Monitor

CBCP

VOLUME 20, NUMBER 11, MARCH 7 - 20, 2016

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCPMONITOR@AREOPAGUSCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

IN THIS ISSUE
SUPPLEMENT ISSUE

UGNAYAN:

THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT

OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST

A2 Cardinal Pell shares

emotional meeting
with abuse survivors

A3 How do you defend

life? Show its beauty,

Pope Francis says

A6 Redemptorists

urge social media

responsibility

A7 Priest suspended over

illegal treasure hunting

B1 Created for love,

created for chastity

MANILA Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, president of Caritas Internationalis, visits Syrian refugees and migrant workers in Lebanon. He urged the international community and political leaders to set
aside greed and self-interest to solve Syrias conflict for the sake of its suffering people, March 1, 2016. CARITAS INTERNATIONALIS

Watchdog fears fraud

amid tight elections
By Roy Lagarde

IN what could be the

tightest electoral race in
12 years, a poll watchdog
urged voters to carefully
monitor the conduct of
the elections amid concerns about possible
cheating

Convenors of Kontra Daya,

composed of the clergy and the
religious, information technology
experts, lawyers, teachers, students,
and activists, said signs point to
fraud or polling inaccuracy.
Sister Mary John Mananzan,

Kontra Daya co-convenor, said if

surveys are to be believed, the May
presidential and vice-presidential
contest will go down the wire.
Every vote matters. Yet we are
confronted with an unreliable,
foreign-controlled election system
that threatens to undermine the
results of the upcoming elections,
said Mananzan.
The nun, a former co-chairperson
of the Association of Major Religious
Superiors of the Philippines, made
the statement during the poll
watchdog groups general assembly
in Manila on March 7.
The group called on the public
to exercise heightened vigilance
in the electoral process amid

unresolved issues surrounding the

vote counting machines (VCMs).
Rick Bahague, Jr., of the
Computer Professionals Union
(CPU) said if the automated polls
cannot accurately record and count
votes, the outcome, especially in a
close fight, would be seriously in
doubt.
It is a political crisis waiting to
explode. Candidates as well as the
electorate will have every reason to
question the results, he said.
Glitches during mock polls
Bahague cited as an example the
results of the Feb. 13 mock polls
in Kalibo, Aklan, which showed
significant discrepancies between

Church people urge candidates

to address labor issues
CHURCH-BASED groups
are calling on candidates for
national posts to heed labor
rights issues especially those
affecting the young workers.
Errol Alonzo, chairperson
of Young Christian WorkersPhilippines (PYCW), said
that young workers today are
faced with many challenges
amid high unemployment
rate and intensifying
precarity of work.
Young workers and church
people gathered at a forum on
Saturday at the Polytechnic
University of the Philippines in
Sta. Mesa, Manila to raise out
their concerns on labor issues.
We organized this event
for the young workers voice
out their concerns and
build an agenda especially
in the context of national
elections, Alonzo said.
He said that young
workers are bound to
bear the heaviest brunt
of exploitative policies
instituted by the Aquino
government like the two-tier
wage system that effectively
lowers wage rates across
sectors and regions in the
country.

Members of the Young Christian Workers-Philippines (PYCW) join a mobilizatio on

May 1, 2010. YCW-PHIL

Alonzo also criticized a

policy of the Department
of Labor and Employment
that further legitimizes
contractual work.
With this activity
we express our unity
in challenging all these
neoliberal policies that stunt
the development of the youth
and deprive them of their
right to decent work and life
with dignity, he said.
We believe that only
with empowered and
dignified young workers,
can any government boast of
meaningful growth and real
development for the people
Alonzo added.
The group also opposed the

full implementation of K to
12 saying the Filipino youth
is being trained to become
semi-skilled sources of cheap
labor both for the benefit
of big companies here and
abroad.
Aside from the PYCW, the
Young workers Speak Out
forum was organized by the
Church PeopleWorkers
Solidarity, the Crispin B.
Beltran Resource Center,
Center for Trade Union and
Human Rights, Ecumenical
Institute for Labor Education
and Research (EILER),
in partnership with the
PUP-Institute for Labor
and Industrial Relations.
(CBCPNews)

the VCM and manual count of votes

in almost all positions.
Kontra Daya said it monitored
a total of 10 miscounted votes
between the VCM and manual votes
counted.
Such discrepancies, in a very
close race, can very well spell the
difference between victory and
defeat. The automated polls may
install someone whom the people
did not vote for, said Bahague.
The group also called on
Commission on Elections (Comelec)
chairman Andres Bautista to
immediately resolve the issues
that may undermine the electoral
process.

Watchdog / A6

Bishop lauds amnesty

for Kuwaits illegal OFWs
A FILIPINO Catholic
bishop has lauded the
Kuwait governments
compassionate and
merciful gestures in
granting partial amnesty
for all illegal residents in
the Gulf nation.
Bishop Ruperto
Santos, chairman of the
bishops Commission on
Migrants and Itinerant
People (ECMI), said
the move may save
undocumented OFWs
in Kuwait from getting
blacklisted.
With the exemplary,
gracious amnesty our
OFWs can legalize
their stay or leave the
country without being
blacklisted, Santos said.
Under the partial
amnesty, residency
violators will be allowed
to legalize their status
or leave the country
voluntarily without being
blacklisted. With this,
they can return on a new
visa in the future.
Santos urged Filipinos
residing in Kuwait illegally
to avail of the system to
avoid potential sanction

from Kuwaiti authorities.

The Commission on
Filipino Overseas (CFO),
in its 2013 report, said
there are around 6,000
undocumented OFWs in
Kuwait.
Let us cooperate for
our common good, he
said.
The prelate said the
ECMI has been enjoying
a very harmonious and
healthy relationships
with the Philippine
embassy and State of
Kuwait.
We have three Catholic
Churches there: Holy
Family cathedral in
Kuwait City, St. Therese
in Salamiya and Our Lady
of Arabia in al Alhmadi.
There is weekly Holy
Mass at the Philippine
embassy, he said.
Under the partial
amnesty, residency
violators will be allowed
to legalize their status
or leave the country
voluntarily without being
blacklisted. With this, they
can return using a new
visa in the future. (Roy
Lagarde/CBCPNews)

Cardinal Tagle
mourns nuns
killed in Yemen
attack
MANILA, March 9, 2016
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of
Manila expressed sorrow over
the death of the four nuns from
Mother Teresas Missionaries
of Charity who were killed
recently at a retirement home
in war-torn Yemen.
The cardinal, who just arrived
in Manila from Rome, lamented
the tragic death of the nuns
and 12 others after gunmen
stormed the elderly care home
on March 4.
The attackers reportedly
handcuffed victims before
shooting them at close range in
the head.
Ipinaparating po natin
ang pakikiisa sa mga madre
ng Missionaries of Charity
sa kanilang pananalangin
sa trahedya sa Yemen. (We
express our solidarity with
the Missionaries of Charity in
their prayer for the tragedy in
Yemen), Tagle told Church-run
Radio Veritas on Wednesday.
Kailanman hindi tayo
dapat maging kampante
kapag ang buhay ng tao ay
nalalapastangan (Never should
we become complacent when the
life of people is defiled), he said.
The nuns have been identified
by the Apostolic Vicariate of
Southern Arabia as Sisters
Anselm from India, Margherite
from Rwanda, Reginette from
Rwanda and Judith from Kenya.
Cardinal Tagle was in Rome for
almost two weeks for meetings
with Caritas Internationalis
which he currently heads.
He also visited Syrian refugees
and migrant workers in Lebanon
on March 1.
The Manila archbishop
also asked for prayers for the
perpetrators who also destroyed
religious statues and a crucifix in
the chapel.
In condemning the attack,
Pope Francis earlier said that
the four nuns are modernday martyrs and victims of
indifference.
These are todays martyrs, he
said during his weekly Angelus
address in St. Peters Square.
They are not on the front pages
of the newspapers they are not
news. They give their blood for
the Church. (R. Lagarde /
CBCPNews)

A2 NEWS

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

Cardinal Pell shares emotional

meeting with abuse survivors
ROME, Italy, March 3, 2016
Cardinal George Pell and a dozen
survivors of clerical sex abuse met
in Rome on Thursday, where they
shared an emotional encounter
and drafted a joint statement
committing to work toward peace
and healing.
I just met with about a dozen
of the Ballarat survivors, support
people and officials and heard
each of their stories and of their
sufferings. It was hard; an honest
and occasionally emotional
meeting, Cardinal Pell, who is
prefect of the Vaticans Secretariat
for the Economy, said in the March
3 statement.
Cardinal Pell read the statement
aloud to reporters outside Romes
Hotel Quirinale, where for the
past four days he has been giving
his testimony before Australias
Royal Commission investigating
institutional responses to child sex
abuse cases.
He assured his commitment
to working with members of the
survivors group, many of whose
families he knows from his time
as a priest in Ballarat, a city in
Australias state of Victoria.
I know the goodness of so many
people in Catholic Bellarat; a
goodness which is not extinguished
by the evil that was done.
It is everyones desire to make
things better on the ground, he
said, and promised his personal
commitment in helping the
survivors to work effectively with
the various agencies in Rome
dedicated to fighting clerical sexual
abuse, particularly the recentlyestablished Pontifical Commission
for the Protection of Minors.
At the hearing the cardinal testified
on claims which resurfaced last
year accusing him of transferring
notorious abuser Gerald Ridsdale;
of attempting to bribe David
Ridsdale, a victim and nephew of
the later-defrocked priest; and of
failing to act on victims complaints.
Despite having testified before
the commission twice before on
the same charges, Pell offered to
testify again and was summoned to
return to Australia for deposition in
December. However, the cardinals
doctor advised against the long

Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the economy secretariat, speaks to reporters outside Romes Hotel
Quirinale after meeting with sex abuse survivors, March 3, 2016. Credit: Alexey Gotovskiy/CNA.

flight due to health issues.

As a result, Cardinal Pell
volunteered to appear by way of
video conference from Rome, which
took place Feb. 28 March 3.
David Ridsdale was present in
Rome for the cardinals hearing
alongside 14 other abuse survivors
from Australia and their families, who
launched a crowdfunding campaign
in order to raise the money to send
them, so that Cardinal Pell would
have the same sort of public hearing
as he would have in Sydney.
Cardinal Pell arranged for the
group to meet with Fr. Hans Zollner,
SJ, president of the Pontifical
Gregorian Universitys Center for
Child Protection and a member
of the Pontifical Commission for
the Protection of Minors, after the
hearing finished.
After talking to Fr. Zollner,
the survivors returned to Hotel
Quirinale for their meeting with
Cardinal Pell.
In comments to the media after
the encounter, David Ridsdale
described it as extremely
emotional, but was happy they were
able to meet on a level playing field;
we met as people from Bellarat.
Cardinal Pell was ordained a
priest of the Diocese of Ballarat
in 1966, where many of the abuse
survivors in Rome are from and
where he served as a priest and
later as a consulter to Bishop
Ronald Mulkearns, who oversaw
the diocese from 1971-1997.
Among the many survivors
present were Anthony and Chrissie
Foster, the parents of two clerical
abuse victims. After two of the

Fosters three daughters were

abused by Fr. Kevin ODonnell, one
committed suicide, while the other
became an alcoholic and was struck
by a car while intoxicated, leaving
her severely disabled.
Suicide has been common among
victims of clerical sex abuse in
Ballarat, and is something both
Cardinal Pell and the survivors
spoke out against in their statement.
One suicide is too many. There
have been many such tragic
suicides, Cardinal Pell said while
reading it aloud.
He committed to working with
the survivor group to try to stop
suicides after abuse, and to make
it so that suicide is not seen as an
option for those who are suffering.
Despite the vast distance between
Rome and Ballarat, the cardinal said
he wants to continue contributing to
making the city a model and a place
of healing and peace.
He voiced his support to begin
investigating the feasibility of
creating a research center dedicated
to enhancing the healing of abuse
survivors and to improving the
protection of youth, and expressed his
faith in the loyalty and charity of the
church-going community in Ballarat.
I urge them to continue to cooperate
with the survivors to improve the
situation, he said, and noted how
much he owes on a personal level to
the Ballarat community.
It would be marvelous if our city
became well-known as an effective
center and the example of practical
help for all those wounded by the
scourge of sexual abuse, he said.
(CNA)

This 95-year-old priest walked three miles while hearing confessions

RIO DE JANEIRO,
Brazil, March 3, 2016A
95-year-old priest named
Friar Roberto walked
more than three-and-ahalf miles while hearing
confessions during a
recent Penitential Walk
in Brazil.
Some 30,000 people
participated in the walk,
which took place Feb. 28
in the northeast Brazilian
Archdioceses of Fortaleza
and Salvador de Bahia.
It was one of most
beautiful moments I saw
today. That example of
faith, love and fidelity for
the things of God, which

is what Friar Roberto

showed us today, was a
true proof of the presence
of God in his heart. Weve
got to follow his example!
one person commented
on social media, sharing
pictures of the priest
exercising his ministry.
The Capuchin priest
was born on September
10, 1920, in the city of
Maracana (Cear State).
He was baptized with the
name JuariMagalhes de
Sousa. When he was 14,
he entered the Capuchin
monastery. He then
changed his name to Friar
Roberto. He was ordained

a priest in 1944 and has

been a priest for 71 years.
According to Archbishop
Gilson Andrade of Salvador
de Bahia, one of the
dioceses that participated
in this initiative, the
Penitential Walk is a
gesture that we all make in
common as the archdiocese
in this time in which the
Church remembers that
her journey is also marked
by our sins, the sins of the
faithful.
We pray together as a
Church for others because
we need to be freed from
our sins with the grace of
God and the prayers of our

brothers and sisters. At the

same time it represents a
manifestation of our unity
around our pastors, the
archbishop added.
More than 200,000
people walked five miles
in the Penitential Walk
of Salvador de Bahia.
Many of the participants
performed penitential
acts such as walking
barefoot and carrying
small crosses.
During the walk in
Fortaleza, a cross was
carried to recall that Christ
carried on his shoulders
the weight of all humanity
to redeem it. (CNA)

Card. Bo: To Myanmar this is the time of change

NAYPYIDAW, March 4, 2016
The nation is hungry for political
change, educational and social. This
is the time of the change, otherwise
it will not happen again. We are
tired of the military regime. Card.
Charles Maung Bo, archbishop
of Yangon, told AsiaNews that
Myanmar has in his hands a historic
opportunity. The large victory at the
polls last November by the League
for Democracy of Aung San SuuKyi,
seems to open new perspectives for
democracy and religious freedom.
Many pressing issues confronting
the new government: the reopening
of relations with the Holy See,
the education reform, relations
with minorities. Of all remains the
unknown factor of the next moves of
the military junta, defeat out of the
election but still powerful.
The new parliament will begin
work April 1 and may decide to
resume diplomatic contacts with
the Vatican, after decades of silence
imposed by the military regime.
The relations between the Holy
See and Myanmar - said Card. Bo
- can be reconnected soon and we
are waiting for this innovation to

happen, even if we do not know

which direction will the new
government. The will is there on
the part of the Holy See .
The Holy See has never had
diplomatic relations with Myanmar
nor an apostolic nuncio in the
country, but only an apostolic
delegate. At the moment the
representative of the Vatican, which
handles relations with the Church of
the former Brimania is Archbishop
Paul Tschang In-Nam, papal nuncio
in Thailand.
Another major problem, warns
the card. Bo, is that at this point
the thoughts of the military junta
are unpredictable. The Union
Solidarity and Development Party,
an emanation of the junta, lost
the election but maintains, for
the Constitution, control over key
ministries of Defense, Interior and
Borders. In addition, on March 10
the parliament will elect the new
president, who will be Aung San
SuuKyi, blocked by a standard
contra personam desired by the
military.
To better face this period of
transition, says Cardinal. Bo, we

organized a seminar, to be held

March 10 to 12, entitled: How can
the Church contribute to nationbuilding. Well worry mainly three
issues: reconciliation and peacebuilding; education; the rights
of ethnic minorities in land and
natural resources .
According to the prelate, to form a
nation that is truly inclusive you can
not ignore the ethnic groups (like
the Christians Kachin and Rohingya
Muslims) who are driven out of the
democratic process and they see
their rights trampled.
The issue of education, says
Cardinal. Bo, will have great weight
in the near future: The Church
is ready to ask, or better to claim
the schools that were nationalized
[by the junta after the coup of
1962 state ed ] and to press for
the opening of institutions and
private universities. This is why
we undoubtedly need the help
of priests, religious and foreign
religious, and have enormous
potential within the Church. The
whole nation will require the
decentralization of the education
system. (AsiaNews)

CBCP Monitor

Vatican Briefing
Vatican gives free health care to Romes poor
Poor and homeless men and women will now be able to turn to
the Vatican for medical treatment, the latest initiative to offer care
for those persons living on the streets of Rome. Located near the
colonnade, the new clinic for the poor opened Monday, offering
free services to those unable to afford basic medical care.We are
equipped to help all those who come knocking on our door. It is
Pope Francis who wants this and those of us who are close to him
in this venture are honored and highly motivated to make this
possible, Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, said
Feb. 29, according to Vatican Radio. (CNA)
Pope Francis: Its never too late for conversion
Gods patience towards sinners is without limit, yet the time for
conversion is now, Pope Francis said during his Sunday Angelus
address at the Vatican.It is never too late to convert, but it is urgent, it is now! Let us begin today, said the Pope Feb. 28 to the
crowds in St. Peters Square. Delivering his remarks before leading those present in the Marian prayer, the Pope spoke on Jesus
invincible patience, explaining how Gods unyielding concern
for sinners should provoke impatience in ourselves.It is never
to late to convert! Never! Up until the last moment: The patience
of God who waits for us. (CNA)
Pope Francis meets with CEO of Instagram
The CEO and co-founder of Instagram, Kevin Systrom, was received
in a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vaticans Apostolic
Palace Feb. 26.The Pope and Systrom spoke about the power of
images to overcome cultural, geographic or generational barriers,
according to a Vatican source. Systrom has posted an image of his
encounter with the Holy Father in his Instagram profile: Today I
had the honor of meeting Pope Francis. We spoke about the power
of images to unite people across different cultures and languages. It
was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life! (CNA)
Pope to Oriental Orthodox leader: Ecumenism of martyrs
calls us to unity
Todays martyrs have become the seed of Christian unity, Pope
Francis said Monday during an audience with the leader of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and his delegation.The
ecumenism of the martyrs is a summons to us, here and now, to
advance on the path to ever greater unity, the Pope said at the Feb.
29 meeting at the Vatican with Abune Mathias, Patriarch of the
Ethiopian Orthodox.Just as in the early Church the shedding of
the blood of martyrs became the seed of new Christians, so today
the blood of the many martyrs of all the Churches has become the
seed of Christian unity.The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. These Churches
reject the 451 Council of Chalcedon, and its followers were historically considered monophysitesthose who believe Christ has only
one natureby Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox. (CNA)
Pope Francis lauds fidelity of Ukrainian Greek-Catholics
Pope Francis met with leaders of the Permanent Synod of the
Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC) on Saturday, praising
their peoples tireless witnesses of hope in Christ amid decades of
hardships.In some circumstances, our human condition is made
even more fragile due to difficult historical situations, which mark
the life of the People of God, of the Community that Jesus Christ our
Lord purchased with his blood, Pope Francis said in his March 5
message to Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych,
head of the UGCC. The UGCC is the largest of the Eastern Catholic
Churches, with some 4.42 million faithful. Many of its faithful live
in Ukraine, though it has large expatriate communities in Argentina,
Canada, Brazil, Poland, and the United States. (CNA)
Vatican statistics report increase in baptized Catholics worldwide
The number of baptized Catholics worldwide has grown at a faster
rate than that of the worlds population, according to Vatican statistics. Although the number of priests has increased globally, the
number has decreased slightly in Europe and Oceania, according
to the Vaticans Central Office for Church Statistics. The figures are
presented in the Annuario Pontificio 2016, the Vatican yearbook,
and will appear in the Statistical Yearbook of the Church, which
gives detailed figures on the churchs workforce, sacramental life,
dioceses and parishes as of Dec. 31, 2014.The number of baptized
Catholics reached 1.27 billion or 17.8 percent of the global population, the statistics office reported March 5. (CNS)
Mobile app seeks to connect people around the world
through prayer
The Apostleship of Prayer has created a mobile appClick to Pray
that aims to connect people around the world to pray for the popes
monthly intentions.The app was created as part of the re-launch
of the Apostleship of Prayer, the Jesuit-run outreach that has
given Catholics the popes monthly prayer intentions since 1890.
In an interview with Vatican Radio, Jesuit Father Frederic Fornos,
international director of the apostleship, said the app responds
to Pope Francis message for World Communications Day 2016,
which stresses the power that modern means of communications
have to build bridges between people. (CNS)
Catholic media outlet offers multimedia guide for pilgrimage
A Catholic media company has created a guide to help the faithful through their pilgrimage during this years Jubilee of Mercy.
Misericordia Media, a Catholic Bytes initiative, planned to release
a 10-minute video March 4 as part of their guides for pilgrims
journeying through any Mercy Door during the Holy Year of
Mercy, said a press release.In instituting this Holy Year, Pope
Francis expressed his desire for all people to experience the mercy
of God, and this initiative offers pilgrims the opportunity to reflect
more deeply upon this time of mercy, said Father George Elliot,
director and co-founder of Catholic Bytes, a podcast that delivers
talks on various topics about the Catholic faith. (CNS)
Spotlight is not anti-Catholic, Vatican newspaper says
The Vatican newspaper said the Oscar-winning film, Spotlight,
is not anti-Catholic.It is not an anti-Catholic movie, as has been
written, because the film succeeds in giving voice to the alarm and
deep pain experienced by the Catholic faithful when a team of
investigative newspaper reporters in Boston revealed the scandal
of clerical abuse, said the article published Feb. 29 in LOsservatore
Romano. The paper said it was also a positive sign when Michael Sugar, the movies producer, said he hoped the film would
resonate all the way to the Vatican. In his acceptance speech at
the 88th annual Academy Awards Feb. 28, Sugar said the movie
gave a voice to survivors, and this Oscar amplifies this voice. He
then expressed hopes this voice would become a choir that will
resonate all the way to the Vatican. (CNS)

CBCP Monitor

Pope Francis shocked

by attack on Missionaries
of Charity home in Yemen
ADEN, Yemen, March 5,
2016Pope Francis has
condemned the diabolical
violence of Fridays deadly
attack on a nursing home
in Yemen, acknowledging
in a special way the four
Missionaries of Charity
sisters who were killed during
the siege.
His Holiness Pope Francis
was shocked and profoundly
saddened to learn of the
killing of four Missionaries
of Charity and twelve others
at a home for the elderly in
Aden, reads the telegram,
released Saturday and signed
by Vatican Secretary of State
Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The Pope sends the
assurance of his prayers for
the dead and his spiritual
closeness to their families
and to all affected from this
act of senseless and diabolical
violence, the message reads.
He prays that this
pointless slaughter will
awaken consciences, lead to
a change of heart, and inspire
all parties to lay down their
arms and take up the path of
dialogue.
Pope Francis called for
those involved in the the
nations ongoing conflict
to renounce violence, and
to renew their commitment
to the people of Yemen,
particularly those most in
need, who the Missionaries
of Charity and collaborators
sought to serve.
Upon everyone suffering
from this violence, the Holy
Father invokes Gods blessing,
and in a special ways he
extends to the Missionaries
of Charity his prayerful
sympathy and solidarity.
Original story continues:
At least 16 people are dead
after two gunmen attacked
a Missionaries of Charity
convent and nursing home for
elderly and disabled persons
in Aden, the provisional
capital of Yemen, on Friday.
Four of the victims were
sisters of the Missionaries
of Charity, the community
founded by Blessed Mother
Teresa. They have been
identified by the Apostolic
Vicariate of Southern Arabia
as Sr. Anselm from India, Sr.
Margherite from Rwanda, Sr.
Reginette from Rwanda, and
Sr. Judith from Kenya.
A March 4 statement from
the Apostolic Vicariate of
Southern Arabia stated that
Bishop Paul Hinder has
expressed his shock at the
incident and prayed that the
Lord may accept the sacrifice
of these sisters and convert

it into a sacrifice for peace.

The convents superior is
unhurt and in police custody,
the vicariate stated.
Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, a
Salesian priest from India
who had been staying with
the sisters since his church
was attacked and burned last
September, was abducted
from the chapel, a source told
CNA. Agenzia Fides reported
that he has been missing
since the attack.
Other victims of the attack
included volunteers at the
home, at least five of whom
were Ethiopian. Many were
Yemenis. The nursing home
had around 80 residents, who
were unharmed.
The gunmen gained
entry to the Missionaries
of Charity home by telling
the gatekeeper their
mothers were residents, The
Associated Press reported.
On entering inside, (they)
immediately shot dead the
gatekeeper and started
shooting randomly, Vikas
Swarup, the spokesman
of Indias External Affairs
Ministry, told the agency.
Khaled Haidar told the
AP that when he arrived
on the scene he saw that
each victim, including his
brother Radwan, had been
handcuffed and shot in the
head.
The Apostolic Vicariate
of Southern Arabia said
the Missionaries of Charity
have been present in Yemen
since 1973 after the then
Government of North Yemen
formally invited them to care
for the sick and elderly. The
home in Aden has been open
since 1992.
Three Missionaries of
Charity were killed by a
gunman in Al Hudaydah,
280 miles northwest of Aden,
in 1998.
Yemen is in the midst of a
civil war that began in March
2015. That month Houthi
rebels, who are Shia Muslims,
took over portions of Yemen
seeking to oust its Sunni-led
government.
Saudi Arabia, which
borders Yemens north, has
led a coalition backing the
government. Both al-Qaeda
and the Islamic State have set
up strongholds in the country
amid the power vacuum.
The civil war has killed
more than 6,000 people,
according to the United
Nations.
So far no group has claimed
responsibility for the attack
on the Missionaries of Charity
home. (CNA/EWTN News)

Stations of the Cross

devotion angers devil
priest
SINGAPORE, Feb. 27, 2015
Addressing some 1, 400
Catholic singles, a priest
reminds the faithful about the
power of the Friday devotion
of the Stations of the Cross,
saying it makes the devil mad
and uncomfortable.
[The Stations of the Cross]
reminded [the devil] of his
eternal future The devil
hates it because it is a replay
of his eternal destiny and
damnation, said Couples for
Christ (CFC) spiritual director
Fr. Stephen Yim, opening the
23rd CFC Singles for Christ
International Conference at
the Singapore Expo on Feb.
26, Friday.
The priest added: There
is the devil waiting for us.
He will try to stop us from
praying it, among many
other things He will try to
discourage us.
When we do the Stations
of the Cross, we will, despite
the fact that life is difficult,
we want to rejoice. No point

NEWS A3

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

in being sad over the fact that

life is difficult.
According to Yim, the
faithful must pray so that
they will constantly have this
joy in [them] so that they can
be witnesses and heralds of
this joy.
The prayer, Yim explained,
also nurtures in the Christian
heart the same fortitude and
faith Jesus had.
The Stations of the Cross
has a spirituality that we need
to understand. They tell us
how much Jesus suffered and
died with us and that were
willing to go that way.
He said: The Stations of
the Cross also show us the
future It showed us what is
to come. Life is difficult, get
used to it Jesus knew his
future, he met it.
The SFC ICON, themed
Unstoppable, runs from Feb.
26 to 28 and is the first time
the event is held outside the
Philippines. (Nirvaana Ella
Delacruz / CBCP News)

How do you defend life? Show its

beauty, Pope Francis says
VATICAN, March 4, 2016
Cultural trends and hardened
hearts can obscure the
value of human life. But
true virtues, compassion
and beauty are the way for
Christians to overcome this,
Pope Francis in a recent talk
at the Vatican.
In our time, some cultural
orientations no longer
acknowledge the imprint
of divine wisdom either in
the created reality, or in
mankind, the Pope said
March 3.
Human nature is thus
reduced to mere matter that
may be molded according to any
design. Our humanity, however,
is unique and so precious in
Gods eyes. For this reason, the
first nature to protect, so that
it may bear fruit, is our human
nature itself.
The Pope spoke with
participants in the plenary
assembly of the Pontifical
Academy for Life. The
academy was founded in
1994 by St. John Paul II
to defend human life from
the perspective of Christian
morals and Catholic teaching.
The defense of human life
is done most effectively when
we show the beauty of life,
he said according to Vatican
Radio.
By displaying a genuine
compassion and the other
virtues, you will be precious
witnesses of the mercy of the
God of life, he said.
Virtue is the most
authentic expression of the
good that man, with Gods
help, is able to achieveIt is
not merely a habit, but the

Pope Francis kisses a baby in St. Peters Square during the Wednesday general audience
on November 11, 2015. CNA

constantly renewed decision

to choose good.
Its also the highest
expression of human
freedom and the best that
the human heart offers, the
Pope said.
When the heart drifts
away from the good and
the truth contained in the
Word of God, it runs many
risks. It is without direction
and risks mistaking good
for bad and bad for good,
he continued. Those who
embark on this slippery slope
fall into the trap of moral
error and are oppressed by
growing existential anguish.
Pope Francis said that
contemporary culture still
has the principles to affirm
that man is to be protected.
However, this value is
often threatened by moral
uncertainties that do not
allow life to be defended in

an effective way.
Not infrequently it can
happen that splendid vices
are disguised under the mask
of virtue, he said. He stressed
the necessity to cultivate
virtues through continual
discernment. Virtues must
be rooted in God, the source
of all virtue.
The good that man
does is not the result of
calculations or strategies, or
even the product of genetic
programming or social
conditioning. It is rather the
fruit of a well-disposed heart
and of the free choice that
tends to true goodness.
The virtues are not a
beautiful faade. Rather,
they help root out dishonest
desires from our hearts and
help us seek good.
The Pope reflected on
how Scripture depicts the
hardened heart.

(T)he more the heart

tends towards selfishness and
evil, the more difficult it is to
change, he said. As Jesus
affirms, Everyone who sins
is a slave to sin. And when
the heart is corrupt, there are
grave consequences for social
life, as the prophet Jeremiah
reminds us.
This condition cannot
change either through
theories, or by the effect of
social or political reforms.
Only the work of the Holy
Spirit may change our
hearts, if we collaborate:
God himself, in fact, assures
his effective grace to all those
who seek it and those who
convert with all their heart.
Pope Francis praised the
many institutions that serve
life. He also warned of many
other institutions that are
more interested in economic
interests than in working for
the common good.
The Pope echoed his
previous warnings against a
new ideological colonization
that takes over human and
Christian thought in the
form of virtue, modernity,
and new attitudes. These
take away freedom and
are afraid of reality as God
created it.
The Pope closed his
remarks with a prayer. We
ask the help of the Holy
Spirit,who draws us out of
selfishness and ignorance,
he said. Renewed by him, we
can think and act according
to Gods heart and show his
mercy to those who suffer
in body and spirit. (CNA/
EWTN News)

Vatican: the Church has been anything but

indifferent to clerical abuse
VATICAN, March 4, 2016Vatican
spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi
cautioned Friday that the recent Oscarwin for Spotlight and the lengthy
deposition of a top Vatican official on
institutional responses to clerical sex
abuse could paint a false picture of how
the Church has responded to the issue.
The sensationalistic presentation
of these two events has meant that, for
much of the public, especially if less
informed or of short memory thinking
that the Church has done nothing or
done very little to respond to these
horrible tragedies, Fr. Lombardi said
in a March 4 statement.
An objective consideration of the facts,
he said, shows that this is not true.
Fr. Lombardi referred to the media
frenzy garnered by the film Spotlight,
which recently won the Oscar for best
picture for its portrayal of a journalistic
investigation of the sex abuse crisis in
Boston, as well as the Feb. 29-March
3 deposition of Cardinal George Pell
before Australias Royal Commission.
As prefect of the Vaticans Secretariat
for the Economy and a member of the
Council of Cardinals advising Pope
Francis on reform of the Roman Curia,
Cardinal Pell is the most senior Vatican
official to have testified before a legal
body on clerical sexual abuse.
In his statement, Fr. Lombardi said
the events shouldnt lead people to think
that the Church has remained silent on

the issue, and outlined several initiatives

and reforms that have taken place since
the Boston crisis broke out in 2002.
He said that we ought to give credit
to Cardinal Pell and the group of 15
abuse survivors who traveled from
Australia to Rome for the deposition,
both for the cardinals dignified and
consistent testimony, as well as the
survivors willingness to establish a
constructive dialogue.
Three of the abuse survivors from
Catholic Diocese of BallaratDavid
Ridsdale, Andrew Collins and Peter
Blenkirontook time to meet with Fr.
Hans Zollner, a member of the Pontifical
Commission for the Protection of
Minors, while in Rome.
They met with him twice, once
Wednesday before meeting with
Cardinal Pell, and then Friday morning
before returning to Australia.
In a March 4 statement on the
encounters, Fr. Zollner said the victims
wanted to meet primarily to discuss
ideas they have about healing and
the future to protect children from
institutional abuse.
Although they admitted that the
problem of abuse is wider than the
Catholic Church, they are most
familiar the problems related to Church
structures, and are eager to form
partnerships to help address the issue.
Fr. Zollner said the victims spoke at
length about models of education for

Cardinal George Pell meets with child sex abuse victims

at the Hotel Quirinale in Rome, Italy on March 3, 2016. CNA

children, parents and teachers so that

effective changes can be made to ensure
the safeguarding of children.
On his end, Fr. Zollner discussed
his work on the commission in the
areas of abuse prevention within the
Church and outside of it, as well as
his role as president of the Center for
Child Protection at Romes Pontifical
Gregorian University.
The Ballarat survivors were also able
to meet with a number of the students
enrolled in of the Diploma-program in
Safeguarding of Minors currently being
offered at the Gregorian University.
Fr. Zollner ensured that he will take
the victims proposals to the rest of
the commission in order to both learn
from their experience, and to better
understand how to prevent sexual abuse
by those in service to the Church from
happening again in the future. (Elise
Harris/CNA/EWTN News)

God did not create us to remain crushed by sin, Pope says

VATICAN, March 4,
2016 Leading his annual
penitential service on Friday,
Pope Francis told attendees
to stand tall and be open to
forgiveness, and not to let
themselves remain under the
heavy burden of sin.
Let us cast offall that
prevents us from racing
towards him, unafraid of
leaving behind those things
which make us feel safe and
to which we are attached, the
Pope said March 4.
He told attendees not
to remain sedentary, but
let us get up and find our
spiritual worth again, our
dignity as loved sons and
daughters who stand before
the Lord so that we can be

seen by him, forgiven and

recreated.
Pointing to the word
recreated, Francis said it
arrives to the heart of each
person present, because its
a reminder of what God said
when he created man: Rise!
God has created us to stand.
Arise.
The Popes homily was part
of the annual 24 Hours for
the Lord event, which takes
place the fourth Friday and
Saturday of Lent inside St.
Peters Basilica.
A worldwide initiative led
by Pope Francis, the event
points to confession as a
primary way to experience
Gods merciful embrace. It
was launched in 2014 under

the auspices of the Pontifical

Council for the Promotion of
the New Evangelization.
Cardinals, bishops, priests
and religious are invited by
the Vatican to participate in
the event by gathering around
the Altar of the Confession
inside the basilica.
As part of the penitential
service, Pope Francis went
to confession himself before
administering the sacrament
himself to a number of
individuals.
Following the service
in the Vatican, Churches
throughout Rome will remain
open for 24 hours to give
pilgrims the opportunity to
go to Confession and take
part in Eucharistic Adoration.

In his homily, the Pope

focused on the Gospel passage
from Mark Chapter 10, in
which a blind man named
Bartimaeus hears that Jesus
is passing by and calls out to
him. As those around try to
silence him, Bartimaeus cries
out even louder.
Jesus hears him, stops and
asks his disciples to bring
Bartimaeus to him. When
Bartimaeus arrives and asks
to receive his sight, Jesus
heals him immediately.
Pope Francis said the
passage has great symbolic
value for our lives, since
each person finds themselves
in the place of Bartimaeus.
(Elise Harris/CNA/
EWTN News)

A4 OPINION

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL
Politics is good business

Toward our integral development

WE need to expand our understanding of our human
development. Our problem now is that that term is often
restricted to mean economic development only, or at best, some
social, political or cultural development. Sorry, but it does not
go far and deep enough.
Obviously, the elements and factors that go into these aspects
of development are already bewildering and exacting. But
common sense alone would tell us we should not get stuck there.
These aspects, while indispensable, do not capture our over-all
dignity and stature. They do not give the whole picture. Such
understanding of development would lack its radical foundation
and ultimate purpose. It can have colorful and stimulating
moments, but in the end it would just be going in circles, with
all the probability of going bad and dangerous.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI told us how development should
be understood in his encyclical Caritas in veritate. In the first
place, he reminded us that development is not just a purely
human affair. Development is a God-given vocation, both a divine
gift and our responsibility, the arena where the interacting love
between God and man and the love among us in God are played
out. Its not just a product of the brilliance of some people, no
matter how extraordinary that brilliance may be. It cannot be
pursued by simply using human means, no matter how practical
and convenient they are.
The fullness of both faith and our sciences has to go into it.
The requirements of both piety and pragmatism, sanctity and
competence have to be met. Not one or the other, but both. It
should be a holistic development, not a reductive one. We have
to avoid the extremes of the pietistic and spiritualist approach
on the one hand, and the purely secularized and pragmatic
approach on the other hand. The former led us to the anomalies
of unhealthy clericalism in the past, with some vestiges of it still
remaining in the present. The latter has grounded us on a certain
law-of-the-jungle, dog-eat-dog world of Godless pragmatism now
raging in todays society.
This is easier said than done. Still, with our wealth of
experience and knowledge gathered through the years, we have
better insights and tools to effect the ideal way to achieve genuine
and integral development. We just have to be hopeful and
optimistic, slowly but steadily putting into action those things we
think can help achieve this kind of development. We may have
to go through the mess of the trial-and-error approach, we may
be heckled and taunted, but we just have to move in the most
prudent way we can.
It may be good to note that more clerics are now more sensitive
to the distinctions between the ideal and the actual, and more
respectful of the legitimate autonomy and differences in temporal
matters while pursuing the ultimate eternal goal of man. The
same is true with laypeople immersed in business and politics.
Admittedly, theres still a lot of secularized attitude, where God
and religion hardly enter into their calculations. Still, we see a
growing number of them learning how to integrate faith into their
earthly affairs. There may be awkwardness and incompetence, but
it is good to think that a trend in this direction can be seen in many
places. We just have to sustain it and make it gain momentum.

Monitor
CBCP

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CANDIDATES

ILLUSTRATION BY BLADIMER USI

WITH the way politics is perceived and actually practiced in

this country, the conclusion is rather evident that through it,
government officials become not only very authoritative and
influential but become richer and richer the longer they stay in
office. Just as no poor individual would dare run for an elective
office, so it is also a rarity to know a politician who is really poor,
destitute, and miserable. In the same way, after their perforce
eventual term of office, politicians are much wealthier than
before.
There is so very much money in politicsfrom the campaign
period to the exercise of the public office won until the latters
ending. Otherwise, why would political candidates spend
so much money primarily from their political parties, their
supporters, and friends plus those who foresee and salivate over
business advantages when their funded candidates win? Why
would they even lie and deceive, pretend and act as if they were
all capable, honest, and sincere personalities? And why is it that
as a rule, political campaigns are usually accompanied by the
infamous trio of Guns, Goons and Gold? And, finally, why is it
that cheating in one way or another is a standard accompaniment
of electionswith or without the knowledge of the voting public,
with or without the collaboration of the COMELEC from the
precinct to the national level?
It would be an exercise in futility if a really poor individual
would run for public office especially at the national level
although to seek a city of municipal office is not exactly for poor
individuals either. So it is that it is practically impossible if not
an exercise in futility to look for and find really poor individuals
holding elective political offices from the president down to the
city/municipal Councilors. The reality is that the higher the said
offices are, the more actual and probable are the financial gains
for their occupants. Again, like finding a needle in a haystack,
so is finding a politician who is poor.
No wonder then that any and all legislative provisions against
political dynasties are but words and more words up to this
writing. And so it is that in but one and the same family, there
is, in fact, the fatherthe mother at one timeand one daughter
and another daughter and the son who are all occupying elective
public positions. That there is a good number of dynasties
comfortably seated in a likewise good number of elective public
Offices aptly provide the proof that makes one concrete reason
and basic proposition that Politics is Good Business.
Meantime, the electorate and the Filipinos in general have been
poor long time since and still remain poor to this date. Meantime,
it is the same poor people who pay taxes to the government from
birth (milk) to death (coffin). And meantime too, all the political
candidates even from post-EDSA time up to the present are
practically wallowing in wealthin cash and in kind, in reserve
and in Certificates of Stocks.

Living Mission

Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

Popular Piety:
Opening to the Eucharist

Year of Eucharist and Family Reflection

POPULAR piety or peoples spirituality
is present in practically all cultures and
religions; it draws ordinary people to
prayer and worship, popular devotions
and religious festivals. The Church
in the Philippines cannot ignore the
tremendous power of popular piety for
fulfilling her mission of evangelization
and drawing people to the Eucharist.
Various popes have spoken extensively
on this subject. Pope Paul VI devoted
an entire section (48) of Evangelii
Nuntiandi to popular piety. He noted that
one finds among Catholics particular
expressions of the search for God and
for faith. These expressions were for a
long time regarded as less pure and were
sometimes despised, but today they are
almost everywhere being rediscovered.
Blessed Paul VI saw the value of popular
piety and that it can be more and more
for multitudes of our people a true
encounter with God in Jesus Christ (48).
Paul VI continued: It manifests a
thirst for God which only the simple and
poor can know. It makes people capable
of generosity and sacrifice even to the
point of heroism, when it is a question of
manifesting belief. It involves an acute
awareness of profound attributes of
God: fatherhood, providence, loving and
constant presence. It engenders interior
attitudes rarely observed to the same
degree elsewhere: patience, the sense of the
Cross in daily life, detachment, openness
to others, devotion. By reason of these
aspects, we readily call it popular piety,
that is, religion of the people (EN 48).
Saint John Paul II has spoken

positively about popular religiosity:

Popular piety is an expression of faith
which avails of certain cultural elements
proper to a specific environment.
Genuine forms of popular piety, expressed
in a multitude of different ways, derive
from the faith, and therefore, must be
valued and promoted. Such authentic
expressions of popular piety are not at
odds with the centrality of the Sacred
Liturgy [and the Eucharist]. Rather,
in promoting the faith of the people,
who regard popular piety as a natural
religious expression, they predispose the
people for the celebration of the Sacred
Mysteries (9-21-2001).
Pope John Paul II also asserted that
popular piety is a form of evangelization;
he noted: I earnestly hope that these
significant forms of popular piety
may serve as an encouragement
to prayer and contemplation, and
instill, especially in young people, the
same spiritual enthusiasm as in past
generations (6-27-1999).
Pope Benedict XVI has spoken of
the rich and profound popular religiosity,
in which we see the soul of the Latin
American peoples. This faith emerges
as a synthesis between their cultures
and the Christian faith; it is marked by
love for the suffering Christ, the God of
compassion, pardon and reconciliation,
the God who is close to the poor and to
those who suffer. This religiosity is the
precious treasure of the Catholic Church
and must be protected, promoted and,
when necessary, purified (5-13-2007).
Pope Francis has spoken and written

Go away, Lord but

not too far
BEFORE Jesus suffered His
passion and death, he was
a beloved healer who could
not help but draw people to
him. As word about Jesus
spread, Scripture would
say: the crowds got even
bigger, implying that more
people were following Jesus
around and watching what he
would do next. And we know
whybecause of the wonders
and miracles he worked. His
miracles were bringing in
more fans, spectators, and
onlookers but not believers.
They were curious to see
Jesus but had no intention of

taking his message seriously.

It was probably like a circus.
Each time Jesus would make
a miracle, people would clap
their hands and ask for more.
They were amazed, awed,
and mystified; but they were
not struck and challenged
by what they saw. THEY
FOLLOWED JESUS TO SEE
MORE MIRACLES BUT NOT
TO KNOW HIM DEEPER.
Somehow, the crowd loved
the music but not the singer.
They liked the food but not
the chef. They saw the miracle
but not Jesusthe miracle
worker. The crowd totally

Candidly Speaking
Fr. Roy Cimagala

DEMOCRACY, of course, is the best

form of government because it allows
the people to have a voice expressing
how they ought to be governed.
Yes, while the Church traditionally
maintains that no form of government
is imposed on man by God, it somehow
values the democratic system precisely
because it ensures the participation
of citizens in making political choices,
guarantees to the governed the
possibility both of electing and holding
accountable those who govern them,
and of replacing them through peaceful
means when appropriate.

extensively about popular piety. In his

comprehensive apostolic exhortation, The
Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium), he
devotes an entire section to the evangelizing
power of popular piety (122-126).
The Pope notes:Popular piety enables
us to see how the faith, once received,
becomes embodied in a culture and
is constantly passed on. Once looked
down upon, popular piety came to be
appreciated once more in the decades
following the Council. In the Exhortation
Evangelii Nuntiandi, Pope Paul VI
stated that popular piety manifests a
thirst for God which only the poor and the
simple can know and that it makes people
capable of generosity and sacrifice even to
the point of heroism, when it is a question
of bearing witness to belief. Closer to our
own time, Benedict XVI pointed out
that popular piety is a precious treasure
of the Catholic Church (123).
This piety is truly a spirituality
incarnated in the culture of the lowly.
It is a legitimate way of living the faith,
a way of feeling part of the Church and
a manner of being missionaries; it
brings with itself the grace of being a
missionary, of coming out of oneself and
setting out on pilgrimage (124).
Underlying popular piety, as a fruit
of the inculturated Gospel, is an active
evangelizing power which we must not
underestimate; to do so would be to
fail to recognize the work of the Holy
Spirit (126).Indeed, popular piety
is a tremendous resource for leading
Catholics to an authentic encounter with
Christ in the Eucharist.

Pitik-Bulag
Fr. Wilfredo Samson, SJ

missed the point. And Jesus

was disappointed. Through
his miracles, Jesus was hoping
a CONVERSION would come,
as they RECOGNIZE THEIR
SINFUL CONDITION, AND
REPENT. But nothing. They
were awed by the miracle but
not by Jesus. And so Jesus
blurted, This generation is
evil generation. It seeks a
sign.
We may not understand
why Jesus chose Peter as
the head of the Church
in spite of his three-fold
betrayal. But it was only Peter
who publicly ADMITTED

HIS SINFULNESS when

Jesus brought abundant fish
into his empty net. Peter
exclaimed, GO AWAY
FROM ME, FOR I AM A
SINFUL MAN. (Luke 5:8).
Should we also tell Jesus:
Go away from me Jesus, I
am a sinful man. But not too
far ... for I need you in my
life.?
God is also giving us so
much. And we dont even
deserve these graces. The
awareness of being blessed in
spite of our sinfulness should
lead us to repentance and
conversion.

When democracy
oversteps

This was expressed explicitly in

St. John Paul IIs 1991 encyclical
Centesimus annus (46) that also
went on to say that the Church cannot
encourage the formation of narrow
ruling groups which usurp the power of
the State for individual interests or for
ideological ends.
As to the requirements for democracy
to work properly, it articulated the
following conditions: Authentic
democracy is possible only in a State
ruled by law, and on the basis of a correct
conception of the human person.
It requires that the necessary condition

be present for, the advancement both of

the individual through education and
formation in the true ideals, and of
the subjectivity of society through the
creation of structures of participation
and shared responsibility.
We need to go through these words
slowly to understand them well and
discern the many practical implications
they contain. Nowadays, these
implications are important because
some sectors are distorting the true face
of democracy.
Among the more notorious
Candidly Speaking / A7

CBCP Monitor

OPINION A5

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

Along the Way

Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR,
SThD
WITH the electoral campaign period
under way, many parishes and the Basic
Ecclesial Communities are once again
starting their programs for political
education.
The PPCRV has started the campaign
One Good Vote and the DILAAB
has also came up with the I Vote
Good. The Kapatiran is also offering
materials and training for political
education in parishes. The diocesan
social action centers often coordinate
the political education campaigns in
each diocese and each parish is expected
to implement whatever program is
promoted.
In the past, the CBCP came out with
guidelines on how Catholics should
vote. Individual CBCP commissions like
Family and Life also released guidelines
focusing on pro-life candidates. Some
clergy and lay people comment that
weve been doing this before every
election period and it seems we are not
making any impact. Vote-buying is still
rampant. Corrupt, incompetent, and
abusive politicians keep on winning.
What more can we do?
I think the weakness of our program
for political education is that it is often
done during the campaign period.
With little time, and with election fever
upon us, it is often inadequate. So, we
end up with general appeals on voting
wisely, exhorting them to avoid selling
their votes, and discussing the past
guidelines from CBCP. The focus of
political education is too narrow and
superficial. They are simply general
reminders. A solid political education
should begin with an analysis of our
political culture, system, situation and
problems and how they relate with the

Pre-election
political education

economic, environmental and social

situation of our communities. The link
between corruption, political dynasties,
destruction of the environment, violence
and criminality should be established.
At the same time, the social teachings
of the church regarding politics and
good governance should be presented. A
vision of the kind of society that we hope
for in the future should be discussed.
The people must see the consequences
of their votes and wrong choices that
they make during elections. Thus, there
is a need to review and present the
guidelines that the CBCP promoted in
the past. Chief among this is the concern
for the common good, total human
development, justice, peace, and the
integrity of creation.
In view of the recent concerns of the
Church, there is also a need to highlight
the qualities that we should look for in
our candidates. Among these are being
pro-life, pro-peace, pro-environment,
pro-poor, and pro-family. The most
basic is the respect for lifefrom the
moment of conception to its natural
end. A pro-life candidate must therefore
follow a consistent ethic of life. It does
not only mean being against RH law
or abortion. Thus, we must encourage
the faithful to reject those who have
been involved in or supportive of extrajudicial killings and who advocate the
re-imposition of capital punishment.
We must also reject those who advocate
total war and who do not support the
peace process. This also means rejecting
those with records of human rights
violation, who do not value human
rights and who reject the rule of law and
due process. This means rejecting those
with dictatorial character. We do not

Beware of thieves
in our airports
IT is very alarming indeed that
after laglag bala or bulletplanting in the travelers
baggage at our airports,
rampant extortion, and theft
are happening. Once you
enter the airport, make sure
you will never be a victim
of rackets of employees and
service providersguards,
porters, x-ray machine staff,
employeesanybody at
the premier airports of the
country are suspects and
tagged as unscrupulous; the
government never lift a finger
to stop it.
ABS-CBNs TV Patrol
exposed this thievery in a
video footagego to TV Patrol
news https://m.youtube.
com/watch?v=yl9QJ8fnflk-which showed how
Balikbayan Ann Margaret
Anthony from the U.S. was
robbed of her wallet at NAIA3. She alleged that the wallet
in her small handbag was
stolen after she placed it
at the x-ray machine. The
wallet costs Php 40,000 and
contained Php 98,000 cash,
credit and debit cards and
important documents. There

are 4 CCTVs in the x-ray

machine area but all 4 were
out-of-order and did not
record the baggage being
placed into x-ray machine.
The CCTV that was working
some meters away only
caught Ann leaving the area
on her way to the airline
counter. Ann was wondering
why it took long before her
handbag went out of the x-ray
machine, the time when her
bag was manipulated and her
wallet was stolen. We know
that the x-ray staff can see
the contents of the baggage
through the x-ray machine
and they know which are
valuables or not.
My siblings had the same
bad experience at the NAIA.
They all came home for a
family reunion. My sister-inlaw had the worst experience;
they left the country Tuesday
of last week. Like Ann, the
gold necklace with a gold
horse pendant was stolen
from her small handbag; it
was the birthday gift of her
mother and uncle to our
2-year old nephew who was
born in the year of the horse.

want a repeat of the Marcos era.

Being pro-life means being for the
environment. The destruction of the
environment is a threat to life. We should
support candidates who care for the earth,
who have programs for addressing climate
change. This means rejecting candidates
responsible for the destruction of the
environment through their support or
active engagement in logging, mining, and
coal-fired power-plants.
Honesty and integrity is to be valued
among the candidates. This means
rejecting candidates who are corrupt
and who lie. Corruption maintains and
worsens poverty. We must continue
to emphasize that those who run for
office must be pro-poor. This means
going beyond dole-outs and patronage
politics but rather coming up with sound
economic programs that uplift the poor
that respect the rights of labor, etc.
Our candidates should be pro-family,
respecting the rights of family and
strengthening it as an institution.
They themselves, if they are married,
should have a reputation of being
faithful spouses and exemplary
parents. Immoral and womanizing
politicians should be rejected. Those
who advocate divorce or gay marriage
are not acceptable, even as we respect
the dignity of homosexuals.
We must always emphasize that
while it is true that the Church has no
official candidates or parties, and we do
not dictate to the faithful who to vote
for, we have to provide guidance on
how they should vote. We should also
provide moral guidance to candidates
who profess to be Catholics so that they
know what is expected of them as good
Catholics.

Duc In Altum
Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

My sister-in-law noticed that

all their baggage already
came out of the NAIA-2 x-ray
machine but her handbag
was still nowhere to be
found, same experience as
Anns. When the handbag
finally came out, she did
not have any idea that the
gold necklace was already
stolen from her handbag by
the NAIA-2 staff. Why did it
take a long time for the small
handbag to come out of the
x-ray machine? Who was
inside the x-ray machine who
stole the contents of the bag?
No CCTVs.
Then my youngest brother
told us his bad experience
at NAIA-3 when he left the
country Saturday of last
week. He passed through
the NAIA-3 x-ray machine,
checked in at the airline
counter and was about to
pass through immigration
when the security guards
stopped him and insisted
to weigh his hand-carry
luggage. A frequent traveler,
my brother told the guard
he has no such authority
because his baggage had

Collection Box

been checked and weighed

at the airline counter and
that no airport staff, nor the
guards, can touch his baggage
unless it is in the presence of
both the NAIA department
head and his. What if the
guard would plant bullet or
contrabands in my brothers
bag? Every staff at the airport
are suspects; travelers should
not be intimidated by those
crooks, neither should they
be allowed to extort money.
My sister left Friday of
last week for the U.S. On
the pretext that she is being
helped by the staff, the latter
kept on talking with her and
trying to put her valuables
(bag, laptop) in the x-ray
machine but was stopped
by my sister. Whenever we
travel, we place in the x-ray
machine the locked suitcases
for check-in first; then the
locked hand-carry luggage
and last are the laptop bag
and handbag covered with
jacket. We do not leave the
area until the last bag had
entered the x-ray machine
so that by the time we enter
Duc in Altum / A7

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

Catholic values assessment

meter for candidates
YOU see them stopping by to visit the Blessed Sacrament in
parish churches. And you think to yourself: Hmmm. On
camera they seem so pious. They come to greet the bishop, the
parish priest, parish personnel, and parishioners alike. Meek as
lambs, they shake your hand and appear embarrassed to even
make a pitch for their candidacies. Some even make sure they
do not forget to light a candle, pray before Mama Marys image
or the local patron saint for their intercessions. Or so it seems.
Again you feel like applauding. In fact, you are so edified
someone as Catholic as you is running for office.
But are they for real?
To answer this question alone is worth all the combined
effort (or shall I say force?) of bishops, clergy and lay faithful
can muster for the sake of the faith. I know this might sound
like a rigid fundamentalist stance. But the last time I checked,
the Philippine Constitution protects ones freedom to practice
his/her religion together with the freedom of expression and
speech. I assume that also includes the right to identity, from
among those running for office but especially for Congress, the
Catholic in fact from the Catholic in name.
And I say it is only being realistic. The instances in which
so-called Catholic candidates once voted into office have
disappointed the Catholic faithful is beyond counting, at
least in this country. If so-called Catholic politicians were
truly Catholic in profession and practice, would we still have
this yawning gap between rich and poor in these our beloved
islands? Would we still long for genuine land reform for our
dirt-poor farmers who are far too many? Would we still be
talking about the culture of corruption that contradicts
every tenet of the faith, not to say even basic human decency?
Not only do we have Catholic-school-or-Catholic-universityeducated politicos who commonly flout basic human and
Filipino values; many have actually turned away from their faith
as well for the sake of the almighty pork barrel and the secular
ideologies of their parties or party-mates (many of whom still
profess to high heavens they are Catholic since birth).
The RH Law is once such evidence that stares us in the face.
Other ominous items are on their agenda: the divorce bill,
same-sex marriage etc. It is time the Catholic faithful had a
tool to spot the truly committed Catholic candidate from the
bogus ones.
I propose that there be national and diocesan commissions
that should be tasked to do no-nonsense research on national
and local candidates, objectively and meticulously examining
their public or significant private statements, track records
and actual advocacies. If they profess to be Catholics, does
it show from the gathered evidence? The commissions could
then assess if, based on record and fact, a candidate can be
considered hostile or friendly (proven authentic or proven
inauthentic?) to the Catholic faith and its values.
I do not believe in compelling Catholic voters to vote or not to
vote for certain candidates. We are not a cult. We are a (in fact,
the) Church. But I do believe that Catholic voters should have
a tool made available for them to be guided on their choices,
one that specifically identifies candidates values that are either
compatible or incompatible with our values as Church and as
Catholic. I am aware that there have been similar efforts in our
past elections but not as serious, as systematic or as widespread
as one would hope they are.
Let me cite the why and the wherefore for such effort:
To help realize the Vatican II vision of the Catholic laity
bringing Christian values to the public arena: politics,
economics, culture, education etc.:
- To create a greater awareness among the voting Catholic
public of faith criteria that should guide their choices of leaders
or lawmakers;
- To provide a catechetical tool and opportunity for both
Catholic candidates and voters to know their faith and its values
that concern the public arena directly or indirectly;
- To prod Catholic candidates and voters to take their faith
more seriously, especially in its implications on society;
- To spot and affirm genuine commitment to Catholic values
among those who actually or potentially hold government office
as well as efforts to deceive voters for purposes of election or
re-election;
- To instill a greater of responsibility and accountability
among Catholic candidates and voters.
- To respond to the challenge of the Master: Whoever
acknowledges me before men I will acknowledge before my
Father in heaven. Whoever rejects me before men I will reject
before my Father in heaven (Mt 10:32-33).

Unworthy Communion

Fr. Jerome Secillano, MPA

THERE are times that consecrated

hosts are not enough to feed
communicants during masses.
Either the sacristan didnt prepare
enough or there are simply too
many unexpected communicants
wanting to receive Jesus. This does
not happen very often but one
begins to wonder whether these
communicants are aware that
spiritual and moral worthiness
is a must in receiving Jesus during
that so great and so holy a moment.
During confessions, I got a sense
that penitents dont even have
a complete awareness of what
are considered to be sins. They
keep on rattling off situations or
circumstances that make for a good
telenovela but hardly about their
sins. Their coming to confession
is, therefore, to simply unload
their burdens and feel good about
themselves. Of course, the role of

a priest is to guide them come to

their senses and ask whether they
violated the Ten Commandments,
the moral norms or other Biblical
teachings. Only then do they realize
that they are committing grave sins
all along.
The point is there are those who
completely lost the sense of sin.
These people think that they are
spiritually and morally well, hence,
are fit to receive Holy Communion.
But more serious are those who
are conscious of grave sins and yet
continue to receive the body and
blood of Jesus. In either case, it
must be clarified that it is not an
inherent right of every believer to
receive Holy Communion even if
Jesus urges us to receive him in the
sacrament of the Eucharist: Truly, I
say to you, unless you eat the flesh of
the Son of man and drink his blood,
you have no life in you (Jn. 6:53).

The Catechism of the Catholic

Church (CCC) sees those words
as mere invitation and not an
absolute command without any
preconditions. It says, To respond
to this invitation we must prepare
ourselves for so great and holy
a moment. St. Paul urges us to
examine our conscience: Whoever,
therefore, eats the bread and drinks
the cup of the Lord in an unworthy
manner will be guilty of profaning
the body and blood of the Lord. For
anyone who eats and drinks without
discerning the body eats and drinks
judgment upon himself (I Cor.
11:27, 29). Anyone conscious of
grave sin must receive the sacrament
of Reconciliation before coming to
communion (CCC 1385).
What was said above echoes
the needed spiritual and moral
predisposition to receiving Jesus.
But the same Catechism continues

to teach that a sort of liturgical

preparation or participation is also
a must. It says, To prepare for
worthy reception of this sacrament,
the faithful should observe the fast
required in their Church. Bodily
demeanor (gestures, clothing)
ought to convey respect, solemnity,
and joy of this moment when Christ
becomes our guest (CCC 1387).
While we emphasize the need
for a whole scale preparation for
receiving Holy Communion, it
would be interesting to know the
effects of such when people fail in
all aspects of these preparations.
St. John Vianney, the patron saint
of priests, had some very interesting
reflections on the matter. He listed
five ill effects that go with unworthy
communion.
First, it outrages God more
than all other mortal sins. John
Vianney believed that a man who

takes unworthy communion

attacks the person of Jesus Christ
himself instead of scorning only his
commandments, like other mortal
sins (St. John Vianney, The Cure of
Ars, Eucharistic Meditations, 2001).
Second, whoever communicates
unworthily crucifies Jesus Christ
in his heart. The saintly priest
stressed that the death of Jesus in
Calvary seemed to affect even the
least sensible of creatures but by
receiving communion unworthily,
man shows insensitivity to Christs
humiliation and insults Jesus
further. He said, My God, how
can a Christian have the heart to go
to the holy table with sin in his soul,
there to put Jesus Christ to death?
Third, Unworthy Communion
is a more criminal profanation
than that of the holy places. When
one does something abominable
Collection Box / A6

A6 FEATURES

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

CBCP Monitor

Redemptorists urge social media responsibility

DAYS after finding itself the target
of an online smear campaign,
the Redemptorist-run National
Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual
Help (OMPH) in Baclaran appeals
to netizens worldwide to be
responsible users of social media
even as they exercise their right to
free expression.
We are in no way questioning the
grace of God giving the opportunity
for us all to broadcast our opinions
and observations, but may we be
reminded not leave out our sense
of social responsibility, the Social
Mission Team said in an open letter.
The Social Mission Team also
grabbed the opportunity to defend
Jenny Arteta whose viral update
on March 1 about an unverified
incident unfavorable to its image
sparked a Facebook word war
which took on a life of its own and
backfired on her.
No to invectiveness
With the mounting attacks on
the person of Ms. Jenny for the
mistake she did not intentionally
foresee, the Social Mission Team
would like to caution the public
of the way we may again use the
new media with a twisted sense of
freedom, it said, describing the
poster as a good person.
We urge the public to stop
sentiments of invectiveness on
Ms. Jenny as she is our sister
and belongs to the household of
God. May we train our energies
to restoring the original justice of
creation and eventually participate
in the liberation and healing of the
world, it added.

Devotees at Baclaran Church. JAMES BENEDICT MALABANANAN

As a sign of goodwill, Arteta

visited the national shrine Saturday,
March 5, to dialogue with its
representatives as well as to express
contrition for the mishap.
In a recent post, she shared she
has learned her lesson, albeit the
hard way, and invited those who
jumped on the bandwagon to also
see the experience as a wakeup call
for all.
Lesson learned
I learned a lot because of what

happened. Think before you

click. Yes, I agree and accept that
as a challenge. But please take
note this goes both ways, she
explained.
According to the parish,
Artetas personal apology to the
Redemptorist Church showed her
inoffensive character.
Ms. Jenny, we salute you. It takes
courage to come to the people who
resented you, but nevertheless have
forgiven you in advance even before
you came. For that you showed us

again the tremendous validity and

need for mercy in the world. Perhaps
that is exactly what Pope Francis
says about global compassion and
forgiveness. The entire planet is in
need of restoration and healing,
they explained.
Justice-centered programs
The social mission team went on to
underscore the important service it has
been giving since the 1980s, especially
to the poor and needy: Justice, Peace,
and Integrity of Creation.

Bishop joins fight vs. Bulacan steel mill

IN spirit of Pope Francis
Laudato Si, Malolos Bishop
Jos F. Oliveros lends his
voice to the growing clamor
of the people of Bulacan to
halt a proposed steel mill in
barangay Parulan, Plaridel
town, citing the many risks
it poses to life, property, and
nature.
Please heed the call of
your local constituents to
deny approval of the steel
mill in Parulan, Plaridel,
said the Bulacan prelate in a
recent letter to the provinces
Governor Wilhelmino M.
Sy-Alvarado, Vice Governor
Daniel R. Fernando, Plaridel
Mayor Jocell Aimee VistanCasaje, and Vice Mayor
Rolando C. Javier.
According to Oliveros, the
projects current proposed
location near schools,
households, and productive
rice fields imperils the health
and safety of residents, their
means of income as well as
the environment.
Project dangers
The Catholic leader
pointed out its being within
the area of the AngatMaasim Irrigation System
automatically renders the
site non-negotiable for
conversion.

Oliveros explained
the planned extraction of
industrial water from Angat
Rivers maintenance flow
during summer months
also endangers the rivers
capability to sustain aquatic
life, and threatens a serious
water supply competition
for downstream uses like
communal irrigation.
In the same letter, the
prelate went on to assure
Bulaqueos the diocese is one
with them in the fight against
the project.
At this stage, the Diocese
of Malolos declares its
continued support to local
communities of Parulan and
nearby barangays of Plaridel,
who are opposing the siting
and operation of the Del
Pilar Steel Rolling Project,
he stressed.
Pending concerns
Moreover, Oliveros
bemoaned that to this
day,over 40 of the peoples
concerns remain unresolved.
In particular, he blasted
the ongoing flooding of
rice fields to the east of the
proposed steel mill site due
to the damage to irrigation
drainage canals arising from
premature backfilling and
fencing of the site.

Malolos Bishop Jos F. Oliveros. MARIA TAN

We have also been

informed that the ECC
(Environmental Compliance
Certificate) is under appeal
and that the various
applications for permits are
under protest by various
sectors, he said.
Leaders eco-responsibility
Despite continued
protests, Oliveros shared
the Del Pilar Steel, Inc.
(DPSI) is doing what it can
since the Department of
Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) issued
the ECC on Jan. 12 to
secure the approval of the
Barangay and Municipal
Councils and the Provincial
Board, while applying

for various government

permits which will allow
the project to push through.
We earnestly urge your
good offices to disapprove
the improper siting of the
said steel mill and instead
call for its relocation to
anenvironmentally and
socially appropriate site, he
appealed to local government
officials in the letter.
Quoting the Holy Father,
the bishop urged them and
others in similar positions
of responsibility to be
protectors of creation, of
Gods plan inscribed in
nature, of one another,
and of the environment.
(Raymond A. Sebastin/
CBCP News)

Watchdog / A1

The Supreme Court ordered the

Comelec on March 8 to enable the
printing of ballot of receipts for the May
9 elections.
The poll body has earlier decided not
to use such security feature over claims
that it will only spoil the elections.
Bautista also said receipts can be used
by politicians in vote buying and will
only slow down the voting process.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick
Pabillo, however, said the Comelecs
justification for refusing to give the
voters receipt appears to be flimsy.
The Comelec has no prerogative to
decide whether to implement the voter
receipt or not. Its mandate is to fully
implement the law, Pabillo said.
Difficult but doable
Reacting to the SC ruling, the Parish
Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting
said the decision has to be followed even
if it agreed with the Comelecs stand
against the VCMs feature to print vote
receipts.
With only two months away before
the national and local polls, however,
PPCRV chairperson Henrietta de Villa
said the court ruling will certainly

Justice sets the direction of

all the service programs which
you have come to know and visit
personally, it told Arteta.
These are as follows: St.
Gerard Family Life Center gives
guidance and counseling to
strengthen family life; Crisis
Intervention Ce nte r re nders
emergency assistance; Medical
and Dental Services responds
to basic health needs; Solidarity
Assistance Committee provides
calamity assistance; Redemptorist
Education Assistance Program
gives scholarship; Sarnelli Center
for School Children helps street
children readjust their lives and
become responsible members of
their families and communities;
Redemptorist Skills Training and
Livelihood Program gives skills
training to the poor to help them
improve their economic condition;
and St. John Neumann Center for
Migrants helps migrants and their
families cope with the social costs
of migration.
The letter continues: Our service
for migrants for instance is not to
help secure OFWs speedy placement
abroad. We see that injustice is
behind the internally and externally
displaced in the Philippines. Our
workers are generally treated
without honor and dignity in many
ways. Big business has more rights
than human beings. Indeed, this
is a heartless dominated capitalist
system world. Our service programs
are our humble contribution to bring
the element of care and concern
(heart) in the world. (Raymond A.
Sebastin / CBCP News)

Priest backs DepEd

order against politicians
in graduation rites
A CATHOLIC priest said
it was a wise decision
by the Education
department to keep
graduation ceremonies in
public schools free from
politicking.
Fr. Jerome Secillano,
executive secretary of
the bishops Committee
on Public Affairs, said
it was a prudent move
to avoid the occasion
from being used as a
campaign venue.
Students will be
shielded from the political
gimmickry of candidates.
Besides, graduation is a
moment for graduates
and not for politicians,
Secillano said.
Education Secretary
Armin Luistro urged
schools to refrain
from inviting political
candidates in graduation
rites and maintain their
neutrality and nonpartisanship.
The DepEd has
earlier reminded school

administrators that the

use of schools in political
rallies is also prohibited.
The priest, however,
said the matter whether
or not to invite politicians
to speak at graduation
ceremonies in Catholic
schools is best left to the
judgment of the school
heads.
The
Catholic
Educational Association
of the Philippines (CEAP)
said its member-schools
have the freedom to
engage in socio-political
discussions that promote
the common good and
sustainable development,
among others.
Inviting individuals
to speak to audiences
who are both mature
and concerned citizens
remain to be the critical
task of our learning
communities, said
Anthony Coloma,
CEAPs advocacy and
information officer.
(CBCPNews)

Collection Box / A5

impact the preparations of the Comelec.

But SC also specified receipt should
not leave the precinct but dropped in
a box. Difficult but doable. Voters will
have to be obedient, according to De
Villa.
The PPCRV is Comelecs citizens arm
for the 2016 polls. The church-backed
poll watchdog also served the same role
in the 2010 and 2013 electoral contests.
While the SC decision is a positive
development, Kontra Daya asserted
the Comelec still needs to address other
outstanding issues such as the source
code review and the testing of the
transmission and canvassing systems.
Bahague said the verification forms
or receipts allow the public to check if
the machine was able to properly read
their votes.
It is another thing if the automated
polls will accurately count the votes due
to existing vulnerabilities, he added.
In a tight electoral contest, such
issues will be crucial. Let us continue to
be vigilant, Bahague pointed out.
Political instability
A coalition of religious groups is also
increasingly concerned that instability

could hit the country if the Comelec fails

to make the automated polls credible.
The FAITH Coalition or Interfaith
Coalition for Fairness, Accuracy,
Integrity, and Honesty in Elections
said that political instability could
result from a seriously flawed electoral
process.
We dont want this to happen, said
Bishop Efraim Tendero, Secretary
General of the World Evangelical
Alliance and one of the lead convenors
of the coalition.
To forestall this, the faith-based
group of Catholic, Protestant, Baptist,
Evangelical, and Muslim leaders urged
the Comelec to implement all the
security features to erase doubts on the
systems integrity.
The Church leaders said their call
finds more relevance in the light of the
recent survey by Pulse Asia finding that
four out 10 voters believe that cheating
will happen in the coming elections.
If the Comelec will implement all
the security provisions mandated by
law, they said this confidence-building
measure will impact positively on
the publics current perception of the
credibility of the elections.

inside that of a holy place, it is

called local sacrilege, which
is considered a grave sin. But
John Vianney emphasized
that it is more grievous to
receive Holy Communion
under sinful circumstances.
The saint said, That poor
wretch unites the Holy of
Holies to a prostitute soul,
and sells him to iniquity. Yes,
that poor wretch plunges his
God into a raging hell. Is it
possible to conceive anything
more dreadful?
Fourth, Unworthy
Communion is in certain
respects a greater crime
than the deicide of the Jews.
Quoting St. Paul, the pastor
said, St. Paul tells us that if
the Jews had known Jesus
Christ as the Savior, they
would never have put him to
suffering or death; but can
you my friend, be ignorant
of him whom you are going
to receive? He said further,
If you are guilty, unhappy
man, do not draw near; or else

tremble, lest the thunders of

heaven be hurled upon your
criminal head to punish you
and cast your soul into hell.
Fifth, Unworthy
Communion imitates and
renews the crime of Judas.
According to this great saint,
if Judas delivered Jesus to his
enemies by a kiss of peace,
an unworthy communicant
carries his cruel duplicity by
hiding or disguising some
sins with a hypocritical
reverence on his face and
place himself among the
faithful destined to eat this
Bread.
St. John Vianney truly
considered unworthy
communion a great
abomination against Jesus
and a scandal in the faith. An
unworthy communicant may
appear to be pious to those
who do not know him. But a
crime may not ultimately
be kept secret, especially
since God sees beyond what
man could not actually see.

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES A7

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

Pastoral care, top priority Pangasinan

faithful warned vs.
in San Joaquin parish
deceptive sect
JARO, Iloilo CityAmidst the
ongoing controversy in a parish over
unauthorized treasure hunting inside
an ancient Catholic cemetery, the
archbishop here has appointed a parish
administrator to watch over the pastoral
care of the faithful.
Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo
has appointed his Episcopal Vicar and
Chancellor of the Archdiocese, Fr.
Joenick Territorio, as administrator of
San Joaquin parish in San Jaoquin town.
Due to the urgency of the matter, the
appointment took effect immediately on
February 28
According to Msgr. Jomari Delgado,
Director of the Jaro Archdiocesan
Commission on Social Communications,
Territorio will be reporting directly to
the Archbishop about the pastoral care
of the parish.
Fr. Territorios task in San Joaquin is
primarily pastoral. He will still keep his
assignments as Chancellor, Seminary
professor, Director of the Commission
on Laity, Director of ICCRS, El Shaddai
and Holy Trinity DHM. Pray for him,
Delgado added.
Leave of absence
As regards the parish priest, Fr.
Nelson Silvela, Delgado stated that the
archbishop has accepted his application
for leave of absence indefinitely. He

clarified earlier reports which said

that the archbishop had suspended the
priest.
Legal issues related to this
unfortunate event shall be addressed in
the proper forum and according to the
demands of justice by those concerned.
The archbishop does not want that the
spiritual and moral life of the people be
neglected due to this unfortunate turn
of events, he pointed out.
Uniting the parish
On February 29, Fr. Territorio met
the parish leaders and other concerned
faithful in San Joaquin.
They all promised to support the
pastoral care of the parish, Territorio
reported.
On March 1, he also met San Joaquin
Mayor, Eduardo Servidad, and all
Sanguniang Bayan members at the
Archdiocesan Residence. They too
promised to cooperate with the
archdiocese.
3 aspects of the issue
According to Territorio, this
unfortunate event has to be seen in
its three aspects: legal, cultural and
pastoral.
The legal aspect is now under the
court of law and we will cooperate
according to the rule of law.

The cultural aspect is under the

Archdiocese, the Local Government
Unit (LGU) and the National Historical
Commission talks on the rehabilitation
of the San Joaquin Camposanto is
ongoing.
The pastoral aspect is under the
Parish Administrator and Fr. Solithur
Panganiban, Parochial Vicar. Pastoral
care must continue, especially as Holy
Week is approaching, Territorio
explained.
Archdiocese responsibility
To address the specific concerns of
Cultural Heritage sites, the Archdiocese
of Jaro, through the Office of the
Archbishop, reiterates its responsibility
to administer and manage primarily
its own cultural heritage assets, the
Archdiocesan Communications Director
stressed.
With the consideration of RA 10066
(otherwise known as the Philippine
National Heritage Act of 2009), the
Office of the Archbishop, through the
Archdiocesan Committee on Cultural
Heritage, will continue to open its line
of communications with the National
Museum and the National Historical
Institute and work with them in projects
which have been already authorized by
the Archbishop, Delagdo added. (Fr.
Mickey Cardenas/CBCPNews)

After 64 years, Franciscans rededicate

Samar mission to Christ the King
CALBAYOG City In
a historic blessing and
dedication of a college chapel
on Feb. 23, the Franciscan
Friars of the Custody of
Saint Anthony of Padua
Southern Philippines and the
community of Christ the King
College (CKC) in Calbayog
City, Samar, rededicated
the entire Franciscan Samar
mission to Christ the King.
It was on December 11,
1952 when two pioneers of
the Franciscan missionaries
of the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary Province
of Pulaski, Wisconsin,
USA, arrived in Samar as
response to the invitation
of then Calbayog Bishop
Miguel Acebedo to establish
a mission that focused on
Catholic Youth Education,
Franciscan formation, and
parochial evangelization.
In order to materialize
these dreams, Fr. David
Wyrzykowski, OFM,
took the responsibility of
administering and directing
the Colegio de San Vicente
de Paul (CSVP), a school
established in 1905, which
was facing collapse during
the post war times. Fr. David
served as the 1st Franciscan
Director of CSVP, which
was dedicated and renamed
in 1955 as Christ the King
College.
After 64 years of their first

DAGUPAN CityThe
Roman Catholic Archdiocese
of Lingayen-Dagupan has
warned against a a sect
offering church services to
Catholics in the barangays
of the Pangasinan province.
Archbishop Socrates
Villegas, in a circular
issued early last month,
admonished his priests about
the deceptive operations
of supposed priests of the
Ancient Catholic Church of
the East.
The sect is not a Catholic
group and contrary to their
presentation, there are no
steps to unite our Churches,
Villegas said.
He added the group is
headed by a certain Anthony

Obinque of San Gonzalo,

Labrador, Pangasinan.
Please warn our
Catholic faithful about
their deceptive operations
and consequently never to
participate in their religious
rites, he said
The archdiocese said the
group is prohibited from
using its chapels for their
liturgies which simulate the
Catholic rites.
Let this malicious group
be a wake-up call for us
Catholic priests to reach out
to the barangay communities
who truly thirst for the
spiritual care of the Church
and hence become vulnerable
to such groups, he said.
(CBCPNews)

Priest suspended over

illegal treasure hunting
MANILA A Catholic
archbishop has disclosed
the indefinite suspension
he imposed on one of
his priests over an
unauthorized treasure
hunting inside an ancient
cemetery in Iloilo.
Jaro Archbishop Angel
Lagdameo has relieved
Fr. Nelson Silvela of San
Joaquin parish for allowing
a group of men to dig
inside the Campo Santo
that has been declared a
national cultural treasure.
Local police on Feb.
24 arrested at least 10
suspected treasure hunters
while excavating a 50-foot
hole inside the cemetery,
which dates back to the
Spanish colonial period.
They are currently
detained at the San
Joaquin police station jail.
The archbishop said
neither the archdiocese

nor the National Historical

Institute issued a permit
for the treasure hunting.
By the very fact, it
should become a warning
to other priests not to
do the same thing,
Lagdameo said over
Church-run Radio Veritas
on Wednesday.
Its not part of their
jobs and the archdiocese
and the national heritage
should be informed about
it beforehand, he added.
Treasure hunting in the
country has been regulated
following the passage of
the National Cultural
Heritage Act of 2009.
This means that the law
prohibits anyone from
exploring or undertaking
diggings for the purpose
of obtaining materials of
cultural historical value
without governments
permission. (CBCPNews)

Duc in Altum / A5

Present in the ceremony were Calbayog Bishop Isabelo Abarquez; the Franciscans who have travelled from Cebu and Mindanao
headed by their Custos Fr. Felix Jungco, OFM; the academic community of CKC; and Calbayognons. CALBAYOGNON KODAKEROS

arrival, the present Filipino

Franciscans in Southern
Philippines honored their
memory including the fruitful
labor of the Franciscans that
followed them through the
blessing and dedication of
the new Christ the King
Chapel, which is a project
of CKC President Bro. Ariel
Manga, OFM with the help of
Architect Joel Mancol.
Praised for the Chapels
aesthetic designs, Bro.
Manga, OFM said: the
center of all our endeavors is
our faith. Brick by brick, we
were able to assemble and
carve, out of pure love, good

intention and unparalleled

devotion to Catholic Faith,
our Christ the King Chapel.
A holy bone relic of
Saint Francis of Assisi was
ceremoniously placed in
the altar of the Chapel. Bro.
Manga, OFM, continued:
this structure shall remain not
as a mere edifice this shall
be our home. The home of our
Faith, and the cradle of our
Catholic Franciscan values.
Present in the ceremony
were Calbayog Bishop Isabelo
Abarquez; the Franciscans
who have travelled from
Cebu and Mindanao headed
by their Custos Fr. Felix

Jungco, OFM; the academic

community of CKC; and
Calbayognons.
Aside from the chapel,
the Friars also blessed
the following structures
inside the CKC campus:
the Julio Cardinal Rosales
Technical Building, Fr.
Cantius J. Kobak Samar
Archaeological Cultural
Museum, Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary Province
Gymnatorium, CKC Youth
Symphony Orchestra Music
& Recital Hall, Fr. Ramon
Isaac Hall, and the new CKC
gate. (Carl Jamie Simple
S. Bordeos/CBCPNews)

Candidly Speaking / A4

misconceptions brought about by

the misreading of the implications of
democracy is that democracy should
be completely devoid of any religious
favoritism, or that religion or God
should have no part in it, or that because
of the so-called Church-state separation,
democracy should avoid religious issues
and stand completely neutral.
Right from the beginning, such
understanding of democracy is already
wrong, for how can it be democratic if
the religious sentiments of the people
or of some people at least, are silenced,
when they feel that their religious beliefs
should be respected in the way they are
governed?
Of course, in a democracy, those who
have no religion, who are non-believers,
also have a voice and they deserve to
be heard. But we should not silence
those who would like to voice out their
religious sentiments and beliefs when
they feel these are relevant in the way a
society is government.
We have to understand democracy as
a means not an end, a forum or an arena
where all the opinions, preferences, and
even beliefs and faiths of the people are

given due attention hopefully in civil

dialogues and exchanges.
This implication of democracy is
somehow highlighted these days
when a candidate, who is supposed
to be Catholic, openly goes against
Catholic teaching on same-sex marriage
because, according to the candidate, in
a democracy we should not favor any
religion.
While its true that we should not favor
any religion, we expect candidates to be
true and faithful to their religious beliefs
or, at least, their religious affiliation, and
defend them in a democratic way when
issues touching on their beliefs come
their way.
Democracy should not be an excuse
for them to betray their religious beliefs
just because it may be the more practical,
convenient or popular thing to do.
Such betrayal can only mean that the
candidate is only Catholic by name, or
is one who claims that it is also Catholic
to betray ones Catholic beliefs, an
absurdity that is somehow also gaining
traction these days.
Of course, there can be other possible
ways to describe this phenomenon. One

could be merely a coward not to stand up

for his faith, or he is simply Machiavellian
willing to sacrifice some eternal truths
or the long-held sacred traditions of the
people, etc, just to pander on a passing
popular sentiment and thereby gain
power, wealth, popularity.
Or one could simply be so blinded
by some distorted sense of loyalty to a
candidate or to an ideology, etc., that he
is willing to go against his religion when
certain aspects of that religion become
a contentious and unpopular part of a
political issue.
In a democracy, every participant is
expected to be clear about his positions,
his views, and preferences, and enter
into some dialogue and exchange with
civility, willing to listen to others,
including those with the opposite views
while articulating and defending his in
a civil manner.
Part of a healthy democracy is to be
humble enough to modify ones position
when more inputs get to be known, and
to graciously accept, at least for the
meantime, a setback even if the struggle
to push undeniable religious truths
continues.

the squeezing area, we can

see our handbag coming out
of the x-ray machine.
The Department of
Transportation and
Communications (DOTC)
is in charge of the airport.
Why dont they replace or
repair those CCTVs? The
presence of those thieves
and unscrupulous people
at the airport will stop our
Balikbayans and tourists
from coming to our country.
They should be dismissed
from the service. Our airports
are tagged as one of the worst
in the world.
***
We always advocate for a
clean and honest election.
Since the start, we demand
that COMELEC implement
the issuance of Voter Verified
Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT)
or vote receipts. It intended
to assurethe voter that his
votes had been correctly read
and counted by the voting
machine. Contrary to what
COMELEC says, the vote
receipt cannot be a tool for
vote-buying because once
the voter sees that the vote
receipt indicates whom he
voted for, that voter will fold
it and drop it in the ballot box
designated for the purpose.
Verification of the vote
through the PICOs screen
is doubtful. The people do
not trust the PCOS machine,
as it allegedly rigged and
manipulated the result of the
2010 and 2013 elections, so
why should the COMELEC
insist on such screen
verification? The failure of
the COMELEC to activate the
issuance of voters receipts
is a clear violation of Section
7 (e) of Republic Act 9369,
known as the Automated
Elections System (AES) Law,

which states that VVPAT

is one of the minimum
system capabilities of the
automated elections system
and a major security feature
of the automated voting
machines. We pray that the
Supreme Court will compel
the COMELEC to activate
VVPAT during the May 9
polls.
***
Our bishop in the Diocese
of Kalookan, Most Rev. Pablo
Virgilio Ambo S. David,D.D.
celebrated his first birthday
in the Diocese with the Holy
Mass, concelebrated by the
clergy of Kalookan. A simple
lunch reception followed.
He will celebrate his 33rd
Sacerdotal Anniversary on
March 12. We wish you good
health, all the best and Gods
blessings Bishop Ambo!
***
Happy Sacerdotal
Anniversary to the Silver
Jubilarians of the Diocese
of Kalookan - our parish
priest in San Ildefonso de
Navotas, Fr. Jerome Cruz,
Fr. Boyet Pedroso and Fr.
Dandy Bermejo; Fr. Nestor
Fajardo, Fr. Constantino
Conti, Fr. Adrian Magnait, Fr.
Junjun De Guzman and Fr.
Jojo Aguas. Happy Birthday
to Fr. Romy Tuazon, Fr.
Armand Carignan, OMI,
Fr. Ruben Maybuena, Fr.
Constantino Conti, Fr.
Patrick Hiwatig,OP., also
from Kalookan Diocese.
Happy Birthday also to my
nephew Romarico Rome
Santiago, son of my brother
Roy and Jinky; my nieces Ria
Edeliza Resi Imperial and
Raiza Elmira Lara Imperial,
daughters of my sister Isa and
Bobbie Imperial; my sisterin-law Nisa Santiago, wife of
my brother Benito, Jr.

A8

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

CBCP Monitor

Veritas to receive Affinity bond declared between

Laguna Church and Santiago
Hildegarde
journalism award de Compostela
THE St. Scholasticas CollegeManila is set to recognize a program
of Radyo Veritas in its prestigious
Hildegarde Awards.
The Manila archdiocese-run
station will receive the award for
outstanding achievement in the
radio broadcast category for its
program Veritas Pilipinas.
The program, which airs from
6am to 8am during weekdays,
is anchored by Ms. Penelope
Lanzona, Fr. Emmanuel Alfonso
of Jesuit Communications, and
Msgr. Pedro Quitorio of Areopagus
Communications.
Veritas Pilipinas is a magazine
program on the social concerns of
the Church. It is not limited to faith
issues as it also tackles morality and
pressing political matters.

The program makes use of

interviews and spontaneous
discussions to substantiate news
reports.
The 10th Hildegarde Awards is
named after the 12th Benedictine
century saint, mystic, and healer
Hildegarde von Bingen.
This years awards ceremonies
coincide with the celebration of
international womens day on
March 8 at the St. Cecilias Hall of
SSC.
Aside from the radio category,
outstanding achievements in
advertising, development
communication, print and online
media, radio and television will
also receive citations from the
Hildegarde awards. (CBCP
News)

Franciscans last Italian missionary

in PH dies at 77
THE last remaining Italian
missionary of the Franciscans in
the Philippines has passed away on
Sunday, March 6.
Fr. Giovanni Piva, who spent most
of his Franciscan life in Cagayan
Valley, has died at age 77.
Ordained in November 1970, Piva
has been a priest for 46 years and
spent his last assignment in Sta.
Ana, Cagayan.
We request everyone to offer
prayers and masses for his eternal
repose, the Franciscans said in a
statement.
The wake of the late missionary is
at the Parish Center of St. Anthony
de Padua Parish in Sta. Ana,

Fr. Giovanni Piva, OFM. OFM

Cagayan.
Details of his funeral will be
announced later. (CBCP News)

Post-Synodal confab on family held

Delegates of the Post-synodal conference on the Family held in Bacolod from Feb. 15 to 19, 2016.
FR. RONALD QUIJANO

TWO hundred sixty-six delegates

from the different archdioceses and
dioceses in the country participated
in the Post-Synodal Conference on
the Family held in Bacolod on Feb.
15 to 19.
The Diocese of Bacolod,
spearheaded by the Pope John
Paul II (JPII) National Institute for
Studies on Marriage and Family, led
by its director, Msgr. Victorino A.
Rivas, and Fr. Ronald Quijano, JP
IIs Academic Dean and Chairman of
the Diocesan Commission on Family
and Life-Bacolod hosted the National
Conference for the Family and Life
directors and couple coordinators.
Four bishops, along with around
a hundred priest delegates opened
the gathering with a Eucharistic
celebration at the San Sebastian
Cathedral on Feb. 15.
Conference speakers
Among the speakers of the
conference, held at Bacolods
Business Inn Hotel, were Fr.
Jaroslaw Merecki, Professor at
the Pontificio Instituto Giovanni
Paolo II in Rome; Cebu Archbishop
Jose Palma; Davao Archbishop
Romulo Valles; Daet Bishop Gilbert
Garcera, Chairman of the Episcopal
Commission on Family and Life
(ECFL); and conference keynote
speaker, Manila Archbishop Luis
Antonio Cardinal Tagle.
According to Quijano, the PostSynodal Conference focused on
three objectives: to showcase that
the family is the focal point of
Evangelization and the Family

and Life Ministry is the approach

to the New Evangelization; to
foster solidarity in responding to
the pastoral challenges affecting
marriage and the family; and to
highlight that the family is called by
God for a mission in society.
Nation-wide participation
The conferences organizing
group, the JPII Institute, said
there were 61 priest delegates, 19
religious sisters, 92 lay women, and
77 laymen.
The registration staff also
disclosed that there were 20
bishops who had earlier registered
manifesting their intention to
attend the national conference.
Members of the Worldwide
Marriage Encounter; the Christian
Family Movement (CFM); Bukas
Loob sa Diyos (BLD); Couples
for Christ; Family Life Ministers;
religious organizations; and family
delegations from local parishes
in the diocese of Bacolod also
participated in the conference.
Aside from the Post-Synodal
Conference on the Family,
Merecki, Professor of Philosophical
Anthropology of Karol Wojtyla from
Pontifical John Paul II Institute for
Studies on Marriage and Family
in Rome, also gave lectures to 240
Family Life Ministers at Bacolods
Pavillion Hotel, on Feb 16 to 17
with the topic on the philosophical
perspective of St. John Paul IIs
Theology of the Body. (Fr. Mickey
Cardenas / CBCP News with
reports from Adsum Bacolod)

THE Roman Catholic parish church

in the town of Paete, Laguna officially
became linked with the Cathedral of
Santiago de Compostela, Spain last
February 28, 2016.
The Declaration of Spiritual Bond
of Affinity between the two churches
was signed and promulgated during
the Solemn Mass presided by
Laguna Bishop Buenaventura M.
Famadico, D.D.
Rev. Msgr. Elisardo Temperan
Villaverde, the Chancellor and
Secretary of the Cathedral Chapter
of Santiago de Compostela,
came all the way from Spain to
officially grant the spiritual bond
of affinity.
Witnessing the promulgation
of the act were the faithful of
Paete headed by their Parish
Priest Fr. Noel B. Conopio and
two priest-sons of PaeteFrs.
Francis Eugene A. Fadul and Emil
B. Larao.
Parishioners from Saint James
the Great Parish (Alabang), with
their Parish Priest Msgr. Alen
Aganon, were also in attendance.
The Cathedral of Santiago de
Compostela is known around the
world as the burial site of Saint
James the Great, the apostle who
was responsible for spreading the
Catholic faith in Spain.
Paete Church will mark its 300th
year anniversary of entrustment to
the same saint come 2017.
Having been granted the spiritual
bond of affinity, Paete Church
becomes closely affiliated with the
Cathedral-Basilica in Santiago de
Compostela making the spiritual

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. DAN COTFAS

benefits, gained by visiting the said

Cathedral-Basilica, also available
to those who will visit the age-old
church in Paete.
By going to Mass, receiving
Communion, and praying for the
Pope while visiting Paete Church,
the faithful receive blessings and
indulgences as if they went to the

basilica in Santiago de Compostela,

Spain.
Msgr. Villaverde, on behalf of
their Cathedral, gifted Paete Church
with a stone relic from the tomb
of St. James the Great and a silver
medallion that reverently touched
the remains of the apostle. (Fr.
David Reyes / CBCPNews)

Popes March intention inspires Pinoys

to help families
CATHOLICS in the
Philippines promise to
pray for Pope Francis
pro-family intention this
March and urge others to
do the same while finding
ways to help parents and
their children overcome
the many challenges they
face today.
This Lenten season we
not only pray for needy
families. We also try to
reach out to them by
supporting efforts like
the fast-to-feed programs
[of our dioceses], noted
Queen Amor Monserrat,
a volunteer catechist at
the National Shrine of Our
Mother of Perpetual Help
in Baclaran, Paraaque
City, in an interview.
While she recognized the
power of prayer, the young
engineer underscored the
importance of walking the
extra mile by taking steps
to resolve the problems
at hand.
According to Monserrat,
these are concrete actions

that respond to the Holy

Fathers intention.
Kids first
Parish worker Darwin
Beceril of the Diocese
of Novaliches lamented
that many parents fail
to attend to the spiritual
needs of their children,
citing their busy schedules
as an excuse.
These families lack
love and peace at home.
As Mother Teresa once
said, To promote peace
we must go home and
love our family, he said,
quoting the future saint of
Calcutta.
Beceril went on to point
out the obvious: every
child has the right to
receive proper guidance,
support, and love from
their families, especially
their parents, whose duty
it is to teach them how
to pray and grow in their
faith.
Teacher Jeannette
Sumicad if the Diocese of

Antipolo agreed that the

family greatly affects the
way children learn and
interact with their peers
and others.
Based on personal
observations at work,
she confirmed students
coming from broken
homes, or whose parents
fight often and have little
time for them tend to lack
the focus and the will to
learn.
We should guide them
properly so that they will
become good Christians
and citizens who will
make a difference in our
world someday Every
family may receive all the
blessings it needs through
our sincere prayers,
Sumicad explained.
Domestic Church
Nestor Limqueco of the
Archdiocese of Manila
said formation lies
ultimately in the hands of
parents because they are
the first teachers and the

home is the first school

of love.
The familythe
domestic Church
has a great role and
responsibility in making
sure young minds are
exposed to what is good
and that they grow in an
environment conducive
to their well-being, he
added.
The universal intention
of Pope Francis in March
is dedicated to families in
difficulty.
It reads: That families
in need may receive the
necessary support and
that children may grow
up in healthy and peaceful
environments.
Meanwhile, his intention
for evangelization is on
behalf of persecuted
Christians, that they may
remain strong and faithful
to the Gospel, thanks to
the incessant prayer of
the Church. (Raymond
A. Sebastin / CBCP
News)

Liturgy confab on Sacrament of Reconciliation set

WHY do you need the Sacrament
of Reconciliation? How does it help
you?
Deeper reflection and study on
this sacrament, commonly called
confession, is the objective of this
years Liturgy Conference at the
auditorium of San Carlos Seminary
in Makati City on March 29 to
April 1.
We will look into the sacrament
of Reconciliation from its Biblical,
theological, liturgical and pastoral
aspects, said Fr. Genaro Diwa,
director of Archdiocesan Liturgical
Commission of Manila.
The conference is an annual
symposium organized by
the archdiocese and the CBCP
Episcopal Commission on Liturgy
of which Diwa is currently executive
secretary.
It is also in collaboration with the
Paul VI Institute of Liturgy and the
San Beda College-Graduate School
of Liturgy.
He said this years topic is in

A young girl receives the sacrament of Reconciliation during the 51st International Eucharistic Congress
held recently in Cebu City. ROY LAGARDE

consonance with the Jubilee Year

of Mercy, which Pope Francis has
declared for the universal Church.
In the 28-page bull, titled
Misericordiae Vultus, the Pope
said that through the experience of
the Sacrament of Reconciliation,
the faithful, especially the young

are rediscovering a path back to

the Lord, living a moment of intense
prayer and finding meaning in their
lives.
Diwa said three-day conference
will be of great help to liturgy
directors, animators, and parish
pastoral workers. (CBCP News)

PASTORAL CONCERNS B1

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

OUR brothers and sisters in Christ:

One of the astonishing revelations of
the Gospel is that every human person is
created for both human and divine love,
because every human person is made for
a Triune God who is infinite mercy and
love: God, infinitely perfect and blessed
in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness
freely created man to make him share in
his own blessed life.[1]This is our great
vocation, to enjoy the friendship of God
and of our neighbor, whether he is a friend
or a stranger, in God.
In this life, we realize this call by growing in charity, the theological virtue that
empowers and transforms us into the
likeness of Christ himself so that we can
love God, our neighbors, and ourselves, as
God himself loves us.[2]In the life to come,
we will be perfected in this vocation when
God so elevates us that we will be able to
see him face to face.[3]On that day when
we directly experience God, we shall be
like him, for we shall see him as he is (1
Jn. 3:2).
As Jesus Christ revealed through his life
and especially through his death on the
Cross, true and divine love is the sacrificial yet fruitful gift of self: The clearest
proof of the reliability of Christs love is
to be found in his dying for our sake. If
laying down ones life for ones friends is
the greatest proof of love (cf. Jn15:13),
Jesus offered his own life for all, even for
his enemies, to transform their hearts.[4]
Each of us is called by Christ to live and
to experience and express this kind of selfless love: Whoever wishes to come after
me must deny himself, take up his cross,
and follow me (Matt. 16:24). Each of
us is called to give himself away in service
of God and of neighbor. This is the only
road to authentic fullness and happiness:
Man, who is the only creature on earth
which God willed for itself, cannot fully
find himself except through a sincere gift
of himself.[5]
As Pope St. John Paul II taught in his
theology of the body, this God-given vocation to self-gift in communion is inscribed
in our bodies as masculine and feminine:
The body, which through its own masculinity or femininity right from the
beginning helps both to find themselves
in communion of persons, becomes, in a
particular way, the constituent element of
their union, when they become husband
and wife.[6] Our bodies reveal that we
come from another and were made for
another. They reveal that our sexuality is
a beautiful gift from God that is ordered
towards the perfection of our vocation
to love.

sexual intimate self-giving of husband

and wife to each other, which should
be enjoyed as a personal and private
gift from God.[10]It does grave injury to
the dignity of all involved, performers,
consumer, producers, and distributors,
since each is dehumanized by an industry that exists solely to objectify persons
for illicit profit.
First, pornography harms the performers in the sex industry, even when they
have given their consent to their immoral
activities. It reduces them from persons
made in the image and likeness of God
who have been created for love, into mere
sexual objects who are bought, sold, and
used by others for sexual gratification.
And in the process, it stunts their
emotional development and wounds
their hearts, making it difficult for them
to enter into the life-giving relationships
of mutual trust and respect for which they
were made. Not insignificantly, sex performers also face physical harm, sex abuse,
and sexually transmitted infections.[11]
Next, pornography harms the consumer by sabotaging his or her ability to
develop intimate and authentic relation-

callous exploiters who take advantage of

the emotional, psychological, and economic vulnerabilities of sex performers
and consumers for profit and gain. It is
particularly heinous when it makes them
complicit in the crimes of child abuse and
human trafficking. In the end, pornography blinds everyone to the true beauty and
meaning of human sexuality.
For all these reasons, pornography is
a grave evil that attacks and undermines
not only the individual person but also
the common good. As such, producing,
distributing, and using pornography are
serious sins against chastity and human
dignity that need to be confessed to obtain
Gods pardon and mercy. They are immoral and harmful not only in themselves,
but also because they often lead individuals to commit other grave sins and even
serious crimes that disturb the peace and
unity of every society.
The global scourge of pornography in
the Philippines
It is a contemporary tragedy that pornography has become a pervasive social
cancer, one that corrupts countless men,

have been exposed to sexually explicit

reading materials, and 15.5% have viewed
pornographic websites.[18] These young
people are the future husbands and wives,
fathers and mothers, of our nation, whose
capacity for self-giving love has been
deeply wounded. Therefore, parents
must be held responsible in monitoring
and supervising their childrens access to
the internet.
Internet pornography is a lucrative
industry. Though precise statistics are
unavailable, it is estimated that the global
industry generates up to $100 billion every year. Alarmingly, the Philippines has
become a major producer and distributor of pornography, especially of child
pornography, where it is now among the
top ten countries for the production of
online child pornography.[19]One study
has found that child pornography in our
country is fueled by foreign and local
perpetrators who are exploiting poor and
vulnerable families and their children.
[20]
These are Filipino children whose
innocence has been consumed for the
pleasure of others.
The restorative power of Jesus Christ, the

File Photo

CBCP Monitor

Created for love,

created for chastity

to consider programs against the scourge

of pornography.
To those who make and distribute
pornography, you should heed the stark
warning of the Lord Jesus: Whoever
causes one of these little ones who believe
in me to sin, it would be better for him
to have a great millstone hung around his
neck and to be drowned in the depths of
the sea (Matt. 18:6). However, this is the
same Lord who instructed the Apostle
Peter to forgive his brother not seven but
seventy times seven times (Matt. 18:22).
God is calling you today to reject this
industry of filth and corruption. No
sin is too great to forgive, but with the
help of grace, like the Prodigal Son, you
must first come to your senses, arise, and
return to the Father (cf. Lk. 15: 11-32).
Repentance is an essential ingredient for
receiving forgiveness.
To those who struggle with pornography,
do not allow shame, fear, or pride, to
prevent you from returning to God, the
Father of Mercies, who loves you beyond
all your other loves. The Gospel challenges
all of us to live a life of chastity. Self-mastery is a long and exacting work that can
become an especially difficult challenge in
a culture saturated with sexual images.[22]
The Catechism of the Catholic
Church recommends several means to
cultivate the virtue of chastity: selfknowledge, the practice of self-denial
adapted to the situations that confront
us, obedience to Gods commandments,
the exercise of the moral virtues, and
fidelity to prayer.[23]
Have recourse to the sacraments
regularly, especially the sacrament of
confession, to receive the strength and
courage from God to help you in your
trials. Entrust yourself to the patronage
of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Blessed
Virgin Mary, who have long been linked
to the pursuit of holy chastity.[24]
Finally, and most importantly, we
are all called to rely on Gods grace and
power to resist and to overcome sexual
temptation so that we may imitate Jesus
Christ who was perfectly chaste and
perfectly pure. Chastity is a virtue that
is perfected by God working with us and
in us. It is God who will complete what
he has already begun in us.
May Mary Mother of Life, Virgin
Most Pure bring us to the heart of Jesus
her Son who promised that the pure of
heart will be able to see God!
From the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Ash Wednesday,
February 10, 2016

A Pastoral Response to the Grave Evil of Pornography

Message of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on the occasion of
the opening of the Lenten Season 2016
Created for Chastity
Because we are created for love, we are
also created for chastity. Chastity involves
the successful integration of sexuality
within the person.[7] A chaste person
masters his desires for sexual pleasure so
that he can experience and live relationships that are true, good, and beautiful.
Chastity helps him to recognize and to
acknowledge the profound truth that our
sexuality is ordered primarily to the love
of husband and wife in marriage. It also
affirms that every human person is made
in the image and likeness of God and as
such can never be used merely for our own
sexual gratification.
The chaste person maintains the integrity of the powers of life and love placed
in him. This integrity ensures the unity of
the person; it is opposed to any behavior
that would impair it. It tolerates neither
a double life nor duplicity in speech.8
Chastity takes time to attain, and often,
only after a struggle, but it is an integral
and necessary ingredient of authentic love.
As Pope Francis has emphatically taught:
All of us in life have gone through moments in which this virtue has been very
difficult, but it is in fact the way of genuine
love, of a love that is able to give life, which
does not seek to use the other for ones
own pleasure. It is a love that considers the
life of the other person sacred.[8]Chastity
demands self-mastery not in order to repress but to bring to perfection our ability
to love truly as Christ himself loves us.
The Corruption and Evil of Pornography
Pornographyconsists in removing real
or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy
of the partners, in order to display them
deliberately to third parties.[9]It includes
visual images, written texts, and audio
conversations, created to arouse the erotic
desires of others.
Pornography is a grave evil that offends against chastity because it perverts
and undermines the marriage act, the

ships. It encourages men and women to

objectify others so that they no longer see
them as individually unique and valuable.
It promotes and advances a distorted view
of human sexuality, which is often linked
to violence, abuse, and the victimization
of others, especially of women. It makes
consumers, slaves to lust, which is the

women, and children worldwide. It is a

global scourge that has been fed by the
rise of the Internet. Online, pornography
is instantly accessible, apparently anonymous, and mostly free.
Data from a 2015 Study of World
Internet Users and Population Statistics
showed that there almost 3.3 billion in-

A chaste person masters his desires

for sexual pleasure so that he can
experience and live relationships that
are true, good, and beautiful.
disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure.[12]
Pornography is especially harmful
for children and young people who are
beginning to discover their vocation to
love and to be loved, because it makes it
difficult for them to enter fully into the
self-giving relationship of mutual trust,
sacrifice, and respect that is necessary for
marriage. Empirical studies have shown
that prolonged exposure to pornography
in young people not only makes them
cynical about love, marriage, and child
raising, but is also correlated with highrisk sexual behaviors that put them at
peril for sexually transmitted diseases.[13]
In his Lenten Message for 2014, Pope
Francis included pornography among
the many vices that can damage the family: How much pain is caused in families
because one of their membersoften a
young personis in thrall to alcohol, drugs,
gambling or pornography.[14][15]Even the
occasional use of pornography can lead to
addiction, both of which can injure marriages and destroy families because they
undermine the trust and exclusive intimacy
that binds a husband and a wife together.
Finally, pornography corrupts its producers and distributors. It turns them into

ternet users around the world (46% of the

human population).[16]In the Philippines,
47 million citizens (43% of the population) regularly use the web. Significantly,
Filipino children are among the children
in Asia with high access to the Internet:
82% of Filipino children use the Internet
at least once a week, while 37% are online
every day.[17]
Given the all-pervasiveness of the

Face of Gods Mercy

Many men, women, and children
have been wounded and corrupted by
pornography. They have discovered that
the destructive effects of pornography
on the soul are long lived and deep. The
use of pornography, especially if it is
addictive, is a common cause of shame
and self-loathing. It wounds families,
communities, and entire societies. It
makes prayer difficult. Often, it is linked
to other wounds, personal, psychological,
and emotional, which together may seem
insurmountable and unconquerable.
However, in this Jubilee Year of Mercy,
the Catholic Church in the Philippines
is called once again to affirm and to proclaim the healing power of Jesus Christ,
who is the face of Gods mercy.[21]
To those who have been exploited and
victimized by the pornography industry,
nothing that you have done to you
can separate you from the love of God
in Christ Jesus! (Cf. Rom. 8:35) You
remain and will always be a cherished
and beloved child of God created in his
image and likeness.
The Father of Mercies is waiting to

To those who struggle with

pornography, do not allow shame, fear,
or pride, to prevent you from returning
to God, the Father of Mercies, who
loves you beyond all your other loves.
Internet, it should not be surprising that
pornography has invaded our homes,
workplaces, schools, and churches. The
Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality
(YAFS) Study of Filipino Youth in 2013
has revealed that 56.5% of Filipinos aged
15 to 24 years old have been exposed to
pornographic videos and movies, 35.6%

forgive and to heal the wounds in your

heart so that you may discover and
experience authentic love. To you, we
the Catholic Bishops of the Philippines
pledge that we will continue to work to
eradicate the grave evil of pornography
from our land. Thus, the Episcopal
Commission on Family and Life is tasked

+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan
President, Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines
[1]Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC),1.
[2]CCC, 1822-1829.
[3]CCC, 1045.
[4]Pope Francis,Lumen Fidei, 16.
[5]Gaudium et spes, 24.
[6]Pope John Paul II, Marriage, One and Indissoluble
in the First Chapters of Genesis, General Audience,
Vatican City, November 21, 1979.
[7]CCC, 2337.8CCC, 2338.
[8]Pope Francis, Pastoral Visit of His Holiness Pope
Francis to Turin: Meeting with Children and Young
People, June 21, 2015.
[9]CCC, 2354.
[10]Ibid.
[11] C. Rodriguez-Hart, R.A. Chitale, R. Rigg, B.Y.
Goldstein, P.R. Kerndt, and P. Tavrow, Sexually
transmitted infection testing of adult film performers:
Is disease being missed? Sexually Transmitted
Diseases39 (2012): 989-994; and C.R. Grudzen,
D. Meeker, J. Torres, Q. Du, R.M. Andersen, and L.
Gelberg, HIV and STI risk behaviors, knowledge,
and testing among female adult film performers as
compared to other California women, AIDS and
Behavior17 (2013): 517-522.
[12]CCC, 2351.
[13]D. Zillmann, Influence of unrestrained access to
erotica on adolescents and young adults dispositions
toward sexuality, Journal of Adolescent Health 27
(2000): 41-44; and D.K. Braun-Courville and M.
Rojas, Exposure to Sexually Explicit Web Sites and
Adolescent Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors,Journal
of Adolescent Health45 (2009): 156-162.
[14]Pope Francis, Lenten Message of our Holy Father
Francis, 2014, December 23,
[15]. Available at
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/
lent/documents/papafrancesco_20131226_messaggio-quaresima2014.html.
[16] Internet World Stats: Usage and Population
Statistics. Available athttp://www.internetworldstats.
com/stats.htm.
[17] Riza T. Olchondra, Children influence buying
patterns, poll says,Philippine Daily Inquirer, May 24,
2012. Available athttp://business.inquirer.net/61337/
childreninfluence-buying-patterns-poll-says.
[18] University of the Philippines Population Institute, The 2013 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality
(YAFS) Study in the Philippines: Key Findings. Available athttp://www.drdf.org.ph/yafs4/key_findings.
[19]Anthony Vargas, Online child pornography a
cottage industry in the Philippines, Manila Times,
January 17, 2014. Available athttp://www.manilatimes.
net/online-childpornography-a-cottage-industry-in-thephilippines/68689/.
[20]Arnie C. Trinidad, Child Pornography in the
Philippines (Manila: UP Center for Integrative and
Development Studies and UNICEF, 2005). Available
athttp://www.unicef.org/philippines/8891_9909.html.
[21]Pope Francis,Misericordiae Vultus, 1.
[22]Cf.CCC, 2342.
[23]CCC, 2340.
[24] The Angelic Warfare Confraternity is a supernatural fellowship of men and women bound to one
another in love and dedicated to pursuing and promoting chastity together under the powerful patronage of
St. Thomas Aquinas and the Blessed Virgin Mary. For
details go to the website of the confraternity:http://www.
angelicwarfareconfraternity.org/

B2 PASTORAL CONCERNS

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

CBCP Monitor

The Financial Remuneration of the Clergy

By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.
I have often been asked how a priest,
with his commitment to live in persona
Christi capitis, keeps body and soul together in an increasingly materialistic
(and expensive) world.
Do priests receive a salary of some sort?
Are priests allowed to receive other sources
of income or seek means of sustenance and
social security other than that provided by
the Church?
T h e Fi n a n c i a l Re m u n e r a t i o n
of Priests
The Code of Canon Law regulates
this matter specifically in two canons:
Can.281, 1: Since clerics dedicate
themselves to the ecclesiastical ministry,
they deserve the remuneration that befits
their condition, taking into account both
the nature of their office and the conditions
of time and place. It is to be such that it
provides for the necessities of their life and
for the just remuneration of those whose
services they need.
Can.1274, 1 In every diocese there is

will have standing also in the civil law.

The distinct emphases of the two
canons are easily identifiable. Can.281,
1 speaks of the exercise of ministry
without any reference to service in favor
of the diocese, an element that is specified, in contrast, in c.1274. While c.281
creates a generic right, c.1274, in the
specific context of the diocesan institute
or fund, refers more narrowly to clergy
who render service to the diocese. One
notes, moreover, that c.1274, 1 does
not foresee a national institute for the
remuneration of priests, but only for
other purposes (cfr. 4).
Remuneration is a Right to Honest
Sustenance, not a Stipend or a Salary.
The Pontifical Council for Legislative
Texts (PCLT), in a rescript in 2000,
stated that the fact that c.281 is found
in the chapter of Book II that sets forth
the obligations and rights of clergy leads
to the logical conclusion that remuneration is a right: a cleric has a right
to adequate remuneration (Ref. PCLT,
Prot.N. 7194/2000, n.4.1.).

that needs to be recognized and proportionately compensated, but rather

the person of the cleric, who offers his
services, or should offer his services, for
reasons other than those which would
motivate the average laborer. (Ibid.,
n.4.2.)
Funding for the Remuneration
of Priests
The Code of Canon Law leaves open
a vast array of possibilities regarding the
sources from which it is legitimate to
receive the quantum necessary for the
remuneration of clergy. Can.1274, 1,
in fact, speaks of a diocesan institute for
the support of the clergy, unless they
are otherwise provided for. Based on

economic contribution, according to

particular law. The payers of stipends
may be either ecclesiastical entities (e.g.,
a Catholic school) or civil entities
whether private or publicfor which
the priests exercise a task, by virtue of
an express or tacit mandate of their own
Ordinary.
The diocesan institute or fund has
the task, in those cases in which the
designated level of remuneration for
the individual cleric is not met, of
supplementing the partial remuneration received from ecclesiastical entities or the stipend received from other
sources. Nothing prohibits the entities
subject to the Diocesan Bishop, or having contracted with him, from paying

contribution derived from one of the

available sources or to not request whatever belongs to him, and, at the same
time, to claim the usual supplement.
By such an act, in fact, he would damage the entire system that, in concrete,
is interrelated in a manner that is akin
to the relationship described by the
principle of physics known as communicating vessels: that which the individual
refuses must be paid by the common
fund, resulting in damage to the others
drawing from the common fund.
With respect to the inclusion of
pensions collected, or which could be
collected (inasmuch as they are owed,
if requested, by the State), one notes
that, taking into account the state of

directly to the diocesan institute the

contribution owed to the individual
priest, if the fiscal system in use would
make that advantageous.
To take into account all the possible
sources of remuneration falls explicitly
within the ratio legis intended by the
canonical legislator. Such action is
required both to express the unity of
ministerial service of the priests incardinated in a diocese and to guarantee
an adequate equalization of work and
of remuneration between all the priests.

the economic resources of the diocese

and of the specific context of the general principles set forth above, they
could be included in the calculation
of remuneration. If one considers the
necessary equality that should exist
among the priests of a diocese, it may
be appropriate or necessary to include
in the pool of resources to be redistributed all those incomes that are able to
be objectively quantified. It is not only
licit but also appropriate to take into
accountwhether partially or totally,
depending on the circumstancesthe
income received by the individual, as
long as it does not come from strictly
personal savings. There have been
some objections that pensions should
be considered as income from personal
resources and not be figured into the

to be a special fund which collects offerings

and temporal goods for the purpose of providing, in accordance with c.281, for the
support of the clergy who serve the diocese,
unless they are otherwise catered for.
2 Where there is as yet no properly
organized system of social provision for
the clergy, the Episcopal Conference is
to see that a fund is established which
will furnish adequate social security
for them.
3 To the extent that it is required,
a common reserve is to be established
in every diocese by which the Bishop
is enabled to fulfil his obligations
towards other persons who serve the
Church and to meet various needs of
the diocese, this can also be the means
by which wealthier dioceses may help
poorer ones.
4 Depending on differing local
circumstances, the purposes described
in 2 and 3 might better be achieved
by amalgamating various diocesan
funds, or by cooperation between
various dioceses, or even by setting up a
suitable association for them, or indeed
for the whole territory of the Episcopal
Conference itself.
5 If possible, these funds are to be
established in such a manner that they

What does this mean? Simply put,

remuneration is conceived as a right to
honest sustenance of the cleric as a man
totally dedicated to the service of the
Church. The PCLT explains it thus:
The remuneration that the Church
must ensure for the cleric, who dedicates
himself to the exercise of ministry according to the mandate of the Bishop,
is not measurable according to the
criteria of commutative justice, that is,
of reciprocity and of proportionality
with respect to the particular services
rendered by the cleric. The Church,
in fact, is not called upon to ensure a
stipend (c.281, 1 uses, in fact, the term
remuneratio, which expresses a different
concept than stipendio) for the work or
works performed by the cleric, but guarantees to the cleric honest sustenance,
whatever might be the assignment (or
assignments) that he receives from the
Bishop, so that he might continue to
exercise his ministerial service, requiring
the total giving of himself and his time,
in serenity and complete liberty.
From this perspective, one sees the
radical difference between the remuneration given to a cleric and the salary or
stipend paid to the laity: above all, it is
not the quantity of services performed

Maria Tan

Simply put, remuneration is conceived

as a right to honest sustenance of the
cleric as a man totally dedicated to the
service of the Church.

that phrase, one can deduce that the

remuneration of a cleric may come from
other sources, whether taken singularly
or pooled together. Schematically, there
are three types of sources for the necessary sustenance: (1) ecclesiastical entities
for which the priests exercise their ministry, whether full-time or part-time; (2)
subjects from which the priests receive
what corresponds to a true and proper
stipend or pension, according to the
norms in force of the relevant juridical
order; (3) the diocesan institute or fund.
Furthermore, there are priests who
simultaneously provide services to a
number of ecclesiastical entities. Such
ecclesiastical entities may be at the diocesan level or at a broader level. All of
these entities are bound, by virtue of the
service requested, to make their proper

Right and Duty of Individual Clerics

to Seek Self-Support
The PCLT states that where a diocesan system of remuneration is in
existence, it is not permitted for the
individual cleric to refuse the relevant

Why abstinence from meat

(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy
and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum
university, answers the following query: )
Q1: What is the reason behind not eating of
meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday? Is
there any historical background for this? I wonder
about the connection between Jesus death and
not eating meat. Please help me out. F.A.,
Ibadan, Nigeria
Q2: Why are we Catholics prohibited from
eating meat during Lent? Is there any tradition or
biblical basis for it? D.O., Philippines
A: Similar questions arrive on a regular basis,
and therefore our present answer will reuse parts
of previous replies, above all from 2006 and 2009.
First, it is necessary to distinguish between the
law of fasting which for Roman-rite Catholics
applies on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and
the rules on abstinence from flesh meat which are
more frequent.
In the tradition of the Church, laws relating
to fasting are principally intended to define what
pertains to the quantity of food allowed on days
of fasting, while those regulating abstinence refer
to their quality.
The law of the fast means that only one full
meal may be taken during the day while two light
meals are permitted, in accord with local custom
as to the amount and kind of food.
While the consumption of solid food between
meals is forbidden, liquids, including tea, coffee
and juices, may be taken at any time.
The law of abstinence prohibits eating the flesh,
marrow and blood products of such animals and
birds as constitute flesh meat.
In earlier times the law of abstinence also
forbade such foods that originated from such
animals, such as milk, butter, cheese, eggs, lard
and sauces made from animal fat. This restriction
is no longer in force in the Roman rite.
Vegetables as well as fish and similar coldblooded animals (frogs, clams, turtles, etc.) may
be eaten. Amphibians are relegated to the category to which they bear most striking resemblance.
This distinction between cold- and warmblooded animals is probably why white meat such

as chicken may not replace fish on days of abstinence.

This classification can scarcely preclude all doubt
regarding the law of abstinence. But local usage and
Church authorities usually provide a sufficient basis
to resolve problematic questions.
Abstinence was technically stricter in former times
and applied to every day of Lent. Yet, the actual
observance of the law was, and is, confined to such
circumstances as carry no insupportable burden.
This is why people who are sick, very poor or
engaged in heavy labor (or who have difficulty in
procuring fish) are not bound to observe the law so
long as such conditions prevail.
Diversity in customs, climate and food prices also
modified the law of abstinence.
For example, one indult dispensed people in the
United States from abstinence from meat at their
principal meal during Lent on Mondays, Tuesdays,

They also enjoy broad authority, in the light of

Canon 1253, to determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute
other forms of penance, especially works of charity
and exercises of piety, in whole or in part for abstinence and fast.
In countries such as the United States and Italy,
the bishops recommend abstinence on all Fridays
of the year. Abstinence is obligatory on all Fridays
of Lent. The bishops of the United Kingdom had a
similar rule but some years ago decided to return to
the traditional practice of abstinence on all Fridays
of the year.
Abstinence is obligatory after reaching the age of
14; fasting becomes obligatory from age 18 until
midnight of ones 59th birthday.
Most Eastern Churches, both Catholic and Orthodox, have more demanding laws of fasting and

The law of the fast means that only one full meal
may be taken during the day while two light meals
are permitted, in accord with local custom as to
the amount and kind of food.
Thursdays and Saturdays.
Another indult, issued Aug. 3, 1887, allowed the
use of animal fat in preparing fish and vegetables at
all meals and on all days. Similar indults were granted
for other countries.
Although in past times penitential days and times
requiring fast and/or abstinence were more abundant,
present canon law (Canons 1250-1253) has somewhat reduced these days.
Canon 1250 states: The penitential days and times
in the universal church are every Friday of the whole
year and the season of Lent.
Canon 1251: Abstinence from eating meat or
some other food according to the prescripts of the
conference of bishops is to be observed on every Friday of the year unless a Friday occurs on a day listed
as a solemnity. Abstinence and fasting however are to
be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
The bishops conference may substitute abstinence
from other foods for meat in those countries where eating meat is uncommon, or for some other just reason.

abstinence and retain the prohibition of milk and

poultry products.
In the Byzantine tradition, for example, the great
Lenten fast begins after Forgiveness Vespers on
Cheesefare Sunday evening (the Sunday before our
Ash Wednesday), with the anointing of the faithful
with oil, not ashes.
Cheesefare refers to the farewell to dairy
products in the diet of the faithful for the duration
of the Holy Fast. The Sunday before that is Meatfare
Sunday, indicating a farewell to meat in the diet.
This continues (as far as practicable for all who
receive the Eucharist) throughout Lent. Holy Week
is more stringent more of a fast than abstinence.
As well, daily celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy
is forbidden but the faithful receive the Eucharist
at the special vesperlike Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified
Gifts, which employs Eucharistic bread consecrated
on the previous Sunday.
The purpose of these laws of abstinence is to
educate us in the higher spiritual law of charity and

self-mastery.
This spiritual purpose can also help us to understand the reasons for excluding flesh meat on
penitential days. There was a once-widespread
belief that flesh mean provoked and excited
the baser human passions. Renouncing these
foodstuffs was considered an excellent means of
conquering the wayward self and orienting ones
life toward God.
The ascetic and spiritual purpose of fasting and
abstinence can also help us to understand why it
has always been tied to almsgiving.
In this way, it makes little sense to give up steak
so as to gorge on lobster and caviar. The idea of
abstinence is to prefer a simpler, less sumptuous
diet than normal.
We thus have something extra to give to
those less fortunate than ourselves and also train
ourselves in freedom from slavery to material
pleasures. Even a Catholic vegetarian can practice
abstinence by substituting a typical, yet more
expensive, element of the diet for something
simpler.
In the developed world the vast array of assorted foodstuffs available at the local supermarket make living the laws of abstinence relatively
easy. In most cases one can forgo meat and still
maintain a simple yet well balanced diet.
However, while being faithful to these laws we
must always strive to penetrate the inner reasons
for fast and abstinence and not just stay on the
superficial plane of rules for rules sake.
The spiritual motives for practicing abstinence
are admirably expressed by St. Augustine in his
Sermon on Prayer and Fasting: Abstinence purifies the soul, elevates the mind, subordinates the
flesh to the spirit, begets a humble and contrite
heart, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, extinguishes the fire of lust, and enkindles the true
light of chastity.
This is summarized in the IV Preface of Lent:
For through bodily fasting you restrain our
faults, raise up our minds, and bestow both virtue
and its rewards.
In short, the Church mandates fast and abstinence in order to help free us from the chains of
slavery to sin. Rather than an onerous obligation
it is a cry of freedom from all that binds us to
ourselves and to our passions.

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES B3

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

The Success and Failure of the EDSA Revolution

ITS the 30th anniversary of
the non-violent peoples power
revolution that toppled the
cruel and bloody Marcos dictatorship in 1986. Ironically, the
son and namesake of Ferdinand
E. Marcos called Bongbong, who
is a senator, is making a strong
bid with powerful financial backing for the vice presidency this
election year 2016. For some,
it is terrifying to see that a once
political T-Rex, thought to be
extinct, can make a comeback.
If elected, he is only a heartbeat
away from becoming president
should the president have health
problems or resigns.
Who would have thought
that the bloodiest tyranny and
economic disaster to befall the
Philippines would ever be so
quickly and easily forgotten and
overwhelmed by clever and consistent propaganda of the Marcos
family and their cronies?
Today, the new generation of
Filipinos has little knowledge
or awareness of the events and
human suffering of that dictatorship that was propped up by the
United States of America. President George Bush Sr. praised to
high heavens the Marcos regime
for adhering to democratic
principles and processes.
At the same time, hundreds if
not thousands of dissenting and
protesting Filipinos were being
made to disappear, tortured, and
murdered by the Marcos death
squads and those of his cronies.
The traditional ruling oligarchy
of dynastic families who owned
and controlled the country, the
one percent more or less, were
driven into exile or jailed and lost
their economic power and their
business empires were taken over
by Marcos and his followers.
The great success of EDSA
bloodless revolution by nonviolent, passive resistance and
the accession to the presidency
of Corazon C. Aquino was that
it was a mass movement and
relatively bloodless. It was a
protest movement against the
dictatorship showing that huge
numbers can change the politi-

Maria Tan

By Fr. Shay Cullen

Soldiers aboard an armoured vehicle give flowers to people during the 30th anniversary celebration of the EDSA People Power Revolution in Quezon City, Feb. 25, 2016.

cal status quo. The middle class

was motivated by social activists
and human rights advocates,
the Catholic and Protestant
Churches and funded by the
political dynasties in exile.
The great weakness and failure
of the revolution was that it
was not a revolution. It was
the return of the
exiled dynastic
families to power who had lost
their economic
power and plotted the Marcos
downfall from
abroad.
It was not a
revolution like that in the historical revolutions of France,
Russia, China, Cubaviolent
and inspired by ideology and
supported by the poor, the oppressed, and the hungry masses
and led by the Communists and

other political groups.

The left leaning trade unions,
students, young professionals,
and Communist insurgents in
the Philippines led the active
resistance and street protests and
many were killed and tortured

His arrival was the symbolic

return of the traditional ruling
elite and the dynastic families
to challenge Marcos and claim
what they believe was their
rightful privileges and entitlement. The dynastic families

and very wealthy Chinese - Filipino community.

The great failure of the Left,
despite the sacrifice of so many,
was their inability to mobilize the
people behind a heroic popular
leader because they had none.
The failure of the
A q u i n o p re s i dency was that it
was the return of
dynastic family
system supported
by the Church.
Why would they
abolish the system, perverse as it
is, that gave them
power and influence and great
wealth? This is
what the Left would want.
It would be political selfimmolation had the revolutionary government of Corazon C.
Aquino declared laws banning
family dynasties and nationalization of private estates over twelve

The great failure of the Left, despite the sacrifice

of so many, was their inability to mobilize the
people behind a heroic popular leader because
they had none. The failure of the Aquino
presidency was that it was the return of dynastic
family system supported by the Church.
by Marcos and his goons. They
did not have a popular heroic
opposition leader but the exiled
elites did, Benigno Noynoy
Aquino, who was assassinated
as he returned from exile in the
United States.

were the oppressive landowners

and industrialists since Spanish
times and they claimed to be of
Spanish lineage and to be the
true owners of the Philippines
by right of conquest. They drew
much support from the powerful

hectares for proper land reform

and nationalization of utilities
and all natural resources.
That was their chance to transform this country to a just and
fair nation and give equality to
the people. They should have
repealed presidential decrees
and laws of Marcos that unfairly
favored certain industries and
cronies.
They did not, but they took
back control of the industries
and the unfair laws now favor
them to this day. That is one of
the factors that explains why the
economic growth today favors
the ruling elite and excludes
the middle class and the poor.
The Marcos regime did the elite
families a big favor. The Marcos
decrees have not been repealed
and few people ever ask why not.
The dark side of the Marcos
regime was the death squads and
they too continue to this very
day as tools of the ruling elite.
The evidence is clearly and well
documented by Human Rights
Watch with confessions from the
assassins themselves as seen on
YouTube and the Human Rights
Watch website.
The record of the murdered
human rights workers, pastors,
priests, environmentalists, and
journalists is the undeniable
truth that the practice of assassination of the Marcos regime is
still embedded in the Philippine
political system.
A presidential candidate, Rodrigo Duterte, using bombastic
rhetoric and dire threats littered
with expletives, favors another
martial law regime if he gets
elected and is linked to death
squads in Davao City. He denies
any wrongdoing.
Death squads are already active in campaigning for the upcoming elections as opponents
are already getting assassinated.
Ferdinand BongBong R.
Marcos Jr. is in the running for
the position of vice president
and claims the era of his father
was a golden age of The New
Society.
The nightmare for the Filipino
people is if Duterte and Marcos
win. (Feedback: shaycullen@
preda.org)

How a taxi driver taught the lessons

of IEC 2016 to a nun
WE just finished the Visita Iglesia of the International Eucharistic
Congress 2016. It was late. My companions were all going the opposite
direction and I did not know how
to get back to the convent. I asked a
barangay tanod who said that since
many roads were closed, the best option was to take a taxi. He flagged a
taxi and told the driver my address
(in Cebuano).
Grateful to be on my way home
after a full day, I observed the passing
scene. Suddenly, the route seemed
unfamiliar. The road was getting dark
and winding. I started to getworried.
It was my fourth day in Cebu and for
the first time, I was traveling alone.
I silently whispered, Angel of God,
my guardian dear
Manong, parang iba po ang dinadaanan natin. Sa Daughters of St.
Paul, Osmea Blvd. po tayo, malapit
sa Harrison Place. (Sir, it seems were
on a different route. Were supposed
to go to the Daughters of St Paul in
Osmea Blvd, near Harrison Place.)
I told the driver. Ay, Harrison pala.
Akala ko sa Radisson, (Oh, Harrison! I thought it was Radisson), he
replied. Naku hindi po! Harrison.
Ano po ba yung Radisson? (No, sir,
it is Harrison! But what is Radisson?),
I asked.
Malaki at magandang hotel yon
Radisson Blu. (Its a big and
beautiful Hotel), he replied. Naku,
Manong, hindi po tumutuloy doon ang
madre. Sa kumbento lang po. (Sir,
sisters dont stay in those hotels but
in convents.)
Then we went back to where he
picked me up, turned the meter
back to zero, and restarted it. I was
surprised, to say the least! This will
never happen in Manila!
OK lang po sa inyo? Hindi kayo
lugi sa gasolina? (Is that OK with
you, sir? Wont you be at a deficit?

I asked. OK lang maam. Mali ako

eh. Dapat tinanong din kita. (Thats
OK, maam. It was also my fault. I
should have asked your address as
well.)
My worries flew out of the window,
and we chatted through the traffic,
as we passed by other groups still in
procession. I asked about his family,
his work, and the impact of IEC on
Cebu and its residents. Courteous
and simple, he readily opened his
heart. He told me his dreams (a better life for his five children) and his

Naku, Manong, kailangan nyo po ito,

ng pamilya nyo, (But sir, you need
this, and your family), I insisted, giving him the money. Hindi po ako
makakasali sa IEC, at wala naman
akong maibibigay na iba. Yan na lang
ang contribution ko para sa misyon,
(I cannot join the IEC nor volunteer,
and I dont have anything else to give.

will do the same. (Will you please

pray for him, too?)
Thank you, Manong Estrellito! You
are one in a million!
Thanks to you and all the valiant
volunteers who made IEC 2016
not only a huge success but also an
experience of a lifetime. Thank you
for showing me what the foreign

having been chosen. A heart ready

for any inconvenience or sacrifice in
order to serve. A heart open and generous to givewhatever one canto
contribute to the common good. A
heart that lives what it believes.
Yes, we heard brilliant theological
discourses and touching testimonies
aboutthe Eucharist during the Con-

I insisted, giving
him the money.
Hindi po ako
makakasali sa
IEC, at wala
naman akong
maibibigay na iba.
Yan na lang ang
contribution ko
para sa misyon.
disappointments (there were many).
He is happy and proud that Cebu
was chosen to host the IEC. What a
great honor! Yes, there were inconveniences: traffic is worse, the hassle
of closed roads and rerouting, etc.,
but it was OK.
We finally reached the convent. I
was opening my purse to pay and give
him a good tip, when he stopped me.
Sister, huwag na po. Tulong ko na
po sa misyon ninyo, (No, Sister, no
need to pay me. Keep it as my help for
your mission), he said with a smile.

Ana Perucho

By Sr. Rose Agtarap, FSP

More than a million of the faithful were said to have participated in the Grand Eucharistic Procession of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu City.

Thats the only contribution I can

make to the mission), he said, as if
pleading. Sige na po. (Please!)
I conceded and accepted the gift
with a humbled heart. This was
something extraordinary! I was
moved at the unexpected gesture of
solidarity. I promised to pray for him
and his family, and told him that all
the sisters in my community in Pasay

delegates kept on repeating: You

are an amazing people! Always
ready to help, always with a smile.
Gracious and welcoming, respectful and dignified. And its not for
show, either!
An Irish delegate, Fr. John, observed: Filipinos have a good heart;
something you will not see anywhere
else. A heart that is grateful for

gress. Yes, the Mass, the Adoration,

the procession and Statio Orbis
were glorious celebrations of the
Eucharist. But it was the thousands
of volunteers, the organizers and
the people of Cebu, like Manong
Estrellito, who allowed us to experience with them whatbeing Eucharist
truly means:being a peopleblessed,
broken, and shared!

B4 PASTORAL CONCERNS
By Fr. Catalino Arevalo, S.J.

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

Bishop Federico Escaler, SJ meets Pope Francis.

Mark Daryl De Guzman

WHEN Jesuit Father Federico

Escaler was named Bishop and
ordained on 31 July 1976 at the
Manila Cathedral, there were
two rather unusual features in
the consecratory rites. One,
a bishop did not preach the
homily; instead Fr Horacio de
la Costa, recently back from his
Roman assignment as General
Assistant at the Jesuit GHQ,
did. And Two, Fr Ted Grech, a
former Maryknoll missionary at
Taipei, but prior to becoming a
priest, the gifted solo trumpeter
of the prestigious Cleveland
Symphony, then staying with
our seminary community, volunteered to take part in the ceremonies. When the processional
began, Fr Teds trumpet, with
its glorious notes resounding,
powerfully dominated the great
cathedral space, with most in the
wondering congregation turning
to the choir loft to watch him.
We were in the procession,
and the Dominican missionary prelate from Guangzhou
(I believe),the Spanish Bishop
Juan Velasco, turned to me,
saying, Por Dios y por Santo,
you Jesuits take a vow not to accept to become prelates in the
Church, but when one is made
a bishop, you fill the cathedral

CBCP Monitor
In 1995, Bishop Freddie was
kidnapped; held captive for
several days. Much anxiety in
church ranks; the first time a
bishop was taken. It never got
fully cleared who really held him;
most likely, it seems, a group tied
up with the Martial Law regime.
Bishop Freddie had several times
strongly raised his voice against
human rights violations by the
Marcos military. He was released
within the week, no ransom
paid, but suitably warned to
keep quiet. My new assignment is quite exciting, he wrote
in 76; by 95, it had become also
frightfully dangerous.
Reaching age 75 in 1997, it
was finally time to hand on Ipil
to a Jesuit Bishop successor,
Frnow ArchbishopAntonio
Ledesma, who presides at our
Mass today. The following fifteen
years have not really been retirement; far from it. ... But thats
another story, and now its time
to sum up.
We have touched on the more
recentlyfostered Ignatian
theme-words, En todo amar y
servir. ... In all things, to love and
to serve. A fitting enough encapsulation of Bishop Freddies
life, as Jesuit, priest and bishop.
Servir. Most of you know the
so-called Prayer for generosity.
We know St Ignatius didnt him-

En todo amar y server

(The following is a homily delivered at the funeral of Bishop Federico Escaler, S.J.,
on December 1, 2015)
with the bursting sound of
trumpets! Bishop Freddie, that
was at your consecration, and
only because Fr Ted wanted to
honor the event. But we wont
have trumpets today, even for
your prayed-for, joyous entrance
into Heaven!
In his homily at Bishop Freddies episcopal ordination, Fr de
la Costa spoke quite briefly. He
touched one theme only: on how
St Ignatius of Loyola who quite
strongly, did not want his Jesuit
sons to accept honored positions
in the Church, might get reconciled to Bishop Freddies new
rank. Bishop Freddie had chosen
as his episcopal motto, For
Faith and Justice,the theme
proclaimed by the Jesuit 32nd
General Congregation only two
years before, as its present missions priority of priorities.

years ahead of me at the Padre

Faura Ateneo [Fathers Bulatao,
Gopengco and Hontiverosand
also my elder brotherwere
his HS 1939 batch mates], we
were half-boarders together for
three years. We both joined the
Jesuits in 1941; we shared the
Japanese War yearsand more
years, really1941 to 1948as
novices and scholastics [for sure,
there were several memorable,
even dramatic stories from
those years: for one, about those
ROTC bayonets in the Pasig
river, ... but no time for them
now].
Theology studies in the States;
priestly ordination by Francis
Cardinal Spellman, June 19th,
61 years ago, at the Fordham
University church. Fathers Jesus
Diaz and Roque Ferriols, Bishop
Freddie and I were, till last week,

he was close to death, because

he so dearly loved our country
and our people, ... he became
a real father to himFreddie
said this more than onceand
a father also to me. Freddie, just
made bishop the year before,
1976, concelebrated at Bishop
Kennallys funeral Mass at San
Jose Seminary; with deep grief,
and with many tears, whenas
the Mass endeda special string
group played No mas amor
que el tuyo, Bishops Kennallys
favorite Philippine hymn. (Incidentally, the Boston archdiocese
started the beatification process
for Bishop VIK some years ago.)
We rode together in a Volkswagon beatle to Novaliches,
Freddie himself driving. He
said to me, coming back, I
have never wept so much, ever
in my lifenot even when my

with much love. Another, Lolo

Freddie, you are a gift to us. We
love you. There have been many
quiet tears these days. On the
Ignatian motto, En todo amar y
servir: In everything to love and
to serve. Pope Francis once said,
With many of us priests, good
priests, there is much service,
yes. But so often, if there is truly
much service, there is not so
much tenderness and love. This
was not true of Freddie, wasnt it,
for those who got to know him,
up close and personal.
Freddie had been a Jesuit for
35 years before Rome named
him bishop. In his twenty years
as Jesuit priest, he had been
given practically every office
of responsibility and leadership in our Province which he
could have received: seminary
teacher and prefect of major

then. Peripheries and outskirts;

with the poor, for the poor;
Freddies postings, long before
Pope Francis said thats where
we belong.
They ordained Fr Freddie a
bishop in 1976 (as we recounted
earlier), and asked him to start
the Kidapawan Apostolic Prefecture from scratch, to organize it,
set up its basic institutions, get it
financially supported. Then leave
it four years later, on its feet, a
new diocese. The move to Ipil
in 1980, an even harder task, to
do just the same there, holding
office 17 years as its Bishop,
whereas in Kidapawan earlierhe worked at the creation
of a solid, lively, functioning
local church. Its third and present head, Bishop Julius Tonel,
two evenings ago told us that
Ipil would forever remember
Bishop Escaler, with wondering
gratitude, for all that the diocese
and its people owed him.
The Philippine Jesuit monthly
news bulletin has a few lines
from an early letter, just three
months after his consecration.
It has been quite hectic, covering six of our nine parishes

self write it, but (except for one

line in it) one finds much of his
spirit there. To give and not to
count the cost. And of course,
the Ignatian Exercises say, Love
is shown more in deeds than in
words. Bishop Freddie has spoken often enough, yes; part of
his bishops ministry. But words
are not at the bottom line with
him. All his life has been doing,
doing; getting things done, giving of himself in deed, constantly
for others. The service has been
really outstanding; but all of
it, quiet, unpublicized, given
matter-of-factly; just what one
does daily; no fuss, no noise. You
can ask anyone who has known
Freddie well. The glad giver, who
has never counted the cost, all
his life long.
In his homily, Fr Joe Quilonquilong told us that just weeks
ago, he brought the new pastor
of the San Miguel parish, Fr
Gennie Diwa, to meet Bishop
Freddie. Freddie, now lying
on his sick bed, terminally ill,
already too weak even to get up.
This is the new parish priest
here, Bishop. And Freddie,
hardly strong enough to speak,

Harvey Mateo

I have never wept so much,

ever in my lifenot even when
my mothersurely the person I
have most loved in lifeleft us
in death.

Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ, DD presides over Bishop Escalers funeral rites.

I was almost certainly assigned

to give the homily this morning
because I have known him somewhat up close and personal for
nearly eighty years. I could even
say I owe him, even before
that, because Im told that when
my father wanted to court my
mother, it was Bishop Freddies
father whom he approached, to
introduce him to my motherto-bes family (as the social
protocols of the time expected),
and to tell them that he was an
ok-person to become her suitor.
(Eighty years, to be summed up
this morning, in some fifteen/
twenty minutes or so.)
Although Freddie (if I may call
him at times that, for short, this
morning) was two High School

the only surviving Filipino Jesuits who then became priests.

Now we are only three left.
What I recount next, Ive several times told (even in print),
but let me recount it again, to
tell you something of Freddies
person, and his love for our Jesuit
brotherhood.
We had the great gift of a
Novice Master who became, in
a special way, a real father,--for
him, and also for me. Freddies
father died when he was only five
years old; my father died, when I
was only seven. Father Vincent
Kennally [VIK], our Novice
Master, who later became Bishop
of the Caroline-Marshall islands
in the Pacific, but who asked
to be brought to Manila when

mothersurely the person I

have most loved in lifeleft
us in death. I tell this story,
because it reveals the kind of
bonding Fred had with his Jesuit
brotherhood, and because it tells
us something of his own gentle
affectivity. Freddie was a loving
person. In a very spontaneous,
simplebut not a softly sentimentalway, he loved people
and was much loved in return.
Several persons told me, during
these days of the wake, Bishop
Fred seems to have been so close
to his family, so much loved by
the younger generations! And
that was and is true, isnt it, I ask
youyou who are here in force
this morning? One sign with
the flowers says, Tito Freddie,

seminarians at San Jose; socius,

or right-hand man of the Provincial (then Fr Frank Clark,
whoas a regenthad taught
him at the Ateneo HS, and who
loved and valued him so highly);
head of the La Ignaciana retreat
house and Province CEO for its
retreat ministry; treasurer for the
Province; President and community Rector in, one after the
other, the two main Mindanao
Jesuit colleges, at Davao and at
Cagayan de Oro, where he was
Xavier University President.
Then Rome stepped in and
asked him to take two of the
poorest mission regions in Mindanao: Kidapawan in Cotabato
and Ipil, in Zamboanga del Sur.
Hotbeds of conflict, they were

drop-in visits, talks, retreats,

conferences, parish assemblies,
right and left: rewarding, but
taxing; yes, quite taxing. Right
now Im mediating a split among
the faithful in a new parish. Who
will its patron saint be? One sector wants San Jose; a second, Our
Lady of Perpetual Help. Neither
side will yield. If San Jose wins,
the first group says, we will not
ever attend Masses in the church.
If Our Lady is chosen, the others
will then do the active boycotting. Exciting? Yesterday I had
my first chance for some sleep
and rest. Thanks be, A de Davao
has given me a room to hide in.
But remember, For Faith and
Justice was the motto he had
chosen. Option and labor for
the poor, the leading task. Its
realization through his episcopal ministry, especially in Ipil,
deserves a book of its own. Ipil
in the 1970s-1980s: attacks by
different militant sectors, the
Abu Sayyaf among them. A
first attack; a major one, with
loss of many homes and nearly
a hundred lives. A second invasion, razing large sectors of the
town, and by chance, the bishop
himself right on the spot, bravely
but barely able to prevent a really
bloodyMuslim-Christian mutual
massacre.

said. Father, if you need any

help, just call me. Anything I
can do, just call me. And before they left, again: Any help
you need, call me. That servir
life-story deserves a whole book,
an inspiring, heart-lifting book.
And maybe, just maybe, later
some have been asking these last
few dayseven a beatification
process.
Amar is the other word. We
have said it already; there has
been much, very much of that.
The amar y servir we spoke
of above, was mostly for other
people. But we must speak now,
all so inadequately, of his love,
his passion, for Jesus Lord and
King of all his being, and Mary
who, we know, was truly and
tenderly mother to him.
Fr. Quilongquilong spoke,
too, of the depth his prayer,
above all in the final years. Fr.
Joe said that when in Rome, not
too long ago, Freddie once held
the ancient book of St Ignatius
hand written diary in his hands.
As he slowly turned its pages, Joe
says, the tears came silently, but
copiously, from the depth of his
filial and reverent heart. When
Pope Francis spoke to his Jesuit
brothers at the Papal Nunciature,
that one evening in January this

Escaler, B7

CBCP Monitor

STATEMENTS B5

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Missionaries of Mercy

DEAR Brother Priests, Good evening!
It is with great pleasure that I meet
with you, before giving you the mandate to be Missionaries of Mercy. This
is a particularly relevant sign because
it characterizes the Jubilee, and allows
the unfathomable mystery of the Fathers mercy to be experienced by all
the local Churches. Being a Missionary of Mercy is a responsibility that is
entrusted to you, because it calls you
to testify firsthand to the closeness
of God and tohisway of loving. Not
our way, which is always limited and
sometimes contradictory, buthisway
of loving,hisway of forgiving, which
is truly mercy. I should like to offer
you a few brief reflections, so that the
mandate you receive may be fulfilled
in a consistent manner, and as a practical help for the many people who will
approach you.
First of all I wish to remind you
that in this mystery you are called to
express themotherhood of the Church.
The Church is Mother because she
always generates new children in the
faith; the Church is Mother because
she nourishes the faith; and the
Church is Mother also because she
offers Gods forgiveness, regenerating
a new life, the fruit of conversion. We
cannot run the risk that a penitent not
perceive the maternal presence of the
Church, which welcomes and loves
each one. Should this perception fail,
due to our rigidity, it would do serious harm in the first place to the faith
itself, because it would impede the
penitent from feeling included in the
Body of Christ. Moreover, it would
greatly limit the penitents sense of
belonging to a community. Instead, we
are called to be the living expression of
the Church which as mother welcomes
whomsoever approaches her, conscious
that through the Church one is joined
to Christ. Entering the confessional,
let us always remember that it is Christ
who welcomes, it is Christ who listens,
it is Christ who forgives, it is Christ
who grants peace. We are his ministers;
and we are always the first to be in need
of being forgiven by him. Therefore,
whatever sin may be confessedor if
the person dare not voice it, but makes
it understood, it is sufficientevery
missionary is called to remember
his own existence as a sinner and to

CNA

Sala Regia, 9 February 2016

Vatican City - February 9, 2016. Procession of the Missionaries of Mercy to St. Peters Basilica on February 9, 2016.

humbly act as a channel of Gods

mercy. I admit to you as a brother that
the memory of that confession on 21
September 1953, which redirected my
life, is a source of joy for me. What
did that priest tell me? I dont recall. I
remember only that he smiled at me,
then I do not know what happened.
But he welcomed me like a father.
Another important aspect is that
of being able to perceive thedesire for
forgivenesspresent in the heart of the
penitent. This desire is the fruit of the
grace of Gods action in peoples lives,
which allows them to feel nostalgia
for him, for his love and for his house.
Let us not forget that this very desire

is at the start of conversion. The heart

turns to God acknowledging the evil
committed, but with the hope of
obtaining forgiveness. This desire is
reinforced when we decide in our own
hearts to change our lives and want to
sin no more. It is the moment in which
we entrust ourselves to the mercy
of God, and have full trust in being
understood, forgiven and supported
by him. Let us give great space to this
desire for God and for his forgiveness;
let us help it to emerge as the true
expression of the grace of the Spirit
which impels the conversion of heart.
Here I ask you to understand not only
the language of words, but also that

of gestures. Should someone come to

you, feeling that he must unburden
himself of something, but perhaps is
unable to say it, but you understand...
and that is all right, express it this
way, with a welcoming gesture. That
is the first condition. The second is,
that he is contrite. If a person comes
to you it is because he does not want
to fall into these situations, but dares
not say it, is afraid to say it and then
cannot. But if you do not make him
do so,ad impossibilianemotenetur. The
Lord understands these things, the language of gestures. Arms wide open, in
order to understand what is inside that
heart that cannot be said, or is said in

such a way... a bit shamefaced... you

understand. Receive everyone with
the language by which they are able
to communicate.
Lastly, I would like to recall an aspect which is seldom mentioned, but
which instead is determinant:shame.
It is not easy to place ourselves before
another man, especially knowing that
he represents God, and confess our
sins. We feel ashamed both of what we
have done and of having to confess it
to another. Shame is an intimate feeling which influences our personal life
and requires the confessor to assume
an attitude of respect and encourageMercy, B7

Address of His Holiness Pope Francis on the

occasion of the Jubilee for Consecrated Life
Paul VI Audience Hall, February 1, 2016
DEAR Sisters and Brothers,
I prepared a speech for this
occasion on topics regarding
consecrated life and on the
three pillars; there are others,
but three [words] are important
to consecrated life. The first is
prophecy, another is proximity
and the third is hope. Prophecy,
proximity hope. I have given
the text to the Cardinal Prefect,

all the Church, of obedience....

There is always something lacking in our obedience, because
perfect obedience is that of
the Son of God, who emptied
himself, who became man out
of obedience, unto death on
the Cross. There are men and
women among you who live out
an intense form of obedience,
an obedience not military,

I speak with the superior and,

after the dialogue, I obey. This
is prophecy, as opposed to the
seed of anarchy, which the devil
sows. What do you do? I
do whatever I please.
The anarchy of will is the
daughter of the demon, it is not
the daughter of God. The Son
of God was not an anarchist,
he did not call his [disciples]

something which perhaps often

you do not like... [he makes
a swallowing gesture]... that
obedience must be swallowed,
and it is done. Thus, prophecy.
Prophecy is telling people that
there is a path to happiness and
grandeur, a path that fills you
with joy, which is precisely the
path to Jesus. It is the path to
be close to Jesus. Prophecy is a
gift, it is a charism and it must
be asked of the Holy Spirit:
that I may know that word, in
the right moment; that I may
do that thing in the right moment; that my entire life may
be a prophecy. Men and women
prophets. This
is very important. Lets do
what everyone
else does....
No. Prophecy
is saying that
there is somet h i n g t r u e r,
more beautiful, greater, of
greater good to
which we are all
called.
Then another
word is proximity. Men and women consecrated, but not so as to distance
themselves from people and
have all the comforts, no, [but
rather] to draw close and understand the life of Christians
and of non-Christians the
suffering, the problems, the
many things that are understood only if a consecrated
man and woman is close: in
proximity. But Father, I am a
cloistered nun, what should I
do?. Think about St Thrse
of the Child Jesus, patron saint
of the missions, who with her
ardent heart was close, and the
letters she received from mis-

sionaries made her closer to

the people. Proximity. Becoming consecrated does not mean
climbing one, two, three steps
in society. It is true, so often we
hear parents say: You know,
Father, my daughter is a nun,
my son is a brother!. And they
say it with pride. And its true!
There is satisfaction for parents
to have consecrated children,
this is true. But for consecrated
people it is not a life status that
makes me look at others like
this [with detachment]. Consecrated life should lead me to
closeness with people; physical,
spiritual proximity, to know the

of the community. This is your

first neighbor. A kind, good,
loving closeness, too. I know
that in your communities there
is never gossip, never, ever.... A
way of distancing oneself [is]
to gossip. Listen carefully: no
gossip, the terrorism of gossip.
Because those who gossip are
terrorists. They are terrorists in
their own community, because
like a bomb they drop a word
against this one or that one, and
then they go calmly. Those who
do this destroy, like a bomb,
and they distance themselves.
This, the Apostle Santiago said,
was perhaps the most difficult
virtue, the most
difficult human
and spiritual
virtue to have,
that of bridling
the tongue. If
it comes to you
to say something against a
brother or sister, to drop a
bomb of gossip, bite your
tongue! Hard!
No terrorism
in the community! But Father, what if there is
something, a defect, something
to correct?. You say it to the
person: you have an attitude
that bothers me, or that isnt
good. If this isnt appropriatebecause sometimes it isnt
prudentyou say it to the
person who can remedy, who
can resolve the problem and to
no one else. Understood? There
is no use for gossip. But in the
chapter house?. There, yes! In
public, what you feel you have
to say; because there is temptation not to say things in the
chapter house, and then outside:

CNA

There are men and women

among you who live out an
intense form of obedience, an
obedience not military, no, not
that; that is discipline, another
thing an obedience of giving
of the heart.

Vatican City - February 1, 2016. Pope Francis meets with consecrated life in the Paul VI Hall on February 1, 2016.

because reading it is a little dull,

and I prefer to speak to you
from my heart. Okay?
Men and women religious,
that is men and women consecrated to the Lords service, who
in the Church pursue this path
of arduous poverty, of a chaste
love that leads to a spiritual fatherhood and motherhood for

no, not that; that is discipline,

another thing an obedience
of giving of the heart. This is
prophecy. Dont you wish to do
something, something else?...
Yes, but according to the
rules I must do this, this and
this. And according to regulations, this, this and this. And
if I dont see something clearly,

to mount a force of resistance

against his enemies; he said to
Pilate: Were I a king of this
world I would have called my
soldiers to protect me. Instead, he was obedient to the
Father. He said only: Father,
please, no, not this chalice....
But Thy will be done. When
out of obedience you accept

people. Ah yes Father, in my

community the superior gave
us permission to go out, to go
into the poor neighbourhoods
with the people...And in
your community, are there
elderly sisters?Yes, yes...
there is a nurse, on the third
floorAnd how often during the day do you go to visit
your sisters, the elderly ones,
who could be your mother or
your grandmother?But you
know, Father, I am very busy
with work and I cant go....
Closeness! Who is the first
neighbour of a consecrated man
or woman? The brother or sister

Consecrated, B7

B6 REFLECTIONS

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

THAT day Jerusalem was set to witness the public

execution of a confessed sinnera woman caught
in adultery. The case was clear. The punishment
was known to all: death by stoning. (See Lv 20:10
ff and Dt 22:22ff.)
But that day, the zealous scribes and Pharisees
were determined to catch two birdsthe adulteress and Jesuswith one stone. The same stone
could be used for both, since Jesus, tooin their
viewhad gone against the law, and more than
once.
The trap was set. (See Jn 8:5f.) It was just
a matter of delaying the execution by a short
whileuntil Jesus expressed his view, and caused
his own ruin ... But that day, Jesus hesitated to
speak. There was an icy, deafening silence after
the initial, insidious utterances of the zealous
accusers. The silence of the woman was understandable. She could offer no justification, and
any pleading for mercy would have fallen on deaf
ears. The silence of Jesus, however, was not only
unexpected but above all, provocative. The case
was clear. Why did he hesitate to concur with the
provision of the Law?
His enemies demanded an answer. But when
the answer came, they regretted it. When finally
Jesus rose and spoke up, it was the turn of the
noisy crowd to grow speechless. Their angry voices
fell silent; their faces drooped; the stones landed
quietly on the ground, with a muffled sound ...
All the scribes and Pharisees present made an
about-turn, and then strode off like a routed
army, starting with the elders, as the evangelist
points out.

Renewed and saved by

Gods merciful love
5th Sunday of Lent (C), John 8:1-11
March 13, 2016

LACMA

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

Saved by Christs heroic love

Passion (Palm) Sunday (C), Luke 22:14-23:56
Alay Kapwa Sunday, March 20, 2016

JESUS had a mission to accomplishto

save mankind from the disastrous consequences of sin and establish
the Kingdom of God on earth.
That was the very reason why
he was born. And the whole of
his life was a continuous effort
to fulfill the divine plan, even if
he knew that this entailed the
greatest humiliation and suffering on his part.
All this had been foreseen
by the prophets, particularly
the prophet Isaiah. Jesus did
not back out at the last moment. He went through it in
full awareness and in perfect
freedom. In speaking of himself as the Good Shepherd
who lays down his life for the
sheep, he had stated forcefully:
I lay down my life freely. I
have power to lay it down and
I have power to take it up again
(Jn 10:18).
The last act of his dramatic
life began with his entry into
Jerusalem, through which he
fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9-10. But the rejoicing
of that triumphant and peaceful entry would not last long.
The clouds of human envy and hatred had
already begun to darken the horizon. (See
Lk 19:39.) Soon it would be pitch dark. (See
Lk 23:44.) And Jesus would find himself in
it, alone and trusting only in the love of the
Father. (See 22:45.)

Today, we are faced with the Paschal

Mystery in reverse: from triumph to defeat.
But even in Christs most humiliating defeat
we find in his LOVE the seed of the forthcoming final victory. Jesus undergoes his

made his choice and stood by it. We too are

called to make our choices and honor our
commitments. The doctrine of non-alignment
may be acceptable in the balance of power
between opposite blocks of nations, but it is
not valid when it is a matter of
right or wrong, life or death. In
particular, it cannot be applied to
our attitude toward Jesus. He is
not one of the many possible and
equally good choices. Jesus is the
WAY, the TRUTH, the LIFE (Jn
14:6). He is the only one who
can give meaning and direction
to our life. But he is demanding.
And this may hurt our pride, our
complacency, and our tendency
to procrastinate and compromise. To refrain from declaring
ourselves for him, out of selfish
considerations or cowardice,
amounts to a rejection.
Today our heart is like Jerusalem. At its gates, waiting
for our decision, stands Jesus.
What will be our attitude toward him? Shall we welcome
him with a radiant smile and
an open heart, as our No.
1, the one with whom we
are prepared to stay, even if
all others should desert him?
... Or shall we opt for what
is easier, more fashionable
and gratifying, while sending
word to him: Tomorrow, maybe . . .?
We should not take God for granted. That
tomorrow may never come! Jesus is waiting
for our answer NOW. He did not hesitate
to enter Jerusalem to die for us. Shall we
hesitate to live for him?
Lippo Memmi

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

suffering and death out of love for all and

with love for all, including his executioners
(see Lk 23:34) and the repentant thief. (See
Lk 23:43.) It is his suffering love that is the
source of our salvation!
His behavior is a lesson for us all. Christ

CBCP Monitor

Only Jesus and the adulteress remained. As the

woman heard the voice of her defender, all her
fright vanished and was replaced by a confident
trust in Gods mercy. Gods forgiveness had
made her new, alive once again and freefree
from sin and from the fear of human condemnation and mercilessness.
There is much of that woman in us, though
our sins may be of a different kind. We, too,
may have experienced the terror that our sins
might be known, and thereby we might lose our
good name, if not our life, at the hands of the
many who enjoy exposing and condemning the
failings of others.
But God is different from us. He is one of a
kind, even when it is a matter of judging our
sins. We see His attitude revealed in Christ,
the face of Gods mercy (Pope Francis). He
stands discreetly by us even as we recoil in shame
and fear. He shows himself to be infinitely more
understanding than ordinary, sinful human beings can be.
His readiness to forgive, of course, should not
be interpreted as indifference to sin, and even
less as an encouragement to continue sinning.
His forgiveness is always accompanied by the
exhortation to avoid sin in the future. (See the
last verse in todays Gospel passage.) He knows well
that we are molded out of clay, but he also challenges us to do better.
When God touches us with His forgiving love,
He heals us thoroughly and gives us peace. He
sets us free not only from our past sins, but also
from our fears and remorse. With His loving
presence He strengthens us, and makes us determined to live as He pleases, even when there are
no human judges to condemn us.

The Eucharist: Christs

empowering and
transforming gift
Holy Thursday (C), Luke
4:16-21; Commemoration of
the Last Supper
March 24, 2016
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
GIFT-GIVING is an interpersonal and social activity that
is found in all human societies. A gift is a sign of love. This
is what makes it precious and meaningful. The greater the
love, the more precious the gift, even when the object chosen to express it may not be proportioned to the intensity
of the love it is meant to signify.
All of us have received gifts, just as all of us have given
gifts to some person or other. We should never forget that
our very existence, with its rainbow of corollary gifts such
as intelligence, affectivity, memory, and all the resources
of our bodies, are gifts from the Creator. So is the world
in which we live, the family and society into which we
were born. All these are signs of Gods immensely generous love for us.
Unfortunately, even these splendid expressions of love
have been tainted by the dark stigma of sin. And so there
have been and there are people who use gifts not to express
love but to enslave and hurt others.
But a genuine gift should always be a sign of generosity
and selfless love. Ultimately, it should signify the donors
desire to give himself/herself totally to the recipient, in
love. This is why all gifts fall short of really being what
they are meant to express. All, except the Eucharist. The
Eucharist is precisely what it is meant to be: Christs total
Eucharist, B7

Bo Sanchez

Bishop Pat Alo

SOULFOOD

ENCOUNTERS

No longer strangers
OUR good works of mercycorporal and
spiritual, in response to the call of Pope
Francis on this Jubilee Year of Mercy and as
our Alay Kapwa this Lent may have opened
us to cross borders of difficulties and the
unknown, and fearlessly face unfamiliar
people that God in His providence planned
for us to widen our area of service. They
may be new faces or new problems with
old facesall these creating percussions
that challenge our faith, cultural beliefs,
and customs.
With humility, we cry with Jesus, I cannot do anything of myself; I am not seeking
my own will but the will of him who sent
me (John 5:19). To us, God still remains
a mystery as He invites us to cross over to
deep waters, duc in altum. So Jesus is our
model in our pilgrimage to go beyond ourselves and be one with our brethren in any
part of the world in the common struggle
for dignified living and lifes basic necessities. Pope Francis challenges us to move
forward and share our resources with the
different faces of the least of our brethren
with whom Christ identifies Himself todays poor, the migrant and the deprived,

even the unbeliever, and encounter in them

the living Jesus.
Our path, Pope Francis explained, must
take us further so that we live our faith by
looking at Christ and in Him we find the
Father and brothers and sisters who await
us. This means surrounding ourselves with
people not like us just like the two disciples
at Emmaus whose hearts unknowingly
burned with joy upon walking with and
listening to the Stranger on the road that
turned out to be their Risen Lord who later
broke the Bread of His Body with them at
table. Encountering the unknown turned
out encountering the other face of a God
who, so to say, roams the unfamiliar streets.
I am reminded of the song Companions
on the Journey that sings of our togetherness
in the journey of sharing life and breaking
the Bread of Gods love: No longer strangers
to each other, no longer strangers in Gods
House; we are fed and we are nourished by the
strength of those who careWe are made for
the glory of our God, for service in the name
of Jesus, to walk side by side with hope in our
hearts, for we believe in the love of our God...
and walk humbly with our God.

Relearn the Skill of Asking

WHEN he was barely 2 years
old, my son Francis couldnt
pronounce the word milk.
Instead, he would say, mi.
So whenever he wanted milk,
hed say Mi. But like any
child, hed say it a million
times if necessary until he
gets it.
And if you hear, Mi. Mi.
Mi. Mi. Mi. Mi. over
and over again, youll really
give him what he wants.
My other son, Bene, when
he was eight, also knew how
to ask. But asked with more
sophistication. He made it
easier for me to say yes.
During supper, he asked
his mother, After dinner,
can I play on the computer?
My w i f e r e p l i e d , So n ,
read a book.
My s o ns f a c i a l e x p r e s sion didnt change. With a
big happy smile, he asked,
Mommy, after I read the
book, can I play with the
computer?

My wife answered, Son,

after you read the book, go
straight to bed.
Again, still with the grin
on his face, he asked, Mommy, after I read the book,
before I go to bed, can I
play the computer for 30
minutes?
My wife said, No, I want
you to sleep right away.
Mommy, how about if I
play just for 15 minutes?
No, I want you to go to
bed right away.
Mommy, how about 10
minutes? Just 10 minutes?
Please, please, please?
Owwwwww Okay! my
wife conceded.
Now thats the power of
asking.
My son expected to get
what he wanted.
He used his smile. He used
compromise. He used his puppy
eyes. He used his cuteness.
But the important thing
was he got what he wanted.

The Universe Adjusts To

Your Expectations
As adults, we dont do that
anymore. We dont ask with
expectancy.
So we go to God and
s a y, L o rd , c a n y o u g i v e
me this And when we
d o nt g e t i t i n t w o s e c o n d s , w e s a y, O K , n e v e r
m i n d .
We quit too quickly.
Heres the problem: The
universe adjusts to your expectations.
If you expect nothing, you
get nothing.
The universe is the greatest
Buffet of Blessings. Dont
settle for a biscuit. Dont
eat crumbs in a dark corner
of your life.
God is telling you, My
child, the blessings are here.
Its waiting for you. Stand
up! Ask. Not for a bit. Not
for a little. Ask for a double
portion!
Are you ready to ask?

CBCP Monitor

SOCIAL CONCERNS B7

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

Ana Perucho

Filipino women workers worse off under Aquino--Ibon

THE plight of Filipino women
workers worsened under Aquino more than one hundred
years after the first International Womens Day was celebrated,
said research group IBON.
According to the group, the
government refuses to significantly raise wages and instead
promotes neo-liberal policies
such as labor flexibilization
and contractualization. This
has only created further job
insecurity and poor quality
work, intensifying the exploitation that women workers in the
country face today.
IBON found that the wage
gap between men and women remained the same and
even worsened under Aquino.
Women working in agriculture
made 13% less (Php 135.85)
than their male counterparts
(Php 156.32) in 2010 but
this wage gap barely decreased
to 12% (Php 166.92 versus
Php190.47, respectively) in
2014. Worse, however, is the
wage gap between women and
men employed in manufac-

turing which went up from

7.3% (Php 296.36 versus Php
319.75) in 2010 to 11% (Php
323.34 versus Php 363.45) in
2014.
The group observed that

in 2014. The percentage of

unpaid women family workers rose from 55.8% of total
unpaid family workers in 2010
to 57.0% in 2014. The portion of self-employed women
also went up from 36.6%
to 38.4% within the same
period.
IBON also noted that the
number of working children
increased from 2.1 million
in 2010 to 2.2 million 2014.
Girls comprised 37% of
working children in 2014
with the majority working
in agriculture.
It has been more than a
century since International
Working Womens Day was
established as women workers were fighting against
oppression and inequality, demanded better pay,
shorter working hours and
voting rights.
Today, Filipino women are
still struggling for better pay
and working conditions and a
better future for the nation and
their children. (Ibon News)

The government
refuses to
significantly raise
wages and instead
promotes neoliberal policies
such as labor
flexibilization and
contractualization.
women working in the informal sector increased from
41.9% in 2010 to 43.6% of the
total number of unpaid family and self-employed workers

Mercy, B5

Eucharist, B6

ment. So often shame silences us....

Gestures, gestures speak. From the
very first pages the Bible speaks of
shame. After the sin of Adam and Eve,
the sacred author immediately noted:
Then the eyes of both were opened,
and they knew that they were naked;
and they sewed fig leaves together and
made themselves aprons (Gen 3:7).
The first reaction of this shame is that
of hiding themselves from God (cf.
Gen 3:8-10).
There is also another passage of Genesis which strikes me, and it is the story
of Noah. We all know it, but we rarely
recall the episode in which he becomes
drunk. In the Bible Noah is considered
a just man; even though he is not
without sin: his drunkenness helps us
understand how weak even he was, to
the point of failing in his own dignity,
a fact which Scripture expresses with
the image of nakedness. Two of his
sons, however, take his garment and
cover him so as to restore his fatherly
dignity (cf. Gen 9:18-23).
This passage makes me think of how
important our role is in the confessional. Before us is a person who is

naked, and also a person who is unable to speak and does not know what
to say, with his weaknesses and his
limitations, with the shame of being a
sinner, who is often unable to express
it. Let us not forget:before us is not a
sin, but a contrite sinner, a sinner who
does not want to be like this but who
cannot help it. A person who is anxious
to be heard and forgiven. A sinner who
promises to no longer want to be separated from the Fathers house and who,
with the little strength he or she can
muster, wants do everything possible to
live as a child of God. Thus, we are not
called to judge, with a sense of superiority, as if we were immune from sin;
on the contrary, we are called to act like
Shem and Japheth, the sons of Noah,
who took a garment to shield their
father from shame. Being a confessor
in accordance with the heart of Christ
is the equivalent of shielding sinners
with thegarment of mercy, so they may
no longer be ashamed and may recover
the joy of their filial dignity, and may
also know where to find it.
It is not, therefore, with the sword of
judgment that we will manage to lead

the lost sheep back to the fold, but with

the holiness of life that is the principle
of renewal and reform in the Church.
Holiness is nourished with love and is
able to bear the burden of those who
are weakest. A Missionary of Mercy
remembers to bear the sinner on his
own shoulders, and to console him or
her with the strength of compassion.
The sinner who goes to confession, the
person who goes there, finds a father.
You have heard, as have I, many people
who say: No, I never go, because I
went once, ant the priest lambasted
me, he really scolded me, or I went and
he asked me rather obscure questions,
out of curiosity. Please, this is not the
good shepherd, this is the judge who
perhaps believes he has not sinned, or
the poor sick man who asks questions
out of curiosity. I like to tell confessors:
if you do not feel you are a father, do
not enter the confessional, its better,
do something else. Because so much
harm can be done, so much harm to a
soul that is not welcomed with a fathers
heart, with the heart of Mother Church.
Several months ago I was speaking with
a wise Cardinal of the Roman Curia

about the questions that some priests

ask when hearing confession, and he
told me: When people start and I see
that they want to unburden themselves,
and I realize that I understand it, I tell
them: I understand! Stay calm!. So go
ahead. This is a father.
I accompany you on this missionary
adventure, giving you as examples two
holy ministers of Gods forgiveness,
St Leopold and St Pio. There, among
the Italians there is a Capuchin who
really resembles St Leopold: small,
bearded..., along with so many holy
priests who in their lives have testified
to the mercy of God. They will help
you. When you feel the burden of the
sins confessed to you, and that of your
personal limitations and those of your
words, trust in the strength of mercy
that comes to meet everyone as the
love which knows no bounds. And say,
like so many holy confessors: Lord, I
forgive, put it on my account!. And
go ahead. May the Mother of Mercy
assist you and protect you in this most
valuable service. May my blessing go
with you; and please, do not forget to
pray for me. Thank you.

ask them: How many seminarians do

you have?Four, five.... When, in
your religious communitiesmens
and womensyou have a novice or
two... and the community ages, it
ages.... When there are monasteries,
great monasteries, and Cardinal Amigo
Vallejo [turning to him] can tell us
how many there are in Spain, that are
carried on by four or five elderly nuns,
until the end.... This leads me to the
temptation to lose hope: Lord, what is
happening? Why is the womb of consecrated life becoming so barren?. Several congregations are experimenting
with artificial insemination. What
are they doing? They accept.... Yes,
come, come, come.... And then there
are internal problems.... No. One must
accept with seriousness! One must
carefully discern whether this is a true
vocation and help it to grow. I believe
that in order to fight the temptation to
lose hope, which gives us this barrenness, we have to pray more. And pray
tirelessly. It does me a lot of good to
read the passage of Scripture in which
Hannah, Samuels mother, prayed and
asked for a son. She prayed and moved
her lips, and prayed.... And the elderly
priest, who was a little blind and who
didnt see well, thought she was a
drunken woman. But that womans

heart [she said to God]: I want a son!.

I ask you: does your heart, facing this
drop in vocations, pray with this intensity? Our congregation needs sons,
our congregation needs daughters....
The Lord, who has been so generous,
will not fail in his promise. But we have
to ask him for it. We have to knock at
the door of his heart. Because there is
a dangerthis is terrible, but I have to
say itwhen a religious congregation
sees that it has no children and grandchildren and begins to be smaller and
smaller, it grows attached to money.
And you know that money is the devils
dung. When they cannot receive the
grace of having vocations and children,
they think that money will save its life;
and they think of old age: that this not
be lacking, that that is not lacking....
Thus, there is no hope! Hope is only
in the Lord! Money will never give it
to you. On the contrary: it will bring
you down! Understood?
I wanted to tell you this, instead of
reading the pages that the Cardinal
Prefect will give you later....
I thank you so much for what you
do, consecrated people, each with your
own charism. And I want to point out
the consecrated women, the sisters.
What would the Church be without
nuns? I have said this before: when

you go to hospitals, colleges, parishes,

neighbourhoods, missions, men and
women who have given their lives.... In
my last journey to AfricaI believe I
recounted this in an audienceI met
an 83-year-old Italian nun. She told
me: Ive been here since I wasI dont
remember if she told me 23 or 26. I am
a hospital nurse. Lets think: from age
26 to 83! And I wrote to my family in
Italy that I would never return. When
you go to a cemetery and see that there
are so many religious missionaries and
so many nuns dead at age 40 because
they caught diseases, the fevers of those
countries, their lives burnt out.... You
say: these are saints. These are seeds!
We must tell the Lord to come down to
some of these cemeteries and see what
our ancestors have done and give us
more vocations, because we need them!
I thank you very much for this visit.
I thank the Cardinal Prefect, the Monsignor Secretary, the Undersecretaries,
for what they have done in this Year of
Consecrated Life. But please, do not
forget prophecy, obedience, proximity, the most important neighbour,
the closest neighbours are the brothers
and sisters of the community, and then
hope. May the Lord bring forth more
sons and daughters in your congregations. And pray for me. Thank you!

Consecrated, B5

Did you see the prioress? Did you see

the abbess? Did you see the mother superior?.... Why didnt you say it there
in the chapter house?... Is this clear?
These are virtues of proximity. The
Saints, the consecrated Saints had this.
St Thrse of the Child Jesus never,
ever complained about work, about
the bother it was to bring that sister to
the dining room every evening: from
the choir to the dining room. Never!
Because that poor nun was very old, almost paralyzed, she had difficulty walking, she was in painI understand her
too!she was even a bit neurotic....
Never, ever did she go to another sister
to say: How she bothers me!. What
did she do? She helped her sit down,
brought her a napkin, broke the bread
and did so with a smile. This is called
proximity. Closeness! If you drop the
bomb of gossip in your community,
this is not closeness: this is waging
war! This is distancing yourself, this is
creating distance, creating anarchy in
the community. In this Year of Mercy,
if each one of you could manage to
never be a gossiping terrorist, it would
be a success for the Church, a success of
great holiness! Take courage! Proximity
And now hope. I admit that it pains
me a great deal when I see the drop in
vocations, when I receive bishops and

gift of self to us in the fullness of his

divinity and humanity, in spite of
the poverty of the material elements
used to convey it.
It is impossible to express in words
the preciousness of the gift of the
Eucharist. The more we say or write,
the more we feel that we are only
mumbling something that miserably
falls short of the reality we are talking
about. It is only in the life to come
that we will be able to understand the
wonder of the Eucharist, for, indeed,
it is the Mystery of Faith.
But even with all the limitations
that characterize us, it is good that
we realize how the Eucharist is a
LIFE-GIVING and EMPOWERING
GIFT. It gives life and strength to our
weary souls, for in it, we receive Jesus
himself, the source of our spiritual
life. This is why it empowers all the
baptized to honor the commitments
undertaken at their baptism. It supports the people of every profession
and walk of life in the fulfillment of
their duties. It sustains the virgins in
their effort to keep their hearts and
bodies pure as the Lord deserves. It
gives the martyrs the strength to witness to their faith even at the cost of
their life.
In his generosity, Jesus demands
nothing in return. For him, it is
enough to give, enrich, strengthen,
and empower us. And yet, on our
part, if we are people with a sensitive heart, we feel that we must do
our best to reciprocate the gift, no
matter how short we may fall in our
effort. Such a TOTAL GIFT elicits
from us a TOTAL RECIPROCATION.
In practical terms, this means that
we should make a gift of our poor
lives the best we can to the Lord
and to our neighbor. This requires
that we do our very best to please
God in all we think, say, and do. It
demands that we place ourselves at
the service of others in all humility
and sincerity. It entails forgetting
ourselves and giving priority to our
neighbor. In short, this demands
that we, too, become eucharist
a eucharist with a small e; a pale
reflection, we must admit, of the
one with a big initial, but the best
we can be, nonetheless. This will be
our reciprocation to the Gift we
have received from him. And Jesus
will receive it with a sincere, grateful
smile, like the one of the parents who
accept and appreciate the simple gifts
of their little children.

Escaler, B4

year, Freddie had asked to be

there. He sat almost directly in
front of Francis, intently listening ... in prayer, really; not a
word said, and all that time, only
the flow of tears.
Two weeks ago, when I prayed
with him at his bedside, and
thanked the Lord that He had
used Freddie to give so much
of His love to so many people;
used Freddie through so many
down-to-earth deeds to give
hope to so many who were poor,
needy and sufferingthere were
silent tears againthe words of
his own love with which he then
prayed with me. I thanked the
Lord that He had used the dayafter-day deeds which Freddie
had so matter-of-factly shared,
and how so many had come to
love him, too, because of Gods
caring they touched in him. In

the last years especially there was

the obviously deep consolation
and prayer people saw present,
the love that had grown as gift,
in the midst of the sacrifice and
the self-giving ofreally, we can
now sayall his life long.
Thank you, Bishop Freddie.
We say good-bye, now at this final
Mass. Not with trumpets ringing
to fill this church this morning.
But with gratitude quietly rising
from, oh, so many hearts for
whom you embodied what Ignatius said our lives should be: In
everything to love and serve.En
todo amar y servir. Freddie,
rarely has that en todo been so
well fulfilled, as you fulfilled it.
So again, our thanks. And finally,
to say just one word in the name
of so very many little people for
whom your life was gift: We love
you, Bishop Freddie. Salamat po.

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B8 ENTERTAINMENT

CBCP Monitor
Moral Assessment

Buhay San Miguel

Brothers Matias

Lolo Kiko

Bladimer Usi

Abhorrent

Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome

Exemplary
Technical Assessment

Poor
Below average

Average

Above average
E
xcellent

RABBIT Judy Hopps (voiced

by Ginnifer Goodwin) dream of
being cop, despite the discouragement from her parents who
say no bunny ever becomes a
cop. Through sheer determination and hardwork Judy attains
her goal, topping her class and
becoming the first bunny to join
the police force. She is assigned
to Zootopia, a mammal metropolis populated by animals, leaves
her parents and their quiet farm
life only to be given the lowest
post of allmonitoring the
parking meters. Disappointed
but persevering she resolves to be
the best parking meter cop there
is, issuing 200 parking tickets
before noon of her first day at

ZOOTOPIA
DIRECTOR: Byron Howard,
Rich Moore, Jared Bush
LEAD CAST: Voices of Ginnifer
Goodwin, Jason Bateman
SCREENWRITER: Jared Bush,
Phil Johnston
DIRECTOR: Michael Giacchino
GENRE: Animation, Action &
Adventure, Comedy
DISTRIBUTOR: Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures
LOCATION: United States
RUNNING TIME: 103 minutes
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:

MORAL ASSESSMENT:

CINEMA rating: V 13 (Children

13 and below with Parental
Guidance)
MTRCB rating: PG

work. A wily fox con artist, Nick

Wilde (voice by Jason Bateman)
tricks and humiliates her on Day
One, but as fate would have it,
both Judy and Nick become
targets of a conspiracy. Circumstances teach them to work in
tandem towards solving ongoing
mystery crimes in Zootopia. Just
when youre about to say What?
More talking animals?, along
comesor hopsZootopia,
another fine animation film
from Disneys menagerie. Its
main asset is a meaty theme laid
out through intelligent storytelling and made alive by pitch
perfect voicing. Humans would
easily relate to the setting, an
anthropomorphic society where
animals are dressed like humans
and lead human lifestylestalk

about giraffes drinking latte

and gazelles crooning onstage
as divascreative animation at
its imaginative best. Although
Zootopia would make excellent bedtime-reading for kids,
its anything but kidstuff, what
with Bryon Howard (Tangled,
Bolt) and Rich Moore (WreckIt-Ralph) at the helm, giving
flesh to a script by a staff that
includes Jim Reardon (WALLE), Josie Trinidad (The Princess
and the Frog) and Jennifer Lee
(Frozen). Pick everything good
out of those hits, toss them all
into Zootopia and youve got
film fare thats both delectable
and nutritious to go with your
popcorn. If it can be called
anything, Zootopia is cartoon
for adults because its a strong
statement on things, beliefs and
attitudes weve taken for granted
but which need reexamination in
human society. Its an honest and
humorous commentary on how
we let prejudice, fear, discrimination, and ignorance guide our
lives and prevent us from evolving into the perfect creatures we
are meant to be. With wit and
gentleness it teaches us lessons
on empowerment, courage to
pursue our dreams, humility
and diligence in performing our
jobs, faith in one another despite
our differences. Zootopia offers
much to entertain young and old
alikethe sloth episode alone
is worth the price of admission,
Ha, ha, ha!but be careful
which child you allow to watch
it. Not all children can handle
the violence on a larger-than-life
screen. (The day we watched, a
girl about 4-5 years old screamed
when a monstrous bison clawed
the fragile bunny, and then kept
on crying, No, no, no!, burying her face in her mothers lap
and refusing to watch further.
The mother and the two yayas
were clueless, taking turns carrying the uncontrollable kid
outside and bringing her back
in until she literally lay on the
floor, screaming and kicking
inconsolably and spilling drinks
and popcorn as a result. Literally, naglupasay! The incident, of
course, disturbed the audience,
but we wonder if it didnt consist
a trauma for the girl.)

PRE-DEADPOOL Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) was a special

forces operative who was dishonorably dismissed. He becomes a
hired kill-all-you-can mercenary who sets no limits how he kills
whom, then meets hot chick Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), a hooker
with a past as murky as his. A deadly blend of sex and sympathy
draws them closer together, and then its year-round non-stop carnal
bliss for the two. One day, taking a break from Vanessas addictive
charms, the otherwise hunky Wilson collapses in the bathroom
and later on is diagnosed to have terminal cancer in his lungs,
brain, prostate, and liver. Desperate for a cure, he leaves Vanessa
and agrees to submit himself to a government funded experimental
treatment in the hands of a doctor named Ajax (Ed Skrein). The
experiment not only cures his cancer, but also gives him superhuman
strength and the power to self-regeneratebut he becomes horribly
disfigured in the process. When he finds out that the experiment
was actually designed to turn
him into a super-slave, and that
his deformity is irreversible, he
leaves Vanessa to spare her from DIRECTOR: Tim Miller
the sight of him dying. Thus, the LEAD CAST: Ryan Reynolds,
mask, the superhero costume,
Morena Baccarin, Ed
Skrein
and the monicker Deadpool.
He then launches a testosterone- SCREENWRITER: Paul Wernick & Rhett Reese
driven hunt for the sadistic guy GENRE:
Action/Adventure
Ajax who made him uglier than DISTRIBUTOR: 20th Century
the phantom of the opera.
Fox
As far as CGI action goes, LOCATION: USA
Deadpool is tops; just like any RUNNING TIME: 108 minutes
Marvel superhero movie, it TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:

aims to dazzle its audience with

new tricks, new choreography, MORAL ASSESSMENT:
rating: V18
new ways to torture the enemy, CINEMA
MTRCB rating: R16
new excuses to bare the heros
absand it does succeed in
entertaining the fans and many film critics. Reynolds (who didnt
quite hit it with Green Lantern) obviously enjoys being Deadpool,
spewing witticism, sarcasm and adults-only expletives, and trying to
be funny in the middle of hacking an opponent to death. He also
enjoys baring his abs and that forbidden region south of his navel
in a bid to maximize the movies R rating. Unlike most movies
with a high body count, Deadpool makes no attempt to disguise
the gore, so that when heads are axed and torsos impaled and sliced
like watermelons, wellyou see red all over the screen.
Towards the end, Deadpool attempts a redemptive messagelove
sees beyond the externalsbut coming after 105 minutes of the
protagonists undiluted badassery, it feels put on. Deadpool the
character has been described as technically a superhero, but one with

Buhay Parokya

Look for the images of Holy candle, Holy

water, and Holy cross.
(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

DEADPOOL

a mean streak and a potty mouth. (Just how potty is potty? Please
refer to http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2016/
deadpool2016.html). Deadpool himself is dead right when he says
I am not a hero, so what is he? A pathetic cancer victim who finds
love too late and is therefore to be pitied? A wisecracking murderer

who enjoys killing people to heal his wounds? A superhero figure

reimagined for box office profits is more like it, proven by the gimmick as the credits rollReynolds reappearing minus the Deadpool
costume, chiding the audience to go home. Talk about cutesies.
Dont say we didnt warn you.

Ugnayan

THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST

CBCP Monitor. Vol. 20 No. 11

March 7 - 20, 2016 C1

Thousands proclaim on V-Day:

'Marriage is beautiful'

'It takes community to

build family' - Bishop
WE'VE probably all heard the saying that
goes: It takes a village to raise a child but
according to a prelate, it takes a community
to build family to raise a child.
Caloocan Bishop Pablo David, in his
homily during the Mass to celebrate
Couples for Christ (CFC)'s Marriage is
Beautiful event at the SMX Convention
Center on Valentine's Day said I think
this is inspired by an African proverb: 'It
takes a village to raise a child.' (but) it's
not enough to say it takes a village to raise
a child... (rather) It takes a community to
raise a family.
The bishop praised CFC for organizing
the event, saying the theme shows that
you rightly remind yourself [that] you
also need to raise a family that will raise a
child and that will not happen if we don't
build community.
More than a building

According to Bishop David, building

community is what being Church is all
about. The Church is not a building; it's
the community of the people of God, a community where individuals and families are
bonded together not just by blood relationship but above all, by faith, he explained.
This bond brought about by God Himself, said Bishop David, should not be
taken lightly. The bonding of family is
by blood, the bonding of community is by
water, the water of faith, so don't say blood
is thicker than water because the water of
baptism purifies your blood relationships,
he explained.
The growth and survival of the family,
Bishop David said, is ultimately linked
to the Church. We need to grow as community, not just as families... if we want
our families to be nurtured properly, he
stressed.
Two dimensions

According to Bishop David, the sense of

community in Church is seen through two
important dimensions. We are bonded
together as community by discipleship and
mission, explained the prelate. Explaining
further, he said: Community is what builds
our humanity into God's image and likeness. (Nirva'ana Ella Delacruz)

By Nirva'ana Ella Delacruz

are ups and down, there are challenges, but all

told, it's an exciting experience to be married.
Marriage is beautiful and especially if it's a
marriage anchored on the Lord.

Thousands of Couples for

Christ (CFC) members and
their families flocked to the
Highlighting beauty
SMX Convention Center on
The gathering, which featured a Holy Mass
Valentines Day to declare and simultaneous workshops on married life
what a beautiful gift married and family, he said, aimed to be a collective
affirmation of the goodness of married life.
life is.
We want to proclaim to the whole world
Valentine's Day is really the appropriate day to celebrate love and marriage. We
wanted to hold an event that will proclaim
God's goodness [about] the sacrament of
matrimony... because there are attacks on the
family, the institution itself and marriage,
said CFC chairman Joe Tale in an interview.
According to Tale, who also gave an interview to ABS-CBN about the event: There are
really a lot of beautiful things happening in
the lives of married people. Of course there

that marriage is beautiful. Despite whatever

people say, this is the life we'd like to live and
we'd like to encourage many others to live
[it], explained Tale.
This bold move by CFC, CFC International
Council member Michael Shok Ariola
revealed, is a response to Catholic Bishops'
Conference of the Philippines Episcopal
Commission on Family and Life chairman
Bishop Gilbert Garcera's challenge to the
community to share the beauty of married

Couples for Christ to launch

Pluma TV series

life to the world.

He shared: [Bishop Garcera] challenged
CFC to organize an activity that will highlight
marriage and its beauty, highlight not only
marriage but also family and its beauty, and
this [event] is our response.
Kick-off

According to Ariola, the Marriage is

Beautiful event with its workshops on family, marital life, and parenting will be echoed
by the CFC leaders who attended the Feb. 14
event, in their respective provinces and areas.
In effect, this is just our kick-off, said
Ariola.
For Singles for Christ international coordinator Noli Manuel, it's about time Catholics
go beyond merely defending marriage and
graduate to affirming what is good, true, and
beautiful about the institution. The challenge
even in social media [is about] how we should
be proclaiming... It's always been us defending

[it]. But now... the challenge to CFC is to go out

and tell the world that marriage is beautiful.
Aside from the workshops, the event featured a parade of couples who have celebrated
more than 25 years of marriage. The oldest
married couple who gamely paraded before
the Mass was Jet and Myrna Jeturian who
have been married for 57 years. However, the
community honored not just those who have
been married a long time but also the young
couples who have bucked societys growing
acceptance of live-in arrangements and chose
to get married in order to proclaim that
indeed, a marriage that is blessed by God is
beautiful and will endure. The newest couple
were Peace and Marj Mayor who got married
on the weekend prior to the Valentines Day
celebration.
Caloocan Bishop Pablo David celebrated
the Holy Eucharist and congratulated CFC
for its boldness in proclaiming the beauty of
the married state.

OSM to SFC PMA:

'CFC is relevant in your life'
THE Order of St. Michael, together
with CFC and SFC members from
Metro Manila West C, Baguio,
Pangasinan and Tarlac,motored
to Baguio City on the last weekend
of February, the eve of the final
examinations week of the Philippine Military Academy, to serve
at the first monthly assembly of
the Singles for Christ-PMA Chapter. Art Alabanza, OSM Program
Head, led the service team.

During the assembly, Alabanza, a PMA alumnus and a

retired Colonel of the Philippine
Airforce, spoke about some of
the difficulties that cadets may
encounter and how the Lord,
through the community, can help
them overcome these difficulties.
There are five possible sources
of failures in our lives, Alabanza
began, enumerating these sources
ashealth, marriage, family, career,
PMA, C2

For the past 34 years, Couples for

Christ (CFC) has conquered borders, set standards and developed
new, exciting and dynamic ways
to share the Gospel in creative and
powerful ways.

This year, CFC will again strive

to go beyond its limits and begin
creative evangelization in the field
of worldwide television. The community will be proclaiming the
PLUMA, C2

The Church is not a building; it's the community of

the people of God, a community where individuals
and families are bonded together not just by blood
relationship but above all, by faith." ~Bishop David

C2

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

Couples For Christ-Cebu Has a New Home

The Family, the Eucharist and the

Jubilee Year of Mercy

CFC Cebu welcomes guests to its new home, from top: Msgr. Rommel Kintanar cutting the ribbon, facade of the new Provincial
Mission Center.

MORE than a hundred leaders of

CFC Cebu gathered together last
February 27, 2016 to celebrate
and thank God for a new milestone in CFC Cebu history - the
blessing of its new Provincial
Mission Center. The Center is
located at the entrance of Singson Village in Andres Abellana
St., Cebu City.
Msgr. Rommel Kintanar of the
Diocese of Cebu, and also CFC
Cebu spiritual adviser, officiated
at the blessing ceremony and the
Holy Mass that followed. He
was assisted at the ribbon cut-

ting by Dong and Au Avila,

newly-appointed Regional Head
for Central Visayas and formerly the Provincial Area Head
of CFC Cebu.
During the mass, Deen and
Belen Cabatingan, who were
celebrating their 34th wedding
anniversary on that day, were
prayed over by Msgr. Kintanar
and the community.
According to Msgr. Rommel,
the new CFC building is home
not only for CFC Cebu members,
but also for those who would like
to come home to the Father. In

fact, the surrounding neighbors

were invited to join the celebration and one family came.
The three-story building will
house the administrative office,
Ablaze and the small adoration
chapel at the ground floor, the
Family Ministries and Coops
for Christ at the second floor
and a multi-purpose hall on the
third floor.
Currently, there are 36,000
members of CFC in Cebu province including the family ministries: KFC, YFC, SFC, HOLD,
SOLD.

PLUMA, C1

and humor in each person's personal journey.

The pilot episode will be aired this March in one of
the biggest TV networks in the Philippines. The series
will run every Sunday, with 13 episodes comprising
its first season.
Pluma is calling on CFC members who have inspiring stories to share to send in their queries and/or
stories to PlumaTVseries@gmail.com. Everyone is also
encouraged to follow Plumas Facebook page (www.
facebook.com/PlumaTVseries) and twitter account
(@PlumaTV).

Good News and Gods victory via the upcoming TV

documentary series,Pluma.
Pluma will unveil inspiring and extraordinary stories
of ordinary people who happen to be members of Couples for Christ and its ministries (SFC, YFC, KFC, SOLD
and HOLD). More than recounting Gods extravagant
love and grace in the lives of these ordinary people, it is
hoped that their stories will inspire viewers to strengthen
their hope in life and faith in God. This series aims to
proclaim the sanctity of the family, the beauty of Christian values, the essence of unwavering faith and the joy

CBCP Monitor

During t he Jubilee, all debtors are liberated,

every land is restored to its owner, all possessions are reverted to t he original owners. In
t he same wa y, a persons dignity is restored
to t he original plan of God.
This was how Msgr. Allen Aganon, CFC Spiritual Director and pastor of St. James the Great
Parish in Alabang, began his Lenten reflection
last March 6, 2016 during the Metro Manila
Mission Core Assembly at the Ynares Coliseum
in Pasig City.
In the Lenten recollection, Msgr. Aganon
shared his reflections on the three relevant celebrations in the Catholic Church for 2016the
Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Year of the Family
and the Year of the Eucharist. He showed how
these three are related to one another, and what
we can learn from reflecting on them this Lenten
season.
Painting Gods image

To understand mercy deeper, Msgr. Aganon

painted a picture of God with regards to how He
manifested Himself in Scripture.
In the first reading during Ash Wednesday,
the prophet Joel said in Chapter 2, verses 12
13: return to me with all your heart, with
fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend
your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the
LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
When we say God is merciful, hindi ito
panlabas lang, kundi galing sa kaibuturan ng
Diyos, Msgr. Aganon stated. He added, The

literal translation of mercy (innards, womb)

shows that when the Lord comes to us, there
is a certain level of intimacy, like the connection of a mother to her child in the womb. It
is a deliberate and intimate decision to love.
Msgr. Aganon then invited the assembly to
journey throughout salvation history to see how
God revealed Himself to man as a merciful God.
How God created man paved the way in revealing how we can know God completely. He
molded us with own hand, He breathed on us,
Msgr. Aganon began. According to Cardinal
Tagle, Gods breath in us is the Spirit of God
which gave us the capacity to relate. With whom?
To the One who gave us life. This relationship
is explained with St. Augustines very words: My
heart is restless until it rests in You, he added.
Despite the fall of man, the Lord still clothed
Adam and Eve, symbolic of His protection over

them even as He drove them out of Paradise. Man

sinning and rejecting God, as shown in the stories
of Cain and Abel, and the tower of Babel, led to a
renewal of Gods covenant to His people, as told
in the story of Noah and the Ark. In the time of
Abraham, Gods manifestation was clearer, when
He told Abraham, I will be your God and you
will be my people.
When God revealed Himself to Moses, it
was because there was something He wanted to
do, not for Himself, but for His people, Msgr.
Aganon further explained. The holiness of God
reveals His mercy, His faithfulness, His steadfast
love despite mans infidelity. This is further
emphasized in the story of the prophet Hosea,
whom God asked to take a wife, Gomer, a woman
of prostitution. He exhorted, God turns His
justice upside down, and His compassion rises
above. Mercy is victorious over the justice of
God. Gods holiness is revealed more not in His
power, but in His mercy.
In the New Testament, the ministry of Jesus
reveals how He always went out and met people
where they werecalling His disciples, healing
the sick, exorcising evil spirits, raising the dead,
forgiving sinners. Those encounters manifest
the compassion and mercy of God through His
presence in mans life in flesh and blood.
In the ordinariness of life, the moment God
inserts Himself into the lives of men and women,
there is always something beautiful that is happening. He is restoring them into the beauty and
dignity He has designed for them, Msgr. Aganon
pointed out. He added, It is the same with you,
CFC! Many of you may have been afflicted with
certain addictions. But a genuine encounter
with Jesus replaced the vacuum in your hearts.
That is how the Lord works in our lives.
The Year of Mercy, the Family and the
Eucharist

The Jubilee Year of Mercy is therefore a challenge to the family. In restoring the original plan
of God for the family, we should deliberately
bring our families back to God, and ask God what
His plans are for our families, Msgr. Aganon
exhorted.
The family should be a place of learning
where parents teach the will of God, the Word
of God and how to follow the Word. The union
of hearts in the familyor communionwill
likewise restore the plan of God for the family.
The many experiences in the family will allow
parents and children to transcend areas in life
that are lacking or cause separation and discord.
The family is also where every person learns
to be sent, with parents inculcating the spirit of
leadership and mission to their children.
The Eucharist is the perfect model of communionwhere the Word of God is spoken, bread is
broken and given away, where the faithful pray
together and later on, are sent out into the world.
And families who share in the celebration of the
Eucharist become Eucharistic families ready to
share Christs mercy and peace.
As a final note, Msgr. Aganon shared the
Prayer to be Merciful written by St. Faustina.
With the entire assembly, all prayed for the Lord
to help each one, that my heart may be merciful
so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my
neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will
be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse
my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the
most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own
suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord,
rest upon me. (CFC Global Communications)

PMA, C1

and character. "You may encouter

some of the greatest frustrations in
your life. But as long as you surrender yourself to God, humble yourself and pray, 'Lord, I have done my
best. I leave it to You; please take
care of me', God will help you."

marriages. As single people who

may later on become couples themselves, he instructed the SFC PMA
cadets on the roles of husbands
and wives according to Ephesians
5:24-25.

Health is wealth

"CFC builds the home and defends the family, promoting love
in the family with parents setting
the example," Alabanza emphasized. He added, "The reason why
we are here on earth is to foster
relationships. The more relationships we create in this word, the
better our life will be." Investing
in relationships, helping one's
neighbors, treating people with
respect and love and ensuring
proper communication are essential in community."Through
these godly relationships, we learn
mercy and compassion, kindness,
understanding and generosity,"
he added.
In terms of career development,
CFC helps in doing away with negative thinking, and in learning how
to put God's plan ahead of one's
own. "A career in the military is
very challenging. But being in CFC

Alabanza shared the wisdom of

Sirach 30:15, "Being healthy and
fit is better than any gold, and a
strong spirit is better than untold
riches."But, Alabanza said, advancing age as well as lifestyle take their
toll on one's physical well-being,
and sometimes, sickness cannot be
avoided. In community, members
are encouraged to live healthy to
be fit for the mission. But in times
of illness, CFC brethren support
one another through caring and
prayers, as well as help each other
financially in times of need.
Clear marital roles

Alabanza noted that in the

OSM's conduct of the Character
Enhancement Retreat in the various military camps, some members
of the armed forces shared that
they experience difficulty in their

Other lessons

taught me the value of humility

and integrity. Crossroads are just
temporary; the Lord always has
the best plan for us," Alabanza emphasized after sharing a personal
experience in his military career.
He then gave a brief background
on how being in a household or
small support group helped him
cope with each trial.
Finally, Alabanza shared how
CFC takes care of each member's
spiritual and moral well-being
via the character enhancement
programs and teaching tracks
available.
Alabanza again drew from Proverbs 4:23 which says, 'Above all
else, guard your heart for it is the
wellspring of life.' Without a deep
relationship with God, a person's
heart is vulnerable to evil. So that
when presented with a tempting
opportunity, one falls and compromises his character.
On this note, Alabanza reminded
the SFC PMA cadets to abide in
the Lord in developing character
by faith, by training, by mistakes,
enhanced not only by acts of bravery but more so by habits of daily
conduct. (Alma Alvarez)

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

Michael C. Ariola
IC Oversight

The guidelines above are from the Philippine Movement for Transformational Leadership (PMTL),
a coalition of Christian faith-based communities who have decided to come together to do Gods
work in the political field, and ensure that God-centered and competent servant leaders get elected
into office in 2016 and onward. Couples for Christ, mindful of the coalitions noble mission, has
chosen to be part of this group.
CFC has made clear that it will not endorse any single candidate. However, it will encourage
everyone to take a look at the groups criteria, the GabayKristo, as helpful guides for assessing
every single candidate and ensuring that he or she passes the strict criteria. CFC believes that
the criteria present a fair assessment of what we should all look for in the leaders we shall soon
choose to lead us.

Zenaida A. Gimenez
Editor-in-Chief

Deomar P. Oliveria
Layout Artist

Alma M. Alvarez
Associate Editor

Evangeline C. Mecedilla
Circulation Staff

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

facebook.com/CFC.Global.Mission

@CFChrist

CBCP Monitor

C3

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

CCF holds 11th General Assembly

James Solano swearing in the newly-elected members of the Board of Directors for the CFC Co-ops Federation during the 11th
General Assembly in Davao City

TWENTY-ONE (21) active primary

cooperativeaffiliate members of
the CFC Co-operative Federation
(CCF), represented by 37 delegates,
convened last March 5, 2016 at
the CFC Davao Provincial Mission Center for the 11th General
Assembly.
Irwin Pagdalian, CFC Davao
Provincial Area Director, led the
opening worship, while Noel Dacalos, Regional Head, welcomed
the delegates to Davao City. The
guest speaker, CFC Board of Elders
member and former International
Council member James Solano,
exhorted the delegates to be joyful
as they serve in the co-ops, citing
Philippians 4:5Let your kindness
be known to all.as a guiding verse
for their service.

The election of the Board of

Directors was presided by the Committee Chair Lydia Bilangbilin and
Committee member Constancio
Maceda. The new Board of Directors are Co-ops for Christ Davao,
Co-ops for Christ Laguna, Co-ops
for Christ Southern Leyte and Coops for Christ Agusan del Norte.
Their representatives will be serving as members of the BOD for the
next two years.
After the elections, Jekree Mangahas and Irvin de Leon of BDO
presented the BDO Cash Card,
followed by a presentation from
the Philippine Cooperative Center
represented by Marlene Sindayen,
BOD member and Elsie Remonte,
Operations Manager. Remonte gave
an orientation about the Philip-

pine Cooperative Center, as well as

updates on the cooperative movement, particularly the Cooperative
Summit on October 2016, and
Taxation of Cooperatives. All CCF
members were enjoined to submit
in writing all the taxation issues they
have encountered in their particular
coops. These will be complied and
presented to Cooperative Development Authority through PCC, as
these two agencies are committed to
assist co-ops in this regard.
The Co-op Video, produced by
CCF and the new logo were also presented to the Assembly. The video,
which basically tackles the benefits
of belonging to a co-op, will be forwarded to all CCF members in time
for their respective General Assemblies this year. (Harmony Medina)

CFC ANCOP Partnership With DLSU-CSB

Yields First Fruits
IN 2012, the CFC ANCOP Global Foundation (ANCOP)
sealed a partnership with the De La Salle-College of
St. Benilde (DLS-CSB) under the Benildean Hope Grant
scholarship program. Under the partnership, poor but
qualified high school graduates under the care of CFC
ANCOP would be able to pursue free college education
at DLS-CSB.
The first batch of ANCOP scholars that enrolled
in CSB in 2012 were Jobet Daco, Domingo Victoria,
Clea Anjaenette Reyes, Antonette Tiongson, Jennel
Ann Bernardino and Kristine Crispino. All of them
admitted that they would not have been able to enroll
at DLS-CSB, without the ANCOP-DLS-CSB agreement.
All of them come from impoverished families, such as
Jobet whose mother is a banana cue vendor; Jennel Ann
whose mother does odd jobs whenever she can find such
work being the sole breadwinner since her husband is
sick and no longer able to work and Domingo who had
to delay his schooling for one trimester so he could
recuperate from an illness.
But because all of them are patient, determined and
focused on a single goal- to finish college - God has
abundantly blessed them. After more than 3 years of
hard work and diligent study, all except Kristine have
finally obtained their college diplomas in the field of
Human Resource Management, Consular and Diplomatic Affairs and Computer Applications. However,
Kristine, an alumna of the Cornerstone Leadership
Program, is on track and will graduate in October 2016.
Good fortune, and Gods grace has continued to pour
upon these graduates. Jobet is now an HR Associate in
IBM Philippines while Clea works as Planning Officer

at the Department of Science and Technology. Jennel

asked her mother to stop working since she can already
support the familys needs after finding employment
as an IT staff. The others are actively searching for
jobs and, because of their excellent academics and the
good school they graduated from, have good chances
of getting employed.
As of February 2016, or after four years of partnership, 53 ANCOP scholars have become certified Benildeans. Apart from the four (4) courses site cited
above, the students are enrolled in Multimedia Arts,
Fashion Design and Merchandising, Industrial Design,
Architecture, IT in Game Design and Development
and similar courses that are preferred and well sought
by employers.
At the end of first trimester of SY 2016-17, seventeen
(17) ANCOP Benildean scholars were awarded citations
for exemplary academic performance.
Leading the pack of the Deans Listers is college
freshman Julie Ann Burio, the daughter of a laborer
and a laundrywoman, who obtained an enviable GPA
of 3.8 (out of the highest grade of 4). Jim Martin de la
Cruz is another Deans Lister and a strong candidate
for Cum Laude honors when he finishes a course in
Multimedia Arts in October 2016. Benjamin Fontanilla, who topped the qualifying exam from among
the roster of 21 ANCOP examinees who all passed)
garnered a GPA of 3.7.
In the next two years, and hopefully well beyond
that, we shall see a bountiful harvest of Gods scholars
getting their much deserved diplomas at DLS-CSB.
(Efren Tompong)

Co-ops Fed Lakbay Aral Year 2

Congratulations to the new graduates, from left: Antonette Tiongson, Clea Anjanette Reyes, Jobet Daco, Jim Martin dela Cruz, Julie
Ann Burlo.

CFC ANCOP USA reaches out to

'kababayans' in Aklan

Representatives of the member cooperatives of the CCF at the Tagum Cooperative, a billionaire co-op in Davao.

The CFC Co-operatives Federation (CCF) went on a

Lakbay-Aral (educational tour) to Davao last March 4,
2016. Forty-eight participants from 15 member cooperatives of the CCF converged at the CFC Davao Provincial
Mission Center before proceeding to two local cooperatives in the province to learn about their best practices,
as well as challenges on how to become successful co-ops.
First stop was the Toril Community Cooperative in
Toril, Davao City. Atty. Melba N. Donaire, TCC Chairperson, and Marivic D. Madrio, General Manager, welcomed
the CCF delegates. During the orientation given by TCC
Marketing Officer Reynaldo Aballe, the CCF delegation
learned how the millionaire co-op has contributed to
the development of the community and the growth of
its members since it was established in 1969. Among
the businesses of the TCC are savings, credit, life and
non-life insurance, funeral and memorial services, and
its newest venture, the TCC Condo-Hostel.
The group then travelled for almost two hours to

Tagum City, Davao del Norte for the next leg of Lakbay
Aralthe Tagum Cooperative. A Gawad Parangal Hall
of Fame Awardee, the Tagum Cooperative offers credit,
member medical assistance, insurance, mortuary, funeral service and budgetel.
Chairperson Norma Pereyras de Asis, together with
the Board of Directors and Manager Juris Perez welcomed the group. De Asis emphasized the value of good
governance, research and development and transformative servant leadership as definitive actions in order to
become a billionaire cooperative. Aside from the services
mentioned, the Co-op likewise promotes savings among
its members and their children, with products like Youth
Savings Club and Power Teen Savers Club.
The CCF Lakbay Aral, already on its second year, allows the participating member co-ops to not only take
home with them stories of camaraderie and inspiration,
but also ideas on how to improve the growth of their own
cooperatives. (Harmony Medina)

Celebrating Valentine's the CFC ANCOP way

ANCOP USA returns to the Philippines for med mission, clockwise from top left: volunteers wear their statement; medical mission
team serving kababayans; Elizabeth Macaraeg, Med Mission Head; Roger Santos, ANCOP USA ANCOP USA Executive Director; more
patients waiting for their turn.

The CFC ANCOP USA conducted

a medical/surgical mission in four
towns of Aklan from February
11-15, 2016, treating some 2,500
indigent patients.
Health care for the poor is one of
the programs of CFC ANCOP USA
and this is the fifth year that they
have been conducting this kind of
mission.
The mission team included 62
volunteers, 38 of whom came all
the way from the USA. The rest
were health personnel of the Aklan

Department of Health personnel

and Couples for Christ members
from the area.
The mission teams surgical
component had a separate schedule,
attending to patients at the Kalibo
Provincial Hospital. The surgical
mission was composed of 30 surgeons (including Dr. Joe Yamamoto
of the CFC International Council) as
well as nurses and volunteers.
The Aklan Mission Team, in
partnership with a disaster relief
foundation in the US, brought

in to Aklan $200,000 worth of

medicines. ANCOP USA will turn
over medicines valued at $20,000
to Romblon Caritas, a Catholic
relief group with the remaining
medicines entrusted to the host
province's provincial hospital.
The Aklan Mission was led by
Roger Santos, Executive Director,
ANCOP USA and his wife Josie, with
Elizabeth Macaraeg, head of the
CFC ANCOP USAfour-yearMedical Mission project. (ANCOP USA
Communications)

Holy Cross Canada back for mission

in the Philippines

Spreading love the CFC ANCOP way in the provinces of Aurora, Rizal, Pampanga, and Metro Manila

FEBRUARY is known as the Love

Month. This was proven true by
Cres Reyes, Blandi Samson, Estella
Limson, Tony and Aida Gabarda
and Anna Romillo of ANCOP USA
(AUSA) when they visited and met
AUSA scholars in Aurora, Rizal and
Pampanga provinces and Metro
Manila West A sector.
For four days - from Feb 3-4 and
6-7, 2016they listened to the
scholars and their parents as they
shared their challenges, struggles
and hopes. The AUSA visitors also
interacted with the members of the

program implementing team (PIT)

who are at the forefront of delivering the Child Sponsorship Program.
AUSA scholar Lloyd Calvario
tearfully recounted his joy at receiving the good news of an ANCOP
scholarship that will sustain his
college education at Polytechnic
University of the Philippines (PUP),
where he expects to graduate as
Cum Laude. College student Myla
Sevilla, an Aeta, dreams of becoming an educator to indigenous
people like her in the future. Vincent Pelon, a scholar from West A,

thanked his donor for sustaining

his college education.
As a show of gratitude, the scholars entertained the visitors with
songs and dances. The songs and
dances were simple but sincere gestures of thanks, gratitude and love
for their donors. The Aeta scholars
even wrote a simple song of thanks
which they all sang so beautifully.
Cres Reyes is AUSA CSP Donor Coordinator while t he rest of t he AUSA visitors are
regional/HAS Coordinators, All of t hem are
current ly sponsoring scholars in t he Philippines t hrough t he CSP.

LAST year, students from Holy Cross Regional High

School in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, visited the
Philippines in a trip billed as Holy Cross Mission Trip
2015. During that trip, they visited several ANCOP sites,
immersed themselves in the lives of the beneficiaries,
helped build ANCOP houses, conducted outreach missions, including visits to orphanages in Metro Manila.
The mission trip was so fruitful, meaningful and,
according to many, so enjoyable, that this year, they
organized another mission trip the Holy Cross Mission Trip 2016. This year there are 36 students who

will be staying in the country and visiting different

ANCOP sites from March 8 to 20, 2016.
The students are accompanied by five members of
the Holy Cross faculty, as well as Fr. Patrick Tepoorten,
pastor of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Delta,
British Columbia.
The group started their first day, March 8, with an
orientation about ANCOP, followed by a Mass celebrated by Fr. Patrick at the CFC Global Mission Center.
The mission trip is organized by ANCOP Canada in
partnership with ANCOP Philippines. (Romeo Medina)

C4

March 7 - 20, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 11

CFC India holds 2016 National Conference

SFC ICON held outside

PHL for the 1st time
SINGAPORE - Some 1,400 delegates from all over the world
converged in Singapore on Feb. 26
to 28 for the 23rd CFC Singles for
Christ International Conference,
the first time the conference is
held outside the Philippines.
Delegates from Canada, the
U.S., Europe, China, East Timor,
Abu Dhabi, and the Philippines,
among others gathered at the
Singapore Expo, the largest convention and exhibition venue in
Singapore, to listen to talks and
workshops on the main theme
Unstoppable.
After an opening salvo inspired
by Chinese, Malay, and Indian
creative elements and visuals,
Melo Villaroman, a former CFC
International Council member
gave the first session titled
Overflowing Joy.

Rejoice. Pray. Give Thanks goes to India, clockwise from top left: CFC India leaders; "Team India, Team Christ" workshop; ANCOP Canada head Ricky Cuenca; Steve Maningat;
Hector Poppen; Francis Almeida.

COUPLES for Christ India held its

3rd National Conference on February 20-21, 2016 at the Montfort
Spirituality Center, Bangalore City
in the state of Karnataka, southern
India. A total of 40 delegates from
India, Canada, and the Philippines
attended the two-day event with the
theme: Rejoice. Pray. Give Thanks.
taken from Philippians 4:4-7. The
delegates, including three priests,
came from the states of Kerala,
Orissa, Karnataka, Maharastra, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, and Telegana.
The biggest delegation came from
Tamil Nadu with 11 participants
followed by Kerala with 10.
The first days morning worship
was led by Peter T.D., CFC Hyderabad leader, with CFC India Country
Head Hector Poppen introducing
the conference delegates.
Francis Almeida of CFC Canada,
who had served for one year in CFC
Bhubaneswar, gave the first talk
of the conference titled Rejoice.
Almeida exhorted the delegates
to rejoice always because of the
many blessings that they have received from the Lord, and also for
their being chosen for the ministry
of building His kingdom among
Catholic families in the country.
He also encouraged the delegates
to continue to be faithful to the vision and mission of CFC, especially
as families in India cope with the
new challenges facing them. Nabor
Soreng, CFC Bhubaneswar leader,

shared his experience, together with

other leaders in his area, of the joy of
serving the Lord in their mission in
other parishes in Orissa and Chhattisgarh despite many challenges in
the ministry.
A concelebrated Holy Mass was
offered before lunch by Fr. Paul
Sagaraj SVD of Hyderabad and Fr.
Benny Varghese of Nagaland at the
Spirituality Centers chapel.
The afternoon worship was led
by Michael Rovalanche, CFC Tamil
Nadu leader.
The second talk titled Pray
was given by Poppen. He reminded
everyone that daily prayer is a must
for all CFC members, especially for
those who serve the Lord as this is
not only part of the CFC covenant
but is the secret to a victorious Christian life. He presented the three levels of prayer in the life of a Christian
and encouraged everyone to move
from vocal prayer to meditation,
and then to contemplation. He emphasized not only the importance
of personal prayer time, but also
couple and family prayer time for
all CFC members as the best weapon
against the attacks on marriage and
family life. Garnet Poppen shared
her prayer life experiences and her
amazement that her prayers have
been answered, always in accordance
with Gods will.
The last talk of the conference
titled Give Thanks was delivered
by Steve Maningat, CFC India Coun-

try Coordinator. He gave thanks to

the Lord for the blessing of his wife
Minnie and his family whom he
introduced at the beginning of his
talk. He also gave thanks to the Lord
for calling him and Minnie to serve
in India and the blessings his family has received as they responded
to this service and especially as he
and Minnie began their pastoral
responsibilities in India this year.
He exhorted the delegates to always have an attitude of gratitude
for the daily blessings that God
showers on them and their families.
He also gave emphasis on spreading
the joy of the gospel and being Spiritfilled evangelizers.
As leaders in CFC, Maningat also
exhorted his fellow leaders to shepherd their members in rejoicing,
praying and giving thanks, whatever
the circumstances, as this is very
much an integral part of the life and
culture of CFC.
Ajith Anthony Netto, CFC Hyderabad leader who came to the
Philippines last January with his
wife Sandhya for a three-week CFC
immersion, shared the blessings the
Lord has given him and his family
since becoming active in CFC and
accepting the service of being a
household head.
The second day of the conference
began with a powerful exhortation
and worship led by Ajith Anthony, followed by a team building activity facilitated by Mon Santiago, CFC South

CFC India Governance Team Installed

Asia Regional Coordinator and former

CFC India Country Coordinator.
The activity, titled Team India,
Team Christ, focused on building
one mindset, one spirit, one heart
for the vision and mission of CFC
in India. It also emphasized that
everyone has a share in the ministry and they have to work together,
encourage and exhort one another
and protect the community from
internal and external forces that
might want to extinguish the fire for
the mission given to the community
in India.
Frs. Benny Varghese of Nagaland
and Joseph Raj of Tamil Nadu concelebrated the Mass for the delegates
before lunch.
The afternoon session started
with an overview presentation of
CFC ANCOP (Answering the Cry of
the Poor) by Ricky Cuenca, CFC ANCOP Canada President. He shared
the ANCOP work that has been
started in Orissa, India since 2013
where ANCOP has more than 250
scholars under the Child Sponsorship Program. Cuenca expressed
confidence that as CFC is established
and its members empowered and
ANCOP India is registered, there will
be more ANCOP scholars in India.
At the end of the conference, a
2016 planning workshop by each
state where CFC is present was
conducted, and the CFC India Governance Team was formally installed
and prayed over. (Mon F. Santiago)

CBCP Monitor

Rejoicing more than being

happy

Villaroman talked about how

our true joy is our connection
with God. Rejoicing is not about
being happy on the outside. It is
knowing that there is always a
reason to be happy even if you do
not feel it, he added.
The Singles were up early for
the second day, which opened
with a Mass celebrated by Fr.
Cary Chan, parish priest of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary parish
in Serangoon, Singapore.
Fr. Chan told the delegates: Joy
and resentment... they cant go
together. They cant exist in the
same heart. Fr. Chan called on
those present to learn from the
parable of the prodigal son and
live out true compassion and joy.
Martha Vinzons, a leader in
SFC Makati, gave session 2, Infinite Devotion. The talk focused
on prayer and how essential it is

to everyday life. Whatever our

reasons are, we pray because we
need to, she explained.
Maan Aguirre, SFC International Core Team Coordinator,
gave the third session 3 titled
Boundless Thanksgiving. She
stressed that Everything is a gift
and everything is a grace.
Overflowing grace

In the afternoon, the delegates

attended concurrent workshops
on various topics like financial
stewardship, prayer, and on being
SFC coordinators, among others.
Before the second days most
awaited Club Praise, SFC international coordinator Noli Manuel
and his wife Sam led the celebration of the Lords Day.
The last day opened with Singapore Archbishop William Goh
presiding over a Eucharistic
celebration.
In his homily Archbishop Goh
said: The consequence of an
experience with God is to rejoice
and praise.
For the last session, Ace Lu, an
SFC missionary based in Manila,
gave the talk titled Filled to the
Brim. He said: Inhale the presence of Christ and exhale our
fears, inhale the spirit of God and
exhale our brokenness, inhale the
peace of God and exhale all our
insecurities,
For the closing praisefest, Anton Brosas of SFC Canada challenged everyone to have an Attitude of Gratitude.
An apt ending to the entire
conference was when thousands
of stress balls were tossed around
a n d every o n e w a s a s k ed to
squeeze the stress out and allow
the overflowing grace of an Unstoppable God to flow through
them. (Nirvaana Ella Delaruz)

CFC Int'l Office in Rome

Inaugurated

SFC ICON in SGunstoppable in powerful talks, worship, and fellowship.

'A genuine legacy': What do I

leave my children?

Francis Almeida, Steve Maningat and Mon Santiago praying over the new India Governance Team

THE Governance Team of CFC India was formally installed by Steve Maningat, CFC India
Country Coordinator, last February 21, 2016
at the Montfort Spirituality Center, Bangalore
City, during the last day of the 2016 CFC India
National Conference. The governance team
was initially formed in May 2015 by then CFC
India Country coordinator, Mon Santiago.
The governance team is composed of the
following:
1. Hector Poppen, Country Head and also
mission coordinator forCFCNagaland
2. Michael Rovalance - Mission Coordinator for Tamil Nadu

3. Nabor Soreng - Head of CFC Orissa,

mission, coordinator also for CFC
Chhattisgarh
4. Benson Mendez - Head ofCFCKochi
5. Peter Tharappel - Head ofCFCHyderabad
The assembly prayed over the governance
team, after which the GT and their wives immediately held their first formal meeting.
Also invited to join the meeting were Fr.
Paul Sagayaraj SVD, spiritual adviser CFC
Hyderabad; Fr. Joseph Raj, spiritual adviser,
CFC Palayamkottai; and Fr. Benny Varghese,
spiritual adviser CFC Kiphre. (M. Santiago)

THE key to the Couples for Christ International Office in the Vatican was turned over to Alex Payaoan,
CFC Italy Country Head, last February 19, 2016. The
following day, February 20, CFC leaders attending the
CFC Europe Leaders Conference came to the blessing of
the new office. CFC Chairman Joe Tale and wife Babylou, together with Pastoral Formation Office Director
Rouquel Ponte and wife Nina were likewise present for
the milestone event.

CFC Trinidad and Tobago Celebrates 18 years of Family Life Ministry

THE Couples for Christ (CFC) Trinidad and Tobago community, together
with its family ministries, celebrated their 18th anniversary last January 24,
2016. About 300 members from the various CFC units in the country were
in attendance.
The Eucharistic celebration, an integral feature of every CFC event everywhere, was celebrated by the communitys spiritual director, Bishop Emeritus
Malcolm Galt. His homily was about family life and the simple things that
each family should be doing together. He highlighted the well-known saying:
The family that prays together, stays together. and suggested that families
begin doing things together, such as meals, fellowship, sharing of the days
stories, shopping or exploring places, and doing chores at home. He emphasized the important role of parents in making their home a Catholic home,
such that visitors can immediately tell they are entering a Christian home.
Considering the challenges that families and societies are facing, such as
individualism and materialism, parents need to exert extra effort in building the home with Christian values, Bishop Galt said. He reminded the CFC
community of the importance of being faithful to attending their household/
prayer meetings, which is the lifeline of the ministry, and challenged the
community to live out its vision of Families in the Holy Spirit Renewing
the Face of the Earth.
During the anniversary celebration, Dr. Neil and Claire Peters handed over
the leadership of the Trinidad and Tobago CFC community to Mark and
Wendy Poon Tip. The Peters were national directors for four years. All CFC
leaders present were honored for their selfless service and zeal in spreading
the transforming love of God throughout the country. Bishop Galt together
with the membership prayed over the leaders, inviting the Holy Spirit to
come down upon them.

The community welcomed this years theme Rejoice. Pray. Give Thanks.
(Philippians 4:4-7). Breakfast was served after the Mass, and the Family Day
began not long after with the keenly contested March Past. Groups from the
units of Tunapuna, St. Augustine, Arouca, Maraval and Paramin, and Diego
Martin with students from the Corpus Christi College, participated in the
sports and fun games that followed. The day came to an end with a closing
prayer by Bishop Galt, and everyone went home joyfully challenged to finish
the race for the Lord through humble service to their family and community.
(Mabelle Dimayuga)

ROOTS and wings. These are the

two things every parent should
bequeath to their children.
This was the premise of one of
the workshops conducted during the Marriage is Beautiful
activity on Feb. 14 at the SMX
Convention Center. Workshop
facilitator and speaker Arthur
Valdellon talked about the importance of building a legacy for
future generations .
In the busyness of our everyday
living, we fall off-track and therefore there is a need to refocus, rekindle our awareness and desire to
give our children our best legacy!
he said during his talk.
Quoting a source, Valdellon
said: 'A Godly legacy begins when
we become intentional parents
who create homes that honor God.
Children thrive best in an atmosphere of genuine love, supported
by reasonable discipline.'
Citing Proverbs 22:6 which
says: Train up a child in the
way he should go and when he is
old, he will not depart from it!
he said roots are qualities and
values that keep a child grounded
in what truly matters.
Roots comprise the following:
wisdom not only from education but mostly from
age and experience;
good memories that will
buoy them up during
moments when they feel
down;
laughter and high spirits
in the home (also resil-

ience and a sense of humor);

values from modeling
rather than preaching;
living by example which is
actually the best teacher;
childlike awe and wonder;
kindness to the least and
the oppressed;
desire to serve rather than
to be served;
training for hard work and
perseverance; and
training to form good
moral character.

Complementing these values

are what Valdellon called wings
which allow children to soar and
forge their own paths when they
are ready.
Wings are:
freedom to be themselves;
goals, desires, and aspirations;
the courage to reach their
dreams, goals, and aspirations;
freedom to make their
own choices after we've
given them directions;
and
freedom to make mistakes.
The workshop was titled Leaving a Genuine Legacy was among
one of five workshops held during the activity. The others were
How to be the best in-laws, Sexuality in your 60s, Workshop
for Teens, and Kids' Academy.
(Nirva'ana Ella Delacruz)