Monitor

CBCP

MAY 30 - JUNE 12, 2016 VOL. 20 NO. 17

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCPMONITOR@AREOPAGUSCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

WHATS INSIDE
SUPPLEMENT ISSUE

UGNAYAN:

THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT

OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST

A3 Dont turn faith into

ideology, charity into

philanthropy, pope says

A6 After 115-year US stay,

bell of peace back
home

B1 The problem of food

CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma and Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo lead the launching of the commemorative book of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress at the IEC Pavilion in Cebu City on May 28,
2016. The 284-page book contains the talks, reflections, and selected photos of the historic ecclesial event. SAMMY NAVAJA

How Benedict
XVIs resignation
changed the
papacy
WHEN Pope emeritus Benedict
XVI resigned as pontiff three
years ago, he added a new
dimension to the papacy, said his
personal secretary Archbishop
Georg Ganswein.
Archbishop Ganswein
remains prefect of the Pontifical
Household. He works closely
with both Benedict and Pope
Francis.
The archbishop spoke about
Benedicts pontificate and
its wake at a May 20 book
presentation of Oltre la crisi
della Chiesa (Beyond the
Churchs Crisis) by Father
Roberto Regoli, an historian
and professor at the Pontifical
Gregorian University. The book
aims to be the first history-based
evaluation of Benedict XVIs
pontificate.
Archbishop Ganswein stressed
that there is only one legitimate
Pope Francis. However, for
the last three years, Catholics
have lived with two living
successors of Peter among us.
He said Benedict and Francis
are not in competition with
each other, though they have an
extraordinary presence.
For Archbishop Ganswein,
Benedict XVIs resignation
announcement on Feb. 11, 2013
marked the introduction of a
new institution into the Catholic
Church: the Pope emeritus.
Pope Benedict used a key
phrase in his resignation speech:
munus Petrinum. This phrase
is often translated Petrine
Ministry. According to the
archbishop, the Latin word
munus has many meanings:
service, commitment, guide,
gift, even wonder.
Benedict XVI thought of his
commitment as a participation
in that Petrine ministry, the
archbishop said. That means
that he left the papal throne,
but he did not abandon this
ministry.
Benedict XVI now acts with a
collegial and synodal dimension
and a common ministry that
appears to echo his episcopal
and papal motto: cooperatores
veritatis, cooperators of the
Truth, he said.
Hence, since Pope Francis
election, there are not two
Popes, but there is a de facto
Papacy / A6

loss: views from

the Catholic social
teachings band
solutions from Caritas

Reducing food waste could

help solve hunger Tagle
By Roy Lagarde

CARDINAL LUIS
Antonio Tagle of
Manila has called
on world leaders to
look at the issue of
food loss differently, not just through
technical solutions
but with a response
that comes from a
vision of human development.
In an address to the
UNs Food and Agriculture

Organization in Rome,
the president of Caritas
Internationalis said food
loss is the consequence
of a system centered on
the market, instead of the
human person. (See page
B1 for complete text of
Address)
If we want that food
systems ensure the right
to adequate food for
everyone, including the
most disadvantaged ones,
this requires sound policies
and effective measures to
prevent food losses, Tagle
said.

Centered around
the person
The problem of food
loss is clearly a systemic
problem, the consequence
of food systems not centered
around the human person,
but rather around the
market, he said.
The Churchs international
humanitarian agency said
up to third or 1.3 billion tons
of all food is spoiled before
it is consumed by people
every year.
Food is lost or wasted
throughout the supply chain,
from initial production to

Filipino archbishop to UN: Win

young minds in fight against terror
A FILIPINO representative of the Holy
See to the United Nations has urged
global leaders for a different kind of war
in fighting terrorism.
Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the
Vaticans permanent observer to the UN
in New York, said it is represents a sizeable
element that doesnt always fit squarely
with other ideas such as military strikes.
He said it is a war of ideologies that needs
an effective policy that strike terrorism at
its very roots and where it must primarily be
fought: namely, in the hearts and minds of
men and women, especially the youth.
Building bridges
The Holy See is convinced that if we
are to win the minds and hearts of our
children and young people and prevent
their joining terrorist groups, we must
build inclusive societies and prevent illicit
arms trafficking, build bridges rather than
walls, and engage in dialogue rather than
in mutual isolation, Auza said.
He said governments should engage with
civil society to protect the communities most
at risk of radicalization and to achieve the
satisfactory social integration of those areas.
Auza said young people who turn to
terrorism often come from poor immigrant
families, disillusioned by the lack of
integration and values in certain societies.
Those who feel excluded from, or live
at the fringes of, society are immediately
attracted to terrorists, said the Boholnative archbishop.
Education is key
The archbishop furthered by stating that

when it reaches peoples

homes and creating a
massive impact on poor
families who rely directly
on agriculture for their food.
Decrying the huge amount
of food that is harvested
but never consumed, the
cardinal stressed the need
for a new way to frame the
problem.
If we want that food
systems ensure the right
to adequate food for
everyone, including the
most disadvantaged ones,
this requires sound policies
and effective measures

to prevent food losses,

stressed the prelate.
For everyones benefit
The fruits of the earth
are to benefit everyone. This
requires [us] to adopt a social
perspective which takes into
account the fundamental
rights of the poor and the
underprivileged, he said.
Tagle also suggested that
world leaders could learn from
the experience of Catholic
charities, sharing how Caritas
have worked with the most
vulnerable and marginalized
Hunger / A7

Church to intensify disaster response

WITH the Church at the
forefront in disaster relief
and reconstruction, several
dioceses have come together
in Legazpi City on Monday to
better prepare for these types
of emergencies.
Organized by Caritas
Philippines, the topics that
will be discussed in first
National Humanitarian
Response Summit will focus
on linking Church structures
and mechanisms to disaster
response.
Fr. Edwin Gariguez,
Caritas Philippines executive
secretary, said there is a need

for more mechanisms for

collaboration for emergency
response in the Church
network.
The summit is being held
to be able to share good
experiences of the different
diocese on how they respond
to disasters, he said.
We also have a National
Contingency Plan and we are
sharing it so that we could be
more efficient in our disaster
preparedness and response
using these tools, explained
Gariguez.
Welcoming the participants,
Response / A6

People should be center of humanitarian aid

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vaticans permanent
observer to the UN in New York. KRIS BAYOS

education was the most important tool in

combating these of ideologies of terrorism.
Much of the recruiting success of terror
groups, according to him, is based on
misinformation and the distortion of both
history and the meaning of sacred texts.
Objective education would counter
these false narratives, Auza added.
The Vatican official also said that the fight
against violent extremism is the responsibility
of all, including the faith leaders.
He said the problem summons all
religions to unite in confronting not only
the unacceptable misuse of religion by
these groups, but also all forms of religious
bigotry, stereotyping and disrespect for
what people hold sacred. (CBCPNews)

AN OFFICIAL of the Vaticans

top social justice body has
called for a reshaping of
humanitarian assistance by
putting the welfare of human
beings at its very core.

Talking over Vatican

Radio, Caritas Internationalis
President Cardinal Luis
Antonio Tagle of Manila
said the foremost concrete
Aid / A7

A2 NEWS
t

Vatican Briefing
George Clooney among celebrities honored by
Pope Francis
On Sunday, May 29, Pope Francis praised Hollywood
actors George Clooney, Salma Hayek, and Richard
Gere at a conference promoting a Vatican education
initiative that helps poor communities. Speaking in the
Paul VIs Synod Hall, the Pope reminded the celebrities
of their responsibility to help the world recover the
language of gestures. During the gathering, the
actors received the Olive Medal of peace, which were
presented by the Scholas Occurentes initiative, who
organized the Vatican conference. (CNA)
Pope Francis to author new book answering
teens questions
After becoming the first Pope to author a childrens
book earlier this year, Pope Francis will soon come
out with another, based on his responses to questions
posed by youth through a new online platform.
Speaking at the May 27-29 World Encounter of the
Directors of Scholas Occurrentes, Italian journalist
and author Tiziana Lupi explained the idea behind
the new book, which she said seeks to open a door
to dialogue with youth. Scholas was founded by Pope
Francis in August 2013 as an initiative to encourage
social integration and the culture of encounter through
technology, arts and sports. The foundation has
organized several events at the Vatican, including two
Google hangout sessions with Pope Francis, as well as
2014s interreligious Match for Peace. (CNA)
Pope Francis asks kids to join Syrian children
in praying for peace
Millions of children have either been killed, displaced or
orphaned as a result of Syrias ongoing, bloody civil war.
Some have witnessed bombings, the death of friends and
loved ones, and have been forced to leave their homes
and villages, seeking refuge in places where soldiers and
gunfire dont wake them up at night. Hundreds of Syrian
children, scarred by five years of civil war, will now be
the protagonists in a special June 1 prayer event, which
takes place on International Childrens Day and will join
together Christians from both Catholic and Orthodox
Churches in Syria to pray for peace. (CNA)
Pope Francis meets with Singapores president
at the Vatican
On Saturday, May 28, Pope Francis met with the
president of the Republic of Singapore, marking 35
years of diplomatic relations between the Southeast
Asian country and the Holy See, and the first ever state
visit by a Singaporean president to a Pope. During
the visit, President Tony Tan Keng Yam and the
pontiff addressed topics relating to the importance
of interreligious and intercultural dialogue for the
promotion of human rights, stability, justice and peace
in south-east Asia, according to a statement by the
Holy See press office. The cordial discussion also
addressed the good relations between the Holy See
and Singapore, and the collaboration between the
Church and the State, especially in the educational and
social fields, the statement continues. (CNA)
Exploiting workers is a form of trafficking,
Pope Francis says
During his Mass on May 19, Pope Francis preached a
warning to the rich who oppress the poor, focusing on
employers who accumulate wealth by misusing those
who work for them. We consider this drama of today:
the exploitation of the people, the blood of these people
who become slaves, the traffickers of people and
not just those who deal in prostitutes and children
for child labour, Pope Francis said May 19 during
his Mass in the chapel of Santa Marta House in the
Vatican. In addition, he said, there is a more so to
speak civilized form of trafficking which happens
when an employer says, Ill pay you this much, without
vacation, without health care, everything under the
table But I will become rich! (CNA)
Ignore the church schedule and serve the
people, pope tells deacons
Deacons are called to be servants who set aside their
own self-serving plans and are generous with their
lives, Pope Francis said. A servant is not a slave to
his own agenda, but rather always is prepared for the
unexpected and responds, even if that means ignoring
the parish schedule, the pope said May 29 at a Mass
for the Jubilee of Deacons in St. Peters Square. It
pains my heart when I see a schedule in the parishes
-- from this time to that time -- and then, the door is
closed. There is no priest, no deacon, no layperson to
welcome the people. This is wrong. Have the courage
to ignore the schedule, he said. Thousands of deacons
and their families, braving the increasingly hot and
humid Rome weather, attended the final Mass of the
three-day Year of Mercy celebration dedicated to the
diaconal ministry. (CNS)
Dont turn faith into ideology, charity into
philanthropy, pope says
To follow the path of Christ means to serve the poor and
the downtrodden while not turning Christian virtues
simply into ideas and humanitarian endeavors, Pope
Francis said. In them, you touch and serve the flesh
of Christ and grow in union with him, while always
keeping watch so that faith does not become an ideology
and charity is not reduced to philanthropy so that the
church doesnt end up becoming an NGO, the pope told
members of the general chapter of the Little Work of
Divine Providence May 27. Founded by St. Luigi Orione,
the order is comprised of two religious congregations -the Orionine Fathers and the Little Missionary Sisters of
Charity -- who care primarily for the sick, the elderly and
people with learning disabilities. The pope encouraged
the religious congregations to follow the example of their
founder, who sought to heal the wounds of people in
need of bread for the body and the divine consolation
of faith. (CNS)

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

CBCP Monitor

Iraqi refugee children make

First Communion in Erbil camp
ERBIL, Iraq, May 28, 2016
On Friday, the first of three
rounds of displaced Iraqi
children made their First
Communion in a refugee
camp in Erbil, providing a
silver lining to an otherwise
bleak situation.
Out of the 5,500 people
living in Erbils Aishty 2
camp for the displaced, the
majoritymore than 2,000
are children. Of these, 470 will
make their First Communion
in the coming weeks.
The number of children
receiving the sacrament is up
from last years class, which
numbered about 400.
Since this years number
of recipients is so high, the
children have been divided
into three groups. The first,
numbering around 175, made
their First Communion on
Friday, May 27.
Next Friday, June 3, a
second group of about 145
will receive the Eucharist,
while the third and final
group of about 150 will
receive the sacrament Friday,
June 10.
All of the children are from
the Syriac-Catholic rite, and
most fled the city of Qaraqosh,
the former Christian capitol
of Iraqi Kurdistan, with their
families when ISIS militants
attacked the night of Aug. 6,
2014.
The May 27 Mass for the
first group was celebrated by
Syriac-Catholic Archbishop
of Mosul Yohanno Petros

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

Moshe in the camps large,

prefabricated church.
With a capacity for roughly
800 people, the church
started out as a tent when
the Christian refugees first
poured into Erbil two years
ago, asking for a place to
pray. Now it serves as the
main parish for the citys
Aishty camp, which is the
largest in Erbil and is divided
into three smaller camps:
Aishty 1, 2 and 3.
The majority of people in
the camp are from Qaraqosh,
which is where the former
See of their Church had been
located before ISIS assault
in 2014.
After moving the official See
of their Church from Mosul to

Qaraqosh several years ago

due to both security concerns
and the fact that most of the
faithful resided in the city,
Syriac-Catholics have now
been left without any official
diocese or headquarters
whatsoever.
Now residing in a largely
Chaldean dominated Erbil,
they have been welcomed
by the local Church and are
working daily to keep up the
spirits of their faithful, who
face an uncertain future in
the country.
For nearly 500 children
to receive their First
Communion in the camp
is a sign of hope in a
place where the flame of
Christianity is flickering,

growing dangerously closer

to burning out.
Another sign of hope
for Iraqs Christians was
the March ordination of
four deacons in the same
prefabricated parish. They
are now working with
refugees around the clock,
and will likely be ordained
priests in a few months time.
Three of the deacons,
alongside the Dominican
Sisters of St. Catherine
of Sienawho largely
make up the backbone of
Erbils extensive displaced
Christian communityhave
been in charge of teaching
the childrens catechesis
in scripture and liturgy.
(CNA)

Deportation could be a death sentence,

bishops warn as raids increase
WASHINGTON D.C., May 26, 2016
Renewed immigration raids against
women and children fail to recognize the
severity of situations faced by migrants,
who leave Central America to escape
death, the U.S. bishops said.
Sending women and children back
to Central America will not serve as
an effective deterrent to migration
because this is a humanitarian crisis and
individuals from the region are being
forced to flee for their lives, Bishop
EusebioElizondo said May 25. Bishop
Elizondo is an auxiliary bishop of Seattle
and chairman of the U.S. bishops
Committee on Migration.
These operations spark panic among
our parishes, the bishop continued. No
person, migrant or otherwise, should
have to fear leaving their home to attend
church or school. No person should have
to fear being torn away from their family
and returned to danger.
Reuters on May 12 reported that U.S.
immigration officials are planning a

series of raids in May and June to deport

hundreds of Central American mothers
and children who entered the country
illegally.
Archbishop Jos H. Gomez of Los
Angeles, who will soon take over as
chairman of the bishops migration
committee, said the raids are yet
another depressing sign of the failed
state of American immigration policy.
The raids are expected to target
individuals with deportation orders. The
U.S. bishops said there was a lack of due
process for many of these orders, given
that they in many cases were issued
to individuals who were absent from
court or lacked legal representation.
In a January 2016 letter to Secretary
of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson,
the bishops objected to any removal of
migrants without confirming they had
meaningful opportunities to present
their asylum claims at immigration
court hearings.
January immigration raids focused

on Georgia, Texas and North Carolina,

and detained 121 people, mostly women
and children.
Bishop Elizondo said the U.S. bishops
migration committee and Migration
& Refugee Services aims to protect
vulnerable populations.
Both Bishop Elizondo and Archbishop
Gomez said enforcement actions
that cause constant fear contradict
long-standing American values and
undermine every persons God-given
dignity.
Central American migration has
increased in recent years, with migrants
being detained for illegal entry into the
U.S. In the period from October 2015
through March 2016, the U.S. border
patrol detained more than 32,000
family units, meaning mothers and
children traveling together. In that same
period from 2014-2015 only 14,000
were detained, while in 2013-2014
about 19,800 were detained, according
to Reuters. (CNA)

How Catholic leaders are responding to the Queens prison reform speech
LONDON, England, May
26, 2016The Catholic
bishops of England and
Wales are ready to support
the governments proposed
prison reforms outlined in
Queen Elizabeth IIs speech
to Parliament.
The Church has a strong
practical contribution to
make. Our chaplains work
in every prison throughout
England and Wales, and
are often at the forefront
of supporting prisoners in
their rehabilitation, Bishop
Richard Moth of Arundel and
Brighton said.
This is a remarkable
opportunity to place reform
and redemption at the heart
of our prisons, he added. It
is only through a properly
resourced system focused on
genuinely helping people to
turn their lives around that
we will create a safer and
more civilized society.
Bishop Moth is the bishops
liaison for prisons. He said
recent conversations with the
Minister for Prisons and his
staff have been extremely
helpful.
The bishops comments
were a response to the queens

Queen Elizabeth II arrives at the Vatican

on April 3, 2014 for an audience with
Pope Francis. LAUREN CATER/CNA

May 18 speech to Parliament

which summarized the
legislative agenda.
My government will
legislate to reform prisons
and courts to give individuals
a second chance, she said.
Prison governors will
be given unprecedented
freedom and they will be
able to ensure prisoners
receive better education, she
added. Old and inefficient
prisons will be closed and
new institutions built where

prisoners can be put more

effectively to work.
She said there will be
better mental health care for
individuals in the criminal
justice system.
Prisons will be required
to publish statistics on
education, reoffending, and
inmates employment when
they are released, BBC News
reports.
Green MP Caroline Lucas
has criticized the reform
proposals, saying progress
would be undermined by big
cuts to prison budgets and
overcrowding.
The queens speech also
touched on anti-extremism
measures.
Legislation will be
introduced to prevent
radicalization, tackle
extremism in all its forms,
and promote community
integration, she said.
A spokesperson for
the Catholic Bishops
Conference of England and
Wales said Parliaments
expected anti-extremism
legislation must be produced
with diligence and careful
consideration.
It is vital that measures

to keep the public safe do

not inadvertently curtail
free speech or alienate
communities. The best
way in which to undermine
extremist beliefs will always
be through the promotion of
effective integration.
Some Catholics and other
commentators have voiced
concern that measures
apparently meant to counter
Islamist extremism, such
as the governments push
to teach British values in
schools, could harm sincere
religious believers and
burden Catholic schools.
In 2014, government
officials downgraded
the high-performing St.
Benedicts Catholic School
in Suffolk because its
students allegedly were not
aware of the dangers of
extremism and were not
prepared for contemporary
British life. The school
said parents complained
that the inspectors asked
children as young as 10
about homosexual acts and
transsexualism.
The Catholic Education
Service demanded an apology
for the action. (CNA)

CBCP Monitor

NEWS A3

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

Dont turn faith into ideology, charity St. John XXIIIs aide,
oldest member College
into philanthropy, pope says

of Cardinals, dies at 100

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

VATICAN, May 27, 2016To follow

the path of Christ means to serve
the poor and the downtrodden
while not turning Christian virtues
simply into ideas and humanitarian
endeavors, Pope Francis said.
In them, you touch and serve the
flesh of Christ and grow in union
with him, while always keeping
watch so that faith does not become
an ideology and charity is not
reduced to philanthropy so that the
church doesnt end up becoming an
NGO, the pope told members of the
general chapter of the Little Work of
Divine Providence May 27.
Founded by St. Luigi Orione,
the order is comprised of two
religious congregationsthe
Orionine Fathers and the Little
Missionary Sisters of Charitywho

care primarily for the sick, the

elderly and people with learning
disabilities.
The pope encouraged the religious
congregations to follow the example
of their founder, who sought to heal
the wounds of people in need of
bread for the body and the divine
consolation of faith.
With Don Orione, I also exhort
you to not remain closed in your
surroundings, but to go out.
There is much need of priests
and religious who do not remain
solely in charitable institutions
albeit necessarybut who also
know how to go beyond their own
boundaries in order to bring to
every environment, even the most
distant, the perfume of Christs
charity, the pope said.

Pope Francis also called on them

to not lose sight of the churchs
mission to bring Gods mercy to all
without distinction.
Their service to the church, he
said, will be all the more effective
by taking care of their personal
commitment to Christ and their
own spiritual formation.
By giving a witness to the beauty
of consecrated life, the Little Work
of Divine Providence can offer an
example of the good life of the
religious servants of Christ and
the poor, especially to younger
generations, the pope said.
Life begets life; a holy and happy
religious person can inspire new
vocations, Pope Francis said.
(Junno Arocho Esteves/
Catholic News Service)

VATICAN, May 27, 2016The

former secretary to a saint and the
oldest member of the College of
Cardinals died May 26 at the age
of 100.
Italian Cardinal Loris Capovilla,
who served St. John XXIII before
and after he became pope, died in
Bergamo, near Milan.
Cardinal Capovilla was born in
Pontelongo, Italy, on Oct. 14, 1915,
and ordained to the priesthood in
1940.
A journalist before starting to
work for the future saint, he was an
energetic and eloquent storyteller,
drawing on his remarkable and
vividly detailed memory.
When the freshly named patriarch
of Venice, Cardinal Angelo Roncalli,
chose 37-year-old Father Capovilla
as his private secretary in 1953, a
skeptical adviser told the cardinal
who would become Pope John
XXIIIthat the priest looked too
sickly to bear the strain of his new
job.
But the cardinal outlived his
employer by half a century and was
a dedicated custodian of his legacy,
running a small museum dedicated
to the saints memory in the late
popes native town of Sotto il Monte
Giovanni XXIII, near Milan.
A friend and confidant, he was
by the popes side during a pivotal
point in the church and the worlds
history: for the launch of the Second
Vatican Council and the escalation
of political and military tensions of
the Cold War.
He turned many of his stories
into numerous writings, including
a memoir published in English
as The Heart and Mind of John
XXIII.
The papal secretary also served
Pope Paul VI for a time after his
election, following St. Johns death

in 1963. He was made archbishop of

Chieti-Vasto in 1967 and appointed
prelate of Loreto in 1971, retiring
in 1988.
Pope Francis made him the
worlds oldest living cardinal when
he elevated him to the College of
Cardinals in 2014 at the age of 98.
Some observers saw the honor
as an indirect tribute to Pope John,
whom Pope Francis canonized just
one month later.
But the then-cardinal-designate
told Catholic News Service at the
time, in a telephone conversation,
that his elevation was a sign of
attention to all those thousands
of priests around the world who
have spent their lives in silence, in
poverty, in obedience, happy to serve
God and our humble people, who
need, as Pope Francis continually
says, tenderness, friendship, respect
and love.
In a telegram May 27 to the bishop
of Bergamo, Pope Francis offered
his condolences and expressed his
affection for this dear brother who,
in his long and fruitful life, gave
witness to the Gospel with joy and
meekly served the church.
He praised the late cardinals
attentive and caring service to
St. John as well as for being the
dedicated custodian of his
historical memory and valid
interpreter of his ministry.
The pope said Cardinal Capovilla
had always been fully dedicated to
the well being of priests and the
faithful, reflecting a firm devotion
to the direction of the Second
Vatican Council.
Cardinal Capovillas death leaves
the College of Cardinals with 213
members, 114 of whom are under
the age of 80 and therefore eligible
to vote in a conclave. (Carol Glatz/
Catholic News Service)

Vatican bank supervisory Pray without ceasing not just when you want to, Pope says
members step down over
management differences
VATICAN, May 25, 2016
Two members of the Vatican
banks board of supervisors
handed in their resignation
over a difference in opinion
concerning the banks
management.
Carlo Salvatori and
Clemens Borsig decided to
step down from the Vatican
bank, known formally as
the Institute for the Works
of Religion, in light of
legitimate reflections and
opinions concerning the
management of an institute
whose nature and purpose
are so particular, the
Vatican said in a written
communiqu May 25.
With the institutes
annual report having been
completed in a positive
manner, the two finance
executives recently
presented their resignations
to the president of the
Cardinals Commission of
the IOR, Cardinal Santos
Abril Castello. The cardinal
thanked the two members
of the board and accepted
the resignations, the Vatican
statement said.
The two board members
made a competent and
qualified contribution in
this important phase for the
stability and integrity of the
institute and its conformity
not only to internal Vatican
regulations, but also
obligations taken by the Holy
See on a European level, the
statement said.
Salvatori is president of the
Allianz insurance company
and the investment bank
Lazard Italy. Borsig served as
chairman of the supervisory
board of Deutsche Bank for
six years and has been a
member of the boards of
several companies, including
Daimler and Bayer. The
Italian and the German
executives were part of an all
new board of six lay members

brought in to the IOR in 2014

along with its new president
Jean-Baptiste de Franssu.
Borsig, along with four
other former Deutsche Bank
officials, was acquitted in
a German trial April 25 of
charges of lying to judges in
a long-running civil lawsuit
by a media magnate against
the German bank.
Jesuit Fr. Federico
Lombardi, Vatican
spokesman, told reporters
May 25 that the now-vacant
positions would be filled, but
that the screening and hiring
process could take months.
Led by de Franssu, the
supervisory board currently
includes U.S. law professor
and former Ambassador
to the Vatican, Mary Ann
Glendon, Australian Michael
Hintze and Chilean Mauricio
Larrain.
In a completely unrelated
communique released the
same day by chance,
Lombardi said, the Vatican
confirmed it was still
cooperating with Italy in
an investigation of Angelo
Proietti. Italian authorities
placed the building contractor
under house arrest May 19
on suspicion of aggravated
fraudulent bankruptcy.
The Vatican said it began
its investigation of Proietti
in 2013 and seized all of
his relevant financial
resources at the Vatican
bank following reports of
suspicious transactions.
The Italian news agency
ANSA reported May 19
that Italian police seized
several accounts Proietti
held at the Vatican bank.
Italian investigators said he
siphoned off 11 million euros
from Edil Ars, a building
contractor for several Vatican
and Italian government
bodies and agencies. (Carol
Glatz/Catholic News
Service)

VATICAN, May 25, 2016

For Pope Francis, prayer
is neither a magic wand
used to get what we want
nor something casual we do
only when we feel like it, but
is rather the strength that
sustains our faith in difficult
moments.
Jesus says that we need to
pray always, without growing
tired, the Pope said May 25.
What that means is that its
not just praying sometimes,
when I feel like it. No.
Everyone experiences
moments of fatigue and
discouragement, especially
when it seems like our prayer
seems ineffective, he said,
but assured that God answers
his children promptly, even if
it means he does it in times
and ways other than what we
would like.
Francis spoke to pilgrims
gathered in a sunny St. Peters
Square for his Wednesday
general audience. He
continued his catechesis
on mercy as understood in
scripture, focusing on the
parable of the unjust judge
from the Gospel of Luke.
The parable recounts how
a dishonest, indifferent judge
is swayed by the constant
requests of a widow, who
insistently pleads for justice.
In the end, the judge concedes
due to the widows frequent
appeals.
In his speech, the Pope
noted now the judge in
the parable represents
a powerful persona
responsible for passing
judgement according to the
Law of Moses.
Because of this, biblical
tradition recommended
that judges were Godfearing people, trustworthy,
impartial and incorruptible,
Francis said, adding in an
off-the-cuff comment that it
would do good to listen to this
even today!
However, he noted how
instead, the judge in the
parable neither feared
God nor respected other
people. He was an unjust

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

judge, without scruples,

who didnt take the law into
account but did whatever he
wanted, according to his own
interests, the Pope observed.
The widow, on the other
hand, was considered to be
among the weakest class in
society, along with orphans
and foreigners.
A poor widow by herself
could have been ignored
and left without justice,
like the orphan, the
foreigner, the migrant, yet
when confronted with the
indifference of the judge,
the widow resorts to her
only weapon: continuing
insistently to bother him by
presenter her request for
justice, he said.
Pope Francis noted that it
was precisely because of the
widows perseverance that
she achieved her goal in the
end. Even the judge admits
that he grants her justice so
that she doesnt constantly
come to pester me, rather
than out of genuine mercy.
The Pope stressed that if
the widow was able to bend
the unjust judge with her
insistent demands, then
how much more will God,

who is a good and just father,

make justice for his elect
who cry out to him day and
night.
It is because of this that
Jesus urges us to pray without
growing tired, he said,
explaining that prayer is not
a magic wand we wave to get
what we want when we want.
Rather, prayer helps us
to keep faith in God and to
entrust ourselves to him even
when we dont understand
his will, Francis said, and
pointed to Jesus as a prime
example.
He referred to the passage
in St. Pauls letter to the
Hebrews in which the
apostle notes how during
Jesus earthly life, he offered
prayer and supplication, with
loud cries and tears, to God
who could save him from
death and, because of his full
abandonment to (the Father),
was heard.
St. Paul didnt make a
mistake on this point, the
Pope said, noting that God
really did save Jesus from
death by giving him full
victory over it, but the path
taken to get to it was through
death itself!

The same goes for Jesus

prayer in Gethsemane,
when Jesus, assaulted by
looming anguish, prays to
his Father to deliver him from
the chalice of his Passion.
However, even though Jesus
asks for delivery, his prayer
is pervaded by confidence
in the Father and he entrusts
himself to his (Fathers) will
without reserve.
The object of prayer
passes into second place;
what is most important above
all is his relationship with the
Father, Francis said, and
explained that what prayer
does is transform ones desire
and models it according to
the will of God, whatever it is,
so that whoever prays aspires
first of all to union with Him.
Pope Francis concluded
his address by pointing to
Jesus question at the end of
the parable: But the Son of
Man, when he comes, will he
find faith on earth?
With this question we are
all put on guard, he said,
and stressed that we must
never cease praying, even if it
doesnt always pay out the
way we want. (Elise Harris/
CNA/EWTN News)

A4 OPINION

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

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

ADMITTEDLY, the 2016 National Elections may, be the

fastest in terms of transmission rate, the quickest count in
terms of national canvass and the highest in voter turnout.
The issues like disenfranchisement of voters or failure of
elections in hotspot areas common in previous elections were
never prevalent, if at all, this time. But, admittedly too, these
elections was the most vicious and divisive in recent history.
And this can be attributed to a lot of factors. The clamor for
change was loudest vis--vis the organized campaign for the
status quo perpetrated by the party in power that crusaded
in the belief that Matuwid na daan is still the best option
despite the popular perception that subscribed to the contrary.
The fatal cracks of the incumbent administration were too
heavy to be whitewashed by the economic gains trumpeted
by the economic planners of the Aquino administration.
The viciousness and division of the election campaign may
be said to be initiated by the entire machinery of the yellow
administration of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III that
cast its absolute and massive support to the hierarchy of the
Liberal Party, as if the entire governments resources were an
entitlement of the favored political party. The most dramatic
was Kris Aquino, the presidents sister who campaigned
for Mar Roxas, the administrations candidate, using the
governments helicopter, military, and sundry resources
with nary any respect for neither law nor propriety. From the
first day of Office, President Aquino always wore the divisive
yellow as if deprived of any slightest idea that the office of the
president is a symbol of unity and never an exclusive domain
of one political party.
Vote-buying has always been the scourge of Philippine
elections. But this time it was the most massive and the most
pervasiveespecially in the provinces. The archdiocesan
coordinator of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible
Voting in Iloilo, Msgr. Meliton Oso was quoted saying, Votebuying and vote-selling is the cancer of the electoral process in
our country and is a slap on the face of our faith as Catholics
It was reported to me that candidates and party list groups
were giving our Php500 per voter. I was also informed that
Php3,000 per family was given out in the guise of scholarship
programs.
But then again the biggest vote-buyer, and therefore the
biggest violator of the Omnibus Election Code, could be the
Aquino Administration. Aside from the cash reportedly
shoved to voters on Election Day, the Bottom-Up Budgeting
(BUB) program of the government was allegedly intended to
buy the support of local government officials. CNN Philippines
reports of the Duterte camp accusing the Liberal Party and its
standard bearer Manuel Roxas II of vote-buying through the
BUB. Peter Lavia, spokesman and head of Dutertes media
team was quoted as saying, The BUB is aimed at cornering
support from local officials, and is supported and blessed by
no less that President Benigno Aquino BUB is officially a
campaign kitty of the administration bet. This perception
was shared by other contending political parties. Mon Ilagan
of United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), for instance, cried foul
when he said, the LPs vote-buying through BUB is so terrible.
This is the biggest pork barrel in election history. It appears
that the public money is being used by the administration
party to bride the electorate.
The governments apologists parried these accusations of
massive vote-buying through BUB as normal government
assistance to local governments. But to dangle Php100 billion
in government funds to LGUs on a run-up to elections is
suspect. This is why the clamor for change has grown loudest.
Serious or not, Rodrigo Duterte has promised to answer that
clamor.

Revving up our Eucharistic devotion

WITH the celebration of Solemnity of Body and Blood of
Christ, we are reminded to grow continually in our Eucharistic
devotion. A cursory look at how the Eucharist is celebrated
in many places today can readily reveal that it has practically
become banal and stale. In the first place, only old pious women
seem to be regular at attending it. Other than them, many of
those who are there look as if they are merely complying with
some religious duties or social expectations.
There is a need to rekindle our Eucharistic amazement and to
intensify our Eucharistic piety, since in the Eucharist we really
have Christ with us and he offers himself as food for our earthly
journey toward eternal life. We need to understand and live the
intrinsic link between the Eucharistic adoration and its social
consequences. Our personal encounter with the Lord in the
Eucharist should strengthen our social mission contained in it.
I remember Pope Emeritus Benedict saying, The Eucharist
seeks to break down not only the walls that separate the Lord
and ourselves, but also and especially the walls that separate
us from one another.
These are nice words that certainly convey a deep insight
about the mystery of the Eucharist. The challenge now is how
to make everyone aware of this reality. Little things count a lot
here. The care and devotion we give when we kneel or genuflect
before the Blessed Sacrament, for example, can already go a
long way in helping us enter deep into Christs presence and
into the lives of people.
This will be an entering that goes beyond our psychological,
temperamental or social and cultural conditionings. It will
be an entering that is led by faith and love. It will enable us
to savor Christs presence and peoples lives in a manner that
beggars description.

Monitor
CBCP

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ILLUSTRATION BY BLADIMER USI

Election for change

Views and Points

Abp. Oscar V. Cruz

AS values usually stand for

what is proper and correct,
what is right and worthwhile,
what is ideal and the like,
people should be vigilant and
careful lest their value system
become but ego-centered.
These are the times that seem
to promote if not actually
affirm the social liability of
personalism in what is right or
wrong, what is virtue or vice
particularly in the sphere
of governance anchored
on egoism. Whereas such
downright egoism would
readily and eventually
promote if not even facilitate
socio-political disorder in
terms of individuals and/or
groups thereof simply doing
what they please, a supposedly
democratic government
would find it really hard if not
practically impossible to work
for the common good, for
the public welfare of society
in generalprecisely under
such a personalistic or egoistic
orientation in the local/
national level of governance

anchored on egoism.
Democracy and selfdiscipline are not
contradictory. True freedom
and proper regulations are not
mutually exclusive. In other
words, without discipline,
democracy becomes a moral
difficulty if not a downright
political impossibility. There
is, however, a big difference
between the freedom
upheld and promoted by
true democracy vis--vis
relativism subscribed to and
justified by liberalism which
considers objective truths as
inimical even to what is true,
right, and proper. The truth is
that freedom promotes choice
such that there is even the
reality known as Freedom of
Choice. So it is that there is
really no objective ethical and
moral choice between what is
virtuous and what is vicious,
what is democratic and what
is tyrannical.
In a democratic system
of government, political
authority is accountable to the

Digong and Leni

Personalism
and democracy
people. Such accountability
is by virtue of the free
election of those holding
accountable public authority.
So it is thatwhen eventually
perceived and actually
proven incapable of heading
a democratic leadership
despotic public authority are
ultimately dismissed from
office in due time by the
people themselves through
subsequent uprising if not
free elections. As it is correctly
said, some individuals can
fool some people some of the
timebut definitely not all
people at the same time.
To make civil life proceed
well in its over-all course
towards truth and justice,
peace, and development
such is the over-all
commitment of those elected
by the people to public offices
in a true, actual, and lasting
democracy. And those thus
representing the people in
general are held accountable
to the same people that
gave them their respective

elective public authority in

a democratic government.
This, however, in no way
means that public officials
may just remain passive
agents, indolent individuals,
laid back characters. The said
officials should then have
the freedom to fulfill their
mandate generally in terms
of knowing and working
for the common good of
the people, whereas public
offices are categorically
intended for public service
in favor of the common good.
So it is thus provided:
The Philippines is a
democratic and republican
State. Sovereignty resides
in the people and all
government authority
emanates from them.
(1987 Phil. Constitution,
Art. II, Sec. 1) So it is that
in the context of the above
provision, personalism,
egoism, individualism
in government are the
enemies of people living in
a democratic country.

And Thats The Truth

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

WHEN I left the country, the

president was Noynoy; when
I returned, it was Digong. Not
having had the chance to vote,
I had no dirty finger to show
off to kababayans abroad.
Sad, but obligations as a
member of the Ecumenical
Jury at Cannes Film Festival
compelled me to be in
Cannes, France, by May 9
for pre-festival meetings.
But the hectic schedule that
stretched from my arrival up
to the festivals conclusion
on May 22 wouldnt stop me
from updating myself online
on the elections outcome.

I didnt get to meet that

many Filipinos in Cannes
but the ones I didI was
surprised to discoverwere
really keeping abreast of
goings-on in the countrys
political arena. I was even
more surprised when an
Indian national who saw
Brillante Mendozas
competing film, Ma Rosa,
casually said over an official
lunch, I am sure your new
president will like that film,
about corrupt police and
drugs.
My standard question for
Pinoys encountered was,

Candidly Speaking
Fr. Roy Cimagala
ITS amazing that even as Christ was
already talking about his impending
passion, death, and resurrection, two
of his apostles, James and John, were
more interested in occupying special
places in heaventhat they may sit one
at your right and the other at your left.
(cfr. Mk 10, 32-45)
This elicited a sharp rebuke from
Christ and the clarification that whoever
wishes to be first among you will be the
slave of all. For the Son of Man did not
come to be served but to serve and to
give his life as a ransom for many.
Before saying those words, he told
them: You know that those who are
recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them, and their great ones

What do you think of the

new president? Did you
vote for him? Why? Or Why
not? Outside of the festival,
most of the feedback that
came under my radar was
from OFWs coming home
for a vacationa miner from
Brazil, a housewife from
Amsterdam, a teacher/DH
from London, an engineer
from Nice, handymen from
Italy, etc. I met and struck
casual chats with them while
airborne, at airport lounges
from Amsterdam through
Taipei to Manila, in the
immigration control queues,

and even while in line for a

cab that took forever to arrive
at Manilas Terminal 3. No
wasted time for this super
snoop trying to feel the pulse
of the man on the street.
While not all of them voted
for Du30, most of their
responses were variations on
the same themewait and
see. Samples: Sige lang,
nandiyan na yan eh, sana nga
mabago niya ang bansa. (Let
it go, its done, lets hope he
changes the country.) Binoto
ko siya kahit ayaw ng mga
magulang ko, kasi bilib ako
And Thats The Truth / A6

The fundamental
attitude to serve

make their authority over them felt. But

it shall not be so among you.
These words are a timely reminder
for all of us, and especially our newlyelected public officials, who wield a
certain authority over others due to our
position and status in life. They clearly
spell out how our attitude should be with
respect to power and authority that we
can have.
Power and authority is meant for
serving. To serve is the language and the
expression of love. It authenticates any
affirmation of love we do, converting it
from intention to tangible reality.
This is the attitude meant for us, with
God himself as the exemplar. Imagine,
Christ served us by dying on the cross.

Before that, he shocked his apostles

when he insisted that he be allowed
to wash their feet. That was to give an
example to them, and us, so that what
he did we would also do to one another.
The angels too, superior to us in
nature, are made to serve us, following
a divine law articulated by Christ himself
when he said: Let him who is greatest
among you become as the youngest, and
him who is the chief as the servant. (Lk
22,26)
We need to be more keenly aware of
this law. This is truly what is good for
us, providing us with the basic source
of strength and consistency we need as
we grapple with lifes endless challenges.
Candidly Speaking / A7

CBCP Monitor

OPINION A5

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

Along the Way

Vigilant Collaboration

Fr. Eutiquio Euly Belizar, Jr. SThD

Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, STD

THE greatest promise the Church

can offer any government is vigilant
collaboration, and that offer we make
now. We will urge our people to work
with the government for the good of all,
and we shall continue to be vigilant so
that ever so often we may speak out to
teach and to prophesy, to admonish and
to correctfor this is our vocation..
This last paragraph of the CBCP postelection statement signed by Archbishop
Socrates Villegas sums up the stance
of the Catholic Church vis--vis the
administration of the presumptive
president Rodrigo Duterte.
Vigilant Collaboration This is how
the Church as an institution will engage
with the Duterte government for the
next six years.
There are two elements: in this
stance (1) collaborationworking
with the government for the good
of all. (2) vigilanceto speak out, to
teach, to admonish or in other words,
to be prophetic.
The Church will urge her members
and the leaders to work for the common
good. There are specific areas relating
to the common good that the Church
should support and collaborate with the
government: the economic field this
means working together in addressing the
economic needs of the citizens, especially
the poor. The contribution of the Church
is to continue its work of charity and
poverty-alleviation program. The Church,
as part of civil society, should also work
with the government in addressing the
problem of the environment and the
consequent climate change.
The prospects for the continuation

and conclusion of the peace process is

very bright under the Duterte presidency.
Thus, the Church should fully support the
peace process between the government
and the NDF that will lead to a peace
agreement and will address the roots of
the insurgency. The Church should also
support the full implementation of the
peace agreement between the government
and the MILFespecially the BBL.
The Church should also express her
support of the governments campaign
against corruption and criminality.
The Churchs main contribution here
is in the area of moral reformation
that should underpin the governments
drive. Without a change of heart,
without moral conversion, the campaign
against corruption and criminality
cannot be sustainable.
While working with the government in
pursuit of the common good, the Church
will always remain vigilant and exercise
her prophetic vocation.
This requires exercising her role as a
conscience of societysupporting what
is right and good and exposing and
denouncing what is wrong and evil.
The primary area of vigilance is that of
the respect for human rightsespecially
the right to life and due process. The
Church will constantly monitor and
denounce any abuse and violation of
human rights especially extrajudicial
killings. This can be carried out through
the social action programs and ministries.
The Church will also oppose any attempt
to revive the death penalty. This is a
potential area of conflict and tension
between the Church and the Government.
Another potential area of conflict is

To Serve,
Not To Be Served!
DEAR President Rody. Let
me address you as such, as
you wish to be called after
you take your oath of office on
June 30 as our new President.
Your recent declarations
about the hypocrisy of the
Catholic Church, the Catholic
bishops, and priests alarmed
us Catholics, especially
those who voted for you.
Yes, millions voted for you members of different religions
and those who do not have
religion. But not all the 16.6
million votes you garnered
can be credited to them.
The Philippines is 80%
Catholic and we must accept
the fact that more than 50%
of those who voted for you
are Catholics. We are the
ones who cast our conscience
votes, not because we disobey
our bishops and priests, but
because we are sick and tired
of the status quo. We had
enough of corruption in the
government which was never
solved as promised in the 2010
elections. Ours is a protest

vote, a real desperate vote,

a referendum to discontinue
Daang Matuwid which
remains insensitive to the
plight of the Filipinos.
President Rody, we,
Catholics, are some of those
genuine Filipinos who heard
and listened to your call for
change, and together we,
Catholics, answered your
call for change, that change
is coming for a better life.
Our vote for you does not
mean that it is a vote to leave
the Catholic faith. No! We
Catholics stand firm in our
faith; we are ready to defend
our faith!
Mayor Digong, as you are
still called, you acknowledged
that the recent elections
divided the nation and greatly
caused wounded feelings
among family members,
relatives, and friends. When
you offered reconciliation and
healing to your opponents in
politics, we Catholics were
happy. When you thanked
everyonewhether they

Collection Box

in the implementation of the RH law.

While the Church supports responsible
parenthood and natural family planning
methods, the Church opposes the neoMalthusian paradigm promoted by the
government which instead of looking
at its growing population as human
resource, regards overpopulation as
the cause of poverty and prescribes
aggressive population control through
the use of medically harmful methods
or that could induce abortion.
Another area of vigilance is the
Duterte administrations support for
the construction of coal-fired power
plants as solution to the energy problem.
This is deadly to the health of the people
and contribute to global warming. Coalfired power plants are sustained by the
dirtiest form of mining which contribute
to the poisoning of the environment.
The Church will continue to promote a
consistent ethic of life and reject policies
that promote the culture of death.
The Church will also be vigilant
against any effort to impose antidemocratic and autocratic forms of
governance.
In carrying out her prophetic vocation,
the Church should avoid working with
any elements in society that seek to oust
the present adminstration through extralegal or undemocratic means. Thus, the
Church should not support and should
reject coup attempts by the military
or armed power grab by any group whether from the Right or the Left.
This vigilant collaboration should
be practiced at all levelsnational,
regional, diocesan, parish, and the Basic
Ecclesial Communities.

Duc in altum

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

voted for you or not we,

Catholics, were delighted.
As our new President,
you are now our Tatay
Digong, the father of the
Filipino Nation, the father
of all Filipinos. You are our
Tatay Digong, irrespective
of our religionCatholics,
Protestants, Born Again,
Iglesia ni Cristo, Mr. Quiboloy
and his followers, Muslims,
Jehovahs Witnesses, Aglipay,
and others.
When you called our
bishops and priests
hypocrites, when you labeled
the Catholics as hypocrites,
we were very much hurt
and saddened. We do not
claim that we are saints; we
acknowledge our sinfulness.
As a convert to Catholic
faith says, If a preacher,
religious, or layman fails to
live up to the standards he is
preaching, the blame lies with
him and not with the message
he preaches. His actions
say much about himself but
not about the teachings of

Christ. His actions and

deeds are not the actions of
the Catholic as a religion and
as an institution. Human as
we are, sinners as we may be,
we may also aspire to be holy.
The Lord himself says, even a
common criminal may work
for his holiness, and because
of their conversion, some of
them were declared saints.
Our Lord Jesus Christ offered
his life to save mankind from
sins. Thus, we must also look
for a single dot of goodness in
every human being.
Tatay Digong, the voice
of the people is the voice of
God. You have been anointed
by our Lord to be our new
President. Despite your
curses, we, Catholics, still
voted for you because we
find in you the political will
to bring change, for that
we respect you. As our new
President, we, Catholics, also
deserve respect; our bishops
and priests also deserve
respect; the Catholic Church
Duc In Altum / A6

Priest and Eucharist

Fr. Jerome R. Secillano, MPA

SEPTEMBER 28, 2002 was a memorable

date for the Archdiocese of Manila.
Twelve deacons were ordained to the
priesthood by then Auxiliary Bishop
Socrates Villegas. It was exactly twenty
one years ago to that day that the
archdiocese had the same large number
of ordinandi. But it was a big day not
only because of the number. It was a
big day also because of the quality of
those to be ordained. Bishop Soc said,
My dear twelve deacons, yes you are
good but you are not good enough.
You are not good enough to be priests.
Remember that always.
I was one of those twelve and he
started off by introducing each one of us
by name. Surprisingly, he described us
using very kind and generous words that
left all of us humbled, quietly grateful,
and calmly proud. But just as quick
as the praises, Bishop Soc suddenly
dropped the bombshell that we are not
good enough to be priests and we should
not forget it!
That day marked for me a significant
realization of what the priesthood
is all about. We priests can be good
administrators, excellent homilists,

By the Roadside

effective recollection or retreat masters,

successful builders, efficient school
directors, valuable professors or
formators, most sought after counselors
or spiritual directors, but priesthood
remains to be an undeserved gift. We
are undeserving of it because of our
sinfulness. Bishop Soc continued, Look
into your hearts my dear deacons,
and you will see there the mystery
of sinfulness. Thanks be to God your
confessors are not allowed to talk to the
Cardinal (Jaime L. Sin, DD) because
if he could hear half of what you have
disclosed to your confessors, you will
not be here.
Some call priesthood a divine
scandal. Meaning, Christ calls and
chooses unworthy men but despite this
unworthiness He qualifies them to be
ministers tasked to lead the faithful to
God. This may be confusing for some
because only the best and the most
perfect are supposed to be entrusted
with this considerable and noble
mission. But such is priesthood. It is a
gratuitous gift that comes from the Lord.
This explains why during the ordination
the Bishop says, After consulting the

people of God and those concerned

with the formation of the candidates, we
now rely on the help of God. Meaning,
the ultimate determination of the
candidates worthiness rests on God.
But more importantly, we do not have
in our midst the most perfect and the
best man for the job, simply because no
human being is.
None could better remind me of this
unworthiness than the celebration of
the Eucharist. Owing to the theology
that calls priest in persona Christi (in
the person of Christ), it becomes our
mission to make present once more the
sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. In the
Eucharist, we hold and raise the body of
Christ while saying, This is my body,
and do the same with the chalice saying,
This is my blood. Those words, at the
outset, create a sense of uneasiness,
especially since while raising the chalice
we see the reflection of our faces and
not that of Christ. As a sign of humility,
some priests would simply look down
or close their eyes as they raise both
species. Others in a rare moment of
glory and ecstasy would look at them
Collection Box / A6

The Christian family:

Eucharistic missionaries
of Gods mercy
EVER recall the feeling when it is a fiesta? The emotional and
physical high, the many acts of preparation and the details
of festivity that come with it? How about three fiestas in one?
Brace yourself. This year the Church in the Philippines
celebrates three important milestones: The Year of (the Divine)
Mercy, The Year of the Christian Family, and the Year of the
Eucharist. All three realities seem mere happy coincidences.
But the question that also seems inevitable is: Are they in any
way related? All at once I find it striking how positive the answer
is. First, the Christian Family is the Domestic Church or the
Church in the Home. Second, in completion of our Christian
initiation begun at Baptism, the Eucharist makes our families
that gather around it more fully incorporated members of
Christs Body. Third, in the Eucharist we also receive in his
Body and Blood the whole person of Jesus Christ, the face of
Gods mercy. Fourth, from the Eucharist we are also sent to
share what we have received.
The Christian Family is the Church in the Home
Dont we often hear parents ask: Did you go to Church?
And what about priests who declare to us: We are the
Church. Do we ever care to inquire: What are we talking
about here by Church? The Catholic faith teaches us that
the reality called Church does not simply mean a place or
building of worship. It also means the people themselves
who worship. It is a reality that does not exist only in the
many members who compose particular communities of
worshippers or Christifideles (disciples of Christ), such as
the diocese or the parish. It also exists in the home, in each
family that professes faith and life together in Jesus Christ.
In the decree Perfectae Caritatis (Of Perfect Charity), Pope St.
John Paul II teaches us that there are many profound bonds
linking the Church and the Christian family and establishing
the family as a Church in miniature (Ecclesia Domestica),
in such a way that the family is a living image and historical
representation of the mystery of the Church (PC 49). For this
reason the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines calls
the Christian Family the Church in the home (PCP II 421).
What are we saying here? Let me put it simply. Just like
people, the Church comes to us in different shapes and sizes. It
even comes to us in the shape and form of our own families as
we profess together, pray together, love together, and struggle
together to follow Jesus in word and in action.
The Eucharist Makes the Christian Family
I hope you are not shocked if I tell you this: Sometimes
nutritionists do the most profound theology. Why? For
instance, it is from them that we hear the words: We areor
we becomewhat we eat. What makes that so profoundly
theological? Consider this: What do we come to the Eucharist
for? To eat the Bread of Life. In the Gospel of John, particularly
in chapter six, the Bread of Life means two things. First, it
means the teachings of Jesus himself as object of faith. To
illustrate my point let me refer you to what he says in verse
35: I myself am the bread of life. No one who comes to me
shall ever be hungry. No one who believes in me shall ever
thirst. Second, it also means the Eucharist as sacrament of
his Body and Blood. Let me also illustrate that by means of
verses 53 to 55: Let me solemnly assure you, if you do not
eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have
no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drink my blood
has everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For
my flesh is real food and my blood real drink.
Two things are clear here. First, eating the Bread of Life
means believing in Jesus words, and we have Jesus words
for it. He declares himself the Bread of Life and says that
anyone who believes in him will find satisfaction for their
spiritual hunger and thirst. Second, eating the Bread of Life
also means feeding (in the original Greek, the more literal
translation would be munching or pagsupa in Waray) on
the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of Man. That
this cannot refer to Jesus teaching anymore is illustrated not
only by the impossibility of eating Jesus teachings but also
by the quite graphic word of feeding or munching that
Jesus uses. Add to that his strong affirmation: For my flesh
is real (not symbolic, lets take note) food, and my blood real
(not symbolic, lets take note again) drink.
I was told in high school seminary that serendipity means
happy fate or chance. It is beyond serendipity that the first
meaning of Bread of Life coincides with the Liturgy of the
Word where we read and listen to the teachings of Jesus
through the Scriptures and the preaching of the priest, and
its second meaning to the Liturgy of the Eucharist where
the bread and wine are transformed by the Holy Spirit at
consecration into the Flesh and Blood of the Savior that
we receive in Communion. It is Christ that we receive. It is
Christ we must become. For in the Eucharist we truly and
more fully become his Body. This happens to us not only as
communities but even as families. Ergo, the Eucharist makes
the Christian Family.
In the Eucharist We Receive Christ, the Face of Gods
Mercy
I once heard a mother, remembering the life of sacrifice she
has lived for her family, say to me, I have given my flesh and
blood to them [her husband and children] I wondered if
she purposely used these words because she was speaking to a
priest. But I got her message plainly. She has given her whole
self to her family. It is also the whole person of Jesus Christ
that we receive in his Body and in his Blood made available
to us in the Eucharist.
The awesome truth about receiving Jesus Christ is that he
does not take us only to himself. He also takes us to the Father.
Whoever sees me sees the Father, he declares to Philip the
Apostle in Jn 14:9. The reason is also clear in his own words:
The Father and I are one (Jn 10:30).
It is because Jesus fully reveals the Father to us that Pope St.
John Paul II teaches us in his encyclical Dives in Misericordia
(Rich in Mercy): He (Jesus Christ), in a certain sense, is
mercy (DM 2). In the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary
By The Roadside / A7

A6 FEATURES

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

Priest slams 2016 polls corruption culture

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

THE coordinator of an accredited

election watchdog denounced the
culture of corruption that reigned
in this city during the political
campaign period for the May 9 local
and national elections.
Vote-buying and vote-selling is
the cancer of the electoral process in
our country and is a slap on the face
on our faith as Catholics, stressed
Msgr. Meliton Oso, archdiocesan
coordinator of the Parish Pastoral
Council for Responsible Voting
(PPCRV) for Iloilo.

He said he personally observed

voters queuing to receive handouts
or envelopes, allowing themselves
to be bought by corrupt politicians.
According to the priest, political
parties were shelling out Php1,000
per voter to make them vote their
ticket straight.
I was in central and northern
Iloilo and it was reported to me that
candidates and party list groups
were giving out Php500 per voter.
I was also informed that Php3,000
per family was given out in the guise

of scholarship programs, the priest

added.
The worse thing in this years
elections is that it is now the people
themselves who expect to be given
handouts in order to vote for the
candidate of choice, bemoaned the
priest, noting the electorates moral
degeneration.
Some 54 million registered voters
headed to the polls yesterday, May 9
for the local and national elections.
(Fr. Mickey Cardenas/CBCP
News)

Papacy / A1

enlarged ministry, with

both an active and a
contemplative member.
The archbishop said
that this is why Benedict
did not renounce his papal
name or give up his white
cassock.
This is the reason why
the correct appellation
for him is Your Holiness.
This is finally the reason
why he did not retire to
an isolated monastery,
but within the Vatican
walls, as if he just took a
step aside to make space
for his successor and for a
new step in the history of
the papacy, Archbishop
Ganswein said.
This is how Benedict
XVI has profoundly and
lastingly transformed
the papal ministry
during his exceptional
pontificate.
Archbishop Ganswein
also reflected on the
meaning of Benedict XVIs
election. He said that the
election was certainly the
outcome of a clash whose
key interpretation had
been given by Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger himself
in his homily for the preconclave Mass on April
18, 2005.
Then-Cardinal
Ratzinger reflected on

the clash of two forces. He

criticized a dictatorship
of relativism that does
not recognize anything
as definitive and whose
ultimate goal consists
solely of ones own ego
and desire. With this,
he contrasted Christians
goal of Jesus Christ, the
Son of God and the true
man. This is the measure
of true humanism.
This clash is epitomized
in what Archbishop
Ganswein described as
the dramatic struggle
between two parties in
the conclave. He labeled
one the Salt of the Earth
party after the name of
a book-length interview
with Cardinal Ratzinger.
This party gathered around
Cardinals Lopez Trujillo,
Ruini, Herranz, Rouco
Varela and Medina Estevez.
Then there is the
so-called St. Gallen
group gathered around
Cardinals Daneels,
Martini, Silvestrini and
Murphy-OConnor. This
is the group, Archbishop
Ganswein noted, that
Cardinal Daneels himself
amusedly described as a
sort of Mafia-club.
Archbishop Ganswein
said that the dictatorship
of relativism is now being

channeled through the

new media that could
barely be imagined in
2005.
Once for all, Archbishop
Ganswein rejected the
notion that Benedict XVIs
resigned because of the
scandals or following
the black year of 2010.
That year was marked
by the breaking of new
clergy sex abuse scandals
in Europe and followed
controversies like that
of the Lefebvrist Bishop
Richard Williamson,
whose excommunication
was lifted without
knowledge of his remarks
minimizing the death toll
of Jews in the Holocaust.
Archbishop Ganswein
said there are more
personal reasons for the
Pope to consider 2010
a black year. That was
the year of the death of
Manuela Camagni, one of
the four consecrated lay
women who were part of
the pontifical household.
She died after she was
struck by a car.
T h e
m e d i a
sensationalism of those
years, from the Williamson
case to escalating attacks
on the Pope, did not
strike the Pope as much
as Manuelas death did,

Archbishop Ganswein
said.
The papal butler,
Paolo Gabriele, was then
exposed as the source of
confidential information
about the papacy, which
news stories have labeled
Vatileaks.
The archbishop stressed
that as the Pope was
shocked by Manuela
Camagnis sudden death,
he then suffered a lot
from the betrayal of Paolo
Gabriele.
But he said that
Benedict did not resign
due to these, or due to
spicy news. Rather,
as the former pontiff
said in his resignation
announcement, his
decision was based on
his advanced age and
declining strength, which
led him to believe that he
could no longer exercise
the ministry entrusted
to him.
No betrayer or any
journalist could push the
Pope to that decision,
Archbishop Ganswein
stressed, as that scandal
was too tiny compared
with the well pondered
historical step Benedict
XVI made with his
resignation. (By Andrea
Gagliarducci / CNA)

And Thats The Truth / A4

sa tapang niya, kaya tingnan natin

papaano niya tutuparin ang mga
pinangako niya. (I voted for him
against my parents wishes because
I believe in his guts, so lets see how
he will keep his promises.) What
I find kind of unnerving was the
parallel between the comments of
the first respondent (the engineer
I met in Cannes) and the last (the
taxi driver that brought be home).
Its a pity I was unable to record
itit was so unexpected. In their
own style, they said the same thing:
Yang si Duterte hinayaan lang
iyan manalo kasi malakas. Hindi
yan magtatagal. Papatayin din nila
yan tapos iuupo nila si Leni, babae
na wala pang alam, madali nilang
madidiktahan. (They only let
Duterte win because hes popular.
He will not last long. They will also
kill him and make Leni president,
whos ignorant besides being a
woman, therefore they can easily
push her around.) The taxi driver
added: Kawawang Leni, ang lakilaki pa naman ng ngiti niya, akala
niya nanalo siyagagamitin lang,
parang bagong Cory. (Poor Leni,
smiling so widely thinking she has
wontheyll only use her, like a
new Cory.) This prompted me to
ask him, Ke Marcos ka ba? (Are
you for Marcos?) He snapped,
Hindi! Binay-Chiz ako! (No, Im
for Binay-Chiz!)
I must admit the taxi drivers
candor and his opinion reflecting

the engineers stopped me dead in

my tracks. From where could these
two men10,711 kilometers apart
from each otherhave drawn such
eerie conclusions? Do they have
intelligence men in the family? Do
they have access to the diaries of
the likes of Panfilo Lacson? Are they
experienced international spies?
In the horrible Manila traffic I
had to feign sleep so the taxi driver
would stop talking. Kuya, iidlip
muna ko, ha? (Brother, may I take a
nap?) He had said enoughenough
to stir my dormant memory to recall
my readings on the atrocious deeds
internationalists have committed
for decades against national leaders
too smart or too patriotic to kowtow
to them.
These internationalists with
blinding greed for the resources
of (usually) developing nations
pressure leaders to cooperate
with them, and when they dont,
they pressure them to resign, or
they assassinate them, for one.
They also ignite coups and civil
wars, arm citizens to kill their fellow
countrymen, destabilize societies,
depose elected but uncooperative
politicians and install their own
puppets, while keeping their
reputation unsullied through
cleverly disguised propaganda.
And the unthinking populace gets
none the wiser.
These internationalists divide
and conquer, buy the media and

influence peddlers to polarize a

nation, create confusion through
deceitful information so that
nations and their hardheaded
leaders would be under control.
Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia,
Chile, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, El Salvador, Greece,
Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary,
Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Nicaragua,
Panama, Zairefrom A to Z and
many more in between, these
internationalists have wreaked
havoc and caused the death of
hundreds of thousands in countries
around the world. It has happened
before, is happening still, and will
continue to happenthis insatiable
lust of the powerful to use their
wealth to seize and leach a land of
its riches that rightfully belong to
its people.
The enemy is not just one political
rival, the war is not just between
political parties. So how much can
one Digong or one Leni or one
Quiboloy behind the throne do to
turn things around? We already
have a Savior who showed usand
still shows usthe way to conquer
evil through the luminous teachings
of the Church He Himself founded.
It is the marrow-deep and authentic
following of this Savior that we must
aspire for. A glance into our naked
selves before the Living God is long
overdue. We have taken our faith
for granted for too longfor far too
long. And thats the truth.

CBCP Monitor

Filipino nuncio calls for love in action

SAYING that the core of Christianity
is found in love, a Philippineborn papal nuncio said the natural
expression of Christian faith is
found in acts of charity and service
to others.
Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla,
the Apostolic Nuncio to Korea, on
Friday said that true Christian love
is love in action especially when
people concretely help answer the
needs of others in matters physical,
emotional, or spiritual.
Christian love has to be put into
practice, said Padilla during his
homily at Mass for the 12th Love in
Action School (LAS) at the Churchrun Kkottongnae social welfare
institute in Eumseong, Choongbuk
province.
In other words, according to him,
we have to give ourselves for others
in love in action in a selfish world
that insists on the progress and
need of ones comfort.
This is the purpose of the Year of
Mercy God has been merciful to
us for this reason, we have to be
merciful to others, because God has
pardoned us, Padilla added.
LAS invites people from all over
the world and provides them with
education and experience of charity
through volunteer works for the
poor in order to spread Kkottongnae
spirituality on love in action.
Kkottongnae, which runs Love in
Action School, is a home where the

Papal nuncio to Korea Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla

with Fr. John Oh Wung-jin, founder of Kkottongnae
Institutes, and other participants of the 12th
Love in Action School make a heart gesture at
Kkottongnae in Eumseong, South Korea, May 27,
2016. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

sick, destitute and handicapped are

rendered Christian care.
This years five-day event started
on Tuesday with a Mass presided
over by Korean Archbishop Paul
Tschang In-Nam, Apostolic Nuncio
to Thailand.
Here you will learn how the
sick are treated in love , how the
homeless are made welcome, how
the people who are marginalized
find a true home of love, Padilla
told the participants.
Among the concelebrants of the
Mass include Fr. John Oh Woonjin, Founder of the Kkottongnae
Institutes.
We now have a visible and
eloquent witness of Gods love. The
spirit of Kkottongnae is a continuing
School of Love, Padilla also said.
(R. Lagarde/CBCPNews)

Response / A1

Bishop Joel Baylon of the Legazpi

diocese, which is situated in the
typhoon-prone Bicol region, shared
his experiences in disaster response.
One significant that we learned is
to be sensitive about preparedness.
We learned to rely on ourselves,
on the finances that we have as a
local church, something very little,
Baylon said.

Every little thing that we have

is Gods gift, something to be
treasured and something to be
shared, he added.
State weather bureau PAGASA
declared last week the start of the
rainy season and warned of fewer
but stronger typhoons this year
due to warmer temperatures and
climate change. (CBCPNews)

Collection Box / A5

and see Jesus being offered once

more at the altar of sacrifice.
Notwithstanding theology, priests
do not acquire any superhuman
capacity during their ordination.
They remain human. Hence, I do
not entertain the thought or create
an illusion that I am Jesus Christ
during that moment of consecration.
I remain who I am, but I let the grace
of ordination work through me as
I speak and act in the very person
of Christ. Recognizing that my
priesthood is simply a participation
in that of Christ the High Priest, I
let him draw me into his sacrificial
action, begging him to configure my
heart and mind more perfectly to his.
According to John Paul II,
Priesthood and Eucharist are
profoundly interconnected. In
Dominicae Cenae (DC) he wrote,
The Eucharist is the raison detre
of the priesthood (DC 2). He
further said, there can be no

Eucharist without the priesthood,

just as there can be no priesthood
without the Eucharist. (JP II, Gift
and Mystery, 77-78). So profound
is this connection that the same
John Paul II also claimed, The
Eucharist could not exist without us
priests but, without the Eucharist,
our existence as priests would be a
lifeless shadow (The Pope Speaks,
29:198).
Drawing from these rich sources
of teachings about priesthood and
Eucharist, Bishop Socs message
continues to reverberate that we
are not good enough to be priests.
The Eucharist, which reminds me
of this unworthiness, is intertwined
with my priesthood. As I therefore,
celebrate this meal, memorial,
thanksgiving, and sacrifice, I can
never boast of anything. There can
only be gratefulness, humility, and
a constant striving for truth and
goodness!

Duc In Altum / A5

as an institution also deserves

respect, in the same manner that
the other religions and their heads
also deserve respect.
We, Catholics, will continue
our corporal works of mercy,
our social development and
social service workfeeding the
malnourished children; giving
shelter to foundlings, abused and
street children; helping battered
wives and women, disabled and
homeless; providing assistance
to unwed mothers, abandoned
pregnant women and victims of
calamities.
President Rody, we will always
pray for your good health and
safety. We will be vigilant to prevent
abuses in the government. We will
give you our collaborated support.
You and we, Catholics, are all here
to serve, not to be served, for the
good of everyone. All in Gods glory!
***
The Senate and House of
Representatives, seating in joint
public session as the National Board
of Canvassers (NBOC), finished the
official count of votes in the 2016
elections. Final tally: Duterte
16,601,997 against Roxas 9,978,175,
vote difference of 6,623,822.
Robredo 14,418,817 against
Marcos 14,155,344, vote difference
of 263,473. Congress will proclaim on
Monday, May 30, 2016, Rodrigo Roa
Duterte and Maria Leonor Gerona
Robredo as President-elect and Vice
President-elect, respectively.
Congress has the sole authority
to canvass the votes for president

and vice president, as stated in

the Certificates of Canvass (COC)
transmitted to Congress by the
Board of Canvassers (BOC) of
each province or city, including
the COCs for local and overseas
absentee votes pursuant to Article
VII, Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution.
The NBOC has no power to go
beyond the COC as appearing
before them, except for 3 grounds
detailed in Section 37 of R,A. 9369:
Discrepancy, Incompleteness and
Erasure or Alteration. The canvass
of votes is ministerial. Section 37
does not allow Congress to entertain
pre-proclamation cases for national
elective posts.
Although NBOC receives
electronically transmitted results
from different provincial and city
BOCs from Transparency Servers,
these are unofficial and serve as
guides for comparison purposes.
What are actually canvassed are the
physical COCs duly certified and
signed by the different provincial
and city BOCs and physically
transmitted to Congress. This
manual canvassing procedure is
provided in the 1987 Constitution,
and it cannot be changed with the
shift to automated system.
***
Happy Birthday to Most Rev.
Francisco M. De Leon D.D., the
Coadjutor Bishop of Antipolo,
Happy Birthday also to my brother,
Benito Santiago, Jr.. Happy
Sacerdotal Anniversary to Fr. James
Ty,cIVE of the Diocese of Kalookan.

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES A7

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

After 115-year US stay, Fire destroys rectory

in
Camarines
Sur
bell of peace back home
NAGA City A huge fire destroyed
the rectory of Sts. Philip and James
Parish in Lagonoy, Camarines Sur
last week.
Several fire crews and volunteers
responded to the blaze just after 5
p.m. last Wednesday, May 25. Fire
out was declared at around 8 p.m.
Faulty electrical wiring is being
blamed for the fire that burned
several properties in the convent
compound.
All the personal belongings of

the resident priests together with

the Convento and the parish office
equipment were totally gutted by
the fire, said the Archdiocese of
Caceres in a statement.
Fortunately, important
documents, and records, and
religious images were saved, it said.
The archdiocese is seeking help
to renovate the rectory. Donations
may be given to archdioceses
Oeconomus Office in Naga City.
(CBCPNews)

Aid / A1

Symbol of Peace. The San Pedro Bell was unveiled by Capt. Dennis L. Wright, SC. USN (Retired) and Hon Eulogio Clarence Martin P. de Guzman III, Municipal
Mayor of Bauang, La Union, in its home church, May 23, 2016. LEO LAZO

BAUANG, La UnionAfter being

kept for 115 years on American
soil, the historic San Pedro bell was
welcomed back home with nothing
short of a fiesta-like celebration
in the municipality of Bauang,
province of La Union, earlier today.
Dubbed the Symbol of peace,
the bell hung outside New Yorks
West Points Most Holy Trinity
Catholic Chapel since 1937 before
its return to the Philippines.
After a farewell ceremony last
April 29 in West Point where it
was rung for one last time, Bauang
resident welcomed the bells return
with festivities complete with
colorful banderitas and musical
and cultural performances.
Bishop Rodolfo F. Beltran,
Bishop of San Fernando La Union,
commenced the unveiling ceremony
by celebrating Holy Mass, which
was attended by representatives
from the West Point community,

U.S. veterans, local officials, church

leaders, and parishioners.
In an interview, UP Professor
Rolando O. Borrinaga shared
his sentiments about the bells
return, I am very happy about this
development. Borrinaga, who is a
historian from Eastern Visayas, did
the transcription and translation
of the inscriptions on the bell, then
traced its origin to Bauang using
the book Curas de Almas as key
reference. The books author Prof.
Regalado Trota Jose, an archivist
of the University of Santo Tomas
in Manila, corroborated Borrinagas
findings.
When asked how non-residents
of Bauang can grasp the bells
relevance, Borrinaga, who is an
expert of the historic Bells of
Balangiga, said, A church bell
reminds Filipinos of their faith and
religiosity. The ringing of a bell,
whether a church bell or a school

bell, is always interpreted as a

warning or a call to do something
dutifully.
The bell was removed from the
16th-century old church of Saints
Peter and Paul Church in 1901
during the Philippine-American
War that lasted from 1899 to 1902.
U.S. soldiers routinely took bells
home as souvenirs, but at times
they were removed for a military
purposeto prevent them from
being melted to make weapons.
The bell fell into the hands of Lt.
Col. Thomas Barry, who had been
deployed to the Philippines in 190001. An 1877 West Point graduate,
who eventually became its 27th
superintendent, gave the bell to his
alma mater in 1915. It was brought
to the Catholic Church at West
Point for storage in 1937. (Carl
Jamie Simple S. Bordeos/
CBCPNews)

School offers 1st music degree course in Region 8

CALBAYOG City, Samar
Christ the King College
(CKC), the oldest Catholic
school in Samar and
Leyte, launches its newest
course offering for this
incoming school year,
the Bachelor of Music in
Music Education, the first
of its kind in the region.
Established in 1905, CKC
is a Franciscan educational
institution administered
by the Franciscan Friars
of the Custody of Saint
Anthony of Padua in
Southern Philippines.
I hope people of
Samar and Leyte see
the opportunity of
getting a music degree
at CKC without going
into expensive music
schools in Manila or in
other places like Cebu
or Dumaguete, said Fr.

Marlowe A. Rosales, OFM

in an interview.
Rosales is a musicianpriest missionary in
Calbayog, Samar, who
directs and conducts
the Christ the King
College Youth Symphony
Orchestra (CKCYSO), a group of 60
young musicians and
instrumentalists, that
performed during the
Holy Mass of Pope Francis
at Quirino Grandstand
in Manila last January,
and during the Opening
Mass of the International
Eucharistic Congress in
Cebu this year officiated
by Papal Legate Cardinal
Charles Maung Bo.
Spreading the joy of
music
From its humble start in

2007, the CKC YSO has

since received invitations
to spread the joy of music
to various places across
the Philippines.
To date, it has
performed at the SM
Mall of Asia (MOA); the
Newport Mall of Resorts
World Manila; Century
Park Hotel; Concert at
the Park at the Open-air
Auditorium; Rizal ParkManila; Sabin Resort
Hotel, Ormoc City; and at
the Paco Catholic School
for the Pondo ng Pinoy,
upon the invitation of
retired Manila Archbishop
Gaudencio B. Cardinal
Rosales.
Sharing Gods gift
Funds raised from
concerts finance the
Share Gods Gift of Music

Program. This includes

scholarships, values
formation, and music
training of CKC-YSOs
member musicians; the
upgrade and maintenance
of musical instruments;
and outreach concerts in
remote communities.
Despite its success,
CKC-YSO continues to
hold outreach concerts in
the far-flung barangays
of Calbayog City, where it
all began.
Even as they entertain
people in big cities like
Manila, its members
have never forgotten
to visit remote villages,
bringing orchestral music
closer to barrio folks,
who otherwise lack the
means to experience it.
(Carl Jamie Simple S.
Bordeos/CBCPNews)

By The Roadside / A5

Jubilee of Mercy, Misericordiae

Vultus (The Face of Mercy), Pope
Francis puts it in a way you and I
can easily see: Jesus Christ is the
face of the Fathers mercy (MV 1).
What this tells us staggers the
imagination. If it is the whole
person of Jesus Christ that we
receive in the Eucharist, then it
is also the face of the Fathers
mercy that becomes part of us.
Nay, rather we become part of the
Fathers mercy.

In the Eucharist the Christian
Family is Sent to Share Gods
Mercy
Remember the commercial about
a fast-food chain where a customer,
having eaten its fried chicken, acts
and sounds like a chicken? That not
only tells, in a jest, the message of
one becoming what he/she eats. It
also helps us realize the tremendous
truth that follows from receiving
Christs Body and Blood.
If Jesus is the face of the Fathers
mercy and it is this same Jesus that
we receive in the Eucharist, then,
like Jesus, we must also be FACES
OF THE FATHERS MERCY. We
must become what we eat. This is
where the missionary character of
the Filipino Family celebrating the
Eucharist comes in. Jesus himself

says it to us after he rose from the

dead: As the Father has sent me,
so I send you (Jn 20:21).
At the end of the Mass, the
celebrant (bishop or presbyter) says:
Ite, missa est (Go forth, the Mass
is ended) One of my classmates
in the seminary, after ordination,
during Mass, wanting to heighten the
connection between this concluding
declaration and Jesus missionary
charge to his disciples, said: The
Mass is ended. Your mission begins.
The heart of the Eucharist is
sharing. It is first and foremost
Jesus Christ who shares himself
with us by giving us his Body and
Blood. But it does not stop there.
He also shares with us his mission
of revealing the Fathers mercy.
Pope Francis urges us to open our
hearts to those living on the outer
fringes of society: fringes modern
society itself creates How many
are the wounds borne by the flesh of
those who have no voice because their
cry is muffled and drowned out by the
indifference of the rich? (MV 15).
How do we respond to this, we ask.
The Holy Father answers by pointing
to the practice of the corporal
and spiritual works of mercy.
Corporal because they answer to our
neighbors bodily needs; spiritual
because they address spiritual needs.

Says the pope: Let us rediscover

these corporal works of mercy: to
feed the hungry, to give drink to the
thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome
the stranger, heal the sick, visit the
imprisoned, and bury the dead. And
let us not forget the spiritual works
of mercy: to counsel the doubtful,
instruct the ignorant, admonish
sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive
offenses, bear patiently those who do
us ill, and pray for the living and the
dead (MV 15).
After Jesus, Mama Mary is our
prime model. In the Visitation,
she does a series of corporal works
of mercy in behalf of her cousin
Elizabeth. Even if we are not given
the details, it is not so hard to
realize the feeding, caring, and
other acts she must have done to
express her love for her cousin
and her child. But she also does a
spiritual act of mercy by sharing
the strength of her faith. It is
Elizabeth herself who points this
out: Blessed are you who believe
that the Lords words to you will be
fulfilled (Lk 1:45).
The Father whom Jesus reveals
to the Christian Family in the
Eucharist is rich in mercy.
Would Christian Families be
truly children of the Father if they
are otherwise?

step is to consider human beings

seriously.
You cannot go more concrete
than that. We are dealing with
human beings, said Tagle during
the World Humanitarian Summit in
Istanbul, Turkey on May 24.
He said it is sad if policy-makers
address humanitarian crisis only in
terms of statistics and theories.
While that might be necessary,
I think the first concrete way is to
go back to the human beings. Hold
the hand of a survivor of a calamity.
Enter the shack of a refugee family.
Listen to the stories, explained the
prelate.
Top-down approach
The cardinal also reiterated his
call for a new approach to topdown solutions, as traditional
humanitarian aid has tended to do.
He said this way of working has
been proven neither efficient nor
effective because it has failed to
give due respect to the communities
which are being served.
According to him, international
donors and agencies must respect
more the principle of subsidiarity
and ensure that resources are made
available at the grassroots level.
Sometimes you know they mean
well but the local communities
know their culture, their needs and
their situations better so enabling
the local communities to really get
involved in rebuilding of their lives
I think is important, Tagle said.
Cardinal Tagle also said it is
necessary to confront and address
the causes of conflicts that drive
people away from their homes.
If it is a natural calamity then we
should address the climatic changes
and the lifestyle that could help us
cope with these changes, prevent
disasters, etc., he said.
Tagle was among the religious
leaders who took part in the
summit where he also spoke to

participants on the role of religion

in humanitarian response.
Humanitarian response
With the Church at the forefront
in disaster relief and reconstruction,
several dioceses have come together
in Legazpi City on May 30 to better
prepare for emergencies.
Organized by Caritas Philippines,
the topics discussed in the threeday and first ever National
Humanitarian Response Summit
focused on linking Church
structures and mechanisms to
disaster response.
Fr. Edwin Gariguez, executive
secretary of Caritas Philippines, stressed
the need for more mechanisms for
collaboration for emergency response
in the Church network.
The summit is being held to be
able to share good experiences of
the different diocese on how they
respond to disasters, he said.
We also have a National
Contingency Plan and we are
sharing it so that we could be
more efficient in our disaster
preparedness and response using
these tools, explained Gariguez.
Welcoming the participants,
Bishop Joel Baylon of Legazpi, a
diocese situated in the typhoonprone Bicol region, shared his
experiences in disaster response.
One significant that we learned is
to be sensitive about preparedness.
We learned to rely on ourselves,
on the finances that we have as a
local church, something very little,
Baylon said.
Every little thing that we have
is Gods gift, something to be
treasured and something to be
shared, he added.
Also present in the summit were
representatives from in-country
Caritas Internationalis member
organizations, local church
groups, and government agencies.
(CBCPNews)

Hunger / A1

to reduce food loss.

He was referring to the Farm for
Maine programme in the US which
distributes food straight from the
field to needy people.
Tagle also cited a 2014 study by
Caritas Malawi which showed how
food losses from numerous crops
impacted small farmers.
Caritas addresses food loss not
only by providing technical solution.
Rather the response comes from a
vision of human development that

is integral, societal and ecological.

He also reiterated the Churchs
ongoing commitment to tackling
food waste and loss, as he cited
Pope Francis encylical Laudato Si
and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVIs
Caritas in Veritate.
Adopting only technical remedies
to food loss equals to forgetting the
human person, separating what is in
reality interconnected and masking
the true and deepest problems of the
global system, said Tagle.

Candidly Speaking / A4

Before we worry about the big and

destructive enemies of our soul, we
have to realize that our most insidious
foe is right within us, when this
attitude of serving others is not firmly
established in our mind and heart.
That it was James and John who
made that questionable request only
shows how easy it is for us who try to
be close to God to fall for the tricks
of our souls enemies.
They most likely were motivated
by the best intentions. Still, those
intentions were wrong. Like them,
we could be subjectively loving, but
objectively not so. Thus, the need
to constantly rectify our intentions.
It is this missing attitude of wanting
to serve in each one of us that sooner
or later grows into social and cultural
proportions, then into something
global with ideological supporting
structures, that offers the seed, sun,
and water for the big enemies we have
against our spiritual life.
The absence of this attitude
nullifies whatever big and ardent
professions of love we may have
toward God and others. Our desire
to love could not soar into the
flight of authentic love when this
eagerness to serve is absent.

Any attempt to love with this

attitude not in place would be plain
mimickry. It would attract many
problems and anomalies. It will
drown in the quicksands of pride,
vanity, envy, jealousy, and the other
subtle forms of egoism. It cannot
survive the mere tests of differences of
characters and opinions, for example.
This eagerness to serve really has
to be worked out, because with our
fallen and wounded nature, every
pore of our being tends to go against
the law of love expressed in service
that God meant for us.
We need to pause and reflect to get
a clear view of our predicament, then
beg and pray for Gods grace for we can
do nothing without it, and then little by
little, day by day, start to develop the
mind and the skills to bring us always
ready and happy to serve.
Let us remember that the fall of
the angels started when one of them
said, I will not serve. Our first
parents fell because they too chose
to serve themselves instead of God.
Every sin and moral evil has in its core
the virus of not wanting to serve. And so,
perhaps as a motto that we can repeat
often, we should say to ourselves, and to
God and all: Serviam I will serve!

A8

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

CBCP Monitor

New bishop to lead Tarlac diocese Pope names new

POPE Francis on Thursday appointed

a new bishop for the Diocese of Tarlac,
located north of Manila.
Bishop-elect Enrique Macaraeg,
until now the Vicar General of the
Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan
in Pangasinan, has been appointed
to replace retired Bishop Florentino
Cinense.
Macaraeg will be the third bishop of
the diocese with more than a million
Catholics and served by Cinense for 28
years.
At age 75, bishops are requested to
submit their resignation to the pontiff
but it was only today that the Pope
accepted the retirement of Cinense who

just turned 78 years old last March 14.

The 60-year old bishop-elect is
currently the parish priest of Saint
Ildefonse parish in Malasiqui town.
Macaraeg completed his philosophical
and theological studies at the University
of Santo Tomas Central Seminary in
Manila and achieved a Masters degree in
Arts in Oriental Religions and Cultures.
Ordained a priest for the LingayenDagupan archdiocese in 1979, other
positions he held include dean of
seminarians at the San Pablo Seminary
in Baguio City, resident priest at Our
Lady of Fatima parish in Quezon City,
parish priest in Mangaldan, Pangasinan
and Santa Barbara.

JOJO RIOZA

He was also the Director of Santo

Tomas School, Mangaldan, a professor
and then the dean of studies at the
Philosophy Seminary in Dagupan City,
and the Director at St. John Cathedral
School in Dagupan City, at the Catholic
School of Malasiqui and then at St.
Charles Academy.
Later he served as the Diocesan
Director of the Pontifical Mission
Societies and Zonal Vicar of the
Vicariate.
Since 1998 he was the Director of
the Archdiocesan Commission for
the Clergy until in 2005 when he was
appointed the pastor of St. Ildephonse
parish. (Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)

Filipino priest is 1st Asian rector of Angelicum in Rome

A FILIPINO priest has been
elected as the new rector
of a Rome-based Catholic
university of which Saint
John Paul II is among the
alumni.
Fr. Rolando de la Rosa will
head to Angelicum as the
first Asian to hold the highest
post in the Dominican-run
Pontifical University of St.
Thomas Aquinas.
Dela Rosa will serve a term
of four years, from Sept. 1,
2016 to 2020, succeeding Fr.
Miroslav Kontanc Adam, OP.
The university has an

illustrious list of alumni that

includes Saint John Paul
II who took a Doctorate in
Sacred Theology.
The priest served as rector of
the University of Santo Tomas
in Manila for a combined total
of 13 years, from 1990-1998
and from 2007-2012.
His leadership gave birth
to the Network of Dominican
schools which he founded
in 1995, more popularly
known as DOMNET, which
continues to organize projects
that benefit its members.
De la Rosa also served as

chairman of the Commission

on Higher Education
(CHED) during the Arroyo
administration.
The priest has an impressive
academic record that speaks
well of his background as an
educator and an educational
leader.
He graduated magna
cum laude in three of his
academic degrees Bachelor
of Arts in Philosophy from
the Dominican House of
Studies, Licentiate Degree in
Sacred Theology from UST,
and Doctorate in Philosophy

in Religious Studies.
De la Rosa also received a
meritissimus for his Masteral
Degree in Higher Religious
Studies in UST. He finished
his Doctorate in Sacred
Theology from the Katholieke
Universitiet Leuven in Belgium.
Before his first term as
rector, he had already served
as acting UST secretary
general, director of the
Santo Tomas University
Press, and professor of the
Graduate School and the
Faculty of Sacred Theology.
(CBCPNews)

CBCP film reviewer serves as Cannes jury

A FILM reviewer for CINEMA (Catholic
INitiative for Enlightened Movie
Appreciation), Teresa R. Tunay served
as a juror in the six-member Ecumenical
Jury at the 69th Cannes Film Festival
to be held in Cannes, France, from May
11 to 22.
As founding board member of CINEMA
(Catholic INitiative for Enlightened
Movie Appreciation), CBCPs film
rating and classification arm under
the Episcopal Commission on Social
Communications, Tunay has been
reviewing and editing movie reviews
since CINEMAs founding in 2000.
The invitation-only Cannes Film
Festival is considered the most
prestigious film festival in the world, and
is held annually at the Palais des Festival
et des Congres. The Ecumenical Jury
prize (Prix du Jury OEdumenique) is an
independent film award for feature films
at major international film festivals
since 1973.
Created by Christian film makers,
film critics and other film professionals,

CINEMA film reviewer Teresa Tunay with other members

of the Ecumenical Jury at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.

the award aims to honour works of

artistic quality which witnesses to the
power of film to reveal the mysterious
depths of human beings through what
concerns them, their hurts and failings

as well as their hopes. The Ecumenical

Jury comprises six members who are
nominated by Signis for the Catholics
and Interfilm for the Protestants. Tunay
is the first Filipino to have been invited
to Cannes Film Festivals Ecumenical
Jury.
This is the eighth time since 2004
for Tunay to be nominated by Signis
and to serve at international film
festivals in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Her fellow jurors at Cannes are: Cindy
Mollaret (France); Ernest Kouacou
(Cote dIvoire); Karin Achtelstteter
(Canada); Gabriela Lettini (United
States); and Nicole Vercueil (France).
Freelancer Tunay also writes And
thats the truth, an opinion column
in the CBCP Monitor, a weekly Gospel
reflection column for the Philippine
Daily Inquirer, travel articles, and
an advice column for Woman Today.
She also edits coffee table books and
co-anchors Langit sa Lupa, a weekly
radio show at DZIQ Radyo Inquirer.
(CBCPNews)

Marian confab tackles Churchs journey with Mary

MAY, a month that features the
traditional May flower devotion,
telescopes the Churchs spiritual journey
with the Blessed Virgin through prayers,
sacrifice, and a sense of community.
This is one of the topics discussed
in the second module of the Marian
Encounter Seminar on May 29,
2016, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the
University of Sto.Tomas (UST) Tan
Yan Kee Student Center, Espana,
Manila. Fr. Roberto Luanzon OP., vice
rector of the UST Central Seminary,
will be the events main resource
person.

Themed Mary: Mystical Rose,

the seminar also included a talk
on St. Louie Marie de Montforts
Secret of the Rosary by Fr. Benjie
Notarte of the Society of Montfort
Missionaries. As a challenge to the
Church during this Extraordinary
Jubilee Year of Mercy, Mary Help
of Christians Crusade and Alliance
of the Holy Family, International
(Philippines) spiritual director Fr.
Francis Tiquia of the Diocese of
San Pablo discussed the Saints
of the Divine Mercy (St. Faustina
Kowalska and St. John Paul II)

and the Sacred Heart of Jesus (St.

Margaret Mary of Alacoque).
The participants prayed the Chaplet
of Divine Mercy at 3:00 p.m. There was
also a floral offering and distribution of
rosaries after the Eucharistic celebration
presided over by Fr. Arturo Pestin, O.P.,
director of the Pastoral Care Service,
U.S.T. Hospital. This was followed
by the Act of Consecration to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The Missionaries of Mary, a lay
Marian community, in partnership with
Radio Veritas (846 AM), organized the
event. (CBCPNews)

Their role is to assist

the diocesan bishop in the
functions of the office and
the diocese, but the exact
nature of his duties depends
on the diocese, and the
responsibilities a bishop
assigns him.
In Pangasinan, Mangalinao
will assist the archdioceses
chief shepherd, Archbishop
Socrates Villegas, in his
governance of the local
Church.
No date has been announced
for the Episcopal ordination
of Msgr. Mangalinao and for
his installation as Auxiliary
Bishop of Lingayen-Dagupan.
(CBCPNews)

Pope appoints new Bacolod bishop

WITH the resignation of
Msgr. Vincente M. Navarra
as shepherd of the Diocese
of Bacolod, Pope Francis
appointed Bishop Patricio A.
Buzon, SDB, the new bishop
of the diocese, transferring
him from the diocese of
Kabankalan.
Presently a member of the
Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines Episcopal
Commission on Youth, Buzon
was born March 14, 1950, in
Cebu City, where he finished
elementary education at the
Asilo de la Milagrosa school.
An alumnus of Don Bosco
Academy High School in San
Fernando, Pampanga, the
prelate got his Bachelor of
Science degree in Industrial
Education, majoring
in Electricity from the
University of Santo Tomas
(UST) in Manila where he
also completed his Bachelor
of Sacred Theology degree.
He entered the Salesian
order as a professed member
on June 29, 1967. His
perpetual profession was on
May 24, 1973.
He served as spiritual
moderator of the Don Bosco
Missionary Seminary in
Talisay, Cebu from 1977 to
1982 and later served as its
rector from 1982 to 1988.
From 1988 until 1992, he

FILE PHOTO

Catholic bishops greet newly-ordained Tarlac Bishop Enrique Macaraeg at the St. John Cathedral in Dagupan City on Tuesday, May 24, 2016.

POPE Francis has appointed

has named Msgr. Elmer
Mangalinao as Auxiliary
Bishop of the Archdiocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan.
The Pope made the
announcement at 12:00
noon on Tuesday, May 31 at
the Vatican (6:00pm, Manila
time).
Before his appointment,
the 56-year old bishop-elect
has been serving as the vicar
general of the Cabanatuan
diocese.
He is also the current
president of the College of
the Immaculate Conception
in Cabanatuan City and
School Cluster Head of
Sacred Heart School of
Talavera and Our Lady of
Fatima, Gen. Natividad.
The archdiocese has
been without an auxiliary
bishop since December 2012
after Renato Mayugba was
installed bishop of Laoag.
Auxiliary bishops are
appointed by the pope at
the request of the diocesan
bishop when pastoral needs
require their presence,
according to the Code of
Canon Law.

DIOCESE OF CABANATUAN

Auxiliary Bishop for

Lingayen-Dagupan

was also rector of Don Bosco

Technical High School in
Punta Princesa, Cebu.
He then moved on to become
the Salesian provinces viceprovincial from 1992 until
1997. Before his ordination
as bishop on Feb. 19, 2003,
at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish
in Punta Princesa, he served
as provincial of the Salesians
Mary Help of Christians
Province-South.
Buzon was installed as the
second bishop of the Diocese
of Kabankalan on March 12,
2003, replacing a bishop who
was transferred to another
diocese. The prelate is also
currently the president of
the UST Central Seminary
Alumni Association.
(CBCPNews)

Search for outstanding Filipino

families ongoing
THE Episcopal Commission
on Family and Life chaired
by Daet Bishop Gilbert A.
Garcera, D.D. and Marriage
Encounter Foundation of
the Philippines led by chair
couple Robert and Tinette
Aventajado reminded the
diocesan organizations about
the deadline for submission
of official nomination
forms for The Search for
Outstanding Families 2016
on July 31, 2016.
In a letter addressed to the
chairmen and coordinators
of diocesan Family and Life
Ministeries nationwide, the
Aventajados and Garcera
said the search was launched
during the Post Synodal
Conference in Bacolod last
February 17.
We strongly encourage
all Dioceses to participate
in the Search because we
believe this will teach us the
values of the Filipino family
and validate the significant
contribution of being a
church of the poor, reads
the circular.

The award is open to all

families, particularly the
poor, composed of a father,
mother, and a significant
number of children. They
must belong either to the
C, D economic classes
although preferably from
the E economic class.
The nominees need to
be actively involved in
the evangelization and
missionary programs of the
parish or diocese and must
be in good moral standing
in society and living real
sacramental lives.
In an interview, the
Aventajado couple said the
nominees must be materially
poor but spiritually rich.
I n t e r e s t e d
parties may contact
mefpoutstandingfamilies@
gmail.com or call
09189446813.
The awards night has
been scheduled at the SMX
Convention Center, Mall
of Asia on Sunday, Oct.
23,2016. (Melo M. Acua
/ CBCPNews)

PASTORAL CONCERNS B1

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

File Photo

CBCP Monitor

The problem of food loss: views

from the Catholic social teachings
and solutions from Caritas
Address of Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, archbishop of Manila and president of
Caritas Internationalis, delivered on May 30, 2016, at the
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
homestead, during threshing or shelling, during storage, during transport
to the market and during marketing.
It is especially damageful for smallscale farmers, whose food security and
capacity to earn from their work can be
severely threatened.
Already in his Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict reaffirmed
that a way to eliminate the structural
causes of food insecurity is to promote
agricultural development, through
investments in rural infrastructure, irrigation, transportation, market organization, training and sharing agricultural
techniques among farmers (CiV, 27).
All these interventions are especially

effective in preventing food losses.

More recently, Pope Francis reminded
us that realizing the fundamental human right to adequate food is not only
an economic and technical challenge,
but especially ethical and anthropological1: States bear the obligation to create
favourable conditions for food security,
to respect the person and his/her way to
use the necessary resources, to ensure
safety and quantity of food. If we want
that food systems ensure the right to adequate food for everyone, including the
most disadvantaged ones, this requires
sound policies and effective measures
to prevent food losses. The problem of
food loss is clearly a systemic problem,
the consequence of food systems not
centred around the human person, but
rather around the market. In Evangelii
Gaudium, Pope Francis said no to an
economy of exclusion and inequality,
rejecting trickle-down theories, whereby
economic growth and free market
would eventually bring about greater
justice and inclusiveness. He asked all
of us: Can we continue to stand by
when food is thrown away while people
are starving?2
Especially his Encyclical, Laudato Si,

reminds us that a correct reading of the

Biblical texts unfolds for us a beautiful
invitation to till and keep the garden
of the world, to be its stewards and
guardians (cfr Gen 2,15). While tilling refers to cultivating and working,
keeping means caring, protecting,
overseeing and preserving. Would the
duty to keep this garden not apply
also to its fruits? The Encyclical goes
on: Each community can take from the
bounty of the earth whatever it needs for
subsistence, but it also has the duty to
protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations. What
better way to protect and ensure fruitfulness than shunning overproduction
which depletes natural resources, while
making sure that the fruits of the earth
do not go lost? The Pope shows deep
concern for the depletion of natural
resources, recalling that the exploitation
of the planet has reached its maximum
(LS 23, passim). This makes new patterns of production and consumption
absolutely necessary.
The fruits of the earth are to benefit
everyone. This requires to adopt a social
perspective which takes into account
the fundamental rights of the poor and

the underprivileged. According to the

Catholic Social Doctrine private property is subordinated to the universal
destination of goods; recalling the teaching of Saint John Paul II3, Pope Francis
restates that a type of development
which did not respect and promote
human rightspersonal and social,
economic and political, including the
rights of nations and of peopleswould
not be really worthy of man (LS, 93).
The experience of Caritas organizations shows that, often, small-scale
farmers lack of capacity in managing
post-harvest losses. The human right
to adequate food requires equal access
to resources for food: thus, apart from
the ownership of property, rural people
must have access to means of technical education, credit, insurance, and
markets (LS, 94). This is also the kind
of accompaniment Caritas provides,
through the promotion of improved
methods of harvest, training in proper
harvest timing and storage techniques,
awareness-raising on the right to food,
as well as advocacy towards governments for the formulation of specific
policy and strategies to guide the work
of all those involved with post-harvest

The fruits of the earth are to benefit everyone. This requires

to adopt a social perspective which takes into account the
fundamental rights of the poor and the underprivileged.

File Photo

DISTINGUISHED Director General,

Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen,
dear friends
It is a privilege to speak today to such
a qualified audience. I am grateful to
the FAO for allowing me to take part
in this panel, what gives me also the
great pleasure to meet personally the
Director-General, Prof. Jos Graziano
da Silva. Caritas Internationalis and
FAO have an established institutional
relation, and my presence here today is
a tangible element of this cooperation
My intervention aims at presenting a
new way to frame the problem of food
loss, suggesting solutions from the experience of Caritas organizations.
The problem of food loss is very present among the concerns of the Catholic
Church, as an issue that hampers availability of food for all, therefore undermining human development. In the
practice of Caritas organizations, one of
the challenges in the implementation of
projects at all levels is the food loss that
farmers and communities experience,
year in year out. Food loss is occurring
in all stages of agricultural value chains
development after harvest, including
during transport from field to the

losses, like researchers, extension workers, private sector players, government,

NGOs international aid organizations
and farmers.
A study carried out by Caritas Malawi
(CADECOM) in 2014, for example,
looked at food crops such as maize, millet, sorghum, soy bean, beans, pigeon
peas and groundnuts, showing that food
losses were posing a challenge to food
security of individual farmers and to the
country as a whole. It revealed serious
unmet needs: firstly, the constraints
experienced by farmers, like the lack of
financial resources to purchase storage
equipment and lack of appropriate storage facilities; a number of storage methods are not accessible, due to limited
awareness, lack of access to technologies
and prohibitive acquisition costs; farmers need opportunities to go for training
and extension services, as well as to avail
themselves of traditional and improved
technologies. Let us never forget the
importance of traditional methods4
for crop storage, particularly relevant
Food Loss, B7

B2 PASTORAL CONCERNS

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

CBCP Monitor

The Dualism of Church and State

THE dust from the recent Philippine
elections has not settled yet and already
another storm seems to be brewing, this
time around a media-hyped conflict
between Malacaang and the CBCP.
The source of the supposed conflict
is a perceived meddling of the hierarchymore specifically of certain
officials of that hierarchywith the
electoral process, through the issuance
of a pastoral letter specifically directed
at certain candidates. At the core of
the conflict is the oft-quoted argument
based on the so-called separation of
Church and State. Just what exactly
does this expression signify? This is an issue that recurs with a certain periodicity,
so allow me to rehash a previous article
that dealt with this issue some years ago.
Christian Dualism of Church and
State: Distinct not Separate
The Liberalist idea of the separation
of Church and State can be traced to
the proponents of the French Revolution. But the Christian notion of
the Dualism of Church and State far
antedates the former, starting with the
well-known Gospel dictum: Render,
therefore, to Caesar the things that are
Caesars and to God the things that are
Gods(Mt.22,I5-22; Mk.12,13-17;
Lk.20,20-26). Other less known texts
can be found in I Pet.2,13-17 and
Rom.13,1-7, where Sts. Peter and Paul
ordered the Christians to obey the civil
authorities in those matters which were
of their competence.
But the most decisive textfor the
question we have at handcan be
found in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts
4,19-20). Peter and John had been arrested by the Sanhedrinwhich was
both the religious and civil authority of
the Jews at that timefor preaching Jesus Christ and winning many converts.
To the command of the Sanhedrin for
them to stop their evangelizing activity,
the Apostles replied:
Whether it is right in the sight of
God to listen to you rather than to God,
decide for yourselves. For we cannot but
speak of what we have seen and heard.
In effect, the above-quoted statement
of Christ (which risks being a tautology)
must be understood in the light of Peters declaration which gives it content:
One must indeed render to Caesar what
is Caesars and to God what is Gods; but
what is Caesars and what is Gods? The
Natural Law is Gods, and man must
obey it, despite any contrary disposition
of the State. The State and the Church
are distinct, with distinct competencies;
but they are not separate because they
involve basically the same subjects (the
civic man is also a religious man), and
are both under the same Natural Law
of God.
Applying this to the present controversy regarding certain provisions of
the so-called Reproductive Rights Bill,

it is not a question of the State desisting from contraceptive means, because

the Church says so: that would indeed
be an infringement of the Principle of
Dualism of Church and State. Rather,
the State should not propose contraceptive means because the Natural Law
(i.e., the L.aw of God which is in mens
hearts) says so: even the State must

Peace of Westphalia, ending the Wars of

Religion, but also putting an end to a
united Christendom.
The idea of tolerance in religious
matters, at the face of the excesses of
regal absolutism, found its theoretical
basis in the 18th Century under the
influence of the Rationalist School of
Natural Law. These doctrinal roots

of different confessions that would

overcome the religious intolerance of
the Old World. Such consideration of
religion as a positive element gave rise
to a formulation of religious freedom
that gave greater juridical protection to
religious expression: the idea of respect
for Christian pluralism (against the war
between Catholic and Protestant princes

File Photo

By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, JCD

render to God what is Godsunless

it institutionally denies His existence
and His Law over Nature, as indeed the
liberalist idea of separation of Church
and State would have it.
The Liberalist deviation: the
separation of Church and State

gained strength in the thought of the

Age of Enlightenment, and found concrete form in the ideological climate
of the revolutions towards the end of
the18th century. However, despite
their common ideological roots in the
Enlightenment, the treatment of the
religious factor would not be the same in

in Europe) flowed naturally into the

wider notion of religious pluralism. The
juridical formula, which was conceived
to attain this respect for religious freedom in pluralism, was the separation
between the Stateand the Religious
Confessions. Consecrated in the First
Amendment to the Constitution of the

With its conception of man as a being with total autonomy,

and by relegating God to the world of the unknowable
(Agnosticism), liberalism proclaimed the human reason as
the absolute criterion of truth and the human will as the
autonomous font of morality...
Without going into the details of the
posterior deviations from the original
Christian idea, suffice it to say that
intolerance in religious matters did not
in fact originate in the Church, but
rather in the absolutist monarchs of
post-Medieval Europe. This was especially true after the Protestant inspired
principle of cuius region eiuset religio
(he who possesses the kingdom also
controls its religion) was installed in the

the Declarations of Rights which would

emerge respectively from the American
and the French Revolutions.
The framers of the American Constitution were not conditioned by past
institutions (recall the opening lines
of Lincolns Gettysburg Address: .....
conceived in liberty), but were rather
moved by a strong religious ideal (In
God we Trust),and desired to construct
a modus vivendi for Christian migrants

United States (1791), this was simply

an empirical formulation, without any
doctrinal discussion. The State simply
declared its incompetence in religious
matters, by stating that Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof...
On the other hand, the French Revolutionaries were reacting against the
institutions of a Catholic confessional

and absolutist State. Hence, the climate

of religious tension in which the revolution developed. Against thc Catholic
confessionalism of the Ancient Regime,
the proponents of the French Revolution postulated the laicist character of
the State, which could hardly lead to
respect for the independence of religious
confessions. Thus, the French Declaration of Human Rights did not reflect
the full protection of the manifestations
of the religious phenomenon. Rather, it
explicitly protected only the freedom of
opinions, including religious ones, for
the expression of which public order
constituted a limit to be fixed by law.
The agnostic state
In the European mold of the separation of Church and State, despite the
lip service to freedom of opinion, the
Liberal State oftentimes gave a negative
evaluation of religion. This gave rise to
a minimalist conception of religious
freedom (leading to periods of veritable
persecution ofthe Catholic Church, first
in France and later on in Italy and then
in Spain).
Thus, liberalism proposed the ideal
of the Laicist State: not in the sense of
religious pluralism as enshrined in the
First Amendment of the US Constitution, but rather postulating the Agnostic
State. This implied a rejection of Natural Law the foundation of the public
order of the State, thus dissociating
the juridical order from the objective
moral order. With its conception of
man as a being with total autonomy,
and by relegating God to the world of
the unknowable (Agnosticism), liberalism proclaimed the human reason as
the absolute criterion of truth and the
human will as the autonomous font of
morality: What I know is what is true,
and what I want is what is right.
The norm of morality is thus shifted
from the objective Natural Law, to the
subjective rule of the majority: what the
majority says would constitute what is
right, regardless of whether or not such
majority opinion is objectively right.
Thus, in the US and many Western
European countries, for example, the
majority have legislated that abortion
(killing a helpless baby) is right; and in
Holland they have legislated that euthanasia (killing a sick person) is right.
In effect, the liberalist doctrine of
Separation of Church and State was
a declaration of the confessional principle of the Agnostic State: a shift from
religious pluralism to the confessionally
laicist State: a state where manembodied in the majority, or in the ruling
partyis the absolute norm of right
and wrong. Unfortunately, this idea of
separation of Church and State is what
has prevailed in the last half-century,
also in the U.S., and of late even in the
Philippines during the debate on the
Reproductive Rights Bill (now a Law).
It is once more being invoked by those
who would put a wedge between the
CBCP and Malacaang.

Mass Intentions

Not Limited to Suffrage for the Dead

Q: I would like to know if

the holy Mass can be applied to intentions apart
from the suffrage for the
dead; for example, so that
God may bless an association, an apostolate, or
to overcome a moment of
depression, etc.? S.L.,
Rome
A: The immediate answer
to this question is yes;
the priest may offer up the
Mass for intentions other
than for the dead. However,
it is worthwhile to elaborate
a little.
Whenever Mass is offered, there are three fruits
derived from the offering:
the general (for the whole
Church), the special or
ministerial (for the intention of the priest as minister), and the personal
(to each of the faithful,
including the priest, who
participate, to each according to his disposition).
The intention for which
the priest accepts a stipend
is not his personal intention

but rather his intention as the

priest, that is, the minister of
the sacrifice.
Certainly, when a priest
accepts a stipend to offer a
Mass he commits himself to
celebrate a Mass according to
the intentions of the person
making the offering. Justice

for various needs. Masses are

offered for the Church, the
Pope or the local bishop,
for their election during a
Sede Vacante, for a council
or synod, for priests and the
celebrating priest himself,
for ministers, for vocations,
for the laity, on anniversaries

for the personal intentions of

the living. Practically any good
and holy request can be made
an object of a Mass request.
In the Roman Missal the
Church herself provides some
examples of possible intentions besides those offered for
the dead.

File Photo

(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy

and dean of theology at
the Regina Apostolorum
university, answers the following query:)

demands that he effectively

offers the Mass. In order to
do so he must make some act
of personal offering, at the
very least uniting his intention to that of the person who
requested the Mass.
This intention is most often
to recommend the soul of a deceased person but may also be

First of all, this is done in

the ritual Masses in which usually the celebrants intention
is for those who are baptized,
confirmed, married, ordained,
receive the sacrament of the
sick, take vows, or receive a
ministry.
Second, there is the range of
intentions found in the Masses

and during wartime. Several

intentions refer to natural phenomena such as earthquakes
and storms.
Another series of intentions
are for the forgiveness of sins,
chastity, charity, relatives, captives, prisoners, the sick, the
dying, for a holy death and for

There may be occasions

when a priest has to gently
refuse a particular intention
even if the request is made in
good faith and may be the object
of personal prayer. Requesting
a Mass so that ones favorite
team will win the league would
be one example.
of marriage, ordination and
profession, for the unity of
Christians, for reconciliation,
for persecuted Christians and
for their oppressors.
There is also a wide range
of civil intentions such as for
the nation, for those who hold
public office, for seed time and
harvest, for peace and justice

thanksgiving.
There is one catchall Mass
f o r m u l a t e r m e d In A n y
Need.
I think it is necessary to
mention that a priest who
celebrates any of the above
Masses may receive a stipend
for a completely different
intention. Likewise a priest

may have one of the above

intentions and not celebrate
the corresponding Mass
formula. For example, a
person may request a priest
to celebrate a Mass for vocations on a day in which
the liturgy does not allow
for this kind of celebration,
such as on a Sunday or during Lent.
The point I wish to make
here is that the fact that
the missal offers such a
wide selection of possible
formulas proves that the
range of intentions for Mass
is very broad indeed. As I
mentioned above, Catholics can request practically
any worthwhile or good
and holy intention. The
examples of the missal also
go to show what kind of intentions can be considered
good and holy.
For this reason there may
be occasions when a priest
has to gently refuse a particular intention even if
the request is made in good
faith and may be the object
of personal prayer. Requesting a Mass so that ones
favorite team will win the
league would be one example. One could imagine
the quandary if the same
priest were to be asked to
intercede for rival teams.

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES B3

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

The petulance of nescience

HE is truly wise, Socrates reportedly taught, who recognizes his

in the name of sanity, quote the

Constitution when the best you
can manage is a mangled version
of its intendment.
In the first place, the exact
provision of the Constitution is:

Tracing the American ancestry of our own constitutional

provision on Church and State,
the US Supreme Court recalled
in Everson v. Board of Education (1946) that the bedrock of

ignorance. But when nescience

is petulant, and stupidity strikes
an arrogant pose, you have an
affliction more hopeless than an
end-stage malignancy! That is
the case with those who piously
invoke the separation of Church
and State whenever they disagree with Church pronouncement or teaching. Here is one
very simple counsel: When you
do not want what the Church
teaches, do not listenand deal
with your conscience yourself, or
go, shop for some other church,
and wrestle with the issue of your
personal integrity! But do not,

The separation of Church and

State shall be inviolable. First,
it does not make of the Philippines an atheistic or agnostic
state, not even a secular state,
if by secular is meant shorn of
all religion. Second, what is
enunciated is a state principle.
As such it neither creates rights,
establishes status nor imposes
obligations. A policy guides
the Legislature in the formulation of law, the Executive, in
the laws implementation, and
the judiciary, in the crafting of
jurisprudence. But a policy,
by itself, is not self-executing!

the First Amendment was the

realization that individual religious liberty could be achieved
best under a government which
was stripped of all power to
tax, to support or otherwise to
assist any or all religions, or to
interfere with the beliefs of any
religious individual or group.
The First Amendment was then
crafted to stay the interfering
hand of the State in matters
religiousnot to silence the
Church, much less to expel
it from the public sphere. It
is wrong to read French anticlericalism into the genealogy

of our own Constitution.

It is under the Bill of Rights
that there are to be found the executory provisions on Church
and State, and these are conveniently laid own under three

File Photo

By Fr. Ranhilio Callangan

Aquino

is forbidden from legislating a

religion. Nowhere is it said that
religion has no part in public
life and that churches must
desist from pronouncement on
state matters! Yes, it surely goes
in one direction only, because
that is what the Constitution ordains. The free exercise clause
guarantees forever (yes,
Kuya Eddie, the Constitution
does say forever) the free
exercise of religious profession and worshipand when
Church doctrine insists on the
sacredness of life and opposes
abortion publicly, and when the
Church believes that marriage
is the indissoluble union of man
and woman and opposes samesex marriages vehemently, the
Church is exercising its constitutionally guaranteed right!
Finally, the no religious test
clause proscribes the use of a
religious test for the exercise
of civil and political rights.
Where you allow Tomas, or
Jose or Juan to express himself
freely and without restraint on
policies and practices of government with which he does
not agree, but you forbid Fr.
Tomas, Bishop Jose or Pastor
Juan from doing so because
they are clerics, you are using
a religious test, in blatant violation of the Constitution!
In this jurisdiction, the rela-

then, the controlling metaphor

is not the wall of separation
for which the Americans have
fondness, just as their concept
of judicial review is not as
ample as ours! By benevolent neutrality is meant that
the State accommodates the
Church when such accommodation does not run contrary to
law or to public policy. This
means that as a matter of constitutional right, there can be
church services and worship in
public places, even in government offices, as long as there
is no discrimination of any
religious denomination or sect
and as long as service to the
public is not thereby impaired.
The Constitution is a rather
condensed set of propositions
with plenty of history, political philosophy, and juridical
theory packed into its laconic
sections. Its provisions can
be recited verbatim by almost
anyone, but it definitely is not a
document for the stupid! It has
often taken the collective wisdom of fifteen men and women
of the Supreme Court to tell us
what it means, and for legal
historians and scholars to tease
out its varied implications. And
so, will the chatterboxes who
keep invoking separation of
Church and State when they
cannot get the Church to march

When the Church believes that marriage is

the indissoluble union of man and woman
and opposes same-sex marriages vehemently,
the Church is exercising its constitutionally
guaranteed right!
clauses. The non-establishment
clause forbids the establishment, by law, of a state religion.
The point must be belabored, in
view of pervasive affected ignorance, that it is the State that

tion between Church and State

has been characterized in binding jurisprudence, the Estrada
v. Escritor doctrine penned by
Chief Justice Reynato Puno, as
benevolent neutrality. Here,

according to their insane beat

please keep their peace, study
more assiduously and part their
lips only when they have been
exorcised of the truly evil spirit
of nescience!

A post-election call for action for Catholic pastors

A self-examination of an observer priest
VERY recently the Filipino people have
democratically chosen a new father
of the nation. Strong-willed. With
an iron fist. Almost forty-percent of
the voters are celebrating the victory
of their winning candidate from the
South. Everyone, including those who
did not vote for him, the majority, is
invited to support the new President
who upholds almost every Filipinos
battle cry: true change. Newly-elected
lawmakers, governors, mayors, and the
like are waiting in line to join him. In
this game of Pinoy-style politics there
has to be winners and losers.
From the pulpit (or the altars), many
of us ministers of God have been silent
about our personal choices (which of
course we had as citizens like everyone
else). Convinced that we are instruments
of unity, we refrained from giving the
impression that we sided with anyone.
We would want all Catholics, even those
who call themselves reds, yellows,
blacks or whites to be part of our
Mass. We would want to be accessible
to the dying politician and give him the
Anointing, whichever political party he
or she belonged. Our non-partisanship
is indeed something we will treasure in
the long run. For us priests, it only reveals
our being Catholic universal.
Our duty is to pray for the souls of the
victors, and we also pray for peace for the
defeated. The thing that really matters for
us appointed shepherds by God, bottom
line, is not who wins, rather, each persons
conversion, not excluding the politicians.
We want them to reach their ultimate
end: Heaven. To the extent possible, we
wish them to be role models.
When it turns out that our pols dont

good and attractive personal example.

Pastors totally dedicated to what we
could really give: doctrine (and not just
feel-good and entertaining stories) and
the grace through the sacraments, since
we are instruments of it (and not just the
blessing of items and persons). If alas,
our leaders cannot be exemplary, may

already. We will continue to reach out to

this periphery, as how the Holy Father
would have put it. It is never too late. We
may not be able to do it personally, but
possibly we have the faithful parishioners
who are close to them. They could be in a
position to influence these pols to come
towards the light.

To have pro-divorce, pro-death penalty, and pro-RH pols

who call themselves Catholics reveals a deep failure on
how, we, pastors (and those we direct) have done our
catechesis on doctrine and morals.
seem to be like this, may we not be blatant critics of persons. Lets follow the
lead of the Pope: an evangelization of
inclusion. Always. Our flock feels quite
repelled when they listen to very divisive
politics-filled homilies. Instead, may we
provide our sheepfold with our priestly
presence, plus, as much as we can, our

their implementation (people were moving even before the RH Law) are awaiting
deliberation. I understand that there are
other issues that made the choice on who
to vote complicated, and I sure do hope
they were factored in. Integrity. Fidelity
to spouse. Loyalty to country. Effective
leadership. Respect for human rights.

position of public office to implement

changefor the worse.
Reflecting on it further, we may realize
that, actually, we may have not provided
the very convincing arguments all along.
Or, they may have not been equipped
to understand them at all, because no
one gave them the proper foundations.

Yet, upon talking with people, it seems

that some of our Catholic constituents
completely turned a blind eye to moral
questions. Were they not aware? Did they
simply consider these non-issues?
Worse than indifference to morality,
something that could dampen the truly
Catholic spirit further is the realization
that some of our flock support anti-life
and anti-family positions. It is quite
painful to rediscover that we have several
Sunday Massgoers who do not know
what the Church teaches, or who have
not really understood them altogether.
Some of them had the resources, had
decided to shout these anti-human, antiCatholic slogans, and are now in a serious

To have pro-divorce, pro-death penalty,

and pro-RH pols who call themselves
Catholics reveals a deep failure on how
we pastors (and those we direct) have
done our catechesis on doctrine and morals. It might be good indeed to examine
how effective we are communicating the
sublime truths about man, and whether
we have really reached out far enough
and deep into the confines of the people
entrusted to our care.
If we expect a Church that is really involved in the development of the citizenman and the Philippine society, after this
national elections, maybe it is high time,
we, pastors effect a change ourselves in
the way we fulfill our role.

Raymond Bandril

By Fr. Johnpaul D. Menchavez, JCD

we emphasize the ever-present and better

alternatives: always to direct our flock to
look up to Christ, the lives of the saints
in heaven, and on earth.
Unfortunately, as what always happens
in every election, some of the victors
seem to have been very distant from
our Lords flock for quite some time

As observers in the public debates

and campaigns, we could indeed be a
bit saddened to observe that in this national election, if ever there were ideas by
which the voting population based their
choices, the fundamental topic about life
and the family was not included. Pending
anti-life and anti-family legislation and

B4 PASTORAL CONCERNS

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

CBCP Monitor

Without losing our own strength and identity

a highly commercial, ratings-driven
environment. And there were some
well-meaning people, who suggested
that we tone down our brand of Catholicism so as not to turn off people!
Rather than toning down and

ers, resource speakers, and content

providers nationwide under one roof.
This year, the PCTA convention took
place at the Marriott Hotel in Manila
from April 13 to 15, 2016. These
media players meet annually and
exchange information to adapt to the
fast-changing media landscape. The
annual PCTA convention provides
this opportunity. Today, transitioning to new media and responding to
customers through converging communication channels have become
more urgent than ever. And growing
a customer base while retaining loyal
ones have become a greater challenge.
A major exhibitor at the convention
remarked that cable operators who are
unwilling to transition to new media
and match the changing communication needs of their subscribers are
bound to fail sooner. The question
each player now asks is no longer Can
we afford to change? Rather, Can we
afford not to?
Located in a casino resort complex,

With blaring music all over, huge

TV monitors airing popular sports
and entertainment programs that
riveted attention, amid the gravitating
spirit of the nearby casino complex,
how did EWTN attract visitors to its
booth and engage them to a genuine
face-to-face encounter? In a situation
such as this, it was easy to lose heart
and toss in despair. It was tempting
to blend in at the expense of losing
ones Catholic identity in search of a
popular solution.
Recalling what Pope Francis said,
We need to descend into the darkest
night without being overcome and
disoriented; we need to listen to the
dreams, without being seduced; to
share their disappointments, without
becoming despondent; to sympathize with those whose lives are falling apart, without losing our own
strength and identity, EWTN stood
its ground. It stuck to what it does
bestteach and witness the Catholic
faith despite enormous pressure from

Rather than
toning down and
blending in, EWTN
decided to adopt
a tight strategy
to be distinctly
Catholic in feel,
look, content,
and manners.

EWTN

blending in, EWTN decided to adopt

a tight strategyto be distinctly
Catholic in feel, look, content, and
manners. In short, to witness to the
Catholic faith and let people see and
experience the faith in a face-to-

face encounter. No other than Pope

Emeritus Benedict XVI said, There
is no substitute to direct human interaction.
Instead of giving away bags, caps,
pens, flash drives, shirts, jackets,
watches, and other commercial merchandise, it gave away Catholic
medallions, religious prayer cards,
rosaries, scapulars, and other sacramentals.
Instead of bringing in technical
experts, EWTN invited a Catholic
priest who faithfully wore his alb and
stole, imposed scapulars, and readily
responded to those who sought to be
prayed over.
Instead of simply handing out
brochures, visitors to the booth were
encouraged to write their praying petitions. There were some who professed
that their prayer petitions from last
years convention have been answered.
Some even tagged along their friends
and associates to the booth.
Instead of sponsoring booze, golf
tournaments, and after convention
parties, the staff wasted time on
people and willingly listened to their
stories. Some were in tears as they
related their personal trials. There was
a couple who said that, after many
years, this was the first time that they
prayed the rosary together again as

And a Hindi exhibitor curiously asked

questions about the faith and was
thankful for the rosary bracelet that
was given to her.
Until egress of the last day, when
the exhibitors were already packing up, technical suppliers, porters,
waitresses, security staff, bouncers,
dismantlers, and hotel staff themselves continued to line up for the
rosaries, scapulars, sacramentals, and
experience the face-to-face encounter
which is fast becoming rare nowadays. Ironically, the more connected
we are, the more disconnected we
have become.
People long to be heard, to be
understood, and to feel that they are
welcome to the Church. A saint once
said that we may be the only Gospel
most people will ever read about in
their lifetime.
This is what we have discovered
- people are thirsty for answers not
found in entertainment and aimless
happenings. They are tired of subsisting on bread crumbs found in hectic
pleasures. They seek the Baker, the
Source. They are tired of quenching
thirst with salt water which, all the
more, only drives them crazy. They
long for the Living Water. They seek
answers, not promises.
Truly, it became a Catholic event in

husband and wife. A father asked

for special prayers for his 3-monthold baby girl who was scheduled to
undergo a delicate eye operation. A
lady delegate was worried about her
tumor and sought to be prayed over.

a secular trade show. We just needed

to trust Him more. As the late Mother
Angelica, EWTN foundress, would
say, Unless you are willing to do
the ridiculous, God will not do the
miraculous.

EWTN

EVERY year, the Philippine Cable TV

Association (PCTA) gathers its member cable operators, technical suppli-

where each exhibitor hustled for attention to be seen and heard, how
did a Catholic religious network, like
EWTN, position itself? Did it blend
in and adopt popular means to attract
visitors to its booth?

By Edwin Lopez

The rich are richer and the poor, poorer

By Amelia HC Ylagan
THE poor would not wear
distressed jeans, if they
could help it. But why
would the rich spend incongruous sums for branded jeans purposely faded
and threadbare to absurdity
in illogical places, even torn
almost to separation at the
knees? Simple answer: it is
the fashion. And the rich
have the entitlement to
do as they please and wear
what they want.
Or is wearing distressed
jeans a statement? It was
in the days of the Flower
Children protesting the
1970s Vietnam War that
distressed clothing and
grunge dressing (shabby
chic) came into fashion. It
was a statement then, not
so much of the rich but
of the young, middle class
who were concerned about
the social and economic
costs of war. Peace was
the pre-computer hashtag
flashed with the V of the
forefinger and middle finger; faded and worn denims
were the work clothes embroidered and patched with
psychedelic flowers and
peace symbols. Was it the
fear of the middle class of
being pulled down to poverty that urged the dress
rehearsal in the tattered
and torn, stone-washed
denim jackets and jeans
that become the identifying
uniform of the protesting
crowds?
But todays distressed
jeans fashion, manifesting some 40 years after
the Flower Children cult,
might not now signify the
probably unfair judgment
then of a cynical, hidden
anxiety for loss of economic

status, or manifest the loftier

ideal of peace as the socioeconomic safety net of the
poor and disadvantaged. With
the snobbish pricing of such
expensive rags as distressed
jeans, todays statement might
smack of the affected noblesse
oblige of the rich and elevated
middle class to show empathy for the poor by being
like them, at least in attire.
Or would the resurgence of
distressed clothing as the In
look be some perverted bragging of new-found social and
economic status in the rise of
a broader middle class aspiring
soon to be rich and flaunting
the can afford to look poor
superiority?
Fortune Magazine, citing
the Boston Consulting Group,
reported that the number
of millionaires is rising astonishingly fast in the rapid growth of private wealth
around the world. The total
number of millionaire households reached 16.3 million
in 2013, or (about) 1% of all
households globally, while in
2012, that number was just
13.7 million. The U.S. holds
the highest number of millionaires, with 7.1 million,
along with the highest number of new millionaires1.1
million. China had 900,000
more millionaires in 2013,
building up to 2.4 million
total. Qatar has the highest
density of millionaires: 175
out of every 1,000 households
(fortune.com 06.09.2014).
And the question gnaws at
the collective conscience: Are
the rich getting richer and the
poor, poorer?
But money begets money.
When the rich get richer
they get more powerful and
that puts them in the position to lobby for policies that
make them richer still, said
former Clinton advisor Larry

Summers.
Summers noted that in the
growth of the 50s and 60s, the
economic benefits of growth
were pretty evenly distributed
among the population not
much income inequality. But
since 1980 or so, most of the
gains were going to the rich.
For the middle class and the
poor, income growth has been
sluggish or constant, he said
(CBC News 03.20.2014).
A study of the Organization
for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD)
found world poverty deteriorating. The poorest country
in 2011 was poorer than the
poorest country in 1980. And

world population seems to

have widened. And yet, in the
last 20 years, rapid globalization has occurred alongside a
worldwide decrease in extreme
poverty, the study said.
Case in point is India, whose
poor increased to 36 million in
the last 15 years. As a share of
total population, poverty has
actually decreased from 58%
to 42% based on US$1.25
a day subsistence, with 75%
still living on less than US$2
a day despite the countrys
newfound wealth owing to
globalization. It is not that
there is no trickle-down to
the poor, but globalization
and liberalized trade favors the

Was it the fear of the middle

class of being pulled down to
poverty that urged the dress
rehearsal in the tattered and
torn, stone-washed denim
jackets and jeans that become
the identifying uniform of the
protesting crowds?
much of humankind continues
to live on less than USD 1 a
day. Yes, the OECD study
said, globalization helps the
rich get richer and the poor
poorer.
Globalization rst promoted the development of
industrialized countries, then,
in the past 20 years, that of
emerging countries. While
some developing countries are
following in their footsteps,
others have become marginalized or weakened by opening
to international markets
The gulf between the richest
and the poorest fringes of the

already-rich in the process of

investing in the magnitudes
required and reaping profits
correspondingly.
The 1999 United Nations
Human Development Report
had already pointed out that
income gaps are widening
between and within countries. In 1960, the 20% of the
worlds people in the richest
countries had 30 times the income of the poorest 20%in
1997, 74 times as much (New
York Times 08.15.2002). But
some econometricians deflated income gap concerns,
saying that the UN study had

not corrected for price levels

from country to country, and
the sampling was inaccurate
for the industrialized versus
developing/underdeveloped
countries then in the OECD.
The United Nations report
and others looked at gaps in
income of the richest and
poorest countriesnot rich
and poor individuals. From
the point of view of individuals, economic liberalization
has been a huge success (NYT,
ibid.).
And we loop back to the
age-old social guilt of the rich
getting richer and the poor,
poorer. But note that theres
a new world middle class, says
Columbia professor Xavier Sala-i-Martin. It is mostly made
up of the top 40% of Chinese
and Indians, and the effect of
their economic rise is big
The rich did get richer faster
than the poor did. But for the
most part the poor did not get
poorer. They got richer, too.
In exchange for significantly
rising living standards, a little
more internal inequality is
not such a bad thing (NYT,
ibid.).
So, why are there worldwide protests and frustrations
about income inequality, in
these times of the supposed
new world middle class and
(slightly) elevated poor? James
K. Galbraith, who takes after
his father, Post-Keynesian
economist John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006) in espousing continuing American
Liberalism, does not believe
globalization is a big factor in
growing inequality. He says
solutions are at home, within
the countrys policies there
should be fair tax codes, not
tax cuts, and a stronger social
safety net (CBC News, Ibid.).
Galbraith vents his ire on the
bankers and energy people
who rake in profits at what-

ever financial/economic
situation the world is in,
even and most greedily in
times of economic crises,
while the common folk
have to suffer higher taxes
and/or austerity. Galbraith
points an accusing finger at
the big world corporations
who create unwarranted
demand through product
and institutional marketing
and advertising, creating
immense wealth for themselves while foisting cumulating costs on the gullible
market (Dunn, Stephen
P.,The Economic Contributions of John Kenneth
Galbraith, 2005). Yet the
Galbraiths, in Keynesian
tradition, espouse government intervention in the
markets, that can likewise
widen the gap between the
rich and the poor citizens of
their countriesfor again,
politics can favor the rich
corporations who are too
impatient with slow-evolving laissez faire.
Alas, the rich will be
richer and the poor, poorer,
in the scary prognosis of
K a rl Ma r x i n Th e L aw
of Increasing Poverty that
criticizes the capitalist free
market system (Sang Hun
Lee Communism: A New
Critique And Counterproposal: 1973). And there
seems to be no turning back
from capitalism, only the
shadowy fears and denials
of the ominous Marxian
clash of social and economic theses and antitheses.
And so are distressed
jeans, with its mixed emotions, todays fashion.
(Reprinted here with permission, this piece was originally published at Business
World where Amelia Ylagan
is regular columnist)

STATEMENTS B5

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

CNA

CBCP Monitor

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis

at the Jubilee of Deacons
St. Peters Square, May 29, 2016
A SERVANT of Jesus Christ
(Gal1:10). We have listened to
these words that the Apostle
Paul, writing to the Galatians,
uses to describe himself. At
the beginning of his Letter,
he had presented himself as
an apostle by the will of the
Lord Jesus (cf.Gal1:1). These
two termsapostle and servantgo together. They can
never be separated. They are
like the two sides of a medal.
Those who proclaim Jesus are
called to serve, and those who
serve proclaim Jesus.
The Lord was the first to
show us this. He, the Word
of the Father, who brought
us the good news (Is 61:1),
indeed, whoisthe good news
(cf. Lk 4:18), became our
servant (Phil 2:7). He came
not to be served, but to serve
(Mk 10:45). He became the
servant (diakonos) of all,
wrote one of the Church Fathers (Saint Polycarp,Ad Phil.
V, 2). We who proclaim him
are called to act as he did,
merciful, zealous, walking
according to the charity of the
Lord who made himself the
servant of all (ibid.).
A disciple of Jesus cannot
take a road other than that
of the Master. If he wants to
proclaim him, he must imitate
him. Like Paul, he muststrive
to become a servant. In other
words, if evangelizing is the
mission entrusted at baptism
to each Christian, serving is
the way that mission is carried

out. It is the only way to

be a disciple of Jesus. His
witnesses are those who do as
he did: those who serve their
brothers and sisters, never
tiring of following Christ in
his humility, never wearing of
the Christian life, which is a
life of service.
How do we become
good and faithful servants
(cf.Mt25:21)? As a first step,
we are asked to be available.

that his time is not his own,

but a gift from God which is
then offered back to him. Only
in this way will it bear fruit.
One who serves is not a slave to
his own agenda, but ever ready
to deal with the unexpected,
ever available to his brothers
and sisters and ever open to
Gods constant surprises. One
who serves is open to surprises,
to Gods constant surprises.
A servant knows how to

Dear deacons, this is a grace

you can implore daily in prayer.
You can offer the Lord your
work, your little inconveniences,
your weariness and your hopes
in an authentic prayer that
brings your life to the Lord and
the Lord to your life.
A servant daily learns detachment from doing everything
his own way and living his life
as he would. Each morning
he trains himself to be generous with his life and to realize
that the rest of the day will not
be his own, but given over to
others. One who serves cannot
hoard his free time; he has to
give up the idea of being the
master of his day. He knows

open the doors of his time

and inner space for those
around him, including those
who knock on those doors at
odd hours, even if that entails
setting aside something he
likes to do or giving up some
well-deserved rest. One who
serves is not worried about the
timetable. It deeply troubles
me when I see a timetable in
a parish: From such a time to

such a time. And then? There

is no open door, no priest,
no deacon, no layperson to
receive people This is not
good. Dont worry about the
timetable: have the courage
to look past the timetable. In
this way, dear deacons, if you
show that you are available to
others, your ministry will not
be self-serving, but evangelically fruitful.
Todays Gospel also speaks
to us of service. It shows us
two servants who have much
to teach us: the servant of the
centurion whom Jesus cures
and the centurion himself,
who serves the Emperor. The
words used by the centurion to
dissuade Jesus from coming to
his house are remarkable, and
often the very opposite of our
own: Lord, do not trouble
yourself, for I am not worthy
to have you come under my
roof (7:6); I did not presume
to come to you (7:7); I also
am a man set under authority
(7:8). Jesus marvels at these
words. He is struck by the
centurions great humility, by
hismeekness. And meekness is
one of the virtues of deacons.
When a deacon is meek, then
he is one who serves, who is
not trying to mimic priests;
no, he is meek.
Given his troubles, the centurion might have been anxious and could have demanded to be heard, making his
authority felt. He could have
Deacons, B7

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis on the

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood
St. John Lateran Square, May 26, 2016
TWICE the Apostle Paul, writing to
the community in Corinth, recalls this
command of Jesus in his account of the
institution of the Eucharist. It is the
oldest testimony we have to the words
of Christ at the Last Supper.
Do this. That is, take bread, give
thanks and break it; take the chalice,
give thanks, and share it. Jesus gives
the command torepeat this action by
which he instituted the memorial of
his own Pasch, and in so doing gives
us his Body and his Blood. This action
reaches us today: it is the doing of
the Eucharist which always has Jesus
as its subject, but which is made real
through our poor hands anointed by
the Holy Spirit.
Do this. Jesus on a previous occasion asked his disciples to do what
was so clear to him, in obedience to the
will of the Father. In the Gospel passage
that we have just heard, Jesus says to
the disciples in front of the tired and
hungry crowds: Give them something
to eat yourselves (Lk 9:13). Indeed,

Dominic Barrios

Do this in remembrance of me.

(1 Cor 11 :24-25).

it is Jesus who blesses and breaks the

loaves and provides sufficient food to
satisfy the whole crowd, but it is the
disciples who offer the five loaves and
two fish. Jesus wanted it this way: that,
instead of sending the crowd away, the
disciples would put at his disposal what

little they had.

And there is another gesture: the
pieces of bread, broken by the holy and
venerable hands of Our Lord, pass into
the poor hands of the disciples, who
distribute these to the people. This too
Body and Blood, B7

Homily of His Holiness

Pope Francis on the
Solemnity of Pentecost
Vatican, May 15, 2016
I will not leave you orphans
(Jn 14:18).
THE central purpose of Jesus mission, which culminated in
the gift of the Holy Spirit, was to renew our relationship with
the Father, a relationship severed by sin, to take us from our
state of being orphaned children and to restore us as his sons
and daughters.
The Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians in Rome, says:
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For
you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you have received the spirit of sonship, which enables us
to cry out, Abba, Father (Rom 8:14-15). Here we see our
relationship renewed: the paternity of God is re-established
in us thanks to the redemptive work of Christ and the gift of
the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit is given to us by the Father and leads us back to the
Father. The entire work of salvation is one of re-generation, in
which the fatherhood of God, through the gift of the Son and
the Holy Spirit, frees us from the condition of being orphans
into which we had fallen. In our own day also, we see various
signs of our being orphans: in the interior loneliness which
we feel even when we are surrounded by people, a loneliness
which can become an existential sadness; in the attempt to be
free of God, even if accompanied by a desire
for his presence; in the
all-too-common spiritual illiteracy which
renders us incapable of
prayer; in the difficulty
in grasping the truth
and reality of eternal
life as that fullness of communion which begins on earth
and reaches full flower after death; in the effort to see others
as brothers and sisters, since we are children of the same
Father; and other such signs.
Being children of God runs contrary to all this and is our
primordial vocation. We were made to be Gods children, it
is in our DNA. But this filial relationship was ruined and
required the sacrifice of Gods only-begotten Son in order
to be restored. From the immense gift of love which is Jesus
death on the cross, the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon
humanity like a vast torrent of grace. Those who by faith are
immersed into this mystery of regeneration are reborn to the
fullness of filial life.
I will not leave you orphans. Today, on the feast of Pentecost, Jesus words remind us also of the maternal presence
of Mary in the Upper Room. The Mother of Jesus is with the
community of disciples gathered in prayer: she is the living
remembrance of the Son and the living invocation of the
Holy Spirit. She is the Mother of the Church. We entrust to
her intercession, in a particular way, all Christians, families
and communities that at this moment are most in need of the
Spirit, the Paraclete, the Defender and Comforter, the Spirit
of truth, freedom and peace.
The Spirit, as Saint Paul says, unites us to Christ: Anyone
who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to
him (Rom8:9). Strengthening our relationship of belonging
to the Lord Jesus, the Spirit enables us to enter into a new
experience of fraternity. By means of our universal Brother
Jesus we can relate to one another in a new way; no
longer as orphans, but rather as children of the same good
and merciful Father. And this changes everything! We can
see each other as brothers and sisters whose differences can
only increase our joy and wonder at sharing in this unique
fatherhood and brotherhood.

We were made
to be Gods
children, it is in
our DNA.

B6 REFLECTIONS

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

CBCP Monitor

Demands and reward of discipleship

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C), Luke 9:18-24; June 19, 2016

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

Pieter Coecke van Aelst

THERE are people who consider religious faith as a form of safety insurance or even success insurance. Its
the theory of what some call prosperity-faith. They believe that if they are
faithful to the Lord, nothing unpleasant
will befall them, they will always enjoy
good health, and God will prosper
their business and activities. If they are
generous with the Lord, He will reward
them a hundredfold already in this life.
Such was the predominant opinion in
the Jewish society, based on many Old
Testament passages up to the time of
Jesus. Such is the gist of the message
conveyed by innumerable charismatic
preachers even today.
This prospect is definitely very attractive
and, understandably, many fall for it. But
a question may be asked, without being
disrespectful to God: Is it true that all
those who honor and obey God are always
blessed and, conversely, those who disobey
and reject Him have a miserable life? A
reality check will bring us to conclude
that, in many cases, things do not seem to
square with such a clear-cut theory. And
in not a few cases, the theory seems to be
disproved altogether, when we see honest
people living in misery and sickness, while
rascals enjoy an affluent life, good health,
and all sorts of comfort.
Such discrepancy between the theory of
prosperity for the good and the reality of
life is bound to cause powerful tremors in
the faith-life of many because the assumption that those who side with God will
have a grand time all the time simply is
not always verified in real life.
The explanation of such a disappointing conclusion can be found by
comparing suffering to the role of shadows
and black spots in paintings. Just as these
have a reason to be in the overall composition of any masterpiece, so does pain have
a role in Gods long-term, all-wise plan.
That is why suffering, both at the emotional and physical levels, was very much

A solid, mature Christian faith, then, is not one that

sees everything clear and rosy, but one that accepts
both lights and shadows, brightness and darkness, joys
and sorrows, trusting that God knows, He knows best,
and is always in control.

Har Magiddo

part of the earthly existence of Jesus Christ

himself, the holiest of all human beings.
The Cross loomed large on his life from
his birth at Bethlehem, till it became the
only visible thing on Calvary. The Cross
is inseparable from Christs life. It is an
essential component of his mission as
savior of mankind.
And the answer to the questions raised
by its disturbing presence in the earthly
existence of the all-holy Jesus can be found
only in his resurrection and ascension, as
well as in the saints in heaven. It is thanks
to the blood of the Lamb that such an innumerable host of martyrs and other holy
people have been able to attain eternal
life. This means that it is only at the end
of time, when Gods plan will be fully
realized, that the answer to the question
of the presence of suffering in the earthly
lives of the faithful believers will be clear,
definitive and convincing for all. For the
time being, we can accept it only in faith.
And it is such a comprehensive and
future-oriented faith that grounds a life
of discipleship.
A solid, mature Christian faith, then,
is not one that sees everything clear and
rosy, but one that accepts both lights and
shadows, brightness and darkness, joys
and sorrows, trusting that God knows,
He knows best, and is always in control.
As people of faith, we believe that nothing that happens in this world is outside
Gods all-wise and salvation-oriented
plan. And even when misguided human
freedoms may erect crosses that God
would not want for His children, His
omnipotent love is able to transform them
into instruments of salvation. This is what
happened with the sufferings of Christ.
This is how even the greatest tragedies
of human history become moments of
salvation history.
Hence, Jesus astonishing statements in
todays Gospel passage: If anyone wishes
to come after me, he must deny himself/
herself, take up his/her cross daily and
follow me (Lk 9:23). A disciple is one
who says Yes to Jesus and follows in his
footsteps, through thick and thin.

Reflections on the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

I WANT to begin by talking about
an event that took place when I was a
teenager.
This was the assassination of the
president, John F. Kennedy. Now, I know
that history has shown that President
Kennedy was not all he was made out
to be. He was pretty immoral in his
private life. Perhaps some of this flowed
into his public life. He also made some
decisions as president that history has
shown had horrible effects on the future
of the country.
But none of that could be known back
on November 22, 1963 when I was a
sophomore in high school. For me,
and for most of the country, John F.
Kennedy was a wonderful, dynamic
young man whom we all looked to and
admired. He told us to Ask not what our
country could do for us, but ask what
we could do for our country. He met
with John Glenn after Glenn became
the first American to orbit the world in
space, and then said that before 1970
an American would walk on the moon.
Neil Armstrong did exactly that in 1969.
Besides everything else, John F. Kennedy
was a Catholic. He was proud of his faith.
When during the election he was asked
if the Vatican would run the country or
he would, Kennedy responded that he

would serve as president of the country.

The Vatican would not rule the United
States. But, what if the Pope gave you
a direct order? some reporter asked.
Then I would leave the presidency
before I would leave my faith.
I was sold on this man. We all were.
And then, suddenly, he was gone. Most
people my age can tell you exactly where
we were when we first heard the grim
news from Dallas. Just like most of us

of the first reading for this Sunday from

the Book of the Prophet Zechariah. The
reading tells about the coming of the
Messiah. It then says that they shall look
on him whom they have thrust through
and mourn for him as one mourns for an

assassination of President Kennedy. For

years the Kingdom of Judah had suffered
the tyranny of the most wicked king in
its history, the terrible King Manassah.
Manassah was so bad that some of the
ancient recorders of history even refused

only son. On that day, the reading says,

the mourning in Jerusalem shall be as
great as the mourning of Hadadrimmon
in the plain of Megiddo.
The mourning of Hadadrimmon in
the plain of Megiddo. What was that
about? What happened is that a great
young leader, the hope of the Nation of
Judah, was killed. It was worse than the

to mention his name. However, when

Manassah died, he was succeeded by his
eight year old son, Josiah. Josiah grew up
to be completely different from his father.
He destroyed all the forms of pagan worship that his father had inflicted upon the
people. He put an end to the immorality
the people were forced to join. Josiah was
good. Josiah was kind. Then, in about the

Jesus will conquer,

but His conquest
will come after
His suffering and
death.
remember exactly where we were when
they heard the news of the airplanes
striking the twin towers on 9-11. Like
on 9-11, when the President was assassinated our nation literally closed shop
and went into a long period of mourning. All work stopped. Everyone watched
the funeral on TV. Everyone bawled
when 4 year old John-John saluted his
fathers casket.
I am recalling these incidents this week
due to a phrase found at the conclusion

Jos Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro

By Msgr. Joseph A. Pellegrino

year 609 BC disaster struck. Young King

Josiah led the army against the invading
Egyptians. On the plains of Megiddo
near the city of Hadrimmon, Josiah was
killed. And the weeping for Josiah was
like the weeping for Kennedy.
Overlooking the plains of Megiddo,
where Josiah was killed, there is a mountain, Mount Carmel. This mountain is
extremely significant, extremely important in the Bible. It was on Mount Carmel that the Prophet Elijah defeated the
forces of evil in the battle of the prophets.
The Hebrew people believed that a day
would come when the forces of good
would have the final victory over the
forces of evil. A day would come when
the forces that gave Elijah victory on
Mount Carmel would defeat the forces
that destroyed Josiah on the plains of
Megiddo. It would be the day when the
power of God seen on the
mountain, or in Hebrew, Har, would
win the final victory of Megiddo. This
final battle would be called the battle of
Har Megiddo, Armegeddon.
Leading this battle would be the Messiah of God. He is the one who will give
the final victory of good over evil.
Who do people say that I am? Jesus
asked his disciples. Some say John the
Baptist, some say Elijah or one of the
prophet. Now, who do you say that I
am, Jesus asked again, You are the MesHar Maggido, B7

Bo Sanchez

SOULFOOD

Bishop Pat Alo

ENCOUNTERS

Amazing hope!

THE result of the recent presidential elections

indeed reveals, with shocking amazement, the
Filipino peoples trust and hope in a down-toearth president who is incredibly fearless to face
any battle to wipe out crime and restore peace
and order and a future for the needed growth
and development of the entire. A Mindanao
mayor who becomes president is evident of the
peoples faith in a man who is simply true to
himself and has shown transforming results in
his own bailiwick. This also throws the limelight on leadership coming from the southern
end of the country that apparently aspires
for recognition and the opportunity to bring
about change for the better, especially for the
advantage of the underprivileged citizens that
populate the Island of promise.
No one knows the future for certainty but
God, whose loving providence works mysteriously in response to our prayers. The presidentelect may be the person the country needs at

this time of transition, and, as Archbishop

Socrates Villegas wrote in his pastoral letter,
we exercise a vigilant cooperation in respect
for the decision cast by our fellow countrymen.
Let continued prayers for national and local
leadership sustain our trust and readiness to
cooperate so that we all journey with a common vision and prayerfully continue the quest
for eternal truth and happiness amidst earths
transiency. Let us pray that Jesus the Good
Shepherd be the model of our new president
and that he be filled with the blazing fire of the
Pentecost Spirit and see himself as a God-sent
instrument to care for the sheep gone astray.
A good shepherd knows the smell of his sheep
and is ready to sacrifice his life (Jn. 10:1-16).
May our prayers enlighten our leaders to be
authentic seekers of true freedom and human
dignity, so that joyfully, we can acclaim: When
you send forth your Spirit, they are created
(Ps. 104:30).

Praise Someone Today!

THE literal meaning of the word

blessing is to bow down.
When I bow down in front of
someone, I give that person
value. I say to him, Youre important. And the easiest way to
do that is through praise.
When you praise the people
that you love, youre actually
blessing them.
Heres my advice: Praise the
members of your family at least
once a day!
Husbands, make it a habit to
praise your wife.
Lets say shes fixing herself
in the mirror or closing the last
button of her blouse and you
happen to pass by. Stop and say,
Youre so beautiful.
Or your wife prepared your
meal and you take your first bite.
Stop and say, This is delicious!
Then hold her hand, look into

her eyes and say, I thank God I

married you.
Wives, make it a habit to
praise your husband.
When I come home from
work, many times, my wife
would wrap her arms around
me and tell me, Youre a great
husband. Youre a great father.
And Im the luckiest girl in the
world.
I receive praise from thousands of peoplemy readers,
my audience, my listeners. But
for some reason, I still look for
my wife to affirm me.
Some people say, I dont have
to praise my family because they
already know that I appreciate
them.
Thats not true. You need to
say it.
My friend Ces is almost 30.
Yet to this day, she still feels

like a little girl thats still trying

to earn the praise of her parents.
She feels that best is simply not
good enough.
Ces told me that the only time
her parents praised her was when
she graduated cum laude in college. But before and after that,
not once did they praise her.
Today, shackled by the burden
of low self-worth, Ces keeps
trying to prove herself to other
people. Its creating havoc in
her relationships. Its sabotaging
her success. Despite her external
success, there is so much emptiness in her. Without knowing
it, shes desperate for praise, affirmation, and love. And when
youre emotionally desperate for
love, you rarely get love.
The people you love need your
praise.
Praise someone today!

SOCIAL CONCERNS B7

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

Forever blessed

Capiz Archdiocesan Social Action Center

Recovering from twin

disasters

Virginia Villamor and husband Ricardo said they just received the greatest gift, a new home.

THE 81-year old Virgina Villamor is still teary-eyed when

she reminisce her familys experience on the fateful day of Nov.
8, 2013, the day when typhoon
Haiyan swept the province of
Capiz. Nanay Bering, as she is
fondly called, left her house in
Sitio Cambuyayao in Barangay
Pawa, Panay town together with
her family to evacuate to a safer
place at the height of the storm.
When the heavy rains subsided,
she was just surprised to discover
that her home just vanished in
thin air.
As if that still wasnt enough,
when humanitarian organizations finally came, they received
nothing but a couple of relief
goods. Seeing their living condition, it was really surprising why
they were not included in their
barangays priority list.
Little did she knew that her
heart will be broken twice, this
time more painful, when help
from the local Catholic Church
had her waiting in vain. The core
group tasked to identify possible
beneficiaries, especially for the

shelter project seemed to have

missed her miserable state.
The initial findings were validated and reversed. Due to the
ugly state of barong-barong,
(shabby house), the Capiz Archdiocesan Social Action Center
and NASSA/Caritas Philippines
recognized their dire need for a
new home. It was an answered
prayer, according to her.
However, the gods continue
to tease Nanay Bering by placing
odds against her and her family.
Nanay Bering, as she was so
eager to participate in the sweat
equity agreement, decided to
help by carrying a bowl of nails
and blocks of wood to the carpenters. Accidentally, she slipped
and a nail cut through her left
thigh.
Unconscious and quickly losing blood, she was immediately
brought to the hospital. The
nail was found lodged between
her varicose veins. It was a scene
nobody wished had happened.
Worried about Nanay Berings
state, the staff of the local Caritas
went to visit Nanay Bering in the

hospital and asked her why she

did what she did. Her answer
only made the staff cry.
Holding the staff s hands
and hugging her, she said, I
was thinking, how I can repay
Caritas after what it gave us?
So, seeing the workers lay out
our shelter, I cant bear to just
sit down and watch them. I felt
the need to help. My husband
doesnt have the capacity anymore to do mans work. I felt I
can. And what happened to me
was an accident. Nobody wanted
that. But God permitted me to
live a second life. I guess because
I still was not able to live in the
new home Caritas gave me.
NASSA/Caritas Philippines
is the social action arm of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines. It works in partnership with the Capiz Archdiocesan
Social Action Center in implementing the REACHPhilippines
program for Typhoon Haiyan
survivors in the province of Capiz.
For more information, please visit
www.caritasphilippines.org.

THE devastation caused by Haiyan, one of

the strongest storms in recent history, is one
of those experiences that Carlito Vicente and
his family would never forget for the rest of
their lives. Their house situated in the village
of Morales in Balete
in Aklan province was totally damaged by the
storm, forcing them to live under a shed made of
makeshift materials given to them by kind humanitarian organizations doing relief operations.
It was not easy in the beginning, but at least,
he said the makeshift house saved them from
the rain and other untoward incidents.
But just when Carlito thought his family had
already passed the greatest storm of their life,
another one came.
One day, he and his wife were just surprised
to come home from selling fish in the market,
their only source of income, to see their house
already burned to the ground.
That was the most painful experience that
happened in our life, Carlito said.
All their belongings were burned. Nothing
was left. Only their seven children, whose ages
ranged between 16 and two years old, were
home when the fire incident happened. Fortunately, none of them were hurt also through

the help of their neighbors.

Thank You, Lord, for saving our seven
children, he exclaimed.
Since then, the couple no longer leaves their
children alone at home. The couple would
usually take turns in leaving the house. When
Carlito is in the market during the morning, he
goes home by lunch to take care of the children
then his wife takes his place in the afternoon.
They have also started to recover from the two
separate disasters that wrecked their lives. Now,
they are also living in a comfortable and resilient
shelter, which was provided to them by the
Catholic Church through the Diocesan Social
Action Center of Kalibo and NASSA/Caritas
Philippines. They belong to a different religious
organization, the Baptist Congregation, but their
prayers and heartfelt are always with Caritas.
NASSA/Caritas Philippines is the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines. It works in partnership with
the Diocese of Kalibo Social Action Center in
implementing the REACHPhilippines program
for Typhoon Haiyan survivors in the province of
Aklan. For more information, please visit www.
caritasphilippines.org.

DSAC Kalibo

CBCP Monitor

Carlito and his three children having a pose at the door of their new shelter.

Food Loss, B1

to small-scale farmers. Secondly, there

are no specific governmental strategies
on post-harvest losses. This motivated
Caritas Malawi to implement programs
to enhance farmers capabilities and to
engage in policy advocacy.
The Catholic Social Teaching encourages the promotion of an economy
which favors productive diversity and
values small-scale food production
systems which feed the greater part of
the world. In many cases, small-scale
producers are forced to sell their land
or abandon their traditional crops.
Their attempts to shift to other forms of
production are often frustrated because
regional and global markets are not
open to them, or because the infrastructure for sales and transport is geared to
larger businesses. Civil authorities have
the right and duty to adopt measures
in support of small-scale producers and
differentiated production. (LS, 129) It
is essential that food systems integrate
the fundamental value of human work:

ensuring that the fruits of human work

do not go lost is a matter of justice!
National and local policies and measures
should encourage various forms of cooperation or community organization
which defend the interests of smallscale producers and ensure sustainable
development.
For example, Catholic Charities
(Caritas) USA carries out a program
called Farm for Maine, aiming at
providing nutrient-rich, organic vegetables to needy people who resort to
food pantries. Some of the produce is
distributed right out of the field, while
most of it is processed in partnership
with small women-owned business, for
distribution over the winter months.
This partnership fosters employment
and cooperation, beyond allowing to
keep vegetables long into the harsh
Maine winter when the need is the
greatest.
Another example if the food distribution system developed in the State of

programs are always oriented to the

most vulnerable and marginalized
people; they ensure sustainable development by respecting the environment,
human health and well-being, and fostering employment creation; they aim at
achieving social justice, by creating virtuous alliances based on solidarity and
cooperation, favoring social inclusion.
Conclusions: a new approach to food
loss
The market alone cannot guarantee
integral human development and social
inclusion. Even when addressing an
apparently technical problem like food
loss, we must not overlook the deepest
roots of our present failures, which have
to do with the direction, goals, meaning
and social implications of technological
and economic growth. (LS, 109)
We must look at things differently,
we must make policy choices, adopt
lifestyles and spirituality that break
with the sheer technocratic paradigm.

Deacons, B5

Har Maggido, B6

siah of God, Peter replied. Jesus

is not just a famous preacher.
He is not one of many famous
people who have lived. He is
wholly different than Buddha or
Mohammed. He is unique. He
is the Messiah of God, the Son
of God.
Jesus will conquer, but His
conquest will come after His
suffering and death. All will look
upon the One whom the people
of the world have thrust through
and mourn for Him. Jesus would
not be the only one who would
die. His disciples will conquer,
but first they will have to follow in
their Master steps and lose their
lives for His kingdom.
We will conquer with Jesus;
but first we will have to lose
our lives, at least those parts of
our lives which would destroy
the Life of Christ within us. We
have to actively oppose immorality in our country, our families and our lives. This demands
real suffering. It means being
mocked because we value life
over the convenience of abortion. It means being excluded
because we are not going to get
drunk or take drugs at a party.
It means drawing a line so that
all our relationships might be
wholesome.
We have to have an attitude in
life that is thoroughly opposed

Washington to distribute fresh fruits and

vegetables to low-income households.
Catholic Charities of the city of Spokane
created extensive connections with over
50 farming enterprises to feed a community in which 17% of residents receive
food through food stamps provided by
the government. A robust farm-to-food
bank system was built, working with
multiple partners including universities
to provide nutrition education programs
and to build supply-chain capacity.
Farmers were connected to supply routes
culminating in the city, feeding distribution sites at close proximity, allowing to
deliver food without substantial transportation infrastructure. Equipment
like a delivery vehicle, refrigerators and
coolers for storage improved the capacity
of distribution sites.
In sum, the ways Caritas addresses
food losses do not consist only of technical solution. Rather, they respond to
a vision based on human development
that is integral and ecological: Caritas

to the mind set of the world. We

have to be more concerned with
others than with ourselves. We
have to put the needs of the poor
and the powerless before our own
desires. We have to join the Lord
in dying for others.
It is serious business being a
Christian. The Second Battle of
Megiddo is being waged even
as we speak. We are part of the
forces of the mountain, the forces
of God. The enemy is the egocentricity of the world that has
no need of a Redeemer and has
therefore rejected the Work of
God. The enemy is fierce. But we
go to battle with the Messiah of
God as our leader. He is winning.
And we are winning.
We need to carry on the Battle
for Christ. Jesus Christ is calling
us to battle. From the top of the
mountain, Har, the Lord is calling us to join Him on the plain
of Megiddo. Har Megiddo. Armageddon. Come to Armageddon, He says. Come and join
the battle of good against evil.
Come and fight for the Kingdom
of God.
Do not surrender to evil. Do
not give up hope. Do not give
up the faith. Do not give up.
Remember, it is impossible for
the new Josiah to lose. The final
victory belongs to the Lord...
and to us.

insisted and even forced Jesus

to come to his house. Instead,
he was modest, unassuming
and meek; he did not raise
his voice or make a fuss. He
acted, perhaps without even
being aware of it, like God
himself, who is meek and
humble of heart (Mt11:29).
For God, who is love, out of
love is ever ready to serve
us. He is patient, kind and
always there for us; he suffers
for our mistakes and seeks
the way to help us improve.
These are the characteristics
of Christian service; meek
and humble, it imitates God
by serving others: by welcoming them with patient love
and unflagging sympathy, by
making them feel welcome
and at home in the ecclesial community, where the
greatest are not those who
command but those who
ser ve (cf. Lk 22:26). And
never shout, never. This, dear
deacons, is how your vocation
as ministers of charity will
mature: in meekness.
After the Apostle Paul and
the centurion, todays readings show us a third servant,
the one whom Jesus heals.
The Gospel tells us that he
was dear to his master and
was sick, without naming his

Adopting only technical remedies to

food loss equals to forgetting the human
person, separating what is in reality
interconnected and masking the true
and deepest problems of the global
system. (LS, 111).
Thank you.

1 Cfr. FRANCIS, Message for the World Food Day

2013, 2.
2 FRANCIS, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii
Gaudium, 53.
3 Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (30 December 1987), 33: AAS 80 (1988), 557.
4 Including use of herbs from trees/shrubs, use
of ash from livestock waste and crop residues
and use of traditional granaries. Applying ash
to some crops like beans is very effective: they
are not attacked by weevils and no longer take
time to cook. Ash applied to sweet potato and
kept is a pit will ensure preservation for up to five
months. Caritas Malawi, however, is working with
all levels of farmers: smallholders, middle income
farmers and commercial farmers, through different
programme approaches suitable to each of them.
Therefore, some strategies for managing crop
losses - such as use of agrochemicals - may not
work to smallholder farmers who may only require
traditional methods. The use of agro-chemicals
is very much suitable to middle income and commercial farmers.

Body and Blood, B5

grave illness (v. 2). In a certain

sense, we can see ourselves in
that servant. Each of us is very
dear to God, who loves us,
chooses us and calls us to serve.
Yet each of us needs first to be
healed inwardly. To be ready to
serve, we need a healthy heart:
a heart healed by God, one
which knows forgiveness and
is neither closed nor hardened.
We would do well each day to
pray trustingly for this, asking
to be healed by Jesus, to grow
more like him who no longer
calls us servants but friends
(cf.Jn15:15).
Dear deacons, this is a
grace you can implore daily
in prayer. You can offer the
Lord your work, your little
inconveniences, your weariness
and your hopes in an authentic
prayer that brings your life to
the Lord and the Lord to your
life. When you serve at the
table of the Eucharist, there
you will find the presence of
Jesus, who gives himself to you
so that you can give yourselves
to others.
In this way, available in life,
meek of heart and in constant
dialogue with Jesus, you will
not be afraid to beservants of
Christ, and to encounter and
caress the flesh of the Lord in
the poor of our time.

is the disciples doing with

Jesus; with him they are able
to give them something to
eat. Clearly this miracle
was not intended merely to
satisfy hunger for a day, but
rather it signals what Christ
wants to accomplish for the
salvation of all mankind, giving his own flesh and blood
(cf. Jn 6:48-58). And yet
this needs always to happen
through those two small actions: offering the few loaves
and fish which we have; receiving the bread broken by
the hands of Jesus and giving
it to all.
Breaking: this is the other
word explaining the meaning
of those words: Do this in
remembrance of me. Jesus
was broken; he is broken for
us. And he asks us to give
ourselves, to break ourselves,
as it were, for others. This
breaking bread became the
icon, the sign for recognizing Christ and Christians.
We think of Emmaus: they
knew him in the breaking
of the bread (Lk 24:35). We
recall the first community of
Jerusalem: They held steadfastly to the breaking of
the bread (Acts 2:42). From
the outset it is the Eucharist
which becomes the centre

and pattern of the life of the

Church. But we think also
of all the saintsfamous or
anonymouswho have broken themselves, their own
life, in order to give something to eat to their brothers and sisters. How many
mothers, how many fathers,
together with the slices of
bread they provide each day
on the tables of their homes,
have broken their hearts to
let their children grow, and
grow well! How many Christians, as responsible citizens,
have broken their own lives
to defend the dignity of all,
especially the poorest, the
marginalized and those discriminated! Where do they
find the strength to do this?
It is in the Eucharist: in the
power of the Risen Lords
love, who today too breaks
bread for us and repeats: Do
this in remembrance of me.
May this action of the Eucharistic procession, which
we will carr y out shortly,
respond to Jesus command.
An action to commemorate
him; an action to give food
to the crowds of today; an act
to break open our faith and
our lives as a sign of Christs
love for this city and for the
whole world.

B8 ENTERTAINMENT

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

Moral Assessment

CBCP Monitor

Buhay San Miguel

Brothers Matias

Lolo Kiko

Bladimer Usi

Abhorrent

Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome

Exemplary
Technical Assessment

Poor
Below average

Average

Above average
E
xcellent

Ipinapasyal ni Christina Gonzales

(Dawn Zulueta) ang kanyang aso sa
isang mall nang bigla itong tatakbo
at dadambahin ang pagkain ni DJ
Jaycee (Piolo Pascual). Magkakakilala silang dalawa at magkakalapit sa
kabila ng pagiging presko ni Jaycee
kay Christina. Isang biyuda na nagsisimula sa clothing design business
si Christina at pamosong disk jockey
o DJ sa disco bar naman si Jaycee;
malaki ang agwat ng kanilang mga
edad. Magiging instrumento ang
muling pagkikita nina Christina at
ng dating kaklase na si Angie (Carmi
Martin) sa magiging relasyon niya
kay Jaycee. Hilig kasi ni Angie at
ng mga amiga nitong mga PR ang
mag istambay sa mga bar. Sasama
lagi si Christina sa kanila habang
tinutulungan siya ng mga ito na
pasikatin ang kanyang mga clothing
designs. Magiging modelo niya sa
gawang kasuotan ang kaibigan at
sexual partner ni Jaycee na si Janine
(Coleen Garcia).
May kakaibang dating ang temang May-December affair sa Love
Me Tomorrow. May hatid itong
kilig sa kabila ng malaking agwat
ng edad nina Zulueta at Pascual gayundin sa mga tauhan na kanilang
ginampanan. Kaabang-abang ang
mga eksena at di predictable ang
wakas. Subalit di ito nakaligtas sa
tipikal na wakas ng pelikulang Pilipino na may special participation ng
mga bagong partners para feel good.
Di mapapasubalian ang husay ni
Zulueta sa pagganap at magandang
projection niya sa screen. Bagay sa
kanya ang karakter ni Christina
Gonzales. Samantala medyo asiwa
naman ang papel na ginampanan
ni Pascual na preskong DJ pa din sa
edad na 35 at may ka-FUBU (f--k
buddy) na 25 anyos. Ganun paman
ay nabawi ng mahusay na trato ng
director ang ilang sablay sa pagtalaga
ng tauhan sa kwento. Makahulugan
din ang palitan ng mga linya lalo
na ang mga narration ni Christina
Gonzales sa bandang huli. Maganda
ang disenyo ng produksyon pati ang
mga sinematograpiya. Naipakita
ang kaibahan ng mga sex scenes sa
pagitan ng FUBU na tila nagpaparaos lang at ng nagmamahalan

na may passion. Mahusay ang mga

inilapat na musika lalo na ang pagtatampok sa theme song na Love
Me Tomorrow sa saliw ng remix.
Akma rin ang tunog at ilaw.
Dahil ang pag-ibig ay isang
damdamin na di kumikilala ng
tama at mali, pagkakataon ito na
gamitin ang pag-iisip upang maging
maayos ang lahat para sa mga taong
sangkot. Ang tunay na pagmamahal ay may pang-unawa, sakripisyo
at pagpapalaya para sa minamahal.
Sa lahat ng pagkakataon ay dapat
maging mapagmatyag ang tao sa

LOVE ME
TOMORROW
DIRECTOR: Gino Santos
Cast: Piolo Pascual, Dawn
Zulueta, Colleen Garcia
SCREENWRITER: Jeff Stelton,
G3 San Diego
PRODUCER: Star Cinema
GENRE: Drama, Romance
LOCATION: Philippines
RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:

MORAL ASSESSMENT:
CINEMA Rating: V14
MTRCB Rating: PG13

kani-kanilang kahinaan. Ito ang

hindi nangyari sa malaking bahagi
ng pelikula sapagkat lahat ay bumigay at sinikap na lamang isalba sa
bandang huli. Salamat at umiral ang
wisdom ng pagiging ina ni Christina
bago natapos ang pelikula. Nakababahala ang ipinakitang casual sex
sa pagitan ng magkaibigan at ng
babaeng may edad sa mas bata sa
kanila, pati mga preskong salita ng
isang lalaki sa babae na mas matanda
sa kanya, sulutan sa negosyo, at
insecurities. Gayundin, maaring
akalain ng mga manonood na okay
lang ang napakabilis na pagkahulog sa isang preskong DJ ng isang
50-anyos na biyuda na maayos na
nakapagpalaki ng mga anak at nagsisimula ng disenteng career. Sagana
sa vulgar words na iningles lang para
pa-class ang dating. Alalayan sa
paliwanag ang mga anak ninyong
manonood nito na may murang
isipan, anuman ang edad.

NAIS mag-level up sa kanyang political career ang kasalukuyang Congressman na si Sonny Suarez (Derek Ramsey). Mula sa pagiging kinatawan
ng distrito ay tatakbo siya sa national position bilang senador. Galing sa
kilalang angkan ng mga politiko si Sonny. Maayos ang kanyang records
at educational credentials. Subalit iba ang usapan kapag national level ang
labanan, kailangan ni Sonny ng ibayong karisma upang makilala at mapalapit sa tao. Kinontrata ng team ni Sonny ang serbisyo ng communication
expert na si Billie Pono (Shaina Magdayao) upang bigyan ng make-over
sa pakikisalamuha ang Congressman. Sa kabila ng natural na pagkailang
sa tao ay nagiging epektibo ang mga pointers na binibigay ni Billie kay
Sonny. Lalong iigting ang kooperasyon sa pagsasanay sa pagsulpot ng tila
magiging mahigpit na katunggali ni Sonny sa katauhan ng kanyang dating
kasintahan na si Vera Chavez (Iza Calzado). Apektado si Sonny sa pagtakbo
ni Vera dahil nga hinaluan ng isyung politika ang kanilang nakaraan na labis
niyang dinamdam. Subalit ang mas higit palang maapektuhan ay ang communication trainer na si Billie at ang napipinto nilang pagkahulog sa isat isa.
Katulad ng sinasaad ng titulo, napapanahon ang pelikulang My Candidate. Pinalabas ito sa mga sinehan dalawang araw matapos ang pambansang halalan. Tumalakay
ng mga isyung personal sa
mga kandidato na pumapalaot
sa pulitika. Nakasentro ang DIRECTOR: Quark Henares
kwento sa karakter ni Sonny, CAST: Derek Ramsay, IzaCalzado,
sa kanyang political dreams, at
Shaina Magdayao, Nico Antonio, Ketchup
sa mga relasyon na masisira at
LOCATION:
Philippines
mabubuo dahil sa pulitika. MaGENRE: Romantic Comedy
husay ang trato ng direktor sa DURATION: 105 mins.
pinaghalong satire, romance, at TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:
comedy. Di tulad ng ibang may MORAL ASSESSMENT:
katulad na tema, ang My Can- CINEMA rating: V13
didate ay nakaaaliw at magaan
panoorin, Maganda ang mga communication pointers na makakatulong sa
pakikisalamuha ng tao kahit wala sa pulitika. Maganda ang cinematography,
makakatotohanan ang mga kuha, at malinis ang editing. Pinalutang ng mga
ito ang magandang disenyo ng produksyon. Akma ang mga inilapat na
tunog, ilaw at musika. Mahusay ang mga pagganap ng mga pangunahing
tauhan lalo na sina Ramsey at Calzado, may pagka OA naman ang dating
ng acting ni Magdayao sa ilang mga eksena ng training nya kay Sonny. Sa
kabuuan ay maganda ang teknikal na aspeto ng pelikula.
Higit sa pagiging politiko na itinataas palagi ang sarili sa panahon ng
kampanya at kadalasan ay may mga pansariling interes, paglilingkod ang
pangunahin para sa sinumang nagnanais na maging isang public servant. Ito
ang isa sa mga naging mensahe ng pelikulang My Candidate. Gayunpaman,
ang pag-aaral at pagpapalago ng kasanayan at kaalaman ay panghabang
buhay kahit sa anong larangantulad ng pulitika at sa pakikipagrelasyon.
Binigyan-diin sa pelikula ang kahalagahan ng communication sa pakikisalamuha at pagtulong sa kapwa. Makakatulong sa mga manonood ang
mga puntos na itinuro ni Billie kay Sonny para mas maging mabisa ang
kanilang pakikipag-ugnayan. Ipinakita din sa pelikula na pwedeng maging instrumento ang isang tao upang lalong lumago at magtagumpay ang
kapwa. Sa mga ganitong pagkakataon ay tiyak din ang pakikinabang sa
sariling paglago katulad ng nangyari kay Billie, na sa pagtulong kay Sonny
ay marami ding natutunan para sa kanyang sariling paglago.

MY CANDIDATE

Buhay Parokya

Look for the images of Holy Trinity, Holy

Chalice, and Holy Cross.
(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Ugnayan

THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST

CBCP Monitor. Vol. 20 No. 17

May 30 - June 12, 2016 C1

IN GLORIA DEI

2016 CFC Anniversary Week

Schedule

By Mafi de Leon

The excitement
rose to fever pitch as
the countdown to the
praise concert Liveloud,
reached its end.

This years concert theme, In

Gloria Dei, centered on God
being the sole object of praise, as
inspired by 1 Chronicles 16:25-27.
Already on its eighth year, Liveloud
is a worship concert spearheaded
by the CFC-Youth for Christ.
More than 13,500 people from
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao
gathered last May 28, 2016 to
bask in Gods presence during the
concert.
To kick off the praise concert, Fr.
Joel Jason, parish priest of the Our
Lady Mirror of Justice, celebrated
the Mass, with Fr. Christian Lumbaring of Vietnam and Fr. Lucky
Acua of Tarlac concelebrating. In
his homily, Fr. Jason emphasized,
Let us not be loud for the sake
of loudness alone, for that can be
annoying. If we are to be loud, let
us be loud for our faith.
Keken Cabaraban, this years
worship leader, started the praise
concert by reminding everyone
that Liveloud is an encounter with
the Lord.
We came to Liveloud for different reasons. Whether we were
invited, were just curious, or were
simply blessed by the Lord, we
are all here to experience Him in
the best possible way, Cabaraban
exhorted.
What followed was a set of praise
and worship songs, all original
compositions from CFC, SFC,
and YFC, that moved everyone
into a deep and passionate reverence for the King of kings and
Creator of all.
The crowd danced, swayed, wept,
raised their hands and shouted praises to
the Lord in abandon as Cabaraban and
the band played one song after another,
each song reminding everyone that they
belong to a community of believers, and
that God desires the presence of each
one in His throne room.
Interspersed within the worship
concert were testimonies of individuals
about how the Lord manifested His
glory in the different circumstances in
their lives.
The first sharer for the night,
David Quiambao, a YFC mission
worker, testified how God won
him back. As a young student,
Quiambao shared how he became
attached to studying about God
in the intellectual level, forgetting
Gods nature of love, mercy and
compassion. He became self-righteous and Reasoning became his
god, hence becoming an atheist

JUN

SAT- SUN

8:00AM - 5:00PM

13

MONDAY

14

TUESDAY

CFC FUN GOLF

TBA

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
CONGRESS
1:00PM - 5:00PM

INTERNATIONAL MISSION
CORE GATHERING
7:00PM - 10:00PM

15

WEDNESDAY

PM & MM LEADERS CONGRESS

8:00AM - 5:00PM

CFC SONGWRITING CONTEST

7:00AM - 10:00PM

16

THURSDAY

17

FRIDAY

CLERGY AND LAY CONGRESS

8:00AM - 5:00PM

FAMILY MINISTRIES CONGRESS

8:00AM - 5:00PM

CFC THANKSGIVING NIGHT AND

EMERALD BALL
7:00AM - 10:00PM

Keken Cabaraban, fulltime missionary for Youth for Christ, led 13,500 faithful in a night of passionate worship

or a nonbeliever. But God moves in

mysterious ways. Through the love
and caring of his friends, Quaimbao slowly became convinced that
God is indeed real and that He
manifests Himself in even the most
mundane events of his life.
Kahit tinalikuran ko Sya, Sya mismo ang humahabol sakin, he revealed,
totally amazed at how Gods mercy is
boundless, and that God never ceases
to draw His beloved to Himself.
Charina Pinto, on the other hand,
related how the tragic death of her
son, 17-year-old Jizo, became an
inspiration to all of the people who
knew him. Through the familys
loss, Pinto learned the value and the
meaning of life. She and her family
saw God in their relatives, friends,
in people they didnt even know.
Everyone became the face of God.

Recognizing this, the family finally

felt the peace that only comes from
the Lord despite having to lose Jizo.
As the worship continued,
Cabaraban exhorted the congregation to remember that an
encounter with the Lord must
not remain within oneself, but is
meant to be shared. A moment of
healing and affirmation followed,
giving everyone an opportunity
to pray for one another and exchange words of kindness and
encouragement.
Everyone also received a sticker
bearing inspiring messages that
served as an affirmation from
the Lord.
The worship concert ended
with a prayer for God to grant
everyone the courage to spread
His love to others so other people

may encounter Him in their

lives. Cabaraban then asked
each one to shout out with
conviction that they will live
their lives in Gloria Dei.
Eight years ago, Liveloud
may have just been a springboard program with the goal
of sharing new, original songs
to the community. Today,
Liveloud has become a beautiful ministry that proclaims
the greatness of God, as
stated in its anchor verse:
You have changed my sadness
into a joyful dance; you have
taken away my sorrow and surrounded me with joy. So I will
not be silent; I will sing praise
to you. Lord, You are my God;
I will give you thanks forever.
(Psalm 30: 11-12)

More than entertainment:

Teaching Theology of the Body

PASAY City, May 14, 2016 In

the age of Prezi and more interactive presentation styles than you
care to learn, how should today's
catechists, teachers, parents, and religious talk about St. John Paul II's
ground-breaking teaching on the
human person's sexuality, destiny,
and God's love? U.S.-based Theology of the Body (TOB) speaker
Katrina Zeno said speakers need
to go back to a sacramental way
of teaching.
We need to learn how to teach
Theology of the Body, give a talk in
a way that is sacramental... not just
to be cute or just to be entertaining, she told some 60 participants
at the Theology of the Body speakers' training on May 14 15 in one
of the SMX Convention Center
meeting rooms.
She stressed: It's very purposeful because we learn purposefully.
We learn conceptually, abstractly
but also sacramentally.
According to Zeno, expounding
on TOB to a variety of audiences
means finding ways to provide
visible symbols to show invisible
realities.
The grueling 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
workshop was designed to enable
participants to accomplish four goals:
to continue to gain personal
insights to make connections
among Scripture, TOB, catechism and life in general;
to gain confidence in their
mastery over the structure and
the content of TOB and its
catechetical content, meaning
that which specifically applies to
understanding the faith;

11-12

PASTORAL FORMATION
INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE

to encounter the organisity of

the Catholic faith and how
the parts of the faith relate
to the whole of our faith and
how parts of the faith relate
to each other; and
to grasp the centrality of Jesus Christ and the Trinity in
our faith and our catechesis
Katrina stated: As you understand the pieces, the better
you can understand the whole.
The better you understand
the whole, the better you can
understand the pieces.
Zeno is the founding coordinator of the John Paul II
Resource Center for Theology
of the Body and Culture in the
Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona.
The speakers training was
corollary to the 1st TOB seminar she gave a week earlier, on
May 7 to 8, at the San Carlos
Seminary Auditorium in Guadalupe, Makati City. In that
first seminar, she emphasized
that learning how to adequately
communicate the message
of TOB takes time, and that
sometimes our bases are full
and we get a homerun, but
sometimes, we strike out.
Zeno told the participants,
mostly top leaders from Couples for Christ, Filipinos for
Life, and from the dioceses,
that sometimes, their talks can
really create a buzz and create
a connection, but sometimes,
they won't be as successful
but that these should be seen
instead as learning experiences. TOB for everybody, from top: CFC Cahirman Joe Tale introducing Katrina Zeno; Zeno
animatedly delivering her talk; participants enjoying their new discoveries via TOB
(Nirva'ana Ella Delacruz)

18

SATURDAY

CFC 35th ANNIVERSARY

CELEBRATION
QUIRINO GRANDSTAND
10:00AM - 8:00PM

21-25

CFC MISSIONARY RETREAT

TUESDAY
TBA
TO SATURDAY

Top Tips For Newbie Tob

Speakers
What do you do when the only
thing going for you is pure passion?
You have smatterings of information and know-how here and there,
but basically, talking about Theology of the Body (TOB) for the
first time could make one feel like
a plumber talking about quantum
physics. This is why U.S.-based
Theology of the Body keynote
speaker and author Katrina Zeno
shared some practical steps for a
more effective, engaging TOB talk
that can captivate any audience.
She said everyone who hears
about TOB automatically becomes
a Matthias, the apostle who replaced Judas Iscariot and who thus
became the new 12th apostle.
Guess what? You are all Matthiases. He was commissioned to
preach the Gospel but he didn't
know how to preach the Gospel
at first, said Zeno, noting that St.
Matthias was blessed to have been
exposed to the first apostles before
he eventually got chosen to preach.
Here are Zeno's pointers for beginner TOB speakers:
Identify your audience's world
view. According to Zeno,
founding coordinator of the
John Paul II Resource Center
for Theology of the Body and
Culture in the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona, a person's world
view will determine how he or
she sees the world in general
and understands the concept of
freedom, the purpose of life and
of the body. Finding out how an
audience thinks can do wonders
for a speaker's preparation.

Check whether your talk uses a

sacramental world view. Your
operating system for all your
talks and catecheses is Theology
of the Body and a sacramental
world view, explained Zeno.
Begin reading the Catechism.
The TOB connections will leap
off the page, said Zeno, According to her, the catechism will
begin to reveal TOB connections
not quite obvious before, helping solidify a talk even further.
Make a proclamation statement. She said a proclamation
statement is a main point that
is short, memorable, and which
will later be expounded in greater detail. If the proclamation
statement is a hub on a wheel,
the supporting statements are
the spokes.
Use positive statements. According to Zeno, statements
stated in the positive are more
powerful. Sentences can be
tweaked to say the same thing
in a better way; they can be
reworked to state positions
positively instead of negatively.
For example, Jesus did not
come to live but to die, can
be reworked into: Jesus died
so that we can have life.
Pick a specific person from the
audience. Pick a particular
person who's representative of
the audience, advised Zeno,
saying that when preparing a
talk, it helps to write it for a specific person. It goes from being
generic to much more focused.
(Nirva'ana Ella Delacruz)

C2

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

CBCP Monitor

Jun & Jean Uriarte

Lord, teach us to pray

Luke 11: 1
During our pilgrimage to
the Holy Land in 2000, we
noticed that those who were
praying in front of the Wailing
Wall, the holiest place for the
Jews, would rhythmically bend
their bodies forward as if bowing towards the wall. When we
asked our guide about it, he
said that the Jews believe that
in prayer, both the body and
the spirit should be involved
and thus they move their bodies
while reciting their prayers.
During the same pilgrimage Archbishop Arguelles, the
pilgrimages spiritual director,
brought the pilgrims to the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher
to celebrate Holy Mass at 4
oclock in the morning. As
we walked towards the chapel
where the Mass was going to
be held, we passed by another
altar where we saw a Franciscan
monk dancing and muttering
unintelligible sounds in front
of the Blessed Sacrament. When
asked about it, Archbishop Arguelles told us that the monk
was praying in tongues in front
of the altar with his entire body
and spirit.
St. Luke reports that the
disciples asked Jesus to teach
them to pray: He was praying

in a certain place, and when he

had finished, one of the disciples
said to him, Lord, teach us to pray
just as John taught his disciples.
He said to them, When you pray,
say: Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come. Give us each
day our daily bread and forgive us
our sins for we ourselves forgive
everyone in debt to us, and do not
subject us to the final test. (Lk
11: 1-4).
To pray both in body and in
spirit while participating in community worship, we follow the
teachings of the Scriptures when
we clap our hands: All you
peoples, clap your hands; shout to
God with joyful cries. (Ps 47:2);
when we raise our hands: It is my
wish, then, that in every place the
men should pray, lifting up holy
hands. (1 Tim 2:8). Hear the
sound of my pleading when I cry
to you, lifting my hands toward
your holy place. (Ps 28:2). I will
bless you as long as I live; I will
lift up my hands, calling on your
holy name. (Ps 63:5); and when
we dance: Let them praise his
name in festive dance. (Ps 149:3).
Give praise with tambourines and
dance. (Ps 150:4).
In prayer we are guided by
ACTS: Adoration, Contrition,
Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

We begin our prayer by praising

God (Adoration): I will proclaim
your name in the assembly, in the
community I will praise you. (Ps
22:23). Sing to God, praise the
divine name; exalt the rider of the
clouds. (Ps 68:5).
We say sorry for all our sins and
offenses (Contrition); we thank
God for all his blessings (Thanksgiving); and then, but only then,
do we say our petitions (Supplication). But in order to deepen our
prayer life, we have to add two
more S into ACTS to make it
ACTSSS. These two S represent Scripture and Silence. We read
the Word of God and then ponder
on it in silence. Thus in prayer we
talk to God and God talks to us.
Pope Benedict XVI devoted
nearly a year of his Wednesday
audiences to develop a catechesis
on prayer with 45 different topics. On 15 June 2011 during the
General Audience at St. Peters
Square, Pope Benedict XVI stated:
The primary aim of prayer is
conversion, the flame of God that
transforms our heart and enables
us to see God and thus to live in
accordance with God and live for
others. Pope Benedicts assertion
that the primary aim of prayer
is based on his reflection on the
story of the prophet Elijah and

the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings

18:16-40.
The Israelites had abandoned
the Lord and followed Baal and so
Elijah asked Ahab to assemble the
Israelites and the 450 prophets of
Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah
appealed to all the people and said,
If the Lord is God, follow him; if
Baal, follow him Give us two
young bulls. Let them choose one,
cut it into pieces, and place it on
the wood, but start no fire. I shall
prepare the other and place it on
the wood, but shall start no fire.
You shall call on your gods, and
I will call on the Lord. The God
who answers with fire is God. All
the people answered, Agreed. (1
Kgs 18:21-24).
The prophets of Baal cried
aloud, danced and leaped about
even going so far as to cut themselves, they called out louder and
slashed themselves with swords and
spears, but there was not a sound,
no one answered, and no one was
listening. Baal was no God.
Then the prophet Elijah built
an altar. He asked the people to
drench it with water, not just once,
but three times. At the time for offering sacrifice, the prophet Elijah
came forward and said, Lord, God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it
be known this day that you are God

CFCs Pluma TV series captures hearts of

early risers

and that you have brought them

back to their senses. The Lords
fire came down and consumed the
holocaust, wood, stones, and dust,
and lapped up the water in the
trench. Seeing this, all the people
fell prostrate and said, The Lord
is God! The Lord is God! (1 Kgs
18:36-39). Elijahs prayer led the
people to conversion.
Reflecting on this event, Pope
Benedict XVI declares that the primary aim of prayer is conversion.
Our continuing conversion is not
just an aim of prayer, but the main,
the principal, the key purpose of
prayer. Pope Benedict continues:
The Fathers tell us that this history
of a prophet is prophetic too if,
they say, it foreshadows the future,
the future Christ; it is a step on the
journey towards Christ. And they
tell us that here we see Gods true
fire: the love that guided the Lord
even to the cross, to the total gift
of himself. True worship of God,
therefore, is giving oneself to God
and to men and women, true worship is love. And true worship of
God does not destroy but renews,
transforms. Of course, the fire of
God, the fire of love burns, transforms, purifies, but in this very way
does not destroy but rather creates
the truth of our being, recreates
our heart. And thus, truly alive

2 for Metro Manila and in the Regional

Networks of ABS-CBN for the provinces. Pluma is also available on www.
iwantv.com.ph. Just recently, ABS-CBN
announced that TFC subscribers abroad
can also begin to enjoy Pluma. Please visit www.couplesforchristglobal.org or
follow facebook.com/PlumaTVseries

through the grace of the fire of

the Holy Spirit, of love of God,
we are worshippers in spirit and
in truth.
Prayer converts us and
brings us closer to the one
true God. Praying the Psalms,
the prayer of the People of
God, deepens our prayer life
for Christ himself on the
cross prayed the Psalms: My
God, my God, why have you
abandoned me? Why so far
from my call for help, from
my cries of anguish? (Ps 22:2).
Into your hands I commend
my spirit; you will redeem me
Lord, faithful God (Ps 31:6).
St. Thomas Aquinas, the greatest theologian of the Catholic
Church, the author of Summa
Theologica and composer of
Tantum Ergo, at the time of
his death, prayed the Psalm:
This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I
desire it. (Ps 132:14).
We too should ask for the
grace of conversion, to deepen
our faith so that we may only
seek to follow the Fathers will,
so that we too may learn to pray
the Psalms just as Jesus did.
And so, as the disciples did, we
too should ask, Lord, teach
us to pray.

and @PlumaTv on twitter and instagram

for the schedule of programming.
(You may send your queries or suggest
inspiring stories through PlumaTVseries@
gmail.com or you may directly contact
Lee Asuro (0927 912 7464) and David
Quiambao (0916 684 0020). (Genesis
Emilly Asuro)

We asked our social media followers about what they

thought about CFC TV's new show Pluma. The ensuing
Facebook discussion after the pilot episode elicited the
following comments:

Couples for Christ (CFC) launched

the pilot episode of Pluma last May 22,
2016 at ABS-CBN Channel 2. Despite
having a very early time slot of 5:30 AM,
the show earned quite a respectable viewership, with those who watched having
nothing but good words for CFC TVs
initial offering.
The pilot episode, featuring the story
of Mackoy and Alma Dimag of CFC
Metro Manila Central C sector, was a
certified inspirational story with the
classic clich Love is blind. Having

been rendered blind because of retinitis

pigmentosa, Mackoy struggled in his being a husband, father, and provider for
his family, and asked God the proverbial,
Why me?. But his wife Alma and the
rest of the family became his eyes, ears,
hands and feet, and despite his being
differently-abled, the Lord became the
light that showed him how he can serve
God, his family and his coworkers.
The second episode told the story
of Riah Bernardez and her team Sagip
Batampalengke, of how they became the

face of Jesus to the children frequenting

and inhabiting the public market (batang
palengke) by reaching out and ministering to each child, caring for them and
teaching them about faith. Why do they
do this? Because they desire a loving and
peaceful environment for each batang
palengke.
Televiewers can look forward to more
extraordinary stories of ordinary people
like Mackoy and Riah in the next 11
episodes of Pluma. The show runs every
Sunday, 5:30 AM in ABS-CBN Channel

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

Michael C. Ariola
IC Oversight

Zenaida A. Gimenez
Editor-in-Chief

Deomar P. Oliveria
Layout Artist

Alma M. Alvarez
Associate Editor

Evangeline C. Mecedilla
Circulation Staff

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

facebook.com/CFC.Global.Mission

@CFChrist

CBCP Monitor

C3

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

HOME AGAIN with

Stephanie Reese
May 28, 2016, Seattle, WA Stephanie
Reeses Home Again ANCOP (Answering the Cry of the Poor) Concert was a
standing-ovation performance, electrifying the jam-packed Benaroya Hall!
The audience witnessed a showcase of
great talents from beautiful individuals
who gave so much of themselves for a
humanitarian cause. It was indeed a sight
to behold.
The lively dance steps from the ArtRise Dance Group and a piano piece
masterfully played by Francis Noah Martinez, and songs by Stephanie Reese entertained the crowd with a wide range of
musical genres including self-composed
songs, theater and religious pieces, and
popular Filipino songs.
Reese showed great confidence and
versatility in her own craft. On stage
with pianist Joshua Kartes, they sang

Blessings and bounty at ANCOP Masagana

The Prayer together. Friends like producer/composer/singer Jon Perez,

theater performer Chad Kimball, and
Melissa Reese of Guns N Roses (who
all have made a name for themselves)
joined Reese.
Reese coined the name Home Again
in honor of her return to her hometown,
Seattle, after numerous stints both for
professional and humanitarian reasons
across the globe. Reese has been an advocate of helping the poor in the past, and
Home Again was another opportunity
for her to share her God-given talents
through ANCOP.
The event garnered close to $20,000
through ticket sales and generous donors.
These funds will go a long way in sending
at least 10 children to school and will
support priests in their further studies.
(Pat Villanueva and Rosanna Junge)

Ten houses sponsored by DMC-UPDI were turned over last

May 31, 2016 to the Homeowners Association of Twenty Fifth
Ville Pook Masagana Chapter in Brgy. Bahay Toro, Project 8,
Quezon City.
Attending the simple ceremony were the representatives from
CFC and ANCOP and Joe Merin, Chairman of DMC UPDI.

Leaders of the Metro Manila West C Sector where the community

is located also graced the event. CFC President George Campos,
in his exhortation, thanked the partners (CFC, ANCOP, DMCUPDI) and the homeowners for seeing the shelter program
through and ensuring harmony through community development
and Christian values in Sitio Masagana.

CFC ANCOP Receives Grant from ANCOP Canada

From Left to Right: Melissa Reese (Keyboardist of Guns 'N Roses), Stephanie Reese, and Eric Villanueva
(ANCOP USA president)

In their continued commitment

and support to the greater work of CFC
ANCOP Global Foundation Inc., CFC
ANCOP Canada, through President Ricky
Cuenca and its officers, turned over a check
of Php21M to CFC ANCOP Chairman
Joe Yamamoto and CFC ANCOP Board
Member Michael Ariola last May 17, 2016
at the CFC and ANCOP office of Canada
in Toronto. The funds were from the many
donors supporting ANCOP in Canada and
will be utilized for the various programs of
CFC ANCOP in the Philippines, among
them education and shelter.

CFC Guam Leaders Empowered

New Vatican Office ready to

serve CFC in Europe

Fr. Greg Gaston of Collegio Filipino celebrated the Holy Mass and led the blessing of the CFC Office
at the Vatican. Hon. Bernie Candolada, Consul General of the Philippine Embassy to Italy, also attended the
event, together with Jimmy Ilagan, Jimmy Santiago and Rouquel Ponte, servant leaders of CFC.
This is God's promise perfected, shared Ilagan, a member of the Board of Directors of CFC. The
recently furnished office is a 15-minute walk to St. Peters Square and will serve as the hub of Couples
for Christ in Europe.

Mission, fellowship and brotherhood are strengthened while serving the Lord in Guam

CFC missionaries served in CFC Guam's Rejoice in the Lord Conference at Guam International
Country Club, Dededo, Guam on May 28; Leaders
Conference at the Upper Parish Hall, Sta. Barbara
Parish Church, also in Dededo on May 25; as well
as some other CFC activities in Guam since May 22.
CFC International Council member Michael
C. Ariola, Jude Abenoja, Kirby Llaban, and CFC
Guam country coordinator Jess Ferrer and wife

Mercy led the mission team.

Aside from being spirit-filled, the mission was
also very memorable as it was in Guam where Saint
Pedro Calungsod, the Roman Catholic Filipino
teen migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist
who, along with the Spanish Jesuit missionary
Padre Diego Luis de San Vitores, suffered religious
persecution and martyrdom for their missionary
work in 1672.

C4

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

CBCP Monitor

CFC Canada Hold 2016 Eastern, Western Conferences

OTTAWA, the capital city of
Canada,played host to the 2016
CFC Eastern Regional Conference
held last May 20-22 at Yzerman
Arena, Nepean Sportsplex. More
than 800 delegates attended the
conference, which began with
an amazing opening dance number. The conference was officially
opened by Jun Clarito, CFC Eastern Regional Head, and Francis
Yap, Ontario Provincial Head and
Country Coordinator for Nigeria
and Ghana.
The Rejoice Weekend Conference of the CFC Western Canada
Region, on the other hand, was
hosted by Calgary and was held
the previous weekend at the Westin Hotel. More than a thousand
delegates from Vancouver, Central
Alberta, Regina, Saskatoon, Lethbridge, Manitoba, Edmonton,
Yellowknife, Victoria, and the most
inspiring delegation from Fort McMurrray filled the conference hall.
The Eastern Conference was

festive, starting with the different

area presentations where the different area delegations danced and
performed roaring chants. The
atmosphere was made more festive
by the different booths decorated
with colorful banners, flaglets and
balloons. The booths gave the delegates the opportunity to re-live
their childhood by playing the
different carnival games and going
home with their loot and prizes.
The same carnival-theme prevailed
at the Western Conference.
In Ottawa, the Most Reverend
Christian Riesback, CC (Auxiliary
Bishop of Ottawa), Reverend Father Geoffrey Kerslake, (Episcopal
Vicar of the Archdiocese of Ottawa) and The Most Reverend Luigi Bonazzi (Apostolic Nuncio to
Canada) were the main celebrants
of the Holy Mass, with Reverend
Father Pedro Arana (Pastor of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
Mary) as concelebrant. Fr. Yarek
of St. James Parish Okotoks; Fr.

Wilbert of Our Lady of the Rockies

Parish Canmore and Fr. Inno were
the Mass celebrators in Calgary.
Delivering the powerful sessions
for the Western Conference were
Noli Arzadon, Nonoy Dalman,
Francis Yap and Joe Yamamoto and
Michael Ariola. Jun Clarito, Ricky
Cuenca, Michael Ariola, gave the
first two talks in Ottawa, while Yap
and Yamamoto gave the fourth talk
at the Eastern Conference. George
Fournier delivered the final session.
The sessions from the conferences in both regions were preceded by creative presentations,
and highlighted by the inspiring
testimonies of couples who have
manifested prayer, joy and gratitude in their lives.
The conferences served as refilling stations to empower CFC Canada more and keep the zeal and fire
burning in their hearts in serving
the Lord.(Joain Magallanes and
Christ Arreola CFC Calgary
North Chapter)

The Eastern and Western Conferences were truly spirit-filled, with these men of God delivering the Lord's message to leaders in Canada

CFC Canada
March For Life

Kenya holds Rejoice Weekend

Top: Delegates from different provinces in Kenya with CFC Spiritual Director, Rev. Fr. Simon Peter Kamomoe. Bottom: Couples in their colorful GAUDIUM shirts
for the talk creative.

As they have done every year since

Couples for Christ came to Kenya in
Africa, the different provinces of Kenya
composed of Nairobi, Homabay, Eldoret,
Voi, and Mombasa gathered together to
attend the Rejoice Weekend held in Hekima College in Nairobi last May 7, 2016.
The conference had all the necessary
ingredients for a successful gathering of
community: there was praise and worship, the obligatory start to any conference, led by Jun Clarito, fulltime pastoral
worker from Canada and Regional Head
for East Africa, the afternoon worship led
by Lewis Koome, and the equally obligatory praise fest to end the conference, led
by Goi Villegas, fulltime pastoral worker
serving in Kenya.
There were songs of course, but this
time, it was a delight and a wonderful
surprise to hear the Rejoice in the Lord
theme song being sung in Kswhaili.
And of course there was the substance
of the conferencethe talks given by
powerful, inspiring speakers. The first
talk, Rejoice in the Lord, was given by
David Makonnen, member of the CFC
Kenya Governance Team , while the
second talk, Do Not Worry, was given

by George Gachu. Talk 3, titled Pray

in Everything, was given by Francis Yap,
Country Coordinator for Ghana. The
last two talks were given by Manila based
leaders Nic Escalona, Head of the Evangelization and Mission Office (Talk 4: An
Attitude of Gratitude) and Michael (Shok)
Ariola, International Council member
and Africa Continent Overseer (Talk 5:
It's Time to Proclaim)
And what would any conference be
without the powerful testimonies of
people whose lives are forever changed by
Gods transforming love? There was Njeri
Makonnen, who survived a devastating
bomb blast that shattered their office van
when a suicide bomber blew himself up
as they were passing by. There was Hellen
Gachu who testified to the goodness of
the Lord as evidenced by the blessings she
and her family have received. Nelson
and Monica Ochieng from Homabay and
Charles Osale from the Coast inspired
the delegates with stories of how prayer
and trust in the Lord changed their lives.
Gerald Musyoki from Naivaisha shared
how grateful he is to God for providing
for all their needs.
There were creative moments such

Double Mission Weekend in Columbia

as the dance number performed by the

Parklands Group entitled Pray About
Everything and the presentations by the
different areas, and reflective moments,
such as when everyone was asked to reflect on the past and to write a gratitude
note to all the people who touched their
lives and who inspired them to be better
persons.
And, as the highlight of every conference and CFC gathering, there was the
celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Rev.
Fr. Simon Peter Kamomoe, CFC Kenya
Spiritual Director and Parish Priest of
Holy Family Basilica celebrated the Mass
and, in his homily, cited the work CFC is
doing in Kenya. He affirmed that CFC
is indeed instrumental in renewing the
faith of Kenyan Catholic families and in
strengthening the bond of love among
family members.
To complete the celebration, different
awards were given to the deserving areas.
Homabay, a new area, was awarded a
plaque of appreciation for having the
Most Number Of Delegates.
It was truly a day to Rejoice, Pray
and Give Thanks to the Lord! (Malou
Clarito)

tion, without exceptions. She vehemently

opposed Canadas decision to sendmoney
to fund abortion in developing countries in
Africa and elsewhere.
BC Member of Parliament Mark Warawa, on the other hand, asked people to sign
a petition protecting conscience rights of
physicians, doctors, nurses and pharmacists
who want to say no to participating in assisted suicide.
The MPs and several senators exhorted
the crowd to back them up on pro-life issues
by writing to the government, and thus
force politicians to live up to the principles
of good governance. Ontario Member of
Parliament Guy Lauzon pointed out that
the marchers are their power andexpressed
hope that next year the crowd would
double.
The senators who supported the march
and encouraged the participants to continue their work were Norman Doyle of
Newfoundland, Betty Unger of Alberta and
of course the Filipinos very own Tobias Enverga Jr., from Ontario. Women who have
had abortions also shared their experiences
before and after the march. They shared
their pain, agony and remorse after going
through the procedure. Through these
difficult moments, it was the support of
the Christian community and counselling
that they were able to forgive themselves.
They emphasized that they were sharing
their personal stories in order to encourage
others to chooselife.
The CFC participants, while exhausted
and sweaty under the scorching heatofthe
sun, enjoyed the fellowship of the thousands
of people present and felt the joy and fulfillment that come from standing up for their
convictions. (from CFC Canada website)

CFC Canada in red, together with other pro-life advocates bravely opposing those who are anti-life

Couples learn whole new 'love language'

MAKATI City, May 12, 2016
International speaker and author
Katrina Zeno helped some 130
married couples and singles expand
their dictionary on love and marriage
during a Theology of the Body training on May 7 to 8 at the San Carlos
Seminary Auditorium.
Language is all about love, said
the coordinator of the John Paul II
Resource Center for Theology of the
Body and Culture for the Diocese of
Phoenix in the US.
Zeno stressed how getting introduced to the lexicon of Theology of
the Body allows a person to step into
a whole new perspective of seeing the
human person and his destiny.
A modern bridge of words

CFC USA's Juan Aleman and Lisbeth Gonzales, and Carlos Bello and
Yamile Rangel, all from Coral Spring, Florida, conducted a double mission
in Colombia on the weekend of May 22, 2016 where they were blessed
with a harvest of 30 couples, 21 HOLD, 2 SOLD, 1 SFC and 5 Youth.
Msgr. Nieto, Bishop of Engativa, Bogota fully supported the mission team.

Last May 12, 2016, two buses filled with

members of Couples for Christ journeyed
to Ottawa, Canada to take part in the
March for Life event at Parliament Hill.
The journey started with the recitation of
the Holy Rosary and the Divine Mercy
prayers. To make the trip more enjoyable,
the delegations participated in a Bible trivia
game and watched movies.
At Parliament Hill, the participants
held their placards aloft, displaying such
messages as Let Life Win, Put an end
to abortion or Let them live!. The
CFC delegation stood out in their red
shirts among the thousands of people from
othergroups, as they ascended the Hill to
listen to the various speakers, including
Bishops, members of Parliament (MPs)
and senators.
His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins,
Archbishop of Toronto, encouraged the
marchers to join the Coalition to promote
both palliative care and pregnancy care
centers. On the other hand, His Excellency Archbishop Lepine from Montreal
reminded the 20,000-strong crowd that
life is a gift from God no matter how weak
or fragile it is.
Archbishop Bonazzi brought the blessing
of Pope Francis to the crowd. Member
of Parliament Ted Falk encouraged the
crowd, It is now time to stand up against
Bill C-14, the recently introduced assisted
suicide bill.
In our country, the sanctity of life is
being challenged on both ends of the
spectrum,both in the womb and at the
end of life, Falk added.
Culture of Life Africa founder and
President Obianuju Ekeocha said, It is a
universal truth that life begins at concep-

If you have language, you can

think. If you can think, you can
choose. If you can choose, you can
love, she said.
According to Argentina native
Zeno, who revealed she is a tango
enthusiast, the course proposes the
heritage of faith with a new language creating a bridge between
the language of the Church and of
modern society.
Our doctrine doesn't change
but the language does. Because the
language of the Church is what I
would like to call 'churchy language'
and most people can't relate to that,
she explained.
Employing a table full of visual
aids ranging from a bottle of robust

red wine, a bag of Lego, a garage sale

sign, to a gift ribbon Zeno broke
down the two-days long Theology
of the Body triptych into three parts.
Not for rules but relationship

Interspersed throughout the

two-day workshop were discussion
groups, Q&As, private consultations, quick activities, and anecdotes to further deepen the course's
main points.
First, she went into how man
was before the fall from grace or
what she calls BOSS or Before
Original Sin Surfaced.
People were not created first and
foremost for rules ... People were created for relationship, she explained,
noting how this nature of man was
most evident in the Garden of Eden
with Adam and Eve, who were
perfectly in communion with themselves, each other, nature, and God.
Adam and Eve were naked but
not ashamed because they shared in
the big 'DV', the 'Divine Vision.'
They saw each other the way God
saw them, added Zeno.
The second part dealt with man
and his dynamics after sin and
the wounding of his relationship
with God.
Body talk

The third part of her talk focused

on man's destiny: who he is meant
to be forever in heaven.
You're created for a communion

of persons... We're created for this

reciprocal giving and receiving,
explained the 54-year old speaker.
For the second major part of
the course, Zeno concentrated on
the sacrament of marriage and the
unique language of the body.
The body is doubly sacramental.
The body is sacramental because it
reveals his personhood, his soul and
the invisible Trinity ... Your body
makes God present in the world.
Understanding Humanae Vitae

According to her, marriage is a

sign of the inner life of the Trinity.
Lastly, Zeno zeroed in on key
reflections on Humanae Vitae,
Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical that
re-affirms the Catholic teachings on

married love, responsible parenthood, and the continued rejection

of artificial birth control.
Sin changes the meaning of the
body. We are then only left with
the body as an object of attraction.
When you change the meaning of
the body you change the relationship
between the man and the woman...
Contraception changes the meaning
of the body, she said.
Simply put, contraception, masturbation, homosexual acts are lies
made with the body.
Over all, the workshop was
a panoramic vision of the human person.
The second day closed with a
Mass celebrated by Fr. Joel Jason.
(Nirva'ana Ella Delacruz)