Monitor

CBCP

SEPTEMBER 19 - OCTOBER 2, 2016 VOL. 20 NO. 25

WHATS INSIDE

UGNAYAN:

THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT

OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST

A6

B1

Batanes bishop
appeals for aid
after devastating
typhoon
I will turn their
mourning into joy
Jeremiah 31:13

Bishops
fear more
summary
killings
CATHOLIC bishops fear an
increase in cases of summary
executions after President
Rodrigo Duterte asked for a
six-month extension for his
war on drugs.
Lipa Archbishop Ramon
Arguelles said he is worried
that fighting fire with fire is
likely to fail.
But I am also worried about
more extrajudicial killings,
said the prelate. D u t e r te yesterday said he needs
another six months on top of
his self-imposed deadline of
three to six months to solve the
countrys drug problem.
He said there are too many
people, including politicians,
involved in the illegal activ-ity
and he cannot kill them all.
There is narco-politics on
the lowest government unit,
and that will be the start of
our agony, explained Duterte
in a press conference Sunday
evening in Davao City.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop
Broderick Pabillo also said
Dutertes approach to the drug
problem would not work.
It should be rehabilitation
and stronger anti-poverty
campaign, stressed Pabill.
He said Duterte should
instead root out corruption
within the government and not
be selective in his anti-illegal
drugs campaign.
In the campaign, he
categorically said that the drug
problem would be solved in 6
months or he will step down,
but of course he is not a man of
[his] word, Pabillo said.
He added: Anybody in his
right mind cannot claim that.
Cant he see that his meth-od
is not effective?
Killings / A6

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCPMONITOR@AREOPAGUSCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

Church launches prayer

campaign amid killings
By Roy Lagarde

CATHOLIC bishops
launched a nationwide
prayer for peace and healing amid political bickering and the wave of killings
of drug suspects.
Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippine (CBCP) president
Archbishop Socra-tes Villegas of
Lingayen-Dagupan said the most
important contribution of the Church
for social change is prayer.
We can never diminish or
underestimate
the
power of prayer for
changing people,
for changing
the world,
Archbishop
Villegas said.
And even
if prayer looks
very impractical
or prayer looks
theres no
connection
to the present

situation, believe me prayer can

change hearts and prayer can change
everybody, he said.
The archbishop is calling on the
people of faith and good will to join
the campaign launched Sept. 20 at
the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in
Intramuros, Manila.
Excluding Sundays, the campaign,
where Catholics are requested to
pray the five mysteries of the rosary
daily, runs until December 23. Each
province in the Philip-pines will be
prayed for everyday.
The dates assigned for each
province will be posted daily in the
Facebook page A Million Roses for
the World: Filipinos at Prayer for the
Nation.
We pray for the dead and the
living. We pray for everybody,
Archbishop Villegas said.
When theres a problem, the
first thing that we seem to do is
act, rush to do some-thing, he
said. Thats why we need to pray
before we act, before we say
some-thing.
According to
Prayer / A6

Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, speaks during the launching of the weeks-long prayer campaign for peace at the chapel of the Colegio de San
Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila, Sept. 20, 2016. ROY LAGARDE

Cardinal Tagle opens Churchs

doors to drug dependents
TO address the local drug problem, Cardinal
Luis Antonio Tagle has opened the doors of
the Manila archdiocese to those battling drug
addiction to help them recover.
The prelate hopes the community-based
rehabilitation program to be set up in different
parishes will encourage anyone struggling with
addiction.
We are here for you. Let us not waste life.
It is important and it has to be protected and
nurtured, he said.
The archdiocese said the program is designed
to help anyone in need of support in terms
of spiritual formation, skills formation, and
livelihood.
The archdiocese, through its Restorative
Justice Ministry, has also partnered with other
organizations and concerned government
agencies to get drug dependents the treatment

and recovery services they need.

Among them are the Center for Family
Ministries, UST Graduate School PsychoTrauma, Department of Health, Department
of Interior and Local Government, and the
Philippine National Police.
On Sept. 13, the program kicked off at the San
Roque de Manila Parish in Sta. Cruz, Manila to
reach out to people who have been excluded by
the church or judged harshly.
We, in the Church failed to address the issue,
we failed to be a companion to these people.
So now, we are trying what we can do given
the urgency of the need, said parish priest Fr.
Tony Navarette.
The archdioceses of Cebu and Cagayan de
Oro have also offered help to drug dependents
who are seeking rehabilitation and healing.
(CBCPNews)

Dont forget lessons of martial law

THE head of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) said that
Fil-ipinos should not forget
the lessons of martial law.
As the country marked
the 44th anniversary of the
martial law declaration on
Sept. 21, Archbishop Socrates

Villegas said its lessons will

always be applicable to the
countrys situation.
We should not forget. We
should always remember
the lessons of history, said
Archbishop Villegas, a protg
of the late Cardinal Jaime
Sin, who helped oust the late

strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

These are vigilance, selfsacrifice, forgetting oneself,
and standing up for what is
right, he said.
For his part, Fr. Jerome
Secillano, executive secretary
of the CBCP Committee on

Lessons / A6

ILLUSTRATION BY BROTHERS MATIAS

Bishops mull pastoral care for same sex attracted persons

A CATHOLIC bishop said dioceses across
country will be establishing a spiritual
support system for men and women with
same sex attraction (SSA).
Bishop Gilbert Garcera, chairman
of the bishops Commission on Family
and Life, said it is the role of the Church
to provide pastoral accompaniment
to members who experience same sex
attraction, as well as to their families.
It is important for the dioceses to have
a response to same sex attraction and
for the Church to show that we take care
of them, said the prelate over Manila
archdiocese-run Radio Veritas.

Thats why the dioceses all over the

Philippines will help to assist them in
the sense of welcoming, integration,
understanding, and accompaniment for
them, he said.
The bishop of Daet in Camarines
Sur said the Church must also strive to
present Catholic doctrine on authentic
sexuality in its fullness.
Another objective is to clarify
the Churchs stand on matrimony,
homosexuality and also for the people
to know the stories of transformation in
the lives of some persons with same sex
attraction, he added. (CBCPNews)

Abu Sayyaf terrorism denies

God Cardinal Quevedo

Cardinal Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato FILE PHOTO

CARDINAL Orlando
Quevedo of Cotabato
told a gathering of the
worlds religious leaders
that the Abu Sayyaf
bandits are practical
atheists.
Saying that one cannot
wage war in the name
of God, he said the
terroristic activities of
the violent jihadist group
in southern Philippines
manifests a denial of
God.
Their behavior and
actuations deny God,
said Cardinal Quevedo,
a known peace advocate.
The first cardinal from
Mindanao was speaking
before hundreds of
religious leaders from
different faiths during a
panel discussion at the
World Day of Prayer for
Peace in Assisi, Italy on
Sept. 19.
He began his
intervention by giving
the participants a
background about Abu
Sayyaf group (ASG) and
its political and religious
objective which is to
establish an independent

Islamic State in Southern

Philippines.
Through the years,
he said the group has
been on a rampage of
killings, assassinations,
bombings, kidnappings,
extortion, and drug
trafficking.
He said the ASGs
activities are done in
the name of God and
death during acts of
terrorism is considered
martyrdom.
Selective knowledge
According to him,
one reason for this is an
inadequate knowledge
of the Quran, in the
manner that many
Christians do not know
the Bible very well.
He also said that
another reason is Abu
Sayyafs selective
knowledge and
understanding of the
Holy Book for Muslims
that Islam is a religion of
peace and not of external
jihad against infidels.
They profess belief
in God and are devoted
to their prayer but their
Terrorism / A7

A2 NEWS
t

Vatican Briefing
Corruption is worst form of criminality, Pope
tells Vatican police

On Sunday, Pope Francis celebrated the 200th

anniversary of the Vatican Gendarme by thanking the
security force for their tireless service, and warned
against modern crimes linked to exploitation and
corruption.Crooks love the scam and hate honesty.
Crooks love bribes, agreements done in the dark. This
is worse than anything, because he believes hes being
honest, the Pope told members of the Vatican Gendarme
Sept. 18.The crook loves money, loves wealth, he said,
and, calling wealth an idol, noted that crooks trample
on the poor with no concern or second thought.He noted
how there are many people throughout the world today
who have large, large industries of slave labor. In the
world today slave labor is a management style. (Elise
Harris/CNA)

The world needs a merciful response to refugees,

Pope says

In a world marked by increasing war and conflict, Pope

Francis said a generous and merciful response to those
fleeing violence is needed in order to combat hatred and
foster a greater sense of fraternity and solidarity.At this
place and time in history, there is great need for men and
women who hear the cry of the poor and respond with
mercy and generosity, the Pope told a group of Jesuit
alumni Sept. 17.He noted how there are tragically more
than 65 million forcibly displaced persons around the
globe, calling the number unprecedented and beyond
all imagination.Pope Francis spoke to members of the
European Confederation and World Union of Jesuit
Alumni and Alumnae present in Rome for a Sept. 14-16
conference titled Global Migration and Refugee Crisis:
Time to Contemplate and Act.(Elise Harris/CNA)

Pope Francis: killing in the name of God is satanic

Referencing the recent murder of French priest Fr.
Jacques Hamel, Pope Francis said the persecution of
Christians happening today, under any form, is a work
of Satan.This cruelty that asks for apostasy, lets say
the word, is satanic, the Pope said in a homily Sept.
14.Today in the church there are more Christian martyrs
than in the first times. Today there are Christians who
are assassinated, tortured, jailed, their throats are cut
because they dont deny Jesus Christ, Francis stated.
Pope Francis comments were made during an early
morning Mass celebrated in memory of Fr. Jacques
Hamel at Casa Santa Marta. (Hannah Brockhaus/
CNA)

Papal ambassadors issue global appeal to step-up

peace efforts

After spending three days in Rome to celebrate the

Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis diplomatic representatives
throughout the world have called on government leaders
to make greater efforts in ending conflict and promoting
peace.According to a Sept. 19 communique from the
Vatican, the papal ambassadors called apostolic
nuncios issued a pressing appeal to the international
community and to those with governing responsibilities
to strive ever more effectively to stop violence.The
nuncios urged leaders to peacefully resolve the conflicts
in various parts of the world, and expressed their
solidarity with all innocent victims of the worlds many
violent conflicts. (Elise Harris/CNA)

Man rams car through police barrier into

St. Peters Square

A mentally ill man rammed his car through a police

checkpoint at St. Peters Square on Friday evening,
demanding to meet with Pope Francis. The 64-yearold Italian man was immediately stopped by police
officers. No one was injured in the incident, according
to the Italian publication Il Messaggero.The man
entered the area of the colonnade near the Paul VI Hall.
After breaking through the security barriers, he exited
his car and began ranting, saying, I want to see the
Pope.According to reports, the man was visibly agitated.
He is now being treated at a mental health center.The
Vatican has increased security in recent months, in
response to a wave of global terrorism. (CNA)

Pope, cardinals continue looking at process for

choosing bishops

Pope Francis and members of the international

Council of Cardinals advising him on church governance
once again discussed ways to improve the process of
identifying the best priests to become bishops.The
cardinals reflected broadly on the spiritual and pastoral
profile necessary for a bishop today, said Greg Burke,
director of the Vatican press office.Meeting with Pope
Francis Sept. 12-14, they also discussed the theme of
the Holy Sees diplomatic service and the formation
and tasks of apostolic nuncios with particular attention
to their great responsibility in the choice of candidates
for the episcopacy, Burke said in a statement. (Cindy
Wooden/CNS)

Pastors who become princes are far from Jesus

spirit, pope says
Clergy who use their position for personal gain rather
than to help those in need do not follow the spirit of Jesus
who took upon himself the sufferings of others, Pope
Francis said.Jesus often would rebuke such leaders and
warned his followers to do what they say but not what
they do, the pope said Sept. 14 at his weekly general
audience.Jesus was not a prince, the pope said. It is
awful for the church when pastors become princes, far
from the people, far from the poorest people. That is not
the spirit of Jesus. (Junno Arocho Esteves/CNS)

Romes exorcist, Fr. Gabriel Amorth, dies at age 91

Father Gabriel Amorth, the exorcist of the Diocese of

Rome who drew worldwide attention, died on Friday
at the age of 91.Leaders of the Society of St. Paul
remembered him with great affection and gratitude,
SIR News reports. Fr. Amorth was born in Modena in
northern Italy on May 1, 1925. He entered the mother
house of the Congregation of the Society of St. Paul
in Alba in August 1947, five years after meeting its
founder, Blessed James Alberione. He was ordained a
priest on Jan. 24, 1951.In 1985, Cardinal Ugo Poletti,
the Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, appointed
him exorcist of the diocese. He performed an estimated
70,000 exorcisms, often repeating the rite on the same
persons. Fr. Amorth drew much publicity for his books
explaining his work and his public statements on the
demonic. (CNA)

September 19 - October 2, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 25

CBCP Monitor

Cardinal Schnborn warns of

Islamic conquest of Europe
VIENNA, Austria, Sep
14, 2016Cardinal
ChristophSchnborn has
warned that Europe risks
forfeiting its Christian
inheritance and that an
Islamic conquest could be
in its future.
Speaking in the Cathedral
of Vienna on Sunday, Sept.
11, the Archbishop of Vienna
referenced the feast day that
commemorates the decisive
victory of a Christian coalition
over the Ottoman Empire in
the Battle of Vienna in 1683.
On this day, 333 years
ago, Vienna was saved, he
said. Will there now be a
third attempt at an Islamic
conquest of Europe? Many
Muslims think so and long
for it and say: This Europe is
at an end.
And I think that we should
ask for Europe what Moses
does in the reading of today
and what God the Merciful
does for the younger son:
Lord, give us another chance!
Do not forget that we are
your people just like Moses
reminds Him: They are your
people, You led them out, You
sanctified them, they are your

Cardinal Schnborn. MAZUR VIA CATHOLICNEWS.ORG.UK.

people.
On Sept. 11, 1683, Polish
King John Sobieski III and
Supreme Commander of the
Christian Coalition Army, led
18,000 horsemen, with the
famous winged hussars,
against the enemy Turkish
lines. In a battle that included
what is considered the largest
cavalry charge in history,
Sobieski thoroughly defeated
them. The victory of allied
Polish, Austrian, Bavarian,
Saxon, Venetian and other
troops marked the historic

end of the expansion of

the Ottoman Empire into
Europe.
Before going to war, the
Polish king, a devout Catholic,
had entrusted his kingdom to
the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady
of Czestochowa. Drawing
on this legacy, in 1684 Pope
Innocent XI introduced Feast
of the Most Holy Name of
the Blessed Virgin Mary for
the date of Sept. 12. The
feast was briefly struck from
the calendar by liturgical
reformer Monsignor

AnnibaleBugnini during
Vatican II, but restored by
Saint John Paul II in 2002.
Cardinal Schnborn, a
confidante of Pope Francis,
warned the congregation in
the Cathedral of Vienna on
Sunday, that Europe had
squandered and wasted its
Christian inheritance, just
like the younger brother in
the parable told by Christ.
What will become of
Europe? asked the cardinal.
He closed his homily with
a prayer:
Lord, remember, it
is your people. And if we
have strayed and if we have
squandered the inheritance,
Lord, do not abandon us! Do
not abandon this Europe,
which has produced so many
saints. Do not abandon us,
because we have become
lukewarm in our faith.
Have mercy on your
inheritance, have mercy on
your people, with Europe,
which is about to forfeit your
Christian inheritance! Have
mercy on us and raise us up
again, for the glory of your
name and as a blessing to the
world! Amen. (CNA)

New Catholic university launches Sacred Art masters

DENVER, Colo., Sep. 16, 2016A new
Catholic university has announced the
launch of their Masters of Sacred Art
degree program, which is available
online.
The program will include the study
of theology, philosophy, architecture,
film, music and art, and is available
through Pontifex University, a Catholic
University established in 2015 by the
Solidarity Association of the Christian
Faithful.
The goal of Pontifex is to guide
students along the path, the Way of
Beauty, which leads to the supernatural
transformation in Christ, so equipping
one to serve Him, David Clayton, provost
of Pontifex, said in an announcement.
The Masters of Sacred Art (MSA)
offers the same formation that enabled
the great Catholic artists of the past to
create works of radiant beauty that are
at once noble, elevating and accessible to
the many, drawing all to God, he said.
The two-year program is an online
course, with occasional regional

workshops in the United States, Italy

or the Holy Land, and includes special
access to the Vatican museum and the
restoration workshops as well as an
optional graduation Mass in the Vatican.
Residential programs are available in
the U.S., Italy and the Holy Land.
The program seeks to provide training
and formation for artists, priests, religious,
laity or anyone looking to create beauty as
a sign of hope in todays world.
The idea for the program has been
forming for about 20 years, ever since
Clayton, at the time a recent convert to
Catholicism, decided to become an artist
but could not find any training programs
in which to pursue sacred art.
The result of his years of research on
the subject culminated in both a book,
Way of Beauty, published in 2015 by
Angelico Press, and the MSA program
with Pontifex, he said.
I am thrilled now to see this being offered
to the next generation Clayton said.
The p rog ram includ e s classe s
on Scripture, architectural design,

Gregorian chant and many other

subjects, taught by expert faculty
including highly respected Catholic
artists, although Pontifex also holds
that the ultimate Educator is God
Himself.
According to the announcement,
Pontifex prepares students to pass
the test laid down for artists by Pope
Benedict XVI in his book A New Song
for the Lord, in which he wrote: It
is precisely the test of true creativity
that the artist steps out of the esoteric
circle and knows how to form his or her
intuition in such a way that the others
the manymay perceive what the artist
has perceived.
Pontifex Universitys MSA is the
new catalyst that shows how to bring
these elements together in harmony
with ones personal vocation, whatever
it may be, for the glory of God and joy
of mankind.
More information about the program
and registration can be found at www.
pontifex.university. (CNA)

Use moral authority to push for change in Vietnam, advocates tell the US
WASHINGTON D.C., Sep
15, 2016 If the U.S. uses its
moral authority to pressure
Vietnam on human rights
issues, the southeast Asian
country will change for the
better, religious freedom
advocates maintained at a
conference on Monday.
Vietnam wants to be part
of the world, and Im sure
it does. It needs to not treat
religious liberty as the poor
sister of the human rights
family, or worse, as the
eccentric uncle of the human
rights family, Kristina
Arriaga, a commissioner
on the U.S. Commission
on International Religious
Freedom, stated at a Sept. 12
event hosted by the Hudson
Institute on religious freedom
in Vietnam.
Without religious
freedom, no other right
exists, she added.
The freedom of citizens
to practice their religion in
Vietnam varies, the U.S.
Commission on International
Religious Freedom noted in its
2016 annual report, because
while the government has
made dramatic openings with
respect to religious freedom,
officials at both the national
and local levels can also treat
certain religious leaders and
communities with hostility,
as supposedly threatening
to the state.
Grave violations of human
rights are still committed,
such as the government
requiring religious groups
to register with the state,
imprisoning human rights
activists, and cracking down

on protests, as when this

past spring 4,000 Catholics
were reportedly beaten for
protesting a toxic waste dump
that caused an environmental
disaster.
Unregistered religious
groups are at greater risk of
harassment and persecution
by government officials, the
commission added.
However, the state can
also wield its authority by
trying to control registered
groups. As USCIRF chair Fr.
Thomas Reese and Harvard
Professor Mary Ann Glendon
noted after their 2015 trip to
Vietnam, the government
kept the clergy on a short
leash and continues to play
a direct role in approving
candidates for bishops
selected by the Vatican.
Government officials
become nervous when a local
pastor has more credibility
and authority in his village
than the local party and
government officials, they
added.
Elliot Abrams, a former
commissioner with USCIRF
and current fellow with the
Council on Foreign Relations,
explained at the Hudson
Institute event: That is
because the local pastor
has moral authority and
legitimacy, while the party
and government officials do
not. That is just what the
regime fears.
However, the U.S. has
moral authority because
religious freedom is enshrined
in the First Amendment of
its Constitution. Thus, it
must use this authority to

pressure Vietnam to improve

its human rights record, both
Abrams and Arriaga insisted.
They described President
Obamas recent trip to
Vietnam as a missed
opportunity. Obama
completely lifted the arms
embargo against the country,
but advocates insisted that
sufficient human rights
concessions were not made
in return.
The question is whether the
United States will use a closer
relationshipthat Vietnamese
leaders wantto promote
religious freedom, or will we
forget about it and pursue
what is meant to be a policy
of realpolitik, Abrams asked.
Whose independence and
strength are we enhancing?
he asked about the lifting of
the embargo, implying that
the U.S. was strengthening
the regime, but not the
Vietnamese people.
The U.S. has an obligation
to highlight abuses when its
dignitaries travel to countries
where repression occurs,
Arriaga insisted.
The U.S. government
needs to name those
names when they are
in the country, she said,
calling it inexcusable for a
government official not to do
so when traveling to a country
like China or Cuba, where the
government represses the
freedom of religion.
Although the state in 2015
released certain political
prisoners including Catholic
bloggers and activists, there
are still reportedly between
100 and 150 prisoners of

conscience there, USCIRF

noted in its report.
The U.S. must also redesignate Vietnam as a
country of particular
concern, Arriaga insisted.
That State Department
designation is for countries
where the worst violations of
religious freedom are taking
place, either with government
consent or without sufficient
prevention by the state.
Vietnam was put on the
CPC list in 2004, the last
time that Vietnam made real
improvements she said.
However, the country was
taken off the list in 2006.
In fact, we know American
pressure can work to relax
the degree of repression,
to reduce the amount of
thuggish behavior, Arriaga
said, but only if the United
States government applies
that pressure and makes it
clear that improved relations
depend on this.
Another area of concern for
Vietnam is its draft law on
religion, expected to go into
effect later this year.
In June, the Ambassador
at-Large for International
Religious Freedom David
Saperstein testified before
Congress that the current
version of the law will
continue to require religious
groups to undergo an onerous
and arbitrary registration
and recognition process to
operate legally, although
authorities had shown a
willingness to receive
domestic and international
feedback on the draft law.
(UCAN)

CBCP Monitor

NEWS A3

September 19 - October 2, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 25

Legacy of 1986 peace gathering lingers in Assisi

ASSISI, ItalyReligious
leaders celebrating the 30th
anniversary of St. John Paul
IIs Assisi interfaith peace
gathering in 1986 called
on people from around the
world to continue its legacy to
combat todays indifference
and violence.
The event Sept. 18-20 was
sponsored by the Rome-based
Community of SantEgidio,
the Diocese of Assisi and the
Franciscan friars to reflect
on the theme, Thirst for
Peace: Faiths and Cultures in
Dialogue.
At the opening assembly,
attended by Italian
President Sergio Mattarella,
Orthodox Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew of
Constantinople said, peace
starts from within and
radiates outward, from local
to global.
Thus, peace requires an
interior conversion, a change
in policies and behaviors,
he said.
Humanitys relationship
with creation has a direct
impact on the way in which
it acts toward other people,
said the patriarch, known
for his decades of work on

the connection between

Christian spirituality and
ecology.
Any ecological activity
will be judged by the
consequences it has for the
lives of the poor, he said.
The pollution problem is
linked to that of poverty.
Recalling his visit to the
Greek island of Lesbos with
Pope Francis, the patriarch
said they saw examples of
how the world has treated
migrants with exclusion and
violence.
Echoing Patriarch
Bartholomews sentiments,
Andrea Riccardi, founder
of the Community of
SantEgidio, said the spirit
of the 1986 Assisi meeting is
still alive, despite a complex
and fragmented time with its
challenges, particularly with
new fears arising due to war
and migration.
The simple and profound
gesture of religious leaders
standing together for peace,
he said, gave witness to their
respective faithful that it was
possible to live together.
Dialogue is the intelligence
to live together: either we live
together or together we will

Pope Francis lights a candle during an interfaith peace gathering outside the Basilica
of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, Sept. 20. The pope and other religious leaders were
attending a peace gathering marking the 30th anniversary of the first peace encounter.
PAUL HARING/CNS

die, he said.
The meeting featured
dozens of interreligious panel
discussions on topics ranging
from the environment and
migration to dialogue and
the media.
Discussing the 30th
anniversary of the 1986 peace
gathering and its relevance
today, Bishop Miguel Angel
Ayuso Guixot, secretary of
the Pontifical Council for
Interreligious Dialogue,

said, The spirit of Assisi

is not a vague feeling, a
sentimentalism or nostalgic
memory, but an example
that peace is not possible
without prayer.
Prayer is one of the means
for implementing Gods
design among people, he
said. It is apparent that the
world cannot give peace; it
is a gift from God that we
must ask from him through
prayers.

The religious leaders who

were gathering to pray for
peace, he added, are here to
show that religion is not the
problem but is part of the
solution to bring peace and
harmony in our societies.
I hope that the spirit of
Assisi may be deeply rooted
in our hearts so that it can
keep enlightening this
world that is marked by
the darkness of hatred and
violence, he said.
Mohammad Sammak,
secretary general of Lebanons
Christian-Muslim Committee
for Dialogue, stressed the
need to promote the message
of the spirit of Assisi to all
nations in order for peace to
prevail, particularly between
Christians and Muslims.
While differences exist
between the two faiths, he
said, it does not mean that
we have to be the enemy of
one another.
On the contrary, the
differences between
religions can complement
and complete each other.
And this process of common
belief and common respect
is manifested in the spirit of
Assisi, Sammak said.

Argentine Rabbi Abraham

Skorka, a longtime friend of
Pope Francis, also addressed
the panel and lamented that
violence, hate and uncertainty
has become more and more
one of the characteristics of
human reality.
He also denounced
the exacerbated egoism
prevalent in politics today and
racist overtones by individuals
who are holding leadership
positions in well-established
democratic countries.
Uncertainty about the
future to come and no clear
ethical rules respected by
peoples and nations build
the best scenario for the rise
of demagogic and corrupted
leaders, Skorka said.
However, despite
humanitys worsening
condition, he said, the voice
calling for justice, peace and
love that emerged in1986
has not been silenced.
The spiritual fire lit then
gathers us today, he said.
The hope of peace, which is
the core of Jewish, Christian
and Islamic faiths, continues
palpitating in the hearts of
many, he said. (Junno
Arocho Esteves/CNS)

PWDs are Gods instruments, special gifts prelate Pope highlights sanctity of
MUNTINLUPA CitySpecial persons
are Gods instruments to draw
out peoples compassion, Manila
Archbishop Emeritus Gaudencio
Cardinal Rosales told participants of
the 4th Pilgrimage for Persons with
Intellectual Disability with Jesus and
Mary on Sept. 10.
They are special gifts from God,
receivers of compassion and mercy, he
said. God is inside them to awaken the
concern in people.
Speaking at the Cardinal Sin Hall,
St. James the Greater Parish in Ayala
Alabang, Muntinlupa, Rosales said
God wants to elicit love through these
special people.
Persons with intellectual disability
are not a curse to their family, he noted.

God has something to tell us through

them.
Their families are chosen by God to
bear the sacrifice of raising and taking
care of them, and should not blame Him,
explained the prelate.
Persons with disabilities should not
locked up and hidden by their family in
their homes, stressed the cardinal. They
should not be considered a disgrace to
their family.
Attended by participants from
communities and organizations across
Metro Manila, this years pilgrimage
gathered persons with disability (PWDs)
for prayer and artwork workshops like
painting, coloring, and folding/cutting
and pasting.
Other activities that enlivened the

annual gathering included miming of

the Gospel, singing liturgical songs and
jubilee songs.
Organized by Let the Special Children
Come to me Community, together with
the other groups that care for persons
with disability such as the Larche, Faith
and Light, and the Guanellian Servants
of Charity which has been inspired by
the life, spirit and charism of St. Louis
Guanella, and other institutions, the
event had Manila Archbishop Emeritus
Guadencio Cardinal Rosales as guest
of honor.
This annual gathering was held for
the first time at St. Francis De Sales
Theological Seminary in Lipa, Batangas
on Sept. 14, 2013. (Oliver Samson/
CBCPNews)

Why Japan wont release the names of its knife attack victims
TOKYO, JapanIn late July,
the worst mass killing in
Japan since World War II left
19 people dead and 26 people
wounded.
The suspected killer,
26-year-old Satoshi Uematsu,
carried out his attack against
people with disabilities at a
care center, where Uematsu
had worked for four years.
According to a Japanese news
source, Uematsu had warned
Parliament in February that
he was planning such an
attack, to get rid of disabled
people for the sake of Japan.
In a way, the reaction to
his attack showed that the
country, and much of the
world, would already like to
pretend that the disabled do
not exist.
Weeks after the incident,
police in the Kanagawa
Prefecture, where the attack
took place, have not released
the names of the victims,
citing family members
requests for privacy.
Such nondisclosure is
unusual, Motoko Rich wrote
in an article for the New York
Times.
In other rare instances of
mass killings in Japan, like

the stabbings of five elderly

victims on Awaji Island,
south of Kobe, last year,
or a knifing attack in 2008
that left seven dead in the
Akihabara neighborhood of
Tokyo, the police identified
the victims within days, she
wrote.
Advocates for disabled
people say withholding the
names is consistent with a
culture that considers them
lesser beings. Keeping the
victims hidden, even after
their deaths, these advocates
say, tacitly endorses the
views of those including
the assailant who say
disabled people should be
kept separate from the rest
of society, she added.
But the problem goes
beyond Japan, said Lydia
Brown, an author, speaker
and advocate for the disabled,
who also has autism.
The...victims have been
mostly ignored or quickly
shuffled through the news
cycle in all world media, both
within and outside Japan,
Brown told CNA in e-mail
comments.
Ableism (discrimination
in favor of the able-bodied)

and related shame, stigma,

and dehumanization of
disabled people is widespread
in East Asian cultures, but
is also equally prevalent in
Western and other societies
as well.
An example of this
discrimination is the way
Western media treats the
stories of disabled people who
are murdered by their family
or caretakers, Brown said.
...our own media
narratives typically paint such
incidents as understandable
due to the stress or burden
of supporting a disabled
person, Brown said.
Additionally, popular and
news media too frequently
glorify our suicides as brave
and courageous, vilify us as
deranged serial killers and
threats to public safety, and
justify violence committed
against us as understandable.
That needs to change.
Recently, disability rights
groups and advocates have
been particularly outspoken
about the dangers of
legislation that would legalize
assisted suicide, warning
that such laws would further
marginalize the disabled and

terminally ill. They warn

that there are not enough
safeguards to protect already
vulnerable populations from
murder at the hands of family
members or caregivers.
Brown said that people
with disabilities throughout
the world have also been
fighting for years against
discrimination and violence,
which comes in the form of
assuming disabled people
cannot make decisions for
themselves, as well as in the
overuse of institutions to keep
disabled people contained.
Part of that violence
is the widespread use
of institutionsfrom
psychiatric wards to
segregated special education
schools to developmental
disability institutions to
nursing homesto contain
and isolate disabled
people from the rest of
society, creating a perfect
environment for abuse
and violence to proliferate
unchecked, Brown said.
We must fight for
liberation of all our people
from all institutions and
prisons. (Mary Rezac/
CNA/EWTN News)

life in Year of Mercy visits

Pope Francis holds a baby as he visits the neonatal unit at San Giovanni Hospital in
Rome Sept. 16. The visit was part of the popes series of Friday works of mercy during
the Holy Year. LOSERVATORE ROMANO

VATICANPope Francis
donned a green hospital gown
over his white cassock and
entered the neonatal unit of a
Rome hospital, peering in the
incubators, making the sign
of the cross and encouraging
worried parents.
The trip to the babies ward of
Romes San Giovanni Hospital
and then to a hospice Sept. 16
were part of a series of Mercy
Friday activities Pope Francis
has been doing once a month
during the Year of Mercy.
By visiting the ailing
newborns and the dying on
the same day, the Vatican said,
Pope Francis wanted to give a
strong sign of the importance
of life from its first moment to
its natural end.
Welcoming life and
guaranteeing its dignity at every
moment of its development
is a teaching Pope Francis
has underlined many times,
the statement said. With the
September visits he wanted to
put a concrete and tangible
seal on his teaching that living
a life of mercy means giving
special attention to those in
the most precarious situations.
During the Mercy Friday
visits, Pope Francis has spent
time with migrants, the aged,
at a recovery community for

former drug addicts and at

a shelter for women rescued
from human trafficking and
prostitution.
Pope Francis stopped by
the emergency room of San
Giovanni Hospital before going
to the neonatal unit, where
12 little patients were being
treated. Five of the newborns,
including a pair of twins, were
in intensive care and were
intubated, the Vatican said. The
pope also went to the maternity
ward and nursery upstairs,
greeting new parents and
holding their bundles of joy.
At the neonatal unit, the
Vatican said, the pope was
welcomed by the surprised
personnel and, like everyone
else, put on a gown and followed
all the hygiene procedures.
Leaving the hospital, he
drove across town to the Villa
Speranza hospice, which hosts
30 terminally ill patients. The
hospice is connected to Romes
Gemelli Hospital.
Pope Francis went into
each of the rooms and greeted
each patient, the Vatican said.
There was great surprise on
the part of all -- patients and
relatives -- who experienced
moments of intense emotion
with tears and smiles of joy.
(Cindy Wooden/CNS)

We need to do more for refugees, Catholic advocates say

WASHINGTON D.C. Catholic
advocates are praising the U.S.
for hosting an international
refugee summit, but insist the
administration can do more to
address an unprecedented global
refugee crisis.
We are very pleased at the
historical role that the United
States government has played in
welcoming more refugees than any
other country, Jill Marie Gerschutz
Bell, the senior legislative specialist
for Catholic Relief Services, told
CNA in an interview.
Were pleased that the president
has called a summit of other host
countries. But we want to see the
president do more, particularly for

the unaccompanied children and

young people coming to the United
States, she added.
If were going to ask other
governments to abide by our moral
and legal obligations, we need to
make sure that we are too.
Officials from Catholic Relief
Services will be attending the
Leaders Summit on Refugees
hosted by President Obama Sept.
20 in New York City, just after a
United Nations refugee summit.
Leaders from around the world
are expected to meet and pledge to
provide for the needs of refugees
around the world.
There are too few countries
around the world that are bearing

a significant burden in the form of

hundreds of thousands and, in some
cases, even millions of individuals
who fled their home country to try to
avoid violence, White House press
secretary Josh Earnest explained in
a Thursday press briefing.
And theres more that the
international community and that
the world must do to help those
countries bear that burden.
Over 65 million people are
estimated by the UN to be displaced
right now, the highest number ever
recorded. Half of all refugees are
children, with sectarian conflicts
and government persecution as
some of the leading causes of mass
migration.

Thus, Catholic Relief Services,

which provides aid to refugees
around the world, will be
at the summit pushing for the
international community to do
more for refugees.
As part of a broader group of
humanitarian aid organizations,
CRS has jointly pledged with them
to invest $1.2 billion into refugee
assistance. Its private money,
Bell told CNA, from Catholics in
the pews, largely. Its because
they believe that we are called to
welcome the stranger, just as Pope
Francis repeatedly reminds us.
The Church has taken very
seriously this call to welcome the
stranger and to provide assistance,

Bell said. The Syrian refugee crisis

is the worst in terms of scale, but
CRS has been helping the more
forgotten refugees like from subSaharan Africa and Afghan refugees
living in Pakistan.
Catholic Relief Services would
like to see some changes in the
architecture of refugee assistance
since the world is largely operating
on a structure from just after World
War II, Bell said.
The humanitarian architecture
has not kept pace with this increase
in individuals, she said, adding that
more refugees live in cities than
in camps today, and they are living
there longer than they ever have
before. (Matt Hadro/CNA)

A4 OPINION

September 19 - October 2, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 25

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

THESE are times that the Filipino spirit characterized with

joy and laughter, with fun and hope is put to test. The spirit
of Christmas reigns almost half the year. Fiestas of all kinds
for one reason or another are celebrated all over the land.
Occasions are invented to enjoy life, to celebrate, eat and
laugh. While all such positive social events and joyful features
then accompanied the Filipinos year after year after year,
there are now more and more sad and saddening realities
that come to fore, that try mens soul, that dampen if not
seriously challenge the Filipino psyche.
Would that media not be silenced in the face of disturbing
realities that are becoming neutralized in their negative
significance and disturbing impact and eventually considered
as but normal in the Philippine landscape.
Extra-judicial killings, summary executions, downright
murders 24/7 are fast becoming routinary. Dead men,
women and children found here and there. Guns of all makes
and sizes are used to terminate human lives as a matter
of existence as but a customary agenda. Corpses found in
houses, in the streets, in the fields, under the ground. Cadavers
crowding the morgues with no claimers, no takers. Human
life as the greatest gift to man done away without remorse
day in and day out. The time of counting the population has
been overtaken by the counting of the dead.
Small prisons housing extra-big number of prisoners. People
still presumed innocent yet are already punished to the hilt.
Not only is there no place to sleep but there is also practically
none to comfortably sit down, or reasonably stand on--much
less any space to get enough sleep. Imprisoned young or old
yet remain incarcerated while still not proven guilty. Sickness
of all kinds with different gravity and pain they have as a matter
of course. The prisoners are dirty and wear dirty clothes.
It was bad enough in the not too distant past but it may be
worse in these times. Few are the courts but fewer still are the
judges. Quasi-innumerable are the cases waiting resolution.
The court files are not only enormous in volume but are also
gathering good amounts of dust. There are lawyers who are
masters in the matter of the postponement of hearings for this
and that reason. Meanwhile, the hands of the judges are tied
by normative procedural law. And so it is that justice denied
is not simply justice denied but simply injustice per se.

Morality and the rationalizations

IN the heat and passion of our political exchanges, as in the
many other fields like in sports, entertainment, social issues,
etc., we should try our best to be sober enough to keep a firm
grip on what would constitute as moral and immoral views
and to resist the strong temptation to fall into all kinds of
rationalizations to justify certain positions that we hold, either
individually or as a group.
Nowadays, especially in the political field, a lot of
rationalizations are made. Many people are of the view that
because of a certain problem that is widely considered as raging
and harmful to a large sector of the populace, certain drastic
measures can be made.
In theory, of course, these measures can and even ought to
be done. Serious problems that affect the lives of many have to
be met with forceful, vigorous and hopefully effective solutions.
But for all this theoretical practicality of this radical and even
extreme approach to such problems, morality should never
be sacrificed. We dont do evil so that a certain good may be
achieved.
That the end never justifies the means is a classic moral principle
that will never go obsolete. Violating this principle can only trigger
a vicious cycle of hatred and revenge that would divide people into
unfair and inhuman categories and woud perpetuate the law of
Talion, a tit-for-tat kind of culture where mercy has no place in
the pursuit for justice. Violating this principle violates the very
nature and the law of our freedom itself.
Nowadays, many people, including our leaders, appear to
be unclear
about what is moral and what would make
a human act, personal or collective, immoral. In the case of
the extrajudicial killings, for example, many would justify
it because the intention is supposed to be good, or it has
lowered down the rate of criminality, or it is supposed to be an
expression of a strong and relevant political will, or that there
were more EJKs in the past, etc.
These are pure rationalizations. Forgotten is the objective
evaluation of the morality of the act itself. It seems that even
our leaders do not know anymore where the sources of morality
have to be taken. That one has to consider the object of the
act, the intention and the circumstances is not anymore done.
Things now seem to depend only on a certain idea of
political effectiveness based on some statistics, popularity
and acceptance of at least a simple majority of the people,
or profitability. It seems morality is now measured by these
criteria.
Aside from EJK, other immoral acts are now being justified.
Detraction is one, as shaming by exposing the hidden faults of
some public figures is made. The Catechism says that especially
in the media, the information must be communicated honestly
and properly with scrupulous respect for moral laws and the
legitimate rights and dignity of the person. (Compendium 525)
Vengeance is another. And all forms of insults and personal
derision are hurled. Fallacies are now the new logic. There are
now all sorts of misinformation and disinformation glutting
the media.
This is the new challenge we have.

Monitor
CBCP

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

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Disturbing times

Views and Points

Abp. Oscar V. Cruz

THE well-known and often-quoted

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders, 4th Ed., APA, has a
Section on Impulse Control Disorders,
one of which is specifically called
Pathological Gambling. This gambling
fixation is in effect equals unquenchable
avarice, which in practically all cases
eventually ends up in the obsessive
desire of more and more gambling
ventures. This ever-needing and
wanting more and more money is
what makes the gambler receptive of
practically all recourses from any source
through means precisely in order to
finance his obsessive gambling venture.
This is when pathological gambling goes
to the extent of salivating for more and
more money on account of eventually
more and more gambling losses. After
all is said and done, the gambler ends up
the loser and the gambling institutions
like Casinos rake in the moneyas
usual. One has still to know of classy
Casinos ending up the losers.
Persistent pre-occupation with
gambling, with everything else in life
thereto subordinated. Continuous need
to gamble with more money and more
excitement. Repeated unsuccessful
intentions or resolves to stop gambling.
Irritability or restlessness when

Gambling as an impulse
control disorder

attempting to do away with gambling.

Gambling as a way of escaping problems
and pacifying anxieties. Gambling to
win back the money previously lost but
instead eventually losing more money.
Customary lying to the family, to
employers and friends about ones
gambling addiction. Dependence on
othersany one, anyhow, anytimeto
have money for more gambling due to
more gambling losses. Commission of
illegal acts to effectively finance the vice
of gambling, to give in to the addiction
to gambling. Such is Pathological
Gambling.
Given the above more salient psychopathological disposition and consequent
behavioral pattern brought about by the
obsession to gamble, there is something
that should be well-thought of and duly
acted upon, now that there is a new
national governmentconsidering that
the avid self-admiring past administration
has bequeathed to the Country no less
than thirty-five (35) luxurious Casinos
all over the land in line with its infamous
and tiring hurrah of Matuwid na Daan.
There is the certaintynot simply
possibilitythat pathological gamblers
always need more and more money
precisely in order to finance their
unquenchable gambling addiction.

Du30 and De5

So it is that there is also the practical

imperative to check the following: The
big possibility that such inveterate
gamblers are thus involved as well in the
big drug menace in the Philippines that is
precisely the underlying cause of the now
obtaining lawlessness in the Country. In
other words, considering that the quest
for money is the prime motor of illegal
drugs and that pathological gambling
is synonymous with the quest for
moneywould the public authorities
concerned with illegal drug production
and sale like to check those immersed
in the pathological gambling if the latter
are connected with drug dealers such
that the former are in effect their drug
providers for distribution and sale?
Politicians and gangsters, professionals
and hoodlums, businessmen and cheats
there are known pairings of such
individuals for mutual benefits. Why
not pathological gamblers and illegal
drug promoters whereby the former sell
what the latter have to offer? There are
illegal drug connections among public
officials and police officers. There are
illegal drug searches in practically any
neighborhood. Why not try looking
for verifiable illegal drug connections
among inveterate gamblers and illegal
drug providers?

And Thats The Truth

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

WHETHER I enjoy it or not,

a vital part of my work as
a communicator is to keep
abreast of the news. But
each time I turn on the TV
for the days first dose of the
headliners, I hear myself
mumbling, Here we go
againwill this ever end?
Sometimes, theres too
much happening in one day
that at bedtime I tend to
suffer from news indigestion.
At times Im also guilty of
talking back to an inanimate
objectthe tv screen.
Take yesterday, Sept. 20,
2016. There was a House
probe with felons testifying

about drug trade in the

New Bilibid Prison. In the
beginning, they said the
hearing is not about de
Lima, but as it turned out, the
star witnesses practically
dis-robed and stoned her with
their shocking allegations
demanding drug payola by
the millions of pesos, etc. It
didnt seem like a hearing
in aid of legislation for it
nearly sentenced de Lima
to a lifetime of clearing her
name. And for goodness
sake, did they have to go to
the extent of publicizing the
senators cell phone number? Im not in love with de

Candidly Speaking
Fr. Roy Cimagala
POLITICS, of course, is indispensable in
our life. Its an integral part of our social
nature. It aims to build, develop and
keep us as a nation, as a people who, in
spite of our differences, share the same
identity and the same goals.
It is meant to work for our common
good that covers endless aspects and
levelslocal, national, international,
economic, social, cultural, peace and
order, etc.
Though it is directly concerned with
our temporal common good, it should
be respectful of the freedom of religion
and consciences, and should do all to
foster rather than hinder such freedom
that works directly toward our eternal
common good.

Lima but I think that was

absolutely foul, tantamount
to barging into her bedroom
without a warrant of arrest.
And why the suggestion
to call the number to see
wholl answer? If I were the
senator, seeing that Im being
barbecued in the House, why
would I take the call? What
a silly sugges-tion.
It was not the most orderly
of Congress hearings. Lacked
planning, it seemed. For
instance, there was no
holding room for the other
witnesses while one was on
the floor. There were not
even chairs for them so they

stood surrounded by their

security guards (who in full
combat gear and black masks
bore a striking resem-blance
to Ninja Turtles).
The telecast of the probe
was interrupted by the live
coverage of an apparent airport crisisa Saudi Arabian
Airlines plane bearing 400
passengers being isolated
at the NAIA for undisclosed
reasons. Terrorists? Hijack? Sharing the tv screen
was a press conference in
Malacanang conducted by
Communications Secretary
Martin Andanar where the
And Thats The Truth / A6

Politics, detraction,
discretion

To be effective, it should be governed

by a clearly defined rule of law that in
turn should be based on Gods eternal
law and the objective natural law, both
of which give us the universal moral law.
Politics should be governed by
competent and honest officials. It should
inspire everyone to participate in the
countrys political life in the capacities
and possibilities that everyone has. The
leaders should inspire the followers to
cooperate in the common endeavor of
working for the common good.
To be avoided is, among many
other things, excessive politicking and
partisanship that often are due to pride,
vanity, greed and self-interest. This
excessive politicking and partisanship

would compromise the common good

and would be highly divisive, plunging
the people into bitter acrimony among
themselves.
This is where politicians and the rest
of the people should know what to do to
be responsible. We all have to know how
to dialogue, consult and discuss issues
in a constructive way with the view of
achieving our common good.
We have to be respectful of one another
in spite of our differences and even of our
mistakes and failures. We should always
be helpful of one another, constructive
in our ways, etc. We have to understand
that leadership and effectiveness in
politics is mainly a matter of service,
Candidly Speaking / A7

CBCP Monitor

OPINION A5

September 19 - October 2, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 25

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

SUDDENLY, a heavy darkness is upon

us.
The sad thing about it is that, while
some see how dark it is where we are
now, others prefer to see the situation
as a prelude to daylight. In fact, most
see the darkness as a necessary means
to reach the light. I mean the king and
his loyal subjects. They see the darkness
of drug-related deaths and EJKs (extrajudicial killings) as the most effective
way to arrive at the day of freedom
from the drug menace and criminality.
To those who say that life is sacred,
they retort saying that it depends on
whose life we are talking about: that
of drug lords, addicts and pushers is
expendable unless they dont resist
arrest or capture. Anyone or any group
that has a contrary opinion must reap
the venom of the kings or his loyal
subjects ire. And there are diverse ways
their lethal sting could be inflicted:
physical, political, economic, social
media-driven demolition operations.
Apart from all that, you could also be
called a yellow agent even when your
favorite color is so much like theirs.
Suddenly, the principle to the effect
that the end does not justify the means
is now thrown out the window; in comes
the operating principle that the end
justifies any means, even extra-legal
and extra-moral. The democratic
pillar principle of the presumption of
an accused persons innocence until he/
she is proven guilty has now effectively
given way to the presumption of guilt on
the part of the accused till he/she proves
himself/herself innocent.
And yet the king has lately realized his
miscalculation. Even if I wanted to, I
cannot kill them all, he admitted as he
recently asked the nation for another six
months to fulfill his promise of a drug-

A prophet of the Most High

(Lk 1:76): The Church
yesterday, today and tomorrow

free and a crime-free Philippines. When

will all of this end, we ask. No one knows
the answer really.
Add to this shadow the sense of the
Church in the Philippines, many of
whose members have been instrumental
to the kings victorious enthronement,
is being torn between belonging to the
camp of his most loyal subjects and
to the camp of most vocal critics. The
tragedy we could find ourselves falling
into lies in our eventual giving Jesus
Christ the back seat instead of the front.
There are already many indicators
pointing to this fact. Virtually all of the
kings loyal subjects also become his
he-can-do-no-wrong defenders; most
of his critics become nay-he-has-put-usto-shame-sayers. Virtually no one points
to or remind us of Jesus Christ and that
all his teachings are our prior principles
of living. None except our shepherds,
individually and collectively as CBCP.
And their voice is being met with a
thunderous silence all over our islands.
We have been used to calling ourselves
the Community of Christs Disciples,
courtesy of PCP II. The thing is, before
we can truly follow Jesus Christ as his
disciples, we must first of all, be John
the Baptist and constantly prepare the
way of the Lord. The reason is that there
are just so many rocks and stones in our
political, economic and social cultures
that hinder us from truly hearing and
following the voice of the Master. First,
there is the pre-Christian cry for the
blood of perceived enemies, criminal,
political or otherwise, and its twin
sister, another pre-Christian thirst for
vengeance. Second, there is the multilayered dogged drive to achieve political
or economic goals, assuring ones
survival and/or dominance, at whatever
cost. Third, there is the cynicism that

Can we not be united?

shrinks our desire to do what is right

because doing what is right did not solve
social problems in the past as opposed to
doing what works and what is expedient
today. This basically sums up the moral
stance of the king and his loyal followers.
Fourth, there is also the fear of the
consequences of making a moral stance
based on conscience. The king does not
relish real opposition, and his constant
challenge to debate his critics and lecture
them on their own not-so-savory secrets
intimidate many to silence, including
even more powerful people than he (in
the world stage, that is). In the hierarchy
it is everybodys knowledge that some
are the kings friends and followers;
others, his critics; still others, just bythe-sidelines watchers. Disagreements
among them could either create more
divisions or deeper examinations of
conscience.
This latter is what, I believe, we need.
The tension between being an Amos
whose loyalty is to the Lord and his
Word, on the one hand, and Amaziah,
a guild prophet whose loyalty is to the
king, on the other, must always end
in our realizing what constitutes our
authentic prophetic ministry. We must
allow Amos to prevail over Amaziah in
our midst. The fruit would be John the
Baptist once more living and speaking
through us as the voice crying out in
the wilderness, Make straight the way
of the Lord (Jn 1:23).
Hopefully, when we have said and done
our part, the words of Zechariahs canticle
become true to us and our nation:
In the tender compassion of our
God, the dawn from on high shall break
upon us, to shine on those who dwell in
darkness and the shadow of death, and
to guide our feet into the way of peace
(Lk 1:78-79).

Duc in Altum

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

IT was very disgusting to

see one senator put off the
microphone of another
senator while the latter was
cross-examining the witness
in the Senate hearing on
extrajudicial killing. The
culprit Senator actually
curtailed the constitutional
right to freedom of speech of a
fellow senator. Has character
and good breeding been
blown by the wind?
I share the observations
of a colleague in the law
profession, Prof. Jemy
Gatdula, and I quote: What
matters is your integrity,
consistency, reliability, in a
word: character Do you
want a better Philippines,
an independent country
that has values, standards,
and actually stands for
something? Because if you
do, then lets work together,
and talk and smooth our
differences over If you
must criticize, back it up
with a constructive suggested
solution. Otherwise, prudence
and good intelligence
dictates silence Politics and
governance require serious
people, of serious intent,

of serious character = all

working together and not
against each other This is
our country, our Philippines,
not mine or yours alone. Lets
remember that this country
has always been intended to
be a sum greater than our
individual parts. So lets work
together as a people, not
as individuals or provincemates, but as one people
for one, strong-principled
Philippines. Frankly, I am
tired of seeing my friends smart, hard working, kind
people, well intentioned, and
all wanting a better country
- fight against each other like
kids.
***
The Council of the Laity of
Kalookan initiated a concert
for a cause to finance the
Rehabilitation Program
of the Diocese for drug
dependents who surrendered
to the authorities. It is entitled
LaYKo si Pads, Level
Up (Habag at Awa) with
clergy and surprise guest
celebrities as performers. The
Concert is on November 18,
2016, Friday, at 7pm at the
PICC, Pasay City.

A fitting quote from St.

Augustine: What does
love look like? It has the
hands to help others. It
has the feet to hasten to
the poor and needy. It
has eyes to see misery
and want. It has the
ears to hear the sigh and
sorrows of men. That is
what love looks like.
***
We annually observe the
National Laity Week during
the Feast of San Lorenzo
Ruiz, who together with San
Pedro Calungsod are the
patron saints of the laity.
This year it is on September
24 to October 01, 2016;
the theme is Masayang
FAMILIA naglilingkod
sa Sambahayan, sa
Sambayanan! The
Launchings host is the
Archdiocese of LingayenDagupan on September
24 from 7am to 6pm. The
Closing Ceremonys host is
the Diocese of Dumaguete on
October 01.
To celebrate the National
Laity Week, the Council of the
Laity of Kalookan will sponsor
a Recollection on September

29, 2016, Thursday, at 5p.m.

at San Roque Cathedral, A.
Mabini St., Caloocan City.
The Recollection Speaker
is none other than His
Excellency, Most Rev. Pablo
Virgilio Ambo David, D.D.,
Bishop of the Diocese of
Kalookan. The 6pm Mass
will follow. All parishioners,
lay organizations, renewal
movements, students and
schools are invited to attend
the Recollection. It is open to
all; no registration fee.
***
Bishop Ambo David
personally handed to His
Holiness, Pope Francis, his
book entitled The Gospel
of Mercy According to Juan
and Juana at the General
Audience at St Peters Square
on September 7, 2016. Bishop
Ambo said the Popes eyes
lighted up with delight when
I gave him what I called our
humble contribution to the
Jubilee of Mercy, from the
Filipino perspective. But
when I told him I had it
translated into Spanish just
so he could really read and

Commentary
Michael Cook

A religion of listening
THE foundations of Western culture are often said
to be ancient Greece and ancient Israel. It builds
both on the wisdom of the Jewish people in the
Old Testament (and the Christian culture which
sprang from it) and the astonishing flowering of
Greek philosophy and art three centuries before
the birth of Christ. But there are great differences
between the two cultures.
A fascinating one was explained by the evercreative Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief
Rabbi of the British Commonwealth on his blog
about Jewish spirituality.
The Greeks, he argues, had a profoundly visual
culture. Its greatest achievements had to do with
the eye, with seeing Plato thought of knowledge
as a kind of depth vision, seeing beneath the surface
to the true form of things
But the most evocative words of Jewish culture
are Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Ead,
Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Sacks argues that Judaism is a religion of listening.
This is one of its most original contributions to
civilization.
The difference between seeing and hearing leads
to profound differences in the culture:
For the Greeks, the ideal form of knowledge
involved detachment. There is the one who sees,
the subject, and there is that which is seen, the
object, and they belong to two different realms.
A person who looks at a painting or a sculpture
or a play in a theatre or the Olympic games is
not himself part of the art or the drama or the
athletic competition. He or she is a spectator, not
a participant
Speaking and listening are not forms of
detachment. They are forms of engagement.
They create a relationship. The Hebrew word for
knowledge, daat, implies involvement, closeness,
intimacy. And Adam knew Eve his wife and
she conceived and gave birth (Gen. 4:1). That
is knowing in the Hebrew sense, not the Greek.
We can enter into a relationship with God, even
though He is infinite and we are finite, because
we are linked by words. In revelation, God speaks
to us. In prayer, we speak to God. If you want to
understand any relationship, between husband
and wife, or parent and child, or employer and
employee, pay close attention to how they speak
and listen to one another. Ignore everything else.
Perhaps, he notes, it was no coincidence
that Sigmund Freud, a lapsed Jew, invented
psychoanalysis, a listening cure for the inner
conflicts of his neurotic patients. In fact, says Sacks,
listening is the best form of conflict resolution:
Many things can create conflict, but what sustains
it is the feeling on the part of at least one of the
parties that they have not been heard. They have
not been listened to. We have not heard their
pain. There has been a failure of empathy. That is
why the use of forceor for that matter, boycotts
to resolve conflict is so profoundly self-defeating. It
may suppress it for a while, but it will return, often
more intense than before. Job, who has suffered
unjustly, is unmoved by the arguments of his
comforters. It is not that he insists on being right:
what he wants is to be heard. Not by accident does
justice presuppose the rule of audi alteram partem,
Hear the other side.
Listening lies at the very heart of relationship.
It means that we are open to the other, that we
respect him or her that their perceptions and
feelings matter to us. We give them permission
to be honest, even if this means making ourselves
vulnerable in so doing. A good parent listens to
their child. A good employer listens to his or her
workers. A good company listens to its customers
or clients. A good leader listens to those he or she
leads. Listening does not mean agreeing but it does
mean caring. Listening is the climate in which love
and respect grow.
While the frame for Rabbi Sackss argument,
naturally, is Judaism, it is a profound and thoughtprovoking message for anyone, even those of no
faith at all.
(Michael Cook is editor of MercatorNet)

Duc in Altum / A6

Do sorry

Whatever
Fr. Francis Ongkingco
A MOTHER came to me saying
that she was amused how her son
asked her if he could do sorry for
something wrong he had done.
I immediately corrected his
wrong grammar, Father, she
explained.
Oh, did you? And what did he
say? I asked.
But Father told me it! She
mimicked her sons high-pitched
voice.
And did you come to correct my
grammar too? The mother eyeballrolled at me.
No, Father. I came to thank
you for sharing with us the correct
spiritual grammar!
Spiritual grammar?
Grammatically its wrong, but
spiritually its the best advice.

Its simply my way of explaining

to the kids, so that it will be better
engraved in their constantly
distracted minds and hearts, that
its not enough to say sorry. It is
more important that they are ready
to do something about their faults
and sins.
That is exactly what I learned
from my son, Father.
And may I ask how he carried out
his do sorry?
My son literally made a list of
Things-To-Do, and added to this the
word sorry. She giggled.
And what sort of dos did he
write?
Very trivial ones, Father. But the
at the very end of the list, being an
avid fan of Nike products, he wrote:
Just do it! and added For God!

***
I never cease to be surprised at the
new lessons children can teach us.
They are only ready to do whatever
it takes to love Jesus more. What
about us adults?
Like this boy, we have to also learn
to do sorry. How often have we not
fully taken the road of conversion
because we were satisfied with
simply saying or worse, thinking
sorry. Undoubtedly, our guilt and
remorse for any wrong-doing is
already something: a beginning.
But every beginning must have a
concrete ending.
Unfortunately, we often do
not take our beginnings to their
ultimate ending. We often negotiate
our defects and faults by telling
ourselves that we will say sorry or

make it up to the person we have

hurt. Perhaps, we have had the
courage to say so. But were we
satisfied to remain there or have we
made the effort as todays youth
would eagerly saytaken it to the
next level? This is where doing sorry
happens!
Pope Francis, while giving a
retreat, shared one of the occasions
where he lacked of generosity
towards God and others. As he was
rushing out of church to catch his
train someone approached asking to
go to confession. Understandably,
he told the fellow to go inside and
wait for the next confessor. But
Pope Francis rectified, returned and
heard the persons confession.
The story could have ended here.
But afterwards the then auxiliary

bishop Bergolio, sought to do his

own confession. He felt that he
would not be ready to celebrate
Mass the next day if he didnt
remove from his conscience that
lack of refinement for not having
attended to that soul as Jesus
wanted him to. This is doing sorry!
May this example prompt us to
find many occasions during the day
to not only say sorry but to close the
spiritual circle of our conversion by
doing sorry. Sometimes, this doesnt
require anything extraordinary. It
may be as simple as immediately
reacting against our laziness, our
pride, and our negativities towards
others, etc.
Moreover, may we learn from
our little boy not only to simply
Whatever / A7

A6

September 19 - October 2, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 25

Batanes bishop appeals for aid

after devastating typhoon
BATANES is in immediate
need after typhoon Ferdie
(Meranti) devastated the
island on Wednesday, a
Catholic bishop said.
Batanes Bishop Camilo
Gregorio said no casualties
had been reported but the
storm destroyed many
houses, churches, schools
and government structures.
Please pray for us. We
are devastated. We are safe
but suffering, Gregorio said
in a message to the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the
Philippines on Sept. 16.

He said the storm, packing

peak winds of 250 kph, felled
trees and cut power and
communication lines, except
the cellphone signal in the
town of Uyugan.
The typhoon also
destroyed roofing of the
cathedral, washed out
rectory, damaged the St.
Dominic College, blew roofs
of Mahatao Church and
damaged Sabtang convent,
Gregorio added.
The entire province of
Batanes was put under the
state of calamity on Sept. 15

to allow local government

units access to quick response
funds.
The prelature is accepting
donations from the public to
help victims of the calamity.
Cash donations, he said,
may be deposited to the BPI
(JP Rizal branch) account
of the Prelature of Batanes:
3751-0415-69.
He said the public may also
contact the nearest Caritas
offices or diocesan social
action centers.
An initial assessment by
the National Disaster Risk

Reduction and Management

Council showed that the
typhoon damaged around
1,224 houses in the towns of
Basco, Itbayat, Uyugan and
Ivana.
As of press time, efforts to
aid the storm-hit province
continue as damage caused
by the typhoon has reached
P365 million.
The NDRMMC also said
that the most pressing
needs in Batanes are food,
drinking water, generator,
construction materials and
rope. (CBCPNews)

Give drug pushers livelihood training priest

DRUG peddlers who show a desire for
self-reform should not be killed but
rehabilitated, put under employable
skills training, and given jobs to help
them live decent lives, said a priest on
Wednesday.
Many are wishing to change
their lives, said Fr. Dari Dioquino,
Immaculate Conception Parish
Marikina assistant priest.
Unfortunately, small time drug
pushers who are willing to leave their
lives of vice are being eliminated by
individuals who fear they would turn
into witnesses against them, he noted.
Same treatment for rich and poor
The priest expressed grief over drugrelated killings that have been taking

place in the country for the past few

months.
He prayed that the family, church, and
government would cooperate and push
for the rehabilitation of drug pushers as
well as users.
Jose Mario De Vega, an outspoken
Marxist atheist, expressed his approval of
the governments campaign against drugs.
However, he decried the cases of
alleged summary executions across the
country.
The enforcement of the laws should
be fair, stressed De Vega. It should
apply regardless whether the person is
rich or poor.
If the cops are making raids in
depressed communities in the states
war on drugs, they should also break

into villages of the well-to-do, he noted.

Anti-poor
Meanwhile, a retired farmer criticized
the governments anti-poor war on
drugs.
Mang Rudy, who is in his sixties,
said the anti-drug campaign is losing
popularity among people who believe
small time pushers are simply forced
to peddle drugs due to poverty and
unemployment and who are now being
butchered by druglords to eliminate
witnesses against them.
The lives of thousands of poor
individuals linked to drugs were taken
but not even a handful of drug lords
were executed, he complained. (Oliver
Samson/CBCPNews)

Bishop to Duterte: Save Mary Jane

A CATHOLIC bishop
appealed to the Duterte
administration to save Mary
Jane Veloso, a Filipina
domestic worker who has
been sentenced to death
by Indonesian courts, from
execution.
Bishop Ruperto Santos
of the CBCPs Commission
on Migrants and Itinerant
People said the government
must exert all efforts to save
Veloso from death penalty.
It is our hope in the
migrants ministry that our
government continue with its
appeal for her life, stressed
the prelate.
The bishop made
the statement Tuesday
after reports surfaced of
Indonesian President Joko
Widodo saying President
Rodrigo Duterte gave a go
ahead to execute Veloso.
The Department of Foreign

Mary Janes parents Cesar and Celia Veloso call for the release of their daughter during
the candle lighting ceremony outside the Quiapo Church, Sept. 8, 2016. MARIA TAN

Affairs, however, belied

the report, saying Duterte
never give the green light
for Velosos execution.
DFA Secretary Perfecto
Yasay said Duterte only told
Widodo that he respects their
judicial processes and will

accept the final decision they

will arrive at regarding the
OFWs case.
It is regrettable that we
are now getting conflicting
reports regarding the actions
of President Duterte on Mary
Jane Veloso now on death

row in Indonesia, said

Santos.
Santos also reiterated his
call for the court to expedite
the trial of the alleged
recruiters of Veloso, whose
execution for alleged drug
trafficking was indefinitely
postponed.
He said the move could
save the OFW from death
row.
At the same time, we
urge that the court cases
against her illegal recruiters
be pursued more vigorously
as its resolution could help
the situation of Mary Jane,
said Santos.
Let us continue to pray for
her, that her life be spared,
he added.
Veloso maintained that
she was framed and duped
by the three suspects into
unknowingly serving as a
drug mule. (CBCPNews)

And Thats The Truth / A4

reporters asked a motley of questions

about so many issues that Andanar
was not armed to answer satisfactorily.
Simultaneously, Pres-ident Duterte was
also holding his own press conference
from Compostela Valley; it didnt
help that he rambled on, stream of
consciousness style, mostly about matters he loves to reiterate.
And as though three locations
were not enough for a multi-screen
projection, de Lima herself came up
in a fourth frame, with a privilege
speech that waged a vir-tual war
on her mortal enemies Cayetano
and Duterte. May araw din kayo,
she said. Her impassioned delivery
reminded me of the saying Hell
hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Wasnt she scorned the day before,
when 16 senators toppled her chair in
the Senate Committee on Justice and
Human Rights after she walked out on
Cayetanos privilege speech?
Following four simultaneous

coverages on red hot issues could be

exhilaratingbut also exhausting in
the long run. Especially in this gray
season of unli-allegations and unlidenials, its our nation that stands to
suffer. One party sounds sure that
the president heads a death squad; a
counterparty seems certain of a senators dirty hands. Who is telling the
truth? Who is playing down the truth,
or em-bellishing an iota of truth? Who
is fabricating stories and peddling them
as facts? Both or neither?
If the Philippines were a mother, shes
now a bedraggled, helpless entity. Her
oldest siblings are fighting each other
tooth and nail in the name of good
inten-tions. Giyera-patani si Ate at si
Kuyatheyre after each others neck
as though the familys fate depended
solely on their pet peeves. The younger
siblings cheer and egg them on, dividing
the house.
Meanwhile, opportunistic neighbors
are watching, in fact one of thema

mighty and merciless onehas

continued to encroach upon their
backyard, while the whole family in their
obsessions become totally oblivious
to truths that really mat-ter. If the
siblings continue to ignore their fathers
warning, one day they just might find
themselves homeless, and their mother
abducted into slavery. I am part of this
family. I am willing to believe Ate and
Kuya mean well, but many times I wish
Kuya wouldnt be so cocksure and foulmouthed, and Ate, too image con-scious
and self-righteous.
Its wearying to follow the news and
try to make sense of it all when the air
crack-les with stunning allegations that
obfuscate more than clarify their origins.
All that negative energy flying about
threatens to erode ones hope for the
countrys leaders, and to ask in earnest
where is our country headed for? The
only upside I see in this precarious
situation is: it keeps me on my knees
longer. And thats the truth.

Prayer / A1

him, the most important

contribution of the Church
for society is that the
Church becomes a praying
community.
In a country wounded
and torn by socio-cultural
and political issues, he said
many people have forgotten
and neglected to pray.
We cannot remain this
way. We must reverse the tide
of hate and confusion and fill
the air again with words of
peace, truth, and love. Let us

the resist the culture of terror and fear with the balm of
prayer and mercy, he said.
Let us pray for the whole
nation. Let us pray as a
united nation, the CBCP
head added.
Aside from CBCP, the
campaign is also led by
the Aid to the Church in
Need, Catholic Educators
Association of the Philippines,
the Family Rosary Crusade,
and the Moth-er Butler
Mission Guild.

Archbishop Villegas said the

launching is also in solidarity
with the World Day of Prayer
for Peace proclaimed by Pope
Francis in Assisi, Italy.
The archbishop encouraged
most specially the children in
Catholic schools to participate in the prayer campaign
assisted by their school
teachers and administrators.
I encourage parents to
recover the Filipino pious
tradition of family rosary at
home specially at this time.

The healing of the nation

begins at home, he said.
More than 3,000 suspected
drug traders and users have
already been killed since
President Rodrigo Duterte
assumed office less than three
months ago and waged his
war on drugs.
Of this figure, around 1,600
suspects have been killed in
police operations while the
rest are believed to be victims
of extrajudicial killings.

CBCP Monitor

Sharing good books,

a work of mercy
PUBLISHING and
distributing good books,
more than a business, is
a work of mercy.
This was the
observation of a Catholic
publisher as thousands
of book distributors and
book lovers congregated
at the countrys biggest
annual book event, the
Manila International
Book Fair (MIBF), at the
SMX Convention Center
in Pasay City.
Books can change lives.
We have heard of many
stories of how a book
had changed the life of a
person for the rest of his
life. However, a good book
read at the wrong time
can be counterproductive.
Worse, a bad book read
anytime can be harmful
or devastating, said Luis
A. Uson, president and
managing director of
Sing-tala Publishers, Inc.
One of the spiritual
works of mercy, Uson
pointed out, is to counsel
the doubtful. And one
concrete act that any
Catholic can do is to share
a book that could help his
neighbor in dealing with
his faith concern.
In this, Catholic
publishers and
distributors have a very
important role, Uson
stressed.
There are millions of
titles available on various
subject areas. For readers,
this can be confusing and
overwhelming.
Many non-Catholics
and Catholics too, are full
of misinformation about
what the Church actually
teaches or about the role
of the Church in society.
Has someone asked
you for advice? A good
book given to someone
can help break down
doubts and prejudices
they may hold about God
or our faith.
Perfect gift
For Christmas or

birthdays, why not give

friends a Catholic book
that clearly helped you in
living your faith? It is a
work of mercy well done,
explained the publisher .
We should fight for
better quality time for
prayer and foster an evergrowing desire to win
more persons for Christ.
Prayer life is enhanced
when we commit ourselves
to read good books on
Catholic spirituality to
effect positive and lasting
changes in our lives and
in the lives of our friends
and relatives.
Advice of St. Mother
Teresa
As Uson recalled
recently-canonized
Mother Teresa insistently
taught, It is only
by mental prayer and
spiritual reading that we
can cultivate the gift of
prayer.
Or, as St. Josemaria
Escriva put it, May your
behaviour and your
conversation be such that
each person who sees or
hears you may say, This
man reads the life of Jesus
Christ.
Escrivs book The
Way has sold more than
4.5 million copies in 43
different languages, It is
a type of book that people
reach out for, and reading
it, would like others to
have and read it too,
Uson added.
The 37th Manila
International Book Fair
is held from Sept. 14
to 18, jointly organized
by the Asian Catholic
Communicators,
Inc. (ACCI), Book
Development Association
of the Philippines (BDAP),
Philippine Booksellers
Association, Inc. (PBAI),
and the Overseas
Publishers Representatives
Association of the
Philippines (OPRAP).
(Fr. Mickey Cardenas/
CBCP News)

Lessons / A1

Public Affairs, said there is no

more room for a repeat of the
military rule in the country.
Martial Law should never
be repeated, said Secillano,
adding that the government
is duty-bound to protect
human rights and human
dignity at all cost.
Its instrumentalities
shouldnt be used to repress or
oppress its citizens. It should
rather ensure the effective

functioning of our democratic

processes, he said.
It was back in September
21, 1972 when Marcos placed
the entire Philippines under
Martial Law.
During the full
implementation of the law,
several institutions and media
outlets were closed down,
officials and citizens were
arrested and many activists
were killed. (CBCPNews)

Killings / A1

Offenses against life

As drug-related violence
shows no sign of stopping, the
Catholic hierarchy earlier said
that deaths from summary
killings is cause for mourning.
In a statement issued on
Sept. 15, the feast of the Our
Lady of Sorrows, the bishops
said all offenses against life,
including abortion and the
recent bombing in Davao
City, are sins that cry to
heaven for divine justice.
Like murder, these sins cry
to heaven for divine justice,
said Archbishop Villegas.
We mourn with you the
deaths that we have seen in
our communities, he said.
The bishops also called on
the police authorities to ensure
human rights are re-spected
in the governments war on
drugs.
Human dignity always
protected and the nobility of
every human person shine
forth despite the scar of crime
and sin, said Villegas.
Seek justice, not revenge
The bishops urged the
families of those who died
in extrajudicial killings and

other crimes not to seek

revenge and call it justice.
We beg for divine mercy
from the be re ave d and
grieving families of the dead.
Seek justice but not revenge,
they said.
The CBCP said drug addicts
must be given a chance to
reform because they too are
children of God equal in
dignity with the sober ones.
Drug addicts are sick
brethren in need of healing
deserving of new life not
death, Villegas said. They are
patients begging for recovery.
They may have behaved
as scum and rubbish, but the
saving of love of Jesus Christ
is first and foremost for them.
No man or woman is ever so
unworthy of Gods love, he
added.
The prelate also called on
those caught in the chains of
drug addiction not to be afraid
and to reform themselves.
Dead in their addictions,
living dead in the eyes of
an unforgiving world, we
bid our addicted brethren
to rise up and live again,
he said. (Ysabel Hilado/
CBCPNews)

CBCP Monitor

Bacolod Marian exhibit opens

BACOLOD CityIn order to
propagate the devotion to the
Mother of God, the faithful
in this diocese organized an
Exhibit of Marian Images
that will run until Sept. 24,
2016.
Hosted by the San
Sebastian Cathedral Parish,
the exhibit was inaugurated
by Bacolod Bishop Patricio
Buzon on Sept. 8 at the Museo
Diocesano in the Cathedral
Pastoral Complex.
The Marian exhibit features
various sculptures and works
of art showing the Blessed
Virgin Mary and her many
titles.
The Marian images come
from the Basic Ecclesial
Communities (BEC) of the
San Sebastian Cathedral
Parish and from private
family collections.
Many of the pieces on
display are part of the
collections of Negrenses
which they acquired from
their travels, said Sandy
Solinap, curator of the Museo
Diocesano.
One of the paintings of
Mary is done using atsuete
and turmeric powder, a
textured rendering in shades
of gold by seasoned Negrense
painter and Marian devotee,
Dolly Gatuslao, shared the
museum curator.
Another rare statue in
the collection is Mary as an
infant referred to as Maria
Bambinella.
According to cathedral
rector, Fr. Felix Pasquin, in

order to deepen the devotion

to the Blessed Virgin
Mary among the youth,
arrangements are being made
with public schools within the
territory of the San Sebastian
Cathedral Parish for their
students to visit the exhibit.
Entrance to the exhibit is
free and open to the public
during regular office hours.
In a related development,
the liturgical feast of the
Nativity of Mary in the
diocese was marked by
invitations and reminders
for the Catholic faithful to live
like Mary.
Honoring Holy Mary is not
limited to reciting novenas or
seeking her intercession for
our petitions, emphasized
Fr. Jonas Sumagaysay during
the homily in one of the many
Masses celebrated on this
feast day.
Everyone should
consciously make the Blessed
Virgin as a model of gentleness,
humility, faith, and goodness
in all areas of ones life, the
priest pointed out.
As early as 7:00 a.m.,
churchgoers flocked to the
San Sebastian Cathedral to
offer flowers and prayers
before a statue of Mary
adorned with balloons.
The celebration of Marys
birthday ended with an
evening procession of the
faithful from the Cathedral
to the St. John Paul II Tower
located in the Reclamation
Area of the City. (Fr. Mickey
Cardenas/CBCPNews)

Whatever / A5

do it but above all to do it

for the love of God! Charity
is the activating ingredient
of everything that we may
think, say or do. Without
it, our doings will only be
hallow acts. They must be
informed or charged with
charity. Only in this way
will each doing sorry be
truly a daily crossroad for
conversion.
Now love is a unique gift
from God which cannot be
confused to something plainly
emotional or sentimental.
Thus, we must ask God for
charity to inform everything
we do. Let us learn to beg
God for the grace to love and
repair where we have not
loved. Here is another story
from Pope Francis that would
help us to do sorry by asking
God for the love and strength
to carry it out.
After serving the Bergolios
for many years, their Sicilian

helper appeared one day in

the seminary where Cardinal
Bergolio was working.
Bergolio was extremely
busy and gave the message
for her to come back the next
day. She never did. A few
weeks later, he began to feel
intense remorse, and pray
for her. For over twentyfive years the guilt never
went away, until a chance
meeting of one of his priests
with the womans son, a taxi
driver, allowed him to track
her down. (A. Ivereigh, The
Great Reformer: Francis
and the Making of a Radical
Pope)
Pope Francis, after their
reunion gratefully admitted,
Its amazing how you do
things without realizing, and
then the Lord gets you to
realize. I had the chance,
eventually, after so many
years of prayer, to put that
right. (Ibid.)

Candidly Speaking / A4

unstintingly rendered, and

not of ambition, greed,
avarice, lust for power, etc.
It goes without saying that
everyone should have a good
grasp of the moral law which
our legal, judicial, police
systems and institutions, etc.
should uphold and defend.
And a basic moral principle
is that the end does not
justify the means. Both end
and means should be good.
If the intention is good, but
the means used to pursue
that intention is bad, then
the whole political exercise
as a human act is bad, is
immoral.
With respect to ferreting
certain truths and facts
or expressing views and
opinions in pursuit of our
political exercises, one has
to be most careful to observe
decorum and charity. This is
especially so if this activity
is done in the public arena,
involving the media, etc.
We have to be careful with
what is called detraction,
which is the sin of revealing
the hidden faults of a person
to others who have no right
or reason to know them. If
these hidden faults are mainly
personal and private and have
hardly any bearing on the
public discussion of issues,
then they should be left alone.
This is simply because if
we are to reveal each others
hidden faults, then we will get
involved in an endless and

FEATURES A7

September 19 - October 2, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 25

useless exercise, since all of

us have faults, mistakes and
sins. All the skeletons would
be brought out to the open.
We have to be extremely
judicious and discreet in
our assertions and views so
we can truly focus on what
is essential in our effort to
achieve our common good.
This can get worse
when those assertions and
accusations are simply based
on hearsay or rumors and
gossips, if not on lies. That
would make those assertions
not simply as detractions but
rather as calumnies that are
a graver sin.
And things can still get
worse, since one detraction
or calumny can also generate
another detraction or
calumny until a vicious cycle
of what is called the law of
Talioneye for an eye, tooth
for a tooth lawis created.
Lets recall the pertinent
warning given in the Letter
of St. James: The tongue is
a little member and boasts
of great things. How great a
forest is set ablaze by a small
fire! And the tongue is a fire.
The tongue is an unrighteous
world among our members,
staining the whole body,
setting on fire the cycle of
nature, and set on fire by
hell. (James 3,5-6)
We need to instill our
politics with charity that
will always be respectful of
morality.

Mother Teresa declared adopted

Calbayognon, honorary Samarnon
CALBAYOG CITYA
resolution declaring
St. Teresa of Calcutta an
Adopted Calbayognon and
Honorary Samarnon was
approved by the Sangguniang
Panlungsod (SP) of this city
on Sept. 5, a day after she was
canonized in Rome.
Sponsored by Councilor
Charlito L. Coejos, the
resolution was unanimously
seconded by SP members.
It was presented to the
directress of the Missionaries
of Charity by Mayor Ronaldo
Aquino in a thanksgiving
Mass held at Sts. Peter & Paul
Cathedral in Calbayog City
on Sept. 5, hours after Pope
Francis declared Mother
Teresa a Saint in Rome.
Calbayog, a blessed
place
Whereas, Mother Teresa
of Calcutta (later known
as St. Teresa) founder of
Missionaries of Charity,a
known Catholic religious
congregation consisting of
over 4,500 sisters in 2012 and
was active in 133 countries
whereas, she put up a
mission center in Oquendo
which has served several
thousands of the poorest of
the poor Calbayognons and
its environs Resolved,
as it is hereby resolved to
declare St. Teresa of Calcutta
as adopted Calbayognon
and Honorary Samarnon for

Bishop Isabelo Abarquez of Calbayog Diocese blesses the image of St. Teresa of Kolkata in a thanksgiving Mass for her canonization
on Sept. 5, a day after she was declared a saint in Rome. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOEL MANCOL

her selfless work by visiting

Calbayognons and putting up
a mission center in Oquendo,
Calbayopg City, says part
of the document, which was
read by City Tourism Officer
Ronald Ricafort.
The resolution also cited the
Missionaries of Charitys service
of running homes for people
dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy
and tuberculosis, childrens and
family counseling programs,
and [giving] whole-hearted
free services to the poorest of
the poor
Aside from Holy Mother
Teresas compassion for the
marginalized and the poor,
the SP cited her 1986 visit
to the city, noting: whereas,

Calbayog must be a blessed

place for in December 31,
1986, the nun who was then
hailed as The Living Saint
arrived in samar and stayed
for four days
Other awardees
This was not the first time
Calbayog City gave such an
honor to a non-Calbayognon.
In 2009, a posthumous
declaration was passed by
SP Calbayog for Fr. Cantius
J. Kobak, OFM, who died
in the U.S. in 2004. Kobak
was recognized for his
contribution as the recognized
Historian of Samar. He was
born Zdzislaw (Jesse) Kobak
in Poland on June 29, 1930,

migrated in 1937 to the U.S.,

where he finished all his
studies.
In 2010, another
Franciscan friar was adopted
by the city for developing
a youth orchestra and for
touching the lives of young
Calbayognons through the
music of the Christ the King
College Youth Symphony
Orchestra. Fr. Marlowe A.
Rosales, OFM, the only living
awardee, said minutes after
he received the award, Words
are not enough to contain my
thoughts. But in certainty I
proudly say: Calbayognon
na ak (I am a Calbayognon).
(Carl Jamie Simple S.
Bordeos/CBCPNews)

Only Gods poor are blessed priest

CEBU CityAn Augustinian priest
exhorted the faithful to practice the
Gospel values in order to be Gods
poor, noting that not everyone who
is materially improverished is blessed.
In order to be Gods poor, we must
follow Christ and exercise the Gospel
values such as love, mercy, forgiveness,
and generosity, said Fr. Noel Cogasa of
the Order St. Augustine during a Mass
on Sept. 7 at the Basilica Minori of Sto.
Nio in this city.
He added, for the materially rich

to become the poor of God they must

follow in Jesus steps and realize that
all of todays conveniences and comforts
are temporary and passing away.
We must cultivate the culture of inner
freedomfree our hearts from the many
attachments to the things of this world,
he said.
He likewise reminded the faithful
to treat material things in the light of
eternal life.
With the love of money, we are
losing the sense of faith that brings us

to eternal life, he added.

For Fr. Ronnie Mora of St. Joseph
Parish in Barugo, Leyte, recently
canonized St. Teresa of Calcutta is an
example of someone detached from the
world, saying: The life of St. Teres of
Calcutta is an inspiration as well as a
challenge for us priests and religious to
be always faithful to God and to be of
service to the people, especially to the
poor with dedication and commitment.
(Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros/
CBCPNews)

Terrorism / A1

terroristic and criminal

activities in fact say that
they reject God and his divine
word. Their theistic beliefs
are not followed through in
practice, he said.
The same is true also
for many Christians. While
believing in Christ and his
teachings, there is a stark
dichotomy between belief
and practice.
One can, therefore,
understand why Muslim
governments and scholars
have denounced ASG
atrocities as un-Islamic,
a betrayal of true Islam, a
distortion of the Quran,
Cardinal Quevedo said.
The cardinal called on the
religious leaders to learn
from Pope Francis who
refused to identify Islam and
any religion with terrorism

and his belief that dialogue is

the only path to peace.
Pope Francis has spoken
of extremists in various
religions. We should not
identify extremism with
religion itself, said Cardinal
Quevedo.
For the churches and
different religious faiths, the
call is for both intra-religious
and inter-religious dialogue
so that religious beliefs are
not distorted and Gods name
is not invoked for the sake of
violence, he said.
Indifference
Cardinal Quevedo has also
lamented the worlds seeming
indifference to terror attacks
in poor countries.
As the world mourned for
terrorism in rich nations, the
cardinal said he is wondering

why some people are not

deemed worthy of the same
collective grief.
We need to overcome
the global indifference
to bombings in different
parts of the world as well as
the violent persecution of
Christians, he said.
There seems to be a
tragic indifference when
they happen in Thailand or
Malaysia or Indonesia or the
Philippines, said Cardinal
Quevedo.
He called on the
participants to take heed
Pope Francis call for unity
against terrorism.
He said that the powers
of the world have to act in
concert in responding to the
menace of terrorism.
Active solidarity with
victims of terrorism is a gift

from the God of compassion

of mercy. This is the call of
the hour for humanity in the
face of terrorism, Cardinal
Quevedo added.
The three-day global
gathering is part of an annual
meeting of hundreds of
religious leaders who come
together to pray for peace and
to discuss critical issues of
interreligious dialogue.
Pope Francis also took
part on the final day of the
meeting when he travelled to
Assisi on Sept. 20.
The pontiff was greeted
by a group of faith leaders,
including the Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew.
His visit also included
an afternoon prayer in
St Francis basilica and a
meeting with some victims
of war. (Roy Lagarde)

Duc in altum / A5

enjoy it and presented the elegantly

hard-bound Spanish version, he opened
the book, flipped its pages, raised his
eyebrows, his eyes switched from dim
to bright, opened his mouth in disbelief
and said, No me digas! (No kidding!) I
said, Yes, Holy Father, a friend of mine
and one of my priests in Caloocan, an
Argentinian, have translated it for you.
I felt blessed; so Im sharing the joy.
Bishop Ambo also gave Pope Francis
a specially-hand-carved wooden Papal
Ferula or pastoral staff done by a wood
carver from Betis, Pampanga. Ferula is
for the Pope, as Crosier is for the bishops.
The Pope joyfully accepted the Ferula.
***
St. Teresa of Calcutta, called living
saint when she was still alive, was
canonized by His Holiness, Pope Francis,
last September 04, 2016 at St. Peters
Square in Vatican, amidst 300,000
devotees. Like St. John Paul II, she had
been in the Philippines; she had her
mission by caring and being with the
poor, because she sees Christ in them.

I considered myself blessed. I had seen

both saints during their lifetime. I had a
closer view of St. John Paul II when his
motorcade passed in front of the Rizal
Monument in Luneta during the World
Youth Day 1995 Vigil. He gave his blessing
when he was right in front of us. Everyone
around me, including me, were all crying
with joy. The following days Mass at Quirino
Grandstand, I could see him just a few
meters away from where I was; as member
of the Secretariat of the then Ecclesiastical
District of CALMANA (Caloocan, Malabon
and Navotas), I can enter the cordoned area
in front of the Grandstand.
I saw St. Teresa of Calcutta when she
was walking the streets of Tondo, Manila
together with the nuns of Missionaries of
Charity, the congregation she organized
with aim and mission:to quench the
infinite thirst of Jesus on the cross
for love and souls by labouring at
the salvation and sanctification of
the poorest of the poor.
***
Congratulations Most Rev. Francisco

De Leon! We pray that our good Lord

inspire and guide you in your journey
as the new Shepherd of the Diocese of
Antipolo. His Eminence Luis Antonio
Cardinal Tagle led the Canonical
Installation of Bishop Francis as the
4th Bishop of the Diocese of Antipolo.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas of
Dagupan-Pangasinan was the Homilist.
The message of Nuncio Giuseppe Pinto,
who was in Vatican City, was read
during the ceremony. Archbishops,
bishops, clergy, religious, deacons
and seminarians from the Dioceses of
Antipolo, Kalookan, Manila witnessed
the solemn ceremony. We pray for the
good health of Most Rev. Gabriel Reyes,
Bishop Emeritus of Antipolo.
***
Happy Birthday to Fr. Jeronimo Ma.
Cruz, our parish priest in San Ildefonso
de Navotas and Vicar General of the
Diocese; Fr. Elpidio Jun Erlano, Fr.
Nestor Fajardo; also Happy Sacerdotal
Anniversary to Fr. Rufino Yabut, Fr. Jun
Erlano and Fr. Oscar Lucas,OMI.

A8

September 19 - October 2, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 25

Former CBCP head Archbishop

Morelos dies at 85
MANILA Zamboanga
archdioceses former archbishop,
Carmelo Morelos, passed away due
to age-related illness on Saturday
afternoon. He was 85.
He was undergoing treatments
for some time due to ill health.
Prior to his appoint as archbishop,
Morelos was named the first bishop
of Butuan diocese in 1967.
After serving Butuan for about 27
years, he was moved to Zamboanga
archdiocese in 1994, where he
served until his retirement in 2006.
Morelos also served as president
of the Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philip-pines (CBCP) from
1991 to 1995.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas,
current CBCP President, said
Morelos was a zealous and
prudent bishop.
His sense of humor and his
practical wisdom endeared him to

so many bishops, priests, nuns and

laity.
Having been a former Cbcp
President he led the bishops with
his exceptional intel-ligence and
unique insights. We have a new
saint in heaven, Archbishop
Villegas said.
In his 49 years as bishop, he was
tasked to work for various CBCP
offices such as the Commissions on
the Laity, Family and Life, Liturgy,
and the Pontificio Collegio Fili-pino.
The bishop was also twice
chairman of the Mindanao-Sulu
Pastoral Conference, a forum of
religious and lay leaders that was
painfully torn up by an ideological
crisis toward the end of the Marcos
years.
A native of Sorsogon City, Morelos
was ordained a priest in 1954 and
has served the ministry for 62 years.
(CBCPNews)

Antipolo bishop credits Gods

mercy for new post

CBCP Monitor

Nassa marks 50-year milestone

Vice President Leni Robredo is flanked by Borongan Bishop Crispin Varquez, Palo Archbishop John Du, Mayor Remedios Petilla of Palo, NASSA National Director
Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona and Leyte Gov. Leopoldo Dominico Petilla after her keynote address during the National Social Action General Assembly in
Palo, Leyte, Sept. 20, 2016. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

TACLOBAN City The National

Secretariat for Social Action (Nassa)
has marked its 50 years of faithful
service as the social action arm of
the Catholic Church.
The celebration was held in Palo,
Leyte where the agency has been
working for the Churchs rehabilitation
programs in areas devastated by
typhoon Yolanda in 2013.
Led by its national director Nueva
Caceres Archbishop Rolando Tria
Tirona, the event coincided with the
38th National Social Action General
Assembly (Nasaga).
The biennial event is organized
to gather all the Churchs social
action workers from the national
level down to the different diocesan
social action centers.
The biennial gathering of social
action workers across the country

started with a Mass presided over

by Palo Archbishop John Du at the
Palo Cathedral.
In his homily, he emphasized how
Nassa immediately responded and
helped the vic-tims of Yolanda.
After the super typhoon Yolanda,
NASSA actively implemented the
relief and rehabili-tation programs
to help the Archdiocese of Palo
recover, Du said.
Almost three years after the
typhoon, the archbishop said
Nassas rebuilding efforts is now
80-90 percent complete.
The following day, Vice President
Leni Robredo graced the occasion
and lauded Nasa for everything you
do for the Filipino people.
Lets continue to work together
for the empowerment of the poor
and marginalized, those who have

languished for many years in the

fringes of our society, she said.
Lets continue to strengthen the
spirit of social justice essential to
Catholic doctrine, the mission of
our faith, and the growth of our
nation, Robredo added.
Established in 1966, Nassa has also
been working to promote sustainable
agriculture and integrity of creation,
educating the people with democratic
governance, protecting the rights of
women and children and empowering
affected communities through relief
and rehabilitation services.
The Archdiocese of Palo is a
witness to these works, said Du.
The Nasaga concluded on Sept.
22 with a Mass held at the Sto. Nio
Church in Tacloban City. (Eileen
Nazareno-Ballesteros/CBCP
News)

N. Samar church declared Black Nazarene shrine

Bishop Francis De Leon installed as the fourth bishop of Antipolo.

ANTIPOLO CityMindful of
Gods mercy and compassion,
Bishop Francisco De Leon formally
assumed his new role as head of the
Diocese of Antipolo on Saturday.
Hundreds of bishops, priests, the
religious and well-wishers packed
the Antipolo Ca-thedral for the
canonical installation of De Leon.
In his message, the 69-year old
bishop said that in his four decades
as priest he has been conscious of
Gods mercy in his life.
The Lord is kind and merciful,
De Leon said. I am where I am now
because the Lord is merciful and
rich in compassion.
He also vowed to continue what
his predecessor, Antipolo Bishop
Emeritus Gabriel Reyes, has started.
I thank my predecessor Bishop
Reyes who gave those 13 years to the
diocese of An-tipolo its stability and
consistency and I will continue to do
that and perhaps even more, he added.
The installation was presided
over by Manila Archbishop Luis
Antonio Cardinal Ta-gle and was
witnessed by several prelates led
by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop
Socrates Villegas, CBCP President.
In his homily, Villegas called on
the faithful to continue supporting
their new bishop and the dioceses
endeavors.

MARLON SAN-TOS/DSPNSDA

My dear people of God trust your

bishop as you trust the Lordgive
him the chance to love you. And to
you Bishop Francis and to you people
of God in the Diocese of Antipolo we
entrust all of you to Mary, he said.
Cardinal Tagle, for his part,
urged the faithful to avoid
comparing Bishop De Leon with
his predecessor.
Respect their differences. Dont
look for Bishop Gabby in Bishop
Francis, the car-dinal said.
The Church will survive in these
differences.
There is a certain diversity that
leads to division, but there is a diversity
that is a gift of the Spirit to strengthen
the Church, and through that diversity
the many gifts of the Church are used
to respond to the many needs of the
Church, he also said.
De Leon was born on June 11,
1947 in La Huerta, Paranaque and
was ordained a priest on June 28,
1975 in the Archdiocese of Manila.
In November 2015, he was named
as Coadjutor bishop of Antipolo prior
to his ap-pointment as Auxiliary
Bishop of Antipolo in 2007.
Antipolo diocese is one of
the nine suffragans that make
up the ecclesiastical prov-ince of
Manila. (Chrixy Paguirigan/
CBCPNews)

Napolcom honors CBCP exec for

community service
MANILAThe National Police
Commission (Napolcom) has
honored a leading fig-ure in
the Catholic Churchs prison
ministry for his commitment to
offering time and talent for crime
prevention.
Rodolfo Diamante, executive
secretary of the bishops
Commission on Prison Pasto-ral
Care, received the Napolcoms
Community Service Award
for his involvement in the
governments criminal justice
program.
Diamante was among the
eight individuals and groups
who received the award in a
ceremony held at the Philippine
International Convention Center
in Pasay City on Sept. 8.
The event was one of the
highlights as the Napolcom,
the administrative body running the Philippine National
Police, celebrates its 50th
year.
In giving the award, the
agency expressed its gratitude

for Diamantes selfless contribution to the technical

committee on crime prevention
and criminal justice sys-tem,
particularly in the corrections
pillar.
The Napolcom said the
untiring commitment of the
awardees led to the successful
implementation of the
governments crime prevention
policies and criminal justice
programs.
For his part, Diamante, who
had been serving the prison
ministry for more than two
decades already, is hoping these
concerted efforts will not be
wasted.
Let is be a testament to the
values of respecting the dignity
of the human person regardless
of who he is, he said.
We need to push for a better
treatment of the offender and a
commitment to move beyond
punishment to restorative
justice, added Diamante.
(CBCPNews)

CATARMAN, Northern
SamarA mission center
church located in a small
barangay on the outskirts
of Catarman in this
province was solemnly
elevated on Sept. 12,
Monday, into a Diocesan
Shrine of Nuestro Padre
Jesus Nazareno in a
Mass presided by Manila
Archbishop Luis Antonio
Cardinal Tagle.
The solemn dedication
and blessing of St. Rock
the Healer Mission
Center Church in Brgy.
Cawayan, in accordance
with a decree signed
by Catarman Bishop
Emmanuel Trance was the
first Solemn Dedication of
its kind in the diocese.
With this, devotees of
the Black Nazarene in
the province and even in
nearby prov-inces do not
need to physically go to
Quiapo, Manila, as a replica
of the Nazarene is now
enshrined at the solemnly
dedicated Church of St.
Rock the Healer.
Trance, in the
document, said: Msgr.
Clemente Ignacio, then
Rector of the Minor Basilica entrusted it to the
Diocese of Catarman in
response to my ardent
request that the popular
Black Nazarene of Quiapo
devotion would be
extended and begun here
in the Diocese. I assigned
the sacred replica to the
custody of St. Rock the
Healer Mission Center
administered by Fr. Rico
M. Manook, who was
then in the middle of the
construction of the new
church for the mission
center.
Devotees and pilgrims

the high-way going to

the University of Eastern
Philippines (UEP), a state
university in Catarman,
Northern Samar.
It was in UEP where
a fundraising concert
was held by the Christ
the King College Youth
Symphony Orchestra for
the church construction of
the Mission Center church
in December 2011.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila graced the Solemn Dedication of the
Church of St. Rock the Healer Mission Cennter in Brgy. Cawayan, Catarman,
N. Samar. The mission center church was also elevated into a diocesan shrine.
Crafted in the nearby town of Laoang, Tagles staff (baculo), was designed by
Msgr. Gaspar Balerite. PHOTO COURTESY OF ARNEL DE SILVA

from throughout the

diocese who came to know
about the sacred replica
in Cawayan started to
flock to the small chapel,
especially on Fridays for
the celebration of the Holy
Eucharist. The devotion
to the Black Nazarene has
grown immensely since its
arrival in the diocese on
March 3, 2014.
Individuals with
sickness or infirmities
and other needs would
prayerfully approach the
sacred replica or write
their petition, which is
dropped in the petition

box near the image.

Synchronized
celebration of
Traslacion
Last Jan. 9, 2015, during
the annual celebration
of the Traslacion in
Quiapo, Manila, the
first synchronized Mass
and celebration of the
Traslacion was also
held in Cawayan with
the transfer of the sacred
image from the small
chapel to the unfin-ished
church of St. Rock the
Healer Mission Center,
which is located along

Great devotion
In less than a year
since the replicas
arrival, devotion to the
Black Nazarene in Brgy.
Cawayan matches the
intense fervor enjoyed
by the original image in
Quiapo, Ma-nila. The
traslacion was celebrated
a second time on Jan. 9,
2016 in the nearly finished church.
Fr. Rico Manook, the first
and present administrator
of the mission center,
acknowl-edged the
intensity of devotion
and piety to the Black
Nazarene manifested by
devo-tees and the big
number of attendance
that has doubled from the
previous year.
Ever since the new
church of St Rock the
Healer had been chosen
to house the sa-cred
replica, its construction,
starting from its ground
breaking on Aug. 21,
2011, hastened, reaching
completion in five years.
The sacred replica was
also brought to several
parishes in the diocese
where parish-ioners
would welcome it with
prayer vigils and Masses.
(Carl Jamie Simple S.
Bor-deos/CBCPNews)

US hymn composer to hold liturgical music workshop in PH

MANILAAmerican liturgical
composer, author, and recording
artist David Haas will be in Manila
to conduct a liturgical music
workshop and to share his music
though a concert on Saturday, Oct.
29 at the Mariano Singson Hall
of the Ateneo de Manila Grade
School.
The workshop will be from 9:00
a.m. to noon, while the concert will
begin at 5:00 p.m. Joining him as
special guests during the concert
are the Ateneo Chamber Singers, Bukas Palad Music Ministry,
Hangad, Fr. Arnel Aquino, SJ, and

Fr. Manoling Francisco, SJ.

David Haas has composed and
produced over 50 collections and
recordings of origi-nal liturgical
music with GIA Publications and
is highly regarded as one of the
pre-eminent liturgical composers
in the English-speaking world.
Many of his songs, hymns, and
psalm settings such as Blest Are
They, You Are Mine, We Are
Called, We Have Been Told,
Now We Remain, Song of the
Body of Christ, The Lord Is My
Light, Deep Within, Send Us
Your Spirit, and The Name of

God have become an integral part

of the liturgical prayer of believers
everywhere. He has also authored
more than 30 books in the areas
of liturgy, liturgical music, youth
ministry, catechesis, prayer, and
spirituality, and has served as a
consultant to several cate-chetical
and educational publishers.
For ticket reservations and
inquiries, interested parties may
call: Tanging Yaman Foundation
c/o Maricel at +63(947)565-9544,
or Jesuit Music Ministry c/o Rey
at +63(2)4265971 local 114. (Dit
Sablan/CBCPNews)