administrators, excellent homilists,

eective recollection or retreat masters,successful builders, efficient schooldirectors, valuable professors orformators, most sought after counselorsor spiritual directors, but priesthoodremains to be an undeserved gift. Weare undeserving of it because of oursinfulness. Bishop Soc continued, “Lookinto your hearts my dear deacons,

and you will see there the mysteryof sinfulness. Thanks be to God yourconfessors are not allowed to talk to theCardinal (Jaime L. Sin, DD) becauseif he could hear half of what you havedisclosed to your confessors, you willnot be here”.

Some call priesthood a “divinescandal”. Meaning, Christ calls andchooses unworthy men but despite thisunworthiness He qualies them to beministers tasked to lead the faithful toGod. This may be confusing for some

 beca use only the best and the mostperfect are supposed to be entrusted

 wi th th is co ns id er ab le an d no bl emission. But such is priesthood. It is agratuitous gift that comes from the Lord.This explains why during the ordination

the Bishop says, “After consulting the

people of God and those concerned with the formation of the candidates, wenow rely on the help of God”. Meaning,the ultimate determination of thecandidates’ worthiness rests on God.But more importantly, we do not havein our midst the most perfect and the

 best man for the job, simply because nohuman being is.

None could better remind me of thisunworthiness than the celebration ofthe Eucharist. Owing to the theologythat calls priest “in persona Christi” (inthe person of Christ), it becomes ourmission to make present once more thesacrice of Christ on Calvary. In theEucharist, we hold and raise the body ofChrist while saying, “This is my body”,and do the same with the chalice saying,“This is my blood”. Those words, at theoutset, create a sense of uneasiness,especially since while raising the chalice

 we see the reection of our faces andnot that of Christ. As a sign of humility,some priests would simply look downor close their eyes as they raise bothspecies. Others in a rare moment ofglory and ecstasy would look at them

Duc In Altum / A6

Collection Box / A6

EVER recall the feeling when it is a esta? The emotional andphysical “high”, the many acts of preparation and the detailsof festivity that come with it? How about three estas in one?

Brace yourself. This year the Church in the Philippinescelebrates three important milestones: The Year of (the Divine)Mercy, The Year of the Christian Family, and the Year of theEucharist. All three realities seem mere happy coincidences.But the question that also seems inevitable is: Are they in any

 way related? All at once I nd it striking how positive the answeris. First, the Christian Family is the Domestic Church or “theChurch in the Home”. Second, in completion of our Christianinitiation begun at Baptism, the Eucharist makes our familiesthat gather around it more fully incorporated members ofChrist’s Body. Third, in the Eucharist we also receive in hisBody and Blood the whole person of Jesus Christ, the “face of

God’s mercy”. Fourth, from the Eucharist we are also “sent” toshare what we have received.

The Christian Family is the Church in the HomeDon’t we often hear parents ask: “Did you go to Church?”

 And what about priests who declar e to us: “We are theChurch”. Do we ever care to inquire: “What are we talkingabout here by ‘Church’?” The Catholic faith teaches us thatthe reality called “Church” does not simply mean a place or

 building of worship. It also means the people themselves who worship. It is a reality that does not exist only in themany members who compose particular communities of

 worshippers or “Christideles” (disciples of Christ), such asthe diocese or the parish. It also exists in the home, in eachfamily that professes faith and life together in Jesus Christ.In the decree Perfectae Caritatis (Of Perfect Charity), Pope St.John Paul II teaches us that there are “many profound bondslinking the Church and the Christian family and establishingthe family as a ‘Church in miniature’ (Ecclesia Domestica),

in such a way that the family is a living image and historicalrepresentation of the mystery of the Church” (PC 49). For thisreason the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines callsthe Christian Family “the Church in the home” (PCP II 421).

 What are we saying here? Let me put it simply. Just likepeople, the Church comes to us in dierent shapes and sizes. Iteven comes to us in the shape and form of our own families as

 we profess together, pray together, love together, and struggletogether to follow Jesus in word and in action.

The Eucharist Makes the Christian Family I hope you are not shocked if I tell you this: Sometimes

nutritionists do the most profound theology. Why? Forinstance, it is from them that we hear the words: “We are—or

 we become—what we eat”. What makes that so profoundlytheological? Consider this: What do we come to the Eucharistfor? To eat the Bread of Life. In the Gospel of John, particularlyin chapter six, the “Bread of Life” means two things. First, itmeans the teachings of Jesus himself as object of faith. To

illustrate my point let me refer you to what he says in verse35: “I myself am the bread of life. No one who comes to meshall ever be hungry. No one who believes in me shall everthirst”. Second, it also means the Eucharist as sacrament ofhis Body and Blood. Let me also illustrate that by means of

 verses 53 to 55: “Let me solemnly assure you, if you do noteat the esh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you haveno life in you. Whoever feeds on my esh and drink my bloodhas everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day. Formy esh is real food and my blood real drink”.

Two things are clear here. First, eating the Bread of Lifemeans believing in Jesus’ words, and we have Jesus’ wordsfor it. He declares himself the Bread of Life and says thatanyone who “believes” in him will nd satisfaction for theirspiritual hunger and thirst. Second, eating the Bread of Lifealso means “feeding” (in the original Greek, the more literaltranslation would be “munching” or “pagsupa” in Waray) onthe “esh” and drinking the “blood” of the Son of Man. Thatthis cannot refer to Jesus’ teaching anymore is illustrated not

only by the impossibility of eating Jesus’ teachings but also by the quite graphic word of “feeding” or “munching” thatJesus uses. Add to that his strong armation: “For my eshis real (not symbolic, let’s take note) food, and my blood real(not symbolic, let’s take note again) drink”.

I was told in high school seminary that “serendipity”’ meanshappy fate or chance. It is beyond serendipity that the rstmeaning of Bread of Life coincides with the Liturgy of the

 Word where we read and listen to the teachings of Jesusthrough the Scriptures and the preaching of the priest, andits second meaning to the Liturgy of the Eucharist wherethe bread and wine are transformed by the Holy Spirit atconsecration into the Flesh and Blood of the Savior that

 we receive in Communion. It is Christ that we receive. It isChrist we must become. For in the Eucharist we truly andmore fully become his Body. This happens to us not only ascommunities but even as families. Ergo, the Eucharist makesthe Christian Family.

In the Eucharist We Receive Christ, the Face of God’sMercy 

I once heard a mother, remembering the life of sacrice shehas lived for her family, say to me, “I have given my esh and

 blood to them [her husband and children]…” I wondered i fshe purposely used these words because she was speaking to apriest. But I got her message plainly. She has given her wholeself to her family. It is also the whole person of Jesus Christthat we receive in his Body and in his Blood made availableto us in the Eucharist.

The awesome truth about receiving Jesus Christ is that hedoes not take us only to himself. He also takes us to the Father.“Whoever sees me sees the Father,” he declares to Philip the

 Apostle in Jn 14:9. The reason is also clear in his own words:“The Father and I are one” (Jn 10:30).

It is because Jesus fully reveals the Father to us that Pope St.John Paul II teaches us in his encyclical Dives in Misericordia(Rich in Mercy): “He (Jesus Christ), in a certain sense, ismercy” (DM 2). In the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary

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as an institution also deservesrespect, in the same manner thatthe other religions and their heads

also deserve respect. We, Cath ol ic s, wi ll cont inue

our corporal works of mercy,our social development andsocial service work—feeding themalnourished children; givingshelter to foundlings, abused andstreet children; helping battered

 wives and women , disabled andhomeless; providing assistanceto unwed mothers, abandonedpregnant women and victims ofcalamities.

President Rody, we will alwayspray for your good health andsafety. We will be vigilant to preventabuses in the government. We willgive you our collaborated support.

 You and we, Catholics, are all here

to serve, not to be served, for thegood of everyone. All in God’s glory!

***The Senate and House of

Representatives, seating in jointpublic session as the National Boardof Canvassers (NBOC), nished theofficial count of votes in the 2016elections. Final tally: Duterte –16,601,997 against Roxas’ 9,978,175,

 vo te di ff er en ce of 6, 62 3, 82 2.Robredo – 14,418,817 againstMarcos’ 14,155,344, vote dierenceof 263,473. Congress will proclaim onMonday, May 30, 2016, Rodrigo RoaDuterte and Maria Leonor GeronaRobredo as President-elect and VicePresident-elect, respectively.

Congress has the sole authority

to canvass the votes for president

and vice president, as stated inthe Certicates of Canvass (COC)transmitted to Congress by the

Board of Canvassers (BOC) ofeach province or city, includingthe COCs for local and overseasabsentee votes pursuant to Article

 VII, Section 4 of the 1987 PhilippineConstitution.

The NBOC has no power to go be yond th e COC as appe ar ing before them, except for 3 groundsdetailed in Section 37 of R,A. 9369:Discrepancy, Incompleteness andErasure or Alteration. The canvassof votes is ministerial. Section 37does not allow Congress to entertainpre-proclamation cases for nationalelective posts.

 A l t h o u g h N B O C r e ce i v e selectronically transmitted resultsfrom dierent provincial and city

BOCs from Transparency Servers,these are unofficial and serve asguides for comparison purposes.

 What are actually canvassed are thephysical COCs duly certified andsigned by the dierent provincialand city BOCs and physicallytransmitted to Congress. Thismanual canvassing procedure isprovided in the 1987 Constitution,and it cannot be changed with theshift to automated system.

***Happy Birthday to Most Rev.

Francisco M. De Leon D.D., theCoadjutor Bishop of Antipolo,Happy Birthday also to my brother,Benito Santiago, Jr. . HappySacerdotal Anniversary to Fr. James

Ty,cIVE of the Diocese of Kalookan.

Duc In Altum / A5

and see Jesus being oered oncemore at the altar of sacrice.

Notwithstanding theology, priestsdo not acquire any superhumancapacity during their ordination.They remain human. Hence, I donot entertain the thought or createan illusion that I am Jesus Christduring that moment of consecration.I remain who I am, but I let the graceof ordination work through me as

I speak and act in the very personof Christ. Recognizing that mypriesthood is simply a participationin that of Christ the High Priest, Ilet him draw me into his sacricialaction, begging him to congure myheart and mind more perfectly to his.

 Ac co rd in g to Jo hn Pa ul II ,Priesthood and Eucharist areprofoundly interconnected. InDominicae Cenae (DC) he wrote,“The Eucharist is the raison d’etreof the priesthood” (DC 2). Hefurther said, “there can be no

Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist.” (JP II, Giftand Mystery, 77-78). So profoundis this connection that the sameJohn Paul II also claimed, “TheEucharist could not exist without uspriests but, without the Eucharist,our existence as priests would be alifeless shadow” (The Pope Speaks,29:198).

Drawing from these rich sourcesof teachings about priesthood andEucharist, Bishop Soc’s messagecontinues to reverberate that weare not good enough to be priests.The Eucharist, which reminds meof this unworthiness, is intertwined

 with my priesthood. As I therefore,celebrate this meal, memorial,thanksgiving, and sacrice, I cannever boast of anything. There canonly be gratefulness, humility, anda constant striving for truth andgoodness!

Collection Box / A5

sa tapang niya, kaya tingnan natinpapaano niya tutuparin ang mgapinangako niya.” (I voted for himagainst my parents’ wishes becauseI believe in his guts, so let’s see howhe will keep his promises.) WhatI nd kind of unnerving was theparallel between the comments ofthe rst respondent (the engineerI met in Cannes) and the last (thetaxi driver that brought be home).It’s a pity I was unable to recordit—it was so unexpected. In theirown style, they said the same thing:“Yang si Duterte hinayaan langiyan manalo kasi malakas. Hindi‘yan magtatagal. Papatayin din nila‘yan tapos iuupo nila si Leni, babaena wala pang alam, madali nilang

madidiktahan.” (They only letDuterte win because he’s popular.He will not last long. They will alsokill him and make Leni president,

 who ’s ign ora nt bes ide s bei ng a woman, therefore they can easilypush her around.) The taxi driveradded: “Kawawang Leni, ang laki-laki pa naman ng ngiti niya, akalaniya nanalo siya—gagamitin lang,parang bagong Cory.” (Poor Leni,smiling so widely thinking she has

 won—th ey’ll only use her, like anew Cory.) This prompted me toask him, “Ke Marcos ka ba?” (Are

 you for Mar cos ?) He sna pped,“Hindi! Binay-Chiz ako!” (No, I’mfor Binay-Chiz!)

I must admit the taxi driver’s

candor and his opinion reecting

the engineer’s stopped me dead inmy tracks. From where could thesetwo men—10,711 kilometers apartfrom each other—have drawn sucheerie conclusions? Do they haveintelligence men in the family? Dothey have access to the diaries ofthe likes of Panlo Lacson? Are theyexperienced international spies?

In the horrible Manila traffic Ihad to feign sleep so the taxi driver

 would stop talking. “Kuya, iidlipmuna ko, ha?” (Brother, may I take anap?) He had said enough—enoughto stir my dormant memory to recallmy readings on the atrocious deeds“internationalists” have committedfor decades against national leaderstoo smart or too patriotic to kowtow

to them.These “internationalists” with

 blinding greed for the resourcesof (usually) developing nationspressure leaders to “cooperate”

 with them, and when they don’t,they pressure them to resign, orthey assassinate them, for one.They also ignite coups and civil

 wars, arm citizens to kill their fellowcountrymen, destabilize societies,depose elected but uncooperativepoliticians and install their ownpuppets, while keeping theirreputation unsullied throughcleverly disguised propaganda.

 And the unthinking populace getsnone the wiser.

These “internationalists” divide

and conquer, buy the media and

influence peddlers to polarize anation, create confusion throughdeceitful “information” so thatnations and their “hardheaded”leaders would be under control.

 Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia,Chile, Dominican Republic,Ecuador, El Salvador, Greece,Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary,Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Nicaragua,Panama, Zaire—from A to Z andmany more in between, these“internationalists” have wreakedhavoc and caused the death ofhundreds of thousands in countriesaround the world. It has happened

 before, is happening still, and willcontinue to happen—this insatiablelust of the powerful to use their

 wealth to seize and leach a land ofits riches that rightfully belong toits people.

The enemy is not just one politicalrival, the war is not just betweenpolitical parties. So how much canone Digong or one Leni or oneQuiboloy behind the throne do toturn things around? We alreadyhave a Savior who showed us—andstill shows us—the way to conquerevil through the luminous teachingsof the Church He Himself founded.It is the marrow-deep and authenticfollowing of this Savior that we mustaspire for. A glance into our nakedselves before the Living God is longoverdue. We have taken our faithfor granted for too long—for far too

long. And that’s the truth.

And That’s The Truth / A4

enlarged ministry, with bo th an ac ti ve an d acontemplative member.”

The archbishop saidthat this is why Benedictdid not renounce his papal

name or give up his whitecassock.

“This is the reason whythe correct appellationfor him is ‘Your Holiness.’This is nally the reason

 why he did not retire toan isolated monastery,

 but within the Vat ica n walls, as if he just took astep aside to make spacefor his successor and for anew step in the history ofthe papacy,” ArchbishopGanswein said.

  This is how BenedictXVI has “profoundly andlastingly transformed”t h e p a p a l m i n i s t r y

during his “exceptionalpontificate.”

 Archbishop Gansweinalso reflected on themeaning of Benedict XVI’selection. He said that theelection was “certainly theoutcome of a clash” whosekey interpretation had

 been give n by CardinalJoseph Ratzinger himselfin his homily for the pre-conclave Mass on April18, 2005.

T h e n - C a r d i n a lRatzinger reflected on

the clash of two forces. Hecriticized “a dictatorshipof relativism” that doesnot recognize anythingas definitive and whoseultimate goal consists

solely of one’s own egoand desire.” With this,he contrasted Christians’goal of Jesus Christ, theSon of God and “the trueman.” This is “the measureof true humanism.”

This clash is epitomizedin w hat Archbis hopGanswein described as“the dramatic struggle”

 between two parties inthe conclave. He labeledone the “Salt of the Earth”party after the name ofa book-length interview

 with Cardinal Ratzinger.This party gathered aroundCardinals Lopez Trujillo,

Ruini, Herranz, Rouco Varela and Medina Estevez.

Then there is thes o- cal led St . Gal lengroup gathered aroundC a r d i n a l s D a n e e l s ,Martini, Silvestrini andMurphy-O’Connor. Thisis the group, ArchbishopGanswein noted, thatCardinal Daneels “himselfamusedly described as ‘asort of Maa-club’.”

 Archb ishop Gansweinsaid that “the dictatorshipof relativism” is now being

channeled through thenew media that could

 bare ly be imag in ed in2005.

Once for all, ArchbishopGanswein rejected the

notion that Benedict XVI’sresigned because of thescandals or followingthe “black year” of 2010.That year was marked

 by the brea king of newclergy sex abuse scandalsin Europe and followedcontroversies like thatof the Lefebvrist BishopRichard Will iamson,

 whose excommunication w a s l i f t e d w i t h o u tknowledge of his remarksminimizing the death tollof Jews in the Holocaust.

 Archb ishop Gansweinsaid there are morepersonal reasons for the

Pope to consider 2010“a black year.” That wasthe year of the death ofManuela Camagni, one ofthe four consecrated lay

 women who were part ofthe pontical household.She died after she wasstruck by a car.

“ T h e m e d i asensationalism of those

 years, from the Williamsoncase to escalating attackson the Pope, did notstrike the Pope as muchas Manuela’s death did,”

 Ar ch bi sh op Ga ns we insaid.

T h e p a p a l b u t l e r ,Paolo Gabriele, was thenexposed as the source ofcondential information

about the papacy, whichnews stories have labeled“Vatileaks.”

The archbishop stressedthat “as the Pope wasshocked by ManuelaCamagni’s sudden death,he then suffered a lotfrom the betrayal of PaoloGabriele.”

B u t h e s a i d t h a tBenedict did not resigndue to these, or due to“spicy news.” Rather,as the former pontiffsaid in his resignationa n n o u n c e m e n t , h i sdecision was based onhis advanced age and

declining strength, whichled him to believe that hecould no longer exercisethe ministry entrustedto him.

“No betrayer or any journalist could push thePope to that decision,”

 Ar ch bi sh op Ga ns we instressed, as “that scandal

 was too tiny” compared with the “well ponderedhistorical step” BenedictXVI made w ith hisresignation. (By AndreaGagliarducci / CNA)

Papacy / A1

Bishop Joel Baylon of the Legazpidiocese, which is situated in thetyphoon-prone Bicol region, sharedhis experiences in disaster response.

“One signicant that we learned is

to be sensitive about preparedness. We learned to rely on ourselves,on the nances that we have as alocal church, something very little,”Baylon said.

“Every little thing that we haveis God’s gift, something to betreasured and something to beshared,” he added.

State weather bureau PAGASA

declared last week the start of therainy season and warned of fewer

 but stro nger typh oons this yeardue to warmer temperatures andclimate change. (CBCPNews)

Response / A1

Priest slams 2016 polls’ ‘corruption culture’

THE coordinator of an accreditedelection watchdog denounced “theculture of corruption” that reignedin this city during the political

campaign period for the May 9 localand national elections.

“Vote-buying and vote-selling isthe cancer of the electoral process inour country and is a slap on the faceon our faith as Catholics,” stressedMsgr. Meliton Oso, archdiocesancoordinator of the Parish PastoralCouncil for Responsible Voting(PPCRV) for Iloilo.

He said he personally observed voters queuing to receive “handouts”or “envelopes”, allowing themselvesto “be bought by corrupt politicians.”

 According to the priest, politicalparties were shelling out Php1,000per voter to make them vote theirticket straight.

“I was in central and northernIloilo and it was reported to me thatcandidates and party list groups

 were giving out Php500 per voter.I was also informed that Php3,000per family was given out in the guise

of scholarship programs,” the priestadded.

“The worse thing in this year’selections is that it is now the people

themselves who expect to be given‘handouts’ in order to vote for thecandidate of choice,” bemoaned thepriest, noting the electorate’s moraldegeneration.

Some 54 million registered votersheaded to the polls yesterday, May 9for the local and national elections.(Fr. Mickey Cardenas/CBCP News)

The faithful took part in a non-stop prayer vigil for the 2016 Elections at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles. MSGR. MELITON OSO

Filipino nuncio calls for ‘love in action’ 

SAYING that the core of Christianityis found in love, a Philippine-

 born papal nuncio said the naturalexpression of Christian faith isfound in acts of charity and serviceto others.

 Archbi sh op Os valdo Pa di ll a,the Apostolic Nuncio to Korea, on

Friday said that true Christian loveis “love in action” especially whenpeople concretely help answer theneeds of others in matters physical,emotional, or spiritual.

“Christian love has to be put intopractice,” said Padilla during hishomily at Mass for the 12th Love in

 Action School (LAS) at the Church-run Kkottongnae social welfareinstitute in Eumseong, Choongbukprovince.

In other words, according to him,“we have to give ourselves for othersin love in action” in a “selsh world”that insists on the progress andneed of one’s comfort.

“This is the purpose of the Year ofMercy – God has been merciful to

us – for this reason, we have to bemerciful to others, because God haspardoned us,” Padilla added.

LAS invites people from all overthe world and provides them witheducation and experience of charitythrough volunteer works for thepoor in order to spread Kkottongnaespirituality on love in action.

Kkottongnae, which runs Love in Action School, is a home where the

sick, destitute and handicapped arerendered Christian care.

This year’s ve-day event startedon Tuesday with a Mass presidedover by Korean Archbishop PaulTschang In-Nam, Apostolic Nuncioto Thailand.

“Here you will learn how thesick are treated ‘in love’ , how thehomeless are made welcome, howthe people who are marginalized

nd a true home of love,” Padillatold the participants.

 Among the concelebrants of theMass include Fr. John Oh Woon-

 jin, Founde r of the KkottongnaeInstitutes.

“We now have a visible andeloquent witness of God’s love. Thespirit of Kkottongnae is a continuingSchool of Love,” Padilla also said. (R. Lagarde/CBCPNews)

Papal nuncio to Korea Archbishop Osvaldo Padillawith Fr. John Oh Wung-jin, founder of KkottongnaeInstitutes, and other participants of the 12thLove in Action School make a heart gesture atKkottongnae in Eumseong, South Korea, May 27,2016. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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Before we worry about the big anddestructive enemies of our soul, wehave to realize that our most insidiousfoe is right within us, when thisattitude of serving others is not rmlyestablished in our mind and heart.

That it was James and John whomade that questionable request onlyshows how easy it is for us who try to

 be close to God to fall for the tricksof our soul’s enemies.

They most likely were motivated