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VOLUME 19
NUMBER 9
CBCPMONITOR.COM

April 27 - May 10, 2015

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCPMONITOR@CBCPWORLD.NET

Caritas launches aid

appeal for Nepal victims
By Roy Lagarde

CARITAS Philippines has

joined other agencies in
launching an appeal in behalf
of victims of a massive earthquake that shook Nepal and
surrounding areas in Kathmandu Valley on April 25.

Most Rev. Piero Marini, DD, president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, delivers a message at the Plenary Assembly of Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses
held in Cebu City from April 24 to 28, 2015; with him are Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, chairman of the CBCP Permanent Committee on International Eucharistic Congresses.

The agency launched on April 28 a

national fund-raising campaign to help
Nepal in the light of an increasing need
for assistance.
The need for more shelter kits, food
and non-food items, potable water supply
medicines are increasing, said Archbishop
Rolando Tirona, Caritas Philippines national director.
Also known as the National Secretariat
for the Social Action, Justice and Peace
(Nassa), the agency is the social action
arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines.
As a member of the global Caritas network of humanitarian agencies, donations
received by the local agency will be channeled towards Caritas response.
Caritas Internationalis, the Vaticanbased umbrella organization for more
than 150 Catholic relief agencies around
the world, said aid is already reaching affected areas as they prioritize emergency
shelter, trauma counseling, food, water
and hygiene materials.
While many international humanitarian
agencies have already deployed emergency
rescue and relief efforts, Tirona said there
continues to be unmet needs.
Caritas Philippines call on every
diocese in the country to send donations

PHOTO BY SAMMY NAVAJA

JUSTdays before th e start

of May, a month especially
dedicated to the Blessed Virgin
Mary, a prelate has called on his
brother-priests in the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan to
ensure they celebrate Flores
de Mayo (Mayflower) Masses
without any insertion of additional devotional practices.
No insertions
The Mass must be celebrated without any insertion of
additional devotional practices,
keeping in mind that the Mass
is our prayer addressed to the
Father through Jesus Christ,
shares Archbishop Socrates
B. Villegas in a recent circular
where he also asks the clergy
to stick to the readings and
presidential prayers assigned
for the Mayflower devotions
which the Ordo 2015 specifies.
The month of May is traditionally celebrated in our
Catholic life as a month dedicated to the Blessed Virgin
Mary, explains the prelate,

IEC team told: Grow in holiness

AS the country faces the daunting
task of hosting yet another big Catholic event after Pope Francis visit, the
head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) told
organizers of the forthcoming 51st
International Eucharistic Congress
(IEC) to always keep in mind the
three Pspiety, poor, professionalismto better prepare themselves for
the occasion, stressing it should help
all to grow in holiness.
Instrument for piety, holiness
We turn to the Lord in the Eucharist. We listen to the Lord speaking to
us in the Bible. May our Eucharistic
Congress help us to grow in holiness,

in piety, because at the end of the day

that is our only reason for holding it,
shared CBCP president Archbishop
Socrates B. Villegas of LingayenDagupan in a recent homily at the
Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical
Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses in Cebu City during
which he reminded attendees that
IEC must be an instrument for piety
and holiness.
The mission of the Church is only
one, that all of us be saints, that all
of us be saints together. Every Eucharist, even more, every Eucharistic
Congress should help us to grow in
holiness and piety, because the bread
that we eat is the bread of angels and

Pope Francis offers prayers

for victims of massive Nepal
earthquake, A3

Communicating the family: a

privileged place of encounter
with the gift of love, B1

Reaching out
The prelate shared this holiness
should go beyond solemn liturgical
preparations, the incense and candles,
and the nice feelings and bubbling
sentiments, stating the IEC should
help them reach out to the poor.
Villegas stated the IEC should be
for the poor, especially people who
are spiritally poor.
When we speak of the poor we
do not only refer to those who have

THE shepherd of one of the

dioceses most affected by calamities like Yolanda and
Ruby, has expressed dismay
over what he calls the unhappy
realities the rehabilitation efforts in the area unintentionally
and ironically helps foster: the
culture of dependence among
survivors, with many of them
reportedly drinking and gambling instead of working for
their needs.

Strong family values

help fight HIV, AIDS
CBCP

IEC / A6

Typhoon survivors gambling, drinking lives away bishop

Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop

Socrates Villegas FILE PHOTO

Govt sellout seen in favoring Iloilo faithful required to plant trees

before marriage
Mindoro mining firm

THE head of the Catholic

Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) on Monday clarified its position on
dysfunctional families influence on the values formation
of young people, noting that
having strong family values
lowers risks of contracting
sexually transmitted diseases.
The bishops came into the
defense of CBCP Episcopal
Commission on Health Care
executive secretary Fr. Dan
Vicente Cancino, who has recently been the subject of criticisms for linking the booming
cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Acquired
Immune-deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS) with the prevalence of
broken homes in the country.

THE Catholic Bishops

Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)s National
Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA) has joined
Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM)
and Alyansa Laban sa
Mina (ALAMIN) in expressing anger over the
government reinstatement
of Intex Resources Environmental Compliance
Certificate (ECC) for its
Mindoro Nickel Project,
blasting the act as no less
than a betrayal to the
people of Mindoro and
their natural resources.

Direct or indirect cause

What Fr. Cancino was advocatingthat CBCP fully stands
byis the strengthening of
familiesincluding the cultivation of nurturing relationships,
vigilance by parents, open lines
of communication, acceptance
and affectionso that constructive behavior is reinforced and
dangerous conduct, avoided,
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop
Socrates Villegas, CBCP president, said in a statement.
Villegas added that the
breakdown of communication
between children and parents,
the indifference of parents to

Flores de Mayo / A6

WHATS INSIDE

saints. And the blood that we drink

is the blood of the Lord, the same
blood that has washed away all our
sins, he said.

Bishop Crispin B. Varquez of Borongan FILE PHOTO

Unhappy realities
[But] let us also look into
unhappy realities we have cre-

One opposition
Mindoreos are one in
opposing mining in the
province, as this will destroy our fragile ecosystem.
The people of Mindoro do
not deserve this kind of
betrayal from the government, the very same that
should be upholding and
protecting our rights and
our environment, said Fr.
Edu Gariguez, executive
director of CBCP-NASSA,
in a statement.
We will not let this
betrayal extinguish our fire
Mindoro / A6

ated. For instance, out of the

millions or even billions of
money that have come into survivors hands through different
interventions of various institutions or persons, it is observed
that only very few families
and individuals have properly
utilized such financial assistance. In fact, many families
and individuals have used such
financial assistance for other
deplorable purposes, laments
Bishop Crispin B. Varquez of
Borongan in a recent pastoral
letter addressed to his flock.

Survivors / A6

Keep Flores de
Mayo masses
liturgical prelate

Nepal / A6

A PRENUP is one thing,

but here is an agreement of
the green kind.
In a bid to reforest

lands denuded by typhoon

Yolanda (Haiyan) in
2013, the Archdiocese of
Marriage / A6

the conduct of their children,

(and) the palpable lack of affection that leads children to
seek acceptance elsewhere can
be pinpointed as causes that
leaddirectly or indirectly to
HIV infection.
Family as source of care and
affection
Contrary to criticisms, the
prelate noted that it is not
illogical to urge families to
be nuclei of care, nurturing,
communication, vigilance, affection and correction so that
children and youth may not
fall into the very habits that
bring in their wake a host of
problems, including behavior
exposing them to the risk of
HIV infection.
The CBCP did not stand
idly by when HIV and AIDS
first made their dreaded appearances in the Philippines,
Villegas said. Never has the
Church ever shunned individuals suffering from AIDS
or carrying HIV.
Fully aware that our position on artificial contraceptionincluding the use of
condomsis not popular, we
nevertheless continue to teach
what we must teach, because
we preach a Gospel that is not
of our making but of which it is
our joy and our ministry to be
heralds, he added. (Jennifer
M. Orillaza/CBCP News)

A2 WORLD NEWS

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

New quake in Nepal: more than 2,000 confirmed

dead with tens of thousands of injured

Vatican Briefing
Pope offers prayers for quake victims, solidarity for relief workers

Pope Francis offered his prayers to all those affected by a deadly

earthquake in Nepal and encouraged rescue and emergency workers in their efforts. I pray for the victims, those wounded and for
all those who suffer because of this calamity, Pope Francis said
after reciting the Regina Coeli prayer with visitors gathered in
St. Peters Square April 26. Before leading people in praying the
Hail Mary together, he expressed his hope that those affected by
the disaster would have the support of fraternal solidarity. (CNS)

Pope Francis meets with gay French ambassador nominee

ASIANEWS

KATHMANDU, April 26, 2015Last night,

a new quake of magnitude 6.7 rocked Nepal
again, bringing the death toll to more than
2,000 confirmed deaths and tens of thousands
of injured.
The earthquake, which was centred on an area
some 60 kilometres east of the capital Kathmandu, caused further panic in the population.
The death toll from the first earthquake is still
tentative since it cut off communications with
remote areas and made access to them difficult.
The Government of Nepal has declared a
state of emergency and asked the international
community for help and support in its rescue
and relief efforts. India, China, Great Britain,
United States and France have already dispatched help.
According to experts, the first quake, which
occurred at 11:56 am (local time) yesterday,
caused the worst damage.
The National Earthquake Centre issued an
appeal to the population, telling them to seek
shelter outdoor because of possible aftershocks.
According to the Centre, yesterdays was the
worst earthquake to strike Nepal since 1934.
In that year, a huge quake killed some 8,500
people.
Dozens of Hindu temples and Buddhist
monasteries were hit. In the capital, the famous Pashupatinath temple of suffered serious
damage.
The Krishna temple in Patan and the Durbar
Squares near the royal palaces in Kathmandu
and Bhaktapur, both UNESCO World Heritage
Sites, were devastated.
Early reports indicate that most Christians,
Catholics included, are safe, without any major
damage. However, in Kathmandu, a Protestant
church collapsed, killing at least 70 worshipers
who were inside at the time of the quake.
Christians and Christian religious associations are praying for the victims and survivors,

helping the authorities in rescue operations.

According to official reports, thousands of
people are stranded in damaged buildings, and
can be heard shouting for help. In many places,
rescuers are forced to dig with bare hands to get
to those who are still alive.
The earthquake struck 29 districts, in particular 11 of them. Kathmandu, Nuwakot,
Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Sindhuli, Dolakha,
Ramechham, Gorkha and Dhading have
reported the highest number of casualties.
In the capital alone, more than 700 people
have been reportedly killed.
Water and food are in short supply. Water
mains are broken, electricity has been cut off,

whilst phone services have disrupted.

Police have also reported some looting among
abandoned homes.
Nepals Prime Minister Shushil Koirala--who
was attending in Bandung, Indonesia, for the
Asia Africa Conference--is on the way to return
home.
Climbers on Mount Everest report serious
damages and heavy avalanches. At the base
camp, at least 25 climbers were killed and
dozens were injured, said Uttam Parajuli, a
mountaineering expert involved in arranging Mount Everest expedition. However,
full details have yet to be established.
(AsiaNews)

Polish church recalls

Catholics to press nuclear
clergy martyrs 70 years weapons ban at U.N. treaty
after Dachau liberation review conference
WARSAW, Poland, April 24,
2015Polands Catholic Church
has urged a fitting tribute to
hundreds of its priests who died
during World War II at the Nazi
concentration camp in Dachau,
Germany.
Dachau was the main camp
for priests from all over Europe,
and over half came from Poland,
said Msgr. Jozef Kloch, spokesman for the Polish bishops
conference.
We want to highlight this
as we remember the camps liberation by the U.S. Army, paying
tribute to those who died, as well
as to their spiritual achievements
in such appalling conditions, he
explained.
Msgr. Kloch spoke as plans
were underway for the April 29
observance of the 70th anniver-

sary of Dachaus liberation by

Allied forces. About 800 priests
and 30 bishops from Poland were
expected to attend the event near
Munich in southern Germany.
Many priests who survived
Dachau has been harassed as
suspected American spies by the
secret police when they returned
home after the war to communist-ruled Poland, Msgr. Kloch
told Catholic News Service.
Despite the sufferings of the
Polish clergy, their story remained
little known and Msgr. Kloch said
he was shocked to discover that
virtually all of Dachaus buildings
had since been demolished.
Unlike at Auschwitz, where
much still remains, theres now
hardly any trace of Dachau at
all. Its as if history itself has been
erased there, he said. (CNS)

WASHINGTON, April 24,

2014It was April 11, 1963, as
the Catholic Church was in the
midst of the Second Vatican Council, that St. John XXIII issued his
landmark social encyclical Pacem
in Terris (Peace on Earth) that
included a call for a verifiable ban
on nuclear weapons.
More than 50 years later, the
Holy See continues to make the
moral case for nuclear disarmament. The Vaticans most recent
public comment came in December at the Vienna Conference
on the Humanitarian Impact of
Nuclear Weapons.
The time has come to embrace
the abolition of nuclear weapons
as an essential foundation of collective security, the Vatican said
in a paper titled Nuclear Disarmament: Time for Abolition

delivered to the conference.

In it, the church held firm to
its stance that any use of nuclear
weapons was immoral and argued
that the time has come to abandon
nuclear deterrence -- the principle
that such weapons might be used
and that they exist to deter another
country from using them. Previously, the Vatican conditionally
accepted deterrence as a step on
the way toward progressive disarmament.
But that has not happened, and
Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the
Vaticans permanent observer to
the United Nations, is likely to
reiterate its call for total nuclear
disarmament during the monthlong Non-Proliferation Treaty
Review Conference opening at
the United Nations April 27.
(CNS)

Bishop: Boko Haram is spreading to Cameroon

while the world looks the other way
ABUJA, Nigeria, April 24, 2015A bishop
in Cameroon has sent out an urgent message
that the militant Islamist group Boko Haram
is increasingly spreading into his country--but
that media around the world are paying no
attention.
In a memorandum made available to the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church
in Need, Bishop Bruno Ateba of the Diocese
of Maroua-Mokolo lamented that the violence
perpetrated in northern Cameroon by Boko
Haram has not drawn significant international
attention.
What happened in Paris during the attacks
there is something we experience here every
day, he said, referencing the January massacre
at a Franch satirical newspaper by Muslim
extremists, and yet nobody in the world says
anything about it.
Instead, the attention of the world is focused
above all on the Middle East, the prelate said.
Boko Haram, which means Western education is sinful, launched an uprising in2009 in
an effort to impose sharia law on Nigeria. More
than 6,000 people have died in Boko Haram-led
violence in the country, according to Human
Rights Watch.
In 2014, Boko Haram became known
worldwide when members kidnapped nearly
300 girls from a school in Borno State. Last
month, the group pledged its allegiance to
ISIS--also known as the Islamic State--which
launched a bloody campaign in Iraq and Syria
last summer.
But while the world turns its focus to the
Middle East, Boko Haram is infiltrating parts
of Cameroon, Bishop Ateba warned.
The bishop said that in his diocese alone,
since the last quarter of 2014, two senior diocesan staff, three catechists and more than 30
faithful have been murdered, and there have
been numerous abductions.
He also said that numerous mosques have
been burnt down and imams have had their
throats cut, because they refused to obey the
orders of Boko Haram.
Since as early as December 2013, the native
Muslim community within Cameroon has
adopted an increasingly clear stance against
Boko Haram, he explained, and Muslims have

CBCP Monitor

Pope Francis met April 17 with Laurent Stefanini, the openly gay
foreign service officer named by France to be ambassador to the
Vatican. News of the private audience, which was kept strictly
confidential, was reported April 22 by the French magazine Le
Canard Enchain, although the magazine said that the meeting
took place April 18. A source from the Vatican Secretariat of State
told CNA that the meeting actually took place in the late evening
of April 17, and confirmed that it lasted about 15 minutes. The
case of the French ambassador-elect to the Holy See has sparked
controversy and media frenzy in parts of Europe. Laurent Stefanini describes himself as both gay and a self-proclaimed devout
Catholic, who regularly attends Mass. (CNA)

Men and women complete each other theres no other option, Pope says

Pope Francis said April 22 that marriage is a vocation all believers

are called to defend, specifically in terms of the complementarity of the union between a man and a woman. In the account of
creation, man appears for a moment without woman, free and
master, but he is alone, he feels alone, the Pope told attendees
of his April 22 general audience. God himself recognizes that
this reality is not good, that there is a lack of fullness and of communion, and because of this decided to create woman, Francis
said, explaining that when the woman is finally presented to the
man, the man recognizes that only this creature, and only she,
is part of him. (CNA)

Pope to visit Cuba before US

Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. confirmed to journalists on April 22 that Pope Francis will make a pastoral stop in
Cuba ahead of his September apostolic voyage to the United States.
In an official statement released shortly after, the spokesman said:
I am able to confirm that the Holy Father Francis, having received
and accepted the invitation from the civil authorities and bishops
of Cuba, has decided to pay a visit to the island before his arrival in
the United States. Although the details of the stop have not been
released, it is expected that Pope Francis will meet with Cuban
authorities. He is not expected to meet with Cuban president Raul
Castro, according to a Vatican source. (CNA)

No boring homilies, pope tells new priests at ordination

Ordaining 19 men to the priesthood, Pope Francis not only told

them to make sure their homilies were not boring, but he offered
them advice on how to ensure their preaching would touch people:
speak from your heart. Priests are called to nourish the faithful, he
said, so they must ensure that your homilies are not boring, that
your homilies arrive directly in peoples hearts because they flow
from your heart, because what you tell them is what you have in
your heart. Celebrating the Mass April 26, the World Day of Prayer
for Vocations, Pope Francis planned to use the set homily given in
the ritual book for priestly ordinations; but as he has done in the
past, he added his own reflections as well, including his homily tips.
The prepared homily speaks of the effectiveness of a holy priests
example. The pope added, examples edify, but words without
examples are empty words, they are just ideas that never reach
the heart and, in fact, they can harm. They are no good! (CNS)

Italians arrest suspected terrorists; Vatican says no current threat

Italian police arrested at least nine people in what officials described as a terrorist cell that had planned, in 2010, to strike at
the Vatican with a suicide bomber. A few hours after the police in
Cagliari announced the arrests, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi,
Vatican spokesman, said the planned attack on the Vatican was
a hypothesis going back to 2010, one which did not take place.
The threat did not appear to be ongoing, he said, therefore it was
not a reason for particular concern. DIGOS, the Italian police
division that investigates terrorism and organized crime, arrested
eight Pakistanis and an Afghani in seven Italian provinces April
24. They were still looking for three more suspects. Mauro Mura,
chief prosecutor in Cagliari, told reporters that DIGOS agents
had arrested the spiritual leader of the terrorist cell, which was
believed to have ties to al-Qaida. (CNS)

Pope accepts resignation of Bishop Robert W. Finn

Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph has resigned,

nearly two and a half years after being the first U.S. bishop convicted of a misdemeanor in failing to report suspected child abuse
by a priest in his diocese. The Vatican confirmed Pope Francis
acceptance of Bishop Finns resignation according to Canon 104
Article 2 in the Code of Canon Law in an April 21 statement.
Article 2 of Canon 104, according to the Vaticans website, refers
to a situation when a diocesan bishop who has become less able
to fulfil his office because of ill health or some other grave cause
is earnestly requested to present his resignation from office.
Finns resignation will take effect immediately, and although he
will still be a bishop, he will no longer lead a diocese. It is up to
Pope Francis to choose his successor. (CNA)

Pope on ISIS killings: Blood of Ethiopian Christians cries out to be heard

Children in the diocese of Maroua-Mokolo, Cameroon, which faces threats from Boko Haram. AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

often come to the aid of Christians threatened

by the terror group that is sowing panic in
northern Cameroon.
Just as it does in Nigeria, Boko Haram also
recruits children in Cameroon, ages 5-15,
enticing them with financial benefits for their
families or simply abducting them by force,
the bishop reported. This year alone, he said,
no fewer than 2000 Cameroonian children and
adolescents have been seized by Boko Haram-including a number of girls.
The infrastructure of the affected region
already one of the poorest in Cameroon--has
been severely damaged. According to Bishop
Ateba, the terror attacks have caused the closure
of more than 110 schools and 13 health centers,
while many police stations have been destroyed.
The Diocese of Maroua-Mokolo is today
home to more than 55,000 displaced Cameroonians as well as refugees from Nigeria, he

added. Many have sought shelter with friends

and relatives, but more than 22,000 are still
hiding in the bush.
The situation is particularly bad in the community of Amchid, where a series of attacks by
Boko Haram have caused the entire population
to flee, the bishop explained. As a result, the
pastoral activities in the area have come to a
complete standstill. The chapel has been burned
down and, according to eyewitness reports,
there are human skulls lying in the streets.
Praising the courage of the faithful who continue to gather for prayer despite the dangerous
situation, Bishop Ateba also addressed world
leaders with a plea: Today we beseech your
attention, your prayers and your help.
Help us to bring an end to this nameless
brutality that is destroying all hope for the future and bringing to nothing all the hard work
of generations of believers. (CNA)

Pope Francis voiced his distress at the news of a reported mass execution of Ethiopian Christians in Libya at the hands of ISIS, pleading
that their deaths may not go ignored. The blood of our Christian
brothers and sisters is a testimony which cries out to be heard by
everyone who can still distinguish between good and evil. All the
more this cry must be heard by those who have the destiny of peoples
in their hands. In a message to Abuna Matthias, patriarch of the
Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church, the Pope offered heartfelt
condolences and an embrace of peace in Christ Our Lord. With
great distress and sadness I learn of the further shocking violence
perpetrated against innocent Christians in Libya, the Pope said.
I know that Your Holiness is suffering deeply in heart and mind
at the sight of your faithful children being killed for the sole reason
that they are followers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (CNA)

Pope urges those guilty of brutality in Kenya to come to their senses

Pope Francis mourned the deaths of all those killed in extremist

and ethnic violence in Kenya, and admonished the perpetrators
to come to their senses and seek mercy. Meeting the Kenyan
bishops April 16 during their ad limina visits to the Vatican, the
pope urged the bishops to step up efforts with other Christians and
other faiths to promote peace, dialogue and justice. In this way you
will be able to offer a more unified and courageous denunciation
of all violence, especially that committed in the name of God, he
said a written message to the bishops. The bishops meeting at the
Vatican to report on the state of their dioceses came just two weeks
after an attack by the Somalia-based al-Shabab militants on Garissa
University College left nearly 150 people dead. (CNS)

CBCP Monitor

NEWS FEATURES A3

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

Pope Francis meets with Pope Francis offers prayers for victims
gay French ambassador of massive Nepal earthquake
nominee

St. Peters Basilica in Rome CNA

VATICAN City, Apr 24, 2015-Pope Francis met April 17 with

Laurent Stefanini, the openly gay
foreign service officer named by
France to be ambassador to the
Vatican.
News of the private audience,
which was kept strictly confidential, was reported April 22 by
the French magazine Le Canard
Enchain, although the magazine
said that the meeting took place
April 18. A source from the Vatican
Secretariat of State told CNA that
the meeting actually took place in
the late evening of April 17, and
confirmed that it lasted about 15
minutes.
The case of the French ambassador-elect to the Holy See has
sparked controversy and media
frenzy in parts of Europe.
At the beginning of April,
French media spread the news that
the Franois Hollande administration had chosen Laurent Stefanini
to be the new French ambassador
to the Holy See January 5, but that
the Vatican has not responded yet
to the request for accreditation of
the new ambassador.
According to diplomatic right,
a State can reject the request for
accreditation of an ambassador,
without giving any explanation
about the reasons why. A State
can even decide not to give a
response at all to the request for
accreditation of the new ambassador, and the lack of response is
understood as a soft rejection of
the appointment.
In order to receive Holy See
diplomatic approval, ambassadors
appointed to the Holy See must
meet certain prerequisites and
must behave in accordance with
Church teaching. For example, an
ambassador to the Holy See cannot
be a divorced and civilly remarried person or someone living an
actively gay lifestyle.
Laurent Stefanini describes
himself as both gay and a selfproclaimed devout Catholic, who
regularly attends Mass.
A source who serves in the Holy

See diplomacy explained to CNA

Apr. 21 that it should be well understood why the Vatican delayed
to give the approval to the appointment, but we can certainly assess
that it was not for discrimination
about his sexual orientation.
As a matter of fact, the dossier
of Stefanini lies in the Vatican
Secretariat of State, which is the
only Vatican body that may know
in depth the reasons for the delay.
The Secretariat of State is not issuing comments, as diplomatic
procedures require discretion in
relations among States.
According to the Italian daily
news portal Vatican Insider,
Archbishop Luigi Ventura, apostolic nuncio to France, invited
Stefanini for a meeting in the
Nunciature, February 5. During
the meeting, Archbishop Ventura
would have asked Stefanini to step
down, but he had refused to do so.
As the Vatican delayed its response, news of the missed approval broke at the beginning of
April, and secular media started
pressuring the Holy See on the
issue.
Withholding approval would
not be unprecedented. In 2007,
the Holy See did not give diplomatic approval to the appointment
of Jean Loup Khun-Delforge
as French ambassador. KhunDelforge, who was openly gay, was
cohabiting with his partner and in
support of civil unions.
Stephane Le Foll, a spokesperson
for the French Presidency, confirmed that there was a meeting
between the Pope and Stefanini,
and that nothing has changed:
France has proposed a candidate,
and at the moment we are waiting
for the Vatican response.
Waiting for the final decision, a
Vatican source said to the French
newspaper La Croix that the Vatican message to France is: follow
the procedures. Such procedures
imply silence while the review
process of a proposed ambassador
is ongoing.(Andrea Gagliarducci/
CNA)

HIV-AIDS cases linked to

broken homes

KATHMANDU, Nepal, Apr 25,

2015--Pope Francis is praying for
the victims of a massive earthquake
that shook Nepal and surrounding areas in Kathmandu Valley on
Saturday morning, according to a
report from Vatican Radio.
The earthquake measured a 7.9
on the Richter Scale and wreaked
havoc on the densely populated
area, where officials fear the death
toll could surpass 1,000, and the
number of injured could be more
than 1,700, according to reports
from BBC.
The epicenter of the quake was
80 km northwest of the countrys
capital, Kathmandu, where the
quake toppled a 100-year-old
temple, split roads, and destroyed
houses and buildings.
Tremors could be felt as far
away as New Dehli in India, and
aftershocks continued to shake
the area for hours after the initial
quake.
Vatican Radio spoke with Fr
Pius Perumana, an aid worker from
Caritas Nepal in Kathmandu, who
said emergency workers were still
searching for survivors in the city

QUEZON City, April 15, 2015

An official of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) has linked the booming
cases of Human Immunodeficiency
Virus (HIV) Acquired Immunedeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the
country with the less than ideal
domestic setup prevailing in many
Filipino homes today, lamenting
many persons living with HIVAIDs hail from broken families.
Values formation at home
Many young people these
days have a distorted concept of
sexuality due to the lack of what
we call family values formation,
Fr. Dan Vicente Cancino, MI,
executive secretary of CBCPs Episcopal Commission on Health Care
(ECHC), told Church-run Radio
Veritas in an interview.
Because of this, they were
deprived of a deep parent-child
relationship. The familial ties have
been damaged. It is no wonder that
many of our patients would come
from broken families, dysfunctional families, he explained.

Back to basics
Noting how poor parent-child
relationship tends to influence
the rise in HIV-AIDS incidence
in the predominantly Catholic
Philippines, Cancino called on the
faithful to go back to the basics
family values and prayerin order
to combat the further spread of the
lethal global pandemic.
Lets all go back to the basics:
family values and prayer. Too bad,
many of our people have neglected
their prayer lives. They are only
reminded to pray when they are
suffering from illness. Thats the
time most of them run to the
Lord, he added.
Growing HIV-AIDS population
Based on data from the Department of Health (DOH) National
Epidemiology Center (NEC),
there has been a marked increase
in HIV-AIDS cases nationwide.
In February, DOH-NEC recorded 646 new cases of the contagious disease. (Raymond A. Sebastin/CBCP News with reports
from Roxanne dela Rosa)

Pope Francis bows his head in prayer during the celebration of the Mass in St. Peters
Square, April 5, 2015. LOSSERVATORE ROMANO

Is dialogue with Islam possible? Yes, and its needed

now more than ever, Vatican says
VATICAN City, Apr 22, 2015-Amid continued violence by ISIS and other militant Islamist
groups, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious
Dialogue issued a declaration stressing that
dialogue with Islam must be sought now more
than ever.
The council emphasized that killing in the
name of a religion offends God, but it is also a
defeat for humanity.
The declaration was released April 22, and is
the second of its kind issued by the Pontifical
Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
On Aug. 12, 2014, as the violence of ISIS was
spreading through Iraq, the Pontifical Council
delivered a strongly worded communique to
condemn the self-proclaimed caliphates actions
and to call all religious leaders, especially Muslims, to take a strong stance against violence.
Eight months later, the Pontifical Council
is once again underscoring that believers are
a formidable potential of peace, and so continuing dialogue, even when we experience
persecution, may become a sign of hope.
In the current scenario, we are called to
strengthen fraternity and dialogue, the council
said.

The declaration comes shortly after the latest killings of Ethiopian Christians in Libya by
militants of the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
After the recent events, many people ask
us whether there is still space to dialogue with
Muslims? The answer is: yes, more than ever,
the declaration begins.
Dialogue may be first of all fostered, it says,
because the great majority of Muslims themselves do not identify with the barbarity put
into action.
Unfortunately, the word religion is nowadays often associated with the word violence,
while believers must prove that religions are
called to be bearers of peace and not of violence.
The declaration quotes Benedict XVIs Jan.
9, 2006 speech to the diplomatic corps. Speaking about clashes of civilization and terrorism,
the Pope emeritus affirmed that no situation
can justify such criminal activity, which covers
the perpetrators with infamy, and it is all the
more deplorable when it hides behind religion,
thereby bringing the pure truth of God down
to the level of the terrorists own blindness and
moral perversion.

According to the Pontifical Council for

Interreligious Dialogue, religious discourse in
the public arena is being increasingly radicalized and bears the risk of an increase in hate,
violence, terrorism as well as of the increasing
stigmatization of Muslims and their religion.
The declaration maintains that believers do
not want to impose their vision of the human
being and of history, but they rather want to
propose the respect of differences, the freedom
of thought and religion, the safeguarding of human dignity and the love for truth.
For this reason, the Pontifical Council is
calling for a courageous review of family life
quality, the way religion and history are taught,
(and) the content of preaching in our places
of worship. Family and school are the keys
that may help the world of tomorrow to be
based on reciprocal respect and on fraternity,
the group says.
The declaration ends with a quote by Pope
Francis, who said in Ankara Nov. 28, 2014 that
any violence which seeks religious justification
warrants the strongest condemnation because
the Omnipotent is the God of life and peace.
(Andrea Gagliarducci/CNA/EWTN News)

Jesus makes being human beautiful Cardinal Tagle

QU E ZO N C i t y, Ap r i l 2 3 ,
2015--Everything changed when
God became Man, in fact, Jesus
changed what its like to be human.
Even wounds become beautiful when were with JesusJesus
made being human beautiful, said
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio
Cardinal Tagle during his Easter
recollection on April 19 at the
Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao
Quezon City.
Speaking to an estimated 9,000
people, the prelate called on the
faithful to tell the world how Jesus had made their personal lives
beautiful.
Spreading beauty
Do you know someone who is
enveloped by fear? Sing to him of
Jesus. Tell him that Jesus is real. Tell
him about the beautiful things he
has done in your life, he added.
According to Tagle, this beauty
of Jesus that changes lives should
be shared to as many people as
possible.
In a world of negativity, let us
point to the beautiful. Let it be our
mission, the prelate stressed.

Fr. Dan Vicente Cancino, MI, executive secretary of CBCPs Episcopal Commission on
Health Care ECHC

where many of the tightly-packed

houses have collapsed.
I managed to reach Kathmandu, though the roads were
blockedthey are still searching
for survivors. The reports are still
coming inThe picture is not very
clear, he said.
The toppled Dharahara Tower is
a national monument built in the
1800s by Nepalese royalty. At least
50 people are feared trapped inside
the collapsed structure, according
to officials.
The quake is also reported to
have caused avalanches in the
Mount Everest region of the Himalayas at the peak of climbing
season. At least 8 people were killed
in the resulting avalanches, and
more are still missing.
There are also reports of damages to the airport in Kathmandu,
which could hinder initial relief
efforts.
This is the second-worst earthquake in Nepal since 1934, when
an 8.0 magnitude earthquake all
but destroyed the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.
(CNA/EWTN News)

Not an easy life

According to Tagle, living out
this beauty of the Christian life,
however, should not be equated
with a life free of difficulties.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle (File photo)

[Jesus] did not a promise an

easy lifeHe did not promise [a]
smooth and successful mission. In
fact, he told them, he is sending
[the disciples] as sheep in the midst
of wolves. But he made a promise:
I will be with you till the end of
time, the prelate explained.

Tagle added: This promise

assured the disciples then even
when they were brought to court
and put to death. They became
courageous because they knew
Jesus is Emmanuel forever: God
is with us.
In closing one of his reflections

that day, he said ultimately, only

love conquers fear and believing in
Jesus presence is the key to deepening ones faith.
The prelates yearly Easter recollection is made possible by Jesuit
Communications. (Nirvaana Ella
Delacruz/CBCPNews)

Sto. Nio de Tacloban tours Yolanda-hit barangays

TACLOBAN City, April 25, 2015 - The
Nio continues to draw the faithful in
Tacloban.
Parishioners and devotees of the Seor Sto.
Nio de Tacloban need not visit the citys
patron because it is currently on pilgrimage to
typhoon-hit barangays, offices and schools under the parish jurisdiction as a pre-fiesta event,
a tradition that has been observed for decades.
There are 45 barangays within the parish
which were all hit by typhoon Yolandas storm
surge, which brought 7-foot waves. Many attest to the Seor Sto. Nios particular protection when the super typhoon struck, further
endearing the citys patron to the faithful.
The barangay tour kicked off on April 20
and is set to visit government offices sometime
this May. While in the barangay, the image goes
from home to home as previously arranged by
the barangay leaders. Same rites are done as well.
In June, a few days before the feast day, the

image will stop at various schools.

Child Jesus miracles
According to Becbec Campo, a long time
parish volunteer and a Catholic Womens
League member, the pilgrimage, which has
been a parish custom since the early 1990s,
is one way of bringing the Seor Sto. Nio
de Tacloban closer to parishioners.
Tacloban residents celebrate the feast
of the Seor Sto. Nio on June 30 as it is
believed that it was on this date that the
said miraculous image cured many cholerastriken residents upon its return to the city.
The image previously got lost in a sea
voyage from Manila to Tacloban in 1889
after it was commissioned for restoration,
except for its face, which is of pure ivory.
It is said that there was a cholera outbreak
in Tacloban the day the image got lost at
sea when the ship carrying it caught fire.

Three images
There are three images of the Seor Sto.
Nio de Tacloban that the devotees take care
of: El Capitan (the original miraculous image
reposed on the retablo); El Teniente that is
left in the house of the June fiesta hermano
during the year; and El Sargento that stays
in the house of the hermanito of the feast
in January.
Seor Sto. Nio de Tacloban was also
declared patron of Leyte by a decree issued
on June 1, 1967 by the late Bishop Teotimo
Pacis of the Diocese of Palo.
Msgr. Bernie Pantin, CBCP Assistant
Secretary-General and former pastor of
the Sto. Nio Parish said the Sto. Nios
patronage over Tacloban is also why it visits
all the towns in the province of Leyte and
not only the barangays within the city of
Tacloban. (Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros/
CBCP News)

A4 OPINION

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

THE members of Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic

Congresses that includes the national and local committees that are
tasked to prepare for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress
gathered in Plenary Assembly in Cebu City this April 24-28, 2015.
The Plenary convened around 82 international and local delegates
of bishops, priests, religious and lay from 47 countries.
Foremost in the agenda of this signal gathering was the presentation of the theological and pastoral perspectives that will serve as the
mooring of the forthcoming Eucharistic Congress that will be held
on Jan. 24-31, 2016 in Cebu City. In the previous congress that
was held in Dublin, Ireland in June 2012 the Eucharist was seen as
communion. This time it will be seen as mission.
The Plenary pointed out that the mission of the Church in Asia
has to be undertaken in dialogue with the poor. This is because while
the continent is rich in culture and its people are rich in human
and religious values, a great multitude of them live in situations of
poverty, powerlessness, marginalization, victimization and suffering...
They are poor not because their continent lack natural and material
resources but because they are deprived of access to material goods
and resources... Oppressive and unjust social, economic, and political structures keep them from enjoying the rich natural patrimony
of their lands.
The Holy Eucharist, which according to the theological reflections
of the Plenary Assembly is the Churchs dialogue with the poor
upholds the values that negate the causes of poverty such as selfishness and greed. It calls into question apathy and individualism...
it confronts oppressive totalitarian leaderships that put political and
economic advantages above people...(it) challenges utilitarianism,
consumerism, and materialism that treat the poor and the weak as
commodities and tools...
This theology, however, does not trickle yet into the perspectives
and lives of most of the faithful. Perhaps the greater mission is to
make the Eucharist understood by the greater majority of the faithful,
who are mostly the poor, in the midst of natural or folk religiosity
and fanaticism that blur the Eucharist from where it should be.

Mary, mother of evangelization

WITH the Holy Spirit, Mary is always present in the midst of the
people. She joined the disciples in praying for the coming of the
Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14) and thus made possible the missionary
outburst which took place at Pentecost. She is the Mother of the
Church which evangelizes, and without her we could never truly
understand the spirit of the new evangelization.
On the cross, when Jesus endured in his own flesh the dramatic
encounter of the sin of the world and Gods mercy, he could feel at his
feet the consoling presence of his mother and his friend. At that crucial
moment, before fully accomplishing the work which his Father had
entrusted to him, Jesus said to Mary: Woman, here is your son. Then
he said to his beloved friend: Here is your mother (Jn 19:26-27). These
words of the dying Jesus are not chiefly the expression of his devotion
and concern for his mother; rather, they are a revelatory formula which
manifests the mystery of a special saving mission. Jesus left us his mother
to be our mother. Only after doing so did Jesus know that all was now
finished (Jn 19:28). At the foot of the cross, at the supreme hour of
the new creation, Christ led us to Mary. He brought us to her because
he did not want us to journey without a mother, and our people read
in this maternal image all the mysteries of the Gospel.
The Lord did not want to leave the Church without this icon of
womanhood. Mary, who brought him into the world with great
faith, also accompanies the rest of her offspring, those who keep the
commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus (Rev 12:17).
The close connection between Mary, the Church and each member
of the faithful, based on the fact that each in his or her own way
brings forth Christ, has been beautifully expressed by Blessed Isaac
of Stella: In the inspired Scriptures, what is said in a universal sense
of the virgin mother, the Church, is understood in an individual
sense of the Virgin Mary... In a way, every Christian is also believed
to be a bride of Gods word, a mother of Christ, his daughter and
sister, at once virginal and fruitful... Christ dwelt for nine months
in the tabernacle of Marys womb. He dwells until the end of the
ages in the tabernacle of the Churchs faith. He will dwell forever in
the knowledge and love of each faithful soul.
Mary was able to turn a stable into a home for Jesus, with poor
swaddling clothes and an abundance of love. She is the handmaid of
the Father who sings his praises. She is the friend who is ever concerned
that wine not be lacking in our lives. She is the woman whose heart
was pierced by a sword and who understands all our pain. As mother
of all, she is a sign of hope for peoples suffering the birth pangs of
justice. She is the missionary who draws near to us and accompanies
us throughout life, opening our hearts to faith by her maternal love.
As a true mother, she walks at our side, she shares our struggles and
she constantly surrounds us with Gods love. Through her many titles,
often linked to her shrines, Mary shares the history of each people
which has received the Gospel and she becomes a part of their historic
identity. Many Christian parents ask that their children be baptized
in a Marian shrine, as a sign of their faith in her motherhood which
brings forth new children for God. There, in these many shrines, we
can see how Mary brings together her children who with great effort
come as pilgrims to see her and to be seen by her. Here they find
strength from God to bear the weariness and the suffering in their
lives. As she did with Juan Diego, Mary offers them maternal comfort
and love, and whispers in their ear: Let your heart not be troubled
Am I not here, who am your Mother?
-- Evangelii Gaudium, #284-286

Monitor

Illustration by Bladimer Usi

The Eucharist and the poor

Living Mission
Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

Old Testament
Perspectives on the Poor

Year of the Poor Reflections

MANY books in the Old Testament pay significant attention to
the poor. The book of DEUTERONOMY calls upon the Israelites,
who have the means, to assist
the poor, relieve their burdens,
and seek to combat the causes of
poverty.
The first step in alleviating poverty is for the wealthy to voluntarily
renounce their rights and claims
upon the poor. For example, they
are to take no interest on loans (Dt
23:19-20); periodically, they are to
forgive the poor their debts (15:16); they should release their bonded
servants after six years of service
and give them generous provisions
(15:12-18); part of the harvest is
to be left for the poor (24:17-22).
For Deuteronomy, unmitigated
self-interest is the breeding ground
of communal injustice. Thus, Deuteronomy asks people of means to
act in a manner that runs contrary
to their personal self-interest. Following this godly path assures them
that such magnanimous behavior
will bring them blessings, because

all blessings ultimately come from

God; only then will they prosper
in the land.
The books of the PROPHETS
often accuse people of material
means of subverting the divine
plan. Frequently, they criticize
rulers and judges for their offenses
against the poor. Jeremiah says:
Woe to him who builds his house
by unrighteousness [and] makes
his neighbors work for nothing,
and does not give them their
wages (22:11).
Scathing criticism is leveled
against wealthy land-owners and
creditors who foreclose on simple
peasants who owned some land.
In Israel, this resulted in the concentration of the land in the hands
of a few; it created many landless
farmers.
Micah asserts: Alas
for those who devise wickedness
and covet fields and seize
them; houses and take them away
(2:1-2). The prophets vigorously
denounced such actions and called
for divine judgment upon those
who oppressed the poor.

And Thats The Truth

Most of the statements made

in the Old Testament about the
poor are found in the WISDOM
BOOKS. The book of Proverbs
urges compassion for the poor:
If you close your ear to the cry of
the poor, you yourself will cry out
and not be heard (21:13). Again,
Proverbs sought to motivate people
to compassion by asserting that any
kindness done to the poor is a kindness done to God: Whoever is
kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
and will be repaid in full (19:17).
The Wisdom tradition recognizes that the rich and powerful
are responsible for creating and
perpetuating poverty. While the
Wisdom tradition is balanced
in tracing the various origins of
poverty, it certainly is not neutral
regarding the responsibility of the
rich. Poverty calls for action from
the wealthy to alleviate the burdens
of the poor.
The PSALMS are replete with
references to the poor. They
portray the poor as meek, lowly,
faithful, humble, hopeful, and

righteous. The poor are those who

have surrendered themselves completely to God; this is particularly
evident in the lament psalms (3, 5,
6, 22, 44, 74, 79, 83). Do not let
the downtrodden be put to shame;
let the poor and needy praise your
name (74:21).
These psalms of lament always
conclude with an expression of
full trust in God, because God
is the protector and refuge of
the poor. God even combats
those who would trample on
the rights of the poor. Though
other forces may ultimately fail,
God will always be ready to help
the poor in their needs. To you
they cried, and were saved; in you
they trusted, and were not put
to shame (22:5). Gods poor
ones (anawim) could always rely
on Gods justice and providence;
they believed God ultimately
vindicated the just.
Can society today hear the
profound insights of the Old Testament regarding poverty and those
who cause others to become poor?

Trusting a Pope

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

IN March 2015, Pope Francis emerged as the
most trustworthy pope in a Social Weather
Stations (SWS) survey. Results showed that
87 percent of Filipinos have much trust in
Pope Francis, earning for the pontiff the highest public trust rating in the history of SWS
surveys, surpassing the 72 percent of Pope John
Paul II logged in 1995. And for some obscure
purpose, the report had to mention Pope
Benedicts net trust rating was at 58 percent in
May 2005.
It smacks of a mundane competition. The
survey gives the impression that it was pitting
one pope against another in trustworthiness.
Casually comparing popes as though they
were Hollywood celebrities or ordinary world
leaders reveals a lack of understanding of the
Catholicism, just as speculating on papal elections reveals ignorance of the Holy Spirits par-

ticipation in the affairs of men. Lets just hope

people are discerning enough to see that there
was no selfie yet in 1995, no Facebook, Twitter
or Instagram that made a journalist of every
social media enthusiastand incidentally made
news and photos of Pope Francis reach farther
and faster than at the time of Pope John Paul
IIs visit. Besides, John Paul II came for World
Youth Day, while Francis came to commiserate
with Yolanda victimsdifferent occasions evoke
different reactions. As for Benedict XVIwhy,
he had just buried John Paul II when he got the
58 trust rating! Would we let a survey label a
beloved pope as third placer among the three?
Survey or no survey, popes deserve a 100
percent trust rating. Successors of Peter
are worthy of our trust. I am convinced that
the Holy Spirit always sends a pontiff who is
perfectly suited for our time and need, thus

When in a state of
helplessness

whoever steps up to occupy the shoes of St.

Peter is there for a reason God alone knows.
And we, as believers and avowed followers of
Jesus Christ, would do best by being open to
Gods plan for us, in the same way He was
obedient to the Fathers will. (Do I hear hooting and tooting from the bleachers, Hey what
about the wicked popesmurderers, war freaks,
adulterers, thieves, and power trippers? Yes, my
dears, but thats another story, okay?)
Preoccupied with other concerns and nursing
a budding agnosticism when Pope Paul VI came
to the Philippines in 1970, I couldnt care less.
He came and wentit meant nothing to me.
But after an inexplicable about-face (that in
itself would take volumes to capture and still not
make sense to the uninitiated), I got interested
in John Paul II. As things unfolded, I was to
Amd Thats The Truth / A6

Candidly Speaking
Fr. Roy Cimagala

CBCP

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

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WE should always expect the

possibility for us to fall into some
state of helplessness, not only of
the transitory type but also of
the permanent one. Thats just
being realistic. And upon that
possibility, lets make the necessary preparation, building up the
appropriate attitude, skills and
practices to tackle it.
Theres always hope even in our
worst scenario. And thats because
God never leaves us, but continues
to love and care for us, in spite of
all. He gives us everything we need
to handle this situation.
We should be quick to realize
this truth of our faith, and act accordingly. Lets avoid aggravating
the situation by avoiding falling
into discouragement and depression, a fertile ground for the devil
to tempt us into worse conditions.
The devil obviously wants us to be
alienated as much as possible from

God. Rather, like the prodigal

son, lets return to God asking
for mercy which He readily gives.
God, of course, does not spare
us from falling into some serious, and sometimes insoluble
predicaments. Thats because He
will always respect the limitations
of our nature that can sometimes
lead us to some trouble, and more
so, our own freedom, no matter
how much we misuse and abuse it
and lead us to sin, the worst evil.
And even if personally we have
not sinned or do not seem to deserve a particular burden, we all
suffer just the same as an effect
of all the sins of men, ours and
those of others. We should not be
surprised by this, and waste time
complaining about it.
In fact, it can happen that
those who suffer the most are the
saintly ones who are especially
chosen by God to bear the con-

sequences of the sins of all men.

Those who are more Christ-like
will certainly share more in the
redemptive suffering of Christ.
In a sense, suffering is a blessing,
a privilege.
St. Paul was an example of this
reality. Of course, he suffered not
only to atone for his past sins
that were very serious, but also for
those of others. Once he described
his suffering: Thrice was I beaten
with rods, once I was stoned,
thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night
and a day I was in the depth of the
sea. (2 Cor 11: 25)
In another instance, he talked
about the sting of the flesh that he
suffered to check on his tendency
of falling into pride and vanity.
Lest the greatness of the revelations should exalt me, there was
given me a sting of my flesh, an
angel of Satan, to buffet me. (2
Cor 12: 7)

For sure, the saints are saints

precisely because they have taken
the same path of suffering that
Christ took. Indeed, suffering can
be a clear sign of Gods predilection for us, as it has been with
Christ who suffered the death
on the Cross in obedience to his
Fathers will.
So, if our predicaments and
suffering lead us to a state of helplessness, whether they are physical,
financial, or even moral due to our
sin, we need to adopt the mind
of Christ and the saints and the
other characters in the Gospel
who did all they could to get close
to Christ, asking for help. Christ
certainly listens and knows what
to do. He knows how to convert
evil into good, suffering into glory,
death into life.
We have to have to faith. We
should avoid falling into selfCandidly Speaking / A5

CBCP Monitor

OPINION A5

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

The Church needs

team building
THE Curia and Chancery staff of the Diocese
of Kalookan, led by its Human Resources
Department Head, Fr. Joey Enriquez, had
its team building at Villa Soledad, Bolinao,
Pangasinan and Baguio Cathedral, Baguio
City. Fr. Benedict Cervantes joined the group
to give inspiration.
Team building is defined as the use of
different types of team interventions that
are aimed at enhancing social relations
and clarifying team members roles, solving tasks and interpersonal problems that
affect team functioning. Over time, it has
developed to include achieving results,
meeting goals and accomplishing tasks.
Team building is also a way to have fellowship with co-workers and participate in
other group activities.
In their daily work, church personnel meet
the parishioners who need services such as
sacraments, Masses, obtaining or having
church documents corrected. Thus, the need
for team building, to analyze customer needs,
solve problems, provide members with support, promote continuous improvement, and
share information. What is memorable in our
team building this year is the pilgrimage to
different churches and the visit to Bolinao
Falls, Enchanted Cave, Patar Beach and Lighthouse in Pangasinan. We learned not only the
history of the churches and the dioceses we
visited, but also how beautiful our beloved
Philippines is.
***
First stop was Saint James the Great
Church in Bolinao, which was canonically
erected in 1609 or 406 years ago. In 1985, it
became a parish of the Diocese of Alaminos,
previously under the Diocese of Lingayen.
The Church is designed according to the
high Renaissance style. One feature of the
church is its trefoil arch main door. In front
of the church is a marker stating that the
first Mass on Philippine soil was celebrated
in Bolinao Bay in 1324 by a Franciscan
missionary, Blessed Odorico. However, the
National Historical Institute recognized the
historical records of Limasawa in Southern
Leyte as the venue of the first Mass, held
on March 31, 1521; that it was canonically
erected in 1609 when the Augustinian friars
took over this mission territory, which was

Fr. Wilfredo Samson, SJ

souls; many of us are dead in the

eyes of God.
In our Gospel today, when Jesus
ascended to Heaven, He commanded His disciples to preach the
good news to the whole world. Sad
to say, we are turning our beautiful
world into a huge cemetery as we
hurt and kill each other in many
ways, degrees and forms.
I remember my dream when I
recently visited the Holy Land.
Near the Mount of Olives, where
we saw the wall of Jerusalem from

In Defense of Marriage:
Why is divorce no good?
IF not allowing divorce is something we
should not be proud of, neither should we
be ashamed of it. Lest the Church be misunderstood again for making this stand, let it
be known that it is not a matter of what the
Church will or will not allow. Not permitting
divorce is something that Christ Himself
taught. It is a teaching that is solidly rooted
in the Scriptures (Matthew 19:4-6). Hence,
the Church is duty-bound to reject something
that Christ himself declared unallowable even
when an overwhelming sixty percent (60%) of
our population are for it. The mandate of the
Church is to teach and to safeguard doctrines
and not to change them to suit the preferences
of the populace.
No less than the Family Code of the
Philippines also sees marriage as something
permanent. It states, Marriage is a special
contract of permanent union between a man
and a woman entered into in accordance with
law for the establishment of conjugal and
family life (Title 1, Chapter 1, and Art. 1).
The definition is evidently a testament to the
States recognition of the sanctity and dignity
of marriage that some of our lawmakers today
want to bastardize.
If that is not enough, the 1987 Constitution further mandates the protection of marriage as an institution when it says, Marriage,
as an inviolable social institution, is the foundation of the family and shall be protected by
the State. (Art. XV, Sec. 2)
If our laws very clearly protect marriage as
a lasting and permanent union, it is perplexing why some of our honorable lawmakers
would want to make a mockery out of it. Even
if they argue that it is for the pursuit of ones
rights and freedom to be out of a troubled

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

earlier entrusted by the Spanish colonial government to the Dominican friars in 1594 and
left the place until 1607 due to the vastness
of their mission territories and the scarcity
of their missionary members. The Church
tower of Bolinao measuring seventy-five (75)
feet was then the tallest in Pangasinan, if not
in the entire Northern Luzon. However, an
earthquake in 1788 toppled about half of it.
Then in 1819, the church convent was also
accidentally burned.
***
Our next stop, St. Joseph Cathedral, the
See of the Diocese of Alaminos, which was
erected on January 12, 1985, a suffragan of
the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan. The
current bishop seat is sede vacante because of
the appointment of the current bishop Marlo
Mendoza Peralta as Metropolitan Archbishop
of Nueva Segovia. The current Vicar General
and Cathedral Rector Msgr. Rey Jose Ragudos
helped us not only get our venue but also rescued us in the middle of the night when our
coasters tire ruptured; he sent his staff Noli
with a van to transport some of us from the
town of Aguilar to Villa Soledad.
The construction of the church was supervised by the Recollects and was inaugurated
in 1857 or 158 years ago. It is made of brick,
which is manufactured in the same town;
the cathedral is spacious, majestic and wellproportioned and has an equally stable belfry
made of bricks.
***
On to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the
Atonement, best known as Baguio Cathedral.
Our very generous host, Bishop Most Rev.
Carlito Cenzon, CICM and Chancellor and
Cathedral Rector Fr. Manny Flores, provided
us food and accommodations. He toured us
to different offices of the Diocese, the priests
retirement house, the radio station.
The parish started in 1907 or 108 years
ago. It was originally erected as Apostolic
Prefecture of Mountain Province in 1932,
elevated as Apostolic Vicariate in 1945.
The Vicariate was subdivided in 1992 into
Apostolic Vicariates of Bontoc-Lagawe and
Tabuk and had its new name, Apostolic
Vicariate of Baguio. In 2004, it became a
Diocese, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of
Nueva Segovia. The church construction

Pitik-Bulag
MANY months ago, I dreamed
that God brought me to a huge
lonely cemetery. What struck me
was the serenity of the place. And
surprisingly, I didnt feel the usual
eeriness of the cemetery. Then God
said to me, Preach the Gospel
here.
Dreams are usually messages
embedded in symbols and feelings.
It dawned on me that God wanted
me to preach the Good News to the
whole world. I guess, the cemetery
symbolizes the sad state of our

Duc In Altum
on top on the hill was made possible by
the Belgian missionaries from Congregatio
Immaculati Cordis Mariae (CICM). It is the
first church in the world dedicated to Our
Lady of the Atonement. The Cathedral has
a pink exterior, twin spires, and stained glass
windows, with bells imported from Belgium.
It stands as a symbol of faith of the Cordilleras. It is an affiliate of Papal Basilica of Santa
Maria Maggiore in Rome.
***
Last stop was the Shrine of Our Lady of
the Rosary of Manaoag. It is a 17th-century
ivory image of the Virgin Mary with the
Child Jesus enshrined in a bullet-proof glass
enclosure above the new high altar, has additional wood carvings, an elevated pedestal,
and four golden candelabras. The bas-relief,
made of narra carvings beneath Our Ladys
throne, beautifully depicts the historic events
in the devotion to Our Lady. The image was
brought to the Philippines in the early 17th
century from Spain via the Manila galleon
from Acapulco. Supposedly miraculous, it is
invoked as patroness of the sick, the helpless and the needy. It is administered by the
Order of Preachers within the Archdiocese
of Lingayen-Dagupan. It celebrates two feast
days: the third Wednesday after Easter, and
the first Sunday of October (as Our Lady of
the Most Holy Rosary). The construction of
the church began in 1882 or 133 years ago
and completed in 1911, while the retablo
(altar) was completed in 1931. Spiritual
administration of the Shrine in perpetuity
was given to the Dominican Order by the
Holy See in 1925. The image was canonically
crowned in 1926, which means that the Holy
See officially recognized and proclaimed that
the Lady of Manaoag had granted favors
and blessings to her devotees through the
centuries.
***
We wish Fr. Alberto Cahilig, OMI, a
Happy Sacerdotal Anniversary. We also wish
Fr. Mariano Jun Bartolome and Fr. Oscar
Lucas, OMI, a very Happy Birthday, all from
the Diocese of Kalookan. Same birthday
greetings go to my brother-in-law Roberto
Imperial, better half of my sister Flordeliza
Imperial, and my cousin Carmelita Milette
Santos.

Preach the Gospel to the

Cemeteries
a vantage point, our guide showed
us a beautiful cemetery. Our tour
guide told us it is the most expensive cemetery in Jerusalem, for it
is near the wall of Jerusalem. The
locals believe that those buried
in this cemetery will be the first
one to resurrect when Jesus comes
back for His second coming. This
is quite interesting.
But I believe that those who
are good and righteous people are
luckier than those buried in that
cemetery. I believe that they will

be the first to experience the gift

of life and resurrection when Jesus
will come again to judge the living
and the dead. For they are closer to
the heart of Jesus.
Am I closer to His heart? Or am
I part of the cemetery of the living?
All of us are called to preach the
Good News of God, especially to
those who are dead in their faith.
We are called to visit and preach
to the cemeteries of our place.
For many of us are alive and yet
dead inside.

Collection Box

Fr. Jerome Secillano, MPA

union, there are provisions, both in Church

and State laws, which guarantee such.
Now, if the declaration of the nullity of
marriage, legal separation and annulment are
unpopular with couples that are on verge of
separation because they take a long time, are
costly and burdensome, then why dont our
lawmakers simply pass a law that will reform
the process instead of favoring divorce that is
purportedly destructive? Pope Francis moved
along these lines when he instructed a group
of canon lawyers to make the Churchs declaration of marriage nullity accessible even
to poor people.
Writing against divorce, David Hume,
in his essay entitled Of Polygamy and Divorces, claimed that if spouses know they
can divorce at will and seek their marital
bliss with another partner, the relationship
dynamics within marriage would be radically altered in a manner that diminishes
marital stability and marital happiness.
With no sense of obligation to stick together through thick and thin, they would
be less inclined to work together to iron out
their differences and keep their conjugal
relationship alive.
For Hume, the secret to happy marriages
involves the principles of freedom and constraint. He said, The heart of man naturally
delights in liberty, but it also naturally submits to necessity. They seem to contradict
each other but Hume explained, What is
man but a heap of contradictions.
One has to understand that marriage does
not magically work by itself. Couples have
to work on their marriage. Failures do occur
but the Church sticks to her belief that a valid
marriage may never be invalidated through a

bill of divorce. For the Church, the declaration of the nullity of marriage is the only way
for couples to formalize their separation. With
this, there is no marriage to speak of because
from the very start, the marriage is null
and void. With legal separation, the bond of
marriage between couples remains. They are
physically separated but they are still technically married to each other. Annulment
applies to a marriage that is considered valid,
but there are grounds to nullify it as provided
in Article 45 of the Family Code.
It feels weird to be writing about how
couples should separate (at least legally),
when we should be talking about saving
troubled marriages. We have to discuss them,
though, especially since divorce is looming in
the horizon. As essentially established, the
no-divorce-option in marriage is something
that binds spouses together through strong
social and legal obligations and gives them
permanent incentives to sustain and deepen
their mutual friendship and love.
For some, who cannot offer a substantial
criticism of the Churchs stand in defense of
marriage, the position of the Church may be
archaic or medieval in approach. For claritys
sake though, not all things from the past are
bad in much the same way that not all products of modernity are good.
In an interview with Newsweek, Linda J.
Waite believes that divorce is a public health
threat: Anything we could do to help couples
build strong marriages and avoid divorce
would be like helping them avoid a terrible
acute illness.
All things considered, the Scriptures still
give us the most valuable insight in defending marriage

Candidly Speaking / A4

pity, fear, shame, etc. In spite of

our helplessness due to our sin,
our being children of God never
disappears. God as a father will
always do everything to bring us
back to Him.
We need to have the trust of
little children to their parents to

whom they can show anything,

no matter how ugly or shameful.
They know that their parents will
always help them, even if they,
the little children, are totally at
fault. There might be some pain
involved, but help and relief will
always be on the way, and fast,

without wasting time.

All we have to do is to make an
act of contrition, and if need be, to
go to confession, which is actually
very much recommended, especially if grave sins are involved. We
should not unduly agonize over
this matter, going through all sorts

of heart-wrenching dramatics.
God is a father to us all. We are
all brothers and sisters. We may
have problems with one another
and even with our own selves, but
we will continue to be a family. In
fact, the family of an ever loving
and merciful Father!

By the Roadside
Rev. Eutiquio Euly Belizar, Jr., SThD

Your fate sounds familiar: A Catholic priest reflects on Jeremiah 20:7-13

I ONCE watched, fascinated, an interview of a man who looked and even
sounded eerily like the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. No, Im not
speaking of Willie Nepomuceno. Im speaking of a relatively unknown
man named Jesus Quevenco, FMs real double who actually took his place
on certain occasions before and during the latters incumbency when the
real McCoy could not personally attend to some official acts. As a double,
Quevenco did not always have to deliver speeches nor utter a word every
time he put in an appearance; apparently even his mere presence or a
wave of his hand could satisfy the crowds or supporters who were not
in the know. Of course, FMs double only looked and sounded like the
man; his life and fate were entirely a different matter. In fact, the double
died only recently and in a quite uneventful fashion.
On the other hand, when we consider the fate of Jeremiah the prophet
as Christians it is impossible to miss its familiar ring. Nobody would
perhaps be able to tell us how he looked like but Jeremiah reminds us of
what the Savior himself would go through: from complete submission
to the divine will to his peoples rejection of him to the crucifixion and
also to victory and exaltation through the resurrection.
But let us look into the evidence for ourselves.
A Willing Victim of Divine Seduction. St. Augustine once called God
Beauty ever ancient, Beauty ever new. He must have known something
of God that Jeremiah the prophet speaks of in a different language.
Jeremiah complains that the irresistibility of the Beauty ever ancient,
ever new has made him prey, and he is not exactly an unwilling victim.
Lord God, you have seduced me and I let myself be seduced. You have
taken me by force and prevailed (v. 7). We are all in awe at beauty wherever we see it, be it in a woman, a Manila sunset, a love story, a heroic
sacrifice of dying for others, etc. But the prophet indirectly reminds us
all these are just glimpses (sulyap ng Iyong kagandahan, a song croons
to the Divine One within our hearing) of the beauty of God that has
the ability to seduce anyone, even the fiercely celibate Jeremiah. There
has always been a mania for youth and beauty since time immemorial
among us human beings. Jeremiah indirectly asks us whether or not we
have found the right source of beauty that is irresistible and undying.
When we allow Him to seduce us we may not exactly scoff at all beauty
pageants as cheap passing shadows but we will find the key to the pageant
that spells salvation.
Gods Company Brings Human Derision and Suffering. Being in the
graces of a powerful person often brings with it a lot of perks and privileges. Just imagine being a friend of the president (kaibigan, kabarilan,
kaklase), and I mean our current president. We have seen how he is
prepared even to sacrifice his own popularity to save or preserve many
a friend otherwise rejected by the public whom he ironically calls my
bosses because of their connection to corruption or wrongdoing. Even
now a number of them still enjoy the presidents protection, defense and
preservation. As far as God is concerned, though, and this the prophet
Jeremiah bewails, it is the exact opposite. Close association with Him
makes the prophet the laughing stock from morning till night and
that they all make fun of me (v. 7). It is no different in our time. Try
speaking for the sanctity of human life and the wisdom of natural family
planning instead of contraception, and you will gain enemies even from
among friends. Try speaking against divorce to the majority of Filipinos
who are in favor of it becoming a law and you will be called names,
including obsolete or Damaso or a moral terrorist or worse. A
Catholic theology teacher who affirmed traditional marriage as against
same-sex marriages was even dismissed by a Catholic school in America
where she was teaching. Thank God, her own bishop reinstated her and
pointed to her heroism. Try being incorrupt in government office and
you will be called walang pakikisama (incapable of solidarity), if you
are not dumped to a lower position.
Proclaiming Gods Word is Unstoppable. In a strikingly honest confession, the prophet admits to having decided to forget about the Lord God
and speak no more in his name (v. 9). It is a natural reaction of someone
who, in speaking of Gods saving intentions, is met with rejection and
insult. As Tagalogs would put it, Bakit ko pa pahihirapan ang sarili ko?
(Why would I further subject myself to torture)? Jeremiah seems to be
submitting to God his irrevocable resignation. Unfortunately, even if God
does not say a word of protest, his Word, on the other hand, does the
action on its own. Again, Jeremiahs account is startling: But his word in
my heart is like a fire imprisoned in my bones. I force myself to hold it
in, but that is impossible (v. 9). The life of the late Archbishop Romero
provides us a contemporary case in point. He was a very conservative
Churchman who preached and practiced proper decorum expected of
him in politically and socially turbulent El Salvador. In a number of times
he was silent about the deplorable conditions of human rights violations
and assassinations perpetrated by government forces against its enemies.
But he could not hold the Word of God in him in for a long time.
After personally witnessing and experiencing horrific abuses, he finally
decided to speak out against these evils perpetrated by powerful people;
there was no stopping him even after his death. The reason is that Gods
Word speaks not only of mercy and compassion but also of justice and
recrimination against those who blatantly violate it.
Opposition to Gods Word and its Messenger is Equally Strong. I beg
your pardon, a song in the sixties once opened its serenade, I never
promised you a rose garden along with the sunshine./ Theres got to be
a little rain sometimes. No matter how much we long and work for
Paradise on earth, there are always reminders of the dumps instead. The
reason is that it is NOT in the nature of Gods Word to conform its values
to those of the people we proclaim it to. This is why opposition is always
present. Jeremiah shares with us his readers his own experience of this
opposition, complete with the dramatic concreteness of an eyewitness: I
hear many whispering against me: Terror on every side! Denounce him!
Yes, denounce him!(v. 10). Think of Jesus whose enemies were always
plotting to have him put to death. Jeremiahs experience mirrors that.
The prophet even shares a bittersweet component: some of his friends
becoming his enemies. Those who were my friends watch me to see if I
will slip: Perhaps he will be deceived: then we will get the better of him
and have our revenge (v. 10). One thing we can say about Judas, Peter
and other disciples of Jesus who betrayed him is that they were hardly
original. And yet, if even Jesus was betrayed by a close friend, does this not
forewarn us, as it should, of our common destiny? To put it mildly, why
should we seek to be exempted? The martyrdom of Lorenzo Ruiz and his
companions was witnessed and recorded by a Jesuit who renounced his
being a Christian and a Jesuit; ironically, if he did not survive we might
not have known about the heroic martyrdom.
Gods Word Triumphs in the end: Mirroring the Resurrection? As
though looking forward to another person who would go through a
similar fate, Jeremiah cites a twist in his story of rejection, suffering and
violent opposition: Gods presence and protection. But the Lord God, a
mighty warrior, is with me. My persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will yet fail; covered in confusion (v. 11). Jeremiahs statement
of unwavering faith anticipates the unwavering, enduring faithfulness of
Jesus on Calvary. After complaining, Eli, Eli, lama sabactani (My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?, Jesus nonetheless says, Father,
into your hands I commend my spirit. Small wonder then that he is
not conquered by death; rather he conquers death. The living proof is
his Resurrection on the third day. The real enemies of Jesus and ours,
as Paul the Apostle reminds us, are unseen, that is, the principalities
and powers. It is they who stumbled and did not prevail, ending in
failure and confusion because they discovered, to their horror, that
they were up against not a human being but Gods Son whose Father
had never abandoned him. In the scene of the death of Jesus in Passion
of the Christ, the devil in the form of a transvestite man screams out
his horror at the realization that the death of Gods Son is actually the
ultimate victory of his self-sacrificing love that never wavered in obedience to the Father right to the bitter end. The bitterness ended. Only the
glory and joy of the Resurrection remained.

A6 LOCAL NEWS

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

Tagle to priests, religious:

Embrace mission, not position
ROME, Italy - Archbishop Luis Antonio
Cardinal Tagle, spoke during an international
meeting on the Churchs teachings on missionary activity, where he reminded the clergy
and the religious to seek their true mission and
make it the priority of all pastoral activities.
Speaking to hundreds of participants from
different universities in Rome and from other
countries, he said mission is not choosing where
they want to go, but going where they are being
sent, not out of their convenience, honor and
fame, but out of mission.
The prelate reiterated that ordained life is
embracing mission and not position and that
the motivation of those to be ordained is not the
status that they will receive but the mission that
they will take part of. We must be formed in
the missionary heart of Jesus, he said during the
International Convention on 50th anniversary
of Vatican II decree Ad Gentes held at the
Urbaniana University in Rome on April 23.
Digital migrant
Calling himself as a digital migrant, Tagle
also tackled the task of evangelization in the
digital world, which challenges the Church
to use modern means of spreading the Gospel

but without losing its message.

He also said that the call for new evangelization takes into consideration evolving cultures
influenced by new media.
People nowadays can stay in front of
their computers, in front of the internet for
hours. The problem is they do not understand
us anymore, he said.
There are two movements in the mission,
according to him. First, he said, is the Church
being sent to the worlds and the worlds that
come to the Church.
Mission of encounter
In other words, he said, missionaries must
not just be ready of being sent to the worlds but
also be prepared and well equipped in receiving
these worlds which come to them.
Tagle also pointed out the importance of
carrying out the mission through a personal
relationship.
He said real mission comes in the person-toperson relationship, and does not only depend
on the budget.
A smile costs nothing, said Tagle.
Smile to the people you encounter in the
bus talk to them.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle FILE PHOTO

The Manila archbishops talk on Bishops and

clerics: Addresses missionaries in the formation
and in the pastoral activities was more than
25 minutes long and interrupted by applause
several times. (Francis Dominic Vergara/
CBCPNews)

Marriage / A1

`Jaro recently signed an agreement

with the provincial government of
Iloilo, requiring couples getting
married, families of the departed,
as well as parents and guardians
of candidates for baptism to plant
trees ahead of their desired Catholic rite, according to a press release
from Iloilos Provincial Information Office (PIO).
Prior to the signing of this
agreement, some of our priests are
already requiring marrying couples
to plant trees before their wedding, shared Msgr. Higinio C. Velarde, representing Jaro Archbishop
Angel N. Lagdameo in the signing
of the Memorandum of Agreement
(MOA) held on April 22, along
with Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor
Sr and Director Jim Sampulna of
the Department of Environment

and Natural Resources (DENR)

Western Visayas.
Important move
He may not be here with us
today but this is very important for
the archbishop, the priest reportedly added, alluding to the MOA.
After Yolanda uprooted thousands
of trees in the province, including
many century-old ones, with affected
areas needing immediate reforestation, Velarde acknowledged the
threats the effects of climate change
poses, calling on the Iloilo faithful to
act now before it is too late.
Once fully enforced, Iloilo Catholics who want to marry, have
someone baptized or buried will be
asked to plant trees in designated
areas in each municipality to be
called Tree Park of Life.

Sustainability
Defensor stressed there will be
implementing rules and regulation as to the number of trees to
be planted.
This MOA is still subject for
review and ratification by the
Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Before
we finalize everything, we have
to make sure that everything is
provided by the law, he explained.
He added that a provincial ordinance may be necessary to ensure
the sustainability of the projects
provided under the MOA. .
You know how important tree
is. Mankind has invented a lot of
things but none has created a tree.
Only God can. If will abuse and
disregard our environment, nothing will be left for the future, said
Defensor.

Greening program
For Sampulna, the partnership backs the governments
National Greening Program for
poverty reduction, food security,
biodiversity conservation, and
climate change mitigation and
adaptation.
I am really thankful that the
province and the Church are
supporting us in our mission to
increase the forest cover of the
region. I also hope that everybody
will cooperate so we can achieve
great things for all, he said.
He added that growing trees is
for the protection and conservation
of the environment and a legacy for
the present and future generations.
(Raymond A. Sebastin/CBCP
News with reports from Jezza A.
Nepomoceno)

Mindoro / A1

of passion to protect our lands and mountains

against corporate greed, pursued in collusion
with our own government, he added.
Bribery, deception
Despite the deceptive strategies and bribery
Intex allegedly employs in its desire to start its
mining operation, the priest, however, expresses
confidence that it will never win, certain that
Mindoreos will continue to heroically stand
their ground to save and protect the island from
environmental degradation.
In November 2009, the people of Mindoro
celebrated when the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) temporarily revoked Intexs ECC due to anomalies
relating to the companys acquisition of the

said certificate.
For more than a decade, Mindoreos succeeded in thwarting Intexs plan to set up shop
on the island.
Favoring big business
In their collective statement, CBCP-NASSA,
ATM, and ALAMIN explained the situation was reversed only when the Aquino administration chose
corporate capitalist interest over peoples lives and
the environment in reinstating the revoked ECC.
The people of Mindoro are now in rage
because of this very unfortunate event. Intexs
ECC reinstatement is a symbol of the Office
of the President and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)s
undeniable betrayal of the Mindoreos welfare

and trust, said Jeff Rafa of ALAMIN, an antimining peoples organization based in the island.
Invalid
Meanwhile, Jaybee Garganera, national coordinator of ATM, a coalition of more than a
hundred environmental advocates, called on the
Office of the President and DENR to revoke
the reinstatement of Intexs ECC, stressing what
they did is invalid and contrary to the position
of the local government as well as of the affected
communities.
He stated further that both Malacaang and
DENR must feel ashamed for putting corporate business interest above the best interest of
Mindoreos and the environment. (Raymond
A. Sebastin/CBCP News)

Survivors / A1

Drawing on reliable information, the prelate bemoans that

sales of beer and other alcoholic
beverages doubled in the calamityhit communities just months after
Yolanda and Ruby .
He also deplores the notable
decrease in farm harvests resulting
from a lack of interest in farming.
Gambling, cockfighting
Gambling, especially cockfighting, both legal and illegal,
has registered more occurrences in
our communities. Even fishing is
on the downswing, with the price
of fish in the markets increasing,
simply because fewer fishermen
go fishing despite having received
free fishing boats, fishing nets, and
other paraphernalia, he adds.

Varquez blames the prevailing

attitude on the overdependence of
many survivor-recipients on easy
money through cash-for-work, the
social welfare departments Four
Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino
Program), and other financial assistance programs ironically meant
to help them get back on their feet.
If this situation does not change,
within three to five years after the
INGOs, NGOs and other institutions shall have left us, the poverty
level in our affected areas will likely
be worse than before the super typhoons, predicts the prelate.
Boosting the local economy
To meet these challenges, he
reminds survivor-recipients to use
the resources on hand to boost the

local economy, ensuring no aid

money is wasted.
Moreover, he stressed the importance of Church and government teaming up to inculcate in
Estehanons the value of hard work
and productivity.
Varquez further suggests a close
supervision on how aid money is
spent, and requested priests and
lay leaders of his episcopal see to
work together in teaching survivorrecipients the value of self-reliance
and independence.
After all, it is both a Filipino
and Christian value. We say: A human person is one who can stand
on his own feet, he shares.
Expressing gratitude
In spite of these, the prelate

urges his flock to continue to

express gratitude to the Lord for
the grace of being able to rise
from the widespread destructive
effects of calamities that hit our
shores, such as super typhoons
Yolanda and Ruby, including
the storm surges and flooding
accompanying them.
This grace came to us
through the collaborative efforts
of International NGOs (nongovernment organizations),
local NGOs, local and national
governments, various religious
and social institutions, families,
and individuals with generous
and self-sacrificing hearts. We
continue to thank them, he
adds. (Raymond A. Sebastin/
CBCP News)

Nepal / A1

for the Nepalese families affected by the earthquake, he said.

For others who want to help, he said donations can sent through Alay Kapwa account of
Nassa at the Bank of Philippine Islands with
account name CBCP Caritas Filipinas Foundation, Inc.: and account no. 4951-0071-08.
The appeal is also being supported by Caritas
Manila as it called for cash donations from
Good Samaritans for the Churchs emergency
response in Nepal.
Fr. Anton Pascual, Caritas Manila executive
director, also asked for prayers for the victims of
the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that also struck
parts of India.
Solidarity
In Rome, Pope Francis offered his prayers
for the victims, encouraged emergency workers
in their efforts and sent an initial donation of
US$100,000, roughly Php 4.4 million.
I pray for the victims, those wounded and
for all those who suffer because of this calamity, Pope Francis said after reciting the Regina
Coeli prayer with visitors gathered in St. Peters
Square April 26.
He also expressed his hope that those affected
by the disaster would have the support of
fraternal solidarity.
The Pontifical Council Cor Unum, which
oversees the Vaticans charity activities, said the
donation is meant to be a first and immediate

concrete expression of the pontiffs concern

for the victims.
It also said that the amount will be used
to support the assistance efforts underway on
behalf of the displaced and others impacted
by the quake.
The Vatican agency added that bishops conferences and Catholic charities from around
the world have already taken an active role in
helping survivors.
Jesuit Fr. Pius Perumana, head of Caritas
Nepal, said the Catholic charity has been supplying tarps, tents and food, and was trying to
shelter people from the rain and cold.
He said Catholic Relief Services, the U.S.
Caritas partner, was sending relief materials
from north India and working with Caritas
Nepal to procure additional relief materials
locally and in India.
What the people need immediately is shelter.
Temperatures are dropping at night and there is
also rain. Children are sleeping outside at night.
It is really traumatic for them, Perumana said.
Pray for Nepal
Meanwhile, Nepalese students in the Philippines made a special appeal to the Philippine
government and to the Filipino public to help
their country.
We are requesting the Philippine government to help our country because Nepalese
students in the Philippines want to help, but we

do not have any resources but the government

can help us to send anything that we can do like
food, water, medical and financial, said Merina
Shrestha, who has lived in the Philippines for
four years.
Shrestha, a second year medical student at
the Emilio Aguinaldo College in Manila, said
there are Nepalese doctors doing post-graduate
studies in the country, who are willing to volunteer their services back home if the Philippine
government will support them.
As a sign of solidarity with their fellow men,
over 150 Nepalese students studying in EAC
held a prayer vigil for the earthquake victims
and survivors on April 27.
Shrestha also urged the public to pray for the
earthquake victims spiritual strength.
I have been telling my friends Filipino
friends to pray for Nepal. This is the moment
we really need it the most. All there are suffering now so we cannot say what will happen in
a second; it is very critical situation, Shrestha
added.
The student is thankful that her own family in Nepal is safe, although she related, they
have been sleeping in the open air, outside
their home, for the past three days for fear of
after shocks.
According to reports, more than 5,000 Nepalese students are in the Philippines, mostly
concentrated in Mindanao, Cebu, Tacloban,
San Carlos and Manila. (with reports from Yen
Ocampo and Catholic News Service)

CBCP Monitor

Amd Thats The Truth / A4

cover his visit to the country in

1981, seeing him for the first time
at Mass in the Manila cathedral; be
touched and blessed by him face
to face in 1987 at the canonization rites for St. Lorenzo Ruiz in
Rome; be enriched by attending
three World Youth Day events with
him (Philippines, France, Canada);
rejoice in his presence again at the
Vatican dring the beatification
rites for Blessed Mother Teresa of
Calcutta; and finally, at St. Peters
Basilica in April 2005, gratefully
kneel close to his mortal remains
and weep bittersweet tears at his
funeral.
I did not have the good fortune
of meeting Pope Benedict XVI up
close and personal, but Im certain now that it wasnt necessary.
As he presided at John Paul IIs
funeral Mass, I listened intently
to his homily, unaware that he
would soon become pope, and I
found his words to be a blessing,
like rain upon parched earth. His
resignationa single, supreme act
of humility and surrenderwas
enough for me to be affirmed in
my faith, convinced that here, we
have another living saint.
During Pope Francis visit last
January, media duties put me at
the forefront of developments,
following the pope from the moment he arrived to the minute he
waved goodbye from his plane. If
I wasnt actually covering him on
site, I was following him on TV,
in social media, over the radio,
in print, hanging on to his every
word, noting his every gesture
then duty turned into privilege; it
didnt feel like work to me, it felt
more like unceasing prayer.
On hindsight, it comes as no
surprise then that Pope Francis
came out as the most trustworthy pope in the surveyalbeit
surveys usually ask the opinion of
just a little over a thousand people.
He came on as a likable, accessible,
relatable popeeverything that
global media had taught us about
him prior to his visit. Choosing
mercy and compassion as the
theme of his visit, he became
a flesh-and-blood reminder of
humanitys need for kindness,
empathy, understanding.
It was his trip to Tacloban,
however, that formed the nucleus
of his 4-day visit. When back in
the Nunciature from Tacloban he
said to Cardinal Tagle, This visit
is for me, he bared his soul in five
little words. Allow me to venture
a guess into the sentiment behind
this enigmatic papal comment.
For his homily in Tacloban, he
asked permission to speak in his
mother tongue, Spanish, to better
express himself. The first thing he
said was When in Rome I saw
the damage caused by the typhoon
(Yolanda), I said to myself that I
must come here. He said he had
felt the suffering of the people and
wanted to be with them.
This visit is for me. Pope
Francis had wanted to be with
the suffering but did he plan on

becoming one of them? Tropical storm Amang was coming to

Tacloban that day. Was it sheer
coincidence that Amang is the
Pilipino word for Father? Could
the Father have wanted something
else for Pope Francis in Tacloban?
Amang would frustrate human
plans and the popes desires on
that day. Could it be that instead
of somebody big coming to bring
hope and healing to the victims,
the Father had wanted Francis to
come and experience being a victim
himself?
Amangs slanting rain and strong
winds welcomed Pope Francis
at the airport, blowing away a
unique symbol of his papacy, his
white skull cap. (Welcome, son,
you dont need that cap here.) He
wore a cheap yellow raincoat like
that the two million other people
wore. (Youre one of them). He
said Mass using a small makeshift
altar on the dry side of the stage
as the beautiful immobile main
altar was exposed to rain. (A
humble altar does not diminish
My Sacrifice.) The Argentine
pope had never experienced a
typhoon all his life, but here, as
Francis celebrated Mass, he was
exposed to the elements, his hair
windblown, like that of the lifesized figure on the cross. (Unite
yourself with the homeless naked
One on the cross). And because
the storm was threatening to hit
land by 3 p.m., the pilot had urged
the entourage to leave Tacloban
by one oclock, or risk getting
stranded. This curtailed the popes
long-awaited encountersthe
lunch with calamity survivors and
a meeting with the religious and
clergy of Palo. Even the blessing
of the Pope Francis Center for
the Poor had to done from his
car, which merely breezed by the
Centers entrance.
His whole Tacloban visit was
cut short by four hours. It was
painful enough that Pope Francis
was denied the consolation of
spending more time with the
poor he had come for; back in
Manila he was to hear of the
freak accident that took the life
of a young volunteer after the
Tacloban Mass. The helplessness
the disaster victims had experienced before, Pope Francis went
through this time. He was powerless before inclement weather,
and heartbroken by untimely
separation from his loved ones
the poor. Here he was, trying to
be a shepherd who smells of the
sheep, but he must soon go. The
brief visit was the pilots call, not
the popes; popes can invoke the
name of Jesus, but only Jesus can
calm a storm.
So, what makes people trust a
pope? After 34 years of virtual acquaintance with three popes I still
cant say what. Only this I know:
in faith I trust the pope, and that
faith is justified when all that he is
proves that Jesus is alive. Really,
words are not enough. And thats
the truth.

Flores de Mayo / A1

noting how the veneration of

the Mother of God characterizes
the Filipino Catholic life, and
that the predominant spirituality is very Marian in tone and
disposition.
Avoiding folk Catholicism
Moreover, Villegas, who concurrently heads the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP), reminds the LingayenDagupan clergy to conduct the
recognition and blessing of characters in the Santacruzan or Flores de
Mayo outside the Mass in order to
prevent the liturgy from devolving
into popular entertainment and
folk Catholicism.
We must shun all practices that
appear like religious titillation and
leisure, for example, coronations

of children. We must protect the

essentials of Catholic worship and
avoid sliding into folk Catholicism, he stressed.
Religious entertainment
Quoting Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Villegas states, Whenever applause breaks out in the
liturgy because of some human
achievement it is a sure sign that
the essence of the liturgy has disappeared and has been replaced
by some kind of religious entertainment. Such attraction fades
quickly.
Until the CBCP makes a [defined] regulation, it is prohibited
to dance and hold drama presentations inside the place of worship,
the prelate added. (Raymond A.
Sebastin/CBCP News)

IEC / A1

nothing in the pocket and, even

more, nothing in the stomach.
When we speak of the poor we do
not only refer to the homeless, to
those who have nothing to eat, to
those who are sick and suffering,
he explained.
The archbishop noted there are
many rich people who are sad and
who need to hear the joy of the
Gospel and renew their hope in
the Lord.
Poverty of affluence
This is what Mother Teresa
called the poverty of affluence.
That we are rich, but we have no
direction. We have money but our
lives are meaningless. We have
comforts and conveniences and yet
we know there is emptiness that is
eating us up. And we do not know
where to go, he added.
Given the monumental demands of IEC, Villegas called on
organizers to level up, saying
they must take advantage of the
resources the professional world
makes available.

God of order
We should make us of the
resources that our lay people have
a certain degree of professionalism. Professionalizing hospitality,
professionalizing the welcome and
the departure. Professionalizing the
transport and traffic. Professionalizing because we keep in mind that
God is a God of order, he said.
When we professionalize and
when we level up let us keep in
mind it is the work of the Lord and
we are only his useless servants,
he added.
Hope of glory
Themed Christ in you, our
Hope of Glory, the 51st IEC is
scheduled on Jan. 24-31, 2016 in
Cebu City.
The last time the Philippines
hosted a similar event was in 1937
in Manila during the pontificate of
Pope Pius XI. The 33rd IEC was
the first of its kind held in Asia.
For updates, interested parties
may visit iec2016.ph (Raymond
A. Sebastin/CBCP News)

CBCP Monitor

A7

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS FRATERNAL ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES, INC.

(KCFAPI) BOARD OF TRUSTEES
and the
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS (K OF C) LUZON, VISAYAS
AND MINDANAO JURISDICTIONS
RESOLUTION
EXPRESSING FULL AND UNQUALIFIED TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN COURT OF
APPEALS ASSOCIATE JUSTICE JOSE C. REYES, JR. AND DENOUNCING AND
CONDEMNING THE RECKLESS ACCUSATION OF BRIBERY AGAINST HIM BY
SENATOR ANTONIO TRILLANES IV

WHEREAS, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has accused Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr. and Justice Francisco Acosta, Chairman and a member, respectively, of the Sixth Division of the Court of Appeals of committing the crime of bribery for each having received P25 Million in consideration
for the grant and issuance of Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), later upgraded to a Writ of Preliminary Injunction, to prevent the enforcement
of a preventive suspension order issued by the Ombudsman against Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, Jr.

WHEREAS, Senator Trillanes IV then filed with the Senate a resolution urging its Committee on Justice and Human Rights to investigate
the alleged bribery, supposedly in aid of legislation.

WHEREAS, Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr. is a highly respected citizen and jurist, who rose to become a Justice of the Court of Appeals through
sheer merit and possession of the highest degree of integrity, honesty, competence, probity and independence; and the Judicial and Bar Council has
even nominated him more than twice for appointment to the Supreme Court.

WHEREAS Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr. is a devout Catholic who is active in Church organizations, such as the Knights of Columbus and Couples
for Christ; and serves as a Lay Minister of the Holy Sacrament, which truly manifest his deep spirituality and fear of God; he is a man of strong
moral fiber, lives a simple life and is without vices, and has never succumb to corruption.

WHEREAS, as just among the visible proofs of public recognition of Justice Reyes integrity, honesty, competence, probity and independence,
high moraland ethical principles and deep spirituality, are his holding of various positions of trust and confidence in the private sector, such as, inter
alia, Trustee and Secretary of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI), belonging to the biggest five mutual benefit associations in the Philippines, that exclusively serves the insurance needs of the members (as well as members of their families) of the
Order of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines which as of today has a total membership of 336,360 spread all over the Philippines under its
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao Jurisdictions; Chairman of the two foundations of the KCFAPI, namely, the KC Philippines Foundation, Inc. and
the KC Fr. George J. Willmann Charities, Inc. which, among other things, provide scholarship programs, including scholarship for seminarians,
many of whom are now Catholic priests in active service of the Catholic Church; and as Director of the Keys Realty & Development Corporation,
a KCFAPI wholly-owned corporation which also operates the Holy Trinity Memorial Chapels and Crematorium.


WHEREAS, the Trustees/Directors, Officers and Staff of the KCFAPI and of the foregoing foundations and company, as well as all the State
Deputies and Officers representing the 336,360 members all over the Philippines in its three Jurisdictions of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, know
and can fully attest to the fact that Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr. has led and continues to lead an exemplary life of Christian virtues and values who follows the path of righteousness and justice; his integrity, honesty, competence, probity and independence as a justice constantly inspire all of them.

WHEREAS, the accusation of bribery made by Senator Trillanes IV against Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr., without even any offer of a semblance
of truth, is a reckless and an imprudent imputation, which remains clearly malicious and merely serves to smear and destroy the name, honor, and
integrity of Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr. as well as of the institution he is faithfully serving - the Court of Appeals - and even the entire Philippine Judiciary itself.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc., through its Board of Trustees, and the Knights
of Columbus in the Philippines, through the States Deputies of its Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao Jurisdictions, have resolved, as they hereby resolve,
to:
I
EXPRESS, and to let the public know of such expression, its full and

unqualified trust and confidence in Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr., Chairman

of the Sixth Division of the Court of Appeals, who is an exemplary Catholic

gentleman of utmost integrity, honesty, competence, probity and

independence and who is serving the Court of Appeals for the cause of

truth and justice with utmost commitment, dedication, loyalty and fidelity.
II

DENOUNCE AND CONDEMN Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for recklessly

and imprudently accusing Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr. of the crime of
bribery and hastily filing with the Senate a resolution for the investigation by
its Committee on Justice and Human Rights of the alleged bribery,
allegedly in aid of legislation.

Let copies of this Resolution be provided Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr., the Honorable Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Maria Lourdes A.
Sereno, and the Honorable Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals Andres Reyes, Jr.

Adopted this 16th day of April 2015 in the City of Manila.

ALONSO L. TAN
Chairman

RAOUL A. VILLANUEVA
Trustee-Treasurer

JUAN ABRAHAM O. ABANDO

Trustee (Independent)

HILARIO G. DAVIDE, JR.

Vice Chairman

BALBINO C. FAUNI
Trustee& Mindanao Deputy

ROGELIO V. GARCIA
Trustee (Independent)

ARSENIO ISIDRO G. YAP

Trustee-President
& Luzon Deputy

RODRIGO N. SORONGON
Trustee& Visayas Deputy

MSGR. PEDRO C. QUITORIO III

Spiritual Director

A8

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

CBCP Monitor

Tagle, Villegas to keynote 2nd Marriage

Encounter Congress
MANILA Archbishop
Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle and Catholic
Bishops Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP)
president Archbishop
Socrates B. Villegas will
address nearly a thousand
delegates, faith-based
groups representatives,
academicians, social scientists and concerned
citizens during the 2nd
Marriage Encounter
Foundation of the Philippines (MEFP) National
Congress on July 25 at
the Century Park Hotel,
Manila.
Villegas, who also
heads the Archdiocese
of Lingayen Dagupan,
will speak at 10:00 a.m.
on Proclaiming the Gospel of the Family Today
in Various Contexts,
while Tagle is expected
to provide insights on
measures to further enrich and strengthen the
Filipino family. He will

speak after the roundtable discussion and summary of the seven topics
shortly before 6:00 p.m.
He will also preside
over the concelebrated
Mass.
Synod-inspired
MEFP President
couple Robert and Tinette Aventajado, in an
interview with CBCP
News, said the whole day
event has The Gospel of
the Family Today as its
theme, which is taken
from the Lineamenta of
the forthcoming Synod
on the Family.
We hope to formulate
motions for the coming Synod of Bishops
scheduled at the Vatican
from October 4 to 25,
2015, the Aventajado
couple said. They added
the Congress will provide
a venue for common
study and reflection on a
number of pastoral issues

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle FILE PHOTO

affecting Filipino families

today.
They also hope to formulate marital and family enrichment programs
that can be implemented
by faith-based groups
across the country.
Relevant topics
The Aventajado couple

said there will be four

simultaneous topics up
for discussions in the
morning include Pastoral Care for Couples
Civilly Married or Living Together with Fr.
Dominador G. Guzman, Jr., Ssp; Caring
for Wounded Families
(Separated, Divorced and

Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president

Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas FILE PHOTO

equally-important topics
which include Guiding
Engaged Couples in their
Preparation for Marriage
to be discussed by Fr.
Benito B. Tuazon, MEFP
National Spiritual Director and Accompanying
Married Couples in the
Initial Years of Marriage
with MEFP founder, Fr.
Ruben M. Tanseco, SJ.
Caritas Manilas executive director and Radio
Veritas President Fr. Anton C. T. Pascual will
discuss Upbringing and
the Role of the Family in
Evangelization.

not Remarried, Divorced

and Remarried and Single-Parent Families) with
Loyola School of Theology Professor Rex M.
Mananzan, SJ; Pastoral
Attention towards Persons with Homosexual
Tendencies with Courage Philippines Spiritual Director Fr. Daniel

Early bird registration

The event comes a
couple of months before
the XIV Ordinary General Assembly (Synod of
Bishops) on issues and
concerns about the family.
The speakers presentation will be sent to confirmed delegates before
the Congress to allow

Healy; and The Transmission of Life and the

Challenge of Declining
Birthrate to be discussed
by Mitos Rivera, executive director of Institute
for Reproductive Health
Philippines.
During the afternoon session, there will
be three different but

them to study and formulate questions or even

write their own position
papers, which may be
submitted during the
whole-day event.
A minimal fee of Php
2,600 will be charged per
delegate and is inclusive
of Congress materials,
meals and fellowship.
For early bird registrants,
a 50% discount will
be extended to MEFP
members, while a 20%
discount will be given
non-MEFP members.
The Aventajado couple
further said a special fee
arrangement will be extended to a limited number of qualified delegates.
Everyone should register
and pay on or before June
25, 2015 to avail of the
discounts.
For other information, interested parties
may log into www.mefp.
info (Melo M. Acua/
CBCPNews)

Radio Veritas Asias New love-themed San Agustin Museum to open

Msgr. Tai dies
MANILA, April 21, 2015 Longtime program director of Radio
Veritas Asia (RVA) Monsignor Pietro Nguyen Van Tai, a Vietnamese
priest, has died at the age of 66.
Tai passed away at a hospital in
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on
April 21, the Federation of Asian
Bishops ConferencesOffice
of Social Communication of the
Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC-OSC) said.
For more than 30 years, the
priest had worked with RVA in
Manila, which since its inauguration in 1961, has served up to 17
language services for target areas
across Asia and parts of Europe.
Media pioneer
RVAs Vietnamese language
service was among the pioneer
language broadcasts of the station,
which actually started reaching
overseas listeners in February 1967.
Upon arriving in the Philippines
in November 1978, Msgr. Tai also
started leading the association of
Vietnamese religious studying in
the country.
He held this ministry for most
of his life until recently, despite being critically ill, the FABC-OSC
said in a statement.
At the height of the Vietnamese
civil war in the 1970s, he was designated chaplain and coordinator
of refugees flocking to Philippines
under the refugee program initiated by the then Marcos government and the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines.
A native of Vin Nong diocese
in Vietnam, Tai took his priestly
formation at Pius X Pontifical Col-

lege in Da Lat, Vietnam and just

celebrated his 41 years in priesthood last March 4.
Social communications mission
After post-graduate studies at
Urbaniana University and during practicum courses at Radio
Vaticana in Rome, he was asked
by Propaganda Fide and the then
Pontifical Commission for Social
Communication to work for the
Vietnamese section of the FABCowned continental short-wave
RVA in Manila.
In 2009, Tai and eight other
communication stalwarts pioneered the St. Joseph Freinademetz
Communication Center. His other
initiatives included radio broadcasts of Bible study and liturgies to
Communist-ruled Vietnam.
In the age of Internet and digital
convergence, he pioneered audioand video-streaming through RVA
facilities for Vietnamese in the diaspora. Tai dreamt that through the
means of social communication,
people will be able to follow the
Sunday Mass, to hear Bible teachings and to be informed about the
life of the Church.
In an interview with AsiaNews,
he said: Pastoral communication
helps the Church in Vietnam and
other Asian countries. With the
transmission of Sunday Mass, believers may participate in the rite.
In 2012, Tai served as assistant
to the Papal Legate of the 10th
Plenary Assembly of FABC (Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences) from Dec. 10 to 16 in Xuan
Loc diocese east of Ho Chi Minh
city, Vietnam. (CBCPNews)

UST to offer low cost health program

GOOD news!
Two groups in the University
of Sto. Tomas (UST) community
will be organizing a pro-health
program called BantayKalusugan 2015, inclusive of medical
freebies and affordable services,
to be held at UST Santisimo
Rosario Parish on May 23, 2015
from 6:30 to 10:00 a.m.
Beneficiaries may avail of the
pro-health package of laboratory
tests at Php 220 instead of Php
2,000. Cheaper laboratory tests
are also available for those who
need testing for triglycerides,
thyroid function and others.
According to ElveeMandap,
president of Asociacion De Santo
Entierro and health project chairperson of the said pro-health

program, the event is made possible because of the compassion

of several UST Hospital Family
Medicine doctors, headed by Dr.
Alejandro Pineda, some medical
technologists and an ophthalmologist.
The said association which
cares for the sick, and the dying
also expressed gratitude for the
support of the UST parish priest,
Fr. Franklin Beltran, OP; parish
pastoral council president Dra.
Belen Tangco, OP; and service
chaiperson Tammy Magtuloy in
making the parish health service
a reality.
A free clinic is also being
offered on Wednesdays and Fridays at the parishs mezzanine.
(Vanessa M. Puno/ CBCP News)

Camillians to hold healing Masses

THE Order of the Ministers of the
Infirm, also known as the Camillians, has been holding healing
Masses and anointing of the sick
in Quezon City.
Held ever first Sunday of the
month, the next schedule will on
May 3 at 9:00 a.m. at the St. Camillus Pastoral Healthcare Center
located along Nicanor Reyes St.,
Varsity Hills Subd.,Loyola Heights,
QC.
We pray as one community
and invite the sick, especially those
who are terminally ill to experience
the love of our healing Lord in the
presence of the Blessed Sacrament
administered by the Camillians,

they said.
The Camillians said they will ask
the intercession of St. Camillus de
Lellis, patron of the sick, nurses
and hospitals, during the healing
services.
We have witnessed miracles
and healing these days through
the intercession of our founder,
Camillus de Lellis. Be a witness
be healed! they added.
The Camillians, also referred
to as the Servants of the Sick,
are known for their commitment to serving and taking care
of the sick, particularly those
from the marginalized sectors.
(CBCPNews)

The new San Agustin Museum opens in November 2015 with the theme Story of 450 Years of Love VANESSA PUNO

WHAT moved the first Augustinians to come

to the Philippines nearly 500 years ago? Love,
of course.
This is exactly what the refurbished San Agustin
Museum would like to exhibit during its formal
opening in November to mark the 450th anniversary of the arrival of the Augustinians in the country,
carrying the theme Story of 450 Years of Love.
We make San Agustin Museum such that

pilgrims visit will be able to reread the history

which is the best way to educate Filipinos of
ignorance. For some, prayle is equated to Padre
Damaso, who unfortunately does not exist as
a historical person but who is only part of the
novel. Thus, the best way for us is to reread and
revisit the history, said said Fr. Ricky Villar, the
Director of San Agustin Museum.
According to the priest, this re-reading of

history is doable through the exhibit.

We make the visit of Filipinos to San Agustin
the easiest way possible to re-read and revisit
Philippine Church history, he added.
Augustinians, who had countless contributions from 1565 to 2015, as architects, churchbuilders, scientists, social workers, pharmacists,
doctors, engineers, and educators. (Vanessa M.
Puno/CBCP News)

Marian expert to tackle Mediatrix-China link

ONE of the countrys top Marian
scholars is set to discuss the connection between the Lipa apparitions
of the 1940s and Chinas adventures into Philippine territorial
waters in a talk on May 1, Friday,
at the San Carlos Seminary.
Mariologist Marwil N. Llasos
shared the visionary of Lipa, Carmelite novice Teresita L. Castillo,
already knew from Mary Mediatrix
of All Grace about the Peoples Republic of Chinas less-than-diplomatic treatment of the Philippines
more than sixty years ahead.
Pray hard
Quoting the Blessed Virgins
warning to Filipinos as recorded
in Castillos memoirs, Llasos said,
Pray hard, for Chinas dream [is]
to invade the whole world. The
Philippines is one of its favorites.
Our Lady added, Money is the
evil force that will lead the people
of the world to destruction.
Hardly two weeks passed after
this message was delivered when
Mao Zedong defeated General
Chiang Kai Shek and his Kuomintang. All these at a time when China was still a far cry from having
the superpower status it has today.
If Ftima pleaded for the conversion of Russia, Lipa, it seems,
insists on that of China.
Our Lady told Castillo, Prayers,
sacrifices self-denials, and the daily
recitation of the Holy Rosary will
soften the heart of my Son as I
said before.
Castillo
The Blessed Mother is said to have
appeared to Sister Teresing as the
Mediatrix of All Grace, on Octo-

Mariologist Marwil N. Llasos MAY CABARLOC

ber 17, 1949, at the San Sebastin

Cathedral, and many other times
before and after that at the Carmelite
Monastery in Lipa. According to
Llasos, the Lipa apparitions are currently being reinvestigated.
Meanwhile, his talk, entitled
1948 Lipa Apparitions: Its Significance, Then and Now, is only one
of three lined up for the forthcoming
First General Assembly of the Lay
Devotees of Mary Mediatrix of All
Grace on May 1, the Feast of St.
Joseph the Worker, from 8:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m., at the San Carlos Seminary, Edsa, Guadalupe, Makati City.
Schedule
The complete schedule is as
follows:

8:00 a.m. Registration

8:45 a.m. Holy Rosary
9:00 a.m. Welcome Remarks
9:30 a.m. Video Presentation
9:30 a.m. 1948 Lipa Apparitions: Its Significance, Then and
Now by Marwil N. Llasos, O.P.
10:30 a.m. Break/Song for Mary
10:45 a.m. Open Forum
11:15 a.m. AngMediadora,
si San Jose, at AngMga Aba by
Nestor Limqueco, O.P.
11:30 a.m. Testimonies and
Faith Sharing
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Testimonies and Faith
Sharing
1:30 p.m. Our Lady, Mary,
Mediatrix of All Grace, St. LouisMarie de Monfort and True De-

votion
2:30 p.m. Open Forum
2:45 p.m. Break
3:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
4:00 p.m. Archbishops Message
4:10 p.m. Business Meeting
4:45 p.m. Acknowledgements/
Closing
One of the event organizers, Jovi
Atanacio, requests all prospective
participants to pre-register on or
before April 29. The form is available on this link: form.jotform.me/
form/51107398920456.
For further updates, interested
parties may visit: www.facebook.
com/groups/1477849975765926
/?fref=ts. (Raymond A. Sebastin/
CBCPNews)

PASTORAL CONCERNS B1

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

Marie Lavin

CBCP Monitor

Communicating the family:

a privileged place of encounter
with the gift of love
Message of his Holiness Pope Francis for the 49th World Communications Day
The experience of this relationship which
precedes us enables the family to become
the setting in which the most basic form of
communication, which is prayer, is handed
down. When parents put their newborn
children to sleep, they frequently entrust
them to God, asking that he watch over
them. When the children are a little older,
parents help them to recite some simple
prayers, thinking with affection of other
people, such as grandparents, relatives, the
sick and suffering, and all those in need of
Gods help. It was in our families that the
majority of us learned the religious dimension of communication, which in the case
of Christianity is permeated with love, the
love that God bestows upon us and which
we then offer to others.
In the family, we learn to embrace and
support one another, to discern the meaning
of facial expressions and moments of silence,

More than anywhere else, the family is

where we daily experience our own limits
and those of others, the problems great and
small entailed in living peacefully with others.
A perfect family does not exist. We should
not be fearful of imperfections, weakness or
even conflict, but rather learn how to deal
with them constructively. The family, where
we keep loving one another despite our limits
and sins, thus becomes a school of forgiveness. Forgiveness is itself a process of communication. When contrition is expressed
and accepted, it becomes possible to restore

to the love of parents, siblings, and friends,

an incentive to openness, sharing and ready
communication with all. It can also help
schools, parishes and associations to become
more welcoming and inclusive of everyone.
In a world where people often curse, use
foul language, speak badly of others, sow
discord and poison our human environment by gossip, the family can teach us to
understand communication as a blessing. In
situations apparently dominated by hatred
and violence, where families are separated
by stone walls or the no less impenetrable

and rebuild the communication which broke

down. A child who has learned in the family
to listen to others, to speak respectfully and
to express his or her view without negating
that of others, will be a force for dialogue and
reconciliation in society.
When it comes to the challenges of communication, families who have children
with one or more disabilities have much
to teach us. A motor, sensory or mental
limitation can be a reason for closing in on
ourselves, but it can also become, thanks

walls of prejudice and resentment, where

there seem to be good reasons for saying
enough is enough, it is only by blessing
rather than cursing, by visiting rather than
repelling, and by accepting rather than
fighting, that we can break the spiral of evil,
show that goodness is always possible, and
educate our children to fellowship.
Today the modern media, which are an
essential part of life for young people in particular, can be both a help and a hindrance
to communication in and between families.

Forgiveness is
itself a process of
communication.
When contrition
is expressed
and accepted, it
becomes possible
to restore and
rebuild the
communication
which broke down.
to laugh and cry together with people who
did not choose one other yet are so important to each other. This greatly helps us to
understand the meaning of communication
as recognizing and creating closeness. When
we lessen distances by growing closer and accepting one another, we experience gratitude
and joy. Marys greeting and the stirring of
her child are a blessing for Elizabeth; they
are followed by the beautiful canticle of the
Magnificat, in which Mary praises Gods loving plan for her and for her people. A yes
spoken with faith can have effects that go well
beyond ourselves and our place in the world.
To visit is to open doors, not remaining
closed in our little world, but rather going
out to others. So too the family comes alive
as it reaches beyond itself; families who do so
communicate their message of life and communion, giving comfort and hope to more
fragile families, and thus build up the Church
herself, which is the family of families.

Roderick Cruz

THE family is a subject of profound reflection by the Church and of a process

involving two Synods: the recent extraordinary assembly and the ordinary assembly
scheduled for next October. So I thought
it appropriate that the theme for the next
World Communications Day should have
the family as its point of reference. After
all, it is in the context of the family that we
first learn how to communicate. Focusing
on this context can help to make our communication more authentic and humane,
while helping us to view the family in a
new perspective.
We can draw inspiration from the Gospel
passage, which relates the visit of Mary to
Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-56). When Elizabeth
heard Marys greeting, the infant leaped in
her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the
Holy Spirit cried out in a loud voice and
said, Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
(vv. 41-42)
This episode first shows us how communication is a dialogue intertwined with the
language of the body. The first response to
Marys greeting is given by the child, who
leaps for joy in the womb of Elizabeth. Joy at
meeting others, which is something we learn
even before being born, is, in one sense, the
archetype and symbol of every other form
of communication. The womb which hosts
us is the first school of communication, a
place of listening and physical contact where
we begin to familiarize ourselves with the
outside world within a protected environment, with the reassuring sound of the
mothers heartbeat. This encounter between
two persons, so intimately related while
still distinct from each other, an encounter
so full of promise, is our first experience of
communication. It is an experience which
we all share, since each of us was born of
a mother.
which is the family. A womb made up of
various interrelated persons: the family is
where we learn to live with others despite
our differences (Evangelii Gaudium, 66).
Notwithstanding the differences of gender
and age between them, family members
accept one another because there is a bond
between them. The wider the range of these
relationships and the greater the differences
of age, the richer will be our living environment. It is this bond which is at the root
of language, which in turn strengthens the
bond. We do not create our language; we
can use it because we have received it. It
is in the family that we learn to speak our
mother tongue, the language of those who
have gone before us. (cf. 2 Macc 7:25,27).
In the family we realize that others have
preceded us, they made it possible for us to
exist and in our turn to generate life and to
do something good and beautiful. We can
give because we have received. This virtuous
circle is at the heart of the familys ability to
communicate among its members and with
others. More generally, it is the model for
all communication.

The media can be a hindrance if they become

a way to avoid listening to others, to evade
physical contact, to fill up every moment of
silence and rest, so that we forget that silence
is an integral element of communication;
in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist. (BENEDICT XVI, Message for
the 2012 World Communications Day). The
media can help communication when they
enable people to share their stories, to stay in
contact with distant friends, to thank others
or to seek their forgiveness, and to open the
door to new encounters. By growing daily in
our awareness of the vital importance of encountering others, these new possibilities,
we will employ technology wisely, rather than
letting ourselves be dominated by it. Here
too, parents are the primary educators, but
they cannot be left to their own devices. The
Christian community is called to help them
in teaching children how to live in a media
environment in a way consonant with the
dignity of the human person and service of
the common good.
The great challenge facing us today is to
learn once again how to talk to one another,
not simply how to generate and consume
information. The latter is a tendency which
our important and influential modern communications media can encourage. Information is important, but it is not enough.
All too often things get simplified, different
positions and viewpoints are pitted against
one another, and people are invited to take
sides, rather than to see things as a whole.
The family, in conclusion, is not a subject
of debate or a terrain for ideological skirmishes. Rather, it is an environment in which
we learn to communicate in an experience
of closeness, a setting where communication
takes place, a communicating community.
The family is a community which provides
help, which celebrates life and is fruitful.
Once we realize this, we will once more be
able to see how the family continues to be a
rich human resource, as opposed to a problem or an institution in crisis. At times the
mediacan tend to present the family as a kind
of abstract model which has to be accepted or
rejected, defended or attacked, rather than as
a living reality. Or else a grounds for ideological clashes rather than as a setting where we
can all learn what it means to communicate
in a love received and returned. Relating our
experiences means realizing that our lives are
bound together as a single reality, that our
voices are many, and that each is unique.
Families should be seen as a resource
rather than as a problem for society. Families
at their best actively communicate by their
witness the beauty and the richness of the
relationship between man and woman, and
between parents and children. We are not
fighting to defend the past. Rather, with
patience and trust, we are working to build a
better future for the world in which we live.
From the Vatican, 23 January 2015
Vigil of the Memorial of Saint Francis de
Sales

B2 Updates

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

CBCP Monitor

The prayer of St. Joseph

By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso
The Scriptures seldom speak of Saint
Joseph, but when they do, we often find
him resting, as an angel reveals Gods will
to him in his dreams. In the Gospel passage
we have just heard, we find Joseph resting
not once, but twice...

moments of rest that Joseph receives the

will of God.
Resting in the Lord
Resting in the Lord. Rest is so necessary for the health of our minds and
bodies, and often so difficult to achieve
due to the many demands placed on us.
But rest is also essential for our spiritual
health, so that we can hear Gods voice
and understand what he asks of us. Jo-

engaged as we are in temporal realities

with our peers? We need to have specific
times during the day for resting in the
Lordi.e., moments during which we
can be totally attentive to him. Again,
the culprit against this is the modern
tendency to multi-tasking: thus we see
students pretending to study, while the
music is playing and the chatter of the
so-called study group runs unabated.
There seems to be an inabilityI prefer

hear his voice. God is talking to man all

the time, like the radio or TV stations
may be broadcasting the whole day.
However, unless somebody turns on his
radio or TV set, and specifically tunes
into a given station, he will not receive
the transmitted programs. Modern man
needs to find specific times to just talk
with God and to listen to him.
Resting in the Lord, rising with Jesus

Here we see another reason for the lack of a prayerful

life for many people: because such listening to God
inevitably means having to rise with Jesus and Mary
and being a prophetic voice
seph was chosen by God to be the foster
father of Jesus and the husband of Mary.
As Christians, you too are called, like
Joseph, to make a home for Jesus. You
make a home for him in your hearts,
your families, your parishes and your
communities. To hear and accept Gods
call, to make a home for Jesus, you must
be able to rest in the Lord.
But how are we to do this, fully

to call it mental laziness to concentrate

to do anything seriously with 100%
attention. Something similar happens in
the spiritual life. Hence, the fear of really
engaging God in a one-on-one dialogue.
Most prepare to pretend to pray while
doing other things.
The result of such lack of total attention to God, at least during certain
moments of the day, is the failure to

and Mary, and being a prophetic voice

Let us reflect on what the Lord is
saying to us, especially in this evenings
Gospel. There are three aspects of this
passage which I would ask you to consider: resting in the Lord, rising with Jesus
and Mary, and being a prophetic voice.
Here we see another reason for the
lack of a prayerful life for many people:
because such listening to God inevita-

Finding time for prayer

You must make time each day for
prayer. But you may say to me: Holy
Father, I want to pray, but there is so
much work to do! I must care for my
children; I have chores in the home; I
am too tired even to sleep well. This
may be true, but if we do not pray, we
will not know the most important thing
of all: Gods will for us. And for all our
activity, our busy-ness, without prayer
we will accomplish very little.
We have to be intellectually convinced
of the absolute need for prayer. The
reason is quite simple: unless we live
our lives as God wants, we are bound
to be counter-productive. How can we
possibly be in sync with Gods plans
that all-encompassing reason for the
whole created universeunless we talk
with Him, so that He might not only
enlighten us as to what our role in that
universe is concerned, but also to give us
the strength to fulfill that role, if we are
not communicating with him?
In the academe, a popular motto is:
Publish or perish! In the spiritual life, we
could very say: Pray or perish!

Jules Hardouin Mansart de Sagonne

God speaks to us in the Quiet of our

Hearts
Josephs rest revealed Gods will to
him. In this moment of rest in the Lord,
as we pause from our many daily obligations and activities, God is also speaking
to us. He speaks to us in the reading
we have just heard, in our prayer and
witness, and in the quiet of our hearts.
Thus Pope Francis points out a fundamental requirement for real prayer: quiet
in our hearts. In order to hear the voice
of God, in order to notice the gentle
blowing of the Spirit, one needs a certain
level of quiet.
The bane of modern man is his being
in constant noise. If it is not external
noisethe chatter of the mass media,
the din of traffic, the intrusion of so
much social networking or simply the
endless influx of sms and mmsthen it is
the internal distractions of uncontrolled
imagination and mindless memories.
The result is what is often called information overload; put more simply, it
is too much distraction drowning the
voice of God.
In the ancient Church, the solution
found by those persons who really
wanted to commune with God was to
live in isolation as hermits. After a while,
the number of hermits made it necessary
to put some order into their lives, giving rise to the phenomenon of monastic
life in both its masculine (monks) and
feminine forms (nuns).
What modern man needs is a plan
of life that allows him to remain in the
middle of the worldas this is the lot
of the great majority of people obviouslywithout loosing his sensitivity to
God. This is what St Joseph, that just
man as Scripture would call him, teaches
us. Despite having been obviously an
industrious maneven our Lord later
on would be known as the son of the
carpenter, alluding to the reputation
that Joseph had in the practice of his
tradethe Gospel, nevertheless, presents him to us resting. And it is in those

Raymond A. Sebastin

THESE words of Pope Francis, pronounced during his meeting with families packed in the 20,000-seat Mall of
Asia Arena last January 16, can serve as
a good starting point to consider one of
the main things he stressed during the
recent Papal Visit to the Philippines: the
need for personal prayer.

bly means having to rise with Jesus and

Mary and being a prophetic voicei.e.,
transmitting what one has understood
in prayer. The problem with prayer is
that it leads a person to come up against
the immovable Will of God. Then he is
faced with only two options: either he
conforms himself to that Will (rising
with Jesus and Mary) and influence his
environment to conform itself to that
Will also (being a prophetic voice), or
he has to abandon prayer. It is a problem as old as man: when Adam and Eve
transgressed Gods Will by eating the
forbidden fruit, they subsequently hid
from him: their disobedience to Gods
will resulted in their discomfort with
their nakedness. What before had been
a beautiful realityhuman nature as it
came out perfect from the creative hands
of Godbecame something shameful
that had to be hidden and eventually
covered up.
We had just been meditating a lot during Holy Week on the prayer of Jesus in
Gethsemani: Father, if it is possible, take
away this cup from me. But not my will but
thine be done! How simply the Evangelist
puts it, but we know that Our Lord had
to struggle for a good part of his prayer in
order to conform his human will to the
divine. This is what prayer does; better put,
this is what we accomplish when we pray:
we discover Gods will and we conform
ourselves to it. Nevertheless it is consoling
to see that even Our Lord had to struggle
through it: to even agonize over it! We just
have to take the lesson of First Sorrowful
Mystery to heart: Watch and pray, so that
you may not enter into temptation!

When Returning Hosts to the Tabernacle

(Father Edward McNamara,
professor of liturgy and dean
of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university, answers the
following query:)
Q: When the consecrated
hosts are replaced in the tabernacle after Holy Communion,
are the people are asked to stand
up? I ask myself why is this, if I
have just received Communion?
-- T.Z., Messina, Italy
A: There have been several
questions regarding this practice recently, above all from
Italy, but also from other countries. In some cases our readers
described elaborate rites for
returning the Eucharist to the
tabernacle, even accompanying it with candles as during a
Eucharistic procession. In these

situations the faithful are requested

to remain standing.
The reason given for introducing these practices is that it forms
part of an effort to restore respect
and reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. While this is a laudable
goal, I have my doubts that this is
the best moment to do so and also
it appears contrary to the explicit
indications from the Holy See.
First of all, with regard to the
posture of the faithful No. 43 of the
British translation of the General
Instruction of the Roman Missal
(GIRM) says the following:
43. The faithful should stand
from the beginning of the Entrance
chant, or while the priest approaches the altar, until the end of
the Collect; for theAlleluiachant
before the Gospel; while the Gospel itself is proclaimed; during the
Profession of Faith and the Prayer

of the Faithful; from the invitation,Orate, fratres(Pray, brethren),

before the Prayer over the Offerings
until the end of Mass, except at the
places indicated below.
They should, however, sit while
the readings before the Gospel and
the responsorial Psalm are proclaimed and for the Homily and
while the Preparation of the Gifts
at the Offertory is taking place;
and, as circumstances allow, they
may sit or kneel while the period
of sacred silence after Communion
is observed.
But they should kneel at the
consecration, except when prevented on occasion by reasons of health,
lack of space, the large number of
people present, or some other good
reason. Those who do not kneel
ought to make a profound bow
when the priest genuflects after the
consecration.

Nevertheless, it is up to the
Conference of Bishops to adapt the
gestures and postures described in
the Order of Mass to the culture
and reasonable traditions of the
people. The Conference, however,
must make sure that such adaptations correspond to the meaning
and character of each part of the
celebration. Where it is the practice for the people to remain after
theSanctusuntil the end of the Eucharistic Prayer and before Communion when the priest saysEcce
Agnus Dei (This is the Lamb of God),
this practice is laudably retained.
With a view to a uniformity in
gestures and postures during one
and the same celebration, the faithful should follow the directions
which the deacon, lay minister, or
priest gives according to whatever
is indicated in the Missal.
Since some interpreted this

number as obliging the faithful to

remain standing during the whole
time of the distribution of communion, the Holy See responded with
an answer to a doubt published
in its official organ Notitiae (39
[2003] page 533):
In many places the faithful are
accustomed to remain kneeling in
private prayer or to sit after they
return to their seats once they
have individually received the holy
Eucharist at Mass. Whether the
provisions of theThird typical edition of the Roman Missalprohibit
this practice?
In the negative and with a
rationale.
The rationale is that by the
prescripts of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, n. 43 is
intended to give, on the one hand,
within broad limits some uniformity of posture in the congregation

for the various parts of the celebration of the holy Mass, and
at the same time, on the other
hand, not to regulate posture so
rigidly that those who wish to
remain kneeling or to sit would
no longer be free to do so.
Therefore, it does not appear
correct to oblige the faithful to
adapt a particular posture after
communion.
Second, the GIRM does not
give such importance to returning the Blessed Sacrament to
the tabernacle as to warrant an
elaborate rite. To wit:
163. When the distribution
of Communion is finished, the
priest himself immediately and
completely consumes at the
altar any consecrated Wine that
happens to remain; as for any
consecrated hosts that are left,

Tabernacle / B7

CBCP Monitor

Features B3

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

(Note: Starting this issue,

theological and pastoral
reflections in preparation
for the 51st International
Eucharistic Congress will be
serialized--eds)

Christ in you, our hope of glory

The Eucharist: Source and Goal of the Churchs Mission

Theological and pastoral reflections in preparation for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress
I. Introduction
A. The International Eucharistic
Congress
The International Eucharistic Congress
(IEC) is intended to be a station--a kind
of a stopover on a journey--where a
local Church community gathers around
the Eucharist to celebrate, render honor,
and pray in the presence of the Lord in
his Eucharistic Mystery. To this sacred
event, she invites nearby local Churches
and other Church communities from all
over the world, for the IEC is intended to
be an affair of the universal Church. The
Rituale (Roman Ritual, De Communione
et De Cultu Mysterii Eucharistici extra
Missam, 1973) for the celebration of the
Congress demands that the actual celebration of the Eucharist be truly the center
of all that takes place at the Congress
itself so that everything points to it and
prepares for it.
A deeper understanding of and a
stronger commitment to the Eucharistic
Mystery is fostered through catechetical
sessions, celebrations of the Word, prayer
gatherings, and plenary assemblies. For
these and for the other activities connected
with the Congress, a program will have to
be previously laid down. Such program is
intended to clearly articulate the themes
for the celebrations, meetings, processions,
prayer and adoration before the Blessed
Sacrament exposed in suitable chapels or
other places of worship.
All the components and details of the
Congress should manifest an underlying
vision of Eucharistic Ecclesiology which
is oriented toward communion and oneness in the community that is the Church
and which naturally seeks to reach out to
all, especially those who are at the fringes of
society, drawing them back until there will
only be one flock under the one Shepherd,
Jesus Christ. (Cf. Vatican II, Sacrosanctum
Concilium).
B. Significance of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress
At the Eucharistic station in Cebu City
in 2016, pilgrims from all over the world
will gather with the faithful of the Philippines and especially those of Cebu. This
universal assembly will be an authentic
sign of communion in Christ Jesus and of
oneness in faith and love which the Church
in this country offers to all believers and all
Christian disciples from all over the world.
The Congress is intended to serve the
entire People of God in its pilgrimage
in history. It is a great ecclesial event at
which, through experiences of celebration,
teaching, and fellowship, the Church all
over the world will be reminded that the
Eucharist is the source and summit (Cf.
Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium) of
her life and action. The Eucharist will
be held out in a particularly clear way as
the constantly renewed and abiding presence of the Paschal Mystery which is the
eschatological event par excellence in the
whole Churchs worship and life.
C. Impact on the life of the Church
Christ in you, the Hope of Glory. The

Eucharist: Source and Goal of the Mission

is the great theme of the 51st International
Eucharistic Congress in Cebu. Proceeding
from the letter of St. Paul to the Colossians
(1:24-29), the theme is meant to bring to
fuller light the bond among the Eucharist,
Mission, and Christian Hope, both in time
and eternity. Today, there is a shortage of
hope in the world as perhaps never before
in history. Thus humankind needs to hear

wholeness that we ourselves received and

experienced.
D. The Congress in Cebu and the
People of Asia
The 51st International Eucharistic
Congress should, in an especially radiant
and effective way, proclaim the mystery of
Christ considering the place of the Faith
and of Church in the Philippine history.

This encounter with Christ in the

Eucharist can be a source of hope or
the world when, transformed through
the power of the Holy Spirit into the
likeness of Him whom we encounter...
the message of our hope in Christ Jesus.
The Church must proclaim this message
today with renewed ardor, utilizing new
methods and expressions. (Cf. John Paul
II, In Portu Principis, ad episcopos Consilii
episcopalis Latino-American sodales, 9
March 1983, n. 3, AAS 75, par 1, p. 778).
With these features of a new evangelization, the Church must seek to bring this
message of hope to all, but especially to
those who, though baptized, have drifted
away from the Church and live without
reference to the Christian life. (Benedict
XVI, Homily at the Eucharistic Celebration
for the Solemn inauguration of the 13th
Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops,
7 October 2012)
The 51st International Eucharistic
Congress is envisioned to provide the
participants opportunities for experiencing and understanding the Eucharist as a
transforming encounter with the Lord in
his word and in his life-giving sacrifice of
himself--that we may have life and have
it to the full (Cf. Jn 10:10). It is intended
to be an occasion for the discovery and
rediscovery of the faith--that source
of grace which brings joy and hope to
personal, family and social life. This
international gathering holds the promise
of generating a more courageous and decisive out of the Christian mission in the
world and the society that are becoming
more and more indifferent and hostile to

The life and activities of the typical

parish, whether of spiritual, social, or
service orientation, are centered on the
Eucharistic Liturgy.
the faith and to the values of the Gospel.
This encounter with Christ in the Eucharist can be a source of hope or the world
when, transformed through the power of
the Holy Spirit into the likeness of Him
whom we encounter, we set out on a mission to transform the world with out zeal
to bring to those who need most the same
acceptance, forgiveness, healing, love and

The Church in the Philippines has a providential vocation for mission particularly in
Asia, a vocation so constantly affirmed by
the Roman Pontiffs. The presence and
active involvement of the Catholic laity in
the various sectors of society, ecclesiastical
and pastoral affairs included, bears a great
potential to influence the sociopolitical
and economic landscape in the manner

of leaven in the dough. Poverty and lack

of employment opportunities push many
Filipinos to migrate to other countries
both within and outside Asia, but when
they do, they bring their Christian faith
along with them and share it with the
people with and for whom they work,
more perhaps by their examples and values than by their words. The Philippine
Church, then, is a source of hope in a
special way precisely as Christ in you, the
hope of glory among the Peoples of Asia,
as Blessed Paul VI affirmed in his 1970
visit to the Philippines.
In 1937, Manila hosted the 33rd International Eucharistic Congress, the first
ever in Asia. That Congress, so movingly
successful, was surely the most important
international religious event ever held in
the country at that time. The 51st International Eucharistic Congress that will take
place in 2016 promises to be of such great

importance as well. It forms part of the

nine-year novena that the faithful in the
Philippines are celebrating in preparation
for the joyous and historic observance
of the 500th anniversary in 2021 of the
coming of the Christian Faith and of the
Christian Church to the country.
In the year 1521, the King and Queen
of Cebu were baptized by the Spanish
missionaries. The natives embraced the
Christian Faith with considerable ease
and enthusiasm on account of their deep
and natural religiosity. Their initial faith
was nurtured by the Sacraments, most
especially the Holy Mass, notwithstanding
that until the early twentieth century it was
celebrated in a language not understood by
the great majority.
The Christianization of this land, realized in a remarkably short span of time, has

made the Philippines the biggest Catholic

country--with more than 80 percent of
our people baptized in the faith--in this
part of the world. Filipino Catholics
through the centuries developed a high
regard for the Eucharistic Celebration.
The life and activities of the typical parish, whether of spiritual, social, or service
orientation, are centered on the Eucharistic Liturgy. Patronal feasts of towns and
villages (barangays) are celebrated with a
multitude of Masses and abundant feasting
with food and merrymaking. Marriages,
deaths, and the anniversaries thereof, are
usually celebrated with the Holy Mass.
Indeed, Filipino family and community
events are not complete if not graced by
the Eucharistic Celebration. Catholic
groups usually begin and conclude their
gatherings, be they of social or apostolic
nature, with the Holy Mass. The Mass has
become perhaps the most familiar religious
activity in Filipino society. (Cf. Landas
ng Pagpapakabanal, n 62; Catechism for
Filipino Catholics, n. 1669).
The liturgical reform of the Second
Vatican Council (Vatican II) has brought
about a number of steps forward in the way
Filipinos celebrate the Eucharist. The texts
of the Mass have been translated in almost
all of the major local languages around
the archipelago. The participation of the
lay faithful has improved considerably,
not only in terms of activity responding
and singing in celebrations, but also by
understanding various liturgical ministries.
(Cf. Catechism for Filipino Catholics, n.
1670).
Yet it ahs to be admitted candidly that
while there are rays of light, there are also
shadows in how the Eucharist has figured
in the Filipinos life of faith. Much still
remains to be desired in terms of a proper
understanding of the Eucharist by the
faithful, as well as in an adequate sense
of community in celebrating it. But
that which has been pointed out as most
urgently needing to be acted upon is the
observable dichotomy between worship
and life. (PCP-II, n. 103).
Thus a special note of humble and
joyous gratitude to the Lord, joined with
eager expectation, will mark this Congress.
It will give special meaning to the Filipinos
celebration of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist,
of the gift of his Body and Blood for the
life of the world and the life of the nation.
But it will also be a privileged opportunity
to bring the Filipino Catholic faithful to a
renewed understanding, celebration, and
living out of the Eucharistic faith.
Now that Asia is becoming a new center
of history in the contemporary world, the
holding of the 51st International Eucharistic
Congress in its midst is an opportunity to
radiantly manifest the continents special and
unique calling as a Church of love, communion, and mission. Given the multidimensional context in which the Asian Church
accomplishes its mission, the continent has
become a fertile field where the Mystery
of the incarnation continues to be realized
through the genuine inculturation that
brings the Christian Faith to an authentic
dialogue with the various Asian cultures,
religions and races. (To be continued)

B4 FEATURES

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

CBCP Monitor

Next Phase of Agrarian Reform

By Bernardo M. Villegas
THE redistribution of land ownership
to the farmers in the first phase of the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
(CARP) was a well-intentioned move of
our former leaders to address the extreme
inequities in wealth and income that have
been the result of centuries of feudalistic
and monopolistic practices in our country. One does not have to be a leftist to
acknowledge that the primordial principle
of the universal destination of goods of
this earth has been honored in Philippine society more in the breach. Millions
of landless farmers and rural workers have

dowed with the necessary infrastructural

support (both hardware and software) by
a responsible and efficient State. As one
of the most knowledgeable and experienced agribusiness entrepreneurs, Ernesto
Ordonez, recently wrote in an article:
Agrarian reform in the Philippines has
failed because it has never been tried.
This is where government did not give
the necessary support services mandated
by law to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries
(ARBs). But where these support services
were given, agrarian reform succeeded in
both increasing agriculture productivity and farmer incomes. He presented
evidence showing that in the exceptional
cases where the State was able to provide

support services to the small farmers,

both agricultural productivity and farmer
incomes increased.
Unfortunately, the general rule was that
the government failed miserably in constructing farm-to-market roads, irrigation
systems, post-harvest facilities and other
infrastructures needed by the farmers.
Those who are clamoring for continuing
the process of fragmentation argue that we
should just compel the State to do what
they were unable to do in the past. This is
easier said than done. It is clear that even in
the reformed Administration of President
Benigno S. Aquino III, the State has been
woefully remiss in implementing infrastructure projects, even those that already
had sufficient funding, not to mention
those that were lined up for the PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) program. In an

Philippine agriculture thrives on high-value crops like rice, corn, coconut, sugar, coffee, cacao, rubber and palm oil.

understatement, Mr. Ordonez concluded

realizing the governments poor track
record in this area (providing support
services), the private sector must now get
involved.
In fact, as former Secretary of Agrarian Reform Carlos (Sonny) Dominguez
pointed out to me, the sectors in which
the private firms were creative enough to
develop models of farming in which the
farmer beneficiaries were able to lease their
lands to large agribusiness corporations in
Mindanao, the Philippines became a global
leader in the cultivation for export of
bananas and pineapples, benefiting thousands of small farmers who were redeemed
from poverty. With some tweaking, the
lease-back, joint venture or cooperative
models that worked well in Mindanao

should also succeed in improving the lot

of small farmers in such crops rice, corn,
coconut, sugar, coffee, cacao, rubber and
palm oil, not only in Mindanao but in the
most impoverished regions of Quezon, Aurora, Bicol, Cagayan, and Eastern Visayas.
In the case of sugar which requires land
consolidation for mechanized farming, the
example of Taiwan should come to mind.
During the time of Chang Kai Sek, the
Taiwan Sugar Corporation was exempted
from land fragmentation, despite the very
strict implementation of land redistribution. We should allow sugar lands to be
consolidated with greater ease if we want
our sugar industry to be competitive with
our ASEAN neighbors under the ASEAN
economic community.
Those in Congress who are crafting

the law that will cover the next phase of

agrarian reform should seriously consider
the nucleus estate model that Malaysia
has perfected in the growing of palm oil.
It is the most efficient way of getting large
agribusiness investors to work closely with
small landholders in a symbiotic relationship. Although the Malaysians applied the
model to palm oil and rubber, it can also
work with other high-value crops such
as coffee, cacao, and other tree crops,
including coconuts. We have to learn
from our own failures and the successes
of our neighbors in agricultural development. Only then can we attain inclusive
growth in the most important regions
where poverty incidence is the highest. For
comments, my email address is bernardo.
villegas@uap.asia.

Raquel Reodica, RVM

suffered from extreme poverty while a

few families have wallowed in wealth by
controlling the ownership of huge tracts
of land that their forebears received from
our former colonizers or feudal lords. There
is no question that some form of agrarian
reform or another was absolutely necessary
to promote social justice.
The fragmentation of large tracts of land,
especially in the rice, corn, and coconut
sectors in the densely populated regions of
Luzon was a completely necessary condition for attaining social equity. It is not
true, as some landlords are claiming, that
small holdings are always counterproductive and cannot yield sufficient incomes for
the farmers. The success stories of Taiwan,
South Korea, and Thailand demonstrate
that small farms can be productive if the
beneficiaries of agrarian reform are en-

File Photo

The success stories of Taiwan, South

Korea, and Thailand demonstrate
that small farms can be productive if
the beneficiaries of agrarian reform
are endowed with the necessary
infrastructural support (both hardware
and software) by a responsible and
efficient State.

Sacred Art Exhibit Team with Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle: (From Left) Gerry Isada, Badz Magsumbol, Pancho Piano, Al Perez, Nemy Miranda, Cardinal Tagle, Vic Cusi (exhibit producer), Bernie Lopez (author), Ton Raymundo, Rudolf Gonzalez, Junjun Capistrano. (Not in
photo Willly Layug, Mario Panis, Cee Cadid, Paeng Pacheco, Jonahmar Salvosa, Danny Santiago)

Cardinal Tagles evangelism

through art
WHEN 12 artists and we, their
supporters, went to Luis Antonio
Cardinal Tagle for a courtesy visit
at his residence, we were tense and
hesitant to present our concept of
this first-ever Sacred Art Exhibit,
because we did not know how he, so
busy as he was, would react.
He smiled, instantly
breaking the ice, and said
that evangelization through
art was his vision. He said,
In the end, art will save
the world. He cited a comment by Pope Francis that
the present predominant
culture among the youth
is superficiality, and we
must start changing that.
The young need to achieve
depth. Digital propensity is
nothing if you do not have
a message with an impact.
So, we settled down and
became relaxed. We expected to stay only for 30
minutes as he had a busy scheduled,
but ended up staying more than an
hour. The Cardinal had a way of
making us feel at home. And he gave
us his precious time, giving many
anecdotes. He talked about an artist
he met in Rome, Marco Rupnik, SJ,
who was considered the modern-day
Michaelangelo.

The Cardinal said Rupnik established an art school, which was

very different from those in Rome
or Florence, because he began by
imbuing in his art students a sense
of silent spirituality, much like a
retreat. One cannot start by simply
splashing ones brush based on the
moments inspiration emerging
from the heart, no matter how

because the art we all knew never

had this factor. Sacred Artists, in
truth, require spirituality, Cardinal
Tagle pointed out.
In a rare dinner with Rupnik,
Cardinal Tagle wanted to ask him
to train the Filipino youth in Sacred
Art, but before he could suggest it,
Rupnik said he had a waiting list for
the next five years. Instead, it was
Rupnik who interviewed
Cardinal Tagle about the
Philippines, which was the
center of global attention a
few weeks earlier, because
of the Papal Visit. Rupnik
is considering the idea of
disaster and super typhoons
as Sacred Art subjects.
Willy Layug, one of the
12, donated a statue of what
Palo Archbishop John Du
called Our Lady of Hope.
When Pope Francis saw the
statue at the Archbishops
residence, he was in awe
and said, Ah, la Madonna,
la Madonna, touching the
statue. Pope Francis, the
staunch Marian loyalist, was moved
by Willys Sacred Art.
Cardinal Tagle agreed instantly
to be the guest speaker at the forthcoming Sacred Art Exhibit. He
knew some of the twelve, who had
been commissioned by the Church
many times. There was Willy Layugs

One never paints for

himself. He paints for
others. The inspiration
is spiritual, not just
a matter of skill or
technique. Sacred
Artists, in truth,
require spirituality.
good one was. The heart must be
prepared. It must let the Lord enter
his soul and his brush. Only when
one has communed with God can a
Sacred Art painter actually paint for
Him. One never paints for himself.
He paints for others. The inspiration
is spiritual, not just a matter of skill
or technique. We were all in awe,

Art / B7

OUR dear Bishops, SAC Directors, Brothers and through our Alay Kapwa account:
Sisters in Christ,
Bank: Bank of the Philippine Islands
On April 25, 2015, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake Account Name: CBCP Caritas Filipinas
shook and shocked one of the worlds remarkable Foundation, Inc.
countries - Nepal. As of April 28, 2015, death toll is Account Number: 4951-0071-08
already at 4,200 and authorities from the Nepalese
government feared that the affected population
Thank you very much for your continued dedicawill still increase while aftershocks are still being tion and selfless service to the poor and the vulnerable.
experienced.
United Nations Office
for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UN
OCHA), together with hundreds of other international
humanitarian organizations
has already coordinated and
deployed emergency rescue
and relief efforts and activities. However, the need for
more shelter kits, food and
non-food items, potable
water supply and medicines
are increasing.
In response to the growing need of our brothers and sisters in Nepal,
the Caritas Internationalis confederation has also
launched an emergency
appeal to support relief and More than 100 Nepalese students studying at the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) hold a
prayer vigil for the victims and aftermath survivors of earthquake in Nepal, April 27, 2015.
recovery efforts.
In solidarity and in
appreciation and gratitude to all those who have
helped us during the trying times of Typhoon ROLANDA J. TRIA TIRONA, OCD, DD
Yolanda, NASSA/Caritas Philippines call on ev- National Director
ery diocese in the country to send donations for CBCP-NASSA-Caritas Philippines
the Nepalese families affected by the earthquake April 28, 2015

Yen Ocampo

By Bernie V. Lopez

Solidarity appeal for families

affected by Nepal earthquake

CBCP Monitor

STATEMENTS B5

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

Exodus, a fundamental experience of vocation

Young people of the Diocese of Paraaque light candles during the 52nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations, April 26, 2015.

ing an ongoing exodus out of the closed

inward-looking self towards its liberation
through self-giving, and thus towards
authentic self-discovery and indeed the
discovery of God (Deus Caritas Est, 6).
The exodus experience is paradigmatic
of the Christian life, particularly in the
case of those who have embraced a vocation of special dedication to the Gospel.
This calls for a constantly renewed attitude
of conversion and transformation, an
incessant moving forward, a passage from
death to life like that celebrated in every

liturgy, an experience of passover. From

the call of Abraham to that of Moses,
from Israels pilgrim journey through the
desert to the conversion preached by the
prophets, up to the missionary journey of
Jesus which culminates in his death and
resurrection, vocation is always a work
of God. He leads us beyond our initial
situation, frees us from every enslavement, breaks down our habits and our
indifference, and brings us to the joy of
communion with him and with our brothers and sisters. Responding to Gods call,

then, means allowing him to help us leave

ourselves and our false security behind,
and to strike out on the path which leads
to Jesus Christ, the origin and destiny of
our life and our happiness.
This exodus process does not regard
individuals alone, but the missionary and
evangelizing activity of the whole Church.
The Church is faithful to her Master to the
extent that she is a Church which goes
forth, a Church which is less concerned
about herself, her structures and successes,
and more about her ability to go out and

Analyn Perucho

DEAR Brothers and Sisters,

The Fourth Sunday of Easter offers us
the figure of the Good Shepherd who
knows his sheep: he calls them, he feeds
them and he guides them. For over fifty
years the universal Church has celebrated
this Sunday as the World Day of Prayer for
Vocations. In this way she reminds us of
our need to pray, as Jesus himself told his
disciples, so that the Lord of the harvest
may send out laborers into his harvest
(Lk 10:2). Jesus command came in the
context of his sending out missionaries.
He called not only the twelve Apostles, but
another seventy-two disciples whom he
then sent out, two by two, for the mission
(cf.Lk10:1-6). Since the Church is by
her very nature missionary (Ad Gentes, 2),
the Christian vocation is necessarily born
of the experience of mission. Hearing and
following the voice of Christ the Good
Shepherd, means letting ourselves be attracted and guided by him, in consecration
to him; it means allowing the Holy Spirit
to draw us into this missionary dynamism,
awakening within us the desire, the joy
and the courage to offer our own lives in
the service of the Kingdom of God.
To offer ones life in mission is possible
only if we are able to leave ourselves behind. On this 52nd World Day of Prayer
for Vocations, I would like reflect on that
particular exodus which is the heart of
vocation, or better yet, of our response to
the vocation God gives us. When we hear
the word exodus, we immediately think
of the origins of the amazing love story
between God and his people, a history
which passes through the dramatic period
of slavery in Egypt, the calling of Moses,
the experience of liberation and the journey toward the Promised Land. The Book
of Exodus, the second book of the Bible,
which recounts these events is a parable
of the entire history of salvation, but also
of the inner workings of Christian faith.
Passing from the slavery of the old Adam to
new life in Christ is a event of redemption
which takes place through faith (Eph4:2224). This passover is a genuine exodus; it
is the journey of each Christian soul and
the entire Church, the decisive turning of
our lives towards the Father.
At the root of every Christian vocation
we find this basic movement, which is part
of the experience of faith. Belief means
transcending ourselves, leaving behind
our comfort and the inflexibility of our
ego in order to centre our life in Jesus
Christ. It means leaving, like Abraham,
our native place and going forward with
trust, knowing that God will show us the
way to a new land. This going forward
is not to be viewed as a sign of contempt
for ones life, ones feelings, ones own
humanity. On the contrary, those who
set out to follow Christ find life in abundance by putting themselves completely
at the service of God and his kingdom.
Jesus says: Everyone who has left home
or brothers or sisters or father or mother
or children or lands, for my names sake,
will receive a hundredfold, and inherit
eternal life (Mt 19:29). All of this is
profoundly rooted in love. The Christian
vocation is first and foremost a call to love,
a love which attracts us and draws us out
of ourselves, decentring us and trigger-

Analyn Perucho

Message of Pope Francis for the 52nd World Day of Prayer for Vocation
26 April 2015, Fourth Sunday of Easter

A Circular on Labor Day 2015 Celebration

Your Excellency, Rev. Monsignori,
Rev. Fathers:
On the First of May 2015, we
will again celebrate the Feast of St.
Joseph the Worker, and the International Labor Day. We are reminded
to reflect on the plight of the workers, and be in solidarity with them.
Our beloved Holy Father Pope
Francis has said, Not paying a just
wage, not providing work, focusing

with the smell of the sheep. It is not

enough just to reflect on the above
situation of workers. We are asked
to be in solidarity with them. We
are challenged to incarnate ourselves
into their lives; and journey with
them. May this years First of May
activities lead us to more effective
solidarity programs with the workers, our brothers and sisters.
In line with the celebration of the
Year of the Poor, I urge you all to
join and participate actively in the
following activities:

May all sectors work together to

promote human dignity and integral
development of people in our soci-

File Photo

1. All Masses on May 1, 2015

are to be offered in solidarity with
our workers.
2. Be in solidarity with our Archdiocesan Labor Day Celebration:
May 1 MASS FOR WORKERS
Venue: Mactan Economic Zone
(MEPZ) 1-Football Field,
Brgy. Ibo, Lapu-Lapu City
Time: 6:30 AM
3. Initiate pastoral programs
that will engage the parishioners
to reach out to the poor workers in
our parishes.
4. Incorporate in your homilies
the essentials of this circular letter.

FRANCIS

(A homily delivered by
Archbishop Socrates Villegas
at the Plenary Assembly of
the Pontifical Committee for
International Eucharistic
Congresses, held in Cebu
City, April 24-28, 2015)

Last March 2015, the

government gave an increase in
the daily wages of only fifteen
pesos. This was seen as an
insult by the workers.
exclusively on the balance books, on
financial statements, only looking at
making profit. That goes against God!
Last March 2015, the government
gave an increase in the daily wages of
only fifteen pesos. This was seen as an
insult by the workers. Moreover, the
evils of contractualization still menace them. Our graduates last March
are finding it more and more difficult
to find good paying jobs. No wonder, more than 4,000 Filipinos leave
the Philippines daily in order to look
for jobs abroad. They leave behind
young children who are without their
parents hands to guide them and this
results to deep psycho-social-spiritual
problems among our young.
Pope Francis has further said that
Priests should be shepherds living

From the Vatican, 29 March 2015

Palm Sunday

Piety, the poor and

professionalism in the
preparation for the IEC

Archdiocese of Cebu

TO all parish priests and team ministers in the Archdiocese of Cebu

meet Gods children wherever they are, to

feel compassion (com-passio) for their hurt
and pain. God goes forth from himself in
a Trinitarian dynamic of love: he hears the
cry of his people and he intervenes to set
them free (Ex3:7). The Church is called to
follow this way of being and acting. She is
meant to be a Church which evangelizes,
goes out to encounter humanity, proclaims
the liberating word of the Gospel, heals
peoples spiritual and physical wounds with
the grace of God, and offers relief to the
poor and the suffering.
Dear brothers and sisters, this liberating
exodus towards Christ and our brothers
and sisters also represents the way for us to
fully understand our common humanity
and to foster the historical development
of individuals and societies. To hear and
answer the Lords call is not a private
and completely personal matter fraught
with momentary emotion. Rather, it is a
specific, real and total commitment which
embraces the whole of our existence and
sets it at the service of the growth of Gods
Kingdom on earth. The Christian vocation, rooted in the contemplation of the
Fathers heart, thus inspires us to solidarity
in bringing liberation to our brothers and
sisters, especially the poorest. A disciple
of Jesus has a heart open to his unlimited
horizons, and friendship with the Lord
never means flight from this life or from
the world. On the contrary, it involves a
profound interplay betwe en communion
and mission (cf.Evangelii Gaudium, 23).
This exodus towards God and others
fills our lives with joy and meaning. I wish
to state this clearly to the young, whose
youth and openness to the future makes
them open-hearted and generous. At times
uncertainty, worries about the future and
the problems they daily encounter can
risk paralyzing their youthful enthusiasm
and shattering their dreams, to the point
where they can think that it is not worth
the effort to get involved, that the God of
the Christian faith is somehow a limit on
their freedom. Dear young friends, never
be afraid to go out from yourselves and
begin the journey! The Gospel is the message which brings freedom to our lives;
it transforms them and makes them all
the more beautiful. How wonderful it is
to be surprised by Gods call, to embrace
his word, and to walk in the footsteps of
Jesus, in adoration of the divine mystery
and in generous service to our neighbors!
Your life will become richer and more
joyful each day!
The Virgin Mary, model of every vocation, did not fear to utter her fiat in
response to the Lords call. She is at our
side and she guides us. With the generous
courage born of faith, Mary sang of the joy
of leaving herself behind and entrusting to
God the plans she had for her life. Let us
turn to her, so that we may be completely
open to what God has planned for each
one of us, so that we can grow in the desire
to go out with tender concern towards
others (cf.Lk1:39). May the Virgin Mary
protect and intercede for us all.

ety. May Jesus and St. Joseph, both

Workers, be with us.
Yours in Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
+JOSE S. PALMA, D.D.
Archbishop of Cebu

By mandate of the Archbishop:

REV. MSGR. RENATO C.
BELTRAN, JR., P.C.
Archdiocesan Chancellor
21 April 2015

THE question needs to be asked in the presence of the Lord. What

is expected of us who have been asked by the Church to prepare
for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress. I offer three Ps.
The first is, the international Eucharistic congress should be an
instrument for piety, holiness. The mission of the church is only
one, that all of us be saints, that all of us be saints together. Every
Eucharist, even more, every Eucharistic Congress should help us to
grow in holiness and piety, because the bread that we eat is the bread
of angels and saints. And the blood that we drink is the blood of the
Lord, the same blood that has washed away all our sins. But where
is holiness to be seen? Holiness is to be seen not just in the solemn
preparations of liturgies, not just in the incensations and the candles,
not just in nice feelings and bubbling sentiments.
The Eucharistic Congress should help us to reach out, in the
spirit of Pope Francis, to the second P which is the poor. The
Eucharistic Congress should be congress of the Eucharist for the
poor, in the Philippines, which has called itself a church of the
poor. But where are the poor in our preparations? And where will
be the poor in our celebrations? When we speak of the poor we do
not only refer to those who have nothing in the pocket and, even
more, nothing in the stomach. When we speak of the poor we do
IEC / B7

B6 REFLECTIONS
Bishop Pat Alo

ENCOUNTERS

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

CBCP Monitor

What makes us one with God and neighbor

6th Sunday of Easter, John 15:9-17 (B)

Gods forgiving mercy

THE practice of regular confession appears to have declined in

number, and perchance some clarification has to be made. In
this regard, forgiveness must be seen as a relationship between
God and man. But in this mutual and dual relationship it is man
who has to reform and turn aside from evil, and be converted to
God who is there waiting all the time (cf. Rev. 3:20, Ps. 34:14).
If this is not understood this way, how else? Even the parable of the Prodigal Son, which portrays such mystery of Gods
forgiveness, shows therein a return of the sinner back to the
Fathers house. In human experience, that would be a return to
the normal, legitimate circumstances surrounding a persons life.
In the shepherding or pastoral (for such is the work of the pastor which in Latin means shepherd) ministry of the Church, the
sacrament of Confession is precisely one which is best in bringing
sinners to reconciliation with Godnot just with any created
being, but with God alone (cf. Mk. 2:7).
The others follow only as a compliment to the fulfillment of
Gods will. That is why this is an important sacrament; a part and
parcel of the proclamation of the Word, for here we do proclaim
the mercy of God towards repentant sinners.

Bo Sanchez

Soulfood

I DONT know how to explain this.

I really dont.
But in my life, Ive seen how the universe conspires to give me
what I need.
It could be as simple as a parking space. For years now, Ive
noticed that when I need a parking space, it just appears in front
of me. (Obviously, there were exceptions, but even the exceptions
were gifts from God, redirecting me to go somewhere else or do
something else.)
I believe we have the power to attract anything in our lives.
We can attract a parking space. We can attract joy, love, holiness, money.
How? By openness.
Ask and you shall receive
By opening yourself to blessing, by working on it, pouring your
energies into itthe conspiracy of grace begins to work in the
background. I repeat: God created a universe that will conspire
to give you what you need.
You can of course attract misery, debt, anxiety, and conflict in
your life as easily. How? By what you do, how you think, and
what you say. Its really a choice.
But let me get back to my conspiracy of grace theory.
I believe God brought them into my life because I searched
for them.
Seek and you shall find
A wise man once said, When the student is ready, the teacher
will come.
Around 8 years ago, I wanted to get into the Stock Market.
But I didnt know a single thing about it. I was a missionary
for decades, so I was a total nincompoop when it came to the
mysterious world of Stocks. So I prayed to God to send me a
mentor to teach me.
After a year with that prayer percolating within me, someone
called up the officea guy was requesting for lunch. He said he
read my book and wishes to have talk with me.
When we sat down together for the meal, he introduced himself.
And I couldnt believe my ears. He said he was a former member of
the Board of the Philippine Stock Exchange and has been earning
money through the Stock Market for 30+ years.
That day, I met my mentor. That day, he introduced me into
the whole world of Stock Market investing. And since that day,
he has been my financial, business, and life mentorwhile he
considers me as his spiritual mentor too.
Once I learned, I started teaching others how to invest in the
Stock Market too. Today, Ive taught thousands and the numbers
keep growing everyday.

Albrecht Altdorfer

Open yourself to
extravagant grace

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

THERE is in us an instinctive
selfishness--an unmistakable
sign of the deep wound inflicted
on all the descendants of Adam
by original sin. It is a wound
continuously kept open by all
subsequent sins. Because of this,
we often feel tempted to become
aggressive, carried away as we are
by pride and other lower passions.
Some see more easily in others the
competitor, the rival and even the
enemy, rather than the brother or
sister to be appreciated and loved.
Clearly, a good deal of the old
man still survives in us, alongside with the positive aspirations
which are the fruit of a sound
upbringing, a helpful environment, and especially the presence
of the Holy Spirit in us.
Unlike us, the whole of Christs
life was characterized by LOVE;
a love patterned after that of the
Father (see Jn 15:9 and 1 Jn 4:910), and which reached its highest
manifestation on the Cross, when
he died, the just for the unjust
(1 Pt 3:18), as a sacrificial offering
for our sins. (See 1 Jn 4:10.)
To all his followers--to us--he

enjoined only one thing: Love

one another as I have loved you
(Jn 15:12). Our love of neighbor,
then, to be genuine, has got to

this: to lay down ones life for

ones friends (Jn 15:13).
This is the kind of love that
unites us--through Jesus--with

Resurrection is not just an

event of the past that concerns
Jesus alone, but an ever-present
power, which re-creates every
human being from within,
transforming him/her from
a weak sinner into a strong
child of God who lives by the
commandment of brotherly/
sisterly love.
be Christ-like: i.e., rooted in the
Fathers love, which is boundless,
unconditional, total, ready even
for the supreme sacrifice, for
there is no greater love than

both God the Father and the

Holy Spirit and our neighbor.
This is the kind of love that
bears fruits of compassion,
forgiveness, solidarity, respect,

affirmation, comfort, joy, and

peace. Each of us knows how
difficult it is to love in such a
manner and at all times.
By constantly doing our best to
overcome selfishness, aggressiveness, and greed through our loving attitudes, words, and actions,
we will grow in the awareness that
there is something wonderful created in us by Gods grace. We are
new men/women, re-created
in Gods image, thanks to the
crucified and risen Christ. (See
Eph 4:24.)
Then will our behavior become
a living proof of the reality and
universal effect of the resurrection of Christ. Through our own
and our neighbors love, we shall
experience that the newness of
life brought by Jesus is not a
myth or just a pious aspiration
but a wonderful REALITY. We
will also see that the Resurrection is not just an event of the
past that concerns Jesus alone,
but an ever-present power, which
re-creates every human being
from within, transforming him/
her from a weak sinner into a
strong child of God who lives by
the commandment of brotherly/
sisterly love.

Sent to carry on Christs evangelizing mission

Ascension of the Lord, Mark 16:15-20 (B)
49th World Communications Sunday, May 17, 2015

Knock and the door will be opened

I could go on and on.
Grace happens everyday. And I cannot explain it.
My dear friend, open yourself to extreme, excessive, extravagant grace.

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

THE glorification of Christ at his
Ascension ushered in the time of the
Church--the time of the proclamation
of the Gospel addressed to all peoples
through the cracking voice of men
who were themselves frail and sinful.
By human standards, their preaching
would have been a short-lived effort,
doomed to fail from the very start. And
yet, after almost two thousand years and millions of
setbacks, the preaching
goes on, as relevant and as
challenging as ever.
The reason for this astonishing phenomenon?
Christ has been keeping
the promise he made to
his apostles: I am with
you always, until the end
of the world (Mt 28:20).
Indeed, the Risen Christ
has been all along with
his people working with
them and confirming the
word with accompanying
signs. (See end of todays
Gospel.) He is ever present in his Church, in the
sacraments, and in the Word, which
the Church treasures, proclaims and
witnesses to.
It is thanks to the unfailing presence of the Risen Christ that his Word
displays a freshness, which makes it
contemporary with all generations,
and possesses a richness which makes
it relevant to all cultures and circumstances.
The heart of the Word proclaimed

by the Church is the GOSPEL, the

GOOD NEWS that God has reconciled all human beings to Himself in
Jesus Christ (see Rom 5:10-11), and
has exalted Jesus above all creatures
by seating him at His right hand (see
Eph 1:20.22 and Mk 16:19).
The Good News is not simply
about Christs glorification. It is
also about its saving effects on all
men and women of all times and
places, for he has gone to prepare a

of faith to the proclamation of the

Good News and through living by
its values.
And, having experienced it in our
lives, we are also expected to proclaim
it to others. Likewise, we have to witness to the Good News of the Gospel
through a life characterized by serenity, generosity, peace, and all other
qualities that make the environment in
which we live a little heaven. Thus, in a
world perpetually saddened by hosts of
bad news, the proclamation of the Good News
of Jesus Christ remains
the perennial source of
pure joy for all, as Pope
Francis reminds us in
his apostolic exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium.
This proclamation of
the life-giving message
of the Gospel has to be
pursued and ever more
e x p a n d e d t h ro u g h a l l
means of social communication. These are
wonderful and powerful
aids offered to todays
heralds of the Gospel.
It is their privilege and
duty to use them with
wisdom, creativity, and spirit of
faith. In this way, the proclamation
of the Good News to as many people
as possible through the media will be
like a bright torch held aloft by the
Church in the dark night of a world
still under the spell of Satan. With the
help of these media, mankind will be
conquered by Christ and presented by
him to the Father as a glorious homage.
(See 1 Cor 15:24.)

Benjamin West

In a world perpetually saddened

by hosts of bad news, the
proclamation of the Good
News of Jesus Christ remains
the perennial source of pure joy
for all, as Pope Francis reminds
us in his apostolic exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium.
place for all, so that where he is,
his brothers and sisters may also be.
(See Jn 14:13.) In this way, the wonder
of Jesus resurrection and mankinds
redemption is announced not as a
chronicle of a distant past, but as a
saving reality rooted in history, affecting positively all human beings in
every age, and spanning into eternity.
Such a blessing can be experienced
personally by all through a response

CBCP Monitor

SOCIAL CONCERNS B7

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

The Hunger and Thirst for Justice

munications companies are allegedly not
complying with the anti-child pornography law of 2009. They have made no
statement of compliance with the law.
This law, RA 9775 explicitly orders the
Internet Server Providers (ISPs) to install
software to block the transmission of
child porn images and cyber-sex where
children are forced to do sexual acts live
on camera sent through the internet to
paying customers in other cities or coun-

be suffering. Now, we see the likely result

of this connivance and colluding between
big business and government officials.
Horrific crimes against children are being
done and continue daily over the internet.
Filters have not been set up or installed
as the law says. The Internet Watch
Foundation can prove that. Child and
adult pornography is available to children
daily on their pads and cell phones. The
dirty work of Australian Peter Scully and

PREDA Foundation

Children cannot and should not be

made wait years for justice. Justice
based on clear evidence is essential for
healing. Children get witness fatigue
and despair of getting justice.

Minors in Philippines are locked into cramped detention cells where they sometimes wait months for their first hearing and a transfer to a proper youth
detention center.

By Fr. Shay Cullen

THERE is a true and very important
saying that we all need to listen and learn
from: There is no peace when there is no
justice. The truth of this is seen and felt
by thousands of people around the world;
people never forget the injustices that
they have suffered. Hurt and pain are the
realities that we, humans, carry with us
throughout our lives. Much of it happens
in families and in school and children are
scared for life. They suffer much more
when they are victims of sexual, physical
abuse and torture.
Rejection, exclusion, abuse and hurt
feelings of childhood shape and mold the
character of every person; some cope with
it and survive and live with it. Others are
crippled emotionally and psychologically
and many suffer depression and some take
their own lives. Other children are even
murdered on live videos to please international pedophiles. Are we going to allow
this? Abused children carry the memories
into late adult life because as children they
are unable to challenge and confront their
abusers and demand justice.
The culture of ignoring the individual
personality and rights of children is part
of this injustice. The children can grow up
with a grudge, a desire for justice, anger
at being denied it, turning to revengeseeking and even violence. When whole
communities are degraded, oppressed
and exploited they become angry and
seek redress through demonstrations,
riots and protest. This leads to inevitable
confrontation and violence. Others seek
justice in the courts but their complaints
are frequently dismissed. The individual
child can become an angry, violent person
when abused and denied justice. Perhaps
thats why thousands of young people are

flooding to Syria to become fighters and

join the ISIS. Perhaps they see it as a way
to take bloody revenge on the world they
have come to hate.
Prior to the ratification of the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child in
1991, there were few laws to fully protect
the rights of children or treat them as individual people in the own right. The high
status given to a child in the Gospel values
was generally ignored for 2,000 years.
Since the approval of the Convention,
all member states had to draft their laws
based on the convention document. But
are those laws really and wholeheartedly
implemented and beneficial to children?
In the Philippines, experience shows that
mostly they are not. Police, Prosecutors,
judges are more favorable to the abusers
than to the children. More accused child
abusers and rapists are allowed to go free
than are convicted.
The reasons are many: corruption,
bribery, favoritism, and no belief in the
law, the incompetence of police, prosecutors, and judges add to the failure. For all
these, there are good, honest, hardworking judges for the most part that take
pride in carrying out justice. The good
judges restore peoples trust and respect
in the judicial process, but they are all
too few.
Children cannot and should not be
made wait years for justice. Justice based
on clear evidence is essential for healing.
Children get witness fatigue, despair of
getting justice. There are many postponements, manipulations and cheating to
contend with.
Lawyers working for the accused get
paid per hearing, plus a retainer fee. Its
in their interest to prolong the case, earn
more money and hope to win by wearing
down the will of the victim so she will
give up and the rapist can get away with

the crimes.
Then some impotent child protection
laws are allegedly ignored. Telecom-

his local helpers was possible because of

uncontrolled internet access. They made
videos of a screaming 18-month old child
being tortured and murdered. You need to
be of strong heart if you watch it.
The horrific videos were sold in the
USA and EU countries. Is this a civilized
country, is Christianity dead? Is the Philippines a morally failed state? Why can
this happen openly and uncontrolled?
The answer is insatiable greed and the
lust for money, pleasure and power. The
authorities have vital questions to answer
and all of us must challenge politicians
and corporations everywhere and act to
end such crimes and do justice for the
children. Email: shaycullen@gmail.com

Luca Buecken, a PREDA volunteer, visits the DSWD Youth Detention Facility in Muntinlupa City where many of the detained boys are malnourished.
IEC / B5

Art / B4

Our Lady of Hope in a Filipino

dress. There was Nemirandas The
Way of Mary rosary shrine, 20 bas
relief sculptures on the mysteries of
the rosary that run along Ortigas
from the EDSA Shrine all the way
to the Antipolo Shrine, a pilgrims
stations of the rosary. There was
Pancho Pianos numerous stained
glass and murals scattered all over
the 40-odd churches in Bicol. His
obra maestra was the stained glass at
the Cathedral of Peafrancia. There
were many more among the 12 who
were commissioned by the Church
to create Sacred Art.
Cardinal Tagle cited a moving
story of drug addicts turned artists, a life changer. They instantly
exchanged their drug tools for paint
brushes. He said it was a momentous
180-degree turn, making Sacred Art
a critical instrument for evangelizing
wayward youth. He is hoping the
12 artists can pave the way towards

tries. Criminal pedophiles pay to watch

children being abused and raped. Some
order they be tortured and killed.
The National Telecommunication commission officials are apparently looking
the other way, perhaps themselves even
consumers of child pornography, why else
dont they implement the law? The shareholders of the biggest company PLDT can
be found on the internet. They are allegedly likewise in violation of the law most
of whom are Filipinos and US nationals.
Victims of child pornography should file
charges against the telecommunication
companies and individual stockholders
that violate the law. If it is being obeyed,
the victims and their families would not

training out-of-school youth and

the poor, who cannot afford education, helping catapult them into the
community of world-class Filipino
Sacred Art-ists. I felt the 12 shift in
their seats with excitement, gung ho
at the Cardinals idea.
The Sacred Art Exhibit
The idea of a Sacred Art exhibit
actually predated Cardinal Tagles
vision. Vic Cusi, founding President
of GreatNation Philippines, is starting programs in sacred art, sacred
literature, sacred music; Cusis vision
was a paradigm shift. He said that in
the past, everyone flocked to Europe
to see Sacred Art that flourished
there since the Middle Ages. His
dream is to establish a Filipino Art
Renaissance where Europeans will
flock to the Philippines. The catalyst
is the Sacred Art Exhibit of 12 of
the best Filipino artists. Cusi said,
We can easily do this because we

have a wealth of world-class artists.

The Filipino was born with a brush
in his hand. Also, we are the only
Christian nation in Asia. We have
the duty to lead the Sacred Art Renaissance in Asia. We have produced
world-class musicians, artists, and
writers for Asia. The 12 artists were
mainly selected from members of
the Intramuros Visual Arts Philippines (IVAP) through the help of
Nemiranda, its founding president.
The exhibit will open on April 29
at 4:00 p.m. at the GSIS Museum,
which is only by invitation, with
Cardinal Tagle cutting the ribbon,
giving the opening talk and a quick
blessing of the paintings. Members
of the media are welcome at the
opening, they may get their invitation by emailing gistl03@yahoo.
com or contacting 63947-2159768.
The exhibit is open to the public
from April 30 to May 22. (Source:
http://www.sisterraquel.com)

not only refer to the homeless, to

those who have nothing to eat, to
those who are sick and suffering.
When we speak of the poor let us
open our minds to the reality that
there are so many rich people who
are sad, who need to hear the joy
of the Gospel, who need to renew
their hope in the Lord. This is what
Mother Teresa called the poverty of
affluence. That we are rich, but we
have no direction. We have money
but our lives are meaningless. We
have comforts and conveniences
and yet we know there is emptiness
that is eating us up. And we do not
know where to go. Like Peter let us
lead the poor to ask the Lord, Lord
to whom shall we go, you have the
words of life everlasting.
And the third P that should
characterize our preparations maybe
a word that is not found in the
Gospel, it is professionalism. We
should level up. We should make

use of the resources that the professional world makes available. We

should make us of the resources that
our lay people havea certain degree
of professionalism. Professionalizing hospitality, professionalizing
the welcome and the departure.
Professionalizing the transport and
traffic. Professionalizing because
we keep in mind that God is a God
of order. And if ever we succeed in
professionalizing, in leveling up, in
putting a certain sense of order in
our preparations, in our celebrations we must remember that it is
not just the work of planners and
supervisors and managers. When
we professionalize and when we
level up let us keep in mind it is the
work of the Lord and we are only
his useless servants.
We turn to the Lord in the
Eucharist. We listen to the Lord
speaking to us in the Bible. May
our Eucharistic Congress help us to

grow in holiness, in piety, because at

the end of the day that is our only
reason for holding it. That at the
end of the Eucharistic Congress,
looking forward to the 52nd, we
can say honestly that we have moved
forward in the right direction, in
the path of piety, that we open the
Eucharist to the poor, to the hungry
and to the lonely, to the discouraged
and to those living meaningless
lives. May we level up and celebrate
this grace-filled event with utmost
professionalism keeping in mind
that God is a God of order. And
the Holy Spirit can work best when
we human beings put things in
order and open up our Church to
the available resources, talents and
gifts, that so many of our lay people,
some of them even non-believers,
can lend to the Church. We pray
for piety, we open our hearts to the
poor and we set our mission with
utmost professionalism.

Tabernacle / B2

he either consumes them at the

altar or carries them to the place
designated for the reservation of
the Eucharist.
Upon returning to the altar,
the priest collects any fragments
that may remain. Then, standing
at the altar or at the credence table,
he purifies the paten or ciborium
over the chalice, then purifies the
chalice, saying quietly: Quod ore
sumpsimus (Lord, may I receive),
and dries the chalice with a purificator. If the vessels are purified
at the altar, they are carried to
the credence table by a minister.
Nevertheless, it is also permitted,
especially if there are several vessels
to be purified, to leave them suitably covered on a corporal, either
at the altar or at the credence table,
and to purify them immediately
after Mass following the dismissal
of the people.
As can be seen, there is nothing
here that suggests a specific rite.
This is a practical question that

is done within the context of the

purification. While all due reverence should be observed, there is
no need to unduly emphasize this
moment.
The missal is, however, clear that
it should be the priest or deacon,
and not an extraordinary minister
of holy communion, who should
perform this duty in the context of
Mass. The priest or deacon should
make a genuflection on closing the
tabernacle.
I believe that there are several
reasons why this is not an apt moment for underlying the Eucharistic presence. First of all, as reflected
in the rubrics cited above, this has
never been a particularly solemn
moment of the celebration. Second, and more importantly, we
are still within the context of the
celebration of the holy sacrifice of
the Mass and the emphasis at this
moment is on thanksgiving for
having partaken of this sacrifice
through Holy Communion.

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B8 FEATURES

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

Moral Assessment

Abhorrent

Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome

Exemplary

Luke Collins (Scott Eastwood) is

set to reclaim his title as champion
bull rider after last years nasty
fall. At a rodeo, he meets Sophia
Danco (Britt Robertson), an art
student ready for an internship in
New York City. They spend time
getting to know each other but
realized they are worlds apart to
make the relationship work. He
needs to ride a bull to save their
ranch while she needs to fulfil her
dreams in the big city. In one of
their dates, they rescue Ira Levinson (Alan Alda), a 90-year-old
man and his box, from a car crash.
While in hospital, Ira (portrayed
by Jack Huston as a young man)
shares memories of his beloved
wife Ruth (Oona Chaplin) and
their enduring love. Will Luke
choose the 8-second bull ride
championship or the longest ride
called life with Sophia?
If youve read a Nicholas Sparks
novel or seen any of the film adaptations, youd know the formula.
Girl meets boy from a different
background, they fall in love but
theres a hindrance. You dont get
only one story but two. Theres
another, older couple who faced
the same dilemma, and through
letters this older couples story
inspire the younger ones. Tragedy
strikes, but it doesnt end there.
The Longest Ride doesnt veer
of course. Be that as it may, the
film showcases the talents of its
actors. Eastwood shows promise

CBCP Monitor

Technical Assessment

Poor
Below average

Average

Above average
E
xcellent

The longest
ride
DIRECTOR: George Tillman
Jr.
LEAD CAST: Britt Robertson,
Scott Eastwood, Alan
Alda, Jack Huston,
Oona Chaplin, Melissa
Benoist, Lolita
Davidovich
SCREENWRITER:
Nicholas Sparks
(novel), Craig Bolotin
(screenplay)
PRODUCER: Marty Bowen,
H.H. Cooper, Wyck
Godfrey, Michele
Imperato, Theresa Park,
James Paul, Mitchell
Smith, Nicholas Sparks,
Robert Teitel
EDITOR: Jason Ballantine
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Mark
Isham
GENRE: Drama, Romance
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David
Tattersall
DISTRIBUTOR: 20th Century
Fox
LOCATION: North Carolina,
United States
RUNNING TIME: 139
minutes
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:

Moral Assessment:

MTRCB RATING: R-13
CINEMA RATING: V 18

and Robertson essays her role

well. It is the young Levinson
couple, Oona Chaplin and Jack
Huston, who bring their endearing 1940s characters to life. Although the film weaves the two
stories together, one cant help
asking why the young Ira had
to write Ruth about something
she herself just experienced.
There are beautiful scenic shots
of North Carolina and the bull
riding scenes are gripping. The
dialogue can be improved and
some scenes are just too long it
would have been better if it were
less than 120 minutes.
The Longest Ride, like all Nicholas Sparks story, is not your typical Hollywood romance. It shows
good, old-fashioned chivalry and
dedication to duty before self
interest. Love is not a one-nightstand that crumbles when faced
with difficult situations. Love
requires sacrifice...always. It
is noble and true. It allows the
beloved his/her freedom and it
endures, no matter what. This
is not confined to romantic love
alone. The film shows care and
concern for ones parent, neighbor, and friend, even at the cost
of ones life.
The film may garner negative
comments from critics for being
unrealistic and sappy but it stands
firm on its Christian view of love
and its four forms: agape, phileo,
storge, and eros.

Lolo Kiko

Buhay Parokya

Bladimer Usi

Si Georgina (Toni Gonzaga) ay may mataas na posisyon sa marketing

department ng isang maliit na airline company. Nang magpaalam para
magbakasyon ang kanyang boss (Freddie Webb), inihabilin siya nito kay
Pong (Coco Martin), bilang kanyang assistant. Hindi magkasundo sina
Pong at Georgina sa umpisa. Masungit at modern si Georgina. Kimi
at simple naman si Pong. May isang importanteng deal ang kumpanya
ni Georgina na kailangan niyang maisara at ito rin ang magsasalba sa
kahihiyan na naidulot niya sa kumpanya minsang magwala siya sa harap
ng mga pasahero ng eroplano at maging viral ang video nito. Ngunit
tumangging makipag-usap sa kanya ang mga Hapones na investor dahil
ang gusto nitong kaharap ay ang boss ni Georgina. Kaya nang magkaroon
ng pagkakataon, ipinakilala niya si Pong bilang kanyang boss. Dito magsisimula ang masalimuot na relasyon nina Pong at Georgina. Magkaigihan
kaya sila o lalo pang tumindi ang kanilang pag-aaway?

Look for the image of Mama Mary, St.

John Paul II, and Holy Bible.
(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Youre my boss

Ang Youre My Boss ay isang

pelikulang sinadyang gawin para sa
mga artista nito. Sadyang ibinagay
sa dalawang bida ang mga karakter DIRECTOR: Antoinette
nila. May pagka-predictable ang
Jadaone
pelikula dahil dito ngunit di naman LEAD CAST: Toni Gonzaga,
Coco Martin
maiaalis na may kuwento pa rin
itong gustong sabihin. Kung tutu- WRITER, SCREENWRITER:
Antoinette Jadaone
usin ay hindi kapani-paniwala ang
pinaka-buod ng pelikula. Pawang GENRE: Comedy, Romance
mahirap paniwalaan na magiging PRODUCTION COMPANIES:
ABS-CBN Film
ganun kadali ang mga biglaang
Productions, Star
pagbabalat-kayo ng bida na maging
Cinema Productions
boss buhat sa pagiging ordinaryong DISTRIBUTORS: Star
assistant lamang. Pawang mahiCinema Productions
rap paniwalaan at lalong mahirap
(2015) (Philippines)
panindigan ang ganitong uri ng LOCATION: Philippines
kasinungalingan. Sa maraming LANGUAGE: English/Pilipino
eksena, tila kakatwa ang nagiging RUNNING TIME: 116 mins.
kinakalabasan nito. Marahil sadyang TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:
hindi bagay ang dalawang bida mula

pa sa simula. Sa kabila nito, maayos Moral Assessment:

naman ang daloy ng kuwento dahil

naka-sentro ito sa dalawang bida. CINEMA Rating: PG 13

Maayos din ang mga kuha ng camera at sadyang malaki ang naitulong ng magandang tanawin ng Batanes
sa ikakaganda ng pelikula. Pero pawang may kulang sa kabuuang dating
ng pelikula. May timplang hinahanap ang mga manoodmarahil ito ang
kilig na mahirap makuha mula sa dalawang bidang pilit na ibinabagay.
O marahil dahil nakakahon pa rin ang pelikula sa isang nakakabagot na
pormula ng romantic-comedy.
Marami namang mapupulot sa pelikulang Youre My Boss. Naka-sentro
dito ang patungkol sa katotohanan. Nagsimula ang pelikula sa paninindigan sa isang kasinungalingan at pagbabalat-kayo. Sa mundong ito at sa
panahong ito ng pagbabalat-kayo, tila mailap ang katotohanan. Sa kabila
ng ginawang pagkukunwari ng dalawang bida, nagawa pa rin naman nilang
maging tapat sa bandang huli, hindi lamang sa kanilang kumpanya ngunit
higit-lalo sa nararamdaman nila sa isat-isa. Nariyan din ang pagpapahalaga
sa pamilya. Galing ang dalawang pangunahing tauhan sa magkaibang uri
ng pamilya at dito makikita na parehas nilang pinahahalagahan ito dahil
sa kanilang pinagdaan sa kani-kaniyang pamilya. Makikita rin sa pelikula
ang kahalagahan ng pakikipag-kapwa tao, ng matutong bumangon mula
sa kamalian, at ng pagtanggap ng pagkakamali ng may pagpapakumbaba.
Sa bandang huli, isang bagay pa rin ang pinakamahalaga sa lahatiyan
ang pag-ibig na walang kinikilalang yaman o antas sa lipunan. Lahat ay
nagiging pantay-pantay sa larangan ng pag-ibig.

CBCP Monitor

C1

April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

CFC HOLD Celebrates the

Colors of Love
By Alma Alvarez

Love was definitely in the

air when 6,000 women
leaders and members of the
CFC Handmaids of the Lord
(HOLD)came together for
a weekend to celebrate the
colors of love. The HOLD
International Conference,
held last April 24, 25 and 26
at the Alonte Sports Arena
in Bian, Laguna, was bursting with the symbols and
colors of love as the conference opened with "Hats Off
to Love", an interactive evening of singing and dancing
featuring HOLD members
from the various provinces,
countries and Metro Manila
sectors.

Day 2 was ushered in by the celebration

of the Mass, immediately followed by the
first talk titled Do You Love Me? by Beth
Santayana, a member of the HOLD National Core in the USA. Santayana spoke
about the law of love, as God commanded
in Deuteronomy 6:5 (You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your
strength.) and John 13:34 (A new commandment I give to you, that you love one
another; even as I have loved you, that
you also love one another.)
But God did not just command us to
love Him, Santayana added, enumerating
six ways on how His people should love:
by giving all to God, by making God the
topmost priority, by obeying God, seeking God, taking up the cross for Him and
loving others.
How do the faithful love Him back?

Santayana stated, As Handmaids of the

Lord, we are called to deepen our love for
God, and HOLD provides the way for
us to do this. She went on to give three
important elements to do thatpersonal
transformation, evangelization, and wholehearted service.
Myrna Vega, Regional Coordinator
for Southern Tagalog, followed with the
second session, Will You Love Me More?
This session answers the question that

Jesus asked Peter (Do you love Me more

than these?). She named worldly desires
and needs, self-love or ego, and personal
weaknesses as obstacles that hinder the
faithful from doing so.
It is easy to tell God, I will love You
more, Vega revealed. However, human
love has certain attributes that limit the
human person in loving God more. In
cases when loving is limited by certain
conditions, one must will it so as to cast out

the fear of loving more in order to change

the way one loves.
Session 3, presented by Bernie Cuevas,
HOLD Coordinator for China, dared the
delegates to ask the question What Would
Jesus Do? via a series of scenes depicting
difficult situations in a womans life. The
creative rendition of the issues on the lack
of obedience, humility, love for the poor,
forgiveness, reconciliation and fellowship
hit the nail on the head, so to speak.

As Bernie reiterated, there is no difficulty

women face that Jesus did not encounter
in His earthly life, but the way He dealt
with these circumstances shows how one
can love more, with the power that comes
from the Holy Spirit.
Tootsie Lopez, coordinator for Mindanao, encouraged the Handmaids to
declare I Will Follow You in the 4th session.
Let Romans 12:9-21 be our guide,
declared Lopez. She added, In order to
follow Jesus on how to love more, we have
to be like Him in His obedience, love for
the poor, humility, forgiveness, and lifegiving fellowship. This session reinforced
the issues presented in the previous session,
and provided practical ways on how a
woman can love more in her roles and daily
dutiesas a mother, wife, sister, worker,
Church servant, and in her community/
social involvements.
On Sunday, HOLD International Coordinator Didi Galsim talked about the
Colors of Love. In her session, the struggles
one goes through in desiring to do good
were presented through a creative interpretation of the 4 Dsdeception, division,
diversion, and discouragement.
And so one asks, Who will rescue
me? (Romans 7:24). Galsim exhorted,
We are not on our own in our struggles
to overcome these hindrances. Our Lord
Jesus Christ has conquered evil with His
death and resurrection!
Galsim added that God has also given
man two very powerful alliesour Mother
Mary and the guardian angels, who take
mankind by the hand towards the direction
of Jesus Christ, to be healed and released
from anything that hinders him from loving more.
She went on to present the Colors of
Lovepink, for love that is sweet, thrilling
and joy-giving; green, for love that hopes
and is always fresh; blue, for love that is
loyal and sincere; yellow, for love expressed
in service; violet, for love that has brought
hurt, but has endured; orange, for love that
HOLD / C4

CFC Guam Marks

20th Anniversary

CFC Spain Celebrates

19 Years

The celebration of CFC Guams 20th Anniversary was events-filled and truly
nourishment for the spirit.
The celebration was jumpstarted on April 8 with the Leaders Conference at the Santa Bernardita Church in
Yigo. This was an echo of the annual Leaders Conference traditionally held in Manila in January of every year.
International Council members George Campos, Executive Director, and Joe Tale, Chairman, delivered the
inspiring and empowering topics of Do you Love me? and Feed My Sheep, respectively.
GUAM / C3

By Edna Nidea
LAST March 22, 2015, CFC and its family ministries in Barcelona, Spain
celebrated its 19th anniversary with the theme LOVE MORE (John
21:15-17) at Centro Civico Barceloneta. A large number of members,
plus visitors from CFC Girona, CFC La Bisbal, other families and friends
were joined by CFC Spain Overseer and CFC UK Country Coordinator
Bong Nidea in the grand celebration.
The program started with a fabulous praise parade, the opening worship and inspirational messages
by the leaders. It was followed by the celebration of the Holy Mass with parish priest, Fr. Tony Laureta
as main presider.
SPAIN / C2

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April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

CBCP Monitor

SPAIN / C1

Joe Tale

After the Mass, different presentations and a dance competition followed courtesy of the family ministries. A
raffle draw added to the excitement and fun. During lunch, delicious food and drinks were served and placed
in a beautifully-decorated buffet table.
After the program, different recognitions and awards were announced and distributed.
The event was indeed victorious, and left lovely smiles on everyones faces, and joy in the hearts of alla
fitting beginning for CFC Spains 20th year to truly love more!

Daybreak
Daybreak this is the
time setting of John
21: 15-17, the anchor
bible verse for our
Love More theme this
year.
As the sun was rising, Jesus
stood at the waters edge . . .
John 21:4
By now, we should have become familiar with the rest of
the heartwarming story Jesus
guided the seven disciples who
have gone fishing all night, but
did not catch any fish, to cast
the net on the right side of the
boat, and by obeying so, caught
so many fish; Jesus invited these
disciples who just betrayed Him
a few days before, to a breakfast
of fish and bread that Jesus
himself prepared; Jesus tenderly
asked Peter three times, who had
also previously denied Him three
times, Do you love me?
Indeed, daybreak or sunrise is
a special time, for it signals the
beginning of a new day, another
chance at life. The dark night is
over and it is now light, signifying a new hope, a fresh start.
The significance of night
gradually turning into day extends in a concrete way for
the disciples- from nothing to
abundance, from no catch to a
full catch; from wrong doing to
forgiveness, from alienation to
reconciliation.
As we near our June anniversary month, we remember and

are grateful to the Lord for the past

34 years. For us in CFC, it has not
really been a situation of no catch.
For in fact, the Lord has blessed
us with plenty of catch -from 16
couples to close to a million persons;
from just the husband and wife to
the entire family; from one city
(Manila) to the entire Philippines;
from one country to more than 120;
from one race to a multi race, multi
culture, multi language community.
However, as we learned in our
Love More Weekend, in the whole
scheme of things, we have really
done too little. We need to continue
to be keenly aware of the signs of
the times and the way the Lord is
leading us in our littleness towards
the vision of being a light to the
nations (Isaiah 49:6).
Daybreak for CFC in the here
and now is the call and accompanying affirmation that the Lord is
opening to us wide open fields of
evangelization, of renewal of families, of caring for the poor and those
in the peripheries, indeed, bringing
us to a new level of serving him.
It is not just business as usual. It
is not being contented within our
own different comfort zones. The
Lord is disturbing us. The Lord is
calling us to greater heights, with
the accompanying higher levels of
commitment, and sacrifice.
Beyond our regular evangelization work, which is proceeding well
on all fronts, we see rising in the
horizon, among many others, the
mission work in the two most populous countries in the world (China

and India), a whole continent

heretofore not reached by CFC
(South America), and a growing
sector not only in the Philippines but globally (Migrants).
And inspiring us and guiding us in all these is a daybreak
exhortation from Pope Francis,
The Joy of the Gospel, indeed
a fresh wind to propel the mission and evangelization sails
everywhere.
The joy of the gospel fills the
hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus
... I wish to encourage the
Christian faithful to embark upon
a new chapter of evangelization
marked by this joy.
Our Pope calls for spirit
filled evangelizers, those
fearlessly open to the workings
of the Holy Spirit and who
have the courage to proclaim
the newness of the Gospel
with boldness in every time
and place, even when it meets
opposition; evangelizers who
pray and work; recognize that
mission is at once a passion
for Jesus and a passion for His
people; not discouraged by
failure or of scarce results, since
fruitfulness is often invisible,
elusive and unquantifiable;
and only a commitment is
necessary.
May we in CFC fully respond
to the challenges that this daybreak sets before us.
CFC, it is daybreak!
Carpe Diem!

ANCOP UK Receives Grant

`Love More in Palawan

CFC Palawan echoed the Love More Conference over the weekend of April 24 to 25, 2015 at the Performing Arts Center of Palawan
State University. Invited speakers and sharers from Manila were CFC Chairman Joe Tale and wife Babylou, Western Visayas Regional
Head Tony Gimenez and wife Zeny, Provincial Area Head for Palawan Robert Jimenez and wife Lourna and PFO Sector Coordinator
for North B Boy Sarmiento and wife Tess. Photo shows the participants during the pray-over and imposition of the Papal Cross.

CFC UK Bible Journey

IT WAS a victorious and glorious

day when Couples for Christ United
Kingdom was given the charity award
this year from MSG Foundation. The
award came with 10,000.00 which
has been earmarked for ANCOP.
CFC UK Country Head Bong Nidea,
together with Sonny Vigo, ANCOP
UK Coordinator, received the check
in behalf of ANCOP.
The check was awarded after the Holy Mass
celebrated by Fr. John O'Sullivan at the Our
Lady of Heaven Parish, Frimley, United King-

IC member Joe Yamamoto conducted a Bible Journey course for Couples for Christ in United Kingdom last April 25 and 26, 2015.
The activity was a Spirit-filled experience for members in the Big South and Big North sectors of CFC UK who were taught the more
effective way of reading, studying and living out the Word of God.

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

George B. Campos
IC Oversight

Zenaida A. Gimenez
Editor-in-Chief

Deomar P. Oliveria
Layout Artist

Alma M. Alvarez
Associate Editor

Evangeline C. Mecedilla
Circulation Staff

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation, Inc., with editorial
offices at 156 20th Avenue, 1109 Cubao, Quezon City.
Editorial trunk line: (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23
Direct line : (+63 2) 709-4856
www.couplesforchristglobal.org
cfcglobalcommunications@gmail.com

facebook.com/CFC.Global.Mission

@CFChrist

dom. Those who witnessed the presentation of

the award were Mr. Senen Mangalile, Minister
and Consul General of Philippine Embassy; Mr.
Michael Gove, Member of Parliament (MP);
and Mr. Alan Cleverly, Order of British Empire
(OBE), together with CFC brethren from different parts of UK.
The MSG Foundation Limited engages in
charitable works, focusing on the issue of
disability, saving lives and the advancement
of health. It works to help children or youth,
other voluntary organizations or charities, and
the general public. It helps by making grants to
individuals, providing advocacy and counselling
services and granting money to organizations.
(E. Nidea)

CBCP Monitor

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April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

Top 10 Finish for ANCOP

Scholars in DZMM Marathon

GUAM / C1

On April 9, the community

once again gathered for a Planning Session at the CFC Guam
Mission Center. During the
Planning Session, the evangelization plans of the Guam Governance Team and the entire CFC
Guam were announced, including the very exciting news that
nine (9) Christian Life Programs
(CLPs) will be conducted and
CFC will be introduced to four
(4) new parishes on the island!
The eagerly awaited Love
More Echo conference was
next in line, and it was held at
the Guam Plaza Hotel. A total
of four sessions comprised the
conference, which, because of
the heavy spiritual content of the
talks, has been called a retreat.
Jess Ferrer, Head of CFCs
Migrants Program, gave the first
session entitled It is too Little.
His wife Mercy and couple Ruben and Che Escobido provided
the practical context of the talk
by giving moving testimonies
of how God has journeyed
with them. Executive Director George Campos gave the
powerful Talk 2, Come Have
Breakfast, with sharers John
and Lucille Neal and Jhun and

DANILO Cabug-os, Axl Lewis Cantillas and Regie Loste, all scholars of ANCOP Canada, finished in 6th, 5th and 3rd places, respectively, in the recently
concluded DZMM Takbo Para Sa Karunungan 2015, 3-kilometer category.
The scholars come from CFC Metro Manila North A sector .

ABS-CBN Kapamilya personalities Jessy Mendiola, Matteo Guidicelli and Karylle led the 2,700 runners
during the event which was held on April 12 at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. DZMM anchors Jasmin
Romero, Gretchen Fullido, Marisciel Yao, Atty. Claire Castro, and Cory Quirino also joined the marathon.
Ahwel Paz and Winnie Cordero hosted the program.
ANCOP, a regular participant of the fun run, currently sponsors 75 ANCOP scholars from Mindanao,
survivors of typhoon Sendong.
The DZMM Takbo Para Sa Karunungan was organized by the radio network five years ago to advocate
education and help survivors affected by typhoons Ondoy, Sendong, and Habagat. (RMMedina)

ANCOP Canada Gives School Supplies to Kenya Scholars

Children from Kenya sponsored by CFCs ANCOP under its Child Sponsorship Program received new sets of uniforms, shoes and
bags as part of the scholarship package for ANCOP scholars. Malou Clarito of CFC Canada facilitated the turnover of the school
materials to the delighted children.

Bheng Cortes. The third topic, Do

you Love me More Than These
was given by Joemar Salumbides
with sharers Cynthia Campos and
Brian Galang. The last talk, Love
More, was given by Chairman
Joe Tale and fleshed out by the
testimonies of his wife Babylou and
Manny and Villa Lector.
At lunch, the conference participants were pleasantly surprised
when the entire mission team put
on their LOVE MORE aprons,
took their positions at the buffet tables and served lunch. This
moving expression of love and
servanthood delighted everyone,
including the hotel waiters. It was
a simple but profound way to
express and share the CFC 2015
theme of LOVE MORE to the
Guam CFC Community.
Sunday April 12 was set aside
for the SOLD/Migrants, the recipients of the Financial Growth,
Abundance & Stewardship (FGAS)
seminar held at the Guam Plaza
Hotel. The seminar was arranged
by Caloy and Lucy Nunez, Migrants Program Coordinators
under the SOLD Family Ministry. The seminar, which CFCs
Migrants Program is rolling out
to the entire migrant community,

aims to guide migrants on how

they can best utilize their hard
earned income and ensure a
secure future for their families
through savings and proper
investment.
The Family Ministries were
not to be left behind in the
celebrations. The activities for
the Family Ministries headed
by Ebet and Carrie Sapida
commenced on April 14 with
a strategic Christian Life Program for Singles for Christ.
With assistance from SOLD
International Coordinator
Joemar Salumbides, as well
as from SFC Guam Couple
Coordinators Jhun and Bheng
Cortes, it is expected that the
CLP will jumpstart the swift
and dynamic growth of Singles
for Christ on the island.
Also part of the anniversary
activities was a Marriage Enrichment Retreat (MER 1) for the
graduates of the Christian Life
Program conducted in 2014.
The 20th anniversary celebration culminated with an
anniversary Mass on April
18 followed by a fellowship
dinner at the Santa Barbara
Church in Dededo.

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April 27 - May 10, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 9

CBCP Monitor

YFC LAUNCHES LOVE REVOLUTION

LETS start the revolution!
What we say is what we do!
Revolution of the mind, revolution of the heart, revolution
of the mind! Love Revo, Love
Revo!

Almost 5,000 youth shouted out this chant

during the 22nd YFC International Conference held at Surigao City Sports Complex,
Surigao del Norte, last April 10 - 12, 2015.
The conference adopted Love Revolution
as its theme, based on John 21:15-17, the
anchor verse of the CFC communitys theme
for 2015 Love More .
Joseph Ramos, fulltime pastoral worker of
Youth for Christ USA, kicked off the conference with a vibrant worship, after which
Hon. Myrna Romarate, board member of
Surigao del Norte and national president
of the Provincial Board Members League of
the Philippines, welcomed the delegates to
Surigao, The City of Island Adventures.
Lawrence Quintero, YFC International
Coordinator, officially opened the International Conference after which a prayer for
sportsmanship was recited prior to the creative
and sports competitions.
While the YFC were busy with the competitions, the YFC couple coordinators trooped
to the Surigao del Norte Capitol Convention
Center for this years Church Integration Congress facilitated by Shok Ariola, CFC Church
Integration Office Head.
After the competitions, which everyone
declared were fun but exhausting, everyone
returned to the main venue for the Advocacy
Parade. The parade featured the four advocacies of YFC, namely: Greeneration, A+, 100%
Free and RevUp. The parade was a prelude
to the presentation of the pride of Surigao,
the Sadjao Surigao Dance Theatre, who
regaled the crowd with beautifully rendered
folk dances.
Hon. Ernesto Matugas, Surigao City
mayor, welcomed the delegates to his city
and expressed his appreciation to the YFC
for choosing Surigao City as venue for the
conference. More presentations followed as
the couple coordinators exhibited their dancing prowess, in the Couple Coordinator Got
Talent portion.
Then it was on to the serious and main
substance of the conference, the talks. Prior to
Session 1, fulltime pastoral worker of Bukidnon Popoi Arcenal led the evening worship
and introduced Fr. Marbendear Morallas of
the Archdiocese of Davao, the speaker for the
first session entitled; The Truth Exposed.
Fr. Morallas anchored his talk on the incontrovertible fact that Christ is inviting all of us
to partake of the great feast, the one abundant
with His love, friendship and reconciliation. A
number of youth affirmed this message, sharing their experiences of brokenness wherein
instead of wallowing in the negatives, they
allowed God to work in their lives for His

greater glory. They were Lee Asuro, mission

worker from Metro Manila, Emil Estabillo
from Cavite, and Jigo Trinos, Overall Sector
Youth Head of Metro Manila.
As a fitting end to the fun-filled and spiritfilled day, the Holy Eucharist was celebrated
by the Bishop of Surigao, Most Reverend
Antonieto Cabajog, together with other priests
from the local diocese.
The YFC participants woke up to a rainy
day on the second day of the International
Conference but nothing could dampen their
spirits. With eagerness and enthusiasm, they
trooped to the different venues around Surigao
City that would be the sites of the various
workshops scheduled.
There were a total of eight workshops, all
designed to address the needs and issues faced
by the youth of today.
The workshop on Revolution of the Mind
was facilitated by Michael Shok Ariola,
CFC Church Integration coordinator, who
introduced new ways of evangelization that
would make the proclamation of Christ to
other people as fun and effective as possible.
Right after the workshop proper, the group
was divided into sub-workshops that included

photography, graphic design, song writing,

dance workshops and creative writing.
Revolution of the Home was attended by
the YFC couple coordinators, Couples for
Christ members who, inspired by the vision
of evangelizing families, have responded to
the call to give their time and talents to the
youth. Manny and Grace Panagsagan of
Cornerstone, CFCs program for education, shared their thoughts and insights as
workshop speakers.
The Revolution for the Church workshop
had Msgr. Porfirio C. Colon Jr. from the
Diocese of Butuan as speaker/facilitator. He
talked about the beauty of the Sacraments of
the Church and how the youth can be guided
in their path to holiness by these sacraments,
particularly the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Keith Janohan, Marketing Head of Ablaze
Communications, inspired the participants of
the Revolution in Social Media workshop to
bring evangelization to where the youth are -social media. The workshop highlighted how
the young can use social media in promoting
a Christian lifestyle and in making Christ
known to other youth.
Revolution of Lifestyle, facilitated by Noli

YFC UK Big North

Holds Conference

By Marc Anthony Dataro

YOUTH for Christ United Kingdom celebrated seven years of

evangelization last April 11, 2015
with the first ever UK Regional
Conference in Sunderland.

Over a hundred delegates from three northern

regions of the country: Yorkshire, Midlands, and
Isle of Man (YMI), as well as from Scotland and
the North East gathered for this years conference
entitled: Status Christ based on Colossians 3:2-4:
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly
things. For you died, and your life is now hidden
with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your
life, appears, then you also will appear with him
in glory.
It was awesome to reminisce that in 2008, YFC
in the UK started with only eight young boys and
girls, uncertain of where the Lord was taking them.
Today, in 2015, over five hundred young Christians
are spread across the YFC UK network from
Dundee all the way down to Gloucester.
The past seven years have been inspiring, to
say the least, with YFC UK active in bringing the
Word of God to more and more young people, supporting them in their initial steps in their journey
with the Lord.
Since 2010, YFC UK have hosted several confer-

ences in which young people across the network

link up for a day or a weekend of fellowship,
competitions, and nourishing talks.
One of the delegates present at this years conference was part of the so-called Pioneer 8, Bryan
Dueas. He recounted, Ive missed being a YFC,
it feels really great to be back and see how many
young people are here. He added that there have
been plenty of changes, all very positive.
Im proud to see how it has grown throughout
the years, said Dueas, and proud too that I was
involved, in my small way, in helping it grow.
Right Reverend Seamus Cunningham, Bishop of
Hexham and Newcastle, visited the conference and
talked to the young people present about vocations.
I believe that God is calling many of you from
this community to serve him as priests and nuns.
Listen to what God tells you during this conference, said Bishop Cunningham.
Fr. Michael McCoy, parish priest at St Josephs
Church in Sunderland who celebrated the Mass at
the event, also spoke about the importance of faith
in young people.
You YFCs are strengthening faith. Always
remember that peer ministry is stronger than peer
pressure. reminded Fr. Michael.
YFC UK came away from the conference
energized and eager to continue their wonderful
journey of discovering the Lord, discerning His
messages and reaching out in love to His people.

Manuel, SFC International Coordinator, was

intended for YFC members who are about to
cross over to Singles for Christ. It enlightened
the participants on how their journey as
Christians can be more enjoyable if they try
to actively seek out Jesus.
Sheryl de Leon-Canlas, fulltime worker for
ANCOP Cornerstone, anchored her insights
for the Revolution of the Poor Workshop
on Pope Francis exhortation about mercy
and compassion. Participants were given a
chance to experience an immersion activity
to further enhance what they had learned at
the workshop.
The Revolution of Heart workshop had
Ruel Aguirre, fulltime pastoral worker and
coordinator for Philippine Missions, who
talked about love and relationships. It was
a workshop filled with insights on how the
youth should look at love and loving relationships as precious gems and as gifts from God.
Maan Aguirre, fulltime pastoral worker for
the Pastoral Formation Office and speaker for
the Revolution of the Spirit workshop, encouraged the participants to revolutionize their
prayer time by giving it utmost priority since
regular and meaningful prayer time leads to

a deeper and intimate relationship with God.

The workshop for YFC members who serve
as kuyas and ates (older brothers and sisters) in
Kids for Christ was called ROCK Workshop.
Eric Andilab, fulltime pastoral worker of Kids
for Christ who facilitated the workshop said,
of the role these youth play in the lives of
the kids, We must be equipped to be role
models in the community, but particularly
to these little children. It was an affirmation
for both the newbies and the current ROCK
facilitators as they continue in their mission of
introducing Christ to our little brothers and
sisters in KFC.
After all the workshops were done, the
participants trooped back to the venue for
Sessions 2 and 3.
Session 2, entitled Declaration of Dependence, was given by Evony Evangelista, YFC
Fulltime Pastoral Worker from Canada. He
spoke about the Lord always filling our nothingness with His greatness, great love, mercy
and reconciliation. He exhorted everyone to
rejoice that through the sacrament of Reconciliation, God restores us to His friendship.
Jerrick Villanueva YFC leader from USA, was
the sharer for this session.
The last session for the day was Battle
Cry of Love conducted by Renjie Villafuerte
whose message was: When we believe and
experience the love of God, we are moved to
love Him in any way we can. Our passion
then translates into action and our commitment to conversion. Our pursuit of holiness
becomes merely a search for ways to show
God we love Him. Sharers Donnel Anselmo
from Rizal and Jallaine Estillore from Bohol
aptly put into practical terms, by way of
their personal experiences, the message of
this session.
Session 4, entitled Love Revolution, was
given by Ruel Aguirre. This session summed
up the theme of the entire conference, and
of the entire year -- that we are called to love
more, and this love is a comprehensive love
that involves first loving God completely and
then, filled with that love, reaching out in love
to others. Ray Docto, YFC Couple Coordinator of Metro Manila, Vanj Taguilaso, FTPW
of Masbate and Deanheart Plaza, a YFC from
Surigao del Norte, gave moving testimonies to
affirm the message of the talk.
Mac Quinto, FTPW of Metro Manila, led
the praisefest that ended the weekend conference. It was such a vibrant and powerful worship that even the rain that fell as the praisefest
was going on, failed to stop the groundswell
of praises that poured out from thousands of
young mouths.
Lawrence Quintero, YFC International
Coordinator, thanked Surigao for hosting
the event, and as a surprise ending, showed
a video of Cardinal Tagle who announced:
The 23rd YFC International Conference will
be held in... BOHOL! It was a fitting
ending a young cardinal sharing his excitement and anticipation of the next conference
with the young.

HOLD / C1

is on fire; red, for love that is passionate, sacrificial and

ready to shed blood and die to self; white, for love that
is pure, unconditional; and gold, for love that is made
in heaven. These colors were brought to life via the
personal testimonies of eight women who have gone

through the different colors of love and came out

victorious in Christ.
As a personal resolution, Galsim challenged the 6,000
Handmaids to take concrete action in loving more,
and to enhance each color of love until it is perfected.