Monitor

CBCP

SEPTEMBER 3 - 16, VOL 22, NO. 18 CBCPMONITOR@AREOPAGUSCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

THE CROSS A3: NEWS A6: LOCAL NEWS B1: PASTORAL CONCERNS
A SUPPLEMENT PUBLICATION Message of Pope Francis for the World Day
The truth frees us, pope tells Irish bishops Church groups call for climate action
OF KCFAPI AND THE ORDER OF
during ‘Season of Creation’ of Prayer for the care of creation
THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

Bishops vow no clergy

sex abuse cover-ups
By Roy Lagarde

Reeling from new claims

of clerical sexual abuses
in the Catholic Church
particularly in the United
States, the country’s
bishops expressed “pain
and shame” for the
crimes, promising action
and no cover-up to such
criminal acts.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of the Philippines (CBCP) have
vowed that clergymen who
molested girls and children will be
dealt with accordingly.
Archbishop Romulo Valles,
CBCP President, said the “painful
situation” calls the bishops to
“revisit and review” both the
universal and the local church’s
laws on sexual abuse.
“…And with renewed resolve and
commitment to implement them and
not cover them up,” Valles said in a
pastoral statement issued August 31.
In its 2016 letter, the CBCP has
assured cooperation with civil
authorities to address clerical abuse
that has tarnished the church’s
image around the world.
The bishops said they are
determined to make sure the
church is a safe environment for
all Catholics, especially children,
and assured appropriate care for
victims and their families.
Abuse / A7
Manila Archbishop Emeritus Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales is flanked by San Pablo Bishop Buenaventura Famadico and Fr. Joselin Gonda during a press conference in Manila about the upcoming visit of the
“incorrupt” heart relic of Saint Padre Pio to the Philippines, Sept. 5, 2018. ROY LAGARDE

Priest’s claim: I escaped becoming an EJK victim

A REDEMPTORIST priest Sunday, Aug. 25.
claimed he “almost” became On the eve of Aug. 11, he
a victim of extrajudicial said a security guard informed
killing after having close him that there had been six
encounters with the so-called helmet-wearing men on three
“death squad” believed to motorcycles lingering near
be behind the summary the entrance of the monastery
executions in the country. between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00
In a blog post, Fr. Amado p.m. that day.
Picardal said he has been in
hiding since mid-August No escape
after some personnel from The priest said on Aug. 2
Redemptorist Monastery in and July 7, two men riding
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world including Filipino Cebu that he visited regularly, on a motorcycle also asked
delegates of Aid to the Church in Need - Philippines gather for the closing Mass
of the World Meeting of Families presided over by Pope Francis at Phoenix reported seeing “suspicious” men the monastery’s gardener
Park in Dublin, Ireland, Aug. 26, 2018. PHOTO COURTESY OF ACN on motorcycles loitering in the about his whereabouts.
area. (See his column in page A5) “I immediately concluded
“On Aug 11, I almost that they were the death
PH gears up for visit of Padre became… the 4th priest to
be killed under the Duterte
squad and I was the target.
Had I gone out, there would

Pio’s heart relic regime had I stuck to my

routine,” Picardal said on
Redemptorist Fr. Amado Picardal during his last cross-country ride before retiring to
live as a hermit in March 2018. PHOTO FROM FR. PICARDAL FACEBOOK PAGE
have been no escape for me,”
EJK / A7

THERE’S only a month to go “Besides, it is the Year of the

until the incorrupt heart relic
of St. Padre Pio, a Capuchin
priest who bore stigmata of
Jesus, touches down in the
Philippines.
The cities of Manila, Cebu
and Davao are some of the
stop-offs during the 20-day
visit, from October 6 to 26.
Fr. Joselin Gonda, Rector
of the National Shrine of
St. Padre Pio in Sto. Tomas,
Batangas, said the visit marks
two milestones in the saint’s
life— the centenary of the
appearance of stigmata on
his body on Sept. 20 and his
50th death anniversary on
Sept. 23.
“The visit of the heart relic is
a fitting epilogue to these two
important events in the life of
St. Padre Pio,” Gonda said.
Clergy and the Consecrated
Persons. Padre Pio, given as
a role model for them, can be
an inspiration and challenge
to us to have a heart like his,
close to the Eucharistic and
forgiving heart like the Lord,”
he said.
Cardinal Luis Antonio
Tagle of Manila, by way of
an informal suggestion in
choosing the saint which will
underscore the Year of the
Clergy and the Consecrated
Persons, suggested Padre Pio
as the model.
And in collaboration
with the CBCP Episcopal
Commission on the
Clergy, chaired by Bishop
Buenaventura Famadico of
San Pablo, the historic visit is
Relic / A7
Blast kills 2 youth ministry workers Sr. Fox challenges deportation
in Maguindanao order at DOJ
A RANKING Catholic
leader has condemned the
bombings in Mindanao that
killed at least five people,
including two church
workers.
Cardinal Orlando Quevedo
of Cotabato said the attack in
the town of Isulan in Sultan
Kudarat on Sept. 2 has killed a
catechist identified as Jun Mark
Luda and his cousin, Maria Lyn
Luda, who is also active in the Sr. Patricia Fox faces the media after filing a petition before the Justice department
in Manila asking for a reversal of the deportation order against her by the Bureau of
parish’s youth ministry. Immigration, Sept. 3, 2018. PHOTO FROM HANDS OFF SR. FOX FACEBOOK PAGE
“I absolutely condemn
these terroristic acts,” BELEAGUERED Sr. Patricia Sept. 3 after the Bureau of
An undated photo shows Jun Mark
Quevedo said. Luda (right) with Sr. Alice Original. PHOTO Fox has filed an appeal before Immigration affirmed its
Blast / A3 COURTESY OF SR. ALICE ORIGINAL the Justice department on Deportation / A7
A2 WORLD NEWS September 3 - 16, Vol 22, No. 18 CBCP Monitor

Vatican Briefing Archbishop Chaput to pope: Cancel

Pope urges diplomatic solution as war looms in northern Syria
youth synod, meet about bishops
Pope Francis appealed for peace and dialogue as the Syrian PHILADE LPHIA, Au g u st 31, pastoral policy to
government and its allies prepare to launch strikes against the last 2018—Philadelphia Archbishop address the specific
major rebel stronghold in Idlib province in the country’s northwest. Charles J. Chaput is asking Pope issues discussed.
Speaking to hundreds of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square Francis to call off the Synod of Pope Francis had
for his Sunday Angelus address Sept. 2, the pope warned that “the Bishops on young people this previously confirmed
winds of war continue to blow” in the already war-weary country. October to focus instead on the Archbishop Chaput,
An attack against the Syrian province’s nearly 3 million people, life of the bishops. chairman of the
he said, would cause “a humanitarian catastrophe.” “I renew my “I have written the Holy Father Committee on Laity,
heartfelt appeal to the international community and to all the actors and called on him to cancel the Marriage, Family
involved to make use of the instruments of diplomacy, dialogue upcoming synod on young people. Life and Youth of
and negotiations, in compliance with international humanitarian Right now, the bishops would the U.S. Conference
law and to safeguard the lives of civilians,” the pope said. (Junno have absolutely no credibility of Catholic Bishops,
Arocho Esteves/CNS) in addressing this topic,” the as one of only five
archbishop said at an Aug. 30 American bishops
Worldly mentality leads to pride, gossip, pope says at conference at Philadelphia’s St. to attend the synod,
morning Mass Charles Borromeo Seminary, all of whom were
Christians must engage in spiritual combat every day against a according to a report by the elected by their peers
worldly spirit that leads down a path of arrogance and petty gossip, website LifeSiteNews. in the USCCB.
Pope Francis said. In his homily during morning Mass Sept. 4, the In its place, the archbishop The other church
pope said that the hearts of men and women are like “a battlefield” suggested that the pope “begin leaders planning to
where the spirit of God and the spirit of the world “fight each other.” making plans for a synod on the attend are: Cardinal
“We all have what we can call these two ‘spirits’: The spirit of God life of bishops,” the archbishop Daniel N. DiNardo of
that leads us to do good deeds, to charity, to brotherhood, to adore said. Galveston-Houston, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia speaks June 13 during
God, to know Jesus, to do many works of charity, to pray; and Ken Gavin, spokesman for the USCCB president; the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ annual spring assembly in
another, which is the spirit of the world that leads us to vanity, pride, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Los A n g e l e s Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He is asking Pope Francis to call off the synod
arrogance, gossip -- an entirely different path,” he said. (Junno confirmed the archbishop sent the Archbishop Jose H. of bishops in Rome on the concerns of young people in the church,
set for this October. BOB ROLLER/CNS
Arocho Esteves/CNS) letter to the pope, but he offered Gomez, USCCB vice
no additional comments. president; Bishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the former
St. Joseph is powerful intercessor, model of service, The archbishop gave his Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, U . S . p a p a l n u n c i o , a l l e g i n g
pope says comments about canceling the Connecticut, a member of the t h e c o v e r - u p o f A r c h b i s h o p
Pope Francis told the Oblates of St. Joseph that for decades he synod during a panel discussion USCCB Committee on Laity, McCarrick’s abuse by bishops
has relied on the intercession of St. Joseph, and “never, ever has called the “Cardinals’ Forum,” Marriage, Family Life and Youth; in the United States and in the
he told me no.” “We should draw courage from this,” the pope said sponsored by the Cardinal and Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Vatican.
Aug. 31 as he met with members of the order’s general chapter. John Foley Chair of Social Robert E. Barron, chairman In an Aug. 30 letter to the pope,
“For more than 40 years, I’ve been praying a pray that I found in Communications and Homiletics of the USCCB Committee on Dallas Bishop Edward J. Burns
an old French missal which says of St. Joseph -- ‘dont la puissance and the Cardinal John Krol Chair Evangelization and Catechesis. asked for an extraordinary synod
sait rendre possibles les choses impossibles’ (whose power makes of Moral Theology, both at the Calls for reform in the Catholic to address issues in the latest
possible things that are impossible) -- and never, ever has he told seminary. hierarchy have risen throughout Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis.
me no. That’s the power of St. Joseph,” the pope said. (Cindy The archbishop, who is set the summer as the clergy sexual “The current crisis of sexual
Wooden/CNS) to participate in the synod on abuse scandal has intensified, with abuse by clergy, the cover-up by
youth, was one of three panelists bishops across the globe coming leaders in the church and the lack
Cardinal Tobin appointed to youth synod, USCCB confirms speaking on the topic “Young under scrutiny for their potential of fidelity of some have caused
The U.S. bishops’ conference has confirmed that Cardinal Joseph People, the Faith and Vocational role in covering up cases of abuse great harm,” the letter said. It
Tobin of Newark has been appointed by Pope Francis to participate Discernment,” the theme of the of children and young adults. suggests that this synod should
in October’s 25th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Oct. 3-28 synod in Rome. A n d c o n f i d e n c e i n t h e include topics such as “the care
Bishops, which will meet to discuss young people, the faith, and Hundreds of bishops and young credibility of Catholic bishops and the safeguard of children
vocational discernment. Tobin will join Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, people representing youth from has been eroding in the wake and the vulnerable, outreach to
Archbishop José H. Gomez, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Bishop across the globe will engage o f a l l e g a t i o n s a g a i n s t t h e victims, the identity and lifestyle
Frank J. Caggiano, and Bishop Robert E. Barron, who, according in discussions at that meeting former Washington Archbishop of the clergy, the importance
to a July 23 USCCB press release, were elected by the U.S. bishops’ and typically, the pope attends T h e o d o r e E . M c C a r r i c k , t h e of healthy human formation
conference to attend the conference, after which their election was some synod conferences. After Pennsylvania grand jury report within the presbyterate/religious
ratified by Pope Francis. Tobin is the chairman of the USCCB’s the gathering’s conclusion, the o n 7 0 y e a r s o f c l e r g y c h i l d community, etc.” (Matthew
Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. From 2010 bishops make recommendations sexual abuse in the state and the Gambino / Catholic News
to 2012 he was secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes to advise the pope as he formulates explosive letter of Archbishop Service)
of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. From 1997 to
2009, he was superior general of the Redemptorists, his religious
congregation. The synod will take place October 3-28, 2018. (CNA) Australian bishops defend seal of confession
Pope Francis: Saints show the heart’s true desire
The lives of the saints are attractive because they demonstrate
the radical and authentic relationship with Christ each person is
in response to sex abuse report
called to, Pope Francis said Wednesday. “Why are the saints so WASHINGTON D.C.— the Royal Commission
able to touch the heart?” he asked at the general audience Aug. Australian bishops have did not find “a causal
22. “Because in the saints we see what our heart deeply desires: accepted the vast majority connection between
authenticity, true relationships, radicalism.” This example can also of recommendations celibacy and child sexual
be found in those “saints next door,” he noted, such as parents who made after a five-year abuse.”
teach their children to live “coherent, simple, honest, and generous” investigation into sexual The Anglican church
lives. (Hannah Brockhaus/CNA) abuse in the country. in Australia, which
In an Aug. 31 response allows for married
Extremism cannot be fought with extreme language, to the Australian Royal clergy, had nearly
intolerance, pope says Commission’s report on 1,100 child sexual
Catholic legislators must defend religious freedom around the sex abuse, the Australian abuse claims over the
globe, but they must take care to ensure they do not fall into the trap bishops’ conference 35 years, according to
of showing disrespect toward or intolerance of other religions while considered hundreds of the final report of the
doing so, Pope Francis said. The pope met Aug. 22 with participants specific recommendations commission, which was
in the annual meeting of the International Catholic Legislators made by the report. released in Dec. 2017.
Network and the group’s “freedom summit.” According to the While welcoming the The five-year inquiry
group’s website, the network began in 2010 “as an independent substance of the report, examined sex abuse in
and nonpartisan international initiative to bring together practicing which was published Australian schools,
Catholics and other Christians in elected office on a regular basis in December 2017, the churches, and sports
for faith formation, education and fellowship.” Pope Francis told Australian bishops’ clubs, and has set up a
participants that the Christian politician is called “to try, with defended the sacramental government program to
Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane. PHOTO FROM ABP. COLERIDGE’S FACEBOOK PAGE
humility and courage, to be a witness” to Christian values and to seal, which the report financially compensate
propose and support legislation in line with a Christian vision of said should be violated the confessions of child religious life,” including victims.
society and of the human person. (Cindy Wooden/CNS) if a priest came to know sex abuse. However, a consideration of The Catholic church was
of an allegation of abuse priests in these states— “shorter terms of celibate the first non-government
Pope: God’s name is revealed through authentic faith, through confession. the Australian Capital commitment, and/or institution in Australia to
not hypocrisy “We are committed Territory, South Australia, voluntary celibacy.” commit to this financial
The power of God’s name is manifested in the lives of people to the safeguarding of and Tasmania—have said The Australian compensation program,
who live their faith in an authentic way, while it is taken in vain by children and vulnerable that they are “willing to go bishops responded which started on July
those who live in hypocrisy, Pope Francis said. By adhering to the people while maintaining to jail” rather than break that they are “seeking 1, 2018, and will offer
commandment to not take the name of the Lord in vain, Christians the seal. We do not see the seal of confessional. expert theological and compensation totally $2.9
can show the beauty of baptism and the Eucharist, as well as “the safeguarding and the seal Other recommendations canonical advice and... is billion to approximately
sublime union there is between our body and the body of Christ; as mutually exclusive,” by the Royal Commission in consultation with the 60,000 Australians.
he in us and us in him,” the pope said Aug. 22 during his weekly wrote Archbishop Mark into Institutional Holy See.” The Catholic The compensation
general audience. “If there were more Christians who would take Coleridge of Brisbane and Responses to Child Sexual Religious Association will per victim is capped at
upon themselves the name of God without falsehood, practicing Sister Monica Cavanagh, Abuse included requests also commission research $110,000 and the average
the first request of the Our Father -- ‘hallowed be thy name’ -- the president of Catholic that the Holy See change on potential dysfunctions payments are expected to
proclamation of the church would be heard more and become more Religious Australia, in a canon law in some areas, associated with celibate be around $49,000.
credible,” he said. (Junno Arocho Esteves/CNS) co-authored preamble to such as abolishing the life. Earlier this year,
the 57-page response. statute of limitations in “Inadequate initial and Archbishop Philip
Pope says he sees continuity, not rupture in ‘Amoris Laetitia’ “Bishops and religious cases of sexual abuse. The continuing formation Wilson of Adelaide was
Everything in the document “Amoris Laetitia” on marriage leaders have accepted or Australian bishops noted of priests and religious convicted of failing to
and family life is based on Catholic Church teaching “always in accepted in principle or that they had passed along for celibate living may report sex abuse by a
continuity -- without ruptures -- yet always maturing,” Pope Francis supported 98 percent of these requests to the Holy have contributed to a priest in the 1970s. Pope
said. In addition, when referring to specific ethical situations, “the the Royal Commission’s See. heightened risk of child Francis accepted Wilson’s
exhortation follows the classical doctrine of St. Thomas Aquinas,” recommendations. The The Royal Commission sexual abuse, but not resignation in July.
the pope wrote in a letter to Stephen Walford, author of the new one recommendation we also recommended that celibacy as a state of life in In April, Cardinal
book, “Pope Francis, the Family and Divorce.” The letter, sent to cannot accept … refers to the Australian bishops and of itself,” the bishops George Pell pleaded not
Walford after he, his wife and five children met with Pope Francis the seal of the Sacrament request the Holy See responded. guilty to several charges
in July 2017, is included as the preface to the book, which is being of Penance. This is because consider voluntary Australian Associated of sexual abuse from the
published by Paulist Press in the United States. “The exhortation it is contrary to our faith celibacy for diocesan Press said that Archbishop 1970s and 1990s. Pell is
‘Amoris Laetitia’ is a unified whole, which means that, in order to and inimical to religious clergy and “implement Coleridge told reporters currently on a leave of
understand its message, it must be read in its entirety and from the liberty,” Coleridge and measures to address on Friday, “There is a dark absence from his role as
beginning,” the pope wrote to Walford. “This is because there is a Cavanagh explained. the risks of harm to side to celibacy. I am the the Vatican’s Prefect of
development both of theological reflection and of the way in which Three Australian states children and the potential first to admit it, especially the Secretariat for the
problems are approached.” (Cindy Wooden/CNS) have already adopted laws psychological and sexual when it is accompanied by Economy. (Courtney
making it an offence for dysfunction associated poor formation.” But the Grogan / Catholic
priests to fail to report with a celibate rule of bishops emphasised that News Agency)
CBCP Monitor September 3 - 16, Vol 22, No. 18 NEWS FEATURES A3

The truth frees us, pope tells Irish bishops

DUBLIN, Ireland— During his last
stop in Dublin Sunday, Pope Francis
met with the bishops of Ireland,
telling them to take encouragement
for their daily ministry in the truth
found in Christ.
“In your daily efforts to be fathers
and shepherds to God’s family in
this country, may you always be
sustained by the hope that trusts in
the truth of Christ’s words and the
certainty of his promises,” he said
in the private encounter Aug. 26.
“In every time and place, that
truth ‘sets free’ (Jn 8:32); it has a
power all its own to convince minds
and draw hearts to itself.”
Encouraging them to continue
their work as messengers of the
Gospel, even in difficult times, he
said his word to them “is one of
encouragement for your efforts.”
Francis praised in particular the
bishops’ show of concern for the
homeless and people with drug
addictions, as demonstrated by
recent pastoral letters.
Using words of St. John of the
Cross, he said, “it is in the dark
night that the light of faith shines
purest in our hearts. And that light
will show the way to the renewal of
the Christian life in Ireland in the
years ahead.”
The pope also commented
again on the abuse crisis and told
the bishops the Church needs
to acknowledge and remedy,
with “honesty and courage,” past
failures to safeguard the welfare
of children.
Pope Francis meets with the bishops of Ireland during the 2018 World Meeting of Families. VATICAN MEDIA
He repeated his thought that in
recent years people’s eyes have been
opened to “the gravity and extent of
sexual abuse in various settings.”
“In Ireland, as elsewhere, the
honesty and integrity with which
the Church chooses to confront this
painful chapter of her history can
offer an example and a warning to
society as a whole,” he said.
Before meeting the bishops,
Francis celebrated Mass for around
300,000 people in Dublin’s Phoenix
Park. In his homily, he pointed to
the day’s Gospel, where many of
Christ’s followers abandoned him
because they could not accept his
hard teachings.
“Let us also humbly acknowledge
that, if we are honest with ourselves,
we too can find the teachings of
Jesus hard,” he said.
“How difficult it is always to forgive
those who hurt us; how challenging
always to welcome the migrant and
the stranger; how painful joyfully
to bear disappointment, rejection
or betrayal; how inconvenient
to protect the rights of the most
vulnerable, the unborn or the
elderly, who seem to impinge upon
our own sense of freedom.”
But with the help of the Holy
Spirit, we can live out our baptismal
calling to become missionary
disciples and accept the life-giving
words of Christ, even when they are
difficult, the pope said.
Marriage and family life can be a
difficult calling, Francis reflected,
demanding “self-sacrifice, dying
to ourselves in order to be reborn
to a greater and more enduring
love. The love that alone can save
our world from its bondage to sin,
selfishness, greed and indifference
to the needs of the less fortunate.
That is the love we have come to
know in Christ Jesus.”
This love, he continued, “became
incarnate in our world through a
family, and through the witness of
Christian families in every age it
has the power to break down every
barrier in order to reconcile the
world to God and to make us what
we were always meant to be: a single
human family dwelling together in
justice, holiness and peace.”
He urged those present to “go
back to your homes and become a
source of encouragement to others,”
never growing “discouraged by
the icy stare of indifference or the
stormy winds of hostility.”
“Share the Gospel of the family
as joy for the world!” he exhorted.
(CNA/EWTN News)

South Korea labels abortion

an ‘immoral medical action’
THE South Korean
government included
abortion in a list of
“immoral medical actions”
earlier this month as the
country’s abortion law
was revised to enable
authorities to suspend
medical professionals
for performing abortions
illegally.
Abortion is reported to
be very common in South
Korea, although abortion
is technically illegal, except
in the cases of rape, incest,
or to save the mother’s life.
About 340,000 abortions
are performed annually
in South Korea, while
440,000 child births are
reported, according to a
2012 study published in
the International Journal of
Law, Policy and the Family.
“In high-income
South Korea … safe but
clandestine procedures are
widely available, despite
a fairly restrictive law,”
the Guttmacher Institute,
which provides research and
analysis to “advance sexual
and reproductive health and
rights”, said in 2018.
Under current
legislation, AFP reports,
physicians who carry out
abortions can be sentenced
to up to two years in
prison, and women who
procure abortion can face
a fine and up to one-year
imprisonment.
On Aug. 17, the South
Korean Health and
Wellness Ministry put a
new rule into effect that
will punish doctors for
breaking the abortion
law with a one-month
Blast / A1
“True Believers in God
have to cry out in outrage at
the terrorist bombings in the
town of Isulan,” he said.
The cardinal offered his
prayer for the victims and
their relatives, as he called
on authorities to ensure
that justice and peace
prevail.
“I enjoin every true believer
in the One True God, by
whatever Name the Almighty
and Merciful God is called, to
pray for the victims and for
their families,” he said.
“I strongly urge our
military, security, and peace
officers with the collaboration
of the MILF and the MNLF,
suspension of their medical
license.
The head of the Korean
College of Obstetricians
and Gynecologists said
Tuesday that its 2,000
member doctors will
stop performing illegal
abortions in compliance
with the law as a “form of
protest” or strike.
On Sunday, 125 women
in South Korea publically
ingested an abortion drug,
mifepristone, and called
for the legalization of
abortion.
South Korea’s
Constitutional Court said
earlier this month that
its ruling on a case from
a doctor who had been
prosecuted for performing
70 abortions illegally will
be delayed.
An online petition calling
for abortion to be legalized
in South Korea received
230,000 signatures last
fall.
Catholics in South Korea
have responded to the calls
to legalize abortion.
At Korea’s March for Life
in June 2018, Cardinal
Andrew Yeom Soo-jung
told Catholics, “Abortion
is an attack not only on the
fetus but on the pregnant
woman. It will bring a
culture of death into our
society and should not
even be an option.”
Pope Francis visited a
symbolic “cemetery for
abortion victims” in South
Korea during his 2014
visit to the country, where
800,000 Koreans attended
Mass with the pope. (CNA
/ EWTN News)
now forces for peace, to flush
out the perpetrators and
bring them to justice,” added
Quevedo.
On Aug. 28, an improvised
explosive device rocked
Isulan resulting to three
deaths while 37 were hurt.
On Sunday, another deadly
explosion hit the town that
claimed two lives, and 12
others left injured.
Islamic State has reportedly
claimed responsibility for the
first bombing. Some suspect
the Bangsamro Islamic
Freedom Fighters (BIFF)
that had pledged allegiance
to IS did the second blast.
(CBCPNews)
Pope: Pray, act to protect clean water,
guarantee access to it
VATICAN— Water is a gift of God that
makes life possible and yet millions
of people do not have access to safe
drinking water, and rivers, seas and
oceans continue to be polluted, Pope
Francis said.
“Care for water sources and water basins
is an urgent imperative,” the pope said in a
message Sept. 1, the World Day of Prayer
for the Care of Creation, an observance
begun by the Orthodox Church and now
celebrated by many Christians.
With the world day 2018 focused
on water, Pope Francis drew special
attention to the more than 600 million
people who do not have regular access
to clean drinking water.
“Access to safe drinkable water is a
basic and universal human right, since
it is essential to human survival and, as
such, is a condition for the exercise of
other human rights,” he said, quoting
from his encyclical “Laudato Si’” on the
environment.
“In considering the fundamental
Filipinos venerate 243-year-old image of the Virgin Mary
ALBAY— Annually Filipinos
in the province of Albay give
ritual thanks to a statue of the
Virgin Mary known as Our
Lady of Salvation that has
been venerated for 243 years.
Devotees say that the
image, also known as Our
Lady of Light, is a source of
strength and inspiration.
Every last Saturday in
August, Catholics flock to
the town of Tiwi, in the
south-eastern part of the
main island of Luzon, to pay
homage.
The statue of Our Lady of
Salvation is then carried in
a nine-kilometer procession
from the seashore to a hilltop
shrine.
Historical accounts show
that the Marian devotion
started in the 1770s because
of miracles attributed to the
image, which in colonial
Spanish times was best
known as the Nuestra Senora
de Salvacion.
When marauding Muslim
Moro pirates attacked the
coastal town, people would
seek refuge in the hilly village
of Joroan, where the image of
the Virgin Mary was located,
and pray in the chapel there
for protection
Miracle stories
There is an account of
woman with a child who
‘appeared’ to a rancher and
solicited two cows for the
people of Joroan, who it
role of water in creation and in human “Let us ask the Lord and all those
development,” he wrote, “I feel the need engaged in the noble service of politics
to give thanks to God for ‘Sister Water,’” that the more sensitive questions of our
as St. Francis of Assisi said. Water is day, such as those linked to movements
“simple and useful for life like nothing of migration, climate change and the
else on our planet.” right of everyone to enjoy primary
Fulfilling the Gospel mandate to give goods, may be faced with generous and
the thirsty something to drink involves farsighted responsibility and in a spirit
more than individual acts of charity, of cooperation, especially among those
although those are important, he said. It also countries most able to help,” he wrote.
involves “concrete choices and a constant Pope Francis also offered prayers
commitment to ensure to all the primary for people who fish and others who
good of water.” earn their livings at sea, for those who
Believers have an obligation to thank minister to them and for all the scientists
God for the gift of water and “to praise and public policy experts who help the
him for covering the earth with the public recognize the treasures of the sea
oceans,” Pope Francis said. But they and work to protect them.
also have an obligation to work together And, as the Catholic Church prepares
to keep the oceans clean instead of for a world Synod of Bishops on young
allowing them to be “littered by endless people, he urged Christians to educate
fields of floating plastic.” and pray for the young “that they may
Thinking of oceans and seas, also led grow in knowledge and respect for our
the pope to think of the thousands of common home and in the desire to care
migrants and refugees who “risk their for the essential good of water, for the
lives at sea in search of a better future.” benefit of all.” (Cindy Wooden/CNS)
Buhi called in a sculptor
named Bagacumba who
carved three images from the
trunk: the Nuestra Senora de
Salvacion; an image of San
Antonio de Padua; and an
image of the Nuestra Senora
de Soledad (Our Lady of
Sorrows).
On Aug. 25, 1776, the image
of Our Lady of Salvation was
lent to the people Joroan on
the condition that they build
a chapel in the center of the
village.
In 1853, Buhi agreed to give
up its rights to the image if
Every year for the past 243 years, people in the village of Joroan in the province of
Albay pay homage to the image of the Nuestra Senora de Salvacion or the Our Lady the people of Joroan made
of Salvation. RHAYDZ BARCIA/UCAN an offering of 50 pesos and
an additional 25 pesos for
turned out were building a their boat capsizing in a gale, the bell.
church for the Virgin Mary. found after swimming to the When a strong typhoon
And it is said that when shore that their clothes were struck in 1805, the image
pirates tried to burn people’s dry. was temporarily moved to
houses in Joroan, their After the church was the town of Tiwi, leading
torches would not ignite. destroyed by a typhoon, the to conflict over it not being
Another story is that of a image of the Virgin Mary returned.
widow named Hermanang still stood, but was reported An assembly was held in
Tiray who was captured to have turned from looking 1918 to resolve the issue and
by pirates and taken to a towards the sea to facing the the image was finally taken
faraway land. village. back to Joroan on Sept. 15,
But after praying to the An account written by 1919.
Virgin it was said that a deer the village’s first parish In 1975, Bishop Teotimo
led her home. priest, Father Lamberto Pacis of Legazpi, the capital
A pilgrim reported that Fulay, stated that in 1770, a of the province, declared the
a candle he was given certain Don Silverio Arcilla statue to be the “heavenly
miraculously appeared at assigned a tenant named patroness of Albay.”
the shrine. Mariano Dacuba to one of In 1976, the diocese
And the paralysis of a man his estates. celebrated the bicentennial
commissioned to repair the Dacuba cut down a tree jubilee of its patroness with
church was said to have been when clearing a piece of land the building of a new shrine
healed by divine intervention. in Joroan, however, its leaves and the crowning of the
It is also said that a group did not wilt as days passed. image. (Rhaydz Barcia/
of devotees, who survived A friar in the town of UCAN)
A4 OPINION September 3 - 16, Vol 22, No. 18 CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

Time to love the Church more

NOW that the Church is buffeted by an ugly crisis of clerical
sexual abuse and other related issues, we have to realize that
now is also the time to love it even more. Instead of simply
being carried away by the spiral of scandal and anger, fault-
finding and blaming, let us see what we—each one of us—can
do to help our mother, the Church. We are all in this together.
Our love for it should increase rather than diminish because
of this problem.
We already know that the Church is both holy and in need
of constant purification. This is what the Catechism teaches
us about this point: “The Church...clasping sinners to her
bosom, at once holy and always in need of purification, follows
constantly the path of penance and renewal. All members
of the Church, including her ministers, must acknowledge

ILLUSTRATION BY BLADIMER USI

that they are sinners. In everyone, the weeds of sin will still
be mixed with the good wheat of the Gospel until the end of
time. Hence the Church gathers sinners already caught up
in Christ’s salvation but still on the way to holiness.” (827)
This is not, of course, to mitigate the gravity of the scandal
caused by the recent spate of news about clerical sexual abuse
and alleged papal irresponsibility related to the issue. But
neither should we forget the reality about how the Church
is and what responsibility each of us has with regard to
this reality. We all need to pray for the Church even more,
Transactional politics in Panaghoy
importuning the Holy Spirit to guide us in resolving this
current crisis. the Supreme Court Bp. Broderick Pabillo
Truth to tell, the crux of the problem is the usual thing—
our lack of genuine holiness or our weak effort to sanctify
ourselves, waging war against our weakness, temptations and
sin, and ever growing in the virtues. We should never set aside THE appointment by Duterte of Teresita can believe that Duterte had no say in the view of improving the justice system
these duties. But a more concrete and realistic solutions also Leonardo – De Castro as Chief Justice this ouster? The smell is too strong—an in the country? The concern in this
have to be found to address this problem that has grown into of the Supreme leaves a bad taste to implicit political transaction has taken appointment and its acceptance is not
a monster. Church authorities have to polish the systems and us non-lawyers. We may not know the place between the Palace and the De the service of justice but vanity and
mechanisms of closely helping priests, of promoting greater legalese of the doings of the Supreme Castro. You scratch my back and I greed. How low the supreme court
transparency both in the personal and institutional levels, of Court but we are no fools. We know the scratch yours. You do me a favor and I has fallen! It is now just a pawn in
regularly reviewing and improving the formation programs basics of decency and appropriateness. return the favor. Is the appointment to the grab for power. With the game of
given to seminarians and priests, etc. After having testified against Chief Justice be chief justice the reward? And what transactional politics engulfing the
There are actually many things that can be done. In the Maria Lourdes Sereno in the Lower a reward it is: to get the title of chief Supreme Court, can we expect it to
meantime, we should not forget our duty to pray for everyone, House, and still voting for her ouster in justice and to get the fat pension plan of stand up and check the power of the
to show compassion especially to those who have caused some the Supreme Court, thus acting as both a chief justice upon retirement, with a President?
scandals even as due justice also has to be made. We have to accuser and judge, now she takes the place stint of only 42 days as chief justice! De Can we, the people do anything?
learn to have a good grip on our emotions that often can run of the one she had worked hard to oust! Castro will be in office only from Augut At the moment, I cannot think of
wild in reaction to problems and scandals in the Church as Hindi ba masyado ng garapal? Ganito na 28 to October 8 when she retires. Are anything concrete that we can do. At
in anywhere else. ba ang garapalan sa Supreme Court? we to believe that this appointment is least we should not just be bystanders
No amount of hand washing can done with “judicial professionalism” as as if nothing is happening. We should
Tolerance and intolerance clear the palace of having a hand in Presidential Spokeman Harry Roque not even just be on-lookers as our
the ouster of CJ Sereno. No less than indicated? Kung garapal sila, hindi democratic institutions are being torn
NOW that Pope Francis has reacted to this latest clerical Duterte himself has declared CJ Sereno kami bulag. We legal lay people at least down. We should not be made to
sexual scandal that erupted in the US recently, let us see as his enemy and he openly stated that know the basic meaning of decency and believe that this is alright. We should
how those beautiful intentions and words in his letter can be he would have her removed! Solicitor delicadeza. We are not blinded by the not be silent. We voice out our rage and
translated into action. General Jose Calida of the Palace finesse of legal rationalizations. together join our forces and consider
“Looking ahead to the future,” he said in that letter, “no was the one who pushed for the Quo And what can De Castro do in 42 how we can prevent our democratic
effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such Warranto against CJ Sereno. So who days? Is this appointment done with system from further sliding down.
situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility
of their being covered up and perpetuated.” These are strong
words. But then again, if there are no implementing orders,
Living Mission Facing the Future with
systems and processes installed to put them into deeds, then
they would just be hot air! The way things are now, we have Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM Hope, Joy, and Courage
basis to presume, even if based mostly on hearsays, that there
must be also local cases involved. Let’s not be coy.
Let’s see if we can be up front also and get to see names
and faces of priests and bishops involved in these scandals. OUR Church here in the “This hope is not based on “None of us should be dour, the Lord in a special way, in
The time of hiding, pretension and hypocrisy is over. It Philippines is now two- statistics or accomplishments, discontented and dissatisfied, a prophetic way.” This is the
should be history already. This does not mean that we can thirds way through its 2018 but on the One in whom we for ‘a gloomy disciple is a priority needed in today’s
be indiscriminate and reckless in sorting out the details of celebration of the “Year of have put our trust…. This disciple of gloom.’ Like Church and world: “to be
these cases. To be sure, they have to be handled with utmost the Clergy and Consecrated is the hope which does not everyone else, we have our prophets who witness to how
delicacy. It would be totally inhuman and unchristian if Persons.” Yes, we all disappoint…. The Holy Spirit troubles, our dark nights of Jesus lived on this earth.”
we would just go through this process without charity, painfully know the difficulties spurs us on so that he can still the soul, our disappointments Thus, “religious must never
compassion, mercy. that the Church is currently do great things with us…. So, and infirmities….” These abandon prophecy.”
Yes, as the Pope quoted in his letter, “If one member suffers, facing. We have become do not yield to the temptation to experiences should “Prophets receive from
all suffer together with it.” (1 Cor 12,26) We should not be acutely aware of sinfulness see things in terms of numbers continually conform us to God the ability to scrutinize
surprised if we are made to suffer together with that one in the Church—and even in and efficiency, and even less to Christ crucified. the times in which they live
member who suffers because of a weakness, an offense, a sin.
some of her leaders. We see trust in your own strength…. For Pope Francis, and to interpret events….
In fact, we should be ready and willing to go through it. We
decreasing vocations and Let us constantly set out anew “consecrated life will not Prophets know God and they
have to understand that it’s part of our human condition here
aging members. There are with trust in the Lord.” flourish as a result of brilliant know the men and women
on earth. But there should also be some kind of intolerance
economic problems and the Joy amidst Adversity. vocation programs, but who are their brothers and
according to the spirit spelled out in that gospel message when
threats posed by a pervasive Pope Francis asserts that because the young people sisters. They are able to
Christ said: “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out
relativism; some may an old saying will always we meet find us attractive, discern and denounce the evil
and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your
body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if experience a sense of isolation remain true: “Where because they see us as men of sin and injustice.”
your right hand causes you sin, cut it off and throw it away. and social irrelevance. there are religious, there and women who are happy.” “Because they are free,
It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your Pope Francis notes that is joy.” Francis notes that Everything depends upon “the they are beholden to no one
body to depart into hell.” (Mt 5,29-30) we need to realistically all Christians, especially eloquence of our lives … which but God, and they have no
These words of Christ just cannot be applied only to our embrace the future with the religious, “are called to radiate the joy and beauty of interest other than God.
individual bodies. They can be applied also to the Church hope: “It is precisely amid know and show that God living the Gospel and following Prophets tend to be on the
which is also a body—in fact, it is the mystical body of Christ these uncertainties, which is able to fill our hearts to Christ to the full.” side of the poor and the
with Christ as its head and we as its members. That is why, in we share with so many of our the brim with happiness, Waking up the World. powerless, for they know that
that letter of the Pope, he invites all the members not only to contemporaries, that we are that we need not seek our “I am counting on you to God himself is on their side….
suffer with the one who suffers but also to actively participate called to practice the virtue happiness elsewhere…. Our ‘wake up the world,’ since the They should increasingly
in the effort to help that member and to heal the whole body, of hope, the fruit of our faith total self-giving in service to distinctive sign of consecrated be the leaven for a society
the Church. in the Lord of history, who the Church, to families and life is prophecy.” This is the inspired by the Gospel…. So
In a sense, while all of us are involved in the problem, all continues to tell us: ‘Be not young people, to the elderly call of Pope Francis as he God encourages us: ‘Be not
of us should also be involved in finding the solution to the afraid … for I am with you’ and the poor, brings us life- asks everyone, religious and afraid … for I am with you to
problem. Let us not waste time wallowing in the mud of (Jer 1:8).” long personal fulfillment.” clergy in particular, to “follow deliver you’.”
depression and lamentation, simply pointing the blame on
the others. Let us all find ways to solve the problem.
Profiling good and bad Candidly Speaking

Monitor
CBCP Fr. Roy Cimagala

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE THE word, “profiling,” has a bad all equal because we are all brothers make. It acknowledges individual and
connotation in the US that is severely and sisters and form just one family personal differences while recognizing
Pedro Quitorio torn by conflicts due to issues of race, of humanity. We are meant to love that everyone shares a certain quality.
Editor-in-Chief gender, reproductive rights, politics, one another. We are supposed to be It knows that equality among ourselves
ideology, etc. responsible for the others. does not mean uniformity.
Nirva’ana E. Delacruz Ron Ramos There in that supposed bastion of But there is a good profiling also. For me, this good profiling is useful
Associate Editor Design Artist freedom and democracy, profiling has And it is the kind that we do when we especially when giving a means of
meant that a person or a sector of people want to understand better a person or formation or when I preach. When I get
Roy Lagarde Mercedita Juanite is stereotyped and labeled, put in a box a certain group of people who share confident that I have a good profile of the
News Editor Circulation Manager
or straitjacketed. It simply means that the similar qualities, like sex, religion, people I will address in some activity,
Christine Paguirigan Marcelita Dominguez people are not respected for who and age, generation, political affiliation, then I feel that I can be more specific
Managing Editor Comptroller how they are. economic class, culture, lifestyle, and proper in the things that I need to
Of course, if profiling only means that, preferences, etc. say. As much as possible, I like to stay
The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the it should be considered as something If profiling is used as a tool to away from simply mouthing mother
CBCP - Media Office with editorial and business offices
at 3rd Floor, CBCP Compound, 470 General Luna bad. It is completely discriminatory understand a certain group of people, statements and generic platitudes.
Street, Intramuros, Manila. Email Address: cbcpmonitor@ and goes against the basic tenets of our then it is good. It does not mean that We cannot deny that there are very
areopaguscommunications.com, Business: (632) 404 - 1612.
ISSN 1908-2940. human, let alone Christian, belief that everyone in that group or sector is the observable differences among the
in spite of all our differences, we are same in every categorization we may Candidly Speaking / A7
CBCP Monitor September 3 - 16, Vol 22, No. 18 A5

The View from the Mountain Coming down the By the Roadside
Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, STD mountain, evading Fr. Eutiquio ‘Euly’ Belizar, Jr.
the death squad SThD

LAST August 11, I almost became a victim

of extrajudicial killing and the 4th priest
to be killed under the Duterte Regime
had I stuck to my routine.
For over four months, I have been
living a quiet life as a hermit on top of the
mountain overlooking the city of Cebu,
spending my time in silence, solitude,
prayer and writing. I usually go down
to the Redemptorist monastery in Cebu
twice a month to bond with my fellow
Redemptorists, check my email and FB,
get my food supplies and go to the coffee
shop nearby before dinner. At first, I
didn’t realize this routine would put my
life at risk.
Since 2017, I was receiving information
that the death squad was going to target
priests and that I was on top of the list.
When the three priests were killed, I
was certain that I could be next. I even
received an email message accusing me of
being a drug addict. Before I left Manila
last March to start my life as a hermit, I
received a text message from a reliable
source confirming that I was indeed
going to be targeted for assassination
by a death squad. When I asked him if
they knew where I was my informant
told me that they were still looking for
me. I anticipated that if they knew that
I was in Cebu, the first place that they
would put under surveillance would be
the Redemptorist Monastery in Cebu. I
still felt confident that they won’t find my
hermitage in the mountain..
On August 6, I went down to the
Redemptorist Monastery in Cebu to
attend the community recollection and
meeting. By chance, I met the gardener,
Porting, who told me that several days
before (on August 2) while working in
the church ground, a man on motorbike
with another companion asked him: “Do
you know, Picx Picardal? Is he here?”
He denied that I was around. He was
suspicious because they did not take
off their helmets and kept watching
the monastery. He remembered that
a month earlier, on July 7, two men
riding in tandem also asked him the
same question. On those two occasions,
I recalled that I was in the monastery a
day before so they just missed me. Upon
realizing this, I became more cautious
The suffering and
and careful not to follow my usual routine
of going out.
Then on the evening of August 11, the
security guard informed me that there
were six men on three motorbikes with
full-faced helmets near the entrance of
the monastery and the church between
5 pm to 6 pm that afternoon. That was
usually the time I would go out to the
supermarket and the coffee shop. I
immediately concluded that they were
the death squad and I was the target.
Had I gone out, there would have been no
escape for me. I recognized their modus
operandi—that’s what I learned from
a former member of the Davao Death
Squad when we were documenting the
extrajudicial killings years before. It was
a close call. I thank God for protecting
me.
I am not out of danger yet. Some of our
priests and staff noticed that men riding
in tandem continue to keep watch outside
the monastery for several days after that.
So my superiors told me that it would be
dangerous to go back to the hermitage
and so I have to move to a more secure
location and avoid public exposure.
They are determined to complete their
“project”, otherwise, they won’t be paid.
Why am I being targeted by the death
squad? Who is behind this “project”? The
only explanation is because: I preached
and wrote against the extrajudicial
killings for the last 20 years—since I
was assigned in Davao and up to now.
I was the spokesperson of the Coalition
Against Summary Execution which
monitored these killings and assisted
the Commission on Human Rights
(headed by Leila De lima) and the Human
Rights Watch to investigate the killings.
I also posted the Collated Report of
these killings carried out by the Davao
Death Squad (1998-2015) which was
included in the complaint submitted
to the International Criminal Court by
Atty. Jude Sabio. I also helped provide
sanctuary to former members of the DDS
who will be the witnesses in the ICC case.
I was one of the convenors of the Network
Against Killings in the PhiIippines. I
granted interviews to the media—both
local and foreign. I have also gone around
the country and in the US to give talks
on EJK and the Church’s response. The
media labeled me as one of the fiercest
Confronting the
critic of the president but all I intended
to do is to be a conscience of society. So, clergy sex abuse
I am not surprised that the president is
mad at me. Many years before, when I
was in Davao, someone warned me that
THE Philippine Church’s celebration of the Year of
I should be careful because the mayor
the Clergy and Consecrated Persons, aside from its
was angry at me. He lambasted me three
catechetical and pastoral considerations, was partly
times in his TV program “Gikan sa Masa,
aimed at boosting their morale. But as the year
Para sa Masa.” I was confident at that
unfolded reality has provided a seesaw. Each diocese
time that he wouldn’t order the DDS to
certainly has organized programs of activities,
kill a priest – after all I am not a drug
catechetical-pastoral-spiritual-cultural, to make
addict or pusher.
priests and religious better understood, appreciated,
Has President Duterte finally ordered
supported and, hopefully, emulated. There were
my hit? Or is it just some zealous
certainly highs and lows that have followed.
henchman trying to please him? My
In my diocese alone we positively started the
source informed me that that the order
celebration with a clergy retreat in Baguio. We
came from Malacanang. But I cannot
bonded not only with ourselves but also with some
confirm it. I do not have the complete
bishops and diocesan workers that hosted our stops
answer. All I know is that there is a death
on our way to Baguio and back home to Eastern
squad determined to kill me. Whatever
Samar. We were in high spirits. It was Mt Tabor all
happens to me – whether the order
over again.
came from him or not -- the blame will
But Mt. Calvary was not too far out. Came Typhoon
be placed on him for under his regime
Urduja, its floods and incessant rains. In one gloomy
the culture of death has claimed the lives
afternoon on the eve of Valentine’s Day 2018 one of
of over 25,000 people. This regime has
us, Fr. Moses Campo, met a horrific accident that
nothing to gain in creating a martyr, so
brought about his sudden passing. From the height of
those behind the project should think
a better-bonded brotherhood, we came down to the
twice before carrying out their evil plan.
depths of an irreversible loss and communal grief.
I always knew that my life would be
From a heartbreaking event, we tried to move on,
at risk and I have accepted this as a
focusing on injecting catechetical themes into our
consequence of fulfilling my prophetic
novena masses in preparation for barangay and
mission. I am not afraid of death. I am
town fiestas. Various diocesan commissions set up
ready to accept martyrdom if they catch
their own assemblies and congresses in one way or
up with me, but I do not seek it nor do
another addressing issues relating to priests and
I make myself an easy target. Thus,
religious. Again our diocese even planned and put
I have decided to temporarily vacate
into effect a clergy concert which, by many accounts,
my hermitage up in the mountain and
was a huge success.
continue to spend my life of silence,
Then came the shock, horror and scandal of clerical
solitude, prayer and writing in a more
sex abuse now hitting the headlines in the US, in the
secure location. I will continue to speak
Philippines and worldwide. Even the Holy Father’s
out against evil in society through my
name is being dragged into the scandal by a former
writings and will fast and pray that the
high Church official. The chief executive of this
Lord will deliver us for evil. Meanwhile,
country, clearly in glee, promised to help expose
I ask my friends to pray for our country
the Philippine version of the now-burning issue of
and to pray for my safety. Someday, I
clerical sex abuse.
hope I will be able to go back to my sacred
The CBCP through its current president has
space in the mountain of Busay where I
responded by expressly and unequivocally stating
intend to spend the remaining years of
that it shares the pain and the shame of the whole
my life as a hermit.
Church and is calling on all, the clergy especially, to
conversion, to fasting and prayer. The statement also
sees the crisis as “a good occasion for us bishops to
revisit and review existing guidelines that we have
for the protection of vulnerable adults, and with
renewed resolve and commitment to implement
them and not to cover them up” (Archbishop Romulo

hurting Church
RECENT occurrences of
abuses and sexual misconducts
against minors and young
adults done by some bishops,
clergy and consecrated
persons, particularly in the
United States, leaves the
Universal Church all over the
world suffering and hurting.
The sexual misconduct
by a cardinal in the U.S.
brought more disgrace
and embarrassment to the
Church. The recent testimony
by a former Apostolic Nuncio
about that sexual misconduct
caused more pain, which
requires bringing out the truth
and punishing the guilty.
In its Pastoral Statement,
the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) brought to mind its
Statement in July 2018: “We
admit humbly that we are
a Church of sinners, called
to conversion and holiness
at the same time. We bow
in shame when we hear of
abuses being committed by
some of our fellow Church
leaders—especially those
ordained to “act in the person
of Christ.” Thus, the CBCP
tasked itself to revisit and
review its existing guidelines
so that they can protect
the minors and vulnerable
adults, and the commitment
to implement them and not
cover up.
Our bishops called on all
dioceses, parishes, religious
communities and BECs (Basic
Ecclesial Communities) to
go to the Lord in prayer
and fasting, as Pope Francis
suggests: “The penitential
dimension of fasting and
prayer will help us as God’s
People to come before the
Lord and our wounded
Duc in Altum
Atty. Aurora A. Santiago
brothers and sisters as
sinners imploring forgiveness
and the grace of shame and
conversion. In this way, we
will come up with actions
that can generate resources
attuned to the Gospel.” Pope
Francis further said: “Looking
back to the past, no effort to
beg pardon and to seek to
repair the harm done will
ever be sufficient. Looking
ahead to the future, no effort
must be spared to create a
culture able to prevent such
situations from happening,
but also to prevent the
possibility of their being
covered up and perpetuated.
The pain of the victims and
their families is also our
pain, and so it is urgent that
we once more reaffirm our
commitment to ensure the
protection of minors and of
vulnerable adults” (Letter of
His Holiness Pope Francis to
the People of God, Vatican
City, 20 August 2018).
Protecting minors and
vulnerable adults from
sexual misconduct by
clerics, is just a matter of
strict implementation of the
Church guidelines: (1) The
Church Hierarchy must be
strict in the admission of
candidates to the seminary.
(2) It must be firm in the
psychological assessment of
candidates to ordination as
deacon and priest. (3) It must
conduct a comprehensive
evaluation of the candidates’
psychological capacity as
a Deacon or Priest. (4)
Foremost, the Church must
be uncompromising in
screening and admitting to
the priesthood persons with
homosexual tendency.
Duc in Altum / A6
G. Valles, “We Pray for the Church,” CBCP Statement
on August 30, 2018).
As an ordinary diocesan priest, I see the constant
media-hyped focus on clerical sex abuse as a
deeply painful and not always fair portrayal of the
clergy and the Church. Clerical sex abuse, to be
honest about it, also elicits outrage among priests
themselves, especially the innocent. We also want
transparency and just sanctions of some of us
priests and religious. But that is the point. The
guilty are only “some” of us, a small fraction of
our number. The tragedy that has come out of the
media hyping of the issue, however, is that it has
overcast a massive shadow on our common name,
in a way that is meant to ruin not only the whole
clergy but also the Church as a moral authority.
Many media practitioners have, undeniably,
avowed sympathies with ideologies and lifestyles
opposed by the Catholic Church, such as abortion,
contraception, same-sex unions, euthanasia,
assisted suicides etc. Anything that undermines
the Church’s standing among people of good will,
such as this one, is therefore relentlessly pursued
to its most sordid detail.
I do not pretend to speak for fellow priests. But I
believe many of us desire not only the identification
of and just sanctions on the guilty who are few but
also the protection of the good name of the innocent
who are many. Most of all, all of us must desire
appropriate responses from the Church dictated
not so much by human cries for blood as by Jesus
Christ’s saving Gospel.

Troubling politics and policies of the

Collection Box
Fr. Jerome R. Secillano, MPA
Duterte administration (Part II)

DUTERTE was honest enough to
admit that he cannot put an end
to contractualization. He directed
Congress to pass a law ending it.
A look at the 1987 Constitution,
however, gives us this provision in
ARTICLE XIII, Section 3, ensuring
security of tenure for workers.
A further check with Philippine
jurisprudence reveals that security
of tenure is a protection against the
illegal dismissal of workers (Agoy
vs. NRLC, 112096, 30 January
1996). Does this apply to the “5-5-5”
scheme, referring to endo?
Different labor groups opine
that it does. Government lawyers
though and the President’s advisers,
including himself, insist that only
Congress can effectively stomp out
endo. If this boils down to mere
interpretation of laws, the President
should at least exhibit the political
will to side with the workers just
as his followers exerted might in
forcing Chief Justice Sereno’s exit
from the judiciary through the use of
the “quo warranto” petition albeit
under doubtful circumstances.
Interestingly, in the
FOURTEENTH CONGRESS, during
the First Regular Session, HOUSE
BILL NO. 2491 was introduced by
Rep. Magtanggol T. Gunigundo,
AN ACT STRENGTHENING
THE SECURITY OF TENURE OF
WORKERS IN THE PRIVATE
SECTOR, AMENDING FOR
THE PURPOSE ARTICLES
248, 279, 280, 281, AND 288,
AND INTRODUCING NEW
ARTICLES 280-A AND 280-B TO
PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO.
442, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS THE LABOR CODE OF
THE PHILIPPINES.
In SEC. 5, a new Article 280-B is
hereby inserted in the Labor Code
to read as follows: “ART. 280-B.
PROHIBITION AGAINST FIXED
TERM EMPLOYMENT. No
employer shall hire any employee
for a fixed period only, except those
hired as project and extras where
appropriate. Any stipulation fixing a
period of employment shall be void.”
For unknown reasons, this bill did
not pass the Fourteenth Congress.
But, if indeed the President is against
oligarchy, now is his opportune time
to destroy an oligarchic oppressive
labor practice by doing everything
in his mandated power for the sake
of our country’s poor laborers.
On the sidelines were the Armed
Forces of The Philippines (AFP) and
the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The latter was credited for the bloody
Tokhang which has so far generated
twenty-three thousand (23,000)
lifeless bodies. This is not to accuse
the police of perpetrating the killings
but simply to state that they are more
obedient to the President than the
military who constantly profess their
allegiance to the Constitution, and
who would sometimes contradict the
statements of the President through
the Secretary of National Defense
(SND).
The President promised to
increase the salaries of these men
in uniform. So, on Jan. 1, 2018,
he signed the Joint Resolution
of the Senate and the House of
Representatives modifying the
base pay of all military personnel
under the Department of National
Defense (DND), and all uniformed
personnel under the Department of
the Interior and Local Government
(DILG), the Philippine Coast
Guard (PCG), and the National
Mapping and Resource Information
Authority (NAMRIA). 
The joint resolution prescribes a
two-tranche increase in 2018 and
2019. While some of the ranks
will retain their base pay in the
Collection Box / A6
A6 LOCAL NEWS
Church groups call for climate action
during ‘Season of Creation’
A BROAD network of civil society
organizations, peoples’ groups, and
religious organizations banded
together to launch a campaign to
call for action from state leaders
addressing issues of climate,
the environment, dirty energy,
and impunity surrounding fallen
environmental defenders.
“The Rise for Climate, Justice and
Integrity of Creation Campaign is
part of an international initiative
to demand climate and ecological
justice from leaders from all over
the world concerning issues faced by
vulnerable peoples,” said Center for
Energy, Ecology, and Development
(CEED) Executive Director Gerry
Arances.
Arances emphasized the
importance of the Philippines
as a battleground for pressing
environmental and climate
concerns.
“Yearly we are reminded by
intensifying rains and flooding
of our country’s vulnerability to
the changing climate, and yet our
energy and environmental policies
have yet to address concerns of our
most vulnerable sectors,” he said.
Arances explained that a series of
engagements and activities are set
to be undertaken by the campaign,
which will encompass issues of
climate change, energy, mining,
and food security, as well as rights
to land and water resources.
“These activities serve as a lead
up to the Global Climate Action
Faithful urged: ‘Find answers to
life questions in Bible’
Fr. Joselito “Joey” Martin, rector of San Carlos Seminary (SCS), speaks at a conference titled “When
Friendship with Christ grows Family: Where love of God begins”, held at the Layforce Chapel of SCS,
Makati, Aug. 18, 2018. JOEL CRISTOBAL
THE rector of San Carlos Seminary
(SCS) reminded the faithful that
the answers to their most pressing
concerns can be found in the Holy
Scriptures.
“[Sometimes] by reading the
scriptures, we sometimes find
the answers to our questions,
the solutions to our problems,
[because] God speaks through the
Holy Scriptures,” said Fr. Joselito
“Joey” Martin in Filipino during
a conference held at the Layforce
Chapel of SCS on Aug. 8.
He said reading the Bible fulfills
the “process of discernment” that
serves as a bridge to hearing God’s
voice.
Two layers
Discernment, the priest said,
also includes two important
“layers”: listening to our personal
consciousness, and giving attention
to the people and the realities
Duc in Altum / A5
***
T h e S o c i a l
Communications Ministry
or SOCCOM of the Diocese of
Kalookan held its 2nd General
Assembly with the theme
“Risks and Rewards of
Using Social Media”.
The keynote speaker was no
other than its Bishop, Most
Rev. Pablo Virgilio David,
who talked on “The Church,
Digital Technology and the
Social Media: Tapping a
Powerful Forum for New
Evangelization”. He said that
the Vatican II document,
Inter Mirifica, is already
outdated inasmuch as the
same was approved in the
early 60’s during which
the media was focused on
printing press, movies,
Summit on September 12, which
enjoins both public and private
actors to join in on responding to
the issues of a worsening climate,”
he noted.
“Almost five years ago, one of
the most tragic climate-related
disasters wreaked devastation to our
country in the form of Supertyphoon
Yolanda (internationally known as
Haiyan). Here in 2018, it is clear
that Filipinos are still on their
own when dealing with the global
catastrophe that is climate change,”
said Philippine Movement for
Climate Justice (PMCJ) National
Coordinator Ian Rivera.
“Here in 2018, it is evident that we
are not ready for another Yolanda,
around us.
“Listen to our personal
consciousness, it is important
that we surface and acknowledge
them. That is important if we are
discerning… These things give
influence to our [daily] decisions,”
he added.
Martin said “true” fulfillment is
when people’s dreams goes hand-
in-hand with God’s will.
Life-long
“Discernment can [also] be
deepened not only in a particular
moment but in our whole lives,”
said the SCS rector.
The four-hour event, titled
“When Friendship with Christ
grows Family: Where love of God
begins”, was part of the 2018
Katolikong Pinoy Formation Series,
a year-long activity organized by
the Archdiocese of Manila. (Joel
Cristobal/CBCPNews)
radio, television and the
like, which are the media
(plural for medium) of
social communication
then. He said the most
significant revolution in
social communication is
the birth of the internet
and real-time global inter-
connectivity. He further
stated that SMARTPHONES
have become the powerful
mini-computers with all
the necessary functions
packed in one little gadget –
telephone, email, messaging,
facetime, teleconferencing,
word processing, book
reading, photography, audio/
video playing and recording;
that broadcasting news is
democratized by the social
media through Facebook,
September 3 - 16, Vol 22, No. 18 CBCP Monitor
Coalition spokesperson Jaybee
Garganera.
“Under President Duterte’s
administration, not only are
destructive mining practices
continuing unchecked by the
Department of Environment and
Natural Resources, some of them
have even been acquitted of any
liability by the Mining Industry
Coordinating Council established
under his rule,” said Garganera.
Church leaders also shed light
on human rights issues faced by
environmental defenders in their
resistance against environmentally
destructive projects.
“Last month thousands of Lumad
families were displaced in Surigao del
Sur and Agusan del Sur after heavy
militarization of their communities.
and the failed rehabilitation which a warning sign that the public is
They insist that the military presence
was hijacked by parochial and catching on with the costly dealings
was due to coal mining after the
corporate interests should not be undertaken by Meralco and its
Department of Energy awarded Coal
the standard of response we must own coal-powered generation
Operating Contracts to five private
expect from our government,” said companies,” said Pedrosa.
companies,” narrated Fr. Angel
Rivera. “While our resilience as “These costly dealings will only
Ace Cortez of the Ecological Justice
a People is admirable, we cannot shoot up the prices further along
Interfaith Movement.
just accept disasters and failed the line, given that coal projects
“A culture of impunity is
government response as part of our internationally are becoming less
incompatible with the culture of
reality.” and less profitable for companies,”
stewardship we are encouraged
The network stressed the he added.
by the Holy Father to build in
two-faced policy of the Duterte “For two long years, the President
caring for our common home,”
administration when it comes to has continually failed to deliver on his
said Fr. Cortez. “We call on our
energy and the climate. promises to end destructive mining,
leaders to stop the violence and
“The recent Pulse Asia Survey to enforce mining suspensions
heed the cry of the impoverished for
which states that majority of their and cancellations, and to enact a
justice, as we collectively re-evaluate
customers are disgusted with high nationwide open-pit mining ban,”
our relationship with nature and
electricity prices and are open to said Alyansa Tigil Mina National
the environment,” Cortez said.
other sources of energy should be Coordinator and Green Thumb
(CBCPNews)
Collection Box / A5
implementation of the in the future, but only to Many believed that been brought to court to
modified pay schedule
in 2019, we still laud the
find out that SSS President
and Chief Executive
Duterte is a populist. He
wooed the masses by
make them accountable
for their misdeeds, some
action of the President. Officer (CEO) Emmanuel lambasting the oligarchs, were simply re-assigned
Perhaps, we all agree that Dooc has asked the Office including the Church, to other agencies. Those
the AFP and PNP personnel of the President and the who where considered to he threatened were now
are under-salaried, hence, Department of Finance be the holders of power literally dead. There’s
their supposed involvement (DOF) to postpone the in the country but were not enough and clear
in organized criminal implementation of the viewed to have not done economic strategy to
syndicates to augment second tranche scheduled enough to help the poor. combat inflation, the
their meager incomes. The next year as the planned He prides himself as the weakening of peso, and the
increase in their salaries SSS contribution rate savior of the country by rising cost of commodities.
is a move towards their increase has yet to push ridding it of drugs, and His curses have already
professionalization that through. of the poor by promising gone overboard and his
includes their unbridled To the consternation of jobs, increases in wages, campaign promises have
commitment to enforce the Makabayan bloc at the bonuses, pensions, and remained unfulfilled.
laws and to always act in House of Representatives, fringe benefits. He showed Duterte should not
accordance with the law and its members filed a joint political will by closing waste his political capital
right reason. resolution ordering the Boracay, firing corrupt by making so many
The President cannot implementation of the personnel and threatening enemies. He needs the
afford to lose the support second tranche of the to kill local government whole country for support.
of the military and the Social Security System officials involved in the He should not treat the
PNP, hence, he has to (SSS) pension increase drug trade. He showed Church as his enemy, for
prioritize cozying up effective Jan. 1, 2019. toughness by firing Wanda surely, she is not. When the
to them more than the They said, “There is an Teo and by accepting the Church speaks, annoying
teachers and the other increasing clamor among resignation of his vice- as it may seem, it is neither
sectors. Let’s just hope SSS pensioners and their mayor son, Paolo Duterte. to downplay nor to reject
that both the military and families to immediately More importantly, he him, but simply to remind
the PNP will remain at the implement the 2nd pushed for free tuition in him to do what is right,
service of the people and tranche of SSS pension all State Universities and true, and just as our Lord
not just of one person. increase to cushion the Colleges (SUCs) which and his “Lord” commands.
Duterte also promised effects of Train (Tax no other president has Said the fox to the little
an increase in the SSS Reform Acceleration successfully done. prince in Saint Antoine
pension of retirees.So, and Inclusion) Law, and No doubt, Duterte de Exupery’s “Little
through a memorandum provide social protection has gotten the support Prince”, “When you make
signed by Executive to the pensioners….. of the masses through a promise, be sure to
Secretary Salvador Without appropriate and his promises, good deeds deliver on your promise,
Medialdea on Feb. 22, immediate intervention, and unfortunately, his otherwise, the people will
2017, President Rodrigo the SSS will fail in its role curses. The support be very disappointed”.
Duterte approved the to provide basic economic looks good at the outset. The President appears
Php2,000 increase in security for the people, But a look further at his to still be popular until
the SSS pension. This, curb poverty, provide presidency reveals so now, but he should not risk
however, was temporarily economic stability, many deficiencies which losing that popularity and
reduced to Php1,000 redistribute income, and his supporters decided to earn the ire of the people,
with a promise to give the preserve important social overlook. Those he fired including his supporters,
second tranche sometime and individual values”. for corruption have not by not living up to his word.
Twitter, Instagram, Josh Alfaro of Radio Veritas Radyo ng Simbahan” (the also marks the launching
Linked, etc. Youtube has who talked about social media, Radio of the Church) with of Golden Anniversary
revolutionized production, social media jargons, the the theme #FaithNews: Prayer; Anniversary
uploading, downloading and elements of digital storytelling, Communicating the 500 Raffle; First Catholic Film
sharing of videos in social composition, cinematography, Years of Faith. Fr. Anton Festival in partnership
media in real time, way ahead mobile and video photography C. T. Pascual, Radio Veritas with Catholic Mass Media
of those in the news business. and production. The President, stated that Radio Awards(CMMA); Movie
However, Inter Mirifica participants were divided into Veritas will strengthen its Premiere in partnership
recognizes the right of the 5 groups (per Vicariate) and public service program with Pioneer Films;
people to news that is always were required to submit a “Good Samaritan” and will Catholics of Manila;
true and complete, within 3-minute photography and tap generous people to share Liturgical Song Writing
the bounds of justice and video, encompassing the their blessings with the Contest; and Veritas 50th
charity; that in the search techniques mentioned in Ms. underprivileged. The radio Anniversary Coffee Table
for news and reporting, there Alfaro’s talk. station will also extend Book and 14-karat gold
must be full respect for the *** its social media platform Commemorative items.
laws of morality and for Radio Veritas sponsored through Veritas New Media Radio Veritas will also
legitimate rights and dignity a Thanksgiving Agape & that evangelizes through partner with Church
of the individual; special care Symposium at Arzobispado digital media tools and serve organizations involve in
should be taken to safeguard in Intramuros, Manila. The Church communities with social communications and
young people from (the new event is in celebration of its web and app development, will expand the Church in
social media) which may be 50th Anniversary in 2019 IT solutions, trainings multimedia and establish
harmful at their age. and also marks its new and workshops. The 50th a center for information
The other speaker was Ms. corporate rebranding “Ang Anniversary of Radio Veritas and communication.
CBCP Monitor September 3 - 16, Vol 22, No. 18 DIOCESAN NEWS A7

Priest attacked in Basilan Warning sounds on bid to derail

Mindanao peace process
UNIDENTIFIED men Police superintendent ensure that they [people as the attackers,” he said.
attacked and robbed a Gilzen Nino Manese of Isabela] are safe and In the past, several
Catholic priest in the said the priest sustained secure,” they said in a Catholic priests have
southern Philippine serious physical injuries statement. fallen victim to attacks
province of Basilan on and was taken to hospital Church leaders also in the predominantly
Aug. 29. where he was in stable called on people to Muslim province.
Authorities said Father condition. “continue to journey and In March 2000, the
Euclid Duenas Balosbalos, Prelature of Isabela pray so that justice will be Abu Sayyaf terror group
45, of the Prelature of officials condemned served.” kidnapped 58 people,
Isabela in Basilan was the attack and called on Authorities said they mostly teachers and
on his way to his parish authorities to catch the are still looking for the students from a Catholic
when motorcycle-riding attackers as quickly as attackers. school, including
men accosted and struck possible. They also urged Manese told ucanews. Claretian missionary
him across the head with the government to assess com by phone that priest Roel Gallardo.
a hard object. and put in place better “persons of interest” have More recently, on July
Military checkpoints are a familiar sight in the southern Philippine province of Basilan to ensure security
They grabbed the security measures in the already been identified. 31, a bomb explosion in amid threats from bandit groups. JOE TORRES/UCAN
priest’s bag containing his city. “We are pursuing them Basilan blamed on the
driver’s license, a mobile “We appeal to our men as we continue to look same terror group killed 11 CHRISTIAN and Muslim leaders and the rebels were preparing for
phone and about P200 and women in uniform for witnesses who can people. (Divina Suson/ in the southern Philippines have the ratification of the Bangsamoro
in cash. to do everything to positively identify them UCAN) warned against moves to derail Organic Law that would establish
the peace process in the region an expanded autonomous Muslim
Cubao cathedral closes after desecration following a recent spate of bomb
attacks in Mindanao.
region in Mindanao.
“Spoilers of peace are intensifying
A CATHOLIC church in Metro Cardinal Orlando Quevedo of their acts to derail the dawning of
Manila was temporarily closed on Cotabato has even called on Muslim peace in Mindanao,” said Iqbal,
Aug. 30 following reports that it was rebel groups to help find those adding that the perpetrators must
desecrated. responsible for the bombings that be arrested and made to suffer the
Bishop Honesto Ongtioco of killed a catechist on Sept. 2. full force of the law.
Cubao has ordered the suspension In condemning the bombings, the He also called on the public to
of all religious activities at the prelate said that religion seemed support the creation of the new
Immaculate Conception Cathedral to have been distorted in recent Muslim region despite efforts by
of Cubao in Quezon City for two months to “commit brazen crimes some groups to sabotage the peace
days. that cry out to heaven.” initiatives.
The prelate said the Catholic Cardinal Quevedo, who has called Governor Mujiv Hataman of the
community will undertake acts of Muslim rebel groups as “forces Autonomous Region in Muslim
penance and reparation for the of peace now,” has been at the Mindanao, also noted that the
desecration that took place on Aug. forefront of rallying support for the attacks came at a time when “peace
25. Mindanao peace process. is dawning” in the southern part of
A young man, thought to be The military, however, blamed the country.
mentally disturbed, reportedly the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom “We should not let violence hold
entered the cathedral and Fighters, which has pledged sway or stop us from achieving
desecrated the tabernacle and the Bishop Honesto Ongtioco. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF CUBAO allegiance to the so-called Islamic this peace we all want and need,”
Blessed Sacrament. State, for explosions in Isulan, a said the governor, adding that the
“Because of this, the community reparation” around the cathedral “wounded our hearts.” city in Sultan Kudarat province that bomb attacks were “spawned by
of the Immaculate Conception will also be held. “But we also recognize the young have killed five people and wounded extremism.”
Cathedral is to undertake acts of “May this act of penance and man’s wounded heart. He will at least 50 others since Aug. 28. Authorit ie s in Manila said
penance and reparation,” said reparation instill in our hearts and always be included in our prayers,” On July 31, at least a dozen people reports that the recent bombings
Bishop Ongtioco. “I ask that these minds the sublime mystery of the said the priest. were killed when a bomb exploded in Mindanao were a pretext
days be days of prayer and fasting.” Holy Eucharist,” said the prelate. Father Soriano said the young at an army checkpoint in Basilan for extending martial law in
While the cathedral will be closed, “Let this be an invitation to a deeper man entered the cathedral and went province. the region were “irresponsible
Masses will be held at a chapel devotion and stronger love for the straight to the sanctuary where Mohagher Iqbal, chairman of speculation”.
below the church where a “Holy Holy Eucharist.” he opened the tabernacle and ate the peace-implementing panel “These bombings harm innocent
Hour of Reparation” will be held in In a separate statement, Father communion wafers. of the rebel group Moro Islamic people, and that would be furthest
the evening. Dennis Soriano, rector of the It was not clear why he committed Liberation Front, said the bomb from the minds of the armed forces
A “procession of penance and cathedral, said the incident had these acts of desecration. (UCAN) attacks were “the handiwork of and the police,” police spokesman
barbarians.” Benigno Durana Jr. said.
Abuse / A1 Without mentioning names, President Rodrigo Duterte
the rebel leader said, “hawkish declared martial law across
Titled “Pastoral Pope Francis has earlier less than a week after the commitment to ensure the elements are out to derail the Mindanao on May 23, 2017.
exhortation on the pastoral said that the outcry of release of a Pennsylvania protection of minors and desired just and lasting peace” in Congress initially extended it
care and protection of abuse victims is more grand jury report on of vulnerable adults.” the southern Philippines. by six months and eventually,
minors,” the statement powerful than efforts to decades of clerical sexual During his recent trip He lamented that the bomb until December this year. (Bong
was intended to guide the silence them. abuse and cover-ups in six to Ireland for the World attacks occurred as the government Sarmiento/UCAN)
dioceses based on a global “No effort must be dioceses. The report spoke Meeting of Families,
approach but in line with spared” to prevent future of credible allegations the pontiff met Irish Candidly Speaking / A4
local criminal law. cases of clerical sexual against 301 priests in abuse victims and asked
The bishops’ pastoral abuse and “to prevent the cases involving more than Catholics to forgive the different generations. The baby updating, modification and revision,
statement also urged possibility of their being 1,000 children. church for its failures. boomers, for example, are different some deepening and widening, etc.
Catholics to pray and covered up,” he said in a “The heart-wrenching “We ask forgiveness from Generation X who are also What is important is that we
fast amid the sex abuse letter addressed “to the pain of these victims, for the abuse in Ireland, different form Generation Y and Z, sharpen our skill of observation,
scandals. “The situation people of God” on Aug. which cries out to heaven, abuse of power and of the so-called millennials. It would taking note as promptly as possible
also calls us to something 20. was long ignored, kept conscience, sexual abuse” be good if we take note of these of the new developments. The
important. It reminds “I acknowledge once quiet or silenced,” Pope by clergy and religious, he differences and act accordingly. motive of all this should be to help
us to go to the Lord in more the suffering endured Francis said. “But their said Aug. 26. “In a special As long as profiling is simply people, and not for purposes of
prayer,” Valles added. by many minors due to outcry was more powerful way, we ask forgiveness for used as some guide without gossiping and fault finding.
“This is something that sexual abuse, the abuse than all the measures all the abuse committed in stereotyping people, then it is Yes, we have to be clear about our
we can organize and do in of power and the abuse of meant to silence them.” the different institutions good. That is why, it is advisable motives for profiling. We even have
our dioceses and parishes, in conscience perpetrated “The pain of the victims run by religious men and always to take note of the more to be more specific about the motive
our religious communities, by a significant number and their families is also religious women and or less distinctive characteristics of helping people, because there are
and in our BECs (Basic of clerics and consecrated our pain,” he said, “and other members of the of the different groups, sectors many ways of helping people. And
Ecclesial Communities),” persons,” the pope wrote. so it is urgent that we church.” (With reports and categories of people, without our idea of helping people may not
he also said. The letter was published once more reaffirm our from CNS) indiscriminatingly assuming these be altogether good or right, because
characteristics when dealing with it can be tainted with self-interest.
Relic / A1 these classes of people. We should To truly help people is to help
made possible through the initiative thousands of pilgrims ever since, facilitated by the by the Archdiocese also be attentive to individual and them get closer to God. Short of
of the Archdiocese of Lipa. especially during Holy Week and of Cebu from Oct. 11-13, while the personal differences. this motive, we can suspect that our
The Philippines will only be every 23rd of each month, declared Mindanao leg will be handled by the Of course, life is a dynamic motivation is not pure. When the
the fourth country to be visited as special day for Padre Pio when Davao archdiocese from Oct. 14-16. process, and we should not think motive is pure, no difficulty can stop
by the heart relic. Others include they have Masses and healing From Davao, it will go back to that our profiling work is a static our effort to help. And our effort
the United States, Paraguay and liturgy. Batangas in the morning of October affair. It will always be an ongoing at profiling would be exempted of
Argentina. Gonda said a contingent of 17, where a concelebrated Mass affair, and will always need some self-serving motives.
“This will also be a ‘time of grace’ devotees from the national shrine will be held at the San Sebastian
for the Filipinos, especially the will fly to Italy a week before to Cathedral in Lipa City. EJK / A1
devotees of Padre Pio, who are now fetch and accompany the relic to After the Mass, it will proceed
walloping in near hopelessness the Philippines. to the Capuchin Monastery at he claimed. linked to the unjust killings of
during these uncertain times of our “We will be accompanied by two Brgy. San Sebastian, also in Lipa Since April, Picardal said he has drug personalities under Duterte’s
nation’s history,” said Gonda. Capuchin friars to ensure the safety for the exclusive veneration of the been living in hermitage on top of a mayorship in Davao City.
Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of and orderliness of the visit of the Capuchins of the Philippines. mountain overlooking Cebu City, only
Lipa has approved of the detailed heart relic to the different places in From October 18, the relic to go down the monastery twice a Moving target
plans of the visit, especially during the country,” he added. stays at the National Shrine, and month to bond with the Redemptorists “They are determined to complete
its stay at the Shrine of St. Padre Since it’s a nationwide event, a round the clock venerations and do his usual routine of checking their ‘project’ [of killing me].
Pio, declared National Shrine by the the Luzon leg will be hosted by take place until its departure on emails, grocery shopping, and drinking Otherwise, they won’t get paid,”
CBCP in 2015. the Archdiocese of Manila from October 26, after a 9am farewell coffee in a shop. added Picardal.
The shrine has been attracting Oct. 8-10, the Visayas leg will be Mass. (CBCPNews) The priest said a source told
Not off the hook him that Malacañang ordered his
Deportation / A1 But the priest said he is not out assassination.
of danger yet. Picardal believes vigilantes are
deportation order against the Australian missionary. “She is determined to continue her missionary He has since moved to a “more targeting him because he publicly
The nun asked the DOJ to reverse BI’s deportation work among the poor and the oppressed, not on the secure location and avoids public decried the summary executions in
order against her after it denied her motion for narrow and misleading definition of the BI on what exposure.” Davao, where he was based from
reconsideration on August 23. this constitutes.” Since last year, Picardal said, he 1977 to 1981 and from 1995 to 2011.
She also asked the DOJ to clarify her legal status “Sr. Fox is cherished and loved by those that had been receiving information that He also posted a “collated report”
after her missionary visa expired on September 5. Fox she serves, which ironically this government finds the infamous “death squad” was of the alleged killings in Davao,
applied for an extension of her visa on Aug. 20 at the offensive,” it said. going to target priests and that he which was sent to the International
BI office in Manila. The BI had earlier ordered Fox deported for being an was on top of the list. Criminal Court (ICC).
Aside from the DOJ, the camp of Fox said they are “undesirable alien” after she allegedly joined partisan At least 3 Catholic clergymen Picardal also served as the
also ready to appeal her case up to the Supreme Court political activities. were killed by unidentified gunmen spokesperson of the Coalition
(SC) if the need arises. Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon said criticized the under the Duterte administration. Against Summary Execution,
“The missionary would exhaust all legal remedies Duterte administration for pushing the deportation of The “death squad” refers to which monitored the unjust killings
that she is entitled to,” said the group, Solidarity with the 71-year-old missionary despite the service she has the Davao Death Squad (DDS), a in Davao. (Joel Cristobal/
the Poor, in a statement. rendered to poor Filipinos. (CBCPNews) group of policemen and vigilantes CBCPNews)
A8 PEOPLE, FACTS, AND PLACES
Manila honors its first Filipino cardinal
HUNDREDS of Catholics
attended the raising of the
tasseled red hat of the first
Filipino cardinal to the
rafters of Manila Cathedral
on Sept. 3.
The raising of late Manila
archbishop Cardinal Rufino
Santos’ “galero” was led by
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle,
who celebrated Mass before
the ceremony.
“We want to thank
God for entrusting to us
Cardinal Santos,” said the
Manila prelate as he also
thanked the family of the
late cardinal for “sharing
[him] with the wide family
of the church.”
Cardinal Tagle praised his
predecessor for the numerous
projects he initiated during
his lifetime, especially the
reconstruction of Manila
Cathedral after World War II.
“This beautiful cathedral,
we owe to Cardinal Santos,”
said the current Manila
archbishop.
“He knew it was not his
talent. It was God’s. But
what an enterprising steward
Cardinal Santos was,” he
added.
“I do not envy Cardinal
Santos for having survived
the challenges during his
time, a time of war,” said
Cardinal Tagle.
Father Reginald Malicdem,
rector of Manila Cathedral,
said the raising of the
“galero” was done to honor
Tarlac to hold 1st episcopal
coronation of Marian image
On Sept. 15, Tarlac Bishop Enrique Macaraeg will preside over the formal coronation of the image
of ‘Mater Dolorosa’ venerated in Mater Dolorosa Parish, in Dolores, Capas, Tarlac. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
CAPAS, Tarlac— For the first time
in its history, the Diocese of Tarlac
will hold a formal rite of episcopal
coronation of an image of Holy
Mary.
On Sept. 15, 2018, Saturday, 9:00
a.m., Tarlac Bishop Enrique V.
Macaraeg, D.D. will preside over a
concelebrated Mass and will lead
the rite of episcopal coronation of
the image of the “Mater Dolorosa”
in Dolores, Capas, Tarlac.
“There has been a number of
reported healings, particularly
from cancer, attributed to the
intercession of Our Lady, the ‘Mater
Dolorosa’,” shared parish priest Fr.
Melvin P. Castro.
Devotion to ‘Mater Dolorosa’
According to the priest, the image
Our Lady of Sorrows was enshrined
as the patron saint of a flourishing
community in November 1954 since
the barangay where the church
was, was established and named
“Dolores” because of the devotion
to Our Lady of Sorrows among the
local faithful.
After 34 years, the chapel was
renovated to accommodate the
growing number of churchgoers.
The celebration will be preceded
by an octave of prayers and Masses,
in honor of the Mater Dolorosa that
will begin on Sept. 8, the feast of
Nativity of Our Lady.
Full-fledged 24/7 parish
On July 17, 1998 the small chapel
of Barangay Dolores became the seat
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle prepares the tasseled red hat of the late Manila archbishop Cardinal Rufino Santos before raising it to the rafters of Manila Cathedral on Sept. 3.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MANILA CATHEDRAL
the memory of the late prelate The galero is a red hat the tradition of suspending
and to recognize his efforts in decorated with tassels that the hat in the cathedral
rebuilding the cathedral in was used by cardinals in church to honor a dead
1958. the past as a symbol of the cardinal continues to this
“This is a call for the church responsibility given to them. day.
to continue this legacy and The color red symbolizes When Cardinal Jaime Sin
mission of rebuilding lives their readiness to shed blood died in 2005, a galero was
and of strengthening one for the Gospel. acquired and has since been
another in faith and charity,” Although the use of the hanging from the dome of
said the priest. galero was abolished in 1969, Manila Cathedral.
PH envoy hopes to strengthen
ties with the Vatican
THE Philippines’ new ambassador
to the Holy See, who formally
assumed diplomatic mission over
the weekend, said she is ready to
take steps to further improve ties
with the Vatican.
Grace Relucio Princesa presented
her credentials to Pope Francis
during a meeting at the Vatican on
Sept. 1, almost eight months after
her appointment from President
Rodrigo Duterte.
“I will see how can I improve
enhance Philippine-Vatican
relations since we have
commonalities on issues like
migration, climate change, and
interfaith,” she said.
“I also hope to assist the estimated
Filipino religious community here,”
said Princesa, also known as “Nanay
Amba”.
Born in Ligao, Albay, the 62-year-
old ambassador is a widow and
mother of five children.
A diplomat for nearly three
of the new full-pledged parish, still
under the patronage of Our Lady
Public invited to ‘intentional parenting’ confab
of Sorrows. Then Tarlac Bishop PARENTS who feel they
Florentino F. Cinense installed Fr. need a different style of
Romeo Ramos as its first parish parenting to raise kids
priest. in an environment that
With the blessing of the present emphasizes character-
Bishop of Tarlac, the parish opened building and not just
its doors 24-hours a day, beginning academics would be
Nov. 1, 2017, under the pastoral care interested to join the 2018
of Castro, the current parish priest. Philippine Homeschool
Castro highlighted the beautiful Convention (PHC), with
coincidence that 1954, the year of the theme “On Fire!”,
the establishment of the parish, on Sept. 22, at the SMX
was a Universal Marian Year to Convention Center, SM
commemorate the centenary of Aura Premier, Taguig
the definition of the dogma of the City.
Immaculate Conception. According to the event’s
organizers, the PHC this
To console Jesus’ and Mary’s year is inspired by the
hearts quotation commonly
“Personally, it is also a happy attributed to the poet
coincidence for me as a priest, since William Yeats, but is said
I also celebrate my 20th sacerdotal to originate from Greek
ordination anniversary this year,” biographer and essayist
the parish priest commented. Plutarch’s original words:
As a fitting gesture amid trials the “The mind is not a vessel
Church is presently going through to be filled but a fire to be
–in the Philippines, in other kindled.”
countries, as well as in the Vatican “As homeschoolers,
– the parish priest expressed his we believe that our
wish to take the opportunity “to approach to education is
renew my personal offering and characterized by this very
consecration of myself and my concept. In homeschooling
priesthood to the Sorrowful and our children, we do not
Immaculate Heart of Mary.” merely fill their minds
“Indeed, may I spend my life, my with information. We aim
priestly life, in reparation for sins for character-building
and to console the Hearts of Jesus that goes beyond the
and Mary,” Castro added. (Fr. academics. We strive
Mickey Cardenas/CBCPNews) to guide our children to
September 3 - 16, Vol 22, No. 18
Cardinal Santos’ galero
used to hang in the cathedral
but it fell some years back. It
was recently discovered in
the cathedral’s stock room.
The late cardinal served as
archbishop of Manila from
1953, when the country was
still recovering from the
horrors of World War II.
Grace Relucio Princesa presents her credentials to Pope Francis at the Vatican on Sept. 1, formally
assuming her duties as Philippine ambassador to the Holy See. VATICAN MEDIA
decades, she was the first female
Philippine ambassador to the
United Arab Emirates and had
previous postings in Iraq, USA,
Egypt and Switzerland.
She also served as Assistant
Secretary of the Foreign Affairs
find what fuels them. We • homeschool coach
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and purpose in life,”
reads a press release from ‘Intentional education’
Educating for Life (EFL), Everyone from first-
the main organizer of PHC. time parents to long-time
homeschoolers have a
Veteran reason to join the PHC and
homeschoolers hear about new parenting
Organized in partnership ideas and frameworks.
with Moneygment and “I am very eager to
SMX Convention Center, homeschool my child. As
SM Aura Premier, the a first-time mom, I want
convention “aims to to learn more about this
gather Filipino parents and connect with those
and provide them who are already doing
with inspiration and it and find a community
encouragement to keep the to support [us on] this
flame burning as they fuel journey,” shared Glaiza
and kindle their children’s Tan Reyes.
passion and purpose.” For Theresa Orteza, the
PHC 2018 speakers program will be refresher
include: on why parents want to
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turned-homeschooling first place.
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CBCP Monitor
In the midst of the
destruction brought about
by the war, his leadership
focused on rebuilding and
fortifying structures to
address the urgent needs of
the church in the country.
He established Catholic
Charities, the predecessor
of Caritas Manila, the
social action arm of the
archdiocese.
He also started Radio
Veritas, founded the Asian
Social Institute, built the
Pope Pius XII Catholic
Center, the Our Lady of
Guadalupe Minor Seminary,
and the Pontificio Collegio
Filippino in Rome.
During the Japanese
occupation of Manila, the
late Cardinal Santos, who
was a priest at the time,
saved the life of then
Manila archbishop, Michael
O’Doherty by volunteering
to be imprisoned on the
archbishop’s behalf.
The priest was in jail from
Feb. 4, 1944, to Feb. 5, 1945
and endured torture. The
liberation of Manila by
the Americans began days
before he was scheduled to
be executed.
He became an auxiliary
bishop of Manila in 1947
before becoming archbishop
in 1953. He received the red
hat from Pope John XXIII
in 1960 and became the first
Filipino cardinal. He died at
age 65 in 1973. (UCAN)
Department’s Legislative Liaison Unit.
Princesa has a degree in
International Relations from
the University of the Philippines
and took a master in Migration
Studies in Miriam College. (Roy
Lagarde/CBCPNews)
plenary talks, breakout
sessions and expo) –
Php1000 per participant
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Tickets are non-
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Established in 2014,
EFL is a group of four
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(CBCPNews)
CBCP Monitor September 3 - 16, 2018 Vol. 22 No. 18
The ecumenical World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is Sept. 1. Supported by both Pope Francis and Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the 2018 celebration is focused on the importance of water. CINDY WOODEN
Thank the Creator for the
marvelous gift of the great waters
Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
1 September 2018
DEAR brothers and sisters,
On this Day of Prayer, I wish first to thank
the Lord for the gift of our common home
and for all those men and women of good
will committed to protecting it. I am likewise
grateful for the many projects aimed at
promoting the study and the safeguarding
of ecosystems, for the efforts being made
to develop more sustainable agriculture
and more responsible nutrition, and for the
various educational, spiritual and liturgical
initiatives that involve Christians throughout
the world in the care of creation.
It must be acknowledged that we have not
succeeded in responsibly protecting creation.
The environmental situation, both on the
global level and in many specific places, cannot
be considered satisfactory. Rightly, there is
a growing sense of the need for a renewed
and sound relationship between humanity
and creation, and the conviction that only an
authentic and integral vision of humanity will
permit us to take better care of our planet for
the benefit of present and future generations.
For “there is no ecology without an adequate
anthropology” (Laudato Si’, 118).
On this World Day of Prayer for the Care
of Creation, which the Catholic Church for
several years now has celebrated in union with
our Orthodox brothers and sisters and with
participation of other Churches and Christian
communities, I would like to draw attention
to the question of water. It is a very simple
and precious element, yet access to it is, sadly,
for many people difficult if not impossible.
Nonetheless, “access to safe drinkable water
is a basic and universal human right, since it
is essential to human survival and, as such, is
a condition for the exercise of other human
rights. Our world owes a great social debt
towards the poor who lack access to drinking
water, because they are denied the right to a
life consistent with their inalienable dignity”
(ibid., 30).
Water invites us to reflect on our origins. The
human body is mostly composed of water, and
many civilizations throughout history arose
near great rivers that marked their identity.
In an evocative image, the beginning of the
book of Genesis states that, in the beginning,
the spirit of the Creator “swept over the face
of the waters (1:2)”.
In considering the fundamental role of water
in creation and in human development, I feel
the need to give thanks to God for “Sister
Water”, simple and useful for life like nothing
else on our planet. Precisely for this reason,
care for water sources and water basins is an
urgent imperative. Today, more than ever,
we need to look beyond immediate concerns
(cf.  Laudato Si’, 36) and beyond a purely
utilitarian view of reality, “in which efficiency
and productivity are entirely geared to our
individual benefit” (ibid., 159). We urgently
need shared projects and concrete gestures
that recognize that every privatization of the
natural good of water, at the expense of the
human right to have access to this good, is
unacceptable.
For us Christians, water represents an
essential element of purification and of
life. We think immediately of baptism, the
sacrament of our rebirth. Water made holy by
the Spirit is the matter by which God has given
us life and renewed us; it is the blessed source
of undying life. For Christians of different
confessions, baptism also represents the
real and irreplaceable point of departure for
experiencing an ever more authentic fraternity
on the way to full unity. Jesus, in the course
of his mission, promised a water capable of
quenching human thirst for ever (cf. Jn 4:14).
He prophesied, “If any one thirst, let him come
to me and drink (Jn 7:37). To drink from Jesus
means to encounter him personally as the
Lord, drawing from his words the meaning of
life. May the words he spoke from the cross
– “I thirst” (Jn  19:28) – echo constantly in
our hearts. The Lord continues to ask that his
thirst be quenched; he thirsts for love. He asks
us to give him to drink in all those who thirst in
our own day, and to say to them, “I was thirsty
and you gave me to drink” (Mt 25:35). To give
to drink, in the global village, does not only
entail personal gestures of charity, but also
concrete choices and a constant commitment
to ensure to all the primary good of water.
I would like also to mention the issue of the
seas and oceans. It is our duty to thank the
Creator for the impressive and marvelous gift
of the great waters and all that they contain
(cf.  Gen  1:20-21;  Ps  146:6), and to praise
him for covering the earth with the oceans
(cf. Ps 104:6). To ponder the immense open
seas and their incessant movement can also
represent an opportunity to turn our thoughts
to God, who constantly accompanies his
creation, guiding its course and sustaining
its existence (cf. St. John Paul II, Catechesis
of 7 May 1986).
Constant care for this inestimable treasure
represents today an ineluctable duty and
a genuine challenge. There is need for an
effective cooperation between men and
women of good will in assisting the ongoing
work of the Creator. Sadly, all too many efforts
fail due to the lack of effective regulation and
means of control, particularly with regard
to the protection of marine areas beyond
national confines (cf. Laudato Si’, 174).
We cannot allow our seas and oceans to be
littered by endless fields of floating plastic.
Here too, our active commitment is needed to
confront this emergency. We need to pray as
if everything depended on God’s providence,
and work as if everything depended on us.
Let us pray that waters may not be a sign of
separation between peoples, but of encounter
PASTORAL CONCERNS B1
for the human community. Let us pray that
those who risk their lives at sea in search of a
better future may be kept safe. Let us ask the
Lord and all those engaged in the noble service
of politics that the more sensitive questions of
our day, such as those linked to movements
of migration, climate change and the right of
everyone to enjoy primary goods, may be faced
with generous and farsighted responsibility
and in a spirit of cooperation, especially
among those countries most able to help.
Let us pray too, for all those who devote
themselves to the apostolate of the sea,
for those who help reflect on the issues
involving maritime ecosystems, for those
who contribute to the development and
application of international regulations on
the seas in order to safeguard individuals,
countries, goods, natural resources – I think,
for example, of marine fauna and flora, and
coral reefs (cf. ibid., 41) or sea beds – and to
guarantee an integral development in view of
the common good of the entire human family
and not particular interests. Let us remember,
too, all those who work to protect maritime
areas and to safeguard the oceans and their
biodiversity, that they may carry out this task
with responsibility and integrity.
Finally, let us be concerned for the younger
generation and pray for them, that they
may grow in knowledge and respect for our
common home and in the desire to care for
the essential good of water, for the benefit
of all. It is my prayerful hope that Christian
communities may contribute more and more
concretely helping everyone to enjoy this
indispensable resource, in respectful care for
the gifts received from the Creator, and in
particular rivers, seas and oceans.
From the Vatican, 1 September 2018
FRANCIS
B2 FEATURE
By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.
Pope Francis in 2015 waves alongside Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, then the apostolic nuncio to the
United States, right, outside St. Patrick in the City Church in Washington. BOB ROLLER/CNS
In this extremely dramatic moment
for the universal Church … Pope
Francis must be the first to set a
good example for cardinals and
bishops who covered up [Cardinal
Theodore] McCarrick’s abuses and
resign along with the rest of them.”
That was the stunning message of a
letter, sent by former papal nuncio
to the U.S. Archbishop Carlo Maria
Viganò, that has been roiling the
Catholic world since it was published
in several traditionalist Catholic
news outlets on the first day of
September. “At turns moralistic and
conspiratorial in tone, erratic in its
deployment of facts, and written
with the aid of a conservative Italian
Vatican reporter—according to an
American journalist—Viganò’s
letter alleges a papal cover-up in
the Church’s sexual-abuse scandal.
So far, the pope has insisted to
reporters that he would not “say a
single word about” the letter, which
has left him in a painful situation.
Asked to comment on this
controversy, I posted the following
in social media: There are processes
to be followed and the Pope is doing
that. Trial by publicity, even in civil
(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university, answers the following query:)
Q1: My question regards the role
of the deacon(s) in the proper
incensing of the altar after the
entrance procession and similarly
during the offertory. Specifically, I
am unclear as to whether there is a
distinction between the privileges of
bishops and priests with regards to
whether the deacon(s) accompany
the celebrant as he incenses around
the altar. The Ceremonial of Bishops
seems to directly assert that the
deacon(s) should accompany the
celebrant, as it states that “the
bishop, accompanied by the two
deacons assisting him, incenses
the altar and the cross” (131).
However, the wording in the General
Instruction of the Roman Missal
(GIRM) is different as it states that
during a Mass with a deacon, “he
assists the Priest in putting some
(incense) into the thurible and in
incensing the cross and the altar”
(173). So, I was curious if this
difference in wording (i.e. “assisting”
vs. “accompanying”) highlights
perhaps a privilege of bishops
to have their deacon-chaplains
accompany them when incensing,
as opposed to priests doing so
alone (comparable to bishops
remaining seated before the Gospel
procession when adding incense, as
opposed to standing like priests),
or if this is purely a difference in
wording that gets across the same
idea of all deacons accompanying
the celebrant. I have seen both
interpretations in the liturgy, with
some bishops choosing to have the
deacons remain behind the altar, but
also some priests choosing to have
deacons accompany them. Is there a
“right” way to approach this? – C.R.,
Abington, Massachusetts
Q2: Does liturgical law (or custom)
The office of Peter
Putting the Vigano affair in perspective (Part I)
law, is not acceptable. In Canon Law,
which puts a far greater worth to
personal dignity, publication of an
ongoing investigation is detestable.
That is what I detest about Abp.
Vigano’s approach. And to ask
for the resignation of the Pope
betrays lack of understanding of the
theologico-canonical nature of the
Petrine Office.
Allow me to tackle this theological-
canonical matter now.
The Office of Peter
Can.331 — The bishop of the
Church of Rome, in whom resides
the office given in a special way
by the Lord to Peter, first of the
Apostles and to be transmitted to
his successors, is head of the college
of bishops, the Vicar of Christ and
Pastor of the universal Church
on earth; therefore, in virtue of
his office he enjoys supreme, full,
immediate and universal ordinary
power in the Church, which he can
always freely exercise.
The first part of c.331 gives a
series of titles applied to the Roman
Pontiff:
1) Bishop of Rome—The canon
Deacon’s role at incensing
allow a deacon, when presiding at
a liturgy wherein incense will be
used (e.g., presiding at morning
prayer or evening prayer; presiding
at Benediction; or presiding at a
funeral service), when he places
the incense, to bless the incense
also (as a priest or bishop would)?
In the absence of a higher minister
and if he’s presiding at a liturgy in
which he is an “ordinary” minister,
is there any reason why he could
not? The GIRM states: “179. During
the Eucharistic Prayer, the Deacon
stands near the Priest, but slightly
behind him, so that when necessary
he may assist the Priest with the
chalice or the Missal. From the
epiclesis, until the Priest shows the
chalice, the Deacon usually remains
kneeling. If several Deacons are
present, one of them may place
incense in the thurible for the
Consecration and incense the host
and the chalice at the elevation.”
On the other hand, the Code of
Canon Law states in Canon 1169
§3, “A deacon can impart only those
blessings expressly permitted by
law.” – D.M., Loose Creek, Missouri
A: As both questions relate to
deacons and incensing, I have opted
to address them together.
First, some contextualization is
in order so as to properly frame a
response.
The first edition of the GIRM was
frequently accused of vagueness
and imprecision in its rubrical
indications, leaving those in charge
of arranging ceremonies somewhat
perplexed as to how to proceed.
Because of this, when the
Ceremonial of Bishops was issued
in 1984 it was far more detailed
in its descriptions of rites. It also
declared that the previous liturgical
opens with a reference to the bishop
of the Church of Rome, and only
afterwards enumerates the other
pontifical titles that the canonical
legislator wanted to underscore.
This would seem to imply a logical
priority in which the title of Roman
Pontiff is the foundation of all
the other titles. On the one hand,
this affirms that the Pope should
always be the Bishop of Rome
(and not any other See). Finally,
this also underscores the episcopal
character as a necessary condition
for the Petrine office, anticipating
as it were what would later be laid
down in c.332, §1 in fine: If the
one elected lacks the episcopal
character, he is to be ordained a
bishop immediately.
2) Successor of Peter
by Christ’s will—This fact is
affirmed only implicitly in c.331,
but when taken jointly with c.330,
the affirmation is more explicit.
Nevertheless, Vatican I had already
declared the permanence of the office
of Peter by the Lord’s Will, and that
it therefore had to be transmitted to
his successors, the Bishops of Rome.
1
As the two Vatican Councils have
taught, this office consists in being
“the perpetual and visible source
and foundation of the unity both
of the bishops and of the whole
company of the faithful.” 2
3) Head of the College of
Bishops—Caput collegii is clearly
Vatican II terminology, although it
has a long history and can hardly
be considered an innovation. 3
Being the Bishop of Rome and the
Successor of Peter, who is the first of
the Apostles, the Pope is necessarily
also the Head of the Episcopal
College. Again this underscores the
necessary membership of the Pope
in the Episcopal College—i.e., he
is intrinsic to that college, even if
hierarchically superior to it as its
Head.
4) Vicar of Christ and pastor
of the universal Church on
earth—These two titles follow
necessarily from that of Successor
of Peter. The fact that the title
of Head of the College appears
first does not imply an ontological
priority with respect to these last
two titles, but rather a logical order
in relation to the title of Bishop
of Rome. It is evident that all the
1 Cf. Vatican Council I, Dogmatic Const. Pas-
tor Aeternus, Ch.2, in DS 3050.
2 LG, n.23; cf. Vatican Council I, Dogmatic
Const. Pastor Aeternus, Ch.2, in DS 3050.
Newly ordained transitional deacons walk in procession at the conclusion of an ordination Mass in St.
Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Sept. 29. PAUL HARING/CNS
books remained in force unless the
Ceremonial explicitly changed it.
Th e re f o re , i n p r a c t i c e , t h e
Ceremonial of Bishops served as a
practical guidebook for masters of
ceremonies and all those in charge
of liturgical celebrations, especially
in areas where the instructions of the
missal were approximate or unclear.
When the third typical edition of
the Roman Missal was published it
incorporated many of the precisions
of the Ceremonial, changed a few,
and generally described the rites
with greater detail.
It is important, however, to
remember the contexts of each
volume. The Ceremonial is
concerned with celebrations by
bishops, the missal with normal
celebrations by priests. That is why
the missal hardly ever mentions
the specific roles of a bishop except
in the case of stating that before
the Gospel only the bishop places
incense and blesses the deacon while
remaining seated.
September 3 - 16, 2018 Vol. 22 No. 18
aforementioned titles are implied
in and are inseparable from the
fundamental condition of Bishop
of Rome.
On the other hand, the title of
Vicarius Christi—of medieval
vintage—is not exclusive to the Pope,
since the other bishops are also
Vicars of Christ in their respective
dioceses and their power come
directly from God. Nevertheless, the
title acquires special significance in
the Pope where it is united to that of
Pastor of the universal Church.
Characteristics of papal power
The redaction of c.331 establishes
a connection—therefore—between
the Petrine function and the power
of the Pope. As previously pointed
out, this office consists in being “the
perpetual and visible source and
foundation of the unity both of the
bishops and of the whole company
of the faithful.” It is in the service
of this finality that the office of
Peter comes with a power whose
characteristics are enumerated in
the second part of c.331: in virtue
of his office, he enjoys supreme,
full, immediate and universal
ordinary power in the Church,
which he can always freely
exercise.
1) Ordinary (ordinaria
potestate)— The Pope possesses
his power in virtue of his office,
and therefore not as a physical
person but as the titleholder of the
capital function of government of
the universal Church. Thus, it is an
ordinary power—not delegated—in
the sense of c.131, §1.
2) Supreme (suprema)—It
is not subordinated to any other
human power, either ecclesiastical
or temporal (secular), and therefore
enjoys absolute hierarchical
superiority in its order. The
consequences of this superiority can
be gleaned from different canonical
provisions:
a) Prima Sedes a nemine
iudicatur. This principle,
enuntiated by c.1404, has as a
consequence that any act or
decision made in violation thereof
is considered invalid (c.1606, §1).
b) The Roman Pontiff is the
supreme judge for the entire
Catholic world (c.1442). There is
neither appeal nor recourse against
a decision or decree by the Roman
Pontiff (c.333, §3), and a censure is
established against one who takes
recourse against an act of a Roman
The different contexts are at
the root of the different wordings
in the liturgical books, but these
differences do not necessarily imply
different norms.
Thus, the fact that the Ceremonial,
in describing the entrance
procession, mentions two deacons
and the missal one is based on
the presumption that in a solemn
Mass the bishop would normally
be accompanied by two deacons,
whereas this would be uncommon
in a parish situation even on solemn
occasions.
Also, No. 131 in the Ceremonial
says that the bishop, “accompanied
by the two deacons assisting him,
incenses the altar and the cross.”
Therefore in both the missal and
the Ceremonial the primary function
of the deacon is to “assist” the
celebrant.
GIRM No. 173 says that the deacon
“assists the Priest … in incensing
the cross and the altar”; it would
be difficult to see how he can assist
CBCP Monitor
Pontiff to an ecumenical council or
to the college of bishops (c.1372).
c) The supreme direction and
coordination of endeavors
and activities which deal with
missionary work and missionary
cooperation belongs to the Roman
Pontiff and the college of bishops
(c.782, §1).
d) The Roman Pontiff is the
supreme administrator and
steward of all ecclesiastical
goods (c.1273; cf. c.1256).
3) Full (plena)—The Pope
possesses all the power that
Christ entrusted to his Church,
and therefore all that is necessary
and sufficient for the government
of the Church in all the orders
and spheres of ecclesial life. Such
plenitude includes both the power
of Order as well as the power of
jurisdiction, extending to all the
functions of the sacra potestas:
munus sanctificandi, docendi
et regendi. It also extends to all the
functions of government properly
speaking—i.e., legislative, executive
and judicial.
Full, however, does not mean
unlimited. As the Council pointed
out, such power had been granted
by God “in the care of souls...to
promote the common good of the
universal Church and the particular
good of all the churches.” 4 Thus, its
limits are determined by the ends of
the Church, and it must respect the
constitution and structure of the
Church itself, which are of divine
institution.
4) Immediate (inmediata)—
The Pope can exercise his power over
each and every one of the faithful,
and over each and every one of the
particular Churches, without need
of any permission, authorization
or license of the respective Bishops
or Ordinaries. Consequently, the
faithful also have the right to direct
themselves to the Pope without any
need of intermediary.
This characteristic of the power of
the Roman Pontiff also has different
manifestations in the CIC, among
which are the following:
a) Anyone of the faithful is free
to bring to or introduce before the
Holy See a case either contentious or
penal in any grade of judgment and
at any stage of litigation (c.1417, §1).
b) It is the right of the Roman
Pontiff himself alone to judge ...
other cases he has called to his own
4 Christus Dominus, n.2.
Office / B7
the priest while incensing the altar
if he does not accompany him. This
assisting would usually be in the
nature of holding back the folds of
the chasuble so that the priest’s arms
are free to move.
We must also remember that the
wording of GIRM No. 173 exercises
verbal economy because it takes
into account the description of the
incensing in GIRM No. 123 and does
not repeat itself. The Ceremonial,
on the other hand, is deliberately
detailed.
Therefore, I would say that being
accompanied by one or two deacons
during the incensing of the altar
is not an episcopal privilege but is
applicable to any priest presiding at
a solemn celebration.
That said, there may be occasions
when the limits of space or other
logistical concerns mean that
the celebrant, whether bishop or
priest, won’t be accompanied while
incensing the altar.
To the second question, we can
answer in the affirmative.
In celebrations that foresee the
possibility of their being presided
over by a priest or deacon, the
deacon carries out the rites in the
same way as the priest unless the
rubrics themselves explicitly make
a distinction. Since this is not done
in the case of blessing incense
when a deacon presides at Lauds,
Vespers, Benediction, a funeral
service outside of Mass and other
similar occasions, then it can be
legitimately deduced that he may
also bless the incense as it forms part
of the normal rite.
The particular case of GIRM No.
179 mentioned by our readers is a
different situation. At this moment
the deacon simply places incense
Deacon / B7
CBCP Monitor September 3 - 16, 2018 Vol. 22 No. 18
Address of His Holiness
Pope Francis during the
Feast of Families
Croke Park Stadium in Dublin
25 August 2018
DIA dhaoibh (Irish for “good
evening!”)
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good
evening!
I am grateful to all of you for your
warm welcome. It is good to be here!
It is good to celebrate, for celebration
makes us more human and more
Christian. It also helps us to share the
joy of knowing that Jesus loves us,
he accompanies us on our journey of
life, and each day he draws us closer
to himself.
In any family celebration, everyone’s
presence is felt: fathers, mothers,
grandparents, grandchildren, uncles
and aunts, cousins, those who cannot
come and those who live too far
away, everyone. Today in Dublin we
are gathered for a family celebration
of thanksgiving to God for who we
are: one family in Christ, spread
throughout the world. The Church is
the family of God’s children. A family
in which we rejoice with those who
are rejoicing, and weep with those
who grieve or feel knocked down
by life. A family in which we care
for everyone, for God our Father
has made all of us his children in
Baptism. That is one reason why I
keep encouraging parents to baptize
their children as soon as possible,
so that they can become part of this
great family of God. We need to
invite everyone to the party, even the
smallest child! That is why children
should be baptized soon after birth.
There is something else: if a child is
baptized as a baby, the Holy Spirit
enters that child’s heart. Let’s make
a comparison [between] a child who
is unbaptized, because the parents
say: “No, wait till he or she grows up”,
and a baby who is baptized and has
the Holy Spirit within. That child is
stronger, because he or she has the
strength of God within!
You, dear families, are the vast
majority of the People of God.
What would the Church look like
without you? A Church of statues,
a Church of lone individuals… It
was to help us recognize the beauty
and importance of the family, with
its lights and shadows, that the
Address of His Holiness Pope Francis during the meeting with Bishops
Pope Francis meeting Ireland’s bishops at the Dominican Sisters’ Convent in Dublin, August 26, 2018.
VATICAN MEDIA
DEAR Brother Bishops,
As my visit to Ireland comes to a
close, I am grateful for this chance
to spend a few moments with you. I
thank Archbishop Eamon Martin for
his gracious words of introduction
and I greet all of you with affection
in the Lord.
Our meeting tonight takes up the
fraternal discussion we shared in
Rome last year during your visit ad
Limina Apostolorum. In these brief
remarks, I would like to resume our
earlier conversation, in the spirit
of the World Meeting of Families
we have just celebrated. All of us,
as bishops, are conscious of our
responsibility to be fathers to God’s
holy and faithful people. As good
fathers, we want to encourage and
inspire, to reconcile and unify, and
above all, to preserve all the good
handed down from generation
to generation in this great family
which is the Church in Ireland. It is
Apostolic Visit of His Holiness to Ireland on the Occasion of the
IX World Meeting of Families, 25-26 August 2018
Exhortation Amoris Laetitia on the
joy of love was written, and that
I wanted the theme of this World
Meeting of Families to be “The
Gospel of the Family, Joy for the
World”. God wants every family
to be a beacon of the joy of his
love in our world. What does this
mean? It means that we, who have
encountered God’s saving love, try,
with or without words, to express
it in little acts of kindness in our
daily routine and in the most hidden
moments of our day.
And what is this called? It is
called holiness. I like to speak of the
saints “next door”, all those ordinary
people who reflect God’s presence
in the life and history of our world
(cf. Gaudete et Exsultate, 6-7). The
vocation to love and to holiness is not
something reserved for a privileged
few. No. Even now, if we have eyes to
see, we can see it being lived out all
around us. It is silently present in the
heart of all those families that offer
love, forgiveness and mercy when
they see the need, and do so quietly,
without great fanfare. The Gospel of
the family is truly joy for the world,
since there, in our families, Jesus
can always be found, dwelling in
simplicity and poverty as he did in the
home of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Christian marriage and family life
are only seen in all their beauty and
attractiveness if they are anchored in
the love of God, who created us in his
own image, so that we might give him
glory as icons of his love and holiness
in the world. Fathers and mothers,
grandfathers and grandmothers,
children and grandchildren: each and
every one of us. All of us are called
to find, in the family, our fulfilment
in love. God’s grace helps us daily to
live as one in mind and heart. Even
daughters-in-law and mothers-in-
law! No one said this would be easy.
You know that better than I. It is
like making tea: it is easy to bring
the water to a boil, but a good cup of
tea takes time and patience; it needs
to brew! So it is that each day Jesus
warms us with his love and lets it
penetrate our whole being. From
Convent of the Dominican Sisters in Dublin
true, the Church in Ireland remains
strong; it is true.
So, my word to you this evening is
one of encouragement—in line with
my homily—for your efforts, in these
challenging times, to persevere in
your ministry as heralds of the Gos-
pel and shepherds of Christ’s flock.
In a particular way, I am grateful for
the concern you continue to show for
the poor, the excluded and those in
need of a helping hand, as witnessed
most recently by your pastoral let-
ters on the homeless and on sub-
stance misuse. I am also grateful for
the support you give to your priests,
whose hurt and discouragement
in the face of recent scandals are
often ignored or underestimated.
Be close to your priests! For you, as
bishops, they are the closest of your
neighbors.
A recurrent theme of my visit, of
course, has been the Church’s need
to acknowledge and remedy, with
Pope Francis attends the Festival of Families in Croke Park stadium in Dublin Aug. 25. PAUL HARING/CNS
the treasury of his Sacred Heart, he
offers us the grace we need to heal
our infirmities and to open our minds
and hearts to hear, understand and
forgive one another.
We just heard the testimonies of
Felicité, Isaac and Ghislain, who are
from Burkina Faso. They told us a
moving story of forgiveness in the
family. The poet says that “to err is
human, to forgive divine”. And that
is true: forgiveness is a special gift
from God that heals our brokenness
and draws us closer to one another
and to him. Small and simple acts of
forgiveness, renewed each day, are
the foundation upon which a solid
Christian family life is built. They
force us to overcome our pride, our
aloofness and embarrassment, and
to make peace. How many times do
we get angry at one another and then
want to make up, but we don’t know
how! It is embarrassing to make
peace, but we still want to do it. It
isn’t hard. It’s easy. Give a caress, and
peace is made!
It is true that I like to say that in our
families we need to learn three words.
Ghislain, you spoke those three
26 August 2018
evangelical honesty and courage,
past failures – grave sins – with
regard to the protection of children
and vulnerable adults. Among these,
women who were mistreated. In
recent years, you as a body have
resolutely moved forward, not only
by undertaking paths of purification
and reconciliation with victims and
survivors of abuse, but also, with
the help of the National Board for
Safeguarding Children in the Church
in Ireland, you have set in place a
stringent set of norms aimed at en-
suring the safety of young persons.
In these years, all of us have had our
eyes opened—painfully—to the grav-
ity and extent of sexual abuse and
the abuse of power and conscience
in various social settings. In Ireland,
as elsewhere, the honesty and integ-
rity with which the Church chooses
to confront this painful chapter of
her history can offer an example
and a warning to society as a whole.
Continue on this path. Humiliation
is painful, but we have been saved
by the humiliation of the Son of
God and this gives us courage. The
wounds of Christ give us courage. I
ask you, please, to be close—this is
the word, “closeness”—to the Lord
and to God’s people. Closeness. Do
not repeat the attitudes of aloofness
and clericalism that at times in your
history have given the real image of
an authoritarian, harsh and auto-
cratic Church.
As we mentioned in our conversa-
tion in Rome, the transmission of
the faith in its integrity and beauty
represents a significant challenge
in the context of Ireland’s rapidly
evolving society. The World Meeting
of Families has given us great hope
and encouragement that families are
growing more and more conscious
words. They are “sorry”, “please” and
“thank you”. Three words. What were
they? Everyone! [all: “sorry, please,
thank you!”] Another time! [“sorry,
please, thank you!”]. I can’t hear you!
[“sorry, please, thank you!”] Thank
you very much! When you quarrel
at home, be sure that before going
to bed you apologize and say you
are sorry. Before the day is done,
make peace. Do you want to know
why it is necessary to make peace
before ending the day? Because if
you don’t make peace, the next day
you have a “cold war” and that is very
dangerous! Watch out for cold wars
in the family! Maybe you get mad
sometimes and are tempted to sleep
in another room, all by yourself. If
you feel that way, just knock on the
door and say: “Please, can I come
in?” All it takes is a look, a kiss, a soft
word… and everything is back to the
way it was! I say this because when
families do this, they survive. There
is no such thing as a perfect family;
without the practice of forgiveness,
families can grow sick and gradually
collapse.
To “forgive” means to “give”
of their own irreplaceable role in
passing on the faith. Passing on
the faith essentially takes place in
the family; the faith is passed on in
everyday speech, the language of the
family. At the same time, Catholic
schools and programmes of reli-
gious instruction continue to play
an indispensable role in creating a
culture of faith and a sense of mis-
sionary discipleship. I know that this
is a source of pastoral concern for all
of you. Genuine religious formation
calls for faithful and joyful teachers
who are able to shape not only minds
but also hearts in the love of Christ
and in the practice of prayer.
Sometimes we can think that
faith formation means teaching
religious concepts, and we don’t
think of forming the heart, shaping
attitudes. Yesterday the President
of the nation told me that he had
written a poem about Descartes and
said, more or less: “The coldness of
thought has killed the music of the
heart”. Forming the mind, yes, but
also the heart. And teaching how
to pray: teaching children how to
pray from the very start. Prayer.
The training of such teachers and
the expansion of programmes of
adult education are essential for the
future of the Christian community,
in which a committed laity will be
increasingly called to bring the wis-
dom and values of their faith to their
engagement in the varied sectors of
the country’s social, cultural and
political life.
The upheavals of recent years have
tested the traditionally strong faith
of the Irish people. Yet they have
also offered the opportunity for an
interior renewal of the Church in
this country and pointed to new
ways of envisioning its life and
FEATURE B3
something of yourself. Jesus always
forgives us. By the power of his
forgiveness, we too can forgive others,
if we really want to. Isn’t that what
we pray for, when we say the Our
Father? Children learn to forgive
when they see their parents forgiving
one another. If we understand this,
we can appreciate the grandeur
of Jesus’ teaching about fidelity
in marriage. Far from a cold legal
obligation, it is above all a powerful
promise of God’s own fidelity to his
word and his unfailing grace. Christ
died for us so that we, in turn, might
forgive and be reconciled with one
another. In this way, as individuals
and as families, we can know the
truth of Saint Paul’s words that, when
all else passes away, “love never ends”
(1 Cor 13:8).
Thank you Nisha and Ted, for
your testimony from India, where
you are teaching your children how
to be a true family. You have helped
us to understand that social media
are not necessarily a problem for
families, but can also serve to build
a “web” of friendships, solidarity
Feast / B5
mission. “God is eternal newness”
and he impels us “constantly to set
out anew, to pass beyond what is
familiar, to the fringes and beyond”
(Gaudete et Exsultate, 135). With
humility and trust in his grace, may
you discern and set out on new paths
for these new times. Be courageous
and creative. Surely, the strong
missionary sense rooted in the soul
of your people will inspire creative
ways of bearing witness to the truth
of the Gospel and building up the
community of believers in the love
of Christ and zeal for the growth of
his kingdom.
In your daily efforts to be fathers
and shepherds to God’s family in
this country—fathers, please, and
not stepfathers!—may you always
be sustained by the hope that trusts
in the truth of Christ’s words and
the certainty of his promises. In ev-
ery time and place, that truth “sets
free” (Jn 8:32); it has a power all its
own to convince minds and draw
hearts to itself. Whenever you and
your people feel that you are a “little
flock” facing challenges and difficul-
ties, do not grow discouraged. As
Saint John of the Cross teaches us,
it is in the dark night that the light
of faith shines purest in our hearts.
And that light will show the way to
the renewal of the Christian life in
Ireland in the years ahead.
Finally, in the spirit of ecclesial
communion, I ask you to continue
to foster unity and fraternity among
yourselves—this is very important—
and, together with the leaders of
other Christian communities, to
work and pray fervently for recon-
ciliation and peace among all the
members of the Irish family. Today,
at lunch we were seated, myself,
Bishops / B7
B4 FEATURE
Press Conference on the return flight of His
Holiness Pope Francis from Dublin to Rome
Greg Burke
Good evening, Holy Father.
Pope Francis
Good evening.
Greg Burke
Thank you for this time that you
are dedicating to us, after two very
intense days.  There have certainly
been difficult moments in Ireland—
there is always the abuse question—
but also very beautiful moments: the
festival of families, the testimonies
of the families, the meeting with
young couples and also the visit to
the Capuchins, who are helping the
poor so much.
May we give the microphone to
the journalists, beginning with the
Irish… But perhaps you would like
to say something first…
Pope Francis
[I would like] to say thank-you,
because if I am tired, then I think
about you, who have work, work,
work… I thank you very much for
your efforts, for your work.  Thank
you so much.
Greg Burke
The first question, as is our custom,
comes from a journalist from the
country [you visited]; he is Tony
Connelly, from RTÉ - Irish Radio
and Television.
Tony Connelly, RTÉ
Your Holiness, on Saturday you
spoke about the meeting you had
with the Minister for Children and
Youth Affairs; you said how you were
touched by what she told you about
the homes for mothers and children.  instance to its verdict.  This was
What exactly did she say to you?  the most recent case.  Now there
And were you so moved because it
was the first time you heard of these
homes?
Pope Francis
The Minister first said something to
me not so much about mothers and
children; she said—briefly—“Holy
Father, we have found mass graves
of children, of children interred.  didn’t understand this entirely, but when
We are looking into this.  Does the
Church have any role in this?”, but
she said it very politely indeed,
with great respect.  I thanked her;
this touched my heart, so much
so that I wanted to mention it
in my speech.  It was not at the
airport—I was mistaken—it was
at the meeting with the President.  Good evening, Holy Father.  You
At the airport, there was another
lady—a government minister, I
think—and I got confused.  But
she said to me: “I will send you a
memo”.  She sent me the memo,
but I wasn’t able to read it.  I saw
that she had did send me a memo.  involved, are you part of it?
She was very balanced in what she
said to me: there is a problem, and
even though the investigation is
not yet completed, she made me
feel that the Church too had some
involvement in the matter.  In my
opinion, this was an example of
constructive cooperation, prior to…
I don’t want to use the “protest”, but
[before] lamenting, lamenting about
what the Church may have favored
in the past.  That lady had a great
dignity which touched my heart.  commandments: welcome the
And now I have that memo, which
I shall study when I return home.  is ancient and in the spirit of
Thank you.
Greg Burke
Now to another Irishman,
Paddy Agnew, from the Sunday
Independent, living in Rome but an
Irish journalist.
Pope Francis
Not the only Irishman in Rome!
Paddy Agnew, of the  Sunday
Independent
Holy Father, thank you and good
evening.  Yesterday, Marie Collins,
the victim Marie Collins, whom
you know well, indicated that you
are not favorable to setting up new
Vatican courts of enquiry concerning
the problem of sexual abuse, and
in particular, so-called courts of
enquiry concerning bishops and
bishop accountability.  Why do you
feel that these are not needed?
Pope Francis
No, no, that isn’t it.  That isn’t it.  made mention of this in an article,
Marie Collins puts much emphasis
on the idea…  I have great respect
for Marie Collins, sometimes in
the Vatican we call her to give a
presentation—she emphasizes the
idea of the [2016 Motu Proprio] As
a Loving Mother, in which it was
said that to judge bishops, it would
be good to set up a special tribunal.  in immediately, made them study
It was subsequently seen neither
to be feasible nor suitable for the
On the occasion of the IX World Meeting of Families in Dublin, Ireland
25-26 August 2018
different cultures of the bishops who
should be judged.  We are taking
the recommendation of As a Loving
Motherand setting up a jury for each
bishop, but that is not the same
thing.  A particular bishop has to be
judged and so the Pope sets up a jury
more capable of taking that case.  It
is something that works better, also
because, for a group of bishops to
leave their dioceses… for this reason
it is not possible.  So the tribunals
and the juries change. 
This is the way we have done things
up to now.  A number of bishops
have been judged this way: the
latest was the archbishop of Guam,
who appealed his sentence and I
decided—because it was a very,
very complex case—to make use
of the right that I have, hear his
appeal on my own, and not to
send him to the appeal court that
carries out its work with priests. 
I took it up personally.  I set up a
commission of canon lawyers to
help me, and they told me that, in
a short time, a month at most, they
would offer a “recommendation”
so that I could make a judgement.  that—and this is an interesting
It is a complicated case on the one
hand, but not difficult, because the
evidence is extremely clear; from
the standpoint of evidence, it is
clear.  But I cannot pre-judge.  I
am waiting for the report and then
I will pass judgement.  I say that
the evidence is clear because that
is what led the court of the first
is another in progress; we will see
how it ends.  But it’s clear, and I
said this to Marie: the spirit and
the recommendation of As a Loving
Mother are being put into effect: a
bishop must be judged by a tribunal, but
not always the same tribunal, because
that is not possible.  She [Marie Collins]
I see her—because she comes to the
Vatican sometimes, we call her—I will
explain it to her more clearly.  I like her.
Greg Burke
And now the Italian group, Holy
Father: here is Stefania Falasca
from Avvenire.
Stefania Falasca, Avvenire
said, today even, that it is always a
challenge to welcome the migrant
and the outsider.  Just yesterday a
painful episode was resolved, that
of the “Diciotti” ship.  Is your “paw”
behind this resolution?  Were you
Pope Francis
The paw is the devil’s, not mine!
(laughter). The paw is the devil’s…
Stefania Falasca
Then too, many people see Europe
being blackmailed and these people
having to pay the price.  What do
you think?
Pope Francis
Welcoming migrants is as ancient
as the Bible.  In Deuteronomy,
God commands this in the
migrant, the “stranger”.  This
divine revelation and the spirit of
Christianity.  It is a moral principle.  the others; I don’t know whether
I spoke about this, and then I saw
that I needed to make it a little
clearer, because this is not just about
welcoming [migrants] willy-nilly, but
in a reasonable way.  And this is true
for all of Europe.  When did I realize
what this reasonable welcoming has
to be like?  It was after the attack
in Zaventem [Belgium]: the young
men, the fighters who carried out the
attack on Zaventem were Belgian,
but were sons of immigrants who
were not integrated; they were
“ghettoized”.  That is, they had been
received by the country, but left
there, and had become a ghetto: they
were not integrated.  That is why I
emphasized this; it is important.  young woman at the university!  How?  She said that you were very harsh in
Then, I remembered my trip to
Sweden—and Franca [Giansoldati]
and of how I developed my thinking;
when I went to Sweden I spoke about
integration, and I knew about this,
because during the dictatorship
in Argentina, from 1976 to 1983, a
great number of Argentinians and
Uruguayans fled to Sweden.  And
there the government took them
the language and gave them work,
integrated them.  To such a point
September 3 - 16, 2018 Vol. 22 No. 18 CBCP Monitor
A shaft of light illuminates Pope Francis as he responds to a question from reporter Anna Matranga of CBS News aboard his flight from Dublin to Rome Aug.
26. Matranga asked the pope about a statement made by Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the former apostolic nuncio to the United States, concerning
Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick. PAUL HARING/CNS
these men, to women and children… to listen to those eight people;
anecdote—the Minister who came they sell them, but they inflict more from this meeting emerged the
to bid me farewell at Lund airport sophisticated tortures on the men.  There proposal—which I made, and which
was the daughter of a Swede and an was one there, a spy, who was able to they accepted and helped me to carry
African migrant; and this African make that film, which I sent to my two out—to ask forgiveness today in the
migrant had been integrated to the undersecretaries for migration.  For this Mass, but for concrete things.  For
extent that his daughter became a reason, before sending them back, one example, the last, which I had never
minister of the country.  Sweden has to think very, very, very carefully… heard: those mothers—in what was
was a model.  But, at that moment And one last thing.  There are these called the women’s laundry—when
[the time of my visit], Sweden migrants who come; but there are a woman became pregnant out of
was beginning to have difficulties: others who are tricked when they wedlock, she would be sent to a
not because it did not have good arrive: “We will give you work…”  hospital or an institution, I forget
intentions, but because it did not They give them all papers,  and they what it was called ... but it was run
have the capacity for integration.  end up on the sidewalk as slaves, by sisters and then they gave the
This was the reason why Sweden threatened by traffickers in women… children up for adoption.  And there
stopped somewhat, [why] it took this This is it.  were children at that time, who tried
step.  Integration.  Greg Burke to find their mothers to know if they
Then too, I spoke here, at a press Thank you, Holy Father. The next were alive, they did not know... and
conference with you, of the virtue question is from the English- they told them it was a mortal sin
of prudence which is the virtue speaking group: Anna Matranga, to do this; and also to mothers who
of governance, and I spoke of the from the American television were looking for their children; they
prudence of peoples concerning network CBS. also told them that it was a mortal
numbers or possibilities:  a people Anna Matranga, CBS sin.  So I ended today by saying that
that can accept but does not have Good evening, Holy Father!  I would it is not a mortal sin; it is [about] the
the possibility of integrating, [is] like to return to the topic of “abuse” fourth commandment.  And some of
better not accepting.  There is an about which you have already the things I have said today I did not
issue of prudence here.  That I think spoken.  In a document issued early know beforehand, and it was painful
is really the painful note with today’s this morning, Archbishop Carlo for me, but with the consolation
dialogue in the European Union.  We Maria Viganò says that in 2013 he of being able to help clarify these
have to keep on speaking: solutions had a personal conversation with things.  And I am waiting for your
can be found… you at the Vatican, and that in this comment on that document; I would
What happened with the “Diciotti”?  meeting he spoke explicitly with you like to hear it! Thank you.
I did not put my “paw” there.  The about the sexual abuse by former Greg Burke
one who did the work with the Cardinal McCarrick.  I wanted to Thank you, Holy Father.  Now Cecile
Ministry of the Interior was Father ask you if this is true.  Another Chambraud of “Le Monde”
Aldo, good Father Aldo, who is the question I wanted to ask of you: Cecile Chambraud, “Le Monde”
one who follows the organization the Archbishop also said that Pope Good evening, Holy Father.  I hope
of Father Benzi, which the Italians Benedict XVI had imposed sanctions you don’t mind if I ask my question
know well, and work at freeing on McCarrick, telling him not to live in Spanish but I ask that you answer
prostitutes, those who experience in the seminary, not to celebrate in Italian for all my colleagues.  In
exploitation and so many things…  Masses in public and not to travel; your address to the Irish authorities,
And the Italian Bishops’ Conference the Church imposed sanctions on you referred to your recent Letter to
got involved, Cardinal Bassetti, him. Can I ask you if these two things the People of God.  In that Letter, you
who was here but followed all the are true? invited all Catholics to take part in
mediation on the telephone, and it Pope Francis the fight against abuse in the Church. 
was one of the two undersecretaries, Just one thing, I would prefer— Can you explain to us concretely
Monsignor Maffeis, who negotiated even though I will answer your what Catholics can do, each in their
with the Ministry.  And I think question—that we speak about the own way, to fight against abuse?  In
Albania got involved…  Albania, trip [to Ireland] and then move on this regard, in France, a priest has
Ireland and Montenegro took a to other topics... but I will answer written a petition calling for the
certain number of migrants, I think, your question.  I read the statement resignation of Cardinal Barbarin,
but I’m not sure.  The Bishops’ this morning.  I read it and sincerely accused by victims.  Do you think
Conference took responsibility for I must tell you, and all those who this initiative is adequate or not?
are interested: read it yourselves Pope Francis
under the umbrella of the Vatican or carefully and make your own If there are suspicions, or proofs or
not…  I don’t know how the matter judgment.  I will not say a single even half-proofs, I see no problem
was negotiated; but they are going word on this.  I believe the memo in conducting an investigation, but
to Mondo Migliore Centre in Rocca di speaks for itself, and you are capable always based on the fundamental
Papa; they will be accommodated there.  enough as journalists to draw your legal principle: Nemo malus nisi
I think there are more than a hundred of own conclusions.  This is an act of probetur, one is presumed innocent
them.  And there they will start to learn trust: when some time has passed until proven guilty.  Frequently
the language and do the work done with and you have drawn conclusions, there is the temptation not only to
migrants already integrated.  perhaps I will speak.  But I ask that investigate, but to publish that an
I had a very gratifying experience.  you use your professional maturity investigation was carried out and the
When I went to the Roma in doing this: it will do you good, reason..., and so some media – not
III University, there were students really. That is enough for now. yours, I don’t think – begin to create
who wanted to ask me questions and I Anna Matranga, CBS a climate of guilt.  And I would like to
saw a female student… [I thought:] “I Marie Collins said, after you met her mention something that happened
know that face”: she had come with me during your meeting with victims, recently, which will help in this,
as one of the thirteen people I brought that she spoke directly with you because for me it is important how
back with me from Lesvos.  That about former Cardinal McCarrick.  one proceeds and how the media can
help.  Three years ago, more or less,
Because the Sant’Egidio Community, your condemnation of McCarrick.  I the issue of so-called paedophile
from the day she arrived, took her wanted to ask you: when did you first priests came up in Granada – a
to school to learn: go, keep going…  hear about the abuses committed by small group of seven, eight or ten
And they integrated her at university the former cardinal? priests, who were accused of abuse
level.  This is what it is to work with Pope Francis of minors and of holding parties,
migrants.  [First] there is an openness This is part of the statement on orgies and such things.  I received
of heart to all [those who] suffer; then McCarrick: study it and then I will the accusation directly in a letter
there is integration, as a condition for say something.  But since I had sent by a twenty-three year old man,
being welcomed; and then prudence not read it yesterday, I did want who claimed to have been abused;
on the part of government leaders to to speak clearly with Marie Collins he gave names and details.  He was
do this.  I saw… I have secret footage, and the group [of victims] in the a young man who was working in
what happens to those who get sent back meeting that lasted for a good hour a very prestigious religious school
and who are taken again by traffickers: and a half, and which I found very in Granada; the letter was perfectly
it is horrible, the things they do to painful.  But I think it was necessary Press / B7
CBCP Monitor September 3 - 16, 2018 Vol. 22 No. 18
We pray for the Church
FILE PHOTO
BROTHERS and Sisters in Christ,
In these recent days, we feel again,
with growing intensity, the pain
and shame, because of the many
revelations of sexual misconduct,
most particularly those done
against minors but not only minors,
committed by a significant number
of clerics, a number of bishops, and
by consecrated persons. The pain is
intensified by reported cover ups of
these abuses and crimes.
The reports on the sexual
misconduct by a cardinal in the
U.S., is one that has brought more
intensity to the pain and shame now
being endured by the Church. The
recent testimony and revelation by
a former Apostolic Nuncio regarding
sexual misconduct and how this is
being dealt with, has brought more
painful questions that obviously
need urgent answers that will show
us the truth.
This brings to mind the admission
of the bishops here in the Philippines,
in our recent July 2018 CBCP
Statement: “We admit humbly that
we are a Church of sinners, called to
conversion and holiness at the same
time. We bow in shame when we
hear of abuses being committed by
some of our fellow Church leaders –
especially those ordained to “act in
the person of Christ.”
Our Holy Father, in his recent
Letter to the People of God, said:
“Looking back to the past, no effort
to beg pardon and to seek to repair
the harm done will ever be sufficient.
Looking ahead to the future, no effort
must be spared to create a culture
able to prevent such situations from
happening, but also to prevent the
possibility of their being covered
up and perpetuated. The pain of
the victims and their families is also
our pain, and so it is urgent that we
once more reaffirm our commitment
to ensure the protection of minors
and of vulnerable adults” (Letter
Feast / B3
and mutual support. Families can
connect through the internet and
draw nourishment from it. Social
media can be beneficial if used
with moderation and prudence.
For example, all of you gathered
for this World Meeting of Families
have formed a spiritual network, a
web of friendship; social media can
help you to maintain this connection
and expand it to even more families
throughout the world. It is important,
though, that these media never
become a threat to the real web of
flesh and blood relationships by
imprisoning us in a virtual reality
and isolating us from the concrete
relationships that challenge us
to grow to our full potential in
communion with others.
Perhaps Ted and Nisha’s story will
help all families to question whether
they need to cut down on the time
they spend with technology, and to
spend more quality time with one
another and with God. When you use
the social media too much, you “spin
into orbit”. When at table, instead of
talking to one another as a family,
everyone starts playing with his or
her cell phone, they “spin into orbit”.
This is dangerous. Why? Because it
takes you away from the  concrete
reality of the family and into a life of
distraction and unreality. Be careful
about this. Remember Ted and
Nisha’s story; they teach us to make
good use of the social media.
We have heard from Enass and
Sarmaad how a family’s love and
faith can be a source of strength
and peace even amid the violence
and destruction caused by war and
persecution. Their story reminds us
of the tragic situations endured daily
by so many families forced to flee
their homes in search of security and
peace. But they also show us how,
starting from the family, and thanks
of His Holiness Pope Francis to
the People of God, Vatican City, 20
August 2018).
The present painful situation
is a good occasion for us bishops
to revisit and review the existing
guidelines that we have for the
protection of minors and vulnerable
adults, and with renewed resolve
and commitment to implement
them and not cover them up.
The situation also calls us to
something important. It reminds
us to go to the Lord in prayer. And
for this, Pope Francis suggests that
we do prayer and fasting. “The
penitential dimension of fasting and
prayer will help us as God’s People
to come before the Lord and our
wounded brothers and sisters as
sinners imploring forgiveness and
the grace of shame and conversion. In
this way, we will come up with actions
that can generate resources attuned
to the Gospel” (Letter of His Holiness
Pope Francis to the People of God,
Vatican City, 20 August 2018). This
is something that we can organize
and do in our dioceses and parishes,
in our religious communities, and in
our BECs.
I would like to end with this
beautiful prayer:
“Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that your Church may always remain
that holy people, formed as one by
the unity of Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, which manifests to the world
the Sacrament of your holiness and
unity and leads it to the perfection
of your charity. Through our Lord
Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and
ever. Amen” (Mass for the Church,
Collect, Option C).
+ ROMULO G. VALLES, D.D.
Archbishop of Davao
President, Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines
30 August 2018
to the solidarity shown by so many
other families, lives can be rebuilt
and hope born anew. We saw this
support in the video of Rammy and
his brother Meelad, where Rammy
expressed his deep gratitude for
the encouragement and help their
family received from so many other
Christian families worldwide, who
made it possible for them to return
to their village. In every society,
families generate peace, because they
teach the virtues of love, acceptance
and forgiveness that are the best
antidote to the hatred, prejudice and
vengeance that can poison the life of
individuals and communities.
As a good Irish priest taught us,
“the family that prays together,
stays together” and radiates peace.
In a special way, such a family can
be a support for other families that
do not live in peace. Following
the death of Father Ganni, Enass,
Sarmaad and their family chose
forgiveness and reconciliation over
hatred and resentment. They saw,
in the light of the cross, that evil can
only be fought by good, and hatred
overcome only by forgiveness.
Almost incredibly, they were able
to find peace in the love of Christ, a
love that makes all things new. This
evening they share that peace with
us. They prayed. Prayer. Praying
together. While I was listening to
the choir, I saw a mother teaching
her child to make the sign of the
cross. Let me ask you, do you teach
your children to make the sign of
the cross? Yes or no? [all: yes!] Or do
you teach them to make some quick
wave of the hand [he gestures] that
they don’t even understand? It is very
important that children learn as early
as possible to make the sign of the
cross well. It is the first “creed” that
they learn, a way of saying “I believe”
in the Father, the Son and the Holy
Isulan bombings: Statement of condemnation
To All People of Good Will:
Greetings of Peace in the Lord!
True Believers in God have to
cry out in outrage at the terrorist
bombings in the town of Isulan,
Province of Sultan Kudarat. All
religions are religions of peace.
Two bombings in the past five
days have mercilessly snuffed out
the lives of at least five innocent
people, including two young men
who are active in our Catholic youth
ministry. Scores of others, equally
Listen and let the earth speak to us
AMRSP Statement on the 2018 Season of Creation
“The earth dries up and withers, the
world languishes and withers…. The
earth is defiled by its people; they
have disobeyed the laws, violated
the statutes and broken the everlast-
ing covenant” (Isaiah 24:4-6)
LISTEN
And hear what the world is saying
to us.
Water
70% of the Earth’s surface is water,
but, the reality is that 97.5% is sea-
water which is unfit for human con-
sumption. Rising populations and
temperatures translate to dropping
freshwater tables all over the world.
The supply of water is finite. Water
scarcity, exacerbated by climate
change, could cost some regions up
to 6% of their GDP, spur migration,
and spark conflict.
Natural Resources
The global demand for natural re-
sources has doubled since 1996 and
it now takes 1.5 years to regenerate
the renewable resources used in one
year by humans. By 2030, the Living
Planet report predicts it will take the
equivalent of two planets to meet the
current demand for resources.
“What is alarming is that many of
these changes have accelerated in
the past decade, despite the plethora
of international conventions signed
since the initial 1992 Rio Summit.
Climate-warming carbon emissions
have increased 40% in the past 20
years, but two-thirds of that rise oc-
curred in the past decade.”
LISTEN
“But ask the animals, and they will
teach you, or the birds of the air, and
they will tell you; or speak to the
earth, and it will teach you, or let
the fish of the sea inform you. Which
of all these does not know that the
hand of the LORD has done this? In
his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.” Job
Spirit. This evening, before going to
bed, ask yourselves, as parents: do
I teach my children to make a good
sign of the cross? Think about it, it
is up to you!
The love of Christ that renews
all things is what makes possible
marriage and a conjugal love marked
by fidelity, indissolubility, unity
and openness to life. It is what we
see in the fourth chapter of Amoris
Laetitia.  We saw this love in Mary
and Damian and their family of ten
children. Let me ask you [he turns to
Mary and Damian], do your children
ever make you grow angry? Ah, that
is life! But it is beautiful to have
ten children. Thank you for your
testimony and for your witness of
love and faith! You experienced the
power of God’s love to change your
lives completely and to bless you with
the joy of a beautiful family. You told
us that the key to your family life is
truthfulness. From your story, we
see how important it is to keep going
back to the source of the truth and the
love that can change our lives. Who
is it? Jesus, who began his public
ministry precisely at a wedding feast.
There, in Cana, he changed water
into a good new wine that kept the
joyful celebration going strong.
Did you ever think of what would
have happened if Jesus did not
perform that miracle? Did you ever
think how terrible it would be to
finish a wedding feast by drinking
just water? It would be awful! Our
Lady understood that, and so she
told her Son: “They have no wine”.
And Jesus realized that the party
would not have ended happily with
people just drinking water. Conjugal
love is like that. The new wine
begins to ferment during the time of
engagement, which is necessary but
fleeting, and matures throughout
marriage in a mutual self-giving that
innocent, have been wounded.
ISIS reportedly claimed
responsibility for the first bombing.
Some suspect the BIFF that had also
pledged allegiance to ISIS. In either
case, religion is distorted in order to
commit brazen crimes that cry out
to heaven.
As the Religious Leader of all
Catholics in the Archdiocese of
Cotabato, I absolutely condemn
these terroristic acts. I enjoin every
true believer in the One True God,
by whatever Name the Almighty and
12:7-10
The Season of Creation from
September 1 to October 4, is a time
and space for us to heed the cry of
the Earth and the cry of the poor.
Concern for the poor provokes
concern for the whole of creation,
precisely because the poor are the
most harmed by economies of greed
and power-politics that continue to
abuse the Earth.
We, the Association of Major Re-
ligious Superiors in the Philippines,
at this unique moment of the Season
of Creation, especially during its first
Sunday which falls on September 2,
plead to our people and all leaders
of the world to stop environmental
deterioration, by adopting a rights-
based approach to sustainable de-
velopment, including:
• Working together to reach a
global consensus to:
* manage marine and forest re-
sources, and ensure universal access
enables spouses to become, from
two, “one flesh”. And also to open
their hearts, in turn, to all those in
need of love, especially the lonely, the
abandoned, the weak and vulnerable
so often discarded by our throw-away
culture. The culture we are living in
today discards everything, everything
that is not useful. It discards babies
because they are troublesome; it
discards the elderly because they
aren’t useful… Only love saves us
from this throw-away culture.
Families everywhere are
challenged to keep growing, to
keep moving forward, even amid
difficulties and limitations, just as
past generations did. All of us are
part of a great chain of families
stretching back to the beginning of
time. Our families are a treasury of
living memory, as children become
parents and grandparents in turn.
From them we receive our identity,
our values and our faith. We see this
in Aldo and Marissa, who have been
married for over fifty years. Their
marriage is a monument to love
and fidelity! Their grandchildren
keep them young; their house is
filled with laughter, happiness and
dancing. It was delightful to see [in
the video] the grandmother teaching
her granddaughters how to dance!
Their love for one another is a gift
from God, and it is a gift that they
are joyfully passing on to their
children and grandchildren.
A society—listen carefully to
this!—a society that does not value
grandparents is a society that has
no future. A Church that is not
mindful of the covenant between
generations will end up lacking the
thing that really matters, which is
love. Our grandparents teach us the
meaning of conjugal and parental
love. They themselves grew up in a
family and experienced the love of
STATEMENTS B5
Merciful God is called, to pray for
the victims and for their families.
I strongly urge our military,
security and peace officers with the
collaboration of the MILF and the
MNLF, now forces for peace, to flush
out the perpetrators and bring them
to justice.
In our God of Peace,
+ORLANDO B. CARDINAL
QUEVEDO, O.M.I.
Archbishop of Cotabato
September 3, 2018
to drinking water,
* replace fossil fuels that contrib-
ute to global warming,
* stop the production and use of
one-time use of plastics,
• Promoting solar and renewable
energy and adopting simple and
non-consumerist lifestyles,
• Respecting the rights of nature
by conducting environmental as-
sessments before embarking on
any local, national or international
projects.
• Placing economic and tech-
nological development to uplift
people’s quality of life.
_____________________
http://www.bbc.com/future/
story/20170412-is-the-world-running-out-
of-fresh-water
https://www.theguardian.com/environ-
ment/2012/may/15/earth-environment-
wwf-rio20
https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-
today/take-and-read-cry-earth-cry-poor
sons and daughters, brothers and
sisters. So they are a treasury of
experience, a treasury of wisdom for
the new generation. It is a big mistake
not to ask the elderly about their
experience, or to think that talking to
them is a waste of time. Here I would
like to thank Missy for her words
of witness. She told us that, among
travelers, the family has always been
a source of strength and solidarity.
Her witness reminds us that, in God’s
house, there is a place at table for
everyone. No one is to be excluded;
our love and care must extend to all.
I know it is late and you are tired!
So am I! But let me say one last
thing to all of you. As families, you
are the hope of the Church and of
the world! God, Father, Son and
Holy Spirit, created mankind in his
image and likeness to share in his
love, to be a family of families, and
to enjoy the peace that he alone can
give. By your witness to the Gospel,
you can help God’s dream to come
true. You can help to draw all God’s
children closer together, so that they
can grow in unity and learn what
it is for the entire world to live in
peace as one great family. For this
reason, I wanted to give each of you
a copy of Amoris Laetitia, prepared
in the two Synods on the family
and written as a kind of roadmap
for living joyfully the Gospel of
the family. May Mary our Mother,
Queen of the Family and Queen
of Peace, sustain all of you in your
journey of life, love and happiness!
And now, at the conclusion of our
evening together, we will recite the
prayer for this World Meeting of
Families. Let us all recite together
the official prayer for the Meeting of
Families:[recitation of the prayer
and blessing]
Good night and rest well! See you
tomorrow!
B6 REFLECTIONS
Salvation as liberation from everything Busting the many forms of
that oppresses man
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (Mark 7:31-37)
September 9, 2018
By Msgr. Lope C. Robredillo, SThD
ONE THING THAT current TV-
evangelists often emphasize
when preaching is the need for
us to recognize our sinfulness.
Understandably enough, their
favorite prayer is echoed in the
prayer of the publican, “Lord,
have mercy; I am a sinner.” The
theology behind is that salvation is
understood as salvation from sin;
and the first step is to acknowledge
it. Such an understanding is rather
sound, for Christ came to save
sinners after all. We all need Christ
to forgive us our sins if we are to be
saved. Salvation, however, cannot
be circumscribed to forgiveness of
sins, if by sin one understands a
transgression of a law. It would be
wrong to limit Christ’s saving work
to it. The three readings today widen
our concept of what it means to be
saved.
We can begin by examining
the Gospel. Jesus’ salvific work
finds another description in the
reaction of the people to the healing
of the deaf-mute: “He has done
everything well! He makes the deaf
hear and the mute speak” (Mark
7:37). Undoubtedly, Mark portraits
Jesus as the perfect fulfillment of
Isaiah’s prophecy that we find in
Our Christian life is informed by our image of Jesus
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (Mark 8:27-35)
September 16, 2018
By Msgr. Lope C. Robredillo, SThD
WHEN JUDGE CLARENCE
Thomas of the United States was
nominated to the Supreme Court
in 1992, one recalls that during
the first three days of the Senate
Judiciary Committee hearing on the
nomination, the major focus was on
Judge Thomas’ view on natural law.
It must be admitted that the concept
of natural law among scholars is
fluid. In fact, on the same issue,
a Martin Luther King, Jr, and his
detractors, can invoke it And if
the United States’ Constitution is
to be understood in the light of its
Framers’ belief in natural law, the
resolution of such currents issues
as abortion and the right to privacy
would have to be understood in that
light. Thus, Judge Thomas’ idea
of natural law would inform his
interpretation of and decision on
those issues.
Just as one’s interpretation of,
say, a new law on right to privacy,
depends on his view of natural law,
so our Christian attitude, values and
life depend on how we understand
Jesus. For Jesus informs our attitude
and behavior in much the same way
that natural law informs judicial
interpretation and decision. In a
way, it is then easy to understand
the random poll in the Gospel
reading: how do people recognize
the identity of Jesus (Mark 8:27).
People’s perception of who Jesus
ultimately determines their attitude
toward him. According to Mark, the
people—that is to say, those who
were outside the circle of disciples-
-had various image of him: he was
Elijah, who returned (Mal 3:1; 4:5);
for others, he was John the Baptist,
in whom Elijah reappeared. For still
others, he was “one of the prophets,”
“the prophet like Moses” who was
dumbness and deafness
the 1st Reading, speaking of Israel’s
salvation: “Then will the eyes of the
blind be opened, the ears of the deaf
be cleared; then will the lame leap
like a stag, then the tongue of the
dumb will sing” (Isa 35:5-6). In this
oracle, Isaiah sees the destruction of
Israel’s enemies as precondition for
the liberation of the people, and, on
the positive side, the glory of God
manifested in the transformation
of the nation, especially among the
most unfortunate—the blind, deaf,
mute and dumb.
The point should be obvious.
When we speak of salvation, we
cannot circumscribe it to forgiveness
of sins, or to spiritual healing. If we
are to be true to the Gospel reading,
our concept of salvation should
include not only forgiveness of sins,
but also physical healing, freedom
from sickness and infirmity, the
experience of bodily wholeness. We
must speak of the liberation of man
from bodily and spiritual infirmity
and the experience of spiritual and
bodily integrity. For this reason,
whenever we contribute to the
physical well-being of people, we do
our share in the work of salvation.
In itself, physical suffering is evil,
and it is not God’s will that people
expected to appear in the final days.
But if Jesus asked about people’s
perception, it was to prepare the
disciples for the more intimately and
vital question, because this involved
them who are following him on the
way to the cross. One may follow
him without really knowing him,
and that is why we have the Jesus
of Che Guevarra, the Jesus of the
Hippies, the Jesus of the mystics
and the Jesus of the Revolutionaries.
How did the disciples perceive
him to be? Apparently, Peter’s
answer was given on behalf of all
the disciples: “You are the Messiah!”
(Mark 8:29). Since Jesus never
rejected Peter’s answer, it would
seem that Peter got the right
perception. It is obvious, though,
that he had the wrong significance.
As can be noted for the way Jesus
corrected them for their wrong
behavior, the meaning they attached
to the title Messiah was rather far
removed from what Jesus wanted
them to perceive. The disciples
thought they would accumulate
wealth in the kingdom (cf Mark
8:36), realize their ambition and
achieve glory (Mark 9:33-37), and
gloriously sit at the right and the left
of the Messiah’s throne (Mark 10:36).
In other words, the disciples thought
of him as a political Messiah. And
Jesus corrected them by foretelling
his passion: “The Son of Man had
to suffer much, be rejected by the
elders, the chief priests, and the
scribes, be put to death, and rise
three days later” (Mark 8:31). The
Messiah of suffering is described in
the 1st Reading: “I gave my back to
those who beat me, my cheeks to
those who plucked my beard; my
face I did not shield from buffets and
spitting” (Isa 50:6).
suffer senselessly. In fact, it is
because of the concern of the Church
for the bodily health that she became
involved in the systematic care of
the sick. In the middle ages, we
had the medical care of the infirm
in monasteries and the Knights
of Hospitalers. The philosophical
foundation of this is quite simply:
man is not only a soul, he is also a
body, and has a body.
But there is more to that. Man
is a social being. To be alone is to
be less than human. We must live
with other people. We forge bond of
relationships that bind us together.
That is why it is true to say that we
become human or less-than-human
through and with others. If we go
back to the 1st Reading and the
Gospel, we find that the liberation
of Israel includes the experience
of wholeness by the unfortunate
members of society—the blind,
deaf, dumb and mute. At the time
of Jesus, these people belonged to
the degraded and expendable class.
Because of their physical defects,
they were not part of the pure
Jewish community. The Jewish
society practically had no need of
them. They were stripped of their
rights: they could not even enter the
Temple. They were discriminated
against. And when people are
discriminated against, of course,
they do not enjoy salvation.
In view of this, Jesus’ healing
was not simply an act of liberating
them from their physical defects.
Of no less consequence, they were
liberated from social and religious
discrimination, for they were enabled
to worship in the Temple and enjoy
the company of others. In other
words, healing restored them to the
community of Israel. Salvation then
implies equality and participation.
As the community of the saved, we
are all equal before God our Father,
and we have no basis to treat other
people differently. Understandably
enough, James, in the 2nd Reading
(James 2:1-5), says that our faith
is belied by our partiality shown to
others, like the rich.
Clearly, then, salvation is co-
extensive with the various dimensions
of the human person: physical,
mental, spiritual, and social.
What does this mean for us?
Because at the heart of Christian
faith is Jesus Christ and our
following of him in discipleship,
this means that the Messiah of
suffering should inform our attitude
and action as Christians. Our whole
life—our words and deeds—must
be informed by our belief in the
Messiah who suffers for others. We
often hear it said: “I have accepted
Jesus as my personal Lord and
Savior.” One could hardly quarrel
with that affirmation; but we should
not stop at that faith. We still have to
task: what kind of Lord and Savior?
Shall we reduce Christ to a consoling
Lord, or at worst a domestic help
at our beck and call? Shall we call
him the Savior of our emotional and
interpersonal problems? Shall we
make him a personal Savior who has
nothing to do with the structures of
power and domination?
In the light of today’s Gospel,
we must insist that our Lord is
not a triumphant Messiah, but a
suffering one who saved us and the
world by humiliation, defeat and
surrender. As one whose life informs
our thoughts and actions, and our
way of life, Jesus challenges us to
give up ourselves, to renounce the
constant human desire to preserve
and enrich our own person at the
cost of others. We struggle against
the forces of darkness and evil by
constantly dying to our “I” and by
dying for others. All this we do not
only twice or a hundred times, but as
part of our daily activities. Once we
accept this and once this becomes our
second nature as it were, then we will
learn the paradox that in humiliation,
we are exalted, in giving up life, we
save it, in allowing ourselves to be
defeated, we become victorious.
September 3 - 16, 2018 Vol. 22 No. 18
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (Mark 7:31-37)
Grandparents’ Day, September 9, 2018
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
SOME friends or relatives must
have made the deaf-mute man un-
derstand that a benevolent healer
was coming that way—Jesus, the
man who had been setting afire the
hearts of all those around the Lake
of Gennesareth. They brought the
poor man to Jesus and pleaded for
him, since he was unable to speak
and hear.
As he was being led away from
the crowd, the deaf-mute felt that
his days of humiliating silence were
about to be over. And so it was. At
the touch of Jesus’ hands and at the
sound of his powerful word, the ears
of the deaf man were cleared and
his tongue was loosed, as Isaiah the
prophet had foretold. (See Is 35:5.6
and Mk 7:35.) The saving power of
God had reached out to the handi-
capped man, filling his life with
sounds and words.
There are forms of deafness and
dumbness much more serious than
the case mentioned in today’s Gos-
pel. Sometimes we even have the
impression that we live in a world
of deaf-mutes. And perhaps, we, too,
are suffering from this handicap, to
some extent . . . . There are many
people who are deaf to the harmony
of nature, to the groans of the suf-
fering and the oppressed; deaf to
the voice of God speaking through
their conscience! Not a few perpetu-
ate and increase their deafness by
burying themselves in the noisy dens
of vice . . . .
Many are spiritually mute. A
mysterious “moral virus” paralyzes
their tongues. They are unable to
speak words of truth, justice, wis-
dom. They are incapable of uttering
The mystery of God’s messiah
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (Mark 8:27-35)
September 16, 2018
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
MEN have plenty of “messiahs”—
idealized figures of liberators
in whom they concretize their
expectations, and the fulfillment
of their needs. Often, the fruit of
the frustrated aspirations of social
classes, groups or entire nations,
these “messiahs” have always a
limited and contingent mission. In
the eyes of men, the signs of their
authenticity are their victories.
Failure, on the other hand, is the
clearest sign of their being “fake
messiahs” . . . Such has always been
the pervading mentality. Such was
the idea which most of the Jews had
of the Messiah they were expecting.
Peter’s remonstration against the
prospect of Jesus’ being rejected and
put to death by the very authorities
of Israel is not just an expression of
his sincere love for the Master. It is
also a proof of the incompatibility
between the foretold sad events and
the common expectation about the
Messiah.
A “crucified Messiah” is also
the main obstacle found by
innumerable people in accepting
Jesus as their “Savior,” as Paul
testifies: “We preach Christ crucified
– a stumbling block to Jews, and
an absurdity to Gentiles . . .” (1 Cor
1:23).
This difficulty is a reality even
in our time. Jesus is not the sort of
“Messiah” that people expect and
feel they need. He is not a “social
Messiah,” i.e., one who comes to
CBCP Monitor
words of prayer to God . . . . It is the
sad plight of a humanity steeped
in sin—the sin committed in Eden,
the sins of all generations, the sins
of our society, the personal sins of
each one of us.
It is in order to heal all men from
these forms of deafness and dumb-
ness that the divine Healer became
one of us. Every day he comes to
touch us with his healing presence.
He is ready to open our ears and
loosen our tongues. He addresses
to us his Word of life. He would like
our lips to echo his Word in faithful-
ness and sincerity.
But the result depends on our
response. If we, in our pride, close
our hearts to God’s inspirations
and calls, then His healing power
will pass us by, and we will remain
locked up in the voiceless grave of
a sinful life. But if we, like young
Samuel, say: “Speak O Lord, for
your servant is listening!”(1 Sam
3:10), then miracles will happen.
Lots of them. Every day. The Word
of the Lord will fill our heart with
its wisdom and life-giving power.
And that very Word that enriches
our heart will open our lips in praise
and thanksgiving to Him, in words
of love, concern and solidarity for
our neighbor.
All this and much more will the
Lord Jesus achieve in us if we let
him have his way. At our baptism,
our ears and lips have been touched
in blessing, and the word Ephphatha
(be opened) has been pronounced.
It is for us to let the power of that
word of Christ be constantly active
in us that we may hear and pro-
claim his Word.
lead the countries of the Third World
to economic independence and
prosperity. He is not the one sent
to lead the exploited social classes
in their struggle for emancipation
and justice. Christ himself, actually,
is one of the oppressed and—by
human standards—a failure . . . . In
him we are faced with the scandal of
the apparent “failure of the cross.”
What sort of Messiah is Jesus then?
He is the “Messiah of God,” the
“Holy One of God.”
He achieves the final goal of
mankind’s salvation not through
spectacular successes but the
humiliation of the Incarnation (see
Phil 2:7), all a series of rejections
(see Jn 1:11), a dreadful agony and
a most shameful death! These are all
facets of a very deep mystery which,
if it were the whole story, would be
not only incomprehensible but also
unacceptable.
But the mystery of Jesus’
messiahship includes also his
Resurrection. This final facet
of the mystery throws light on
all that preceded it, and makes
them acceptable (though not fully
comprehensible!) through the help
of God’s grace.
Such is the mystery of Jesus, the
“Messiah of God,” our Savior—the
mystery of the crucified and risen
Christ; the mystery of life through
death that we experience every
day, both around us and in our very
selves.
CBCP Monitor September 3 - 16, 2018 Vol. 22 No. 18
Our commitment is stronger in critical times
By Fr. Shay Cullen
I AM writing this as a Christian
missionary who came to the
Philippines 49 years ago. It was a
critical time then as it is now and
we have many challenges to our
commitment to serve humanity,
preserve life, love and protect the
stranger.
Our commitment is to every person
of whatever faith, creed, belief or
those with none at all. Each of us as
we live on this planet, survive in this
world, corrupt and as beautiful as
it is, ought to reflect on what is our
commitment to life and to our fellow
human being.
The killings of thousands of
innocents, the murder of priests
and pastors and lay church workers
is an abomination. The mass jailing
of the innocent without trial is a cruel
injustice, depriving families of the
support of their fathers, brothers,
sisters. Even children are jailed in
horrible sub-human conditions that
is illegal and a violation of children’s
rights, which the state is supposed to
protect and cherish.
Our faith is challenged, our God
is cursed and in my 49 years in the
Philippines, even during the darkest
days of martial law, never has there
been such a critical and dangerous
time to be a child rights activist and
journalist- and I am both. For all of
us who believe in the dignity and
equality of every person, we need to
take a committed stand and act for
justice and human dignity.
There is an estimated 23,000 people
killed, including children, since May
2016. They were shot dead as suspects
without evidence of a crime, without
due process, without respect for
their constitutional and legal rights
but they have been mostly innocent
suspects, Filipino people that have
been executed without mercy.
Do not these critical times
challenge our commitment to serve
the poor, the unjustly imprisoned,
the indigenous people, the displaced,
the exploited and abused? Yes, it is a
challenge. But in the face of threats,
vilification, lies and abuse, is our
commitment any less, is it weakened,
diminished, abandoned? No! Not for
Office / B2
judgment (c.1404, §1, 4º), whether
motu proprio or at the petition
of parties (cf. c.1444, §2).
c) Clerics are bound by
a special obligation to show
reverence and obedience to the
Supreme Pontiff and to their
own Ordinary (c.273); while
individual members (of Institutes
of Consecrated Life) are also
bound to obey the Supreme
Pontiff as their highest superior
by reason of the sacred bond of
obedience (c.590, §2).
d) The Roman Pontiff can dispense
all types of vows and oaths in the
Deacon / B2
into the thurible for practical reasons
but does not bless it.
On the one hand, he would not
bless the incense because, in the
middle of Mass, there are priests
and or bishops present, and a deacon
would not give a blessing in these
cases.
However, more importantly, it is
because incense is never blessed at
this particular moment as it is seen
as something practical to assure that
there is sufficient incense to last the
Eucharistic Prayer. If there is only
one deacon, he remains at the altar
Bishops / B3
then [the bishops from] Dublin and
Northern Ireland… all together, ev-
eryone. There is another thing that
I always say, but it bears repeating.
What is the first duty of the bishop?
I say it to everyone: it is prayer.
When the Greek-speaking Chris-
tians complained that their widows
were being neglected (cf. Acts 6:1),
Peter and the apostles created dea-
cons. Then when Peter explained
the matter, he concluded by saying:
“We [apostles] will devote ourselves
to prayer and to serving the word”.
one minute, one hour, not one day.
I believe that our commitment
and that of dedicated Filipino people
standing for the exploited and for
children’s rights is even greater
today. That commitment of the
true Filipino is all the stronger, all
the more determined to struggle
for freedom from this tyranny and
injustice and to overcome with love
and non-violence the indignities,
insults and persecution.
Let us not forget the vital words
of that man from Nazareth who
inspires us by example who endured
greater indignities and told us,
“Happy are those who are persecuted
because they do what God wants, the
Kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”
(Matthew 5:10)
Commitment is a very personal
thing, what are we called to: a life
as washers-of-feet, servant-leaders,
child rights defenders, doers of
justice, educators, and preachers
and followers of the word? Surely,
working for truth and justice is at the
heart of our commitment to always
do and say what is right.
We can strengthen our commitment
to these great values through
solidarity, standing together, working
as one, helping and defending all who
are oppressed, threatened, defiled and
abused, libeled, defamed by fake news
and slandered.
We are stronger in our commitment
by putting our faith into action
daily. By listening, understanding
each other, communicating with
each other, serving and helping.
By sharing our stories of hardship,
pain and suffering. We all need to
be accepted and affirmed with peace
and friendship.
Preda Foundation is the
organization I founded in 1974 to
protect children’s rights and it and
myself are presently the target of a
hate campaign as are many. The sex
mafia that abuse children is behind
the social media attack because our
social workers rescued and protected
abused children from them and
we helped to convict some of them
for human trafficking and abusing
children.
One of them is a female US national
that was jailed by the Philippine
authorities for child neglect and
Church (cc. 1196 and 1203).
5) Universal (universali)—
The exercise of the Pope’s power
extends to all spheres in the
Church, whether territories,
persons or matters. Therefore,
nothing in the ecclesiastical
order can be subtracted from his
authority, or reserved to any other
authority without his consent.
6) Exercised freely always
(quam semper libere exercere
v a l e t )—because otherwise it
would not be full and supreme.
He has the right, according to the
needs of the Church, to determine
while the acolyte acting as thurifer
places incense in the thurible and
incenses the Host and chalice at the
elevations.
Bishop Peter Elliott describes
this in his book “Ceremonies of the
Modern Roman Rite”:
“403. For the incensation of the
Host and the chalice, there are two
possibilities, (a) If there is more than
one deacon, one of them (the deacon
of the Word) leaves the altar and
joins the thurifer after the Sanctus.
He places incense in the thurible and
kneels for the epiclesis. He incenses
So I throw out a question and each
of you can answer it at home: how
many hours a day does each of you
devote to prayer?
With these thoughts, dear broth-
ers, I assure you of my prayers for
your intentions, and I ask you to
keep me in your own. To all of you,
and to the faithful entrusted to your
pastoral care, I impart my blessing
as a pledge of joy and strength in our
Lord Jesus Christ.
I am close to you: keep moving
ahead with courage! The Lord is
abuse and for attacking government
social workers that came to rescue
the children. She was able to bribe
her way out and escaped to the
United States. But justice is coming
for them all soon.
She and her evil cronies try to
get revenge, to vent their anger and
hatred and assuage their guilt by
retaliating in a vilification campaign
through social media. It will come
to nothing but to a day of reckoning
for them.
Such vilification is common. Many
outspoken church workers, priests,
pastors and bishops are vilified
as was Jesus of Nazareth. They
vilified him, arrested and tortured
him and gave him a death penalty.
Our faith is strong and we are not
hurt or harmed. Such attacks do
not diminish our commitment or
dedication to fight for justice and
truth for victims of oppression,
sexual abuse and exploitation.
Such false allegations do not make
us afraid but makes us stronger
and more determined in our
commitment. Because the truth,
eternal goodness is on our side and
we continue to share it and do what
is just and right and it makes us free
and strong. We have the commitment
and determination and the resources
to oppose and resist the evildoers and
take a stand with the victimized.
Please see our robust answer and
response to these corrupt people
spreading fake news, baseless
allegations, lies and deceit. You will
find them on our Preda website www.
preda.org and Preda Facebook page.
We defenders of children’s rights
and human rights must never allow
ourselves to be intimidated, cowered
and disheartened or afraid of any
attack on our name, honor and faith.
We must never give up the struggle,
never falter or waiver; we must
continue to stand for human dignity,
the rights of all, the truth of life, to
be defenders of exploited women
and children, to love creation, to
save the environment, to denounce
evil, to speak the truth without
fear. We continue to be prophetic
as we announce the good news that
love, kindness, justice, respect, and
service will in the end overcome evil
and truth will prevail.
the manner, either personal
or collegial, of exercising this
function (c.333, §2 in fine).
On the other hand, the text
of the canon (and that of LG,
n.22) intentionally states semper
libere—not semper et libere—
to avoid any impression that
the Pope can continually and
arbitrarily meddle in what is the
competence of the local Ordinaries.
And when he does, he will do so
always united in communion
with the other bishops and with
the universal Church (c.333, §2 in
medio). [To be continued.]
the Host and the chalice at each
elevation with three double swings,
by modern practice kneeling at the
center of the sanctuary. Then he
returns to his place at the altar after
the acclamation. (b) When there is
one deacon assisting, he remains at
the altar, and the thurifer incenses
the Blessed Sacrament at each
elevation. In this case, the M.C. or
boat bearer helps to prepare incense.
At each elevation one of the candle
bearers kneeling at the credence
table, or another server, may ring
the bell.”
very good, and Our Lady is watching
over you. When things get a little
difficult, pray the Sub tuum praesi-
dium, because the Russian mystics
say that at moments of spiritual tur-
moil, we should go under the mantle
of the Holy Mother of God, sub tuum
praesidium. Thank you very much!
Now I will give you my blessing.
Together let us pray the Hail
Mary.
May God bless you all, the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Thank you very much.
Press / B4
written...  And he asked me what he
should do to report it.  I replied: “Go
to the Archbishop, the Archbishop
will know what you should do”.  The
Archbishop did everything he was
supposed to do, the matter even
went to the civil court.  There were
two trials.  The local media began
to talk, and talk… Three days later
the words “paedophile priests”,
and similar expressions, appeared
all over the parish, and so there
was a sense that these priests were
criminals.  Seven of them were
interviewed, and nothing was found;
in three cases the investigation went
ahead, they remained in custody for
five days, two days, and one day—
Father Roman, who was the parish
priest—for seven days.  For almost
three years they suffered the hatred
and insults of everyone: they were
criminalized, they weren’t able to go
out, and they suffered humiliations
during the jury’s attempt to prove
the young man’s accusations, which
I do not dare to repeat here.  After
three years and more, the jury
declared the priests innocent, all of
them innocent, but above all these
three—the others were already
out of the case—and the accuser
guilty.  Because they had seen
that that young man had quite an
imagination; he was very intelligent
and was working in a Catholic
school, and thus had a certain
prestige which gave the impression
that he was telling the truth.  He
was sentenced to pay the costs and
all that, and they were innocent.  an anthropological standpoint.
These men were condemned by the
media rather than by the justice
system.  For this reason, your
work is very sensitive: you have to
follow things; you have to speak
about things, but always with this
legal presumption of innocence,
and not the legal presumption of
guilt!  And there is a difference
between a reporter, who provides
information about a case without
deciding the matter beforehand, and
the detective, who plays Sherlock
Holmes, with the presumption that
everyone is guilty.  When we look
at Hercule Poirot’s method, we see
that, for him, everyone was guilty.  change certain social and ethical
But that is the job of a detective.  phenomena increase, and that
They are two different roles.  But
reporters must always start from the
presumption of innocence, stating
their own impressions, doubts...,
but without condemning.  This case
that occurred in Granada is, for me,
an example that will do us all good,
in our [respective] professions.
Greg Burke
In the first part [of the preceding
question], she asked what the people
of God could do in this regard…
Pope Francis
Yes.  When you see something, speak
up at once. I will say something
else, a bit unpleasant.  Sometimes
it is the parents who cover up the
abuse by a priest.  Often you see this
in the sentences.  [They say,] “But
no…”  They don’t believe it, or they
convince themselves that it is not
true, and the boy or girl is left like
that.  I usually speak to one or two
persons a week, by and large, and I
spoke to one person, a lady, who had
suffered from this scourge of silence
for forty years because her parents
had not believed her.  She had been
abused when she was eight years
old.  Speaking out, this is important.  daughter has a right to family, and
True, for a mother, to see this…, It
would be better that it were not true,
and so she thinks that maybe the
child has imagined it… [But there
is a need] to speak up.  To speak
with the right persons, speak with
those who can begin a judgment, at
least a prior investigation.  To speak
with the judge or the bishop, or if
the parish priest is good, to speak
with the parish priest.  This is the
first thing that the people of God
can do.  These things must not be
covered up.  A psychiatrist told me
some time ago—but I don’t want
this to be offensive to women—that
out of their maternal sense women
are inclined to cover up matters
affecting the child than men.  I don’t
know if it’s true or not…  But this is:
to speak up.  Thank you.
Greg Burke
From the Spanish group there is
Javier Romero of “Reme Reports
TV”.
Javier Romero
Holiness, I would like to ask you
two questions.  The first is that the
Prime Minister of Ireland, who
was very pointed in his speech, is
proud of a new model of family that
differs from the one that the Church
has traditionally proposed up to
now: I am speaking of homosexual
marriage.  And this is perhaps one
of the models that generates the
most tension, especially in the case
SOCIAL CONCERNS B7
of Catholic families when one of the
members of the family declares that
he or she is homosexual.  Holiness,
the first question I would like to
ask you is: what do you think, what
would you like to say to a father
whose son says he is homosexual
and wants to go to live with his
companion.  This is the first
question.  The second, and you
also spoke about in this in your
address with the Prime Minister, is
abortion; we have seen how Ireland
has changed greatly in recent years
and it seems that the Minister was
satisfied with these changes, one of
which was abortion.  We have seen
that in recent months, in recent
years, the question of abortion has
been raised in many countries,
including Argentina, your own
country.  How do you feel when you
see that this is a subject on which
you speak out often, and there are
many countries where it is allowed…
Pope Francis
I see.  I’ll begin with the second,
but there are two points—thank
you for this—because they are tied
to the questions we are discussing. 
On abortion, you know what
the Church thinks.   The issue of
abortion is not a religious issue:
we are not opposed to abortion for
religious reasons.  No.  It is a human
issue and has to be addressed as
such.  To consider abortion starting
from religion is to step over [that
realm of]  thought.  The abortion
question has to be studied from
 
There is always the anthropological
question of how ethical it is to
eliminate a living being in order
to resolve a problem.  This
is the real issue.  I would only
emphasize this: I never allow the
issue of abortion to be discussed
starting with religion.  No.  It is an
anthropological problem, a human
problem.  This is my thinking.
Second.   There have always
been homosexuals and
persons with homosexual
tendencies.  Always.  The
sociologists say, but I don’t know
if it’s true, that at times of epochal
this would be one of them.  This is
the opinion of some sociologists.
Your question is clear: what would
I say to a father who sees his son
or daughter has that tendency.  I
would tell him first of all to pray. 
Pray.   Don’t condemn, [but]
dialogue, understand, make room
for his son or daughter. Make room
for them to say what they have to
say.  Then too, at what age does
this concern of the child become
evident?  This is important.  It is one
thing when it shows up in childhood
when there are so many things that
one can do to see how the matter
stands; it is another when it is shows
up at twenty years of age or so.   But
I would never say that silence is the
answer; to ignore a son or daughter
with a homosexual tendency is
not good parenthood.  You are my
son, you are my daughter, just as
you are.  I am your father or your
mother, let’s talk about this.   And
if you, as a father or mother, can’t
deal with this on your own, ask for
help, but always in dialogue, always
in dialogue.  Because that son and
their family is this family, just as
it is.  Do not throw them out of
family.  This is a serious challenge
for parenthood. Thank you for the
question.
Greg Burke
Thank you, Holy Father.
Pope Francis
Now, I would like to say something
for the Irish who are with us.  I
found great faith in Ireland.  Great
faith.  True, the Irish people have
suffered greatly because of the
scandals.  But there is faith in
Ireland, and strong faith.  Also,
the Irish people know how to
distinguish, and here I would repeat
something I heard today from a
bishop.  “The Irish people know
how to distinguish between truths
and half-truths: deep down they
have this ability”.  True, they are
in a process of working things
out, of healing from this scandal. 
True, some are becoming open to
positions that seem increasingly
distant from the faith.  But the
Irish people have a deeply rooted
and strong faith.  I want to say this,
because it is what I saw, what I
heard and what I learned in these
two days.
Thank you for your work, thank you
very much!  And please pray for me.
Greg Burke
Thank you.  Have a good dinner and
a good rest.
B8 ENTERTAINMENT
Crazy Rich Asians
LEAD CAST: Constance Wu,
Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh
DIRECTOR: Jon M. Chu
SCREENWRITER: Peter
Chiarelli, Adele Lim
PRODUCER: Nina Jacobson
EDITOR: Myron Kerstein
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Brian
Tyler
GENRE: Comedy
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Vanja
Cernjul
DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros.
LOCATION: USA, Singapore
RUNNING TIME: 130 minutes
Technical assessment: 3.5
Moral assessment: 3.5
CINEMA rating: V14
MTRCB rating: PG
Chinese-American Rachel Chu
(Constance Wu) is a respected
economics professor at NYU
and her Chinese-Singaporean
boyfriend Nick Young (Henry
Golding) has just asked her to
come with him to Singapore,
where he is to serve as best
man at the wedding of his
best friend, Colin (Chris
Pang). Since she has never
met Nick’s family before and
because her best friend from
college, Peik Li (Akwafina),
lives there, Rachel agrees.
As far as she knows, Nick is
just like her —  a n ordinary
middle-class Asian — but to her
shock, she learns from Peik’s
family that the Youngs are
way beyond rich — their family
essentially helped develop
Singapore from nothing a
century earlier and their
business interests have made
them super filthy rich with
Nick as the heir apparent to
everything. And when Rachel
finally meets Nick’s mother
Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh), she
feels right away that things are
not going to be easy for her. It
does not help as well that she
is seen by many others in the
family and Nick’s circle as just
an ordinary gold-digger. But
then Rachel is determined to
prove everybody wrong and
to stand up for her love. Will
she be able to pull it through
and keep up with the crazy
rich Asians?
Crazy Rich Asians is absolutely
an entertaining feature. The
film has all the elements
for total entertainment  —   a
relatable storyline with
variations of interesting
characters, commendable
casting (all Asians at that), an
aspirational milieu — all done
with excellent production
values. Seeing a Hollywood
film with an all-Asian cast
is already a novelty so the
film has really drawn global
anticipation given the
popularity of the original novel
as well. Wu is a refreshing
revelation along with Golding.
Yeoh’s complex take on the
main protagonist sealed the
film’s power to engage the
audience on the battle between
her and Rachel. The use of the
game as metaphor and the
banana as symbolism are also
memorable. Although the plot
seems contrived bordering
on unbelievable —  l ike how
can someone be clueless if
she gets to be with a very rich
and famous person?  —   s till
The Meg
DIRECTOR: Jon Turteltaub
STARRING: Jason Statham, Li
Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby
Rose, Winston Chao, Cliff Curtis
SCREENPLAY: Dean Georgaris,
Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber
STORY BASED ON: Meg: A
Novel of Deep Terror by Steve Alten
PRODUCERS: Lorenzo di
Bonaventura, Colin Wilson,
Belle Avery
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:
Randy Greenberg, Ben Erwei
Ji, Wayne Wei Jiang, Gerald R.
Molen, Barrie M. Osborne.
GENRE: Science Fiction, Horror
MUSIC: Harry Gregson-Williams
EDITING: Steven Kemper
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Tom Stern
PRODUCTION COMPANY:
Warner Bros. Pictures,
Gravity Pictures, Flagship
September 3 - 16, 2018 Vol. 22 No. 18 CBCP Monitor
Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias
Lolo Kiko Bladimer Usi
Buhay Parokya
the film is able to suspend
disbelief and the audience are
FIND 3 MISSING THINGS:
glued to their seats and simply
1. SAINT TERESA
enjoyed the ride and journey
with Rachel. Minus the hype, 2. HOLY WATER FONT
the film seems like a run-of- 3. POPE FRANCIS
the-mill telenovela plot only
that it has more to offer given
its up-to-date treatment to an
otherwise worn-out story — or
perhaps, to an Asian audience,
much of what is presented
is familiar and familial, such
as conflicts between rich
and poor, Chinese- and non-
Chinese couples, etc. To the
global audience, Crazy Rich
Asians simply stands out as
an Oriental film with Western
glossy look and feel.
Crazy Rich Asians is more
than just battle between
cultures, it is very much
about battle between differing
values  —   w ith the Westerns
valuing individuality and
the pursuit of personal
happiness and ambition and
the Orientals valuing family,
blood relations, and honoring
traditions. The film is utterly
successful in bridging the
two opposing values with its
demonstration of a fervent
love that is not shaken nor
tainted by others’ opinions
and perception — not even a
false accusation. Traditions,
culture and language may be
different from two opposite
poles, but the language of love
remains universal. Dignity,
self-respect and happiness
are foundations of a man
with integrity sans social
status. It is made clear in the
film that being rich is not
necessarily evil and being poor
is not necessarily miserable.
Material wealth remains to
be at the superficial level of
human happiness and it is
seen in the film that what is
essential is what is in one’s
heart — and the relationships
that really matter. The bond
between mother and daughter
is commendable, so are
the family values the film
presented. The film teaches its
audience many life lessons like
standing-up and firmness of a
person to the value he or she
adheres to; being accountable
for one’s actions and not
blaming others for one’s
miseries; valuing sacrifice
for the beloved, and respect
for one’s culture. But then,
there are scenes indicating
sexual relationships outside
of marriage, some nudity and
excesses in drinking alcohol
and wild parties, so CINEMA
deems the film as appropriate
only for audiences aged 14 predictable, contrived plot and minors. The biggest mystery concern for others. Could
Disgraced navy man and deep
and up. poor characterization take the is why it took too long for its message be respect for
sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor
(Jason Statham) is recruited
by Chinese oceanographer Dr.
teeth out of the shark scare.
Leaden performances  —   a s
The Stath to figure out how
to finally get the megalodon.
creation? One remarkable
line by Dr. Zhang refers to an
Zhang (Winston Chao) to save though the actors knew they After spear guns and bombs unfortunate tendency of man
the crew of a submersible that would be facing just a CGI failed, our hero finally did the to “discover and destroy” — for
was disabled by “something monster anyway  —   f urther heroic stunt — cut the meg’s sure it was alluding to the
big” while on an observation drag the movie down to belly, causing it to bleed meg-hunt, but how, we’re
mission in the Philippine the unfathomable bleahs. profusely and attract a horde not sure. Blame Chinese
Trench. Jonas’ team includes The 75-foot megalodon is of sharks which then feasted English. The pictures speak
the oceanographer’s daughter, supposed to be the villain upon it. (Huh? That’s it? Why clearly, though —  a fat boy
an expert shark cage diver here but it registers as a mere did such a simple solution and beribboned dog escaped
herself, Suyin Zhang (Li nuisance. It shows no purpose take almost two hours to the meg’s jaws —  p erhaps,
Entertainment, Apelles Bingbing). Jonas is certain in splashing about, scaring implement?) The real heroes again, to avoid stressing the
Entertainment, Di Bonaventura that “something big” is a people, chomping away at here are the CGI artists/ kids in the audience. In the
Pictures, Maeday Productions shark previously thought to its prey, and several times technicians who created a end our sympathy goes to the
DISTRIBUTED BY: Warner be extinct. He is proven right, missing. It seems to have a low make-believe prehistoric ancient shark that died an
Bros. Pictures and now he must lead the IQ: maybe it’s too prehistoric marine monster with superb ignominious death — ending
COUNTRY: China, United States rescue team and beat the shark to be smart or simply that it’s natural movements and up as sashimi in the bellies of
LANGUAGE: English
RUNNING TIME: 1 hr 54 min
to an island in China that’s 98% brawn and 2% brain. features down to its icky gums, its relatives. Try empathizing
crawling (or wriggling) with When at times it was on target, eeeww! with the shark. Why must
Technical assessment: 3.0 beach lovers. the kill was bloodless, perhaps he Meg overflows with humans do that to a creature
Moral assessment: 3.0 The Meg should have been deliberately, so as not to scare good intentions and displays that was only doing what it did
CINEMA rating: V14 a scary movie but it isn’t. A away its target audience — the of genuine affection and best — eat people?
 THE CROSS
A Supplement Publication of the Order of the Knights of Columbus and KCFAPI
CBCP Monitor Vol. 22, No. 18 September 3 - 16, 2018

Philippine State Deputies

receive Pinnacle Award

DURING the 136th

Supreme Convention,
which was held August
of this year at Baltimore
Maryland, the Philippine
State Deputies once again
received the highest and
prestigious recognition
from the Supreme Council,
the Pinnacle Award. Their
collective efforts for the
Order of the Knights of
Columbus will always be
greatly appreciated and
honoured, Worthy Brother
Knights. Vivat Jesus!
(JSServiento)

In photo (L-R) were Luzon South Deputy Ramoncito A. Ocampo, Supreme Director and Luzon North Deputy Jose C. Reyes, Jr. and Mindanao Deputy Gerry Eutemio T. Mission. Visayas Deputy Anthony P. Nazario was not in the photo but is also a recipient of the Pinnacle Award

Supreme Director and Luzon North Deputy during the 2nd Batch of the District Deputies
Organizational Meeting held last August 18, 2018 at the KCFAPI Center, Intramuros,
Manila.

The Knights of Columbus in the Philippines with its fraternal benefits arm, the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. congratulates the newly elected
Supreme Court Associate Justice, our very own, Bro. Jose C. Reyes, Jr., Supreme Knight, Luzon North Deputy and KCFAPI Chairman. You are our pride! Vivat Jesus!

KC Philippines Foundation, Inc., Luzon North Last August 19, 2018, the Visayas Jurisdiction led by its State Deputy Anthony P. Nazario
donated a wheelchair for a patient that suffered from stroke. The wheelchairs were given

Jurisdiction hold relief operations by the Canadian Wheelchair Foundation and the Knights of Columbus British Columbia
and Yukon Jurisdiction for distribution in the Philippines.

BASED on PDRRMC agencies from different

Resolution No. 1 series
2018, cities and towns in
the province suffered heavy
rainfall brought about by
Tropical Storm Henry last
July 15 – 24, Tropical Storm
Inday last July 17 – 24 and
Tropical Depression Josie last
July 20 –23 that enhanced
the southwest monsoon. The
damage to the province was
worsened by the southwest
monsoon enhanced by
Tropical Storm Karding and
high tide last August 11-13,
2018.
According to the
Damage Assessment
Report of the members
and representatives of the
council and other partner
government and private
agencies, 129,886 families
or 624,930 individuals
were affected by the said
calamity.
Overall, the most affected
areas were Hagonoy,
Paombong and Malolos,
the K of C District M28
in the Diocese of Malolos.
In unity with our brother
knights in need, the Luzon
North Jurisdiction and KC
In photo were Executive Vice President Ma. Theresa G. Curia and the St. James the
Philippines Foundation, Inc. Apostle Council of Paombong, Bulacan members led by its Grand Knight Mar Bondoc
held its relief operations last and Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture Circle led by its regent Sis. Apol Mislang.
August 18, 2018 at the St.
James the Apostle Parish, The team was welcomed by Immaculate International
Paombong, Bulacan. Calamity the town’s parish priest, Rev. within their parish. One
stricken families were present Fr. Anacleto Ignacio and the hundred sixty (160) families Mindanao Jurisdiction led by its State Deputy Gerry Eutemio T. Mission held its Grand
to receive grocery supplies brother knights and members benefited through this project. Knight, Financial Secretary, Program and Membership Director Training last September
and goods. of the Daughters of Mary (JSServiento) 1, 2018 at the Diocese of Kidapawan.
C2 September 3 - 16, 2018, Vol 22, No. 18 THE CROSS
Ramoncito A. Ocampo Jose C. Reyes, Jr.

President’s Chairman’s Message

Message
Rejoice and be glad!

“REJOICE and be glad!” is the We are also worried in being pictured of believing that we can attain holiness
“We are a Fraternity, united in charity.” English translation of the Apostolic as “holy” because people might label us through our own human strength and
— Supreme Knight, Carl Anderson Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate as weird, fanatic, “maagang kukunin ni efforts. The Exhortation also presents
written by Pope Francis most recently. Lord”, “lalampas na sa langit.” So, let us the Beatitudes, Christ’s simple steps to
My intention in writing about this Study first make clear that the call to holiness holiness. Pope Francis reminds us that
KNIGHTS of Columbus—the world’s largest Catholic fraternal Edition of Gaudete et Exsultate is is intended for everybody. We belong to “the cross remains to be the source of
service organization has been thoughtful in its service not to help reach many people, first and God and therefore, God Himself wants us our growth and sanctification.”
only to fellow brother knights but also to those who are in foremost, our brother Knights, so that to be with Him in heaven. But to deserve While the theological virtues of Faith,
need. We have been more than honored and privileged to be they will be guided along the path of heaven is to have a pure heart, to be holy Hope and Charity remain supreme in the
acknowledged by the Pope as Vatican News says “Pope Francis holiness. and to live in the image and likeness of life of every Christian believer, humility
has encouraged the Knights of Columbus in principal charity It is the intention of Pope Francis to Jesus Christ. Heaven should not be seen is an indispensable condition in the task
and thanked them for their commitment to the Gospel of the assure us that we should not be afraid of as some place too far to think about while of achieving holiness. In praying, the
family and their outreach to persecuted Christians.” holiness. Being a very practical preacher, we are young, or while we are still healthy need for silence and quiet is a requisite
We have to take into account that we are formed for a Pope Francis teaches us things we should and busy earning a living. We should first even for the lay person busy in the
reason and that reason is service. Gladly, as time goes by, do to respond to God’s call to holiness realize that a taste of Heaven is possible affairs of livelihood. The Exhortation
we are exactly what our predecessors expected the fraternal within the context of the present world here on earth. So, we should not delay also adds the daily examination of
organization to be. No one is stopping us now. Instead, we we live in. In my experience, we have or postpone in responding to God’s call conscience as another help in the process
have garnered international support for us to keep going. I some fears of becoming holy because we to holiness. of discernment and advancing in virtue.
cannot help but be thankful enough that we are on the right want to believe that God’s call to holiness What concrete and practical things Finally, we are also invited to read the
track—with our founder’s guidance. is not intended for us lay people. Rather, can we do to deepen our faith and help Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Guidance for our brother knights to stay focused and it is for the religious and consecrated others to deepen their faith as well? In Philippines’ pastoral letter “Landas ng
committed; that non-members will be enlightened, and be our people. Because of this misconception, Cardinal Rosales, DD’s presentation Pagpapakabanal” that is also part of the
active members that will not only add to our number, but will we have become harsh in judging priests of the Study Edition, he noted that book. It offers a beautiful example of
be a helping hand in achieving our objectives. Guidance that and other religious people if they commit Pope Francis suggests that “we should inculturation and contextualization of
will keep us united no matter the circumstance. This will not sins, while being lax on ourselves who always be in union with Jesus Christ how to become saints in our country and
be an easy road, and it never had been. For something worth are lay people. and the mysteries of His life,” instead our culture.
keeping, we need to realize how hard we had worked for it to
be a reality. Ma. Theresa G. Curia
Charity is the key. It is when we became aid to someone
who needs treatment, a helping hand in trying times. When
we became initiators of a better community, promoters of Curia Settings
goodwill and the list goes on. With brother knights who are
always willing to extend help in any way possible, nothing is Mary and the power of legacy
impossible.
Be the mainstream that does not falter. No matter how old
fashioned we get, what is more important is that our hearts
never outgrow the importance of charity and giving. We may
not be limited to thinking on the things that we can’t and we HOW fast time flies. It to be a disciple of Jesus. I generation can benefit from: Mama Mary that we are
don’t have, but rather focus on what we can provide and what seems only yesterday when think she must have felt that * She was a parent and a making sure that our members
we can do for our fellow brothers and sisters. I wrote on the meaning of she needed to leave a lasting disciple. Whatever our status, are becoming disciples of the
Vivat Jesus! the birth of the Mother of legacy on humankind and we can follow the Lord. Lord like her.
Jesus. September 8 is the day on the church. Indeed Mary * She was a woman. Perhaps it is also honorable
Arsenio Isidro G. Yap dedicated by the Church to has left us a blueprint on how Whatever our gender, we for us to check what concrete
her birth, exactly 9 months a faithful daughter of the have a room in the Church plans we have implemented
A Brother’s Insight after we commemorate her
Immaculate Conception on
Church could and would be.
Mary’s Legacy
and in the world of service
and sacrifice.
during our term of office
which we can turn over to
Dec 8. Mary taught us to be holy, * She lived and worked with the next set of officers. What
Her Immaculate to be faithful to the Lord the apostles. We are called brand of discipleship do we
Conception is a fitting tribute and to be a compassionate to work in a community; learn from Mary and which
of the Church for a woman companion in the faith of our in groups; with friends and we can then pass on to the
who was destined to be the fellow travellers. She listened companions. future generations? What
Dreams for now Mother of the Savior of the to God in her heart and she * Yet she was prayerful will be our legacy as KC and
world. No greater title can was faithful to the motions and lived in personal DMI leaders that those who
ONE of the greatest gifts God gave us is the ability to dream. be bestowed on any woman that she felt. She did not know communication with the will follow us can say they
You can dream all you want and nobody could ever stop you and on any human being than how things would develop in Spirit. We need our personal learned from us? What will
from doing so. You can dream as much from the most far off to have collaborated in the details, but she trusted in the “alone-time-with –the – they remember from us, and
things to the most unimaginable. And the best thing about project of saving the world. I leading of the Holy Spirit and Lord.” We must find time be grateful for? What is it
it, it’s free. There’s one rule though, don’t let your dreams wonder if she thought about followed, obeyed in faith. for silence and intimacy with that they will want to emulate
control your life. Be realistic and know what’s achievable and the fame she would have from We cannot imitate her in God, to ponder things in our in us and will continue to do?
what is not. generation to generation. But her being the mother of Jesus, heart. What can they be creative in
As a new member of the Knights of Columbus (K of C) in one thing I am sure of, it did but we can surely learn from * She heard her mission doing for others which they
1975, my dream was to be a Fourth Degree member as soon not make her feel she was her on how to be an apostle, from the Spirit. Each of us will claim we inspired them
as I can. Basic rule of thumb then was six months before any above any one of us. Rather, how to listen to Gods’ Word, must discover and live out our to do?
advancement to the higher degrees. Not to mention a once I can imagine her humbly how to pray and live our daily mission in life. Mama Mary, our lives as
a year exemplification for the Fourth Degree for the entire but bravely accepting from life in service, in love, and in It just occurs to me that we human beings have become
Philippines with a maximum candidates of only five hundred. the Holy Spirit the role which being responsible for building shall give Mary a great honor worth living because of what
I became a Fourth Degree in 1977. was given her. She must our Church. as a Knights of Columbus we saw in you. Individually,
After that, I began to dream of my future in the Knights of have foreseen the immense Mary’s legacy of service, (KofC) family if we can humbly we have become hopeful and
Columbus. I lined them up so I would be able to tackle them responsibility given to her. dedication and lay discipleship say that we try to be aware of secure in God’s love because
according to plan. My future in the K of C which started off as But instead of being daunted is something that she left the legacy of discipleship we try to follow you. Like you,
a dream became a goal only known to me. One by one, I was by fear and false humility, she behind for all of us to follow. and service that Mary has may we be able to lead others
fortunate enough to have achieved all of them knowing from bravely accepted with full and All that Mary taught us in left behind. Similarly, we toward Jesus. And when the
the very beginning that some of them were so absurd in my generous commitment the her life becomes her legacy can also ask ourselves if our voyage is over, please stand
thoughts then. task and mission that was to all of human kind. Legacy present generation of the on the shore and show Jesus
I became an officer, a Grand Knight, a Faithful Navigator, a given to her. She was aware is what we leave behind for Knights of Columbus (KofC) at last to us.
District Deputy, a State Officer and the Luzon State Deputy. that the apostles would look others to learn and emulate. and the Daughters of Mary You are blessed among
Before I became Luzon State Deputy, I started to dream again up to her for guidance and for Here are some of the lessons Immaculate International women. Holy Mary, pray for
and wanted that I would be the most awarded Luzon State modelling of what it means from Mary which the next (DMII) can sincerely tell us.
Deputy if ever I should become one. When I did in 2011, my
dreams became goals, again known only to me. I know it’s Karlo Serviento Erwin John Mallari
almost impossible or would be extremely difficult to achieve,
but with the help of my team, I did it. At the end of my term
in 2015, I had achieved what no other state deputies from the
Philippines ever did. I was the first to achieve four straight
Pondering EJ’s Corner
Circle of Honor Awards, I was the first to achieve the first the Words
Pinnacle Award by any state deputy from the Philippines and
ended my term as the number one jurisdiction for the entire
Order of the Knights of Columbus, besting seventy one other
jurisdictions from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Poland and
the Philippines. The numbers my team achieved cannot be He is the gentle warrior Insurance week
matched more so surpassed for the next fifty years.
Now that I am in a different branch of the Knights of SEPTEMBER is a very of God. THE celebration of Insurance ancient times when traders
Columbus, I am again starting to dream and I hope and pray significant month for the Who is Fr. George? In the week and KCFAPI’s diamond decided to branch out to
that all of it would come into fruition someday. But this time Knights of Columbus in the eyes of Past Supreme Knight anniversary happen to fall further villages across the sea
Brother’s Insight / C3 Philippines. On September Virgil Dechant, he was a in the month of September but such expansions entailed
14, we will celebrate the 41st gentle one. As a man, he was and as the month begins, risks of loss and because they

THE CROSS
anniversary of the passing of
the Servant of God, Fr. George
J. Willmann. To mark this
A Supplement Publication of the event, a Holy Mass will be held
Order of the Knights of Columbus and KCFAPI on September 16, the Twenty-
fourth Sunday in Ordinary
Editorial Board Time, at San Agustin Church
Jose C. Reyes, Jr.
to be presided by Most. Rev.
Chairman Pablo Virgilio S. David, DD,
Bishop of Kalookan and CBCP
Ramoncito A. Ocampo Vice President.
President A part of the Gospel on
that Sunday says: (Mk. 8:34)
Ma. Theresa G. Curia
“If any want to become my
Executive Vice President
followers, let them deny
Msgr. Pedro C. Quitorio III themselves and take up their
Spiritual Director cross and follow me.” The
Gospel on this particular
Mary Magdalene G. Flores Sunday is exactly what Fr.
Editor-in-Chief George has done. He denied
Juan Karlo Serviento, Jerome P. De Guzman, Erwin John B. Mallari
himself, took up his cross
Contributors and followed the footsteps of
Christ, of service to the people
a warrior; but a warrior with
the zeal of the Lord.
Fr. George spent his 44
fruitful years in service to the
poor, the oppressed and the
needy. He lived a life of love
and compassion. Despite the
exemplified service Fr. George
shown, it is not him whom the
people adored, honoured and
loved, he brought the Lord.
He fulfilled the four cardinal
principles of the Order:
Charity, Unity, Fraternity
and Patriotism.
One step towards
beatification and canonization
is that, the Vatican must
declare that a person has
his “heroic virtue”, meaning
he must have shown a life of
holiness and obedience to the
Pondering the Words / C3
Filipinos from all over the
country enter into a festive
mood. Some start playing
Christmas songs, some look
forward to feast days of
revered saints such as St.
Nicholas of Tolentine and St.
Padre Pio, Our kababayans
who are working overseas
get excited about coming
home for the Christmas
season, some look forward
to celebrating Marian month
and start organizing Marian
exhibits, and some even
look forward to Halloween
with scary costumes and
props being highlighted in
department stores.
Lost in all of this excitement
is the celebration of
Insurance Week. Insurance
traces back its origins in
wanted to lessen the burden
of loss, different methods
of insuring their goods
arose such as sending their
goods on several cargo ships
instead of one, and hiring
agents to sell goods on their
behalf started. Merchants
would often acquire loans
in order to pay for their
shipments, but since the
risk of loss was always there,
an agreement was formed
wherein the merchant would
pay an additional amount
in exchange for the lender’s
guarantee that the loan
would be cancelled if the
cargo was stolen or lost at
sea. In 600 BC, it was the
Greeks and the Romans who
came up with the origins of
EJ’s Corner / C3
THE CROSS September 3 - 16, 2018, Vol 22, No. 18 C3

The Dignity of Every Human Life

On the eve of the world meeting of families, Pope Francis reaffirms the important connection between life ethics and social ethics
by Supreme Knight
Carl A. Anderson
IN my Columbia columns
for January and April
earlier this year, I reflected
on Blessed Pope Paul VI’s
encyclical Humanae Vitae
and its enduring messages on
marriage and the gift of life —
messages further discussed
throughout this issue. The
following month, on May
25, Irish voters repealed the
Eighth Amendment to that
country’s constitution, which
for decades had protected
the lives of countless unborn
children from abortion.
Providentially, Pope Francis
had the courage to place the
World Meeting of Families in
Ireland next month. He has
set the stage for the meeting
with the recent publication of
his apostolic exhortation on
the call to holiness, Gaudete et
Exsultate (Rejoice and Be Glad).
There is much to reflect
upon in Gaudete et Exsultate.
In one section, the pope
writes: “Our defense of the
innocent unborn, for example,
needs to be clear, firm and
passionate, for at stake is
the dignity of a human life,
which is always sacred and
demands love for each person,
regardless of his or her stage of
development. Equally sacred,
however, are the lives of the
poor, those already born,
the destitute, the abandoned
and the underprivileged,
the vulnerable infirm and
elderly…. We cannot uphold
an ideal of holiness that
would ignore injustice in (the)
world” (101).
No organization knows
this better than the Knights
of Columbus. We have been
“clear, firm and passionate”
in our defense of the dignity
of every human life.
Our Ultrasound Initiative
alone, which has sought
to protect the lives of both
mother and child by providing
more than 950 ultrasound
machines to qualified
pregnancy resource centers,
has already saved hundreds
of thousands of lives.
Pope Francis goes on to
write in Gaudete et Exsultate,
“We often hear it said that
… the situation of migrants,
for example, is a lesser issue.
Some Catholics consider it
a secondary issue compared
to the ‘grave’ bioethical
questions. That a politician
looking for votes might say
such a thing is understandable,
but not a Christian” (102).
The pope is right. These
are not “secondary” issues
because there are no
“secondary” people. There
are public issues that involve
intrinsically evil acts, such
as the intentional killing of
an innocent human being as
in the case of abortion. And
there are other issues that
involve prudential judgments
about which reasonable
people may disagree. But
that does not mean such
issues are “secondary.” In
most countries, poverty and
disease are the leading causes
of death. In the United States,
it is abortion: approximately
60 million since Roe v. Wade.
Here again, the Knights of
Columbus has been a leader
— during the last fraternal
year providing more than
$185 million and more than
75 million hours of volunteer
service to charity.
St. John Paul II, in
Evangelium Vitae, explained
the strong link between life
ethics and social ethics: “A
society lacks solid foundations
when, on the one hand, it
asserts values such as the
dignity of the person, justice
and peace, but then, on the
other hand, radically acts to
the contrary by allowing or
tolerating a variety of ways in
which human life is devalued
and violated, especially where
it is weak or marginalized”
(101).
Catholics have a
responsibility to insist that
those responsible for the
public good focus public
debate where it belongs: on
respect for the dignity of every
human being and the sanctity
of every human life.
This is why Pope Francis
reminds us that holiness,
evangelization, charity and
human development are
profoundly linked. And as
will be apparent during the
upcoming World Meeting of
Families, all of these aspects
of the Christian life find their
home in the family.
The Order has always
sought to evangelize and
strengthen the spiritual life
of our Catholic families.
We are now strengthening
our Building the Domestic
Church initiative through our
new Faith in Action program
model, which encourages
councils to do even more
in the areas of faith, family,
community and life.
As Knights of Columbus
we will more clearly live in
a way that witnesses to the
Christian call to holiness,
evangelization, charity and
social justice.
Vivat Jesus!

The Gentle Warrior An INVITATION to become a

FR. GEORGE J. WILLMANN, SJ FELLOW

By James B. Reuter, SJ
The Knights of Columbus
THE CYO program had two basic
components: religious and recreational.
The religious activities were catechism
classes, religious lectures, conferences,
open forums, study clubs, corporate
Masses. The recreational activities
were basketball, volleyball, softball,
boxing, and indoor games like table
tennis and chess.
Father Willmann intended the CYO
to be essentially a parish organization,
from the beginning. But it also was
supported by the government, through
the Community Chest of Greater Manila.
Mayor Arsenio Lacson, who had been a
football coach at the Ateneo de Manila,
was one of its strongest supporters.
The number of Knights involved in
the CYO was incredible. George himself
singled out, for special honorable
mention: “Brothers Justo Arrastia,
Enrique Albert, Jesus Galan and
Benjamin Arcenas; Brothers Benavides,
Bulatao, DyBuncio, Gabriel, Infante,
Jamora, la O, H. B. Reyes, Manuel
Lim, Vicente Diaz, Lopez, Lorenzo,
Martinez, Opisso, Pineda, Priower,
F. Reyes, Sumabat, Tamayo, Jimenez,
Tonogbanua, M. Valero, Mutuc, Jorge
de Leon, Johnny de Leon, J. Tan,
Vinluan, Bustamante, Jose Gutierrez,
Sison, Valenzuela, Turla, W. Guerrero,
Campos, Celedonio Francisco, Albert
Cruz, Ataviado, Millar, Balagtas,
Manahan, Ramos, Father Vicedo”.
The first National President of the
CYO was Doctor Ramon F. Campos.
He led the organization for twenty-two
years, from 1938 to 1960. He was the
CHAPTER FOUR
Grand Knight of Manila Council 1000
from 1946 to 1948.
When World War II broke out in
1941, the number of existing CYO units
was twenty. It had drawn an amazing
number of boys and young men closer
to God. George himself wrote:
“Our Council may well feel that they
have assisted substantially in bringing
countless hundreds and thousands
of young men a little closer to Christ.
Without accomplishing anything very
great in the eyes of the world we can
sincerely say that we have given explicit
religious instruction and spiritual
counsels to very many — (spiritual works
of mercy); and to a far larger number we
have practiced corporal works of mercy
in the form of wholesome supervised
recreation under the banner of Christ.
These under-privileged people whom
we have helped surely must feel a little
closer to Christ’s Church when they
see that Christ’s followers are thus
interested in their spiritual and material
welfare.”
When Father Willmann launched
the Philippine CYO, in 1938, another
youth organization came into being,
spontaneously, at the same time. It
was known as the Knights of Columbus
Junior Auxiliary.
George was involved with the Junior
Auxiliary, inevitably, because most
of the young men in the organization
came from the Ateneo, and most of
their activities took place in Jesuit
institutions.
It was a group of young boys and
girls, mostly high school students, from
Ateneo and Assumption, from Holy
Ghost and Letran. It was organized
in February of 1938 by Manila Council
1000 to develop a solid union of young
Catholic Actionists, and to promote
social activities in a truly Catholic
atmosphere. It was very popular —
the only group ever to be affiliated with
Manila Council 1000 composed of both
boys and girls.
Their spiritual activities were strong:
a corporate Mass and Communion,
every month; a recollection with the
Nocturnal Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament, at La Ignaciana in Santa
Ana, every month; an apostolate among
the poor, to encourage mothers to have
their babies baptized, to encourage
husbands and wives who were “living
together”, or who were only civilly
married, to be married in the Church.
(to be continued on the next issue)
THE “Fr. George J. Willmann Fellows” was launched by the Knights
of Columbus Father George J. Willmann Charities, Inc. last June
29, 1997 during the Centennial Birth Anniversary celebration of Rev.
Fr. George J. Willmann, S.J. This fund-raising campaign finances
the theological research expenses necessary to possibly raise Fr.
Willmann to the honors of the altar. Last December 7, 2015, Manila
Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle has officially opened
the Archdiocesan Process for the Causes of Beatification and
Canonization of Fr. George J. Willmann and monthly Ecclesiastical
inquiries are being held at the Manila Metropolitan Tribunal.
Membership to the Fr. Willmann Fellows is open to all Knights
of Columbus councils, members, their families, friends and
even to business institutions. As of August 2017, more than
1,100 individuals and 36 institutions all over the country have
already joined this fellowship. Father Willmann Fellows serve
as co-sponsors in the work of spreading the good news about
Fr. Willmann’s life, works and holiness. Their donation is a
lifetime subscription to the initiative of the Knights of Columbus of
promoting awareness on Father Willmann in order that authentic
devotion to him may be encouraged among the faithful, especially
those who need his intercession for God’s grace.
We therefore cordially invite you and your loved ones to join
the Fr. Willmann Fellows. Aside from being an advocate in
spreading the sanctity of Father Willmann and the graces that
come with it, each Fellow is entitled to receive the following items
as memorabilia: (1) a Certificate of Membership, (2) a lapel pin
and (3) a pamphlet entitled “A Quest for a Cause of Fr. George
J. Willmann, S.J.”. We further urge you to fervently seek Fr.
Willmann’s intercession in all your petitions for God’s graces and
to report to the Foundation all blessings you may have received
with the intercession of Fr. Willmann.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
FR. GEORGE J. WILLMANN CHARITIES, INC.
Gen. Luna cor. Sta. Potenciana Sts., Intramuros, Manila
Tel. Nos. 527-2223 local 221 & 527-2244 (Fax)
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
to FATHER GEORGE J. WILLMANN, S.J. FELLOW
1. Name of Applicant (individual or institution):
_________________________________________________
2. Address: _________________________________________
Tel. Nos. ______________________________________
3. Office Name & Address: ______________________________
Tel. Nos. __________________________________________
4. K of C Council Number and Location: ____________________
5. Enclosure: _________________________________________
[ ] Cash P ____________ [ ] PMO/check No.___________
(Note: Please make check payable to KC Fr. George J. Willmann
Charities, Inc.)

Brother’s Insight / C2 Date: ______________________________________________

I will make it known to all my
fellow brother knights.
As the Knights of Columbus
Fraternal Association of the
Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI)
celebrates its 60th
Anniversary on September
14 and as President of Keys
Realty, one of its wholly
owned corporations,
I would like to dream of
the following for the next
fifteen years or on its 75th
Anniversary.
I dream of a Knights of
Columbus Tower which will
house all of its wholly owned
corporations, foundations
and future corporations. It
shall be the center of activities
not only for the business side
of KCFAPI but will likewise be
the general headquarters of
the K of C in the Philippines
where all of its benevolent
activities will be planned.
I dream of K of C Villages
in key provinces of the
Philippines wherein the
majority, if not all of its
residents, are members of the
Knights of Columbus…
I dream of K of C Diagnostics
Clinics wherein the medical
requirements of our members
could be done not only as
insurance requirements
but be wellness centers also
to help prevent and treat
diseases…
I dream of K of C Cemeteries,
complete with chapels,
columbary, cremation
equipment where members
of the K of C and their families
can be laid to rest…
I dream of boutique hotels
like the Columbus Plaza
we have in Gen-San with
commercial spaces in key
cities of the Philippines not
only for business purposes
but places where brother
knights can gather and hold
their regional meetings and
seminars. It can also serve as
destinations for their families
for vacation and other social
functions…
I dream of a permanent
Food Bank which could act
with dispatch in calamity
stricken areas, charitable
institutions needing food
aid as well operating soup
kitchens to provide hot meals
to the elderly and disabled in
depressed areas …
I dream of business tie-ups
with businesses owned by
brother knights to be able to
give variety of services and
goods which our members
would want and need…
Of course I must be realistic
with my dreams and must
realize that not all of them
could be a reality on the
75th Anniversary of KCFAPI
by 2033, but I am hoping
that some of them would
be realized and the rest at
least have been started for
completion on its Centenary
in 2058.
It’s a dream for now but
could very well be a reality
tomorrow. And we as knights
could make it happen. We
should make it happen. Let’s
make our dreams a goal and
our goals a reality…
Signature: __________________________________________
Pondering the Words / C2
gospel. This, I can say, is what
Fr. George has. Despite the
comfort he can have, he chose
to walk on the streets with the
poor, the apple of God’s eye.
The death of Fr. George is
the beginning of new life for
the Order and for the people
whom he had met. Because
as his death anniversary falls
on the Feast of the Exaltation
of the Holy Cross, we, as
brother knights hope in the
fulfilment of God’s promise
that we may be exalted in the
courts of the Lord at the hour
of judgement.
This is the legacy of Fr. George
that must be passed on from
generation to generations, the
legacy that must be enlivened
in all the brother knights whom
he served; the living legacy of a
friend, a brother, a priest and
a soon-to-be saint. Fr. George
may not be physically present
these days, but his virtue and
love will continue to be blessed,
broken and shared, as Jesus
was.
Once again we ask everyone
to pray for the Cause of
Fr. George that he may be
numbered in the saints, a
gentle warrior and a Knight
of Christ.
Servant of God, Fr. George
J. Willmann, intercede for us.

EJ’s Corner / C2

health and life insurance. They
would make guilds that paid for
the funeral expenses of members
and also take care of the family
that they left behind. The concept
of insurance was first introduced
in our country in the Spanish era
when a foreign insurance company
appointed a representative here.
By 1898, the 1st life insurance
company entered our shores and
by 1910 the first domestic life
insurance company was organized.
Many years passed by and on
September 9, 1958, Knights of
Columbus Fraternal Association
of the Philippines began with an
initial capital of P32,000.00 and
has grown to have assets that are
now worth P5.7 billion.
Despite all that wonderful
history, when one comes to think
of it, hearing the word “insurance”
does not bring much enthusiasm
with it. This is because of the
culture that we Filipinos have
been exposed to all our life that
is to value tangible things such
as cell phones and other gadgets.
Insurance, more particularly life
insurance, isn’t a popular concept
because it is about a preparation
for one’s demise, a topic that is
almost considered taboo in our
country. Not that it’s offensive and
all but rather because Filipinos like
living in the moment and thinking
that death is such a scary thought
that it takes out the joy of living.
Despite this, we should still push
for insurance consciousness to
more individuals. This has been
the primary goal of celebrating
insurance week.
The first time I heard about
insurance week, I thought it was
a global celebration but google
taught me otherwise. What popped
up after hitting search was a bunch
of links for a weekly car insurance.
This year, searching for the said
topic yielded similar results with the
addition of one insurance company
from India celebrating it by putting
up additional help desks in their
offices, initiating a drive to inform
those living in rural areas about the
importance of insurance, organizing
a customer meet in their branches,
and holding various contests such
as essay writing and drawing for
students and employees alike.
It is a noble drive and I wish even
more companies did this. While
celebrating insurance week may not
be as festive and joyful as the other
occasions we look forward to, the
experience can be an eye opener to
some and changing even one life for
the better is a great start.
C4 September 3 - 16, 2018, Vol 22, No. 18 THE CROSS

KCFAPI launches its KC Diamond Security

Plan and KC Prestige Care Plan
AUGUST 30, 2018 – As
part of the celebration of
KCFAPI’s 60th Anniversary,
the Association launched
its new product, the KC
Diamond Security Plan and
the KC Prestige Care Plan.
The Grand Launching started
with a Fashion Show and Talk
Show participated by KCFAPI
employees and guests. A
talk on beauty care and tips
followed given by Ms. Ana
Kristel Yap. KC Foundations
Supervisor Juan Karlo S.
Serviento and HRCC Assistant
Arvi Rina Albaracin rendered
songs during the lunch break.
Most Rev. Honesto
F. Ongtioco reflected
on diamonds as this year
is KCFAPI’s Diamond
Anniversary. The bishop,
from the Diocese of Cubao and
the Apostolic Administrator
of the Diocese of Malolos,
stressed that diamonds may
vanish but K of C is forever.
“Fr. Willmann started it
(KCFAPI) as real security. It
was not his work alone but a
work and a mission entrusted
by God to the Order.”
He then challenged each
and everyone, “One of the
values of the K of C is to
defend human life. That is
why we have our Annual Walk
for Life. Life is very precious
to God.”
“Thank you for the Knights
of Columbus. You are very
important as you are the
working arm of the church
in (the) advocacy of life. You
are there for people, we are
here for Christ. Yes, you are
agents of insurance to give
security to our people but you
are also agents of Christian
values that we promote in K
of C: Love (Charity), Unity,
Fraternity and Patriotism. 60
years, diamonds are forever
but I say, K of C is forever!”,
he furthered.
Hon. Henrietta T. de Villa,
PPCRV Chairman Emeritus
and Former Philippine
Ambassador to the Holy See,
then gave her talk on Women
Empowerment. She focused
on the role of women in the
further development of the
society as one of the newly
launched products focuses on
In photo were (seated from left to right) Mace Insurance Agency, Inc. President Bro. German F. Martinez, Jr., KC Foundations President Alonso L. Tan, Hon. Henrietta T. de Villa,
women, the KC Prestige Care Most Rev. Honesto F. Ongtioco, DD, KCFAPI Executive Vice President Ma. Theresa G. Curia and KCFAPI Trustee Bonifacio B. Martinez and (standing) the Luzon Fraternal Benefits
Plan. (JSServiento) Managers with VP for FBG Gari M. San Sebastian. (Photo credits to KJRYngco)

The Manila Council 1000 of the Luzon South Jurisdiction held its 114th Installation
of Officers and Induction of Service Directors and Community Chairmen last August
18, 2018 at the KCFAPI Center. In photo were its Grand Knight Reynaldo Valencia and
council officers with Chaplain Rev. Fr. Arnold Sta. Maria, OSA and State Secretary
Bonifacio Martinez.

To commemorate the 128th death anniversary of the Venerable Servant of God Fr. Michael J. McGivney, KCFAPI management and staff led by its Executive Vice President Ma.
Theresa G. Curia offered a Holy Mass presided by Rev. Msgr. Pedro C. Quitorio III at the McGivney Oratory last August 14, 2018 that was followed by a wreath laying ceremony
in front of his statue within the KCFAPI Center.

Last August 30, 2018, KC Philippines Foundation, Inc.’s President Bro. Alonso L. Tan
and Executive Vice President Ma. Theresa G. Curia handed over to Most Rev. Honesto F.
Ongtioco, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Malolos a check worth Php 50,000.00
payable to its Social Action Commission as part of the Calamity Assistance of the KC
Philippines Foundation, Inc. to the diocese. (PHOTO CREDITS TO KJRYNGCO)
An economic briefing given by Mr. Paolo Miguel Tabuena from BDO Trust and Investments
Group was held last August 29, 2018 at the Fr. Willmann Building participated by KCFAPI
officers and Fraternal Benefits Managers