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CBCP

VOLUME 19
NUMBER 20

September 28 Oct. 11, 2015

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCPMONITOR.COM

More Asian bishops

sign climate petition
MORE Catholic Church leaders in Asia have supported a petition to pressure world leaders
to address climate change.
Caritas Internationalis President Cardinal Luis Antonio
Tagle and other Filipino bishops, priests and religious led
the campaign by launching the
Catholic climate petition in
Manila last July.
We are delighted to see
East Asian bishops and Cardinal Oscar Gracias support
the Global Catholic Climate
Change Movement (GCCM)
petition, said Lou Arsenio, local coordinator of GCCM.
She said their support adds to
the support of Cardinal Tagle
and over 1,000 priests, religious
and lay leaders in Manila that

Lumad leaders seek CBCPs help

beyond issuing statements
By Kris Bayos

Petition, A6

WHATS INSIDE
Pope Francis off-the-cuff:
Family is the most beautiful
thing God made (A3)

The family is the great blessing, the great gift of this God
with us (B1)

Lumad students and their supporters stand next to a Pope Francis standee as Michelle Campos, daughter of slain Lumad leader Dionel, calls on the Church to heed the plight of
thousands of Lumad children caught amid the ongoing militarization of indigenous communities in Mindanao, during a peaceful gathering outside the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila
on Sept. 22. ROY LAGARDE

Tagle laments family feuds at

World Meeting of Families
CARDINAL Luis Antonio
Tagle has lamented fighting
within families, saying this
deeply hurts the sacredness
of the most basic institution.
Speaking before a mammoth crowd in one of the sessions of the World Meeting
of Families in Philadelphia
on Friday, Tagle reflected on
the family as a home for the
wounded heart.
According to him, all
people have been wounded
but wounds are more painful when we see our family
members suffering.
However, he said, the
most hurtful are the
wounds inflicted on someone by his or her own family
members.
The sacredness of the
family is wounded by that,
said Tagle, a member of the
Vaticans Pontifical Council for the Family and the
Pontifical Council for the
Pastoral Care of Migrants

CBCPMONITOR@CBCPWORLD.NET

and Itinerant Peoples.

The Manila archbishop
particularly observed how
members of a family or a clan
fight over money or a piece
of property in the name of
principles.
What type of principle is
that when the piece of land
is more important than your
brother or sister? he asked.
Tagle was among the
speakers of the five-day international event which coincided with Pope Francis first
pastoral visit to the United
States.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the
Philippines, also delivered
a talk on the covenant of
marriage on the first day of
the gathering.
Immense, deep
Cardinal Tagle warned
that wounds make persons,
families, and communities

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle speaks at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, U.S.

vulnerable to manipulation,
despair, exploitation, and
even to evil and sin.
And these wounds, he
said, are immense and deep

DAVID PANLILIO

from financial constraints,

unemployment, poverty to
failed relationships, domestic
violence, climatic calamities,
forced migration, and dis-

placement of peoples.
Some people, he added,
even fall into criminality
because of great challenges

Feuds, A6

LEADERS of indigenous
communities called on
Philippine Catholic bishops to go beyond issuing
statements and intervene in
ending violence and harassment of tribal groups in
Mindanao.
This was after Manobo
tribal students brought their
plight to Pope Francis, and
asked his help to restore
peace in their village.
On Sept. 22, the students
went to the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila to hand
over a letter of appeal to the
Pope.
Among them were Rachel
Libora and Michelle Campos, whose father Dionel
was among those killed by
a militia group in a remote
village in Surigao del Sur on
Sept. 1.
The two traveled to Manila
for week-long lobbying with
different government agencies to seek justice for the
victims.
Libora believes that the
Pope can help them because
he has a deep, genuine concern for the poor.
She said they particularly
want the pontiff to give attention to the plight of thousands of Lumad children
Lumad, A7

Priest backs climate

accountability initiative
IN a show of solidarity with
victims of climate violators,
an official of the Philippine Churchs social action
arm has called on the Commission on Human Rights
(CHR) to underline the need
for fossil fuel companies to
assume responsibility for climate change-related human
rights violations.
We pray that the CHR
heed the demand to recommend to policymakers and
legislators to develop and
adopt effective accountability mechanisms that victims
of climate change can easily
access, stressed Fr. Edwin
Gariguez, executive secretary
of Caritas Philippines. .
The priest, a recipient of the
Goldman Environmental Prize,
made this statement in the wake
of a complaint filed on Sept.
22 by typhoon survivors, advocates, and non-governmental
organizations like Greenpeace
Southeast Asia at the CHR.
Probe
They seek a probe into the

top 50 investor-owned fossil

fuel companies and their
responsibility for climate impacts that endanger peoples
lives, and livelihoods, and
those of future generations.
Inspired by Pope Francis,
the Church will support this
Philippine climate change
and human rights complaint
and will continue to serve as
a strong ally in the struggle
for a socially just, environmentally sustainable, and
spiritually rich world that the
Pope and the broader climate
movement are fighting for,
added Gariguez.
According to peer-reviewed research published
by climateaccountability.
org, companies including
Chevron, ExxonMobil,
BP, Royal Dutch Shell,
ConocoPhillips are a subset of the 90 legal entities
that have contributed the
lions share of cumulative
global CO2 and methane
emissions in the earths
atmosphere.
Initiative, A6

ILLUSTRATION BY BROTHERS MATIAS

Tagle to voters: Reject false CBCP scores hits tanim-bala scam Problematic couples can
shepherds in 2016 polls
learn from #AlDub priest

The CBCP plenary assembly. FILE PHOTO

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. FILE PHOTO

SAYING the right to vote

is sacred, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle called on voters
to reject false shepherds in

next years elections.

The cardinal cited Johns
Gospel where Jesus draws a
Shepherds, A6

A CATHOLIC bishop has

criticised what he called
shameful acts by some airport personnel who allegedly
extort money by planting

bullets in luggage.
Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos is alarmed over
tanim-bala incidents reportedly perpetuated by

some security personnel at

the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
These are shameful and
Tanim-bala, A6

WHAT can husbands and

wives learn from a top-rating
noontime show featuring a
couple who have never met?
A lot of things like persever-

ance in times of difficulties

and sacrifice, says a priest.
Greatness is given when
we are able to face the most
Problematic, A7

A2 WORLD NEWS

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

Leave ideology behind and care for

the human person, Pope tells UN
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y., Sept. 25, 2015
Pope Francis told members of the United
Nations that there is no room for ideological
colonization in their agenda, and stressed the
need to go beyond policies to concrete solutions
in caring for the poor and vulnerable, as well
as the environment.
In his speech to a U.N. General Assembly
Special Summit on Sustainable Development,
Pope Francis pointed to the Preamble of the
U.N. Charter, which highlights the need to
promote social progress and better standards
of life in larger freedom.
Without the recognition of certain incontestable natural ethical limits and without the
immediate implementation of those pillars of
integral human development, the idea of leaving a better world for future generations risks
becoming an unattainable illusion.
Even worse, he said, is the danger of idle
chatter which serves as a cover for all kinds
of abuse and corruption, or for carrying out
an ideological colonization by the imposition
of anomalous models and lifestyles which are
alien to peoples identity and, in the end, irresponsible.
In the 70 years since the U.N.s founding in
1945 until now, both the effectiveness of fully
implementing their international norms as well
as the ineffectiveness of their lack of enforcement can be seen.
When the Charter of the United Nations
is respected and applied with transparency and
sincerity, and without ulterior motives, as an
obligatory reference point of justice and not as a
means of masking spurious intentions, peaceful
results will be obtained, the Pope said.
However, when the norms are merely used as
an instrument to be used whenever it proves
favorable, and to be avoided when it is not, a
true Pandoras box is opened, releasing uncontrollable forces which gravely harm defenseless
populations, the cultural milieu and even the
biological environment.

Pope Francis' historic address to the U.N. in New York City on Sept. 25, 2015. ALAN HOLDREN/CNA.

Pope Francis visit to the U.N. headquarters

in New York and his address to the U.N. General Assembly fell on his third full day of his
visit to the states.
Enthusiasm for the Pope was palpable
among the global leaders gathered for his
address Friday morning, as claps frequently
punctuated his his remarks.
His visit marks the fifth time a Pope has
visited the U.N., following Bl. Pope Paul VI
in 1965, John Paul II in 1979 and 1995, and
retired pontiff Benedict XVI in 2008.
In addition to his strong comments against
ideological colonization, Francis also voiced
condemnation for global phenomena such as
the arms trade, the use of nuclear arms and
weapons of Mass destruction, drug trafficking,
war, environmental deterioration and social
exclusion.
He praised the U.N. for the work that has
been done in the 70 years of its existence,
and pointed to specific initiatives such as the

codification and development of international

law, the establishment of international norms
regarding human rights, advances in humanitarian law, the resolution of conflicts and
peacekeeping operations as lights dispelling
the darkness of selfishness.
However, while much has already been done,
there are still serious problems that need to be
resolved, he said.
Francis then called for the proper distribution of political, economic and technological
power, saying that todays world often presents
many false rights andat the same time
broad sectors which are vulnerable, victims of
power badly exercised.
He gave his blessing, and prayed that the
U.N., as well as all of its member states and
officials, will always render an effective service
to mankind, a service respectful of diversity
and capable of bringing out, for sake of the
common good, the best in each people and in
every individual. (CNA)

Serve, care for each other, pope tells families at closing Mass
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 27,
2015Pope Francis urged the
hundreds of thousands of people
gathered for the closing Mass of
the World Meeting of Families
to serve and care for each other
as freely as God loves the human
family.
The pope called upon the faithful to embrace signs that the Holy
Spirit can work through everyone.
He referred to the readings in the
multilingual Mass -- from the
Book of Numbers and the Gospel
of Mark -- in which members of
the faith community questioned
the work of those not part of their
group and for prophesying in the
name of God.
To raise doubts about the
working of the Spirit, to give the
impression that it cannot take
place in those who are not part
of our group, who are not like
us, is a dangerous temptation,
the pope said. Not only does it
block conversion to the faith; it is
a perversion of faith. Faith opens a
window to the presence and working of the Spirit. It shows us that,

like happiness, holiness is always

tied to little gestures.
Illustrating his point before
the Mass, Pope Francis engaged
in little gestures himself along
the papal parade route to the
Mass, kissing and blessing many
babies brought to him from the
sidewalk throngs by Secret Service
agents, who themselves managed
to cracked smiles after days of
maintaining a stern demeanor as
they guarded the pontiff.
Pope Francis recalled that Jesus encountered hostility from
people who did not accept what he
said and did, saying they thought
it intolerable that Christ was open
to honest and sincere faith from
men and women who were not
part of Gods chosen people.
The disciples, for their part,
acted in good faith. But the
temptation to be scandalized by
the freedom of God, who sends
rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous alike, bypassing bureaucracy, officialdom and inner
circles, threatens the authenticity
of faith. Hence it must be vigor-

ously rejected, he said.

Once we realize this, we can
understand why Jesus words
about causing scandal are so
harsh. For Jesus, the truly intolerable scandal consists in everything
that breaks down and destroys our
trust in the working of the Spirit,
he continued.
Pope Francis held up the family
as vital to building the church for
the future. He said love must be
freely shared for faith to grow.
That is why our families, our
homes, are true domestic churches. They are the right place for
faith to become life, and life to
become faith, he said.
Little gestures of love exist
daily in the lives of family and
serve to carry on Gods love as well,
Pope Francis explained.
These little gestures are those
we learn at home, in the family.
They get lost amid all the other
things we do, yet they do make
each day different. They are the
quiet things done by mothers
and grandmothers, by fathers and
grandfathers, by children. They are

little signs of tenderness, affection

and compassion, he said.
Like the warm supper we look
forward to at night, the early
lunch awaiting someone who gets
up early to go to work. Homely
gestures. Like a blessing before we
go to bed, or a hug after we return
from a hard days work. Love is
shown by little things, by attention
to small daily signs which make us
feel at home.
As the Mass concluded, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president
of the Pontifical Council for the
Family, who also was lead Vatican
organizer of the World Meeting
of Families, announced the next
meeting will take place in Dublin,
in 2018.
Six families, representing five
continents, received copies of the
Gospel of Luke. Families from
Syria, Vietnam, France, Australia,
Congo and Cuba were chosen
for their church involvement and
faith life. The Vatican also planned
to distribute 100,000 copies of
Lukes Gospel in the families
home countries. (CNS)

Restoration of ties with US a sign of hope, Pope says in Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Sept. 19, 2015Pope Francis landed in Havana on Saturday, the first of
his 9-day visit to Cuba and the United States,
telling officials that the recent normalization of
relations between the two countries is a sign of
hope and victory.
For some months now, we have witnessed
an event which fills us with hope: the process
of normalizing relations between two peoples
following years of estrangement, the Pope said
Sept. 19, after landing in the Cuban capital
of Havana.
Quoting Cuban hero and tireless fighter
for the countrys independence, Jos Mart,
Francis said the restoration of ties is a sign of
the victory of the culture of encounter and dialogue, the system of universal growth over the
forever-dead system of groups and dynasties.
He urged political leaders continue down
this path and to develop all its potentialities
as a sign of the service they are called to on
behalf of the peace and well-being of their
peoples, of all America, and as an example of
reconciliation for the entire world.
Pope Francis landed in Havanas International Jos Marti airport at 4p.m. local time,
where he was greeted in an official welcoming
ceremony by Cuban president Raul Castro and
Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino of Havana,
among others.
Pope Francis will spend three days on the
island before heading to the United States
the afternoon of Sept. 22, where he will address the United Nations, U.S. Congress, and
participate in the World Meeting of Families
in Philadelphia.
While in Cuba, Pope Francis will meet with
the countrys bishops, families, and youth, and

will pay a special visit to Santiagos shrine of

Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, patroness
of Cuba.
In addition to meeting with Cuban president
Raul Castro and the countrys authorities, Francis will likely also meet with former president
and elder brother to Raul, Fidel Castro, the
leader of Cubas communist revolution.
Francis offered a special greeting to Fidel
when he landed, telling Raul in his speech to
convey my sentiments of particular respect
and consideration to your brother Fidel.
Pope Francis said that as an archipelago facing all directions, Cuba has an extraordinary
value as a key between north and south, east
and west.
The countrys natural vocation, then, is to
be a point of encounter for all peoples to join
in friendship.
He noted that 2015 marks the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties
between the Republic of Cuba and the Holy
See, and said that providence has allowed him
to follow in the footsteps of both St. John Paul
II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012, in visiting the nation.
Today we renew those bonds of cooperation and friendship, so that the Church can
continue to support and encourage the Cuban
people in its hopes and concerns, with the
freedom, the means and the space needed to
bring the proclamation of the Kingdom to
the existential peripheries of society, he said.
Pope Francis also observed how his trip
coincides with the centenary of Benedict XVs
declaration of our Lady of Charity of El Cobre
as Patroness of Cuba.
It was the veterans of the Cuban War of

Pope Francis at Vespers with priests, religious and

seminarians in Havanas cathedral Sept. 20, 2015. ALAN
HOLDREN / CNA.

Independence who, moved by sentiments of

faith and patriotism, wrote a letter to Benedict
XV officially asking him to declare her patroness of the country.
Growing devotion to the Virgin of Cobre is
a visible testimony of her presence in the soul
of the Cuban people, he said, explaining that
he will visit her shrine as a son and pilgrim,
in order to pray for Cuba and all its people,
that it may travel the paths of justice, peace,
liberty and reconciliation.
Pope Francis concluded his address by entrusting his visit to Our Lady of Charity of El
Cobre, as well as Blessed Olallo Valds, Blessed
Jos Lpez Pietreira and Venerable Flix Varela,
all of whom are Cubans on the path to sainthood. (CNA)

CBCP Monitor

Vatican Briefing
Vatican parish welcomes first refugee family following
Popes appeal
A family of four has been welcomed by the community of the
Vaticans St. Anne parish after Pope Francis made an appeal
earlier this month for every church in Europe open their doors
to refugees. Papal Almoner Bishop Konrad Krajewski issued a
Sept. 18 statement that the familya father, mother and two
children have already been received. According to the papal
almoners statement, the family will stay in an apartment inside
the Vatican near St. Peters Basilica. All necessary procedures
requesting international protection for the family were started
immediately. Since current legislation doesnt allow asylum
applicants to apply for paid work for the first six months after
the request, the family will be assisted by the St. Anne parish
community during that time. (CNA)
Francis: Sex workers, abandoned children are a result of
our indifference
Pope Francis said that abandoned children and exploited
sex workers forced to live on the street are a shameful
reality in modern society, and encouraged efforts to find
more concrete ways to help them. (These) sad realities
are the result of indifference, poverty, family and social
violence, and human trafficking, the Pope said Sept. 17.
They involve the pain of marital separations and the birth
of children out of wedlock, frequently doomed to a life of
vagrancy. Francis words were addressed to participants
in the International Symposium on the Pastoral Care of
the Street. Held in Rome Sept. 13-17, the gathering was
organized by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care
of Migrants and Itinerant People. (CNA)
The story of Japans hidden Christians emerges from the
Vatican archives
Collected by a Salesian missionary to Japan in the early 20th
century, letters and documents showing the history of Christians in the land of the rising sun have been recently restored
by the Vatican archives and library. The collection conveys the
story of the persecution of Christians in Japan, a story that
Pope Francis has often recalled when speaking of the hidden Christians who knew how to keep and pass on the faith
in a time of persecution, and even when deprived of priests.
The Vatican Library and Secret Archives contain precious
testimonies of those Christians who between the 16th and
19th centuries lived under violence and humiliation, thanks
to the missionary Fr. Mario Marega, and now the Marega
Fund. (CNA)
Council of Cardinals proposes a new congregation for
the Curia
The Council of Cardinals finally submitted to Pope Francis
a proposal to establish a new congregation for laity, family,
and life in the Roman Curia, after widespread discussion and
anticipation. The council of nine cardinals, who are advising
the Pope on reform of the Roman Curia, met at the Vatican
Sept. 14-16. Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, Emeritus Archbishop of Milan, had prepared for Pope Francis a study on the
feasibility of creating a congregation for laity, family, and life,
and presented his findings to the council. It is planned that
the congregation for laity, family, and life would absorb the
Pontifical Councils for the Laity and Family, and the Pontifical
Academy of Life. A congregation for charity, justice, and peace
would take on the tasks of the Pontifical Councils for Justice
and Peace, Migrants, Cor Unum, and Health Care. It is now
up to Pope Francis to decide how to receive and implement
the councils recommendations. (CNA)
For Pope Francis, religious fundamentalism diverts us
from the true God
Religious fundamentalism keeps God at a distance, and
keeps believers from building bridges with others, Pope
Francis reflected during a radio interview. Our God is a
God who is close, who accompanies. Fundamentalists keep
God away from accompanying his people, they divert their
minds from him and transform him into an ideology. So
in the name of this ideological god, they kill, they attack,
destroy, slander. Practically speaking, they transform that
God into a Baal, an idol, he said in a radio interview that
aired Sept. 13. No religion is immune from its own fundamentalisms, he said. The Pope said that no religion is
immune from the possibility of fundamentalism. He said
fundamentalism, instead of creating a bridge, creates a wall
that blocks encounter with another person. It seeks ways
to disagree. With fundamentalism, he said, you cant have
friendship between peoples. (CNA)
Pope asks youth to perform works of mercy in run-up
to WYD
Pope Francis asked the worlds young Catholics to perform
spiritual and corporal works of mercy every month in the
run-up to World Youth Day next July. He asked that they
not be afraid to experience Gods boundless mercy, so that
in turn you may become apostles of mercy by your actions,
words and prayers in our world, wounded by selfishness,
hatred and so much despair. The popes request was part of
his message for World Youth Day 2016 -- an international
gathering that will be celebrated in Krakow, Poland, July
26-31. The celebrations theme, from the Gospel of St.
Matthew, is Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive
mercy. (CNS)
Key organizer of families meeting is dropped from Italian
investigation
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, head of the Pontifical Council for
the Family and lead Vatican organizer of the World Meeting
of Families in Philadelphia, has been dropped from a criminal
investigation. An Italian investigating judge ruled Sept. 21 that
the archbishop was completely un-involved in a scheme to
purchase, then resell at a profit a 14th-century Italian castle.
The judge made the decision after the public prosecutors office
filed a motion to dismiss the archbishop from the investigation.
In a written statement released Sept. 22, Archbishop Paglia
said, It is deeply satisfying that the court has found me to
have had nothing at all to do with the activities described
in the investigative report or with any other possibly related
wrongdoing. (CNS)

CBCP Monitor

NEWS FEATURES A3

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

Pope Francis off-the-cuff: Family is God cries for

victims
of
abuse,
the most beautiful thing God made Pope says after
PHILADELPHIA, Pa., SepT.
26, 2015A visibly moved Pope
Francis ditched his prepared remarks in speaking to thousands of
families gathered in Philadelphia
Saturday nightgiving an impromptu reflection on the beauty
and dire importance of family life.
The most beautiful thing that
God did, the Bible says, was the
family, he said Sept. 26 at the celebration for families on the streets
of Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
The Pope voiced his thanks at
the presence of all of youwho
are a real witness that its worth being a family! A society is strong,
solid and edified on beauty goodness and truth, he added.
Pope Francis spoke after intense and often heartrending
testimonies of several families
from around the globe, who are
at the World Meeting of Families, hosted by the Archdiocese of
Philadelphia. The city is the last of
three that the Holy Father visited
during his Sept. 22 to 27 trip to
the United States.
In his first leg of his journey,
the Pope addressed a joint session
of Congress and met briefly with
President Obama in Washington,
DC. While in New York City,
Pope Francis spoke to the United
Nations and met with school
children in Harlem.
The lively evening in Philadelphia,
moderated by actor Mark Wahlberg,
was filled with performances by
Aretha Franklin and Andrea Bocelli,
as well as the citys ballet company
and rock band The Fray.
Families from as far as Nigeria,
Australia, Jordan, Argentina and
Ukraine shared their respective
stories with the Pope, touching
on themes that involved war,

meeting survivors

Washington, D.C. - September 23, 2015. Pope Francis at the St. Matthews Cathedral
in Washington, D.C. on September 23, 2015. CNA

Vatican City - September 2, 2015. Pope Francis blesses a family in St. Peters Square during the Wednesday general audience on
September 2, 2015. CNA

disability, economic uncertainty,

discrimination and the death of
children.
Francis embraced and spoke to
each one after their testimonies,
opting to set aside his prepared
remarks when it came time for
his address.
Gods love is so overflowing
that it could not be egoistic, it
had to be poured out of him, the
Pope said, explaining that this is
what prompted the creation of
the world. Family is really family
when it is able to open its arms and
receive all that love.
However, that love God gave
almost was lost, he said. In a
little time, the first crime, the
first instance of fratricide, the first
instance of war...men and women,
through the astuteness of the devil,

have unfortunately learned to

divide themselves.
But God did not abandon
them, the Pope stressed. So great
was his love that he began to walk
with humanity, with his people
until the right moment and he
made the highest expression of
love, his own son.
And how did he send his son?
he asked. Through a family.
The Pope then joked: sometimes people tell me Father, you
speak like that because you are
not married. Families have difficulties...families, we quarrel. And
sometimes plates can fly. Children
bring headaches, and I wont even
speak about mothers-in law...
In families there are always
difficulties, but those difficulties
are overcome by love, he said.

Hatred is not capable of dealing

with any difficulty... Only love is
able to overcome them.
Before giving the final blessing,
he told the crowds: we will see
each other for Mass tomorrow
wait, what time is Mass tomorrow?
Ah, four o clock, he laughed
in response to thunderous cheers.
He then led a prayer to the
Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph,
invoking them to help us believe
that its worth the struggle and the
fight, for the good of the family.
Tomorrows agenda for the
Popes last day in the U.S. includes
a speech to the bishops gathered
in Philadelphia for the World
Meeting of Families, a visit to
a correctional facility and Mass
downtown. (CNA/EWTN News)

Help youth be brave in opting for marriage

and family, Pope tells bishops
PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Sept. 27, 2015Pope
Francis told bishops Sunday that a widespread
consumerism and desire to follow new fads has
rendered youth fearful of commitments, and
said that as pastors they must encourage youth
to be brave in going against the tide.
He began his speech, however, with an
impromptu reflection on the clergy sex abuse
crisis, mentioning that he had met earlier with
victims and their families. He said the victims
have become true heralds of hope and mercy.
In humility, we owe each of them and their
families an immense debt of gratitude they
made the light of Christ shine on something
so awful: the sexual abuse of minors.
I say this now because I just met with some
victims of sexual abuse, and at that time I heard
how theyre being helped in a special way here
in this archdiocese, by Archbishop Chaput,
and I thought it was the right thing to do, to
tell you where I was this morning.
The Pope then continued with his prepared
remarks, noting his joy at being able to reflect
together with fellow bishops: I am happy to be
able to share these moments of pastoral reflection with you, amid the joyful celebrations for
the World Meeting of Families, he said Sept.
27 at the chapel of Philadelphias St. Charles
Borromeo Seminary.
To Congress a couple days ago, I said we
are living in a culture that pushes young people
not to form families: some because they dont
have the material resources to realize a wedding, or a life together. But others just choose
this because they think theyre better off this
waybut thats the temptation, to not lay a
foundation, to not have a family. As pastors,
we bishops are called to collect our energies
and to rebuild enthusiasm for making families
correspond ever more fully to the blessing of
God which they are!
We need to invest our energies not so much
in rehearsing the problems of the world around
us and the merits of Christianity, but in extending a sincere invitation to young people to be
brave and to opt for marriage and the family.
Francis comments on his last day in the U.S.
were addressed to bishops participating in the
World Meeting of Families.
After spending three days in Cuba, the Pope
arrived to Washington D.C. Sept. 23, where
he met with president Barack Obama and addressed a joint-meeting of U.S. Congress. He
then moved onto New York, where he spoke
to the United Nations and met with school
children in Harlem.
He met with the bishops before celebrating
Mass to close the World Meeting of Families,
and will board a plane to Rome later this
evening.
In his speech to the bishops, Pope Francis
said that despite current challenges, the family
shouldnt be viewed primarily as a cause for
concern, but rather the joyous confirmation

of Gods blessing upon the masterpiece of

creation.
A key pastoral concern amid the constant
changes of our time is to recognize the gift of
the family, and be aware that both gratitude
and appreciation ought to prevail over worries
or complaints.
The family, he said, is the fundamental
locus of the covenant between the Church and
Gods creation. Without the family, not even
the Church would exist. Nor could she be what
she is called to be.
However, the Pope noted that Christians are
not immune to the changes of our time, and
because of that the unprecedented changes
taking place in contemporary society, with their
social, culturaland now juridicaleffects on
family bonds shouldnt be disregarded.
While until recently the civil institution of
marriage and the Christian sacrament were a
shared notion seen as interrelated and mutually supportive, this is no longer the case,
Francis observed.
Using the example of neighborhood stores
and large supermarkets, the Pope said that
formerly the situation was like the local stores,
which had everything needed for both personal and family life, even if it wasnt cleverly
displayed.
Business was done on the basis of trust,
people knew one another, they were all neighbors. They trusted one another. They built
up trust, he said, noting that later the big
supermarkets sprang up with large spaces and
an endless selection of merchandise.
The world seems to have become one of
these great supermarkets; our culture has
become more and more competitive. Business is no longer conducted on the basis of
trust; others can no longer be trusted. There
are no longer close personal relationships,
Francis said.
In a culture that seems to encourage people
not to trust, the most important thing now
appears to be following the latest trend, even
in terms of religion, he continued.
Consumerism now determines what is important, he said. Consuming relationships,
consuming friendships, consuming religions,
consuming, consuming Whatever the cost or
consequences. A consumption which does not
favor bonding, a consumption which has little
to do with human relationships, adding that
joy is not something that can be consumed.
Social bonds, the Pope observed, have become a mere means for satisfying ones own
needs, rather than focusing on the other person, their lives, and their stories.
This causes great harm, he said, and
diagnosed a kind of impoverishment born
of a widespread and radical sense of loneliness as the root cause of many contemporary
problems.
Running after the latest fad, accumulating

friends on one of the social networks, we get

caught up in what contemporary society has
to offer. Loneliness with fear of commitment
in a limitless effort to feel recognized.
However, Pope Francis said that youth
shouldnt be condemned or pegged with blame
for living and growing up in this type of society.
Should they hear their pastors saying that
it was all better back then, the world is falling
apart and if things go on this way, who knows
where we will end up? he asked.
No, I do not think that this is the way, he
said, explaining that as shepherds, it is their
responsibility to seek out, to accompany, to
lift up, to bind up the wounds of our time.
As bishops, they must look at things realistically, with the eyes of one who feels called
to action, to pastoral conversion. The world
today demands this conversion on our part.
Rather than viewing the current situation
as a mere indifference or pure and simple
selfishness regarding marriage and the family,
many youth have have yielded to a form of
unconscious acquiescence inside a culture of
discouragement, the Pope observed.
Francis explained that youth are paralyzed
when they encounter the beautiful, noble and
truly necessary challenges which faith sets before them, and often put off marriage in order
to wait for ideal conditions, when everything
can be perfect.
Meanwhile, life goes on, without really
being lived to the full. For knowledge of lifes
true pleasures only comes as the fruit of a longterm, generous investment of our intelligence,
enthusiasm and passion.
He added, off-the-cuff, that In Buenos Aires
many of the women were complaining, saying,
I have a son whos 30, 34, and he wont get
married. I dont know what to do! I would tell
them, Well, quit ironing his shirts!
We need to give to the young people enthusiasm, he told the bishops, so they will
take this worthwhile risk. Here too, we bishops
need parrhesia!
After giving a mock conversation between a
bishop and a young person about Why dont
you get married? he said that bishops must
accompany them, and help them to mature,
to make this decision to get married.
Returning to his prepared remarks, the Pope
said that A Christianity which does little in
practice, while incessantly explaining its teachings, is dangerously unbalanced. I would even
say that it is stuck in a vicious circle.
Rather, in a culture where concern for oneself is the overriding trend, its the pastors job
to show that the the Gospel of the family is
truly good news.
We are not speaking about some romantic
dream, he said, adding that the perseverance
which is called for in having a family and
raising it transforms the world and human
Marriage, A7

PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Sept. 27,

2015Pope Francis this morning met with 5 survivors of sexual
abuse during his visit to Philadelphia, telling bishops afterward
that the evil acts can no longer
remain in silence, and promised
his personal vigilance in protecting minors.
The stories of suffering and
pain of minors who were sexually
abused by priests have aggravated
my heart, Pope Francis told bishops participating in the World
Meeting of Families Sept. 27.
He said he is continuously
overwhelmed by the shame of
people who were responsible for
the tender care of these little ones
and violated them.
In the face of such heinous acts,
God cries, he said, adding that
the criminal sins of the abuse of
minors cant be kept in silence
any longer.
I promise, with the vigilance
of the Church, to protect minors and I promise (that) all of
those responsible will be held
accountable.
Survivors of abuse, he said, have
become true heralds of hope and
ministers of mercy. He said we
must be grateful for each one of
them and their families for their
immense value in shining the light
of Christ over the evil of the abuse
of minors.
I say this now because I have
just met with a group of people
abused as children, who are
helped and accompanied here
in Philadelphia, with the special
affection of Archbishop Chaput.
I thought it was the right thing
to do, to tell you all where I was
this morning.
Pope Francis met with the
abuse survivors for close to a
half-hour between 8-9a.m. before
meeting with bishops gathered in

Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families.

According to a Sept. 27 communique from the Vatican, among
the 5 survivors who participated
were three women and two men,
all of whom had been abused in
childhood either by members of
the clergy, family members or
educators.
Each of the survivors were
accompanied either by a family
member or person of support.
Also present in the meeting were Cardinal Sean Patrick
OMalley, archbishop of Boston
and president of the Pontifical
Commission for the Protection
of Minors, Archbishop Charles
Chaput of Philadelphia, and
Bishop Michael Fitzgerald, who
is in charge of the Philadelphia
dioceses Office for the Protection
of Minors.
During the encounter Pope
Francis listened to the testimonies
of the survivors and spoke a few
words to them all together before
greeting each one individually.
He prayed with them and expressed his participation in their
suffering, as well as his pain and
shame, particularly in the cases
where the injury was caused by
members of the clergy or Church
employees.
The Pope then renewed his
commitment and that of the
Church to ensuring that all victims
are heard and treated with justice,
the guilty are punished, and that
the crimes of abuse are combated
with an effective prevention in the
Church and in society.
Francis thanked the victims
for their essential role in restoring the truth and in beginning
the journey of healing. The
meeting closed with Pope Francis giving his blessing. (CNA/
EWTN News)

Tagle to communicators:
Bring others to God
PASAY City, Sept. 21, 2015
Manila Archbishop Lus Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle recently
reminded those involved in
social communications and
mass media to use their skills
and talents in inviting others
to a Jesus encounter.

communion with the Father.

He shared that even in simple human interactions like
telling stories about what has
been seen, heard, and touched
of God, an encounter with
others become an encounter
with the Lord.

Vehicles of encounter
I hope that through our
social communication ministry, through the way we
communicate, people will
encounter God. May we be
in the family and in the social
communications ministry, be
vehicles of encountering God,
he said in a recorded message
played during the 9th Cardinal
Sin Catholic Book Awards
(CSCBA) organized by the
Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc. (ACCI) with the the
Catholic Mass Media Awards
(CMMA) on Thursday, Sept.
18, at the SMX Convention
Center, Pasay City.
Let our human communication be sincere. Let our human communication be pure
for in such a communication a
family is born, and within that
family God is encountered,
he added.

Place of encounter
Communication is a way
of encountering each other. I
remember the First Letter of
St. John where he tells us what
we have seen, what we have
heard, what we have touched
regarding the Word of God,
we communicate to you, he
explained.
In line with this, the prelate
went on to point out the value
of connection.

Communication = Communion
According to Tagle, communication is first and foremost a

Connection
While honing their skills and
acquiring news ones are a given
like facing a camera, writing,
and so on, Tagle stressed communicators are also called upon
to learn how to connect with
other people from the heart.
In the end, who is the best
communicator? Not the one
who is skilled alone. The best
communicator is the person
whose heart is open to reveal
oneself and receive the other,
he said. (Raymond A. Sebastin / CBCP News)

A4 OPINION

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

THE Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to Cuba and to the United

States this September was one for the books. He has penetrated deeply
the hearts of so many people irrespective of political, economic or
cultural sentiments.
The Mass at Holguins Revolution Plaza in Cuba would have been unimaginable some decades ago. It is in this plaza where May Day parades
and other patriotic events exalting the Cuban Revolution are held since
the communist takeover in 1959. In one of his homilies, Pope Francis
told the Cubans, Our revolution comes about through tenderness,
through the joy which always becomes closeness and compassion, and
leads us to get involved in and to serve the life of others. A revolution
of tenderness would be a new coinage that would fit right into the
world of mercy and compassion that Pope Francis envisions.
In the face of current initiatives to restore the severed diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States since the Cold War in 1961,
the Holy Father was very emphatic in saying, I urge political leaders
to persevere on this path and to develop all its possibilities as a proof
of the high service which they are called to carry out on behalf of the
peace and wellbeing of their peoples, of all America, and as an example
of reconciliation for the entire world. Political observers are of the belief
that the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, which requires Congressional
approval to be rescinded, is unlikely to be lifted anytime soon. But
who would have thought that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(U.S.S.R.), which was behind the Bay of Pigs crisis, would disintegrate
through the watch of, some would like to think, Pope John Paul II?
At the joint session of the United States Congress in Washington D.C.,
it would have been unimaginable, too, for a Pope to be accorded with
standing ovations and tears from one or two legislators, to boot. The
sincerity and truth that Pope Francis delivered with simplicity brought
the curtains down. He concluded his address with, A nation can be
considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters
a culture which enables people to dream of full rights for all their
brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives
for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her
tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace
in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton. At the meeting with the
members of the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization
in New York, Pope Francis left the delegates profoundly pensive.
At the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, Pope Francis
would regard the family as The most beautiful thing God ever made.

Ecology of daily life

AUTHENTIC development includes efforts to bring about an
integral improvement in the quality of human life, and this entails
considering the setting in which people live their lives. These settings
influence the way we think, feel and act. In our rooms, our homes,
our workplaces and neighborhoods, we use our environment as a
way of expressing our identity. We make every effort to adapt to our
environment, but when it is disorderly, chaotic or saturated with
noise and ugliness, such overstimulation makes it difficult to find
ourselves integrated and happy.
An admirable creativity and generosity is shown by persons and
groups who respond to environmental limitations by alleviating
the adverse effects of their surroundings and learning to orient
their lives amid disorder and uncertainty. For example, in some
places, where the faades of buildings are derelict, people show
great care for the interior of their homes, or find contentment
in the kindness and friendliness of others. A wholesome social
life can light up a seemingly undesirable environment. At times
a commendable human ecology is practised by the poor despite
numerous hardships. The feeling of asphyxiation brought on by
densely populated residential areas is countered if close and warm
relationships develop, if communities are created, if the limitations
of the environment are compensated for in the interior of each
person who feels held within a network of solidarity and belonging.
In this way, any place can turn from being a hell on earth into the
setting for a dignified life.
The extreme poverty experienced in areas lacking harmony, open
spaces or potential for integration, can lead to incidents of brutality
and to exploitation by criminal organizations. In the unstable neighborhoods of mega-cities, the daily experience of overcrowding and
social anonymity can create a sense of uprootedness which spawns
antisocial behavior and violence. Nonetheless, I wish to insist that
love always proves more powerful. Many people in these conditions
are able to weave bonds of belonging and togetherness which convert
overcrowding into an experience of community in which the walls
of the ego are torn down and the barriers of selfishness overcome.
This experience of a communitarian salvation often generates creative
ideas for the improvement of a building or a neighborhood.
Given the interrelationship between living space and human behavior, those who design buildings, neighborhoods, public spaces
and cities, ought to draw on the various disciplines which help us
to understand peoples thought processes, symbolic language and
ways of acting. It is not enough to seek the beauty of design. More
precious still is the service we offer to another kind of beauty: peoples
quality of life, their adaptation to the environment, encounter and
mutual assistance. Here too, we see how important it is that urban
planning always take into consideration the views of those who will
live in these areas.
-- Laudato Si, 147-150

Monitor
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ILLUSTRATION BY BLADIMER USI

A revolution of tenderness and mercy

Views and Points

Oscar V. Cruz, D.D.

IT is true that the contentious trial of the plea

for a Marriage Nullity Declaration for a given
causeas concretely and specifically provided
by Church Law in kind and in numberis quite
demanding and therefore tedious for the couple
as well as for the Tribunal concerned. It is true
that the said procedural trial could and should
be abbreviated one way or anotherwithout
the least sacrificing what is true, what is right,
what is just. It is wherefore both opportune
and admirable for Pope FrancisLolo Kiko
continuously and ardently pleading for Mercy
and Compassionto seek the abbreviation
of the Marriage Nullity Proceedings. Below
enumerated as provided by Canon Law are the
major or basic phases of the said Process:

1. Petition presenting the Marriage Nullity

Suit.
2. Summons of the Petitioner and Respondent.
3. Determination of the Marriage Nullity
Ground.
4. Opening of the Trial.
5. Declaration of the Petitioner and the Respondent.
6. Presentation of Documentary Evidence.
7. Testimonies of the Witnesses in the Case.
8. Pronouncement of the Experts on the alleged Nullity Ground.
9. Conclusion of the Case.
10. Pleadings by Procurator-Advocate and the
Defender of the Bond.
11. Judgment by the Tribunal.

Living Flesh from

Buenos Aires
DESPITE our collective rejoicing
and gratitude over Pope Francis
voluntary visit to the Philippines
last January (evidenced by the
7-million strong crowd that attended his concluding Mass at
the Luneta), not a few people will
admit to being slightly disappointed that his visit then meant
the Pontiff could not be expected
to return in order to be present at
the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) to be held in January
2016 in Cebu.
Take heart! There could be another way through which the erstwhile Bishop of Buenos Aires, now
Bishop of Rome and the peoples
pope, could somehow be with us
on this monumental eventby

opening the IECs doors to what a

growing number of people believe
to be the Eucharistic miracle of
Buenos Aireswith the prerequisite blessing of the Holy See, of
course.
Documents, photos and videos point to the existence of a
Eucharistic phenomenon that
reportedly took place on Aug.
18, 1996 at St. Mary Catholic
Church in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As Padre Alejandro Pezet
was finishing distribution of the
Holy Communion, a woman
came up to say shed found a host
someone had dropped and refused
to pick up to consume it as it had
been soiled. Fr. Pezet took the
host and as is customary in such

Candidly Speaking
Fr. Roy Cimagala

CHARITY, of course, has to be lived always,

but especially when we find ourselves in conflicts.
We have to learn to see Christ in everyone,
including those with whom we may have serious differences or are in conflict. We have to
go beyond seeing others in a purely human
way without, of course, neglecting the human
and natural in us.
In short, we have to see others in a spiritual
way, within the framework of faith, hope and
charity. Otherwise we cannot avoid getting
entangled in our limited and conflict-prone
earthly condition. And no amount of human
justice and humanitarianism can fully resolve
this predicament.
Thus, we need to develop and hone our skills
of looking at others beyond the merely physical, social, economic, cultural or political way.
While these aspects are always to be considered,
we should not be trapped by them.
There are many reasons for this. First would
be that we are all brothers and sisters, created
by God in his image and likeness, and made
children of his through his grace.
In spite of our differencesrace, culture,
beliefs, etc.we are meant to care and love
one another. Thus, our Lord told us to love
your neighbor as I have loved you. (Jn 13,34)
And how did Christ love us? By becoming
man and assuming all our sinfulness, dying to
it to give us a new life in him. His love was for
everyone, and especially for those who were

Marriage nullity
proceedings
12. Appeal to the Superior Tribunal.
13. Review of the Judgment.
14. Pronouncement of the Superior Tribunal.
As to the time span needed for the procedural resolution of every Case, the more
relevant factors therein is the intricacy of its
alleged nullity ground plus the local and/
or foreign home addresses of the Parties in
the Case plus the latters Judgment on the
Case in the Affirmative or Negative
plus the formal Notification of the Parties
concerned and the Church where the marriage took place for the required registry of
the Final Judgment in its Canonical Book
of Marriages.

And Thats The Truth

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS
instances placed it in a container
with water and kept it locked in
the tabernacle.
On Aug. 26, Fr. Pezet assumed
the host had been dissolved and
that he could then respectfully
water a plant with it, but to
his amazement he found that
instead of being dissolved the
host had turned into a seemingly
bloody substance. He reported
it to Mons. Jorge Bergoglio, then
Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires.
Antonio Cardinal Quarracino,
then Archbishop of Buenos Aires,
instructed that the host be professionally photographed and the
event studied and documented.
On Sept. 6, 1996, photographs
taken showed a significant increase

in the hosts size. Upon the instructions of Cardinal Quarracino,

the whole affair was kept secret.
The host was kept in a container
of distilled water in the tabernacle; meanwhile, photographs
and documents were reportedly
submitted to Rome.
Three years later, the host still
showed no signs of visible decomposition, thus in 1999, the
now Archbishop of Buenos Aires
Jorge Bergoglio followed the case
through. He deemed it best that
the host be subjected to scientific
examination. On Oct. 5, 1999,
Dr. Ricardo Castanon, a neuropsycho-physiologist who happens
to be an atheist, was allowed to
And Thats The Truth, A7

Conflicts should occasion

greater charity

weak and handicapped not so much in the

physical sense as in the moral sense.
Thats why he was close to the sinners, fraternizing with them. He would only show his
dislike to those who were self-righteous. Just
the same, he loved all as proven by the fact that
before dying on the cross, he asked forgiveness
from his Father for those who crucified him.
We have to expand and deepen our attitudes
towards others. Are we willing to think always
of them, keenly observant of how they are?
Are we moved to pray for them and to leap to
their assistance when the opportunity comes?
Our problem is that we tend to think always
of ourselves, and our view of the others is
mainly shaped by purely human motives that
cannot reach the level of charity.
Lets remember that as St. Paul said, we have
to bear each others burdens. (Gal 6,2) Do
we have that kind of outlook? Are we quick to
help others even to the point of inconveniencing ourselves?
We have to start dismantling attitudes, habits
and practices that keep us imprisoned in our
own world, mistakenly thinking that these actually would make us happy or are good for us.
These past days I had had the luck of meeting
simple people who are thinking only of others. I did not hear any negative remark from
them about anyone, and frankly, I felt so good
talking to them. It was a joy to be with them.
Our problem is that we tend to just gossip
and gossip, our mouth and tongue quite on

their own with hardly any supervision from a

higher agency in our system. We are also affected by our prejudices and biases. Of course,
we tend to forget charity when we encounter
sharp differences with others.
We have to follow the example of Christ who
tried to find something good even in those who
were doing wrong. For example, one time he
told his disciples to continue observing what
their religious leaders taught them, but not
to follow their example, because they do not
practice what they preach. (cf Mt 23,2)
He made that distinction between what was
taught and what was practiced, and did not
lump up the right teaching with the wrong
practice. We should be quick to find the right
and the good things that can go together with
the bad and wrong things.
Even with handling of dishonest money,
he showed goodness of heart. Christ recommended that we make friends with dishonest
money, so that when it fails we can still be
welcomed to heaven. (cf Lk 16,9).
Its not that we ought to foster dishonesty,
but rather to learn how to make do and make
use of evil things in this world to do good.
This conclusion can be gleaned from the fact
that our Lord summarized the whole episode
by saying, No servant can serve two masters...
You cannot serve God and mammon.
We need to be pro-active in seeing Christ in
everyone and in eliciting true charity when we
relate to them, regardless of the circumstances.

CBCP Monitor

OPINION A5

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

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

Servus Servorum Dei

at the center stage

Whatever

Fr. Francis Ongkingco

IT is on Peter that He (Christ) builds the

Church, and to him that He entrusts the sheep
to feed (St. Cyprian of Carthage).
Non-clerics probably could raise their eyebrows at the Latin words I am using for the title
of this article. Servus Servorum Dei simply
means Servant of the Servants of God; it is
the preferred name or title by most popes for
themselves, originally used by Pope Gregory
the Great as a lesson in humility. I distinctly
remember one of my professors in theology
seminary remarking in jest: It is good to be
called Servant of the Servants of God when
you are pope. While we gave the observation
a good laugh, I realized the subtle commentary
behind it. Most popes in history have cut a
saintly figure but the awesome powers that
the papacy carries, though scarcely in terms
of force or billions of money, have tended to
portray them, many times, in the company of
kings and emperors.
We Catholics call it sacred power, a moral
and spiritual authority over the immense number of Christs faithful on matters of faith and
Christian living. But it is still power, we must
admit, together with a humble acceptance of
the dark history in which that sacred power
was exercised for a lot less than sacred reasons.
Servus Servorum Dei had seemed more like
a good sound bite to which the remoteness of
Rome and the imperial trappings of the papacy
were a reality check.
Until the likes of Pope St. John XXIII
came. Good Pope John, as he was called,
captured the imagination of the world by his
self-deprecating humor and robust simplicity
and humility. Poking fun at his own size he
once suggested that the men who were tasked

to carry him on his papal chair be given a raise

in their salaries. The simplicity and humility
of Blessed Paul VI who refused to wear the
tiara, or of John Paul I and St. John Paul II
who preferred to walk to their installations
as popes are still etched in our memory. The
courageous humility of Pope Benedict XVI
who, sensing his waning physical health, asked
to be allowed to let go of the papacy for the
good of the Church cannot escape our minds.
But in our time the title Servus Servorum
Dei seems best illustrated by the kind of papacy Pope Francis is showing the world. His
choice of the name Francis, at first stunning
and awe-inspiring, now is clearly becoming
a window to his mind especially on the way
he intends to fulfill his ministry. The Holy
Fathers recent global travels, in particular his
Philippine and US visits, showcase Servus Servorum Dei as going beyond mere sound bite.
It has added considerably to his own personal
charisma that has generated huge media and
world attention.
Though given the distinct honor of being
welcomed by the President of the US himself,
Pope Francis did not forget the children not
only of the president but also of ordinary parents who came to see him at airports and the
many places he visited. Even when he walked
and spoke in halls of power, such as the US
Congress and the UN General Assembly, his
mind and heart were for the marginalized and
the forgotten: the nameless many victimized by
the vicious cycle of poverty, the children in
the womb of their mothers, the poor countries
who now bear the brunt of climate change illeffects, the immigrants who meet hostility as
they search for a better life, the homeless, the

Pope Francis:
The Peoples Pope!
POPE Francis captured not only
the hearts of the American people, he also earned the admiration
of the non-religious people. From
his acts of compassion, such as his
embrace of a severely disfigured
man, to his Encyclical on the
environment and his forgiveness
of those who had abortions, he
has earned the respect of nonCatholics.
No less than CNN, the U.S.
television network, called Pope
Francis as the Peoples Pope. All
the anchorpersons were amazed
of this 78 years old awesome
Head of the Catholic Church.
People lined the streets for hours
to see him and awaited what he
would speak of.
Pope Francis was on apostolic
visit, 3 days in Cuba and 6 days in
3 US citiesWashington D.C.,
New York and Philadelphia.
Before he left Cuba, he urged
Cubans to build bridges, break
down walls, sow seeds of reconciliation. The Pontiff arrived for
the first time in U.S. at Andrews
Air Force Base outside Washington, where he was greeted by US
President Barack Obama, his wife
Michelle and their two daughters
as well as Vice President Joe Biden
and wife. He opted for a Fiat
500, declining the limousine. He
insists on using the open Popemobile in travelling, to be closer
to the masses.
***
Pope Francis was welcomed
by President Obama and wife
at the South Lawn of the White

House before a crowd of 15,000.

Amidst dozen of applause, the
Pope talked about his being a son
of an immigrant, bringing to the
attention of the President and
the American people that the US
is largely built by the families of
immigrants. He said that American Catholics are committed to
building a society that safeguards
the rights of individuals and communities and rejects all forms of
unjust discrimination. He said
that the US Bishops are called to
be vigilant to preserve the right to
religious liberty and defend what
would threaten or compromise
that freedom. He praised the
Presidents initiative to reduce air
pollution, thus, the Pope urged
the need to solve the effects of
climate change to protect the
future of the children. He quoted
Martin Luther King and said that
we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to
honor it. Humanity still has the
ability to work together in building our common home (Laudato
Si). As Christians inspired by this
certainty, we wish to commit
ourselves to the conscious and
responsible care of our common
home. He encouraged support to
the efforts of international community to protect the vulnerable
and to stimulate development
so that our brothers and sisters
everywhere may know the blessings of peace and prosperity
which God wills for his children.
The Popes speech in English was
interrupted by several applauses.

sick, the aged, the prisoners, ordinary families

threatened by joblessness and an uncertain
economy, marriages in crisis due to pressures
from external and internal issues including
homosexuality and same-sex unionsall these
have found prominent spaces in his speeches
and homilies. It is hard to dissociate the image
of him washing the feet of ordinary people
from his very public words and gestures.
If we understand servants being served by
the Holy Father to include not only bishops,
priests and lay leaders but also the most ordinary and lowly Catholic or human being, then
we might confidently say we have in Pope Francis someone who struggles to be a true Servus
Servorum Dei. For instance, everybody notices
that, wherever he goes, Pope Francis always asks
people to pray for him. In this he serves us by
reminding us of the power of prayer, nay that
we are Gods People precisely because we are
connected with our Source through prayer.
He humbly accepts that prayers of ordinary
people are no less powerful before God than
those of any Church leader, albeit a pope such
as he. He washes our feet and makes us know
that even our humble prayers count, and that
he himself depends on them for his life and
ministry. He serves us by humbly reminding
us that we cannot truly be a Church of Communion unless it is first of all a communion of
spiritual goods between the lowliest members
of Christs Body and the visible representation
of its head.
St. Augustine once said of the power of the
papacy: Roma locuta, causa finita (Rome has
spoken; the matter is settled). Now we might
say: Rome has humbly and simply spoken;
the matter is being widely heard.

Duc In Altum

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

***
Pope Francis was the first Pontiff to address the Joint Session of
US Congress. Several Popes were
invited but Pope Francis was the
first to accept it. Again, speaking
in English, he received several
standing ovations and sustained
applause, one of which was his
greetings I am most grateful for
your invitation to address this
Joint Session of Congress in the
land of the free and the home of
the brave. He stated that citizens
of a country has a mission, a
personal and social responsibility.
He told the members of Congress
that their responsibility is to defend and preserve the dignity of
their fellow citizens in the pursuit
of the common good. He would
like to dialogue with: the elderly
who are storehouse of wisdom
forged by experience; the young
who are working to realize their
great and noble aspirations; with
the members of Congress and
would like to do so through its
historical memory of their people
who shaped fundamental values
in the spirit of the American
people. H said I would like to
mention four of these Americans:
Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther
King, Dorothy Day and Thomas
Merton. A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty
as Lincoln did, when it fosters a
culture which enables people to
dream of full rights for all their
brothers and sisters, as Martin
Luther King sought to do; when
it strives for justice and the cause

of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day

did by her tireless work, the fruit
of a faith which becomes dialogue
and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.
He also talked about the refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen
since World War II. He reminds
all to remember the Golden
Rule: Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you.
He urged all to treat others with
the same passion and compassion
with which we want to be treated.
It also applies to our responsibility to protect and defend human
life at every stage of its development. He advocates global abolition of death penalty. He stated
how essential the family has been
to the building of this country.
Talking again about immigrants, the Pope said We, the
people of this continent, are not
fearful of foreigners, because most
of us were once foreigners. Vice
President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker John Boehner
are both Catholics.
***
Pope Francis was the first Pope
to address the U.N. General
Assembly. He called upon the
world community to put aside
their partisan interests and
sincerely strive to serve the common good. Pope Francis assured
of his prayer to Almighty God
that the U.N. its member States,
and officials, will always render
an effective service to mankind,
respectful of diversity and capable
Duc In Altum, A7

Happily Mirage After

AS children, we always enjoyed hearing every bedtime fairy tale end
with, they lived happily married after, and had many children.
A joyful adventure concluding with the Prince conquering all
the evil-doers, rightfully inheriting a kingdom, and marrying his
beloved Princess.
As the years went by, however, less and less fairy tales closed
with and had many children. This was a result of a gradually
forged mentality by proponents of population control: smaller
families, that is, lesser children equated to a happier married life.
Say goodbye to our Prince Charming dreams.
Advocates of population control continue to doubt mans capacity to freely engineer his perfection together with Gods help. They
seem to forget the blessings an abundance of livestock, harvest,
more children that Job received when he faithfully and patiently
embraced the tribulations God allowed in his life.
But something more is about to happen to our fairy tale with
the advent of same-sex marriage. Our childrens tales may still
end with the usual happily married after, but parents may find
it complicated to explain who are actually getting married. The
institution of marriage is rapidly and effectively being redefined
and dismantled by a systematic gay agenda.
This agenda holds that marriage as a social institution has
evolved and changed numerous times over the course of human history. They claim this was to accommodate the needs of a particular
society and culture. With these two premises craftily proposed,
they conclude that marriage ought to evolve again to address the
contemporary notions of human sexuality that recognize the fluidity not only of gender identities but also of sexual orientations.
Exactly what they mean by ought to evolve is not quite clear. If by
evolve they are referring to how the institution of marriage has been
gradually liberated from former primitive human unions such as polygamy and forced engagements, then marriage has actually achieved an
identity respectful and worthy of the true dignity of man and woman.
If by evolve they mean reducing and impoverishing the institution according to the dictates of the disordered tendencies present
in human nature, then they are implying nothing more than a
devolution of marriage to a state where and when it was once appreciated only for its reproductive contribution to society.
In reality, ideas evolve more than things in reality. Sadly, not
all ideas are applicable to reality and may be unhealthy for man.
Marxist ideology is one example. It considered man to be only matter (that is, without a soul), and considered him to a dispensable
minion for work and reproduction of the state.
From this ideology, Marxist created the communist state. It became an institution described as heaven on earth without God.
We need not describe the horrible and lingering consequences this
had for mans history. Many have not yet learned from the harsh
lessons of this socio-political experiment.
Similarly, proponents of same-sex marriage are redefining marriage. Although they are not attempting to create a new institution
they are trying to reconstruct it with the aim that it may now embrace unions according to evolving gender identities or ideologies.
Perhaps, in their attempt to broaden and enrich the definition
of marriage as an institution now embracing their sexual orientations, they are not aware of actually weakening it and making it
vulnerable to losing its authentic identity and function of cradling
the complementary union between one man and one woman.
We cannot here speak of evolving, but of retrogressing or devolving, as when a particular reality begins to lose the upgraded and
perfected qualities it has gained through time. Moreover, it would
be unfair to simply redefine a reality or institution, without considering whether the new definition will first uphold the nature
and dignity of man.
It must be recalled that marriage, although a human institution, originally stems from the innate God-given dignity of man
and woman. To neglect this or base its redefinition on one stray
psychological tendencyto which the human persons richness
cannot be reduced to would be nothing more than intellectual
short-sightedness.
Marriage evolved in its dignity and function as humanity discovered, upheld and protected the objective identity and dignity of the
human person. Thus, it is the most natural and fitting institution
protecting and perfecting the union between man and woman.
Thus, it serves society by ensuring the life-long union of a man
and a woman and promoting the procreation and education of
their children.
If same-sex advocates refuse to open and reflect on these underlying objective truths about the human person and marriage, then
the most that they can achieve is to deform marriage into a mirage
of their sexual orientations. And when this mirage created by the
heat of their passionate agendafades into thin air, those who had
hope to find an oasis of hope and affection, will instead encounter
a harsh, dry, and barren reality of regrets and disillusion.

On Forgiveness

Pitik-Bulag
Fr. Wilfredo Samson, SJ

TO forgive someone is one of the

many challenges we face in life.
Sad to say, when we hold back
forgiveness, we bind ourselves
to pain and suffering. But this
is not everything. The problem
with non-forgiveness is, the
more we hold on to our anger
and hatred, the more we become
like our enemies. We breed our
own monsters; and one day, we
self-destruct and annihilate our
gentle and loving spirit.
Let me share this simple prayer
to forgive our enemies. Forgiveness should begin with the
desire to forgive. It must come
from our strong will, even if our
hearts resist it. Saint Ignatius of
Loyola would say, Desire it.
But if there is no desire to forgive
someone, he suggested, Desire
to desire it.

A Prayer for My Enemies

Dear God,
Let me take this moment
to pray for people who
persecute me.
They have hurt me a lot,
and I am in pain.
I am almost tempted to
curse them and I want
to have a revenge someday.
Forgive me, Lord, for
entertaining these thoughts.
Remove these evil thoughts
against my enemies,
for these thoughts are
against your Holy Will,
and I dont want to
end miserable like them.
Today, Lord, I pray
to bless them all.

Bless them with Your love

and compassion, let them feel
Your love and heal their souls.
Bless them with Your
divine enlightenment,
let them realize their evil
deeds and repent.
Bless them with Your divine conversion, transform their wounded
hearts to loving hearts.
I do believe that their souls
are deeply wounded,
Let mercy come unto me,
and not hatred and vengeance.
Allow me not to become like them,
living in pain and hatred.
On my part Lord, I pray also
for a special blessing.
It is true that to err is human

and to forgive is divine.

Forgiveness is such a divine word,
but I have faith in you.
Allow me to forgive them,
the way You forgive me always.

and not vengeance.

Let me learn from Your
Son Jesus,who quietly defeated
His adversaries with peace,
forgiveness, and mercy.

Bless me with Your

compassion and mercy,
to forgive and pray for
them always, in spite of their
unkind words and deeds.

Let me not forget His divine

teaching to love my enemies and
my persecutors, for they are
also my brothers and sisters.

Bless me with Your divine

understanding, that I may
see them as wounded people,
their evildoings are signs
of their wounds.
Bless me with Your divine
patience and generosity,
that I may have self-control
and not fight back,
to show kindness and love,

Let me remember His words,

Father, forgive them,
for they do not know
what they are doing
And most of all, let me
remember,that once, I was
Your enemy too,
but You have forgiven
me countless times.
And until now, in spite of
my unfaithfulness,

You still shower me with

Your forgiveness.
Today, I commit myself
to love my enemies.
This is quite a difficult promise,
but I will try.
Just give me the necessary
grace to be more loving
and understanding.
Anything I will do it for You,
even loving my enemies.
For once, I was Yor enemy,
but You have forgiven me.
Amen.
Love your enemies, do good
to those who hate you, bless those
who curse you, pray for those who
treat you badly. Be compassionate
just as your Father is compassionate. - Luke 6:27,36

A6 LOCAL NEWS

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

CBCP Monitor

Cops study Bible together Catechists confab inspired by

Mercy Year, Laudato Si set

IN line with the ongoing celebration of
Catechetical Month, students, young
professionals, catechists, religious educators, and church workers are invited to
this years Catechetical Conference (CatCon) on Sept. 27, Sunday, from 1 p.m.
to 5 p.m. at the Santa Catalina College
Chapel, Legarda St., Sampaloc, Manila,
which will focus on Laudato Si and the
forthcoming Extraordinary Jubilee Year
of Mercy.

Some 60 members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) learn more about the Bible during a seminar
from Sept. 15 to 16, 3015. FR. JASON ORTIZOS SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT

SOME 60 uniformed and non-uniformed

officers of the Philippine National Police
(PNP) recently took part in a two-day
Advance Bible Seminar at the Saint Joseph Church inside Camp Rafael Crame,
Quezon City.
Values, spiritual transformation
This is for our police personnel so that
they will be improved by what they learn
from the Sacred Scriptures as Catholics
Christians, shared Fr. Jason D. Ortizo,
PNP Base Chaplain in an interview.
The priest, an active personnel with the
rank of PSupt, added that the activity was
in line with the PNP Chaplain Services
mission of transforming the countrys
police force from within by instilling in its
members sound moral and spiritual values
in order to realize the PNP P.A.T.R.O.L.
PLAN 2030.
Well-attended
Held from Sept. 15 to 16, the talk series
was facilitated by resource speaker Br.

Mon Arguelles who discussed the Synoptic Gospels and how to do Lectio Divina.
Moreover, Ortizo expressed joy that the
Bible study has been well-attended since
its launch in 2013.
They were very participative. Others
were perhaps having a hard time at first,
but they soon were able to make themselves comfortable given atmosphere and
the topics, he said.
New Evangelization
According him to, the quarterly formation is anchored on what is called New
Evangelization in its use of new ways
of bringing the Good News to others,
especially the unchurched.
That is why we have this kind of programs, like this Bible seminar. This also
aims to dispel the stereotype that Catholics are ignorant of the Bible. We hope
that through this, our men and women
in the PNP will encounter Jesus more
deeply, Ortizo explained. (Raymond A.
Sebastin / CBCP News)

Tanim-bala, A1

criminal acts of extortion that prey on

our citizens, especially our balik-bayan
and Overseas Filipino Workers, and also
our guests from foreign lands who arrive
in our country, he said.
Santos chairs the Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People
of the Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines.
He said the Church understands
that security personnel have a duty to
perform, especially in enforcing laws
concerning contraband items.
However, they should not use these
same laws to extort money and prey on
the innocent, and even allow those who
are guilty to go scot-free, he said.
Our security personnel should concentrate on protecting the passengers
and ensuring their safety, rather than
harassing them, Santos added.
The prelate also called on the gov-

ernment to investigate these incidents

thoroughly, rigorously and diligently.
They should make sure that everything comes to light and those who are
guilty be brought to justice, he added.
At the same time, the bishop asked
the OFWs and travellers to exercise a
high degree of caution during any sort
of travel.
He advised travellers to make a list of
the contents of their bags and boxes and
take pictures as they pack them.
When accosted by security personnel,
be ready with your cell phone to take
pictures or video, he also said.
Insist that you be the one to open
your luggage while the security people
watch. If they insist on opening your
luggage, watch their actions and take
pictures. Make sure that you take down
their names, said Santos. (R. Lagarde
/ CBCPNews)

Initiative, A1

Bold step
Lawyer Zelda Soriano, legal and political advisor for Greenpeace Southeast Asia,
noted that from the Netherlands to the
US, legal systems are used to hold their
governments accountable and demand
climate action.
We hope that the Commission on
Human Rights of the Philippines will
take the bold step in being the first in
the world to hold big corporate polluters
accountable for their contribution to the
climate crisis, she said.
The groups submitting the complaint
demand that the investigation be conducted this year in view of its importance
in establishing a moral and legal precedent that big polluters should be held
responsible for current and threatened
human rights infringements resulting
from fossil fuel products.
Responsibility
These companies have allegedly ben-

efited financially with knowledge of the

harms associated with their products.
The complainants all agree it is hightime big polluters bear responsibility for
preventing climate harm.
Though uncertain of the outcome,
I know that adding my name as a
petitioner is important and supports
a much greater cause that will ensure
environmental justice for all Filipinos
and the rest of humanity, shared Elma
Reyes, who started the online petition
upholding human rights and climate
change complaint.
Among the organizations that have
provided advice and support to the
complainants are: Amnesty International,
Avaaz, Business and Human Rights Resources Centre, Climate Justice Program,
Center for International Environmental
Law, EarthRights International, International Trade Union Confederation,
and the Union of Concerned Scientists.
(Raymond A. Sebastin/CBCP News)

Feuds, A1

which all lead to alienation.

This is actually the experience of a
wounded person alienation, homelessness, Tagle said. You may have a big and
beautiful house and still be homeless.
Loving presence
For what is a home? the cardinal asked.
A home is not measured by many acres
you have on which the building called
the house sits. No! A home is the gift of
a loving presence, he said.
Then comes faith, Tagle added.
He pointed out that a healed person
usually manifests faith in Jesus.
Where God reigns, persons are saved,
honored, and served with care. Where
God rules, wounds are attended to,
Tagle said.
But Tagle asked, The test is, are you
willing to heal even your wounded en-

emy?, a question that drew the crowd

into silence.
He urged the participants to be like Jesus who healed even those who persecuted
and betrayed Him.
Why? That is the way from the Kingdom of God, he said. Jesus heals by
being wounded.
Nevertheless, the cardinal said, people
who are wounded can be healers by uniting their suffering to Christ.
The wounds will not disappear. In
fact, it is the wounded one that saves,
said Tagle.
He added: Since all of us are wounded, no one should be able to say I have
no gift of healing. Our wounds will
make us, if we want them to, be avenues for understanding, compassion,
solidarity, and love. (Roy Lagarde/
CBCPNews)

Mature faith, balanced spirituality

CatCon is a program we hold each
year on September, which is a month
dedicated to catechists and catechesis.
Through the talks we give, we hope to give
participants a more mature understanding
of the faith and a well-balanced spirituality, explained Nestor Limqueco, one of
the organizers of the event.
Convinced that one cannot give what
one does not have, he pointed out those
who wish to share the faith with others
need adequate formation on doctrine, liturgy, ecclesiology, biblical hermeneutics,
catechetics, and morality.
Blessed are the merciful
Themed Blessed are the merciful, for
they will be shown mercy (Matthew 5:7),
Limqueco noted the seminar draws inspiration from Pope Francis announcement
to make the Mercy of God the center of
the observance in the next liturgical year.
In a March 13 speech, the Holy Father
said, It will be a Holy Year of Mercy. We
want to live in the light of the word of the
Lord: Be merciful, even as your Father is
merciful (cf. Lk 6:36). And this especially
applies to confessors! So much mercy!
Holy year
This Holy Year will commence on the
next Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and will conclude on Sunday, 20
November 2016, the Solemnity of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
and living face of the Fathers mercy. I
entrust the organization of this Jubilee to
the Pontifical Council for Promoting the
New Evangelization, in order that it may

YouCat PH prelate-in-charge Bishop Roberto C. Mallari, chair of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP)s Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education (ECCCE) with director Fr.
Richard P. Lagos during the groundbreaking of the proposed YouCat Center in San Jos, Nueva Ecija which
intends to be a venue and resource center for education, formation and renewal for the young faithful.
YOUCAT PH

come to life as a new step on the Churchs

journey in her mission to bring the Gospel
of mercy to each person, he added.
In this regard, part of CatCon is a
discussion on the Extraordinary Jubilee
Year of Mercy as well as on the devotion
to the Divine Mercy.
A talk on Laudato Si, Pope Francis
encyclical on the care for our common
home is also slated.
Registration fee is Php 100 for adults
and professionals, and Php 50 for students.

Theology crash course

Meanwhile, the Theology Crash
Course of Fr. Jos Antonio E. Aureada,
O.P. will proceed as scheduled also on
Sept. 27, 9: a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Venue will be at the University of Santo
Toms (UST) Central Seminary, but only
for this month.
For inquiries, interested parties are
advised to contact: Globe (+63)906410-0010; Smart (+63)939-462-6733
(Raymond A. Sebastin / CBCP News)

Intl Eucharistic Congress calls for host families in Cebu

ORGANIZERS for the International Eucharistic Congress
(IEC) have asked people to
open their homes to delegates
for the event in Cebu City.
The IEC Home Stay SubCommittee said it is still open
to host families who would
want to open their homes to
IEC participants from across
the world.
Fr. Ruben Labajo, head of
the Pilgrim and Accomodations Committee, said of the
15,000 delegates, around
2,000 of them will be accommodated free of charge
through home stay.

Open homes
These participants are those
who cannot afford hotels or
those who opted to immerse
with the Filipino families.
We are hoping that more
families will open their doors
and accept local or foreign
delegates, Labajo said in a
statement posted at the IEC
website.
The committee said parishes in the cities of Cebu
and Mandaue have been
tasked with accepting host
families that are willing to
provide free accomodations
for delegates.

So at this time, let us

welcome Jesus in the person
of the delegates and through
these delegates, he said.
We are not actually welcoming only mere human
beings or people who have
no homes but we are welcoming Jesus Christ in our
home and during the end of
time, God is going to reward
us, Labajo added.
Hosting dos and donts
A seminar was recently
held at a university in Cebu
for IEC host families on
hosting dos and donts.

Topics range from proper

behavior, suggested bed arrangements as well as dining
etiquette.
It is possible that international delegates would
opt to stay in an environment where they would be
able to feel at home and
would like to immerse with
the families, thus we are
preparing the host families
who will be welcoming delegates into their houses, so
that they would know how
to handle the guests properly, he said. (R. Lagarde
/ CBCPNews)

Petition, A6

signed the petition.

Arsenio said the show of support was
made at a recent seminar on climate
change for members of the Federation of
Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC) held
in Hong Kong.
The petition will be handed to world
leaders at the Paris climate summit in
November, asking them to adopt a strong
and ambitious universal climate treaty to
keep global average temperatures within
1.5C of pre-industrial levels.
Cardinal Gracias currently heads the
Catholic Bishops Conference of India
and the FABC.
Tomas Insua, co-founder and GCCM
coordinator, said other bishops supporting the petition are from South America,
Canada and Africa.
The petition was endorsed by Pope
Francis in May 2015.
We aim to get many more bishops
from all over the world to sign the petition
and show their support, he said.
According to Ciara Shannon, also a
GCCM co-founder and Asia Coordinator
for OurVoices, Asia Pacific is at serious
risk of climate change.

And with the double impact of El Nio,

she said that more funding is needed to
support projects that will promote adaptation and resilience to climate change.
She said that the global nature of the
climate crisis demands a global response
of spiritual, financial and political action.
We are very encouraged to see the support of East Asian bishops to the GCCM
petition, Shannon said.
In the Philippines, church leaders have
promised to deliver half of the 20 million
signatures that the petition seeks.
Cardinal Tagle again encouraged the
Filipinos to take action and signed the
petition.
The FABC voiced concern that Asia
is at serious risk of climate change and
this year there has been a series of unusual weather disturbances across Asia
including: deadly heat waves in India and
Pakistan, widespread drought in Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, and water
rationing in Thailand.
Climate scientists have confirmed that
these extremes this year are compounded
by an emerging period of El Nio, a periodic weather phenomenon characterized

by warming ocean temperatures.

The GCCM said El Nio is expected
to last well into 2016 leading to energy,
food and water insecurity.
It added that Asian countries need
to take measures to mitigate and adapt
their impactespecially for the poor and
for coastal areas that may have weak
infrastructure.
While the effects of El Nio are global
and widespread, according to the group,
it is hitting Asian countries the hardest
The double impact of climate change
and El Nino will also increase sea-level
rise, storm surge, flooding and drought
and many cities globally are at threat, the
GCCM said.
In 2010, world leaders agreed on the
operationalization of the Green Climate
Fund (GCF) to help finance adaptation
and mitigation and a 2020 goal of raising
US$100 billion was decided upon.
So far, the money has been slow in
coming and the GCCM is very concerned
about the lack of financing coming into
the Green Climate Fund as world leaders
are urged to raise the money promised in
2010. (CBCPNews)

Shepherds, A1

sharp contrast between Himself as the true shepherd and

the Pharisees as false shepherds, whom He calls thieves
and robbers.
A false shepherd is a thief
while a true shepherd will not
steal just to be rich or will take
advantage of other people, said
Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila.

The cardinals message was

aired over Church-run Radio
Veritas last week before he
left for the World Meeting of
Families in the US whic Pope
Francis is also attending.
He will also deliver a talk at the
event in Philadelphia on Sept. 27
where the Pope is scheduled to
preside over a Mass.

The church official also

reiterated the CBCPs call for
voters to look at candidates
track records and characters
when casting their ballots.
Look at their track record!
Is it a track record of compassion or a track record of
encroachment? Tagle said.
True servant leaders, ac-

cording to him, serve their

followers instead of the other
way around, possesses greater
integrity and deeper compassion for others.
Lets not use our votes for
shallow reasons, Tagle said.
Vote wisely! One good vote
will make a difference.(R.
Lagarde / CBCPNews)

CBCP Monitor

A7

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

San Pablo bishop endorses Catholic confab

STA. ROSA City, LagunaA high-ranking
Filipino clergyman has given his blessing
recently to the fourth installment of the
Catholic Social Media Summit (CSMS4),
inviting pastors in his episcopal see to support the event and to do what they can to
contribute to its success.
This would give us an opportunity to let
others know how vibrant our local church is
as well as be able to showcase what our diocese can offer, shares Bishop Buenaventura
M. Famadico of San Pablo, CSMSv4s host
diocese, in a Sept. 20 letter to parish priests.
According to the prelate, it is a pleasure
to see how working together can help them
achieve meaningful goals for the Christian
community of San Pablo.
I would like you and members of your
parish youth ministry to be part of the
event, he adds in the same circular.
4 times better
Meanwhile in an interview, CSMSv4
program team head Chrixy Paguirigan told
the public not to miss the fourth installment
of the summit, boasting its superiority to its

first three predecessors.

Paguirigan went on to express pride over
how members of YouthPinoy (YP), the team
behind CSMSv4, strive to bring the event
to a whole new level, making sure all aspects
are carefully being attended to.
The focuses of the summit are also as
timely and important as they can get, she
explained, adding that in forming their
agenda, they had in mind the best interest
of the online faithful.
Online marketing, etc.
From gaming, online marketing, crowdsourcing, content management, and mobile
technology, the program head explained
CSMSv4 strives to cover all the cyberspace
skills and know-hows needed to transform
one into an effective online evangelizer.
Paguirigan also praised the people invited
to speak in this years CSMS, amazed at the
diversity of their backgrounds and fields of
expertise.
The best and most awaited part I personally am giddy about is the keynote, Connecting to the Ultimate Power Source, to

be given no less than by an official of the

Vatican Radio, Sen Lovett.
Glory to God
In response to the call of online evangelization, she stressed the forthcoming
summit will zoom in on the various ways
the baptized can connect themselves and
others to Jesus Christ, the Unending and
Unbounded Source.
Themed Plugged In, the annual gathering of online missionaries and Catholic netizens seeks to spread the message of Romans
15:16 that all may be one voice in glorifying
God, and the homily of Pope Francis at
the Manila Cathedral in January where he
urged the creation of circles of integrity and
networks of solidarity in society.
CSMSv4 is scheduled on Oct. 10 to Oct.
11 at the Sta. Rosa City Hall Building B
Auditorium, Sta. Rosa City, Laguna.
For registration information and other
details, interested parties are advised to visit
http://catholicsocialmediasummit.com/v4/
index.php/registration-guidelines/. (Raymond A. Sebastin / CBCP News)

Help kids find their calling priest to parents

PALO, Leyte, Sept. 24, 2015
Parents arent just supposed
to look after their childrens
immediate needs like food and
shelter, they should also be their
kids first spiritual directors,
encouraging them to be open to
whatever vocation they may be
called to.
Parents could also help by
leading Christian lives and aid
their young to pay attention to
the invitation God and keep their
commitment to such [a] call, especially in these times that people

are becoming very materialistic,

explained Palo Archdiocesan Director for Vocation Fr. Manuel Baybay
Jr., who admitted his offices great
challenge is to develop the culture
of promoting vocation.
This, the priest said, is also the
challenge of the entire Church and
the community.
From Sept. 14 to 18, the Commission on Vocation of the Archdiocese of Palo, led by Baybay,
went around the seven vicariates
in its jurisdiction to campaign for
priestly and religious vocations.

During this period, priests,

seminarians, and religious sisters
from various congregations shared
during the Sunday Masses and
went around Catholic schools to
talk about their vocations.
No one is born a priest. It
takes a good community to raise a
priest, from families who pray together, to priests who model Jesus
loving service and to parishioners
who inspire one another in faith
and love, said Goldie Kenn Zabala, part of a team of seminarians
which is campaigning for priestly

vocations among the Palo youth.

Zabala is also one of the St.
John the Evangelist School of
Theology seminarians who survived super typhoon Yolanda on
Nov. 8, 2013 and actively served
during the papal visit in January
this year.
To further intensity the vocations campaign, a lay vocation
promoters seminar was held here
on Sept. 19. A vocation jamboree
will also be held on Sept. 30.
(Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros /
CBCP News)

And Thats The Truth, A4

take a sample of the bloody substance which

he was to take to the United States for analysis
following typical FBI procedures. To ensure a
prejudice-free study, Dr. Castanon purposely
concealed the origin of the bloody fragment from
the team of scientists who would do the study.
The team determined that what had been
analyzed was real flesh and blood, containing
human DNA. One of these scientists, Dr.
Frederick Zugibe, a well-known cardiologist
and forensic pathologist, stated: The analyzed
material is a fragment of the heart muscle
found in the wall of the left ventricle close to
the valves. This muscle is responsible for the
contraction of the heart. It should be borne
in mind that the left cardiac ventricle pumps
blood to all parts of the body. The heart muscle
is in an inflammatory condition and contains
a large number of white blood cells. This
indicates that the heart was alive at the time
the sample was taken. It is my contention that
the heart was alive, since white blood cells die
outside a living organism. They require a living
organism to sustain them. Thus, their presence
indicates that the heart was alive when the
sample was taken. What is more, these white
blood cells had penetrated the tissue, which
further indicates that the heart had been under
severe stress, as if the owner had been beaten
severely about the chest.
Witnessing these tests were two Australians,
journalist Mike Willesee and lawyer Ron Tesoriero; both men knew the background of the

sample, and were naturally stunned to hear

Dr. Zugibes testimony. Willessee asked Dr.
Zugibe, How long would white blood cells
have remained alive if they have come from a
human tissue which had been kept in water?
Dr. Zugibe replied, They would have ceased to
exist in a matter of minutes. Willessee, gradually unveiling the truth, informed Dr. Zugibe
that before it reached the doctors hands, the
sample was from a tissue that had first been
kept in ordinary water for a month and then
in a bowl with distilled water for three years.
As Dr. Zugibe had no scientific explanation
for it, Willessee finally told him the truth, that
the analyzed sample came from a consecrated
host. Astonished, Dr. Zugibe replied that
how and why a host would change its character to become living flesh and blood would
remain an inexplicable mystery to science, a
mystery totally beyond my competence.
Dr. Castanon then arranged to have the
lab reports be compared to those made of a
relic of the similar miracle which took place
in Lanciano (Italy) in the eighth century. The
experts making the comparison were not told
of the origin of the samples; nonetheless they
concluded that the two lab reports must have
originated from samples obtained from the
same person. They further added that both
samples revealed an AB positive blood type,
all characteristic of a man who was born and
who lived in the Middle East region.
Dr. Castanon, reportedly an avowed athe-

ist, set out to disprove the Eucharistic miracle

in Buenos Aires and ended up converting to
Catholicism. Author of the book Cuando La
Palabra Hiere (When the Word Hurts) he
is now committed to his mission of traveling
the world, investigating Catholic mystical phenomena and running scientific tests to prove
or disprove them.
We know and understand how long it takes
for a miracle to be officially approved by the
Church. It should be so, otherwise, any religious phenomenon could be used to lead the
innocent and the ignorant to perdition. On the
other hand, we have also seen how many a cold
heart has been inflamed by the sight or the feel
of a saints relic. A countless number of churchgoers take Holy Communion barely knowing
its grave significance. Even priests sometimes
admit to taking the Host for grantedhaving
celebrated Holy Mass for years, sometimes up
to seven times on a Sunday, the celebration
part is gone, only the obligation part remains.
So why not try and bring the Living Flesh from
Buenos Aires to the Philippines for the Eucharistic Congress? Then, well have not just the
Pope from Buenos Aires but the Lord Himself
in our land. Our nation is in dire need of it.
We are aware that this suggestion is a shot at
the moon. But remembering what Pope Francis
said to the young people of CubaDream
on!we dream on and leave our dreams at
the feet of the Crucified Christ, fully trusting
in Gods plan for us. And thats the truth.

Lumad, A6

who are caught amid the massive

militarization of indigenous communities in Mindanao.
We just want to go back to
our village. We want to go back
to our school and study again,
Libora said.
Peace talks
From the Nunciature, they went
to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
headquarters in Intramuros district,
and met with some CBCP officials.
Apparently disappointed over
the governments response, the
tribal leaders believe that the
Church can help solve the problems they are facing.
In a meeting with Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo
and Fr. Edu Gariguez of Caritas
Philippines, they particularly
asked the bishops to broker peace
between the communist insurgents, the government, and other
stakeholders.
Kakay Tolentino, an AltaDumagat from Aurora, said the
peace talks would end military
encampment in tribal schools and
communities across the country.
In Mindanao alone, he said, the
militarys occupation of tribal communities have forced at least 3,000
Lumads to retreat to evacuation
areas in Tandag City while 500
others took shelter in Davao City.

NPA members
According to Tolentino, the
military have identified students,
teachers, and leaders of an alternative learning center in Surigao
del Sur as members of the New
Peoples Army, giving them reason
to occupy the school.
In our view, peace talks is the
only way to (clarify the misconceptions and convince them to
pullout), he said in the vernacular.
Pabillo agreed that peace talks
should be revived since the conflict
is not only prevalent in Mindanao
but across the country.
However, he clarified that many
Church leaders have already become part of several movements
advocating for the resumption of
the peace talks.
Calling for the revival of the
peace talks is not something new,
said Pabillo, who also chairs the
Permanent Committee on Public
Affairs of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines.
In fact, there are ongoing
actions and Church leaders like
Archbishop Ledesma and Bishop
Iiguez are already brokering for
peace talks, he said in Filipino.
The peace talks cannot completely solve the problem but it
can lessen (the incidents) because
the military claim that they are
only after the NPA members,
Pabillo pointed out.

Destroying schools
Jhon Jhon Clava, a volunteer
teacher at the Alternative Learning
Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (ALCADEV),
said soldiers occupying their
school have destroyed its facilities, forcing them to hold classes
at evacuation areas.
We really want the military
forces to pullout from the school
so that the students can return and
continue their studies. From what
we have learned, the soldiers have
been using the classroom chairs as
firewood, Clava said.
Fourteen-year old Libora said
ALCADEV students like her are
eager to go back to school since
evacuation centers are not a conducive places for learning.
At the evacuation areas, we
sit on our slippers because we do
not have chairs. We also want to
go back to school because our
vegetable gardens and our poultry
animals need attention, she said.
Aside from ALCADEV, military forces have also occupied the
school of Tribal Filipino Program
of Surigao del Sur (Trifpss).
Visibility of church people
Dulphing Ogan, who also
flew in from Davao City, said
displaced Lumad people will be
forced to stay longer at evacu-

ation areas if military forces

continue to occupy their schools
and communities.
We hope the bishops would
go beyond issuing a statement
and help us further by providing
material support for the Lumads
like relief goods and financial
aid. We would also appreciate
the visibility of the Catholic
Church at the evacuation areas,
he said.
After the two-hour dialogue,
Pabillo said his meeting with the
Lumad leaders was an occasion
for IPs and the Church to collaborate.
I think we can attend to their
expectations. It is possible to help
them and support them, especially when most of the Lumads
will come to Manila by October,
he said.
Indigenous people in Mindanao
are collectively known as Lumad.
Earlier, the CBCP demanded an
honest, thorough, impartial, and
speedy investigation of the killing
of ALCADEV school director
Emerito Samarca and two Lumad
leaders last Sept. 1.
Militia group Magahat Bagani
Force was identified as being
behind the murders. The group
reportedly works with the 36th
Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army. (with reports from
R. Lagarde)

Western Visayas longest

running parish newsletter
marks 24 years
JARO, Iloilo City, Sept. 20,
2015The most persevering
parish weekly newsletter in the
Western Visayas to date recently
marked 24 years of continuous
service and is on its way to celebrate its Silver Jubilee.Candle
Light, the weekly parish newsletter of the National Shrine of Our
Lady of Candles (Jaro Cathedral)
was published for the first time on
Sept. 8, 1991, as a birthday present to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The First General Assembly of
Jaro Cathedral Parish on April 28
and May 5, 1991 recommended
and approved the information and
formation bulletin for the faithful
so that they would remain updated
about parish activities and developments.Dissemination of information was mainly through lengthy announcements during Sunday Masses.
This had the problem of reaching out
to the non-churchgoers. Thus, the
publication of a parish weekly paper
was approved, recalled feature editor
Ma. Rosario R. Tejada.
New Evangelization tool
In the current digital age, Candle Light as a parish newsletter
continues to be relevant as a tool
of the New Evangelization.
According to editor-in-chief Fr.
Nathaniel G. Gentizon, Candle
Light is striving renew its fervor,
methods, and expressions, and
aims to reach the unreached, to
go to the peripheries and spread
the light of Christ.

Many people would get copies

of Candle Light and share them
with their relatives and friends,
especially with those who were not
able to attend Mass due to some
reasons, Gentizon added.
Perseverance amidst difficulties
Now, almost 25 years later,
Candle Light continues to come
out every Sunday without fail.
Even the devastation caused by typhoons Frank and Yolanda did
not stop the paper from coming
out every week, Tejada observed.
Gentizon revealed a secret behind Candle Lights lasting power,
Human as we are, there are problems along the way, especially in
relationships, but our love must be
stronger than our own biases and
prejudices so that we can always
give Jesus through the quality of
our witnessing and work.
I always remind the editorial board
that in each issue of Candle Light we
must always give Jesus to the people.
This can be done when we love God
and each other as well as love our
work, Gentizon underlined.
Above all, the present editor-inchief highlighted the grace owed
to the Lord and to Holy Mary.
The upcoming 25th anniversary of Candle Light must be
celebrated with gratefulness. We
thank the Lord for sustaining the
weekly paper for 24 years now.
We also thank our Blessed Mother
for Her intercession. (Fr. Mickey
Cardenas / CBCP News)

Problematic, A1

difficult, the most painful situation in life even unto death, said
Fr. Regj Mamaril, director of the
San Pablo Diocesan Youth Commision, explaining to CBCP News
the gist of his anticipated Sunday
Mass homily on Sept. 19.
No giving up
Citing the time Alden Richards
and Yaya Dub were supposed to
meet when a piece of plywood
suddenly popped up between
them, the parish priest of St. Joseph
the Worker Parish in Calendola
Village, San Pedro City, said the
natural tendency of husbands and
wives who experience obstacles in
their marital journey is to give up.
The person who gives up or
turns his back on lifes challenges
never wins, added Mamaril in
Filipino.
According to the priest who
has been serving in his parish for
more than two years now, those

who are presently experiencing

problems in the family can learn
from #AlDub.
Unwanted pregnancies
When [husbands and wives]
encounter the hardships of married life, their tendency is to turn
their backs [on each other] or
separate, Mamaril explained.
Quoting Scripture, the priest
said Jesus, Son of Man, also faced
His own challenges, especially
that of being handed over to men
to be killed.
He also stressed those who have
unwanted pregnancies can learn
the same lessons, saying many resort to abortion because they run
away from the challenge of life.
Mamaril said these people simply realize the shame of their
situation and resort to abortion
without recognizing it as one of
lifes challenges. (Nirvaana Ella
Delacruz / CBCP News)

Duc In Altum, A5

of bringing out, for sake of the

common good, the best in each
people and in every individual.
He mentioned about the abuse of
the environment, drug trafficking
accompanied by trafficking in
persons, money laundering, the
arms trade, child exploitation and
other forms of corruption. He
mentioned about right to education, religious freedom, right to
life and right to existence.
As of presstime, the Pope still
in New York, would proceed
to Philadelphia for the World
Meeting of Families. American

Airline transported the Pope and

his entourage from Washington
D.C. to New York to Philadelphia
and back to Rome. Italian Airline
Alitalia flew the Pope from Rome
to Cuba onto Washington D.C.
***
We would like to greet the
Kalookan Diocese clergy October Birthday celebratorsFr.
Christopher Tibong,OFM, Fr.
Ed Guantero and Fr. Larry Toledo and Happy Sacerdotal Anniversary to Fr. Gaudioso Gau
Sustento, Chancellor and Rector
of San Roque Cathedral.

Marriage, A3

history.
Pastors must watch over the
dreams, lives and growth of his
flock, Francis said, explaining
that this isnt done by talking, but
guiding. Only one capable of
standing in the midst of the flock
can be watchful, not someone who
is afraid of questions, contact, accompaniment.
He stressed the importance of
prayer in the life of a pastor, and
questioned whether or not they
are prepared to waste time with
families, uplifting them in time of
discouragement.
The Pope gave an extended and
impromptu reflection on the office
of bishops: pray, and announce
the Gospelthis always drew my
attention about the beginning of
the Church, because the widows
and the orphans were not well
taken care of, and the apostles
couldnt handle them. And so they
came up with the office of deacons,
to deal with them! And the Holy

Spirit inspired them, you have to

build up deacons, and when Peter
announces this decision, he says,
now, we have chosen seven of you
to be deacons, to take care of these
problems, these situations.
From this institution of the
diaconate, he said, the bishops
are freed to pray. From this we
can expect two things: prayer, and
preaching What is the primary
job of a bishop? To pray. To pray.
The second task of a bishop, that
goes with the first, is preaching.
[Preaching] helps us. Dogmatic
definitions help usif not, you
have to deal with Cardinal Mueller! But this helps us. It gives the
definition of a bishop, and what
his role is. He is a shepherdhe
needs to shepherd, and proclaim,
and take care of the sheep. To
do that, he needs to pray and to
preach. If theres time, he can get
to the rest of what he needs to
do. (CNA/EWTN News)

A8

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

Caritas Manila opens

3-day expo

Caritas Manila recently held a three-day expo from Sept. 23 to 25, 2015. CARITAS MANILA

CARITAS Manila held recently a

three-day expo, now on its third
year, to market products of its
urban poor partners trained under
its livelihood program Caritas
Margins.
The program is an offshoot
of the skills training program of
Caritas, which has conducted
trainings on crafting fashion accessories, production of herbal soaps,
perfume, homecare products, and
food processing.
Margins was coined from
marginalized, referring to neglected, deprived, ignored groups;
in other words, the poor.
Thousands trained
To date, a total of 32,937 people
have acquired livelihood skills
from these trainings, which they
have put to practical use as seen
through their products and services.
Other items showcased in the
expo also include paintings by
inmates under Caritas restorative
justice program.
This helps Caritas partners and
families of prisoners augment their
income and improve their quality
of life.
The Social Entrepreneurship
Expo dubbed Buy and Give 3,
ran from Sept. 23 to 25, at the
Trinoma Activity Center, Quezon
City.
Pie Mariano of Caritas Manila

said the expo also showcases inkind donations from bishops,

priests, celebrities, and some
public officials.
3-day expo
On the first day, Sept. 23, the
program of the expo included
the EXPO Opening and Blessing, Margins Products Demo, a
Mass and Healing with Fr. Anton
Pascual, Pinoy Musical Treat: Jean
Paul Zialcita and Tambol Bayan.
On Sept. 24, there was a Margins Cook-up with Chef Jessie,
a Pinoy Musical Treat featuring
InnerVoices, Margins Products
Demo, Pinoy Musical Treat: Ukelele Philippines Ensemble and
Adinkra Lumads, and a Mass and
Healing with Fr. Jerry Orbos,
SVD.
Finally, on Sept. 25, the expo
held its last day with Caritas
YSLEP Performances, Pinoy Musical Treat featuring Michelle
Ortega, Rafael Centenera, Mimz
Sumagaysay, Ynah Jaya, Oklie
Prankadora, and AJ Wacky, a Mass
and Healing with Fr. Ferdinand
Fernando, MB as well as a final
Pinoy Musical Treat segment with
Kalayo and Tres Marias.
Mariano also said proceeds will
go to the Youth Servant Leadership and Education Program for
Caritas Manilas more than 10,
000 scholars nationwide. (Luke
Godoy / CBCPNews)

Outstanding Catholic books cited

Climate walk set on

St. Francis feast
IN a bid to call attention to the
urgent need for ecological conversion, climate justice advocates
from various faith communities
plan to hold an ecological march
on the forthcoming feast of St.
Francis of Assisi, Oct. 4.
We would like to invite you
and your group to join us in our
march for ecological justice. Let us
make this as our way of expressing
our gratitude to the Holy Father
for Laudato Si and for visiting
the Philippines when we ourselves
have suffered the effect of climate
change due to Typhoon Yolanda,
shared Br. Angel Ace Cortez,
OFM, EcoJIMs coordinator for
National Capital Region (NCR).
Inspired by the message of the
encyclical, the movement was initiated by Catholic religious along
with other mainline Christians in
the wake of a national conference
they attended at the Asilo de San

Vicente de Paul in July, which

placed the integrity of creation,
human rights, and climate justice
at the center of the discussion.
Concrete response
According to him, the march is
a concrete response of the recently
formed Ecological Justice Interfaith Movement (EcoJIM) to the
invitation of Pope Francis to care
for the planet, which he calls our
common home.
As you very well know, the
Holy Father Pope Francis has issued an encyclical Laudato Si to
encourage all of us to care for our
common home Mother Earth.
This coming Oct. 4, 2015, Feast of
St. Francis, EcoJIM, together with
various religious groups, will hold
an Eco-march to dramatize its
call for ecological justice, Cortez
explained.
The Poor Man of Assisi is

THE Asian Catholic Communicators. Inc. (ACCI) recognized

anew recently, the best books
written and published in the
country on this years Cardinal Sin
Catholic Book Awards (CSCBA)
for promoting total human development, Gospel values, and Filipino culture through the effective
use of the latest communications
technology in publishing.
Winners
A total of 22 books and 18
authors vied for awards in various
categories which included spirituality, theology, ministry, family
life, homiletics, inspirational, and
youth and children.
The cited books, their authors
and publishers, are as follows:
Theology (special citation): Pope
Francis, The Catholic Bishop and
the Priest by
Jos Mario Bautista Maximiano
published by the Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.;
Homiletics: Nourished by Gods
Word by Msgr. Jesus-Romulo
C. Raada and published by the
Paulines; Inspirational: How to
Change Your Life in 30 Days
by Bo Sanchez, published by
Shepherds Voice Publications;
Ministry: Desperately Seeking
Gods Saving Action by Karl M.
Gaspar, CSsR and published by
the Institute of Spirituality in
Asia; Youth and Children: Art and
The Creation Stories by Mara
Lourdes A. De Vera, published by
Claretian Communications Foundation; Family Life: How to Deal
with Horror Parents, Monster

Kids, and Freaky Siblings by Bo

Sanchez, published by Shepherds
Voice Publications; Spirituality:
Desperately Seeking Gods Saving Action by Fr. Karl M. Gaspar,
C.Ss.R., published by the Institute
of Spirituality in Asia.
Cardinal Sin
Present to give the trophies
and certificates of recognition
were no less than Pasig Bishop
Mylo Hubert C. Vergara, head
of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)s
Episcopal Commission on Social
Communications (ECSC); Fr.
John Klen Malificiar, SSP, ACCI
president; and Amb. Antonio
Cabangon-Chua, president and
chair of the Catholic Mass Media
Awards (CMMA).
CSCBA was the brainchild of
the late Manila Archbishop Jaime
L. Cardinal Sin in whose honor
the award was named.
ACCI
It is formed by ACCI, the largest group of Catholic book publishers in the Philippines.
Among its members are: Catholic Book Center (CBC), Claretian
Communications Foundation,
Jesuit Communications (JesCom),
Logos Publications, Paulines Publishing House, Shepherds Voice
Publications, St Pauls, Bayard
Assumption Media, Institute of
Spirituality in Asia, and Word &
Life Publications.
The book awards is the print
arm of CMMA. (Raymond A.
Sebastin / CBCP News)

considered the patron saint of

ecologists.
The Franciscan brother shared
participants are expected to assemble in four designated areas in
Quezon City by 5:30 a.m., each of
which represent one of the four
traditional elements: earth, wind,
water, and fire.
Masses are to be celebrated
simultaneously in the assembly
points starting at 6:00 a.m.
All participants are to converge
later at the Quezon Memorial
Circle at 8:00 a.m..
Assembly points
The assembly points for the ecowalk and the contact person in
each are as follows:
West = Water
St. Marys College Quezon City,
Scout Reyes St., Diliman, Quezon City

Mylene Saluta (0917-5251-463)

East = Fire
Parish of the Holy Sacrifice,
Apacible St., University of the
Philippines Diliman
Khevin Yu (0917 5213 356)
North = Air
St. Vincent School of Theology,
221 Tandang Sora, Quezon City
Fr. Cristino Pine, CFM (09173196-822)
South = Earth
Stella Maris College, Cubao,
Quezon City
Emmanuel Amistad (995-02-46)
For inquiries and other concerns, interested parties are requested to call (02) 373-2973 or
email the organizers at ecojim.
sect@gmail.com. (Raymond A.
Sebastin / CBCP News)

Social media experts to grace Catholic

netizens summit
AS many as eight social media gurus from the
Philippines and abroad are slated to share their
expertise with aspiring online missionaries in
what is touted to be this years grandest meetup
of online missionaries.
Themed Plugged In, the much-awaited
fourth installment of the annual Catholic
Social Media Summit (CSMSv4) scheduled
on Oct. 10 to 11 at the Santa Rosa City Hall
Auditorium boasts a veritable of Whos Who in
the world of social communications, business,
law, and information technology.
According to CSMSv4 program team head
Chrixy Paguirigan, the focus of the summit
is as timely as it important, given that in
coming out with their plans organizers only
thought of what would be for the best of all
participants.
From gaming, online marketing, crowdsourcing, content management, and mobile
technology, she pointed out CSMSv4 covers
all cyberspace skills and know-hows needed
to transform a person into an effective online
evangelizer.
Speakers
The lineup includes:
Ric Gindap of Design for Tomorrow;
Jose Emmanuel Cellan of Google Philippines;
Apol Dionglay of Playpark Inc;
Arthur Policarpio of Mobext Asia Pacific;
Rupert Ambil II of Rappler;
Rodel Taton, a lawyer
Msgr. Pedro Quitorio of the CBCP Media;

Members of the Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc. at the 9th Cardinal Sin Catholic
Book Awards with ACCI. ACCI

CBCP Monitor

Sen-Patrick Lovett of Vatican Radio is set

to keynote CSMSv4 this year.
Gindap is creative design director and chief
strategist of Design for Tomorrow, a compact,
independent studio specializing in strategy, design, and editorial consultancy based in Manila.
Cellan is country analytical lead of Google
Philippines whose ten years of work experience in the online industry spans web design
and development, graphic design, copywriting, creative writing, blogging, search engine
marketing, web analytics, third-party tracking,
campaign management tools, mobile advertising, and display advertising.
Dionglay is general manager of Level Up! by
PlayPark Inc. He engineered the distribution

YouthPinoy in partnership with the Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan hosted last years Catholic Social Media Summit
(CSMSv3) with more than a thousand in attendance. ANGELO AHUMADA

strength of Level-Up! He was also the architect of on-ground activities designed to usher
loyalty of players and trade partners.
Mobile marketing
Policarpio heads Mobext-Asia Pacific, the
first pure-play mobile marketing agency in the
Philippines, which offers specialized end-toend mobile solutions to leading local brands.
Ambil is executive director of Move.PH,
Rapplers civic engagement and citizen journalism arm.
Taton is a litigation lawyer and a professor in
the Juris Doctor, Master, and Doctor of Laws
Programs. A known consumers rights advocate
and skilled at alternative dispute resolution, he
considers himself a pilgrim who simply wants
to inspire and conspire in sharing good deeds,
justice as a way of life and peace.
Msgr. Quitorio is director of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines

(CBCP) Media Office, and chief editor of

cbcpnews.com (CBCP Media Office News
Service), CBCP Monitor, and Impact Magazine whose experience in and knowledge of
Philippine Church (digital) media remain
unsurpassed.
Besides directing Vatican Radios English
Language Section, Lovett is also vice president of Center for Research and Education in
Communication (CREC) International, an
organization specializing in media and communication training and research for Christian
institutions.
He was cited Communicator of the Year
by Dayton University (USA) in 2013.
For registration information and other concerns, interested parties are requested to visit
http://catholicsocialmediasummit.com/v4/
index.php/registration-guidelines/. (Raymond
A. Sebastin / CBCP News with reports from
Adrian Alcantara)

Davao marks Natl Medical Week

THE Davao Oriental Medical
Society (DOMS) in coordination
with St. Camillus Hospital of Mati
is marking National Medical Week
in the province with a weeklong
celebration.
The program, which ran from
Sept. 20 to 26, kicked off with a

parade-motorcade at 7a.m. from

the Davao Or. Provincial Medical Center (DOPMC) to the St.
Camillus Hospital.
The activities lined-up include
free FBS and cholesterol checkup; doctor visits to the Childrens
Wards of DOPMC and St. Ca-

millus Hospital with free food

and toys for the kids; and mini
medical lectures to hospital staff
and interested personnel.
Visiting doctors are members of
the DOMS coming from different parts of the province, led by
Medical Center and St. Camillus

Hospital doctors .
The current DOMS president
is Dr. Florence Flores.
The events were held in support
of the 58th Philippine Medical
Association (PMA) National
Medical Week. (CBCP News with
reports from Sr. Marietta Alo)

Markings
Elected. Fr. Leo Dalmao, current Provincial
Superior of Philippines, was elected on Sept. 9
consultor and Prefect of Formation of the Claretian general government.

Celebrated. Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive

secretary of the CBCP Public Affairs Office,
marked his 13th Sacerdotal Anniversary on
Sept. 28, feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz.

It is the same office served for 12 years by Fr.

Mathew Vattamattam of India before he was
earlier elected as the 13th Superior General of
the Congregation.

Secillano is also the parish priest of Nuestra

Seora del Perpetuo Socorro Parish in Manilas Sampaloc district.

Dalmao, a 45-year old native of Tagbilaran City in

Bohol, was ordained priest in May 1997.
At present, he is also a co-chairperson of the
Association of Major Religious Superiors in the
Philippines (AMRSP).

CBCP Monitor

PASTORAL CONCERNS B1

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

The family is the great blessing,

the great gift of this God with us
DEAR Brothers and Sisters,
Dear Families,
First of all, I want to thank the families who were willing to share their life
stories with us. Thank you for your
witness! It is always a gift to listen to
families share their life experiences; it
touches our hearts. We feel that they
speak to us about things that are very
personal and unique, which in some
way involve all of us. In listening to
their experiences, we can feel ourselves
drawn in, challenged as married couples
and parents, as children, brothers and
sisters, and grandparents.
As I was listening, I was thinking
how important it is for us to share our
home life and to help one another in
this marvelous and challenging task of
being a family.
Being with you makes me think of
one of the most beautiful mysteries of
our Christian faith. God did not want
to come into the world other than
through a family. God did not want
to draw near to humanity other than
through a home. God did not want any
other name for himself than Emmanuel
(cf.Mt1:23). He is God with us. This
was his desire from the beginning, his
purpose, his constant effort: to say to
us: I am God with you, I am God for
you. He is the God who from the very
beginning of creation said: It is not
good for man to be alone (Gen2:18).
We can add: it is not good for woman
to be alone, it is not good for children,
the elderly or the young to be alone. It
is not good. That is why a man leaves his
father and mother, and
clings to his wife, and
the two of them become
one flesh (cf.Gen2:24).
The two are meant to be
a home, a family.
From time immemorial, in the depths of our
heart, we have heard
those powerful words:
it is not good for you to be alone. The
family is the great blessing, the great
gift of this God with us, who did not
want to abandon us to the solitude of a
life without others, without challenges,
without a home.
God does not dream by himself, he
tries to do everything with us. His
dream constantly comes true in the
dreams of many couples who work to
make their life that of a family.
That is why the family is the living symbol of the loving plan of which the Father
once dreamed. To want to form a family

Sky Ortigas

Address of Pope Francis at the Prayer Vigil for the Festival of Families
B. Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia; September 26, 2015

is to resolve to be a part of Gods dream,

to choose to dream with him, to want to
build with him, to join him in this saga
of building a world where no one will feel
alone, unwanted or homeless.

so that his bride, the Church, could

always know that he is God with us, his
people, his family. We cannot understand Christ without his Church, just
as we cannot understand the Church
without her spouse,
Christ Jesus, who
gave his life out
of love, and who
makes us see that it
is worth the price.
Laying down
ones life out of love

God did not want to come into the

world other than through a family.
God did not want to draw near to
humanity other than through a home.
As Christians, we appreciate the
beauty of the family and of family life
as the place where we come to learn the
meaning and value of human relationships. We learn that to love someone is
not just a strong feeling it is a decision,
it is a judgment, it is a promise (Erich
Fromm,The Art of Loving). We learn to
stake everything on another person, and
we learn that it is worth it.
Jesus was not a confirmed bachelor,
far from it! He took the Church as his
bride, and made her a people of his own.
He laid down his life for those he loved,

these parents return home, they are so

weary that they cannot give their best
to their children.
I think of all those families which lack
housing or live in overcrowded conditions. Families which lack the basics
to be able to build bonds of closeness,
security and protection from troubles
of any kind.
I think of all those families which lack
access to basic health services. Families
which, when faced with medical problems, especially those of their younger

adequate treatment.
We cannot call any society healthy
when it does not leave real room for
family life. We cannot think that a
society has a future when it fails to pass
laws capable of protecting families and
ensuring their basic needs, especially
those of families just starting out. How
many problems would be solved if
our societies protected families and
provided households, especially those
of recently married couples, with the
possibility of dignified work, housing
and healthcare services to accompany
them throughout life.
Gods dream does not change; it
remains intact and it invites us to work
for a society which supports families. A
society where bread, fruit of the earth
and the work of human hands continues to be put on the table of every home,
to nourish the hope of its children.
Let us help one another to make it
possible to stake everything on love. Let
us help one another at times of difficulty
and lighten each others burdens. Let us
support one another. Let us be families
which are a support for other families.
Perfect families do not exist. This
must not discourage us. Quite the
opposite. Love is something we learn;
love is something we live; love grows
as it is forged by the concrete situations which each particular family
experiences. Love is born and constantly
develops amid lights and shadows. Love
can flourish in men and women who
try not to make conflict the last word,
but rather a new opportunity. An opportunity to seek help, an opportunity
to question how we need to improve,
an opportunity to discover the God
who is with us and never abandons us.
This is a great legacy that we can give
to our children, a very good lesson: we
make mistakes, yes; we have problems,
yes. But we know that that is not really
what counts. We know that mistakes,
problems and conflicts
are an opportunity to
draw closer to others, to
draw closer to God.
This evening we
have come together to
pray, to pray as a family, to make our homes
the joyful face of the
Church. To meet that
God who did not want
to come into our world
in any other way than through a family. To meet God with us, the God
who is always in our midst.

Love is something we learn; love

is something we live; love grows
as it is forged by the concrete
situations which each particular
family experiences.

is not easy. As with

the Master, staking everything
can sometimes
involve the cross.
Times when everything seems uphill.
I think of all those
parents, all those
families who lack
employment or workers rights, and
how this is a true cross. How many
sacrifices they make to earn their daily
bread! It is understandable that, when

or older members, are dependent on a

system which fails to meet their needs,
is insensitive to their pain, and forces
them to make great sacrifices to receive

B2 PASTORAL CONCERNS

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

CBCP Monitor

Absolving Latae Sententiae excommunication

for procured abortion:
Understanding the Special Faculty for the
Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (Part II)

(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university, answers the following query:)

Q: Should it happen that a diocesan bishop participates in a Mass

in which he doesnt concelebrate, will he sit at his cathedra? What
will be his proper vestments in this occasion? -- W.B., Musoma,
Tanzania
A: This question is foreseen in several documents, above all the
Ceremonial of Bishops.
There are several occasions when the diocesan bishop could
participate in Mass without concelebrating. For example, if a
bishop attends a Mass celebrating a priests jubilee anniversary, or a
funeral for a priests parent, he will often not concelebrate because
the bishop would have the obligation to preside at the Mass.
This question was posed a few years ago to the Congregation
for Divine Worship, which replied in its official review Notitiae
(46 [2009] page 170). To wit:
Whether it is permissible for a Bishop to concelebrate on the
occasion of the jubilee of a certain priest such that he takes a place
among the presbyters and yields the place of principal celebrant
to the presbyter who is celebrating his jubilee?
R. In the negative.
The liturgical norm in force, which carries with it a theological principle rooted in
the wisdom of the Fathers,
confirms with all evidence
the necessity that the Bishop
preside at the celebration,
whether he celebrates the
Eucharist or not.
The Ceremonial of Bishops in n. 18 says In every community of the altar
gathered together under the
Bishop as its sacred minister,
the symbol of that charity
and unity of the mystical
Body, without which there
can be no salvation, is shown.
It is most fitting, therefore,
that when the Bishop is present at a particular liturgical
action, where the people is
gathered, that he, as the one
signed with the fullness of the
sacrament of Order, presides
at the celebration. This is not
done to increase the exterior
solemnity of the rite but to
signify in a more vivid light
the mystery of the Church. It
is fitting also that the Bishop
should join presbyters with
himself in the celebration. If,
however, the Bishop presides
at the Eucharist but does not
celebrate it, he himself takes
charge of the liturgy of the
word and concludes the Mass
with the rite of dismissal.
Nevertheless, for a just cause he may be present at a Mass
but not celebrate it, it is preferable, unless another Bishop is to
celebrate, that he preside at the celebration, at least by celebrating
the liturgy of the word and blessing the people at the end. This
counts especially with regard to those eucharistic celebrations in
which some sacramental rite or rite of consecration or blessing is
to take place (n. 175). In this case, the Bishop participates at Mass
dressed in mozzetta and rochet, not in the cathedra but in a more
suitable place prepared for him (n. 186).
I must say that the second part of this reply, fusing Nos. 175
and 186 of the Ceremonial of Bishops, is somewhat confusing,
and, at least as refers to the vesture of the bishop seems to give
incorrect information.
The Ceremonial of Bishops distinguishes two distinct situations. The first is when the bishop presides at the Liturgy of the
Word and gives the final blessing but does not concelebrate. The
proper vesture for this occasion is described in No. 176 of the CB.
It is alb, pectoral cross, stole and cope of the color of the day, the
miter and the pastoral staff. The CB, in Nos. 177-185, describes
the ceremonial actions to be carried out on this occasion. In this
situation the bishop will be seated at the cathedra (CB, 178).
The second situation, in which the bishop is present but does
not preside, is described in CB No. 186. On these occasions the
bishop wears what is known as choir dress.
This consists of the fuschia- or purple-colored cassock along
with mozzetta and zucchetto or skullcap of the same color. The
mozzetta is a small, hooded cape extending to the elbows and
buttoned in front.
The biretta, a square, stiff brimless cap with three or four ridges
on the top surface and worn over the skullcap, is no longer obligatory and is now rarely used.
The rochet is worn under the mozzetta and over the cassock.
It is a white linen vestment resembling a surplice except that it
has close fitting sleeves rather than the wide ones of the surplice.
Over the mozzetta he wears a pectoral cross which is usually
hung on a gold and green cord, although some bishops use a
silver- or gold-colored chain for all occasions.
In this case the bishop is not seated at the cathedra but at some
other suitable place within the presbytery.
On some occasions there may be a combination of both modes
of vesture, for example, if the bishop is in choir dress but is to make
the final commendation at a funeral. In this case, after communion
he removes the mozzetta and replaces it with the cope, stole and
miter in order to direct the prayers.

If a bishop
attends a Mass
celebrating a
priests jubilee
anniversary,
or a funeral
for a priests
parent, he
will often not
concelebrate
because the
bishop would
have the
obligation to
preside at the
Mass.

THE forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has

repented, especially when that
person approaches the Sacrament
of Confession with a sincere
heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father. For
this reason too, I have decided,
notwithstanding anything to the
contrary, (1) to concede to all
priests for the Jubilee Year (2)
the discretion to absolve of the
sin of abortion (3) those who
have procured it and who, with
contrite heart, seek forgiveness
for it. (4) May priests fulfil this
great task by expressing words
of genuine welcome combined

Procured Abortion
A great part of the confusion
that ensued among the clergy,
after the publication of the
letter of Pope Francis to Abp.
Fisichella, was the peculiar
phrasing of the grant of the
faculty to all priests for the
Jubilee Year: the discretion to
absolve of the sin of abortion
those who have procured it and
who, with contrite heart, seek
forgiveness for it and all this
in the context of a person who
approaches the Sacrament of
Confession with a sincere heart
in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father.

Indeed, we need to
clarify beforehand that the canonical term for the remission
of a censure (e.g., excommuni-

See (applicable to both the

consecrating bishop and the
person receiving such consecration) (c.1382), and (5)
direct violation of seal of Confession (c.1388). Note that
abortion is not one of these.
In effect, the faculty now
extended by the Pope to all
priests, for the duration of the
extraordinary jubilee of mercy
beginning 8.XII.2015, actually
implies the carrying out of two
distinct but simultaneous acts,
in the context of sacramental
confession: (1) the absolution
of the censure of excommunication latae sententiae due to
procured abortion and (2) the
absolution of the sin of abortion. Lack of the former makes
the latter impossible, since

with a reflection that explains

the gravity of the sin committed, besides indicating a path of
authentic conversion by which
to obtain the true and generous forgiveness of the Father
who renews all with his presence. (From the Letter of His
Holiness Pope Francis to Abp.
Rino Fisichella, President of
the Pontifical Council for the
Promotion of the New Evangelization.)

pose of c.1398, such acts are

excluded from consideration
as abortion.
The crime extends only to
those who procured abortioni.e., those who effectively performed or cooperated
in the acteither as author
or co-author of the offense.
Finally, according to c.1329,
it includes cooperation by all
members of the faithful, who,
with the same criminal intent,

cation) is absolution (in contrast to dispensation, which is

the remission of an expiatory
penalty). Now in Canon Law,
the legitimate authority who
can absolve (remit) a censure is
the diocesan bishop. Furthermore, whoever has authority
to remit a censure also has
authority to delegate to other
persons the faculty to do so,
except for five especially serious crimes, which are reserved

excommunication excludes a
faithful from the reception of
the Sacraments.
Finally, since the censure
extends to all those who cooperated in the act of abortion
either as author or co-author,
including those without whose
physical or moral assistance the
offense could not have been
consummatedit stands to
reason that the faculty to absolve applies to them as well.

AFTER a brief review of the

nature of penal sanctions
specifically of censures and
more specifically of excommunicationin Part I of this
article, let us now focus on
the crime of abortion with the
censure of excommunication
that automatically applies to
it, and the faculty to remit
such crime that is now being
extended to all priests during
the extraordinary jubilee year
of mercy starting on December
8, 1015.

Canon Law considers certain

immoral acts (i.e., sins in
the internal forum) to be so
harmful to the common good
of the ecclesial community that
it typifies them as crimes (or
delicts in the external forum)
and attaches to their commission
specific penalties. Procured
abortion (i.e., effectively carried
out, resulting in the killing of
an unborn baby or foetus) is
one such act and Canon Law
severely punishes it in c.1398:
A person who procures a
successful abortion incurs an
automatic (latae sententiae)
excommunication.

A F i n a l Wo r d o n t h e
Requirements
Let us not forget the principle underpinning the faculty
as eloquently stated by Pope
Francis in his letter to Abp.
Fisichella: The forgiveness of
God cannot be denied to one
who has repented, especially
when that person approaches
the Sacrament of Confession
with a sincere heart in order to
obtain reconciliation with the
Father. Thus, the requirements
for this faculty to be applicable, as far as the excommunicated person is concerned, are:
1. Repentance from the
crime. Let us remember that
the aim of a censure is to break
contumacy, in contrast to the
restoration of the damaged
common good in the case of
expiatory penalties. Without
such repentance, therefore, the
censure cannot be lifted.
2. Sacramental confession.
As a further requirement, the
repentance from the crime has
to be manifested by externally
verifiable actsagain eloquently described by the Pope
as when the person concerned
approaches the Sacrament
of Confession with a sincere
heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father.
In fact, it can be said that the
faculty to absolve the censure
applies only in the context of
sacramental confessioni.e.,
a priest without such faculty
cannot remit the censure outside sacramental confession.

CNA

When a Bishop
Doesnt Concelebrate
at a Mass

manner (quocumque modo),

and (3) in whatever time after
the moment of conception (et
quocumque tempore a momento
conceptio procuretur).1
There was a doubt as to
whether the crime included the
destruction of embryos produced through in vitrio fertilization (whether immediately
or after cryogenic storage).
While there is no doubt as to
the grave immorality of such
actswhich are tantamount
to homicide, as clearly stated
by recent Magisterium2it is
not clear whether the canonical
text stating after the moment
of conception can be extended
to fertilization. Hence, c.18
requires that it be strictly
interpreted: for the penal pur-

By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso,

J.C.D.

T h e C r i m e o f Pr o c u re d
Abortion
Canon Law considers certain immoral acts (i.e., sins in
the internal forum) to be so
harmful to the common good
of the ecclesial community
that it typifies them as crimes
(or delicts in the external
forum) and attaches to their
commission specific penalties.
Procured abortion (i.e., effectively carried out, resulting in
the killing of an unborn baby
or foetus) is one such act and
Canon Law severely punishes
it in c.1398: A person who
procures a successful abortion
incurs an automatic (latae
sententiae) excommunication.
Given the severity of the
punishment, the canonical
concept of abortion was the
subject of an inquiryas regards the scope of c.1398to
the Pontifical Commission for
the Authentic Interpretation of
Legislative Texts (CPI), which
gave the following elements as
constitutive of the crime: (1)
the killing of a foetus (eiusdem
fetus occisione) , (2) in whatever

participate in committing the

offense, or without whose
physical or moral assistance,
the offense could not have
been consummated: that is the
case of accomplices.
The Absolution of the
C e n s u re re s u l t i n g f r o m

to the Holy See: (1) profanation of the Blessed Sacrament

(c.1367), (2) physical assault
on the Roman Pontiff (c.1370,
1), (3) attempt to absolve an
accomplice in a sin against the
6th Commandment (c.1378),
(4) episcopal ordination without mandate from the Holy

Footnotes:
1
In AAS 80 (1988), pp.1818-1819.
2
For example, ref. CDF, Instruction Donum Dei, 22.II.1987, in AAS 80 (1988),
p.79.

FEATURES B3

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

Address of Pope Francis to the Joint Session of the

United States Congress

Erlend Bjrtvedt

CBCP Monitor

United States Capitol, Washington, D.C., September 24, 2015

Mr. Vice-President,
Mr. Speaker,
Honorable Members of Congress,
Dear Friends,
I am most grateful for your invitation to address this Joint Session
of Congress in the land of the
free and the home of the brave. I
would like to think that the reason
for this is that I too am a son of
this great continent, from which
we have all received so much and
toward which we share a common
responsibility.
Each son or daughter of a given
country has a mission, a personal
and social responsibility. Your
own responsibility as members of
Congress is to enable this country,
by your legislative activity, to grow
as a nation. You are the face of its
people, their representatives. You
are called to defend and preserve
the dignity of your fellow citizens in
the tireless and demanding pursuit
of the common good, for this is the
chief aim of all politics. A political
society endures when it seeks, as a
vocation, to satisfy common needs
by stimulating the growth of all its
members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk.
Legislative activity is always based
on care for the people. To this you
have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.
Yours is a work which makes me
reflect in two ways on the figure
of Moses. On the one hand, the
patriarch and lawgiver of the people
of Israel symbolizes the need of
peoples to keep alive their sense of
unity by means of just legislation.
On the other, the figure of Moses
leads us directly to God and thus
to the transcendent dignity of the
human being. Moses provides
us with a good synthesis of your
work: you are asked to protect, by
means of the law, the image and
likeness fashioned by God on every
human face.
Today I would like not only
to address you, but through you
the entire people of the United
States. Here, together with their
representatives, I would like to
take this opportunity to dialogue
with the many thousands of men
and women who strive each day to
do an honest days work, to bring
home their daily bread, to save
money and one step at a time to
build a better life for their families.
These are men and women who are
not concerned simply with paying
their taxes, but in their own quiet
way sustain the life of society. They
generate solidarity by their actions,
and they create organizations which
offer a helping hand to those most
in need.

I would also like to enter into

dialogue with the many elderly
persons who are a storehouse of
wisdom forged by experience, and
who seek in many ways, especially
through volunteer work, to share
their stories and their insights.
I know that many of them are
retired, but still active; they keep
working to build up this land. I
also want to dialogue with all those
young people who are working
to realize their great and noble
aspirations, who are not led astray
by facile proposals, and who face
difficult situations, often as a result
of immaturity on the part of many
adults. I wish to dialogue with all
of you, and I would like to do so
through the historical memory of
your people.
My visit takes place at a time
when men and women of good
will are marking the anniversaries
of several great Americans. The
complexities of history and the
reality of human weakness notwithstanding, these men and women,
for all their many differences and
limitations, were able by hard work

ing social and political situation

of the world today. Our world
is increasingly a place of violent
conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name
of God and of religion. We know
that no religion is immune from
forms of individual delusion or
ideological extremism. This means
that we must be especially attentive
to every type of fundamentalism,
whether religious or of any other
kind. A delicate balance is required
to combat violence perpetrated in
the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while
also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and
individual freedoms. But there
is another temptation which we
must especially guard against: the
simplistic reductionism which
sees only good or evil; or, if you
will, the righteous and sinners.
The contemporary world, with
its open wounds which affect so
many of our brothers and sisters,
demands that we confront every
form of polarization which would
divide it into these two camps.

demand that we pool our resources

and talents, and resolve to support
one another, with respect for our
differences and our convictions of
conscience.
In this land, the various religious
denominations have greatly contributed to building and strengthening society. It is important that
today, as in the past, the voice of
faith continue to be heard, for it is
a voice of fraternity and love, which
tries to bring out the best in each
person and in each society. Such
cooperation is a powerful resource
in the battle to eliminate new global
forms of slavery, born of grave
injustices which can be overcome
only through new policies and new
forms of social consensus.
Here I think of the political history of the United States, where
democracy is deeply rooted in the
mind of the American people. All
political activity must serve and
promote the good of the human
person and be based on respect for
his or her dignity. We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all
men are created equal, that they

In recent centuries, millions

of people came to this land to
pursue their dream of building a
future in freedom. We, the people
of this continent, are not fearful
of foreigners, because most of us
were once foreigners. I say this
to you as the son of immigrants,
knowing that so many of you are
also descended from immigrants.
Tragically, the rights of those who
were here long before us were not
always respected. For those peoples
and their nations, from the heart
of American democracy, I wish to
reaffirm my highest esteem and appreciation. Those first contacts were
often turbulent and violent, but it
is difficult to judge the past by the
criteria of the present. Nonetheless,
when the stranger in our midst
appeals to us, we must not repeat
the sins and the errors of the past.
We must resolve now to live as
nobly and as justly as possible, as
we educate new generations not to
turn their back on our neighbors
and everything around us. Building
a nation calls us to recognize that
we must constantly relate to others,

A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as

Lincoln did, when it fosters a culture which enables people to
dream of full rights for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin
Luther King sought to do...
and self-sacrificesome at the cost
of their livesto build a better
future. They shaped fundamental
values which will endure forever in
the spirit of the American people.
A people with this spirit can live
through many crises, tensions and
conflicts, while always finding the
resources to move forward, and to
do so with dignity. These men and
women offer us a way of seeing and
interpreting reality. In honoring
their memory, we are inspired, even
amid conflicts, and in the here and
now of each day, to draw upon our
deepest cultural reserves.
I would like to mention four of
these Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy
Day and Thomas Merton.
This year marks the one hundred
and fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham
Lincoln, the guardian of liberty,
who labored tirelessly that this
nation, under God, [might] have
a new birth of freedom. Building
a future of freedom requires love of
the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and
solidarity.
All of us are quite aware of, and
deeply worried by, the disturb-

We know that in the attempt to

be freed of the enemy without, we
can be tempted to feed the enemy
within. To imitate the hatred and
violence of tyrants and murderers
is the best way to take their place.
That is something which you, as a
people, reject.
Our response must instead be
one of hope and healing, of peace
and justice. We are asked to summon the courage and the intelligence to resolve todays many
geopolitical and economic crises.
Even in the developed world, the
effects of unjust structures and
actions are all too apparent. Our
efforts must aim at restoring hope,
righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the
well-being of individuals and of
peoples. We must move forward
together, as one, in a renewed spirit
of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common
good.
The challenges facing us today
call for a renewal of that spirit of
cooperation, which has accomplished so much good throughout
the history of the United States.
The complexity, the gravity and
the urgency of these challenges

are endowed by their Creator with

certain unalienable rights, that
among these are life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness (Declaration
of Independence, 4 July 1776). If
politics must truly be at the service
of the human person, it follows that
it cannot be a slave to the economy
and finance. Politics is, instead, an
expression of our compelling need
to live as one, in order to build as
one the greatest common good:
that of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order
to share, in justice and peace, its
goods, its interests, its social life. I
do not underestimate the difficulty
that this involves, but I encourage
you in this effort.
Here too I think of the march
which Martin Luther King led
from Selma to Montgomery fifty
years ago as part of the campaign
to fulfill his dream of full civil and
political rights for African Americans. That dream continues to
inspire us all. I am happy that
America continues to be, for many,
a land of dreams. Dreams which
lead to action, to participation,
to commitment. Dreams which
awaken what is deepest and truest
in the life of a people.

rejecting a mindset of hostility in

order to adopt one of reciprocal
subsidiarity, in a constant effort to
do our best. I am confident that we
can do this.
Our world is facing a refugee
crisis of a magnitude not seen
since the Second World War. This
presents us with great challenges
and many hard decisions. On
this continent, too, thousands of
persons are led to travel north in
search of a better life for themselves
and for their loved ones, in search
of greater opportunities. Is this
not what we want for our own
children? We must not be taken
aback by their numbers, but rather
view them as persons, seeing their
faces and listening to their stories,
trying to respond as best we can to
their situation. To respond in a way
which is always humane, just and
fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome.
Let us remember the Golden Rule:
Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you (Mt 7:12).
This Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the
same passion and compassion with
which we want to be treated. Let us

seek for others the same possibilities

which we seek for ourselves. Let us
help others to grow, as we would
like to be helped ourselves. In a
word, if we want security, let us
give security; if we want life, let us
give life; if we want opportunities,
let us provide opportunities. The
yardstick we use for others will
be the yardstick which time will
use for us. The Golden Rule also
reminds us of our responsibility
to protect and defend human life
at every stage of its development.
This conviction has led me, from
the beginning of my ministry, to
advocate at different levels for the
global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way
is the best, since every life is sacred,
every human person is endowed
with an inalienable dignity, and
society can only benefit from the
rehabilitation of those convicted
of crimes. Recently my brother
bishops here in the United States
renewed their call for the abolition
of the death penalty. Not only do
I support them, but I also offer
encouragement to all those who are
convinced that a just and necessary
punishment must never exclude
the dimension of hope and the goal
of rehabilitation.
In these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot
fail to mention the Servant of
God Dorothy Day, who founded
the Catholic Worker Movement.
Her social activism, her passion
for justice and for the cause of the
oppressed, were inspired by the
Gospel, her faith, and the example
of the saints.
How much progress has been
made in this area in so many parts
of the world! How much has been
done in these first years of the third
millennium to raise people out of
extreme poverty! I know that you
share my conviction that much
more still needs to be done, and
that in times of crisis and economic
hardship a spirit of global solidarity
must not be lost. At the same time
I would encourage you to keep
in mind all those people around
us who are trapped in a cycle of
poverty. They too need to be given
hope. The fight against poverty and
hunger must be fought constantly
and on many fronts, especially
in its causes. I know that many
Americans today, as in the past, are
working to deal with this problem.
It goes without saying that part of
this great effort is the creation and
distribution of wealth. The right
use of natural resources, the proper
application of technology and the
harnessing of the spirit of enterprise
are essential elements of an economy
Congress, B7

B4 FEATURES

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

CBCP Monitor

Address of Pope Francis to the members of the

General Assembly of the United Nations Organization
United Nations Headquarters, New York; September 25, 2015

GOOD day. Once again, following a

tradition by which I feel honored, the
Secretary General of the United Nations
has invited the Pope to address this distinguished assembly of nations. In my own
name, and that of the entire Catholic community, I wish to express to you, Mr Ban
Ki-moon, my heartfelt gratitude. I greet
the Heads of State and Heads of Government present, as well as the ambassadors,
diplomats and political and technical
officials accompanying them, the personnel of the United Nations engaged in this
70thSession of the General Assembly, the
personnel of the various programs and
agencies of the United Nations family,
and all those who, in one way or another,
take part in this meeting. Through you,
I also greet the citizens of all the nations
represented in this hall. I thank you, each
and all, for your efforts in the service of
mankind.
This is the fifth time that a Pope has
visited the United Nations. I follow in
the footsteps of my predecessorsPaul VI,
in1965,John Paul II, in1979and1995,
and my most recent predecessor, now Pope
EmeritusBenedict XVI, in2008. All of
them expressed their great esteem for the
Organization, which they considered the
appropriate juridical and political response
to this present moment of history, marked
by our technical ability to overcome distances and frontiers and, apparently, to
overcome all natural limits to the exercise
of power. An essential response, inasmuch
as technological power, in the hands of
nationalistic or falsely universalist ideologies, is capable of perpetrating tremendous
atrocities. I can only reiterate the appreciation expressed by my predecessors,
in reaffirming the importance which the
Catholic Church attaches to this Institution and the hope which she places in its
activities.
The United Nations is presently celebrating its seventieth anniversary. The
history of this organized community
of states is one of important common
achievements over a period of unusually
fast-paced changes. Without claiming to
be exhaustive, we can mention the codification and development of international
law, the establishment of international
norms regarding human rights, advances
in humanitarian law, the resolution of
numerous conflicts, operations of peacekeeping and reconciliation, and any number of other accomplishments in every area
of international activity and endeavor. All
these achievements are lights which help to
dispel the darkness of the disorder caused
by unrestrained ambitions and collective
forms of selfishness. Certainly, many grave
problems remain to be resolved, yet it is
also clear that, without all this international activity, mankind would not have
been able to survive the unchecked use
of its own possibilities. Every one of these
political, juridical and technical advances
is a path towards attaining the ideal of human fraternity and a means for its greater
realization.
I also pay homage to all those men and
women whose loyalty and self-sacrifice
have benefitted humanity as a whole in
these past seventy years. In particular, I
would recall today those who gave their
lives for peace and reconciliation among
peoples, from Dag Hammarskjld to the
many United Nations officials at every
level who have been killed in the course
of humanitarian missions, and missions
of peace and reconciliation.
Beyond these achievements, the experience of the past seventy years has made it
clear that reform and adaptation to the
times is always necessary in the pursuit of
the ultimate goal of granting all countries,
without exception, a share in, and a genuine and equitable influence on, decisionmaking processes. The need for greater
equity is especially true in the case of those
bodies with effective executive capability,
such as the Security Council, the Financial
Agencies and the groups or mechanisms
specifically created to deal with economic
crises. This will help limit every kind of
abuse or usury, especially where developing
countries are concerned. The International
Financial Agencies are should care for the
sustainable development of countries and
should ensure that they are not subjected
to oppressive lending systems which, far
from promoting progress, subject people
to mechanisms which generate greater
poverty, exclusion and dependence.
The work of the United Nations, according to the principles set forth in
the Preamble and the first Articles of its
founding Charter, can be seen as the development and promotion of the rule of
law, based on the realization that justice
is an essential condition for achieving the
ideal of universal fraternity. In this context,
it is helpful to recall that the limitation of
power is an idea implicit in the concept

of law itself. To give to each his own, to

cite the classic definition of justice, means
that no human individual or group can
consider itself absolute, permitted to
bypass the dignity and the rights of other
individuals or their social groupings. The
effective distribution of power (political,
economic, defense-related, technological,
etc.) among a plurality of subjects, and the
creation of a juridical system for regulating
claims and interests, are one concrete way
of limiting power. Yet todays world presents us with many false rights andat the
same timebroad sectors which are vulnerable, victims of power badly exercised:
for example, the natural environment and
the vast ranks of the excluded. These sectors are closely interconnected and made
increasingly fragile by dominant political
and economic relationships. That is why
their rights must be forcefully affirmed, by
working to protect the environment and
by putting an end to exclusion.
First, it must be stated that a true right
of the environment does exist, for two
reasons. First, because we human beings
are part of the environment. We live in
communion with it, since the environment itself entails ethical limits which
human activity must acknowledge and
respect. Man, for all his remarkable gifts,

effects, has led me, in union with the entire

Christian people and many others, to take
stock of my grave responsibility in this
regard and to speak out, together with all
those who are seeking urgently-needed
and effective solutions. The adoption of
the2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmentat the World Summit, which opens
today, is an important sign of hope. I am
similarly confident that the Paris Conference on Climatic Change will secure
fundamental and effective agreements.
Solemn commitments, however, are
not enough, although they are certainly a
necessary step toward solutions. The classic
definition of justice which I mentioned
earlier contains as one of its essential elements a constant and perpetual will:Iustitia est constans et perpetua voluntas
ius sum cuique tribuendi. Our world
demands of all government leaders a will
which is effective, practical and constant,
concrete steps and immediate measures
for preserving and improving the natural
environment and thus putting an end as
quickly as possible to the phenomenon of
social and economic exclusion, with its
baneful consequences: human trafficking, the marketing of human organs and
tissues, the sexual exploitation of boys and
girls, slave labor, including prostitution,

groups to support and assist families in

the education of their children. Education
conceived in this way is the basis for the
implementation of the2030 Agendaand
for reclaiming the environment.
At the same time, government leaders
must do everything possible to ensure that
all can have the minimum spiritual and
material means needed to live in dignity
and to create and support a family, which is
the primary cell of any social development.
In practical terms, this absolute minimum
has three names: lodging, labor, and land;
and one spiritual name: spiritual freedom,
which includes religious freedom, the right
to education and all other civil rights.
For all this, the simplest and best measure and indicator of the implementation
of the newAgendafor development will be
effective, practical and immediate access,
on the part of all, to essential material and
spiritual goods: housing, dignified and
properly remunerated employment, adequate food and drinking water; religious
freedom and, more generally, spiritual
freedom and education. These pillars of
integral human development have a common foundation, which is the right to life
and, more generally, what we could call the
right to existence of human nature itself.
The ecological crisis, and the large-scale

all, we must work tirelessly to avoid war

between nations and peoples.
To this end, there is a need to ensure
the uncontested rule of law and tireless
recourse to negotiation, mediation and
arbitration, as proposed by the Charter
of the United Nations, which constitutes
truly a fundamental juridical norm. The
experience of these seventy years since the
founding of the United Nations in general,
and in particular the experience of these
first fifteen years of the third millennium,
reveal both the effectiveness of the full
application of international norms and
the ineffectiveness of their lack of enforcement. When theCharter of the United
Nations is respected and applied with
transparency and sincerity, and without
ulterior motives, as an obligatory reference point of justice and not as a means
of masking spurious intentions, peaceful
results will be obtained. When, on the
other hand, the norm is considered simply
as an instrument to be used whenever it
proves favorable, and to be avoided when
it is not, a true Pandoras box is opened,
releasing uncontrollable forces which
gravely harm defenseless populations, the
cultural milieu and even the biological
environment.
The Preamble and the first Article of

CNA

Mr President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

New York City, New York - September 25, 2015. Pope Francis speaks to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City about caring for the environment
and the human person on September 25, 2015 during the Holy Fathers apostolic journey to the United States.

which are signs of a uniqueness which

transcends the spheres of physics and
biology (Laudato Si, 81), is at the same
time a part of these spheres. He possesses
a body shaped by physical, chemical and
biological elements, and can only survive
and develop if the ecological environment is favorable. Any harm done to the
environment, therefore, is harm done to
humanity. Second, because every creature, particularly a living creature, has an
intrinsic value, in its existence, its life, its
beauty and its interdependence with other
creatures. We Christians, together with
the other monotheistic religions, believe
that the universe is the fruit of a loving
decision by the Creator, who permits man
respectfully to use creation for the good
of his fellow men and for the glory of the
Creator; he is not authorized to abuse it,
much less to destroy it. In all religions,
the environment is a fundamental good
(cf. ibid.).
The misuse and destruction of the
environment are also accompanied by a
relentless process of exclusion. In effect,
a selfish and boundless thirst for power
and material prosperity leads both to the
misuse of available natural resources and
to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged, either because they are differently
abled (handicapped), or because they lack
adequate information and technical expertise, or are incapable of decisive political
action. Economic and social exclusion is
a complete denial of human fraternity and
a grave offense against human rights and
the environment. The poorest are those
who suffer most from such offenses, for
three serious reasons: they are cast off by
society, forced to live off what is discarded
and suffer unjustly from the abuse of the
environment. They are part of todays
widespread and quietly growing culture
of waste.
The dramatic reality this whole situation
of exclusion and inequality, with its evident

the drug and weapons trade, terrorism

and international organized crime. Such
is the magnitude of these situations and
their toll in innocent lives, that we must
avoid every temptation to fall into a declarationist nominalism which would assuage
our consciences. We need to ensure that
our institutions are truly effective in the
struggle against all these scourges.
The number and complexity of the
problems require that we possess technical instruments of verification. But this
involves two risks. We can rest content
with the bureaucratic exercise of drawing
up long lists of good proposalsgoals,
objectives and statisticsor we can think
that a single theoretical and aprioristic
solution will provide an answer to all the
challenges. It must never be forgotten that
political and economic activity is only effective when it is understood as a prudential activity, guided by a perennial concept
of justice and constantly conscious of the
fact that, above and beyond our plans and
programmes, we are dealing with real men
and women who live, struggle and suffer,
and are often forced to live in great poverty,
deprived of all rights.
To enable these real men and women
to escape from extreme poverty, we must
allow them to be dignified agents of their
own destiny. Integral human development
and the full exercise of human dignity
cannot be imposed. They must be built up
and allowed to unfold for each individual,
for every family, in communion with
others, and in a right relationship with
all those areas in which human social life
developsfriends, communities, towns
and cities, schools, businesses and unions,
provinces, nations, etc. This presupposes
and requires the right to educationalso
for girls (excluded in certain places)
which is ensured first and foremost by
respecting and reinforcing the primary
right of the family to educate its children,
as well as the right of churches and social

destruction of biodiversity, can threaten

the very existence of the human species.
The baneful consequences of an irresponsible mismanagement of the global
economy, guided only by ambition for
wealth and power, must serve as a summons to a forthright reflection on man:
man is not only a freedom which he
creates for himself. Man does not create
himself. He is spirit and will, but also
nature (Benedict XVI, Address to the
Bundestag,22 September 2011, cited in
Laudato Si, 6). Creation is compromised
where we ourselves have the final word
The misuse of creation begins when we
no longer recognize any instance above
ourselves, when we see nothing else but
ourselves (ID.Address to the Clergy of
the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone, 6
August 2008, cited ibid.). Consequently,
the defense of the environment and the
fight against exclusion demand that we
recognize a moral law written into human
nature itself, one which includes the natural difference between man and woman
(cf.Laudato Si, 155), and absolute respect
for life in all its stages and dimensions (cf.
ibid., 123, 136).
Without the recognition of certain
incontestable natural ethical limits and
without the immediate implementation
of those pillars of integral human development, the ideal of saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war (Charter
of the United Nations, Preamble), and
promoting social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom (ibid.), risks
becoming an unattainable illusion, or, even
worse, idle chatter which serves as a cover
for all kinds of abuse and corruption, or for
carrying out an ideological colonization by
the imposition of anomalous models and
lifestyles which are alien to peoples identity
and, in the end, irresponsible.
War is the negation of all rights and a
dramatic assault on the environment. If we
want true integral human development for

the Charter of the United Nations set

forth the foundations of the international
juridical framework: peace, the pacific
solution of disputes and the development
of friendly relations between the nations.
Strongly opposed to such statements, and
in practice denying them, is the constant
tendency to the proliferation of arms, especially weapons of mass distraction, such as
nuclear weapons. An ethics and a law based
on the threat of mutual destructionand
possibly the destruction of all mankind
are self-contradictory and an affront to the
entire framework of the United Nations,
which would end up as nations united by
fear and distrust. There is urgent need to
work for a world free of nuclear weapons,
in full application of the non-proliferation
Treaty, in letter and spirit, with the goal of
a complete prohibition of these weapons.
The recent agreement reached on the
nuclear question in a sensitive region of
Asia and the Middle East is proof of the
potential of political good will and of
law, exercised with sincerity, patience and
constancy. I express my hope that this
agreement will be lasting and efficacious,
and bring forth the desired fruits with the
cooperation of all the parties involved.
In this sense, hard evidence is not
lacking of the negative effects of military
and political interventions which are not
coordinated between members of the international community. For this reason,
while regretting to have to do so, I must
renew my repeated appeals regarding to
the painful situation of the entire Middle
East, North Africa and other African
countries, where Christians, together
with other cultural or ethnic groups, and
even members of the majority religion
who have no desire to be caught up in
hatred and folly, have been forced to
witness the destruction of their places
of worship, their cultural and religious
heritage, their houses and property, and
UN, B7

CBCP Monitor
Dear Brother Bishops,
First of all, I wish to send a greeting
to the Jewish community, our Jewish brothers and sisters, who today
are celebrating Yom Kippur. May
the Lord bless them with peace and
help them to advance on the path
of holiness, as we heard today in his
word: You shall be holy, for I am
holy (Lev19:2).
I am pleased that we can meet
at this point in the apostolic mission which has brought me to your
country. I thank Cardinal Wuerl
and Archbishop Kurtz for their kind
words in your name. I am very appreciative of your welcome and the
generous efforts made to help plan
and organize my stay.
As I look out with affection at you,
their pastors, I would like to embrace

STATEMENTS B5

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

always shown for the Successor of

Peter, I must tell you that I do not feel
a stranger in your midst. I am a native
of a land which is also vast, with great
open ranges, a land which, like your
own, received the faith from itinerant missionaries. I too know how
hard it is to sow the Gospel among
people from different worlds, with
hearts often hardened by the trials of
a lengthy journey. Nor am I unaware
of the efforts made over the years to
build up the Church amid the prairies, mountains, cities and suburbs of
a frequently inhospitable land, where
frontiers are always provisional and
easy answers do not always work.
What does work is the combination
of the epic struggle of the pioneers
and the homely wisdom and endurance of the settlers. As one of your

us the question:Who is my mother?

Who are my brothers? (Mk3:3134). One in which we can calmly
reply:Lord, here is your mother, here
are your brothers! I hand them over
to you; they are the ones whom you
entrusted to me. Such trusting union
with Christ is what nourishes the life
of a pastor.
It is not about preaching complicated doctrines, but joyfully
proclaiming Christ who died and
rose for our sake. The style of our
mission should make our hearers
feel that the message we preach is
meantfor us. May the word of
God grant meaning and fullness to
every aspect of their lives; may the
sacraments nourish them with that
food which they cannot procure
for themselves; may the closeness

the first Eleven, huddled together,

assailed and overwhelmed by the
fear of sheep scattered because the
shepherd had been struck. But we
also know that we have been given
a spirit of courage and not of timidity. So we cannot let ourselves be
paralyzed by fear.
I know that you face many challenges, and that the field in which
you sow is unyielding and that there
is always the temptation to give in to
fear, to lick ones wounds, to think
back on bygone times and to devise
harsh responses to fierce opposition.
And yet we are promoters of the
culture of encounter. We are living
sacraments of the embrace between
Gods riches and our poverty. We
are witnesses of the abasement and
the condescension of God who an-

And to remember that Jesus Church

is kept whole not byconsuming fire
from heaven(Lk9:54), but by the secret warmth of the Spirit, whoheals
what is wounded, bends what is rigid,
straightens what is crooked.
The great mission which the
Lord gives us is one which we carry
out in communion, collegially. The
world is already so torn and divided,
brokenness is now everywhere.
Consequently, the Church, the
seamless garment of the Lordcannot
allow herself to be rent, broken or
fought over.
Our mission as bishops is first
and foremost to solidify unity, a
unity whose content is defined by
the Word of God and the one Bread
of Heaven. With these two realities
each of the Churches entrusted to

is the gift of God, of which we are

noble stewards but not masters. It is
wrong, then, to look the other way or
to remain silent. No less important
is the Gospel of the Family, which
in the World Meeting of Families
in Philadelphia I will emphatically
proclaim together with you and the
entire Church.
These essential aspects of the
Churchs mission belong to the core
of what we have received from the
Lord. It is our duty to preserve and
communicate them, even when the
tenor of the times becomes resistant
and even hostile to that message
(Evangelii Gaudium, 34-39). I urge
you to offer this witness, with the
means and creativity born of love,
and with the humility of truth. It
needs to be preached and proclaimed

all the local Churches over which you

exercise loving responsibility. I would
ask you to share my affection and
spiritual closeness with the People
of God throughout this vast land.
The heart of the Pope expands
to include everyone. To testify to
the immensity of Gods love is the
heart of the mission entrusted to the
Successor of Peter, the Vicar of the
One who on the cross embraced the
whole of mankind. May no member
of Christs Body and the American
people feel excluded from the Popes
embrace. Wherever the name of
Jesus is spoken, may the Popes voice
also be heard to affirm that:He is the
Savior!From your great coastal cities
to the plains of the Midwest, from
the deep South to the far reaches
of the West, wherever your people
gather in the Eucharistic assembly,
may the Pope be not simply a name
but a felt presence, sustaining the fervent plea of the Bride:Come, Lord!
Whenever a hand reaches out
to do good or to show the love of
Christ, to dry a tear or bring comfort
to the lonely, to show the way to one
who is lost or to console a broken
heart, to help the fallen or to teach
those thirsting for truth, to forgive
or to offer a new start in God
know that the Pope is at your side,
the Pope supports you. He puts his
hand on your own, a hand wrinkled
with age, but by Gods grace still able
to support and encourage.
My first word to you is one of
thanksgiving to God for the power
of the Gospel which has brought
about remarkable growth of Christs
Church in these lands and enabled
its generous contribution, past and
present, to American society and to
the world. I thank you most heartily
for your generous solidarity with the
Apostolic See and the support you
give to the spread of the Gospel in
many suffering areas of our world.
I appreciate the unfailing commitment of the Church in America to
the cause of life and that of the family,
which is the primary reason for my
present visit. I am well aware of the
immense efforts you have made to
welcome and integrate those immigrants who continue to look to
America, like so many others before
them, in the hope of enjoying its
blessings of freedom and prosperity.
I also appreciate the efforts which
you are making to fulfill the Churchs
mission of education in schools
at every level and in the charitable
services offered by your numerous
institutions. These works are often
carried out without appreciation or
support, often with heroic sacrifice,
out of obedience to a divine mandate
which we may not disobey.
I am also conscious of the courage
with which you have faced difficult
moments in the recent history of
the Church in this country without
fear of self-criticism and at the cost
of mortification and great sacrifice.
Nor have you been afraid to divest
whatever is unessential in order to
regain the authority and trust which
is demanded of ministers of Christ
and rightly expected by the faithful. I realize how much the pain of
recent years has weighed upon you
and I have supported your generous
commitment to bring healing to
victimsin the knowledge that in
healing we too are healedand to
work to ensure that such crimes will
never be repeated.
I speak to you as the Bishop of
Rome, called by God in old age,
and from a land which is also American, to watch over the unity of the
universal Church and to encourage
in charity the journey of all the particular Churches toward ever greater
knowledge, faith and love of Christ.
Reading over your names, looking
at your faces, knowing the extent of
your churchmanship and conscious
of the devotion which you have

CNA

Address of Pope Francis to the Bishops of the

United States of America

poets has put it, strong and tireless

wings combined with the wisdom
of one who knows the mountains.
I do not speak to you with my
voice alone, but in continuity with
the words of my predecessors. From
the birth of this nation, when, following the American Revolution, the
first diocese was erected in Baltimore,
the Church of Rome has always
been close to you; you have never
lacked its constant assistance and
encouragement. In recent decades,
three Popes have visited you and
left behind a remarkable legacy of
teaching. Their words remain timely
and have helped to inspire the longterm goals which you have set for the
Church in this country.
It is not my intention to offer a
plan or to devise a strategy. I have
not come to judge you or to lecture you. I trust completely in the
voice of the One whoteaches all
things(Jn14:26). Allow me only,
in the freedom of love, to speak to
you as a brother among brothers. I
have no wish to tell you what to do,
because we all know what it is that
the Lord asks of us. Instead, I would
turn once again to the demanding
task ancient yet never new of
seeking out the paths we need to
take and the spirit with which we
need to work. Without claiming to
be exhaustive, I would share with you
some reflections which I consider
helpful for our mission.
We are bishops of the Church,
shepherds appointed by God to
feed his flock. Our greatest joy is to
be shepherds, and only shepherds,
pastors with undivided hearts and
selfless devotion. We need to preserve
this joy and never let ourselves be
robbed of it. The evil one roars like a
lion, anxious to devour it, wearing us
down in our resolve to be all that we
are called to be, not for ourselves but
in gift and service to theShepherd of
our souls(1 Pet2:25).
The heart of our identity is to be
sought in constant prayer, in preaching (Acts6:4) and in shepherding the
flock entrusted to our care (Jn21:1517;Acts20:28-31).
Ours must not be just any kind
of prayer, but familiar union with
Christ, in which we daily encounter
his gaze and sense that he is asking

of the shepherd make them them

long once again for the Fathers
embrace. Be vigilant that the flock
may always encounter in the heart
of their pastor that taste of eternity
which they seek in vain in the things
of this world. May they always hear
from you a word of appreciation for
their efforts to confirm in liberty
and justice the prosperity in which
this land abounds. At the same time,
may you never lack the serene courage to proclaim thatwe must work
not for the food which perishes, but
for the food which endures for eternal
life(Jn6:27).
Shepherds who do not pasture
themselves but are able to step back,
away from the center, to decrease,
in order to feed Gods family with
Christ. Who keep constant watch,
standing on the heights to look out
with Gods eyes on the flock which
is his alone. Who ascend to the
height of the cross of Gods Son, the
sole standpoint which opens to the
shepherd the heart of his flock.
Shepherds who do not lower
our gaze, concerned only with our
concerns, but raise it constantly
toward the horizons which God
opens before us and which surpass
all that we ourselves can foresee or
plan. Who also watch over ourselves,
so as to flee the temptation of narcissism, which blinds the eyes of the
shepherd, makes his voice unrecognizable and his actions fruitless. In
the countless paths which lie open
to your pastoral concern, remember
to keep focused on the core which
unifies everything:You did it unto
me(Mt25:31-45).
Certainly it is helpful for a bishop
to have the farsightedness of a leader
and the shrewdness of an administrator, but we fall into hopeless decline
whenever we confuse the power of
strength with the strength of that
powerlessness with which God has
redeemed us. Bishops need to be
lucidly aware of the battle between
light and darkness being fought in
this world. Woe to us, however, if
we make of the cross a banner of
worldly struggles and fail to realize
that the price of lasting victory is
allowing ourselves to be wounded
and consumed (Phil2:1-11).
We all know the anguish felt by

ticipates in love our every response.

Dialogue is our method, not as
a shrewd strategy but out of fidelity
to the One who never wearies of
visiting the marketplace, even at the
eleventh hour, to propose his offer of
love (Mt20:1-16).
The path ahead, then, is dialogue
among yourselves, dialogue in your
presbyterates, dialogue with lay persons, dialogue with families, dialogue
with society. I cannot ever tire of
encouraging you to dialogue fearlessly.
The richer the heritage which you are
called to share withparrhesia, the more
eloquent should be the humility with
which you should offer it. Do not
be afraid to set out on that exodus
which is necessary for all authentic
dialogue. Otherwise, we fail to understand the thinking of others, or to
realize deep down that the brother or
sister we wish to reach and redeem,
with the power and the closeness of
love, counts more than their positions,
distant as they may be from what we
hold as true and certain. Harsh and
divisive language does not befit the
tongue of a pastor, it has no place in his
heart; although it may momentarily
seem to win the day, only the enduring
allure of goodness and love remains
truly convincing.
We need to let the Lords words
echo constantly in our hearts:Take
my yoke upon you, and learn from me,
who am meek and humble of heart,
and you will find refreshment for your
souls(Mt11:28-30). Jesus yoke is
a yoke of love and thus a pledge of
refreshment. At times in our work
we can be burdened by a sense of
loneliness, and so feel the heaviness of
the yoke that we forget that we have
received it from the Lord. It seems
to be ours alone, and so we drag it
like weary oxen working a dry field,
troubled by the thought that we
are laboring in vain. We can forget
the profound refreshment which is
indissolubly linked to the One who
has made us the promise.
We need to learn from Jesus, or
better to learn Jesus, meek and humble; to enter into his meekness and
his humility by contemplating his
way of acting; to lead our Churches
and our peoplenot infrequently
burdened by the stress of everyday
lifeto the ease of the Lords yoke.

us remains Catholic, because open

to, and in communion with, all the
particular Churches and with the
Church of Rome whichpresides in
charity. It is imperative, therefore, to
watch over that unity, to safeguard it,
to promote it and to bear witness to
it as a sign and instrument which,
beyond every barrier, unites nations,
races, classes and generations.
May the forthcoming Holy Year
of Mercy, by drawing us into the
fathomless depths of Gods heart
in which no division dwells, be for
all of you a privileged moment for
strengthening communion, perfecting unity, reconciling differences, forgiving one another and healing every
rift, that your light may shine forth
likea city built on a hill(Mt5:14).
This service to unity is particularly
important for this nation, whose vast
material and spiritual, cultural and political, historical and human, scientific
and technological resources impose
significant moral responsibilities in a
world which is seeking, confusedly
and laboriously, new balances of peace,
prosperity and integration. It is an
essential part of your mission to offer
to the United States of America the
humble yet powerful leaven of communion. May all mankind know that
the presence in its midst of thesacrament of unity(Lumen Gentium, 1) is
a guarantee that its fate is not decay
and dispersion.
This kind of witness is a beacon
whose light can reassure men and
women sailing through the dark
clouds of life that a sure haven awaits
them, that they will not crash on
the reefs or be overwhelmed by the
waves. I encourage you, then, my
brothers, to confront the challenging issues of our time. Ever present
within each of them is life as gift and
responsibility. The future freedom
and dignity of our societies depends
on how we face these challenges.
The innocent victim of abortion,
children who die of hunger or from
bombings, immigrants who drown
in the search for a better tomorrow, the elderly or the sick who are
considered a burden, the victims of
terrorism, wars, violence and drug
trafficking, the environment devastated by mans predatory relationship
with natureat stake in all of this

to those without, but also to find

room in peoples hearts and in the
conscience of society.
To this end, it is important that the
Church in the United States also be
a humble home, a family fire which
attracts men and women through
the attractive light and warmth of
love. As pastors, we know well how
much darkness and cold there is in
this world; we know the loneliness
and the neglect experienced by many
people, even amid great resources
of communication and material
wealth. We also know their fear in
the face of life, their despair and the
many forms of escapism to which
it gives rise.
Consequently, only a Church
which can gather around the family
fire remains able to attract others.
And not any fire, but the one which
blazed forth on Easter morn. The
risen Lord continues to challenge
the Churchs pastors through the
quiet plea of so many of our brothers and sisters:Have you something
to eat?We need to recognize the
Lords voice, as the apostles did on
the shore of the lake of Tiberius
(Jn21:4-12). It becomes even more
urgent to grow in the certainty that
the embers of his presence, kindled
in the fire of his passion, precede us
and will never die out. Whenever this
certainty weakens, we end up being
caretakers of ash, and not guardians
and dispensers of the true light and
the warmth which causes our hearts
to burn within us (Lk24:32).
Before concluding, allow me to
offer two recommendations which
are close to my heart. The first refers
to your fatherhood as bishops. Be
pastors close to people, pastors who
are neighbors and servants. Let this
closeness be expressed in a special
way towards your priests. Support
them, so that they can continue to
serve Christ with an undivided heart,
for this alone can bring fulfillment to
ministers of Christ. I urge you, then,
not to let them be content with halfmeasures. Find ways to encourage
their spiritual growth, lest they yield
to the temptation to become notaries
and bureaucrats, but instead reflect
the motherhood of the Church,
which gives birth to and raises her
sons and daughters. Be vigilant lest
they tire of getting up to answer those
who knock on their door by night,
just when they feel entitled to rest
(Lk11:5-8).Train them to be ready to
stop, care for, soothe, lift up and assist
those who,by chancefind themselves stripped of all they thought
they had (Lk10:29-37).
My second recommendation has
to do with immigrants. I ask you
to excuse me if in some way I am
pleading my own case. The Church
in the United States knows like
few others the hopes present in the
hearts of these pilgrims. From the
beginning you have learned their
languages, promoted their cause,
made their contributions your own,
defended their rights, helped them to
prosper, and kept alive the flame of
their faith. Even today, no American
institution does more for immigrants
than your Christian communities.
Now you are facing this stream of
Latin immigration which affects
many of your dioceses. Not only
as the Bishop of Rome, but also as
a pastor from the South, I feel the
need to thank and encourage you.
Perhaps it will not be easy for you to
look into their soul; perhaps you will
be challenged by their diversity. But
know that they also possess resources
meant to be shared. So do not be
afraid to welcome them. Offer them
the warmth of the love of Christ and
you will unlock the mystery of their
heart. I am certain that, as so often
in the past, these people will enrich
America and its Church.
May God bless you and Our Lady
watch over you! Thank you!

B6 REFLECTIONS

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

CBCP Monitor

Bishop Pat Alo

ENCOUNTERS

Truly rich

Bartolom Esteban Perez Murillo

ONE could be confused why the Bible sometimes

extolled poverty, sometimes riches. Blessed ye poor,
yours is the kingdom of heaven (Lk. 6:20). There is
none who has left house, or wife, or children, or parents
or brothers and sisters who will not receive a plentiful
return in this age and life everlasting in the life to come
(Lk. 18:29).
So Jesus showed by example and word what He meant
by being poor in spirit (Mt. 5:3) and being truly rich
(Lk. 1:53). If it is not clear, just think, JesusGod,
Creator, King of kings, owner of the whole world shows
us what it is to be truly rich and free. Being rich does
not mean slavery to money, things, or any creature at
all. It is the freedom of the sons and daughters of
God (Rom. 8:21).

Bo Sanchez

SOULFOOD

FROM looking at my own life, and in the lives of

the people I help, I realized there are three degrees of
gratitude:
Selective Gratitude
This is when youre thankful for Big Ticket items only.
You win the Lotto.
You get a new car.
You finally pass the board exam after 9 tries.
Your daughter finally gets married at 52.
Your visa is approved after 16 denials.
Your adulterous and drunk husband finally changes.
Or dies. (Whichever comes first.)
Everyone starts with Selective Gratitude.
But sadly, this feeling of gratitude is rare. Because Big
Ticket items are rare too.
And usually, it disappears rather quickly.
Selective Gratitude is great.
But if you want to be really happy, you need to graduate to a deeper form of gratitude
Simple Gratitude
In Simple Gratit u d e , yo ure t h a n k ful even for the small
things in life. For the
roof over your head,
for the leftover food
on your table, for the
semi-neurotic family
around you. Stuff you
take for granted.
Remember this famous quote? I once
was sad for I had no
shoes, until I met
a man who had no
feet.
One day, my friend
complained about his
decreasing hair. I told
him to think positive:
his hair wasnt decreasing, it was his forehead
that was increasing.
He didnt believe me
and became more depressed.
So I texted him this
slightly-edited version of the line above:
I once was sad for I
had no hair until I
met a man who had
no head.
I think that sobered
him up. If you were to choose between baldness and
beheading, what would you choose?
Today, he shines his head and calls himself Bruce
Willis.
But do you know that theres something even more
powerful than Simple Gratitude?

One day,
my friend
complained
about his
decreasing hair.
I told him to
think positive:
his hair wasnt
decreasing,
it was his
forehead that
was increasing.
He didnt
believe me and
became more
depressed.

Sacred Gratitude
In Sacred Gratitude, youre thankful for life itself.
Youre thankful that youre alive.
Youre thankful that you exist.
Youre thankful that you breathe!
Youre thankful for the adventure of daily life, with
all its ups and downs, highs and lows, and twists and
turns.
This kind of gratitude doesnt depend on situations
anymore.
And theres a big difference between knowing you
need to be grateful, and actually having every cell of
your body singing, Thank You!
This is Sacred Gratitude.
Its one of the sweetest things in the world.
Nothing can touch you. Youre at peace.
When you have Simple Gratitudeand especially
Sacred Gratitudeyou receive so many blessings.
Why?
Because when you become grateful, you also become
a Blessing Magnet.

Gods plan for the human family

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mark 10:2-16 (B); October 4 2015

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
MAN and woman are not intended to live
in isolation. (See Gn 2:18.) As social beings,
they are meant for social life, communication, friendship, communion. As sexual
beings, man and woman are complementary
and meant to propagate
and perpetuate their
own selves in an everexpanding chain of new
members of the human
species.
In Gods plan, marriage is the unbreakable covenant of love in
which one man and one woman fulfill their
social, affective and sexual needs. It is the
foundation of the family, the basic form
of human society. Every family should be a
reflection of Gods creative and caring love.
It is within their own family that people are
expected to be instruments and recipients
of Gods love in all its wonderful features:

life-giving, full of care, ever open to accept

and appreciate the other, ready to give ones
best and to forgive even the worst.
All this starts with husband and wife, but
does not end with them. Together, through
the oneness and communion they create,
they become the sacraments of the Lords
love also for the other members of the fam-

the sanctifying role of the family.

But marriage and the family, like all other human realities, bear the consequences
of original sin and sin in general. This
terrible, destructive force relentlessly tries
to tear apart what Gods plan has united. All
the worst tendencies of the wounded human
naturejealousy, sensuality, unfaithfulness,
possessiveness . . . coupled
with the bad example from
the environment, continually threaten to destroy the
harmony of even the best
families.
Under the violence of
such attacks, the Christian couples should always be mindful of the grace of the sacrament that has bound them to each other
as Christ is bound to the Church. That
grace needs to be activated through faith,
prayer, faithfulness to the commitments undertaken. The mutual duties of sincere love,
acceptance, assistance, encouragement, for-

It is within their own family that

people are expected to be instruments
and recipients of Gods love in all its
wonderful features...
ily, especially their children. Completing
the circle, the children should be the sacraments of Gods love for their parents and
for one another.
St. Paul spells out this truth in very concrete terms (see especially Col 3:18-21), and
the Church under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit has come to realize ever more clearly

Plan, B7

Choosing the riches within

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mark 10:17-30 (B); October 11, 2015
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
THERE was sadness in the eyes
of the young mansadness all
over his faceas he moved away
from Jesus. (See Mk 10:22.) He
had asked the right question:
What must I do to inherit eternal life? (Mk 10:17). That was
the question that matters most
in life. But he had been unable
to accept the right answer: Go
and sell what you have and give
it to the poor . . . then come and
follow me (Mk 10:21).
Jesus answer contained the
challenge to go beyond what is
prescribed by the Commandment, and venture trustfully
into the demanding realm of
discipleship. This includes: hands
empty of material resources, a
heart filled with love for God and
neighbor, a will set on following

Jesus till the end of our earthly

pilgrimage, at all costs.
The rich young man was not
prepared to stake so much. His
heart was chained to his riches.
He preferred the deceptive security of earthly possessions to

spiritual values the treasure of

their lives. He failed to realize
that the lasting wealth was in
being with Jesus and thus belong
to the Kingdom.
Others, wiser, would have accepted the challenging invitation

His heart was chained to

his riches. He preferred the
deceptive security of earthly
possessions to the apparent risk
of total detachment
and generosity.
the apparent risk of total detachment and generosity. From
that moment he slipped into
oblivion, joining the crowd of
those who are unable to make

of Jesus. Solomon would surely

have accepted it, for he preferred
the spirit of Wisdom to scepter,
throne, and gems. (See Wis 7:79.) The apostles did accept the

invitation to forsake everything

and just be with Jesus. (See Mk
10:28.)
St. Anthony the Abbot accepted it as he divested himself
of all his possessions and made
Jesus his only treasure. Francis of
Assisi did accept that challenge.
He was rich and young. He
renounced all earthly properties
to embrace the poverty of Christ,
who though he was in the form
of God . . . emptied himself and
took the form of a slave (Phil
2:6.7). And from that moment
onward, Francis started experiencing perfect happiness and
freedom.
Like these, during 20 centuries
of Christianity, thousands of
others, who had been born rich
and powerful, chose the poverty
of the cross and the richness of
radical discipleship. In this way,
Riches, B7

Heinrich Hofmann

What Kind Of
Gratitude Do You
Have?

CBCP Monitor

SOCIAL CONCERNS B7

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

LITTLE Sisters of the Poor,

It is a pleasure to meet you.
Good day. You are about to listen
to two sermons, one in Spanish
and the other in English. The
first word I wish to say to you is
Thank you. Thank you for welcoming me and for your efforts
to make this meeting possible.
Here I think of a person whom
I love very much, someone who
is, and has been, very important
throughout my life. He has been
a support and an inspiration. He
is the one I go to whenever I am
in a fix. You make me think of
Saint Joseph. Your faces remind
me of his.
Joseph had to face some difficult
situations in his life. One of them
was the time when Mary was
about to give birth, to have Jesus.
The Bible tells us that, while they
were [in Bethlehem], the time
came for her to deliver her child.
And she gave birth to her firstborn
son and wrapped him in bands of
cloth, and laid him in a manger,
because there was no place for
them in the inn (Lk 2:6-7).
The Bible is very clear about
this: there was no room for them.
I can imagine Joseph, with his
wife about to have a child, with
no shelter, no home, no place to
stay. The Son of God came into
this world as a homeless person.
The Son of God knew what it
was to start life without a roof
over his head. We can imagine
what Joseph must have been
thinking. How is it that the Son
of God has no home? Why are
we homeless, why dont we have
housing? These are questions
which many of you may ask,
and do ask, every day. Like Saint
Joseph, you may ask: Why are we
homeless, without a place to live?
And those of us who do have
a home, a roof over our heads,

Little Sisters of the Poor

Message of Pope Francis to the homeless on his visit

to the Charitable Center of St. Patrick Parish

would also do well to ask: Why

do these, our brothers and sisters,
have no place to live? Why are
these brothers and sisters of ours
homeless?
Josephs questions are timely
even today; they accompany all
those who throughout history
have been, and are, homeless.
Joseph was someone who
asked questions. But first and
foremost, he was a man of faith.
Faith gave Joseph the power to
find light just at the moment
when everything seemed dark.
Faith sustained him amid the
troubles of life. Thanks to faith,
Joseph was able to press forward

when everything seemed to be

holding him back.
In the face of unjust and painful situations, faith brings us the
light which scatters the darkness.
As it did for Joseph, faith makes
us open to the quiet presence
of God at every moment of our
lives, in every person and in
every situation. God is present
in every one of you, in each one
of us.
I want to be very clear. There
is no social or moral justification,
no justification whatsoever, for
lack of housing. There are many
unjust situations, but we know
that God is suffering with us,

experiencing them at our side.

He does not abandon us.
Jesus not only wanted to show
solidarity with every person. He
not only wanted everyone to
experience his companionship,
his help, his love. He identified
with all those who suffer, who
weep, who suffer any kind of
injustice. He says this clearly:
I was hungry and you gave me
food, I was thirsty and you gave
me something to drink; I was a
stranger and you welcomed me
(Mt 25:35).
Faith makes us know that God
is at our side, that God is in our
midst and his presence spurs us

to charity. Charity is born of the

call of a God who continues to
knock on our door, the door of
all people, to invite us to love,
to compassion, to service of one
another.
Jesus keeps knocking on our
doors, the doors of our lives.
He doesnt do this by magic,
with special effects, with flashing
lights and fireworks. Jesus keeps
knocking on our door in the
faces of our brothers and sisters,
in the faces of our neighbors,
in the faces of those at our side.
Dear friends, one of the most
effective ways we have to help is
that of prayer. Prayer unites us;

it makes us brothers and sisters.

It opens our hearts and reminds
us of a beautiful truth which we
sometimes forget. In prayer, we
all learn to say Father, Dad.
And when we say Father,
Dad, we learn to see one another as brothers and sisters. In
prayer, there are no rich or poor,
there are sons and daughters,
sisters and brothers. In prayer,
there is no first or second class,
there is brotherhood.
In prayer our hearts find the
strength not to be cold and insensitive in the face of situations of injustice. In prayer, God keeps calling
us, opening our hearts to charity.
How good it is for us to pray
together. How good it is to
encounter one another in this
place where we see one another
as brothers and sisters, where we
realize that we need one another.
Today I want to pray with you,
I want to join with you, because
I need your support, your closeness. I would like to invite you
to pray together, for one another,
with one another. That way we
can keep helping one another to
experience with joy that Jesus is
in our midst, and that Jesus helps
us to find solutions to the injustices which he himself already
experienced. Not having a home.
Are you ready to pray together? I will begin in Spanish
and you follow in English.
Our Father, who art in heaven
Before leaving you, I would
like to give you Gods blessing:
The Lord bless you and keep
you; the Lord make his face to
shine upon you and be gracious
to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you
peace (Num 6:24-26).
And, please, dont forget to
pray for me. Thank you.

UN, B4

have faced the alternative either of fleeing

or of paying for their adhesion to good
and to peace by their own lives, or by
enslavement.
These realities should serve as a grave
summons to an examination of conscience
on the part of those charged with the conduct of international affairs. Not only in
cases of religious or cultural persecution,
but in every situation of conflict, as in
Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Libya, South Sudan
and the Great Lakes region, real human
beings take precedence over partisan interests, however legitimate the latter may be.
In wars and conflicts there are individual
persons, our brothers and sisters, men and
women, young and old, boys and girls who
weep, suffer and die. Human beings who
are easily discarded when our response is
simply to draw up lists of problems, strategies and disagreements.
As I wrote inmy letter to the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations on 9 August
2014, the most basic understanding of
human dignity compels the international
community, particularly through the
norms and mechanisms of international
law, to do all that it can to stop and to
prevent further systematic violence against

ethnic and religious minorities and to

protect innocent peoples.
Along the same lines I would mention
another kind of conflict which is not always so open, yet is silently killing millions
of people. Another kind of war experienced by many of our societies as a result
of the narcotics trade. A war which is taken
for granted and poorly fought. Drug trafficking is by its very nature accompanied
by trafficking in persons, money laundering, the arms trade, child exploitation and
other forms of corruption. A corruption
which has penetrated to different levels
of social, political, military, artistic and
religious life, and, in many cases, has given
rise to a parallel structure which threatens
the credibility of our institutions.
I began this speech recalling the visits
of my predecessors. I would hope that
my words will be taken above all as a
continuation of the final words of the
address ofPope Paul VI; although spoken
almost exactly fifty years ago, they remain
ever timely. I quote: The hour has come
when a pause, a moment of recollection,
reflection, even of prayer, is absolutely
needed so that we may think back over
our common origin, our history, our

common destiny. The appeal to the moral

conscience of man has never been as necessary as it is today For the danger comes
neither from progress nor from science; if
these are used well, they can help to solve
a great number of the serious problems
besetting mankind (Address to the United
Nations Organization, 4 October 1965).
Among other things, human genius, well
applied, will surely help to meet the grave
challenges of ecological deterioration and
of exclusion. As Paul VI said: The real
danger comes from man, who has at his
disposal ever more powerful instruments
that are as well fitted to bring about ruin as
they are to achieve lofty conquests (ibid.).
The common home of all men and
women must continue to rise on the
foundations of a right understanding of
universal fraternity and respect for the
sacredness of every human life, of every
man and every woman, the poor, the
elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn,
the unemployed, the abandoned, those
considered disposable because they are
only considered as part of a statistic. This
common home of all men and women
must also be built on the understanding
of a certain sacredness of created nature.

Such understanding and respect call

for a higher degree of wisdom, one which
accepts transcendence, self-transcendence,
rejects the creation of an all-powerful lite,
and recognizes that the full meaning of
individual and collective life is found in
selfless service to others and in the sage and
respectful use of creation for the common
good. To repeat the words of Paul VI, the
edifice of modern civilization has to be
built on spiritual principles, for they are
the only ones capable not only of supporting it, but of shedding light on it (ibid.).
El Gaucho Martn Fierro, a classic of
literature in my native land, says: Brothers
should stand by each other, because this is
the first law; keep a true bond between you
always, at every timebecause if you fight
among yourselves, youll be devoured by
those outside.
The contemporary world, so apparently
connected, is experiencing a growing and
steady social fragmentation, which places
at risk the foundations of social life and
consequently leads to battles over conflicting interests (Laudato Si, 229).
The present time invites us to give priority to actions which generate new processes
in society, so as to bear fruit in significant

and positive historical events (cf.Evangelii

Gaudium, 223). We cannot permit ourselves to postpone certain agendas for the
future. The future demands of us critical
and global decisions in the face of worldwide conflicts which increase the number
of the excluded and those in need.
The praiseworthy international juridical framework of the United Nations Organization and of all its activities, like any
other human endeavor, can be improved,
yet it remains necessary; at the same time
it can be the pledge of a secure and happy
future for future generations. And so it
will, if the representatives of the States
can set aside partisan and ideological
interests, and sincerely strive to serve the
common good. I pray to Almighty God
that this will be the case, and I assure you
of my support and my prayers, and the
support and prayers of all the faithful of
the Catholic Church, that this Institution, all its member States, and each of
its officials, will always render an effective
service to mankind, a service respectful
of diversity and capable of bringing out,
for sake of the common good, the best
in each people and in every individual.
God bless you all. Thank you.
Plan, B6

Congress, B3

which seeks to be modern, inclusive

and sustainable. Business is a noble
vocation, directed to producing
wealth and improving the world. It
can be a fruitful source of prosperity for the area in which it operates,
especially if it sees the creation of jobs
as an essential part of its service to the
common good (Laudato Si, 129).
This common good also includes
the earth, a central theme of the
encyclical which I recently wrote in
order to enter into dialogue with all
people about our common home
(ibid., 3). We need a conversation
which includes everyone, since the
environmental challenge we are
undergoing, and its human roots,
concern and affect us all (ibid., 14).
In Laudato Si, I call for a courageous and responsible effort to
redirect our steps (ibid., 61), and
to avert the most serious effects
of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity. I
am convinced that we can make
a difference and I have no doubt
that the United Statesand this
Congresshave an important role
to play. Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed
at implementing a culture of care
(ibid., 231) and an integrated
approach to combating poverty,
restoring dignity to the excluded,
and at the same time protecting
nature (ibid., 139). We have the
freedom needed to limit and direct

technology (ibid., 112); to devise

intelligent ways of developing
and limiting our power (ibid.,
78); and to put technology at the
service of another type of progress,
one which is healthier, more human, more social, more integral
(ibid., 112). In this regard, I am
confident that Americas outstanding academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution
in the years ahead.
A century ago, at the beginning of
the Great War, which Pope Benedict
XV termed a pointless slaughter,
another notable American was
born: the Cistercian monk Thomas
Merton. He remains a source of
spiritual inspiration and a guide for
many people. In his autobiography
he wrote: I came into the world.
Free by nature, in the image of God,
I was nevertheless the prisoner of my
own violence and my own selfishness, in the image of the world into
which I was born. That world was
the picture of Hell, full of men like
myself, loving God, and yet hating
him; born to love him, living instead
in fear of hopeless self-contradictory
hungers. Merton was above all a
man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and
opened new horizons for souls and
for the Church. He was also a man
of dialogue, a promoter of peace
between peoples and religions.
From this perspective of dia-

logue, I would like to recognize

the efforts made in recent months
to help overcome historic differences linked to painful episodes
of the past. It is my duty to build
bridges and to help all men and
women, in any way possible, to do
the same. When countries which
have been at odds resume the path
of dialoguea dialogue which
may have been interrupted for the
most legitimate of reasonsnew
opportunities open up for all. This
has required, and requires, courage
and daring, which is not the same
as irresponsibility. A good political
leader is one who, with the interests
of all in mind, seizes the moment
in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. A good political leader always
opts to initiate processes rather than
possessing spaces (cf. Evangelii
Gaudium, 222-223).
Being at the service of dialogue
and peace also means being truly
determined to minimize and, in the
long term, to end the many armed
conflicts throughout our world.
Here we have to ask ourselves:
Why are deadly weapons being
sold to those who plan to inflict
untold suffering on individuals and
society? Sadly, the answer, as we all
know, is simply for money: money
that is drenched in blood, often
innocent blood. In the face of this
shameful and culpable silence, it is
our duty to confront the problem

and to stop the arms trade.

Three sons and a daughter of
this land, four individuals and four
dreams: Lincoln, liberty; Martin
Luther King, liberty in plurality
and non-exclusion; Dorothy Day,
social justice and the rights of
persons; and Thomas Merton, the
capacity for dialogue and openness
to God. Four representatives of the
American people.
I will end my visit to your country in Philadelphia, where I will
take part in the World Meeting
of Families. It is my wish that
throughout my visit the family
should be a recurrent theme. How
essential the family has been to the
building of this country! And how
worthy it remains of our support
and encouragement! Yet I cannot
hide my concern for the family,
which is threatened, perhaps as
never before, from within and
without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question,
as is the very basis of marriage and
the family. I can only reiterate the
importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.
In particular, I would like to call
attention to those family members
who are the most vulnerable, the
young. For many of them, a future
filled with countless possibilities
beckons, yet so many others seem
disoriented and aimless, trapped in
a hopeless maze of violence, abuse

and despair. Their problems are our

problems. We cannot avoid them.
We need to face them together, to
talk about them and to seek effective solutions rather than getting
bogged down in discussions. At
the risk of oversimplifying, we
might say that we live in a culture
which pressures young people not
to start a family, because they lack
possibilities for the future. Yet this
same culture presents others with
so many options that they too are
dissuaded from starting a family.
A nation can be considered
great when it defends liberty as
Lincoln did, when it fosters a
culture which enables people to
dream of full rights for all their
brothers and sisters, as Martin
Luther King sought to do; when
it strives for justice and the cause
of the oppressed, as Dorothy
Day did by her tireless work, the
fruit of a faith which becomes
dialogue and sows peace in the
contemplative style of Thomas
Merton.
In these remarks I have sought to
present some of the richness of your
cultural heritage, of the spirit of the
American people. It is my desire
that this spirit continue to develop
and grow, so that as many young
people as possible can inherit and
dwell in a land which has inspired
so many people to dream.
God bless America!

giveness . . . have to be fulfilled

with constant generosity.
Every family has to learn to
kneel down in prayer and to go to
God together. Regardless of what
may have come to pass the day
before, every dawn must usher in
a newness that heals the wounds
of the past and reaches out beyond
the present clouds and storms.
Then, every Christian family will
really be a little Church, a lovely
place to be in, and an inspiration
for others to follow. The witness
which a real Christian family can
offer is one of the best gifts to the
Church and society at large.
Riches, B6

they become free people filled

with the inner peace and joy
which no thief can steal. They
became people for others like
their Leader. Their empty hands
were freer to rise in prayer and to
serve countless millions of needy
brothers and sisters.
Todays world, drugged with
material ambitions and obsessions, needs to be reminded of
the liberating richness of hands
emptied of material resources
but filled with love. Our world
needs to see that the real treasure
is within each human person.
It needs to see this truth lived out
in me and you.

B8 ENTERTAINMENT

September 28 - October 11, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 20

Moral Assessment

CBCP Monitor

Buhay San Miguel

Brothers Matias

Lolo Kiko

Bladimer Usi

Abhorrent

Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome

Exemplary
Technical Assessment

Poor
Below average

Average

Above average
E
xcellent

BAGAMAT nasa Pilipinas na ang

mga Amerikano noon, hindi pa
rin malimi ng bagitong gobyerno
ng Pilipinas ang tunay na motibo
ng mga Kano. Si Heneral Antonio Luna (John Arcilla), ang
namumuno ng puwersa militar
ng Pilipinas at tagapayo ng Pangulong Emilio Aguinaldo (Mon
Confiado), ay walang tiwala sa
mga Amerikano. Sa ganang
kanya, dapat unahan ang mga
Amerikano, tirahin na ang mga ito
bago pa lumawak at humigpit ang
kapit nito sa bansangunit hindi
sasang-ayon sa kanyang pananaw
ang ilang miyembro ng kabinete,
lalo na yaong mga interesadong
makipagnegosyo sa mga Amerikano. Mangyayari ang nakikinita
ni Heneral Lunadigmaan sa
pagitan ng mga Philipino at mga
puting dayuhan. Maninindigan si

buhay; kasama ng mga kawal,

nambubulyaw, nambabatok, nagmumura, humahalakhak; sa piling
ng sinisintang babae, naglalaho
ang bangis. (Hindi mapigilan ng
CINEMA ang magtaka: uso na
ba ang P i. noong panahong iyon? Hindi bat sa wikang
Kastila pa ang pagmumura, tulad
ng Hijo de p.? Naitatanong
lang po).
Sa kabila ng mumunting daplis
ng pelikula, nagtagumpay ang
maningning na pagdidirihe ni
Tarog na isalarawan ang dalawang mukha ng kasaysayan: katawa-tawang komedya at walang
kapararakang trahedya. Maraming ipinupunlang katanungan
ang Heneral Luna sa isip ng
manunood: Sino bang talaga ang
nagpapatay kay Heneral Luna?
Gaano katapat ang pelikula sa

Buhay Parokya

Luna sa gitna ng gulo at sa kabila

ng pagiging pasaway ng ilang
tauhan sa militar.
Kahanga-hanga ang pagpili ng
mga nagsiganap sa Heneral Luna,
hindi lamang dahil sa matalino
at taos-pusong pagganap ng mga
ito kungdi pati na rin sa kanilang
mga anyo. Sapagkat kamukhangkamukha ng mga pangunahing
aktor ang mga tauhang kanilang ginagampanan, lumalabas na buhay
at makatotohanan ang pelikula.
(Ano kaya ang naging resulta kung
ang napiling Luna ay si Richard
Gomez, Aguinaldo ay si John
Lloyd Cruz, at Mabini ay si Alden
Richard? Baka naman naging
masayang zarzuela ito.) Salamat sa
direksiyon ni Jerrold Tarog, kapanipaniwala din ang mga eksena ng
paglalabanan; nakadagdag din sa
pagka-makatotohanan ng Heneral Luna ang pagkakaroon ng tila
mga tunay na kano. Wala nang
pupunahing pagkukulang ang
CINEMA sa ibang technical aspects
ng Heneral Luna, bawat aspeto
ay may kanya-kanyang ambag sa
maayos na kabuuan ng pelikula.
Kadalasan, kapag ang isang
pelikula ay tungkol sa kasaysayansa ibang bansa man o dito sa
Pilipinassinisikap nitong maging mapitagan. Ang mga bida
ay ipinakikita bilang mga bayanimagigiting, halos hindi mo
makikitaan ng mga kahinaan ng
karaniwang tao. At ang mga pangyayaring isinasalarawan ay pawang
mahahalaga sa buhay ng bida
at sa pagsulong ng kasaysayan.
Kahit na nga maaaring magbigayinspirasyon ang kanilang kuwento,
minsan ay nakapangliliit din naman ito, lalu nat kung iisipin natin
ang tila lampas-tao nang tapang,
giting, at kadakilaan ng bayani.
Dito naiiba ang Heneral Luna.
Ang Antonio Luna ni Arcilla at
Tarog ay pinaghalong kagitingan
at kabaliwan, kaya taong-tao. Sa
digmaan, walang takot; bilang
anak ng Inang Bayan, iaalay ang

katotohanan sa likod ng mga

pangyayari sa kasaysayan? Bakit
nasabi ni Heneral Luna na ang
ating pinakamasahol na kaaway
ay hindi ang mga banyaga kungdi
ang ating sarili? Di kaya ang
hamon ni Heneral Luna sa mga
namumuno noonBayan o
sarili? Negosyo o kalayaan?
ay hamon din ng Heneral Luna
sa mga namumuno ngayon sa
Pilipinas?
Bagamat itinuturing nating
isang demokrasya ang Pilipinas

HENERAL LUNA

DIRECTOR: Jerrold Tarog

LEAD CAST: John Arcilla, Mon
Confiado, Mylene Dizon, Epi
Quizon, Paulo Avelino, Bing
Pimentel, Arron Villaflor
SCREENWRITER: E.A. Rocha, Henry Hunt Francia,
Jerrold Tarog Cinematographer: Pong Ignacio
PRODUCER: E.A. Rocha
EDITOR: Jerrold Tarog
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Jerrold
Tarog
GENRE: Biopic, historical action
DISTRIBUTOR: Quantum
Films
LOCATION: Philippines
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:

MORAL ASSESSMENT:
CINEMA rating: V14

sa ngayon, hindi maikakaila na

tayo ay isang nahahating bayan.
Ang isang bayan na walang pagkakaisa sa puso, diwa, mithiin, at
gawa ay madaling magugupo ng
mga dayuhang nagnanasa sa kanyang likas na yaman at nagsasamantala sa kanyang kahangalan.
Iminumulat ng Heneral Luna
ang mga mata ng makabagong
Pilipino upang matutuhan natin ang mga aral ng kasaysayan.
Saan patutungo ang Inang Bayan
kung ang tanging katanungan ng
mga kabataan sa ngayon tungkol sa Heneral Luna ay Bakit
palaging nakaupo si Mabini?
(Teresa R. Tunay)

Look for the images of Chalice,

Pope Francis and Angel of Peace.
(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

The Cross

A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of Columbus

CBCP Monitor. Vol. 19. No. 18

August 31 - September 13, 2015

KCFAPIs 57th Weeklong

Anniversary Celebration
THE Knights of Columbus Fraternal
Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) will hold a weeklong celebration to
mark its 57th founding anniversary from
September 6 to 14.
Various activities are expected to fill the
week at the KCFAPIs main office.
The celebration will begin with the
KCFAPI Annual Fun Run on September
6 dubbed as The Great Walled City Run
2015.
A Eucharistic celebration will be offered on the feast of the Nativity of Our
Lady on September 8 where a Marian
Exhibit will likewise be showcased. Other
activities lined up for the week are as follows: September 9 TV Mass at the San
Agustin Church to commemorate the
38th death anniversary of the Knights of
Columbus local founder, Fr. George J.
Willmann, SJ and to celebrate the 57th
Founding Anniversary of the KCFAPI.
There will also be an anniversary program
in the afternoon and prepared activities
for the Benefit Certificate Holders as it
also marks the BC Holders Day; September 10 Bloodletting activity, September
11 Fraternal Benefits Day where a Sales
Olympics will be conducted by the Fraternal Benefits Group.
The weeklong celebration will culminate with a Eucharistic Celebration on
September 14 at the Fr. George J. Willmann Chapel. A wreath laying ceremony
will follow at the statue of Fr. Willmann
in front of the KCFAPI building.
All these activities are intended to
celebrate KCFAPIs humble beginnings.
It was in 1958 when Fr. Willmann,
who is sensitive to the needs and restricted
resources of the economically underprivi-

leged members of KC-Philippines, moved

to implement the Orders mutual benefit
objectives by spearheading the organization of a local KC insurance system.
The Knights of Columbus Supreme
Council approved the establishment of
Philippine Fraternal Insurance through

the then Territorial Deputy Rev. Fr.

George J. Willmann, SJ and granted
permission to use the name Knights of
Columbus.
On August 1, 1958, the Knights of
Columbus Fraternal Association of the
Philippines, Inc. was incorporated and

registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Then, on

September 9, 1958, KCFAPI was duly
licensed by the Insurance Commission
to operate as an insurance system for the
exclusive protection of the members of
the Knights of Columbus and their im-

KCFAPI Launches KC Valiant:

Elite Pro series
THE newest product of the
Knights of Columbus Fraternal
Association of the Philippines,
Inc. (KCFAPI) was launched last
August 21 thru its Fraternal Benefits Group.
Tagged as KC Valiant Elite
Pro series: Retire Right and be
Protected for Life, Elite Pro is a
limited pay participating whole
life plan that provides lifetime
protection and anticipated living
benefits or cash bonuses.
As a proud Benefit Certificate
holder of this plan, you also support charitable causes and projects
of the Knights of Columbus in the
Philippines and other benevolent
activities, said KCFAPI FBG Vice
President, Gari San Sebastian.
The contribution periods are
payable for five (5), ten (10) or
fifteen (15) years. Plan benefits
include whole life insurance benefits, accidental death benefit rider,
anticipated living benefits, cash
Valiant, C3

New Board Member of Mace

Insurance Agency, Inc.
SK ANTONIO B. FIDELINO
was born in Bulakan, Bulacan, on
June 13, 1949. He graduated from
the University of the Philippines
with the degrees of Bachelor of
Science in Foreign Service in 1970,
and Bachelor of Laws in 1974. He
joined the Department of Justice
(DOJ) in 1975 during the term
of Justice Vicente Abad Santos
and Undersecretary Catalino Macaraig. He resigned from the DOJ
to engage in private practice of his
profession until he retired.
His Journey of Service in the

Knights of Columbus started when

he was initiated in the First Degree
on October 2, 1998 at the Marikina
Valley Council 6178, Marikina
Mace, C2

New KCFAPI Corporate Secretary

Knights of Columbus Luzon North Deputy and KCFAPI President, Justice Jose Reyes, Jr. gives his message during the launching of
the latest insurance product of KCFAPI dubbed as KC Valiant Elite Pro series: Retire Right and be Protected for Life held last August
21 at the Fr. George J. Willmann SJ Building in Intramuros, Manila.

Team Generous: Our Elderly

At family reunions they never

grow tired of telling stories about
their younger years. For our elderly Lolos and Lolas, to see their
family around them is an event
Generous, C3

SK Ramoncito Monchet A.
Ocampo was appointed by the
Supreme Knight as Luzon South
Deputy beginning Columbian
Year 2015 to Columbian Year
2017. Likewise, during the last
Organizational Meeting of the
Knights of Columbus Fraternal
Association of the Philippines,
Inc. (KCFAPI), he was elected
to the following positions of the
Corporate, C3

TEAM KCFAPI CARES: Reliving the TEAM LOVE BANK: Light warriors
Works of Fr. George J. Willmann
for the Elderly

The Team KCFAPI Cares together with the Elderly of Sto. Nio de Tondo Parish
during their Year of the Poor Activity held last August 20, 2015.

FAMILY gatherings are never

complete without the elderly, our
Lolos and Lolas. Their elation in
seeing their children, especially
the grandchildren always brightens the mood of the gathering.

mediate family members. Its initial capital

of P32,000.00 represented the total contributions of sixty-four Filipino Knights
and Councils who donated P500.00 each.
Fifty seven years (57) later, it is now a Php
4.7 Billion financial institution. (Yen
Ocampo)

THEY say that it is very dangerous when you go to Tondo, a

connotation that has been around
for years due to what is known
for its history. For the month of
August, the activity was intended

for the care of the elderly. The

team chose the elders from Tondo
because of two main reasons, first
is to be connected and relive the
works done by Fr. Willmann for
KCFAPI Cares, C3

GMRC test, question number one:

You are about to
go through a door
with an old folk
at the same time,
what will you do?
Elementary, my
dear Watson. Age
before beauty.
We a l w a y s
Members of Team Love Bank preparing food for the elderly of
knew what this
phrase meant and The Missionaries of Charity Home of Joy in Tayuman.
that is to let the old folks pass genuine beauty, you must go
through first. Nonetheless, lets through age. True enough, people
try understanding this particular nowadays fear getting old, having
phrase beyond its denotation. For wrinkles, scars, white hair, flabs,
instance, before you can achieve
Love Bank, C3

C2

August 31 - September 13, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 18

Arsenio Isidro G. Yap

Ma. Theresa G. Curia

Chairmans Message

Curia Settings

Mary -- The Listener, The Obedient,

The Faithful One

Fr. Willmann and the Legacy he left behind

MANY of us tend to forget or ignore those
who had helped us to be where we are today.
Such is the case with Fr. George J Willmann,
the supposed to be Fr. Michael J. McGivney of
the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines.
We celebrate and commemorate his death
anniversary annually. This coming September
14 is no different. As a group, the Knights of
Columbus in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, KCFAPI and its subsidiaries will celebrate his 38th Death Anniversary. The question is, how many
of us really know him? How many of us really want to know and live by
his deeds? Although its in the program and needs to be done every year,
very few brother knights would know and care for what he has done.
I for one am guilty. I really do not know him that well. I could not
fathom what he has done for the Knights of Columbus. As far as I know,
he was the one responsible in growing the membership in the Philippines from a few thousand to about thirty thousand at the time of his
death on September 14, 1977. Most of the councils in the provinces
that were established during his time were mostly composed of farmers
and fishermen. Come to think of it, how could these knights be successful? With the guidance of Fr. George J. Willmann, these farmers and
fishermen were able to organize cooperatives that helped one another
address the many financial challenges that they faced. Unable to get any
form of assistance from the government and private sector, they were
able to slowly develop a system that would not only benefit themselves
and their families but the parish and community as well.
In 1958, Fr. George J. Willmann also founded the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) which is
the insurance program for members and their families. This is probably
an offshoot of what I could perceive as his grand design to replicate
what the Knights of Columbus in the United States was doing for its
members and their families. Somehow, I could discern that Fr. Willmann
was able to perceive what Fr. McGivneys plan was for the Knights of
Columbus. He was able to fit himself into the shoes of Fr. McGivney
and instinctively or not, he executed what still remains to be in thoughts
of Fr. McGivney. He founded the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO)
for out of school youth primarily up to age twenty five but was also open
to former Columbian Squires who were reluctant to join the knights.
How I wish I had known him better. How I wish I could be an
instrument in educating our knights about the man who had laid the
foundation of what the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines is
all about. From about 30,000 strong members in his time, the Order
grew to 342,076 members as of June 30, 2015, equivalent to an average annual growth of 9,000 for the last 38 years. From 32,000 pesos
contributed by well-meaning brother knights and councils KCFAPI
and its subsidiaries has now over four billion pesos in total resources.
The last Columbian Year 2014-2015 was the most productive year
ever for the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines. The three jurisdictions of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao were recipients of the Pinnacle
Award, the highest award any jurisdiction could ever achieve from the
Supreme Council. The feat of the three jurisdictions could now well be
the turning point of a new era for the legacy that Fr. George J. Willmann
has left for us to nurture and care for.
May we renew in us the very essence of Fr. George J. Willmanns plan
as he was able to perceive the plan of Fr. Michael J. McGivney for the
Knights of Columbus in particular and for Catholic men in general,
to address the needs and the plight of the poor.

Jose C. Reyes, Jr.

Presidents Message
Remembering Fr. George J. Willmann
THIS September, the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines is celebrating
the 57th founding anniversary of the
Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI)
on September 9 and is commemorating
the death of its founder, Fr. George J.
Willmann on September 14.
Looking back, we can only praise and
thank God for giving Fr. Willmann to the Philippines. He was
born in Brooklyn, New York on June 29, 1897. He first came to
the Philippines in 1922 as a Jesuit seminarian. He went back to
the United States to finish his studies and was ordained there. He
was sent back to the Philippines, where he spent the rest of his
priestly life.
In 1938, Fr. Willmann joined the Knights of Columbus (KofC),
primarily motivated by his concern for the underprivileged youth. A
Youth Program was launched by Manila Council 1000. He gave the
organization new vitality and a new orientation. He also led KofC
members and their families in providing relief to victims of war,
both soldiers as well as civilians. Some KofC members even gave
up their lives to resist the Japanese invasion. When food became
very scarce, Fr. Willmann himself raised hogs for food and for sale.
In 1948, Fr. Willmann organized the first KofC District in the
Philippines composed of three councils: Manila Council 1000,
Cebu Council 3106 and Cagayan de Oro Council 3108. He
became the first District Deputy, the highest KofC leadership.
During his six-year term (1947-1953), significant developments
in KofC history unfolded. The first KofC National Convention in
the Philippines was held from November 29-December 2, 1948.
In 1954, Fr. Willmann was conferred the status of Territorial
Deputy with authority to appoint District Deputies. In every
Supreme Board of Directors meeting, Fr. Willmann would request
for the creation of councils and these were approved. Fr. Willmann
then realized that members now included those from lower income
groups. A protection plan, just like in the United States, became
imperative. Sixty-four KofC members contributed Php500 each
amounting to a total of Php32,000 that served as seed capital.
Thus, on Sept. 9, 1958, the KCFAPI was issued a license by the
Office of Insurance Commissioner as a mutual benefit association.
KCFAPI has grown into one of the most stable institutions in the
industry with a total asset of Php4.51 billion as of December 31,
2014. It now has five wholly-owned or majority owned companies
and foundations namely, Kompass Credit and Financing Corporation (KCFC), a credit and financing corporation, Keys Realty
and Development Corp. (KRDC) that operates the Holy Trinity
Memorial Chapels and Crematorium, Mace Insurance Agency, Inc.
engaged in non-life insurance, Knights of Columbus Fr. George
J. Willmann Charities, Inc (KCFGJWCI) that provides religious
scholarships to poor diocesan priests, and KofC Phils. Foundation,
Inc. (KCPFI) that provides Collegiate scholarships to qualified but
poor high school graduates.
KCFAPI is truly a fulfillment of the primordial purpose of the
Order of the KofC that is To render pecuniary aid to its members,
their families and beneficiaries. For all that Fr. Willmann has
done, let us continue to pray that he will eventually be canonized
a saint.

The Cross

[September is a month to remember! This month,

we celebrate not just the anniversary of KCFAPI
(Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the
Philippines, Inc.) and the death anniversary or the
new birthday of Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ, the
Father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines and the Founder of KCFAPI and the DMII
(Daughters of Mary Immaculate International),
the then Daughters of Isabella, among other organizations. This month, we celebrate the birthday
of our Mother Mary and as I choose to talk about
her in this article, I remember my favourite bible
verse from St. Luke : I am the handmaid of the
Lord, be it done to me according to His Word.]
WE celebrate the birthday of Mary on September 8. Celebrating her birthday means
celebrating her memory and proclaiming that
we are happy that she lived among us. Thus
we give her the honor that she deserves. She is
the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of humanity,
the honor of our race.
But if we truly honor Mary, we must be ready
to want to be like her in ways that we are called
to. She belongs to us; she is one of us. But she
was chosen from among all of us to play a very
special role in the history of our salvation. To
this choice, she responded fully with all her
might. By our Baptism we were also chosen
to be children of God and followers of Jesus.
Like Mary, we are also invited to respond fully
to Gods call.
How do we respond to what God wants us to
do? What do we do to be worthy of our name
children of God, children of Mary?
On the month of her birthday, let us pay

attention to at least one way with which Mary

responded to the Spirit. Knowing her response,
perhaps we can imitate her path. We honor
Mary best when we put into practice how she
followed the Spirit.
Mary heard God speaking to her heart and
she listened. We honor Mary because she
listened well. Mary, the Listener, heard Gods
whisper of love and mission and she followed.
She listened and heard her mission because
she paid attention to what was going on. She
devoted precious moments of listening and
praying. She kept silent and she listened with
an open heart and mind; and she heard the
message well.
What do we learn from Marys listening?
We learn that God speaks to all of us all the
time. We are never far away from Gods presence. But we need to be equally present to Him.
We need to be attentive to His motions, to the
inner stirrings of our hearts, to the ideas and
inspirations that are whispered in our hearts.
That is what Mary did and she tells us now
that we can also be like her in her capacity to
listen. We can also listen to God and hear His
voice. Only if we listen can we know what God
wants us to do. If we know what God wants
from us, then we can follow. If we follow what
we hear, then we are faithful to the Voice that
speaks within us. Being faithful results to doing
what we know we should do. If we do what
God wants, then we are obedient. Obedience
in faith is putting into practice what we believe
and know to be Gods will for us.
Mary obeyed even in moments when she
was in the dark. When she was told that she

would be the Mother of Jesus, she accepted it

even if she did not know how it will happen.
She let go of Jesus when He left to be an itinerant Preacher, although it meant living alone
and missing her only Son. She obeyed when
she accepted how her Son was threatened to
be killed, when they accused Him falsely and
finally put to death. What pain, what darkness,
what anxieties accompanied her obedience! But
she never doubted that Jesus knew what to do.
Despite the unknowing and the unseeing, she obeyed, trusting Gods Providence.
Her tears were expressions of pain, never of
distrust nor refusal to obey. As Jesus obeyed,
she obeyed. And behold, just as Jesus obedience was rewarded with Resurrection, Marys
obedience was gifted with a Mothers exquisite
joy in seeing her Son alive. Her obedience, like
Jesus obedience was the fruit of her total trust
in Gods will.
Mary is our model and our guide in being
disciples of Jesus. She showed us how obeying
God is the basic attitude needed by the disciples
of Jesus. But we can only obey if we hear well.
Like Mary, let us pay attention to the Spirit
speaking within us. What we hear in the dark or
in the silence of our hearts, let us heed. Where
she leads us, we shall follow.
When we spend time before Marys picture,
dont we feel her close to us? When we pray the
Rosary or our novenas in her honor, do we not
feel that God is telling us to imitate her?
So let us ask Mary to teach us how to listen
and how to hear the Spirit calling. Mary is the
one who will tell us: Do whatever He tells
you.

Michael P. Cabra

My Brothers Keeper

Birth and Death of a Gentle Warrior

LAST month we celebrated the
Birth and Death of a venerable
man, Fr. Michael J. McGivney.
This month of September, we are
celebrating another important Birth
and Death: the Birth of the Knights
of Columbus Fraternal Association
of the Philippines, Inc. or KCFAPI,
and the Death of Fr. George J. Willmann, the Fr. Michael McGivney of
the Philippines and Founder and
Father of KCFAPI.
KCFAPI started its operations
last September 9, 1958 after it
obtained the necessary license
from the Office of the Insurance
Commission. Nineteen years after,
September 14, 1977, Fr. George J.
Willmann succumbed to a cardiac
arrest and joined our Creator.
We at KCFAPI will be observing
a week-long festivity beginning
September 6, 2015 with a Great
Walled City Run or Fun Run, to
be followed by a Eucharistic celebration in honor of our Blessed
Mother on September 8, a TV

Mass at San Agustin Church on

September 9 in commemoration
of the 38th Death Anniversary of
Fr. Willmann and in celebration
of the 57th Founding Anniversary
of KCFAPI. BC Holders Day and
Anniversary program will likewise
be held on the same day. On September 10, there will be a Blood
Letting in cooperation with the
Philippine National Red Cross,
Fraternal Benefits (FB) Day on
September 11, 2015, and a Eucharistic Celebration on September
14th at the Fr. George Willmann
Chapel to be followed by a simple
wreath-laying ceremony to culminate the week-long celebration.
Indeed another reason to celebrate
birth from a significant death.
In the same way, more than a
thousand of our KC Brothers, immediate family members and beneficiaries who availed of KCFAPI
fraternal benefits experienced the
same reason to celebrate birth
from a memorable loss of a fam-

ily member. The birth of a new life

brought about by the proceeds of
a benefit certificate. Their new life
made possible because a responsible
Brother Knight and immediate family member availed of an insurance
plan during his/her younger or
healthy years. Without the benefit of
a benefit certificate or life insurance
there is not much to celebrate after
death for these bereaved beneficiaries
of a Brother Knight and immediate
family members.
Speaking of a better life after
death, when you join our Creator
anytime soon, will your death give
a better life for the living members
of your family or will it just be a
burden to them? Will you leave
them a legacy or will you just
become a part of history in the
family? Are you KC ENOUGH
when you join our Creator? KC
Enough means you lived the primary objective of the Order which
is To provide pecuniary aid to the
members of the KofC Order, their

immediate family members and

their beneficiaries. If you are not
sure yet, I suggest you contact your
council fraternal counselors and
avail of our KC Family Protect 10.
KC Family Protect 10 is a
participating whole-life plan with
ten (10) years contributions only.
For example, if you are at age
40 now, all you have to do is
save Php12,000 every year for
the next ten (10) years (for a
total of Php120,000) and your
family is already assured of an
insurance coverage amounting
to PhP200,000 by the time you
join our Creator. It is also available from ages 10 to 70 for all
KC Brother Knights and their
immediate family members. The
younger you are, the more affordable are the contributions.
Together, just like Fr. George
J. Willmann, let us insure that
there is a much better reason in
celebrating birth, that is, providing a better life after death.

Roberto T. Cruz

Touching Base with the Foundations

A Legacy of Continuing Care and Assistance

THIS month of September, we commemorate
the 38th Death Anniversary of the Father of
the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines,
Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ. As we honor the
memory of Fr. Willmann who died in 1977,
let us take a look at the seeds he sowed then
and the fruits that these have been able to bear
through the years.
Fr. Willmann, in his simplicity, humility and
low profile, undeniably created a significant
impact on the lives of so many people around
him then during his four decades of love, service
and dedication to the poor and underprivileged.
Of course, we all know how he opened the
doors of the K of C Order to the ordinary
Filipino citizen; thus, giving an opportunity for
the poor and even the jobless to join the ranks
of Brother Knights and enjoy the brotherhood
and insurance protection offered by the Order.
Fr. George was a prolific planter as he
ensured that he would be able to reach out to
help ALL members of the family. He not only

helped spread the growth and membership of

the Knights of Columbus for the men and heads
of families. He also set up the Catholic Youth
Organization (CYO) and Columbian Squires
for the children and youth, the Daughters of
Isabella, which later re-organized as Daughters
of Mary Immaculate (DMI) for the mothers
and wives and even formed Cooperatives for
the poor and under-employed.
With his establishment of the Knights of
Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI), Fr. Willmann addressed
the need of brother knights and their families for
the security of their future. And with the formation of the two Foundations, KC Philippines
Foundation, Inc. (KCPFI) and the Knights of
Columbus Fr. George J. Willmann Charities,
Inc. (KCFGJWCI), Fr. Willmann gave hope
thru scholarship grants to the poor youth as well
as to those with unfulfilled religious vocations
that their dreams for improving their respective
lives and missions would become reality.

How LIFE-CHANGING is it for a child of

informal settlers or families with zero income
to be given the one chance to complete his/
her education and qualify for a respectable job/
profession that will allow that child to escape the
pestering clutches of poverty and hopelessness.
This September therefore, we recall the 38th
death anniversary of Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ.
At this time, we can only admire all the goodness
and benefits so many have received and enjoyed
as the resulting fruits of all the seeds that Fr.
George sowed then. The biggest monument that
bears witness to Fr. Willmanns productive endeavors is none other than KCFAPI itself which
is also celebrating its 57th founding anniversary
proudly providing insurance protection and
peace of mind to thousands of brother knights
and their families.
Thank you, Fr. George, for your legacy of
setting up so many different ways to continuously help protect and improve all of us in your
K of C family.

Mace, C1

Rizal. He held various positions

in the Order as follows: Elected as
Grand Knight of Marikina Valley
Council 6178, Marikina Rizal
during the CY 2002-2003; Elected
Faithful Navigator of the Marikina
Valley Assembly 1827, NCR District IV, Ferdinand Magellan Province during the CY 2010-2011;
Re-elected Faithful Navigator for
the CY 2011-2012 and the only

re-elected FN of that assembly up

to the present: Appointed District
Deputy and served during the time
of Luzon Deputy Arsenio Isidro
G. Yap during the CY 2012-2013
(Star District DD); CY 2013-2014
(Star DD); and CY 2014-2015
(All Star DD and Outstanding
DD) of District A-14 in Marikina,
Diocese of Antipolo. He also served
as the Chairman of the Round

Table of District Deputies of the

Diocese of Antipolo during the CY
2013-2014 and CY 2014-2015.
He became the Administrative
Affairs Chairman, K of C Fourth
Degree District IV, Ferdinand
Magellan Province, Philippine
Jurisdiction from 2010 to 2013
and the Chief-of-Staff from 2014
up to the present.
A recipient of several commen-

dations, recognitions and awards

from the Order, Atty. Fidelino
is now the State Advocate of the
Luzon South Jurisdiction and the
Corporate Secretary of MACE
Insurance Agency, Inc., a wholly
owned subsidiary of the Knights
of Columbus Fraternal Association
of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI)
catering to the non-life insurance
needs of members and the public

The Cross

C3

August 31 - September 13, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 18

The Parish: A Family of Families

The vitality and mission of the local Church is closely linked to the formation and evangelization of families
by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori
IN his apostolic exhortation The Joy
of the Gospel, Pope Francis speaks
about the importance of parish life.
He affirms St. John Paul IIs description of a parish as the Church living
in the midst of the homes of her sons
and daughters (cf. Christifideles
Laici, 26). He then goes on to say:
This presumes that [the parish]
really is in contact with the homes
and lives of its people, and does not
become a useless structure out of
touch with people or a self-absorbed
group made up of a chosen few
(Evangelii Gaudium, 28).
Pope Francis insists that a parish
is called to be the presence of the
Church in a community, providing
a place where people can hear Gods
word, grow in discipleship, and extend themselves in love to the poor
and needy a place where they
can pray, worship and celebrate.
BRINGING FAMILIES TOGETHER

As I reflect on Pope Francis

words, I think about my own experience. Almost every weekend I try
to visit at least two parishes. Usually I celebrate a Sunday Mass and
meet informally with parishioners
afterward. Time and time again, I
am struck by how families are the
heart and soul of our parishes. It
is a special joy when I see young
families taking part in the Mass and
engaged in the life of the parish. I
do not mind when babies are crying or fidgety children are making
a lot of noise; these are signals that
the Church is young and alive.
Likewise, what a beautiful thing
it is to see an extended family at
Sunday Mass. You can sense the
joy of grandparents when they see
that they have managed, in spite
of so many challenges, to pass the
faith along to the next generation.
So often, these are the families
who welcome newcomers and who
open their homes to those who
have lost loved ones or lack support. Indeed, in a 2005 address,
Pope Benedict XVI described the

parish itself as an extended family that brings together brothers

and sisters who have no desire for
power or selfish interests but who
live in the joy of the charity of God
who is love.
This is a beautiful vision, but
it should also cause all of us,
myself included, to do some soulsearching. As happy as we are to
see wonderful families at Mass on
Sunday, shouldnt we ask about the
families who arent at Mass? How
many other families have drifted
away from the Catholic Church?
What about those parents who
send their children to Catholic
schools or to religious education
and youth programs, but who
never find their way to Mass or to
other parish activities? We need
to ask whether our dioceses and
parishes are adequately welcoming
and supporting such families or
in Pope Francis words, whether
we really are in contact with the
homes and lives of the families
that make up our dioceses and
parishes.

At the diocesan level, this means

evaluating what is in place to help
couples in their marriages. This
includes a marriage preparation
program, a natural family planning office, and programs and
resources designed to strengthen
and support family life in these
challenging times. How effective
are such programs in helping
parishes reach out to couples,
especially those who may be struggling or in the critical early years
of their marriages?
SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER
God has called most of the
people in our congregations to
the vocation of holy matrimony
and family life. Nonetheless, how
many homilies are addressed to the
concerns of families? How many
convey the authentic teaching
of the Church on marriage and
family, or hold up the high ideals
of married life in the Church and
society? How many encourage
struggling families or address
young people? Again, I ask these

The Gentle Warrior

By James B. Reuter, SJ

Part III of Chapter Two of The Gentle Warrior series

CHAPTER TWO
--------.--------The Ateneo de Manila

FOR religion, he tried to make his classes

practical. He tried to discover what were
the real problems of his students. How
deep was their faith? Was it true that
religion was forced upon the Filipinos,
by conquest, and was only surface deep?
He discovered that --- in his Ateneo boys
--- the faith was in their blood stream. It
was in the marrow of their bones.
One day he saw a woman moving down
the center aisle of San Ignacio Church,
on her knees. She went all the way from
the door of the church to the altar, on
her knees! She was holding the hand of

a little boy, her son, only three years old.

He was walking beside her. George said, in
wonder, to the student who was with him:
Did you ever see that before? The college
boy looked up at George and smiled. He
said: The first time I saw that . I was
the little boy!
All of the Ateneo boys carried the rosary. It was their mark. The Ateneo teams
were called, even in the secular press,
the Hail Mary Team. When the going
was tough, on the basketball court, or on
the football field, they would kneel, all
together, and pray. And then they would
come out, screaming. And, strangely
enough, they usually won!
Of all the college teams in Manila,
Ateneo was the hardest to beat!
In the month of October, all of the
Ateneo boys wore the medal of the Virgin
Mary. It was their mark. During October,
college boys gave talks on the Virgin, in
the assembly hall, to all the students. The

and above. Our Vice-President,

Ms. Mary Magdalene G. Flores
talked about the life and works
of Fr. George J. Willmann.
This was followed by singing
and dancing with the elderly
residents.
As we spent more time with
the elderly residents we learned
more about their past. There
was an elderly who narrated
that she served as a household
helper and at age 62 she was left
there by the homeowner. Then
there was Lolo Jose who had
been in the shelter for 10 years
who, not only was too glad to
see us but was entertained as
well. He then intimated that
deep inside he had nothing to
hold on to but fond memories

boarders lived like religious. They went to

Mass and Communion every morning.
The Sodality of the Blessed Virgin
Mary was the strongest organization in
the school. No student could be chosen
as the captain of a team, or be elected as
President of a student organization, unless
he belonged to the Sodality. George was
embarrassed at the fact that he, a newcomer, should be the Moderator. He felt
that he did not have sufficient experience,
that he was not thoroughly inculturated,
that he was not worthy. But he was proud
of his boys when they marched with
their banners, when they went to Holy
Communion as a body on First Fridays,
when they prayed together at the regular
Sodality meetings. He understood, now,
how it was that Jose Rizal, as Prefect of
the Sodality, was the natural leader of
the school.
(To be continued on the next issue.)

of his family and loved ones

and as he begins the twilight
of his life he still longs for the
time when he was still with his
family. There was Lola Teofila
who at her fragile condition
had to be fed since she could
no longer feed herself. (Lola
Teofila appears at the photo
of this article). After conversing with several other resident
elderly, it became apparent to
us, what Lolo Jose shared with
us expressed what every elderly
in the shelter yearns.
The visit at the shelter was
brief but the experience with
the residents deeply embedded
in our hearts a lesson. The elderly deserves our respect and
to live a life with dignity. They

have selflessly devoted their

lifetime building a better life
for their families and served
in our society. The residents of
the San Lorenzo Ruiz Home
for the Elderly reminds us of
the harsh reality of how some
view our needy elderly and
that they deserve all the love
and support the society can
give them. It also reminds us
that time will come when we
too will reach that ripe old age
and our children shall have
their own families and their
own lives to live.
For the people of the San
Lorenzo Ruiz Home for the
Elderly as well as for all elderly
in our society you will always
be in our prayers. (Greg Asis)

KCFAPI Cares, C1

the poor of Tondo. Second, unlike other

elders housed in Homes for the Aged
or under other agencies or associations
for the care of the elderly, they are not
well-funded and deprived of any special
treatment and care.
When the team arrived at the parish,
they started the activity first by attending
the Holy Mass together with some of the
elderly and their companions. Afterwards,
before the start of the program, the team
had an informal discussion with the elderly to get a better picture of their situation.
Most of the elders were left by their children who are already living their own lives,
while some are widows/widowers already.
Some of them have small rickety houses,
some have improvised houses made from
kariton while some only live beside the
streets and only takes shelter inside the
parish when there are strong rains and
typhoons. Some of them have small livelihood such as sari-sari stores and some are
even pedicab drivers despite their old age.
They sometimes even take their daily ration of food from the parish as much as it
can provide them. The team also met Rev.
Fr. Estelito Villegas, the parish priest of
Sto. Nio de Tondo. Fr. Villegas together
with Bro. Roel Calpotura, the Social Ser-

vices and Development Ministry head,

explained the feeding program intended
for the elderly within their vicinity. Aside
from the food, the parish provides basic
catechism and formation for the elderly
so as to nourish not only their body but
also their soul.
During the talk about the life of Fr.
Willmann, the elderly were able to listen
and participate well. They felt connected
because they were able to relate themselves
with the people that Fr. Willmann helped.
Some of them might even be descendants
of whom were helped by Fr. Willmann.
Before the end of the program, Mr. Roberto Cruz, one of the members of team
KCFAPI Cares and Executive Director of
the KC Foundations, expressed his idea of
the livelihood program that is currently
being planned by the Foundation that
will be hopefully approved by the end of
the year. He also told them of the scholarship programs that are given to those sons
and daughters of underprivileged Knights
of Columbus members. In connection
to membership under the Order of the
Knights of Columbus, Atty. Neil Jerome
Rapatan, also one of the members of team
KCFAPI Cares and Legal Manager of
the Knights of Columbus Fraternal As-

loved the people of the parishes

he served. He understood their
joys and sorrows, leaving plenty
of evidence of how engaged he
was in their lives. In founding the
Knights of Columbus, he involved
husbands and fathers more deeply
in the faith. He reached out in
concern to widows and their
children. In these and many other
ways, he envisioned the Knights
as a way to transform our parishes into extended families. How
important, therefore, that our K
of C council meetings and local
programming help to build up
family life and make each parish
a family of families.
Not long before he died, St.
John Paul II spoke to pastors and
young couples in four parishes in
Rome. Guide with tender concern those families in difficulty or
in precarious conditions, he said,
helping them to understand and
carry out Gods authentic plan
for marriage and the family. We
should take this parting advice
to heart.

Valiant, C1

participation, cash value, among others.

Only accidental death benefit rider may
be attached to KC Valiant: Elite Pro series
Plan. This is suitable for KC members and
their immediate family members who
intend to have both a whole life protection and a retirement benefit at age 60,
65 or 70.

KC Valiant: Elite Pro series Plans are

participating whole life plans that provide
retirement benefits offered in four options, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
For inquiries, please contact the FBG
Department at telephone numbers (63)
(02) 527-2223 to 27. (Yen Ocampo)

Corporate, C1

Generous, C1

they always look forward to.

But for some of the needy
elderly in our society they are
left without a family. Worst,
they are abandoned by their
families and left to tend for
themselves and toil for their
own subsistence.
It was a cloudy afternoon
on August 22, 2015 when we
arrived at the San Lorenzo Ruiz
Home for the Elderly, a shelter
for the needy and abandoned
elderly in Manila ran by the
Little Sisters of the Poor Congregation. We were greeted by
one of its staff who gave a brief
background of the institution.
After a while we were introduced to the elderly residents
who were mostly 70 years old

questions not only of others but of

myself. The fallout from the recent
Supreme Court decision on samesex marriage sets in sharp relief
the evangelical and catechetical
challenges that are before us.
An important principle comes
to mind: No one can faithfully,
joyfully and fruitfully live any
vocation in the life of the Church
alone and isolated. As a bishop and
priest, I need the prayerful support
of other bishops and priests, often
in small informal gatherings where
we can pray, listen to Gods Word
and speak from the heart. Such
opportunities are also necessary
for parish families. It might be a
womens group that gets together to
study Scripture and seeks to apply
it to their lives and marriages. It
might be small groups of couples
that get together to pray and discuss
the art of parenting. Couples also
need support in being formed in
the faith so that they can form their
children in the faith.
We know how well Father
Michael J. McGivney knew and

sociation of the Philippines Inc., shared

a short story on how being a member of
the Order helped him and his family. He
likewise encouraged the elderly and their
sons to join the Order.
For the past five months, it has been a
great and memorable journey for everyone
in the team to partake in this challenge and
respond to the call of mission for the Year of
the Poor. Starting with our brothers from
Makati Youth Home, orphan brothers
and sisters from Associacion De Damas
De Filipinas Inc., sick brothers and sisters
from the pediatrics ward of the Philippine
General Hospital, little brothers and sisters
who dwell within the streets of Intramuros,
and lastly, our fathers and mothers within
the vicinity of Sto. Nio de Tondo Parish.
Do not sharply rebuke an older
man, but appeal to him as a father. Treat
younger men as brothers, older women
as mothers, and the younger women as
sisters with complete purity. 1 Tim
5:1-2 (Adrian Jimenez)
Erratum: The authors of the article entitled Team GenerousC h i l d r e n o f t h e S t r e e t s p u b lished last month were MR. GREG
A S I S A N D M S . E VA D AWA L .

KCFAPI and its wholly-owned or majorityowned Corporations and Foundations:

Corporate Secretary of KCFAPI and Keys
Realty & Development Corporation, Trustee of the Knights of Columbus Fr. George J.
Willmann Charities, Inc. & KC Philippines
Foundation, Inc. Most importantly, we are
very proud to have Bro. Ocampo as President of Kompass Credit & Financing Corp.
(KCFC), the newest KCFAPI Company
established on March 13, 2014.
Bro. Ocampo is a member of the
Knights of Columbus San Lorenzo Ruiz
Council No. 10971 in Aniban, Bacoor,
Cavite. He was exemplified in the First
Degree in 1995. He was State Officer/
State Council Director, State Community
Director, State Program Director of the
3 Past Luzon State Deputies, Antonio T.
Yulo, Alonso L. Tan, and Arsenio Isidro
G. Yap, respectively.

Aside from his activities in the Knights

of Columbus, Bro. Ocampo is also serving his own Parish, the San Lorenzo Ruiz
Parish. He was Past President of the Parish
Pastoral Council and former Lay Minister
of the Holy Eucharist. At present, he is a
member of the Lectors and Commentators Guild, Cursillo Movement and Parish
Renewal Experience.
Bro. Ocampo is a Professional Mechanical Engineer. He graduated from
the De La Salle University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical
Engineering in 1978. He is the President
of International Elevator & Equipment,
Inc. (IIE), an affiliate of MITSUBISHI
ELECTRIC Group of Japan.
He is married to Sis. Carolina D. Ocampo and blessed with three daughters
Catherine Lou, Racquel Ann and Carla.
(Annie Nicolas)

Love Bank, C3

and telling how long youve been here

on earth. Really, what is to be ashamed
of about that? Imagine yourself, aged 80,
youre all smooth and unscathed. Amazing,
but tell me what did you go through? Let
smoothness speaknothing. Now thats a
shame. As Polish aphorist Stanislaw Jerzy
Lec puts it, Youth is a gift of nature, but
age is a work of art.
Alas, reality check, not everyone values
the wisdom and appreciates the beauty of
our elderly. Lets try putting ourselves in
their shoes; well start asking Why are they
ignoring me? Am I such a burden now?
Nobody wants that but thats how they
feel. We can change that. They carried the
torch of light before us and now its our
turn to carry it for them and to transfer
the light for the next generation.
For the heroic month of August, Team
Love Bank acted as light warriors and
brought the radiance of their love upon
the elderly of The Missionaries of Charity Home of Joy in Tayuman, Manila.
The Missionaries of Charity is a religious
congregation founded by the Blessed
Mother Teresa of Calcutta in 1950,
and the members cohere to the vows of
chastity, poverty, obedience, and to give
wholehearted free service to the poorest
of the poor. The teams battle for goodness
began with unsheathing the sword of love
by helping the M.C. Sisters in the distribution of breakfasts, their gears for the day
ahead. Then they charged the suns heat
by hanging the folks laundered clothes to
dry. They even challenged the rivers and
seas by descaling the fish donated to the
organization by another army of light.
As the dawn of victory peeps, Team Love
Bank celebrated the Holy Eucharist with
the sisters and the elderly. Afterwhich, the
team unfurled the love through songs such
as Tell the World of His Love and Hands
of Love, and performed an interpretative
dance to convoy with the Beacon of Love.
As these wonderful moments unfolded,
the beautiful old folks cant help the tears
stream down their lovely faces as they
watched and sang along. As lunchtime
arrived, the warriors of light strike again
with feeding the elderly by themselves.
The team prepared giniling (a Filipino dish
primarily made of pork, potatoes, carrots,
and, tomato sauce), rice, and banana. Dur-

ing the feast, the team shared the life and

works of Fr. George J. Willmann to inspire
the folks that its never too late to continue
living no matter how they feel theyre about
to meet the end of the line. Then, Team
Love Bank offered gifts to The Missionaries
of Charity such as cash donations, sacks of
rice, medical gauzes and tapes. With that,
the two armies of light and love exchanged
words of gratitude and priceless smiles of
peace. Peace begins with a smile. Right
you are Mother Teresa.
Our old folks never showed disappointment in aging. They shamelessly smiled
toothlessly, twinkled their cataract-clouded
vision, glowed with their wrinkled skin,
and laughed with their husky voices. Hear
ye elder rights activist Maggie Kuhn, who
said, Old age is not a disease; it is strength
and survivorship, triumph over all kinds
of vicissitudes and disappointments, trials
and illnesses. It is inevitable to grow old
and brittle, but getting to that stage can
be anticipated differently and with enthusiasm if we live our lives purposely and
wisely. Theyve been through battles that
we are still about to encounter in life and
with that theyve grown taller, fruitful, and
wiser. Now, dont get too impatient if your
parents or grandparents call you and start
chattering away their lifes stories. Listen
closely, they are teaching you the ways in
the war of life and sharing with you their
swords and mail armors that would help
you go through lifes spears and angry roars.
They are the trees that hold us and we are
the leaves clinging onto them. Once they
let us go and we fall, it is now up to us how
will we be carried by the east wind and the
rapid current of waters. And by then and
only then we will get to appreciate the true
beauty of the tree that held us from afar as
we traverse life.
Theyve been building the home to shelter us in the future and now that theyre
old, how hard is it for us to simply wipe
their sweats and serve them water to drink?
It will be our turn soon to strengthen that
home they are building. Surely, we would
hope for the next generation to do the same
for us, wouldnt we?
Not all of us can do great things. But
we can do small things with great love.
Blessed Mother Teresa (Concha Luz
Angeles)

C4

August 31 - September 13, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 18

The Cross

DMII Holds Regional

Assembly in Bulacan

Former Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See and Chairman of Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Henrietta T. De Villa receives a plaque
of appreciation from DMII Regional Representative, Sister Fely Gallardo and Diocesan Regent and KCFAPI Executive Vice President, Sister Ma. Theresa G. Curia.

THE regional assembly of the Daughters

of Mary Immaculate International - Diocese of Malolos, Bulacan (Region IV) led
by its Diocesan Regent, Ma. Theresa G.
Curia was held last August 29, 2015 at
the Hiyas Convention Center, Malolos,
Bulacan.
With the theme DMII Missions:
Reaching Out To The Poor With Mercy
And Compassion the assembly was
graced by former Philippine Ambassador

to the Holy See and Chairman of Parish

Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting
(PPCRV), Henrietta T. De Villa.
We should look at the poor not as
opportunity to do charitable services but
as Jesus Himself. We should learn how
to ask the poor and not just assume that
we already know what they need, said
De Villa.
Diocesan Spiritual Director, Msgr.
Albert Suatengco led the Eucharistic cel-

ebration. He urged the DMII to be the

protagonist of truth and be inspired by the
virtue of San Juan Bautista -the promoter
of truth and Jesus.
Msgr. Suatengco says We must set
aside our personal interests and choose
to follow Christ instead.
We [Catholic faithful] must be proud
and stand for our faith because we cannot
close our own eyes on what is the truth,
he added. (KC News)

Join the Father Michael J. McGivney Guild!

The Father McGivney Office - Philippines, together with the Knights of Columbus Luzon Jurisdiction
and Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc., commemorated the birth and
death anniversary of Venerable Fr. Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, last August
12 and 14, respectively, through a wreath-laying ceremony and a Eucharistic Mass attented by KC
members and KCFAPI staff. The Mass was presided by Msgr. Pedro Quitorio (bottom), the director of
FMO-PH and was held at the Father McGivney Oratory in KCFAPI Center, Intramuros, Manila.

To start your free membership and receive the Guild newsletter, please complete the form below and return
to: Father McGivney Office - Philippines, Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines,
Inc. Center, Gen. Luna cor. Sta. Potenciana Sts., Intramuros, Manila 1004, Philippines
Name:
___________________________________________________________________________________
Complete Mailing Address: _________________________________________________________________
City/Province: _____________________________ Country: ______________________________________
Zip/Postal Code: ___________________________ K of C Membership No. (If applicable): ____________

Please list below the names and addresses of any family members or
friends who might be interested in joining the work of the Guild.
Name: _____________________________________
Complete Mailing Address: ___________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
City/Province: _______________________________
Country: ______________ Zip/Postal Code: _______
K of C Membership No. (If applicable): _________

Name: _____________________________________
Complete Mailing Address: ___________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
City/Province: _______________________________
Country: ______________ Zip/Postal Code: _______
K of C Membership No. (If applicable): _________

Mass for Guild Members

Names to be remembered for specific intentions at the regular Mass of Guild members
1. _________________________________________
3. _________________________________________
2. _________________________________________
4. _________________________________________

The Fraternal Benefits Group of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc.
(KCFAPI) conducted product knowledge and fraternal service trainings in Butuan with participants
from Agusan Del Norte and Agusan Del Sur last August 15 to 16. The event was led by Agency Unit
Manager for Northern Eastern Mindanao Radiant Sun, Jose Amoroso and was attended by KCFAPI
FBG Vice President, Gari San Sebastian and Fraternal Benefits Services Manager, Michael Cabra.

The Fraternal Benefits Group of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines,
Inc. (KCFAPI) held a two-day Fraternal Service Training program last July 25 to 26 at the KCFAPI
main office. Participants were from Isabela, Cagayan and Quezon. Speakers were Fraternal Benefits
Services Manager Michael P. Cabra, Fraternal Benefits Grp. Assistant, Blenda Porillo and Fraternal
Benefits Group Staff, Jennifer Rose Bautista.

MANILA COUNCIL 1000. Luzon South Deputy Ramoncito A. Ocampo together with the Supreme
Director, Alonso L. Tan graced the 111th Installation of Officers and Induction of Service Directors
and Committee Chairmen for the CY 2015-2016 of the Knights of Columbus Manila Council 1000
last August 30, 2015 at the Manila Grand Opera Hotel, Manila. Immediate past Grand Knight, Jun
S. Florendo along with the rest of the members of Manila Council 1000 welcomed the new Grand
Knight, Fernando R. Sumang. (KC News)