A3

B1

Pope to Palestinian
leaders: have courage to
forge peace

C1

Statement of the
Asian Conference
on the Family

Ugnayan

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

Coalition urges pork

legislators to resign

Vol. 18 No. 11

Php 20.00

Pope visit stronger

than Typhoon Yolanda
By Roy Lagarde

On his flight back to

Rome from Holy Land on
May 27, the pope confirmed
his plan to visit the country
next year.
He said plans are underway for him to visit Sri
Lanka and Philippines on a
single trip in January 2015.
With regard to Asia,
two trips are planned: the
one to South Korea, for the
meeting of young Asians,
and then, next January, a
two-day trip to Sri Lanka
and then on to the Philippines, to the area affected
by the typhoon, Francis
said in a media conference.
Details of his visit, however, have not yet been
revealed.
Although many wanted
to witness a papal visit in
an earlier schedule than
the expected 2016 trip to
Cebu City for an international Catholic gathering,
this latest development did
not come as a surprise to
everybody.
As someone who has
been leading the Church in
reaching out to the peripheries, Manila Archbishop
Luis Antonio Cardinal TaPope / A6

CNS / LOsservatore Romano, pool

ITS official: Pope

Francis is coming to
the Philippines.

Coalition / A7

Faithful urged
to pray rosary
for pork scam
culprits, witnesses
THE head of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP)
on Saturday exhorted the
faithful to offer prayers
for the conversion of
those involved in the
multibillion-peso pork
barrel scandal.
Lingayen-Dagupan
Archbishop Socrates Villegas, CBCP president,
called on the faithful to
pray the rosary from May
31 until August 15 for the
conversion of the culprits
in the pork barrel scam,
for the courage of the witnesses, and the healing of
our country.
Let us overcome evil
by the power of good,
Villegas said in a pastoral statement issued on
Saturday.
May 31 is the Feast of
the Visitation and August
15 is the Solemnity of the
Assumption.

Villegas also encouraged the children to receive the Holy Eucharist,

while offering prayers for
key figures and witnesses
in the multibillion racket
of siphoning public funds
to dubious organizations
and foundations.
I encourage our youth
and children to receive
Holy Communion frequently during these
days of prayer and offer
prayers for the culprits,
the witnesses and our
government, he said.
Let us not lose hope!
As in all situations, we
will see the light beyond
this crisis. It will make
us stronger and more
mature. Let us not stop
hoping, praying and being concerned and vigilant. Our government
is what we make of it,
Villegas said. (Jennifer M.
Orillaza)

Govt urged to speed

up Yolanda rehab as
popes visit looms

Roy Lagarde / CBCP News

May 26 - June 8, 2014

A COALITION of educators, religious,

businessmen and civil society have called
on legislators involved in the misuse of
the pork barrel to resign out of delicadeza.
The Cebu Coalition Against the Pork Barrel System said these people must resign to
avoid their exerting any undue influence on
the investigation.
True statesmen, those honorable men
who are bred and raised to adhere to strict
codes of conduct, will immediately resign
under public accusations against their integ-

During his Pilgrimage to the Holy Land on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the meeting between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch
Athenagoras in Jerusalem, Pope Francis visited a memorial to victims of terrorism and another for victims of the Holocaust called
the Yad Vashem Memorial, on on May 24-26, 2014.

A group of Negros farmers rally outside the CBCP, appealing for the support of
the Church on the issue of delayed land distribution.

According to Pabillo, the murders are shameful intimidation

tactics against the farmers and the
frequency of the killings reflects
impunity on the part of law and
justice enforcers.

We demand the Office of the

Presidential Adviser for Special
Concerns and the Department of
Agrarian Reform (DAR) to immediately act on the resolution of the
land conflict in Hacienda Dolores,

particularly the ancestral domain

and the CARP issues, he added.
Pabillo said the rest of the Church
is united with the Archdiocese of
San Fernando, Pampanga in urging
the government to uphold the law
and protect the rights of the farmers
and Aeta communities in Porac.
Barcia, together with 300 farmerfamilies, demanded the distribution of only a portion of the 761.1
hectare-Hacienda Dolores, which
they and their families had been
cultivating for more than 50 years.
Before the Barcia assassination,
Armand Padino was also gunned
down in January 2014.
Aside from calling for more decisive moves from the government
agencies, Pabillo called for justice
for the brutal killings in the area.
We urge the Department of
Justice and the Commission on
Human Rights to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation, identify the perpetrators and
masterminds, and bring them to
justice, he said. (CBCP News/ND)

THE family is destroyed,

not by external influences
of secularism and consumerism, but by pride,
says the head of the Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines (CBCP)
said.
If we want to preserve
each and every family,
and for every family to
become lights of home
for the world, the enemy
is not secularism, consumerism, or unjust laws.
The enemy is right within
usthat enemy is pride,
said Lingayen-Dagupan

Archbishop Socrates Villegas at the recently concluded Asian Conference

on the Family (ACF).
Great threat to families
He urged the Catholic faithful to return to
nothingness and live by
the virtue of humility for
it is pride that causes the
greatest damage to the
indissoluble bond of the
human family.
From the very beginning of time, when
there were no authoritarian regimes, commer-

cialism, consumerism,
and secularism, what
destroyed the first family
was pride, Villegas said
in his homily during the
Festival of Families held
at the Quadricentennial
Pavilion of the University of Santo Tomas on
May 16.
Villegas called on families to turn away from
this capital sin as it has
destroyed many families, leaving many homes
broken.
He also reminded the
Pride / A7

Illustration by Brothers Matias

Pride destroys families Villegas to laity

Life remains far from normal in Yolanda-hit areas like

Eastern Samar and Leyte.

WITH eight months to go

before the planned papal
visit to the Philippines, a
Catholic bishop said the
government must double
its efforts to rebuild areas
devastated by typhoon
Yolanda.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said
it would be a shame to
the international community if the Aquino
administrations rehabilitation works would
remain slow.
First of all, the gov-

ernment must strive to

hasten the rehabilitation
because if the visit of
the Holy Father pushes
through, the Philippines
will be the focus of the international community,
Pabillo said.
It should be shown
to the world that we did
something and so it will
not turn disgraceful, he
said.
Pabillo chairs the Public Affairs Committee
of the Catholic Bishops
Rehab / A6

CBCP head visits Napoles

THE head of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP)
visits alleged pork barrel
scam mastermind Janet
Lim Napoles, urging her
to tell the truth about the
controversy.
The visit took place on
Monday, May 12 at the
Ospital ng Makati where
Napoles is currently confined after she underwent
an hysterectomy operation, which removed her
entire uterus and both
ovaries.
CBCP president Archbishop Socrates Villegas,
President said the family
of Napoles requested for
prayers and blessings for
her fast recovery.
As a priest, I went.
But I told her the blessing
will only give healing if

FILE PHOTO

THE social action arm of the

Church calls the recent murder of
farm leader Menelao Melon Barcia, the third in six months, a form
of intimidation and demands a
swifter response from the government on the land reform issue.
It is saddening and infuriating that another farmer leader
was killed for the second time in
Hacienda Dolores. Threats and
fear continuously surrounds the
whole community, while they are
still in the process of asserting
their land rights amidst the threats
and harassment of the contesting
landowner, said National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and
Peace/ Caritas Philippines (CBCPNASSA) director Bishop Broderick
Pabillo in a statement.
He called the Barcia killing on
May 2, the third murder related
to land reform in the last six
months, an apparent attempt to
sow fear and dampen the spirits
of the poor tillers struggling for
their rights.

CBCP News

Church calls land dispute murder intimidation

Catholic Bishops Conference

of the Philippines (CBCP)
president Archbishop
Socrates Villegas

she tells the whole truth

without being selective,
Villegas said on Thursday.
I prayed that she may
take courage to tell all she

Napoles / A6

World News

A2

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

Peres office issued a confirmation statement soon after:

We welcome Pope Francis
invitation to the Vatican. President Peres has supported and
will continue to support all
avenues to bring about peace.
Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for President Abbas,
noted that the meeting would
take place sometime in June.
Pope Francis invitation was
issued on the second day of his
pilgrimage to the Holy Land,
where all of his addresses have
focused heavily on the theme
of peace.
This morning he told Palestinian President Abbas and
other leaders that the time

Vatican Briefing
Vatican has strengthened its financial oversight, report shows

The Authority for Financial Informations second annual report presents an increasing number of suspicious transactions reporteda reflection of stronger
oversight of Vatican finances. In 2013 we have taken
further decisive steps to foster the legal framework,
and, at the same time, to make it work in practice,
said Rene Bruelhart, director of the AIF, at a May 19
presentation of the report at the Holy See press office.
Today we have a proper and equivalent system in
place to prevent and fight financial crime. A system
that is well in line with international standards.
The annual report is divided in three parts: the first
presents the legal, institutional, and international
framework in which the authority operates and its
internal organization; the second deals with data; and
the third demonstrates the legal changes which have
strengthened its oversight of Vatican finances. (CNA)
Israeli parliament lauds John XXIII as example
of unity

In an unprecedented session held earlier this week,

members of the Israeli parliament praised St John
XXIII for his efforts in improving Jewish-Christian
relations, both before and during his pontificate.
John XXIII should serve as an example for all men of
the need to bring together peoples of different races,
faiths and beliefs, former immigration and absorption minister Yair Tzeven voiced during the May 13
event, according to the Jerusalem Post. The paper
reports in a May 13 article that during the encounter
members of the parliament, known as the Knesset,
gave special attention to the saints efforts in saving
Jews during the holocaust while serving as Apostolic
Nuncio to Turkey. He was also praised for laying the
groundwork of Nostra Aetate, a declaration of the
Second Vatican Council that was instrumental in
reconciling Jewish and Catholic relationships. (CNA)
Pope Francis decries arms trade as hindrance
to peace

Upon receiving the credentials of seven new ambassadors to the Holy See, Pope Francis urged the
diplomats to work for peace, particularly by the
eradication of the arms trade and forced migration
due to conflict. It would be an absurd contradiction to speak about peace, to negotiate peace, and at
the same time promote and permit the arms trade,
the Pope told the new ambassadors in his May 15
address. Pope Francis directed his words to Pierre
Yves Fux of Switzerland, Rudolf P. von Balimoos of
Liberia, Nega Tsegaye Tessema of Ethiopia, Nasreldin
Ahmed Wali Abdeltif of Sudan, Margaret Ann Louise Jobson of Jamaica, Claudinah Ntini Ramosepele
of South Africa and Mysore Kapanalah Lokesh of
India upon the official presentation of their letters
of accreditation. Everyone talks about peace and
everyone claims to want it, the pontiff observed,
but the proliferation of weapons of every type leads
in the opposite direction. (CNA)
Theme for upcoming World Meeting of Families announced

During a recent press conference held in Philadelphia,

USA Vatican officials announced the theme for the
2015 World Meeting of Families, which will center on
humanitys universal vocation to love. Ladies and
gentleman, the theme for the World Meeting of Families Philadelphia 2015 is, Love is Our Mission: The
Family Fully Alive, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput
revealed during the May 13 press conference. Archbishop Chaput, who heads the diocese of Philadelphia,
Penn. and was recently appointed by Pope Francis
to the Pontifical Council of the Laity, explained to attendees that the theme draws its inspiration from the
famous saying of St Iranaeus of Lyons, who said that
The glory of God is man fully alive. In like manner,
the glory of men and women is their capacity to love
as God loves, and no better means exist to teach the
meaning of love than the family. (CNA)
Pope to meet with sex abuse victims for first
time in June

Pope Francis will meet with a group of sex abuse victims

for the first time in June, he told reporters May 26. During an inflight news conference on his return to Rome
from the Holy Land, the pope also confirmed reports
the Vatican is investigating charges its former secretary
of state misappropriated $20 million from the Vatican
bank. And he announced he plans to visit the Philippines and Sri Lanka in January The pope described the
abuse of children by priests as such an ugly crime
and a very grave problem, the betrayal of a priests
duty to lead young people to holiness, comparable to
performance of a Black Mass. We must move ahead,
ahead, zero tolerance, he said. As an indication of how
seriously he takes the problem, the pope said he would
meet in the first week of June with a group of six to eight
sex abuse victims from various countries, including
Germany, England and Ireland. (CNS)

has come to put an end to this

situation which has become
increasingly unacceptable.
Peace talks between Israelis
and Palestinians have broken
down over the last year, leading to what the Pope termed,
a climate of instability.
All of us want peace, the
Pontiff affirmed at the end of
this mornings liturgy.
Many people build it day
by day through small gestures and acts; many of them
are suffering, yet patiently
persevere in their efforts to be
peacemakers.
But the Pope called upon the
leadership in a particular way,
saying, All of usespecially

those placed at the service of

their respective peopleshave
the duty to become instruments and artisans of peace,
especially by our prayers.
Pope Francis spent Saturday
in Jordan with King Abdullah II
and Queen Rania, then started
out early on Sunday morning
for Bethlehem where he met
with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other leaders.
His itinerary also includes
a meeting on Monday with
Israels President Peres and
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as several
religious leaders from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
(CNA)

Pope Francis kisses the altar during Mass in Bethlehems Manger Square on May
25, 2014.

Bethlehem sisters call on world to pray for peace

JERUSALEM, Israel, May
24, 2014The sisters who
run the only childrens
hospital on the West Bank
have made it their mission
to pray for peace in the
Holy Land, traveling each
week to invoke a Marian
icon on the wall dividing
the region.
Marys image is a sign
to pray the rosary and to
look at her because the
situation is not easy, Sister Donatella of the Padua
Franciscans told CNA May
24. The icon, she said, is a
reminder to ask for peace
in the Holy Land.
Often referred to as the
dividing wall, the barrier
is under construction by
the State of Israel and forms
a separation between itself
and Palestine.

Argued as necessary by
Israel in order to protect
civilians against Palestinian terrorism and suicide
bombs, the wall is opposed
by Palestinians, who object
that the barrier violates
international law and is
an illegal attempt to annex
Palestine under the false
guise of security.
Recounting how the
first procession to the icon,
written on the wall by an
English artist, was made
10 years ago as part of a
larger international event
to pray for peace, Sr. Donatella explained that the
organizers wanted to call
the people in the world to
pray for peace.
Now occurring March 1
of each year on an international scale, the visit to the

image is made by the sisters

every Friday to pray the rosary for an end to conflicts
and tensions in the area as
well as a greater respect for
human dignity. Depicted as
pregnant, Mary in the icon
is impregnated by peace.
Sr. Donatella is a member
of the Padua Franciscan
community and assists in
running the only childrens
hospital in Bethlehem, Caritas Baby Hospital.
Founded in 1962, the
hospital was established by
Fr. Ernst Schnydrig after he
witnessed a father burying
his child in the mud near a
refugee camp on Christmas
Eve. After learning that that
the child died because he
could not get medical care,
the priest made a commitment that no child in the

city of Jesus birth would

ever be denied it.
Containing both a neonatal and ICU unit, the
hospital is nonprofit and
has also established an
educational program
called Childrens Relief
Bethlehem.
One of the most frequent
problems affecting the children they treat are genetic
diseases resulting from
inter-family marriages, the
sister explained.
Its a great problem especially because of Muslim
familial and religious traditions she observed, adding
that although most women
are at least partially aware of
the risks of inter-family marriage they cant do anything
because their family chooses
their future husbands.

Education on this topic,

the sister noted, is one
of the highest priorities
of the Childrens Relief
Bethlehem educational
program.
Speaking of Pope Francis visit to Bethlehem tomorrow, where he will say
Mass in the citys Manger
Square, Sr. Donatella expressed her hope that the
pontiff will also bring a
message of peace to the
area.
All of us would like
Pope Francis to bring with
him and let all of the world
not lose hope for peace,
she said, adding that they
would like him to say
that one day there will be
peace in this land. Dont
lose the dream of peace.
(AsiaNews)

Chinese Church celebrates more than 20 thousand baptisms at Easter

BEIJING, China, May 23, 2014
The Catholic Church in China
had recorded at least 20,004 new
Baptisms, with 70 percent adults,
throughout the country at Easter
2014, according to a report published by Shijiazhuang-based
Faith Press on its web issue of
May 19.
The survey was conducted by
Faith Press and the Faith Institute
for Cultural Studies at Easter time.
Only those who were baptized at
Easter Vigil or on Easter Sunday
were counted in. Some Catholics in
China may choose to be baptized
at Christmas, Chinese New Year or
before weddings.
The survey result showed mostly
the Baptisms from the open Church
communities, whereas the underground side was more difficult to
access, a source added.
The report also explained the
difficulties of conducting the survey as bishops or priests of certain
dioceses or parishes could not be
reached by telecommunications,
or no one from the local Churches

www.asianews.it

BETHLEHEM, West Bank,

May 25, 2014Today Israeli
President Shimon Peres and
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that
they have accepted Pope
Francis invitation to join him
at the Vatican for an encounter of prayer.
Pope Francis issued his invitation at the close of a papal
mass in Bethlehems Manger
Square on May 25, asking both
men to join me in heartfelt
prayer to God for the gift of
peace. I offer my home in the
Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer.
According to a report by the
Associated Press, President

Lauren Cater / CNA

Israeli, Palestinian presidents accept

invitation meeting at Vatican

was designated to collect data from

all parishes.
Through collecting data on Baptisms, the staff members of Faith
Press and the Institute found that
parish priests and parishioners
awareness of the need to evangelize was high, and were willing
to participate in preaching the
Gospel and use different meth-

ods and ways to evangelize, the

report said.
Hebei province, with the highest number of Catholics, shows
Handan and Xingtai dioceses in
southern Hebei, had the biggest
harvest at Easter. Handan diocese
had nearly 1,000 Baptisms and
Xingtai diocese (3 areas) had a total
of 1,481 Baptisms. Also in Hebei,

Hengshui diocese and Cangzhou

(Xianxian) diocese had a substantial number too.
In southern China, Wenzhou
diocese had 641 new Catholics at
Easter. Of the new Catholics, more
than 70% were adults, and underwent systematic catechetical training for 3 to 4 months, once a week.
In Changzhi, Shanxi, the rural
parishes also had 125 new adult
Catholics. With the effort of catechists, at least two countiesXin
and Pingshunwithout Catholics
have begun to have Catholics.
The highlands of Guizhou and
Yunnan provinces, southwestern China, also noted Baptisms.
Guizhou had 237 new Catholics
this year, higher than last years
148 new Catholics.
According to the report, this was
the seventh year the Faith Press
and the Institute had surveyed
various dioceses on the situation
of Baptisms at Easter. In 2013, it
recorded 16,000 Baptisms; and in
2012, there were 22,000 Baptisms.
(AsiaNews)

South Korean cardinal makes first ever trip to North

SEOUL, May 22, 2014
Cardinal Andrew Yeom
Soo-jung on Wednesday
called on the two Koreas to work to break
their standoff through
dialogue and sincerity,
building on their joint
factory park as a stepping
stone to reconciliation.
T h e re m a r k s c a m e
upon his return from
the Gaeseong industrial
complex, aimed at raising
the spirits of Catholics
and other workers there
despite persistent crossborder tension.
The Gaeseong district
is about 60 kilometers
away from the Seoul
archdiocese, but I realized that we live in a
world where the short
distance feels very long,
Yeom told reporters at

the Dorasan Customs,

Immigration and Quarantine office in Paju,
Gyeonggi province.
Today at the Gaeseong
complex, where the two
Koreas live in union, I
saw a sign of hope that
we can overcome the
agony and sadness of the
division if we make such
efforts through dialogue
and sincerity.
The one-day trip, the
first ever by a South Korean Catholic cardinal to
the North, came about at
the request of a Catholic group in Gaeseong
last year. Yeom initially
planned to travel to the
border city last winter for
Christmas.
The new cardinal also
serves as the apostolic administrator of Pyongyang.

During its nine-hour

stay, his eight-member
delegation was briefed
on the operation of the
Gaeseong industrial
complex, toured facilities and met and prayed
with believers there.
But they did not meet
with any North Korean officials, said Hur
Young-yub, a spokesperson for the Seoul
archdiocese.
Tension remains high
as Pyongyang has repeatedly threatened to carry
out a fourth nuclear test
and continues to churn
out astringent criticism
of the Park Geun-hye
administration.
Yeoms landmark tour
ignited speculation that
Pope Francis may stop
at the communist state

when he comes to Seoul

in August. During his
five-day stay, the pontiff
plans to take part in a
Catholic youth festival
and to beatify 124 Korean
martyrs.
But Hur dismissed the
rumor, saying the event
had nothing to do with
the papal visit and that
the trip was intended to
encourage and console
the workers.
The Seoul archbishop
was incardinated in February along with 18 others, becoming the third
Korean to reach the second-highest post in the
Catholic Church.
Pyongyang was once
d u b b e d t h e J e ru s a lem of the East for its
flourishing Christianity, despite the regimes

unrelenting religious oppression.

Some reports estimated that about 200,000
Protestants and 57,000
Catholics existed across
the northern part of the
peninsula in the 1940s.
A South Korean priest
claimed last year that
some 10,000 Catholics
lived in the North.
Although the North
Korean constitution calls
for religious freedom, in
practice the Kim Jongun regime continues to
clamp down and impose harsh penalties on
people who are engaged
in proselytizing or in
contact with foreigners
or missionaries, according to defectors and activists. (Korea Herald/
UCAN)

Abduction of Nigerian girls sparks international solidarity, says bishop

ABUJA, May 23, 2014--No single
event has held our country together and elicited attention and
sympathy the way this tragic incident has done said the Bishop
Mathew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto,
speaking about the abduction of
more than 200 Nigerian girls.
The girls were kidnapped from
a school in the northern Nigerian
town of Chibok more than a month

ago while they were taking exams.

The incident has sparked international attention, with widespread criticism over the governments inability to locate the girls.
H o w e v e r, B i s h o p K u k a h ,
speaking during a moment of
prayer held for the girls, noted
the worldwide solidarity that
the abduction of the girls has
inspired.

He thanked those countries

who have offered their services in
locating the girls, but urged the Nigerian government to take action.
Those who govern us appreciate
that we have a country to build?
Will our politicians understand
that we have a future to nurture?
Will they realize that government
is so serious that it should never
be left in the hands of politicians?

During the prayer service, Bishop Kukah said: We gather not in

bitterness, hurt or in self-pity. We
gather in faith and trust, believing
that the one who sees all that is
done in secret, will reward our long
waiting. To gather in anger or bitterness would be to fall victim and
enlist in the army of the devil. We
are higher than that and our faith
calls us to greater nobility. (Zenit)

News Features

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

A3

Pope to Palestinian leaders: have courage to forge peace

peaceful coexistence, accepting our differences and rejoicing that, as children
of the one God, we are all brothers and
sisters.
Religious freedom is a fundamental
right, he emphasized. It is one of the
essential conditions for peace, fraternity,
and harmony.
The Pope expressed his closeness
to those who suffer in the climate of
instability in the region.
He noted that a lack of mutual
understanding has produced insecurity, the violation of rights,
isolation, and the flight of entire
communities.

Vatican City - May 19, 2013: Pope Francis greets pilgrims in St.
Peters Square after Pentecost Sunday Mass on May 19, 2013.

VAT I C A N C i t y, M a y
17, 2014Pope Francis
met with nearly 5,000
members of apostolates
dedicated to the sick and
suffering on Saturday,
encouraging them to live
lives transformed by love
and to support others
who suffer.
Jesus teaches us to live
the pain by accepting the
reality of life with trust and
hope, bringing the love of
God and neighbor, even in
suffering: and love transforms everything, the
pontiff told the members
of the Apostolate of the
Suffering and the Silent
Workers of the Cross on

May 17.
Pope Francis met with
the members of the associations in the Paul VI
audience hall. An estimated 350 attendees were
in wheelchairs.
The Silent Workers of
the Cross is an association
of priests and consecrated
persons who work with the
suffering members of the
Apostolate.
The two associations
were founded by Blessed
Luigi Novarese, a priest, in
the second half of the 20th
century to offer persons
suffering with illness or
disability an opportunity
to participate in the work

of evangelization. Fr. Luigi was beatified May 11,

2013.
Pope Francis described
him as a priest in love
with Christ and with the
Church and a zealous
apostle of the sick.
The Holy Father then
reflected on one of the beatitudes of Jesus, Blessed
are those who mourn, for
they shall be comforted.
With this prophetic
word, Jesus refers to a
condition of life on earth,
from which n o one is
spared. There are those
who mourn because they
are not healthy, those
who mourn because they
are alone and misunderstood.
Although the reasons
for suffering are many,
Christ understands them
all, the Pope stressed.
He gathered human
suffering and assumed
them in his flesh, he lived
t h e m p ro f o u n d l y, o n e
by one. He knew eve r y t y p e o f a ff l i c t i o n ,
moral and physical: he
experienced hunger and
fatigue, the bitterness of
misunderstanding, he
was betrayed and abandoned, flagellated and

Mary Help of Christians goes

to Yolanda-stricken Samar

crucified.
Pope Francis emphasized that Jesus did not
teach that suffering itself was good, but rather
demonstrated how to
live suffering in a positive way.
By saying blessed are
those who mourn, Jesus
does not intend to declare
an unfortunate and burdensome condition in life
to be happy. Suffering is
not a value in itself, but a
reality that Jesus teaches
us to live with the correct
attitude.
The Pope encouraged
those present to take up
this transformative attitude in their own lives.
Your sufferings, like
the wounds of Jesus, on
the one hand are scandal
for the faith but on the
other hand are the verification of the faith, a sign
that God is love, is faithful, is merciful, is (the)
consoler.
Pope Francis urged the
sick and disabled to give
witness to the example of
Christ in their own lives.
With this charism, you
are a gift to the Church,
he said. (CNA/EWTN
News)

CNA

Pope reportedly displeased by sumptuous

canonization banquet
VATICAN City, May 23, 2014A
Vatican official has revealed that
Pope Francis was displeased by an
extravagant banquet at a Vatican office during the recent canonization
of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II,
Italian media are reporting.
I cant reveal what he said (the
Pope). I informed him about it and I
can only say that he was not pleased,
so to speak. But I can assure you
that these incidents will not happen again, said Cardinal Giuseppe
Versaldi, prefect of the Vatican Prefecture for Economic Affairs, during
an interview on the Italia 1 television
network.
Photos of the event appear to
depict some 150 guests including
businessmen, journalists and some
Italian religious gathered on the
veranda of the Vatican Prefecture for
Economic Affairs during the April
27 canonization ceremony for a VIP
banquet that reportedly cost private
sponsors nearly $25,000.
Cardinal Versaldi said he was
not aware of the celebration on the
veranda of the prefecture and the he
had only granted permission for a
few people to have access to view the
canonization ceremony.
Photos of the party published
on the website Dagospia appear to
show numerous guests including

Vatican City - May 22, 2013: Pope Francis

in St. Peters Square for the Wednesday
general audience on May 22, 2013.

well-known Italian journalists such as

Bruno Vespa, Maria Latella and Marco
Carrai, who is a close collaborator
of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, as
well as the president of the Vaticans
Institute for Religious Works, Ernst
von Freyberg.
According to LEspresso, the Pope
was also displeased at how Communion was distributed on the balcony
during the Mass using a regular glass
cup instead of a ciborium or paten.
The photos appear to show Msgr.
Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda, secretary
of the prefecture and member of the
commission charged with oversee-

ing the Holy Sees economic and

administrative bodies, distributing
Holy Communion to attendees at the
banquet.
Im not talking about the veranda,
Msgr. Vallejo Balda said in response to
questions about the banquet. Thank
God we have other problems.
LEspresso said that in the wake of
Pope Francis displeasure, officials
are seeking to determine who was
responsible for the event, which
was held on one of the verandas at
the Vatican while thousands spent
the night waiting to attend the ceremony.
Like many of you, I was also
surprised and outraged by this. I
have immediately begun the search
for an explanation, which is still in
progress, and I have informed all of
the chief authorities in order to try to
find the person responsible for all of
this, which clashes with the spirit of
a canonization and especially with
the style Pope Francis wanted for
this celebration, one of sobriety and
participation by the people, Cardinal
Versaldi said.
From the outset of his pontificate,
Pope Francis has often stressed the
need for austerity and has voiced his
concern for the poor and those most
in need, always fostering a culture of
global solidarity. (CNA/EWTN News)

Caloy Rubio

Faith brings our family together athlete

MANILA, May 17, 2014
Youth icon and basketball superstar Chris Tiu
revealed the secret to his
familys strength: faith.
He made this claim
Friday, May 16, during
the youth segment of the
four-day Asian Conference of Families held at
the Pope Pius XII Center,
United Nations Avenue,
Manila, which also ended
that day.
Tiu, who hails from a
family of devout Catholics, shared that prayer
the holy rosary in particularis central to their
family.
On my way to my
games in Alabang, my
mom and I would pray
the Rosary inside the car,
he said.
But he confessed that

Basketball player Chris Tiu gives a testimonial about his faith and family life at the Asian
Conference on the Family.

since he married his girlfriend of 12 years in 2013,

he has not been spending
as much time with his parents and siblings as when
he was still single.

Its usually the parents

who give themselves to
their children. But ever
since I got married and
b e c a m e m o re m a t u re ,
there has been a shift

Moreover, the Pope called for authenticity on the part of all, saying I
can only express my profound hope
that all will refrain from initiatives
and actions which contradict the
stated desire to reach a true agreement.
Concluding his remarks with a quote
from Scripture, the Holy Father prayed
for Gods blessing upon everyone, for
the wisdom and strength needed to
continue courageously along the path
to peace, so that swords will be turned
into ploughshares and this land will
once more flourish in prosperity and
concord. (CNA)

CNA

CNA

Love transforms everything,

Pope tells sick, disabled

Pope Francis then said, I wish to

state my heartfelt conviction that the
time has come to put an end to this situation which has become increasingly
unacceptable.
The Pontiff was firm in his emphasis
that peace must be sought.
There is a need to intensify efforts
and initiatives aimed at creating the
conditions for a stable peace based on
justice, on the recognition of the rights
of every individual, and on mutual
security.
He insisted that the conflicts in the
region must end, even if each side has
to make certain sacrifices.

As much as possible, especially during long holidays, I make it a point to

spend time with them,
bond with them. We go
Faith / A6

MHC

creative in the service of the common

good, the courage to forge a peace
which rests on the acknowledgment
by all of the right of two States to exist
and to live in peace and security within
internationally recognized borders,
he stressed.
The Pontiff also spoke forcefully in
defense of Christians living in the Holy
Land, who desire to continue in this
role as full citizens
Calling upon the good relations
existing between the Holy See and
the State of Palestine, Pope Francis
expressed his hope that it is possible
to find a means of serene, ordered and

Salesian priest Fr.Vitaliano Dimaranan visits Yolanda survivors of Guinob-an, Lawaan, Eastern Samar.

PARAAQUE City, May 21, 2014 A

Salesian priest talks about recent efforts to,
not just extend aid to typhoon Yolandastricken survivors in Samar, but also spread
the devotion to Mary Help of Christians
among the Warays who are unfamiliar
with her.
As you can see, we are never wanting
for things to do, but it has always been said:
De Maria, numquam satisWhen it comes
to Mary, we cannot say we have done and
said enough, said Fr. Vitaliano Chito
Dimaranan, SDB, rector of the National
Shrine of Mary Help of Christians (MHC)
in Don Bosco, Paraaque.
A s i d e f ro m h a v i n g o rd e re d t h e
construction of 36 fishermens boats
that will be given away to deserving
beneficiaries in the towns of Eastern
Samar badly hit by the super typhoon,
the MHC will also distribute copies of
the Waray version of the MHC devotional booklet, as soon as it comes off
the press.
According to Dimaranan, this will be
done in an effort to make Mary Help of
Christians known among the Warays,

many of whom are unfamiliar with this

particular title of Mary.
Dimaranan also explained, We aim to
hit two birds with one stone: build boats
and help fisherfolks, and help boat builders by giving them the job on site.
According to the priest the MHC had
already sent 25 boxes of assorted goods
to Eastern Samar, including three boxes
of medical supplies, and two additional
boxes of vegetable seeds for distribution
to subsistence farmers.
Dimaranan, who receives donated funds
for typhoon Yolanda survivors mostly
from overseas Filipinos, expressed his
gratitude to the Blessed Mother, the shrine
patroness, for the many graces it has received through her intercession.
The National Shrine is scheduled to
celebrate its 40th anniversary on May 24,
Saturday, which coincides with the feast of
their patroness, Mary, Help of Christians.
A Grand Marian Procession at 5 p.m.
is expected to cap the special occasion, followed by a concelebrated mass at 6:30 p.m.
with Paraaque Bishop Jesse E. Mercado as
main celebrant. (Raymond A. Sebastin)

Seminarians eat, talk with lepers

Oilver Samson

BETHLEHEM, West Bank, May 25,

2014Pope Francis began the second
day of his Holy Land pilgrimage in a
meeting with Palestinian authorities,
urging them to work for an end to conflict and violence in the region.
For decades the Middle East has
known the tragic consequences of a
protracted conflict which has inflicted
many wounds so difficult to heal, the
Pope lamented to Palestinian president
Mahmoud Abbas and other authorities
on May 25 in the presidential palace of
Bethlehem.
The time has come for everyone to
find the courage to be generous and

Our Lady of the Angels Seminary (OLAS)

QUEZON City, May 23,

2014Seminarians visit a
leprosarium each year to
reach out to its residents,
who often feel rejected, useless and hopeless, as part
of their formation, says an
official of a seminary.
Basically, the seminarians just go there and talk
with the lepers, Fr. Mark
Adame G. Bakari, OFM,
Our Lady of the Angels
Seminary (OLAS) rector
said, developing an empathy with the lepers.
Throughout the year,
third year Philosophy students undergo formation
at Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez
Memorial Hospitals Tala
Leprosarium in Caloocan
City.
The ministry of presence accomplishes two
things at a time, Bakari
said. First, visiting the sick
is an apostolate. Second,
the experience that the
seminarians undergo at
the leprosarium is, in itself,
formation.
Many people are still
sickened by the sight of a
leper, he said. Acceptance
and love for these people is
what the seminary wishes
to build among its students.

We have to be with
them, talk with them, Bakari said. We have to consider them as our brothers
and sisters to make them
feel part of the society.
The seminarians visit
the leprosarium once in
a week for two semesters, he said. At first, the
seminarians displayed
reluctance to connect with
the lepers. But later on, as
they kept coming to the
leprosarium, they eventually became at home with
their presence.
They began to develop
affection, Bakari said.
During a mass at the leprosarium, he saw a seminarian putting an arm around
a lepers shoulder. He also
saw them swallow food in
the presence of lepers, who
ate across them.
The seminarians know
them by name and vice
versa, he added. The seminarians also call them Tatay and Nanay, an affirmation that a relationship
was built.
Leprosy is non-communicable in the first place, the
priest stressed.
The lepers are important to the Franciscans,

Bakari aded. Francis of

Assisis own turning point
of conversion was when
he encountered a leper at
a time when people with
this disease were banished
from society.
What seemed so bitter has been turned into
sweetness, the priest said
quoting the saint as saying
after kissing the leper.
Francis repeatedly mentioned the leper in his writings; this encounter, the
saint said, was actually an
encounter with God, Bakari
said.
A bell was attached on
the lepers during those
days, so that people would
be aware of their approach,
he explained.
Last school year, 18 seminarians went to the leprosarium throughout the year,
talking and eating with
about 30 resident lepers,
Bakari said.
At farewell time, both the
seminarians and the lepers
were teary-eyed after a year
of close contact, he said.
The rector saw the life
that the seminarians desire
to pursue was strengthened
by the experience. (Oliver
Samson)

Opinion

A4

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

EDITORIAL

Courage to forge peace

THE pilgrimage of Pope Francis on May 24-26 to the Holy
Land on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the meeting
between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem
may actually have done more than just mark an anniversary.
P
ope Francis has moved more steps towards bridging the walls that
have divided Christians among themselves. Exactly 50 years ago
on January 5, 1964, the embrace in Jerusalem between Paul VI and
the patriarch of Constantinople Athenagoras marked the beginning
of a journey of reconciliation between the Church of Rome and
the Eastern Orthodox Churchesthus easing centuries of a deep
conflict and rift between east and west. But unlike 50 years ago,
this time there was the participation of the representatives of other
Christian Churches and denominations at the event, not only the
Eastern Churches, but also those belonging to the lineage of the
Protestant Reformation. Aside from this, the place of encounter
was the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem which is the
traditional location of the rock of the cross and the stone rolled
away at the resurrection that is considered by many traditions as
the foundation of the faith of all Christians.

While this challenging journey towards reconciliation among

Christian Churches has profound historical impact and ecclesial
significance, the political enmity among neighboring nations has been
the hitch that has triggered wars and even terrorism -- to continental
proportions. And the crux of the matter is deeply religious, too,
between Islam and Judaism which started heating up politically in
1948 when Israel was declared a state and occupied a territory that
was controlled by Muslim dynasties for more than 1,300 years.
It is in this backdrop that Pope Francis invited Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres
to pray together at the Vatican for peace between their nations.
He never minced words when he addressed the Palestinian
authorities: The time has come for everyone to find the courage
to be generous and creative in the service of the common good,
the courage to forge a peace which rests on the acknowledgment
by all of the right of two States to exist and to live in peace and
security within international recognized borders.
He urged both Peres and Prime Minister Benujamin Netanyahu
to stay on the path of dialogue, reconciliation and peace
because there is simply no other way.

Practitioners of the Media of

Social Communications
A SPECIAL place is given here to the Catholic practitioners of
the media of social communications because of the tremendous
potentials these media posses for good or for evil. Through the
mass media not only news or images but values are communicated
to millions. And right into the very homes of people. Hence
the imperative need for media education and media awareness.
ntil the recent past, the Catholic Church in the Philippines
U
has shown a benign neglect of TV and the print media while
making use of the radio. This is now changing. The good news
is now being communicated through print media. It now rides
the waves of radio and TV. But the visible Catholic presence
in the media has been largely clerical. Moreover, religious
programs require considerable improvement.
e need to foster movements of renewal among practitioners as well
W
as consumers in the field of social communication. People with a
good and enlightened heart will project or help salutary values. We
are witnesses of the impact on our people of the morals or lack of
morals of some media personalities. We need not tax our imagination
to see what impact upright and wholesome lives can produce in our
people, especially the young. It is important and necessary to have
priests who will exercise pastoral care for and promote the formation
of practitioners in the field of social communications.
We need to make wise use of Church money to foster
evangelization through the mass media. We also urge that an
apostolate be established for the evangelization of mass media
personnel and for the on-going spiritual formation.
s there are sinful structures, so there are structures of grace
A
groups and institutions that facilitate the entry of the Good News
and of grace into the lives of people and the fabric of society.
It is the task of the Christian community to raise up, to foster,
to protect, to reform when necessary these structures of grace.
Through these structures of grace, individuals, the Church and
Philippine society will be renewed. (PCP-II Acts of the Council
Nos. 653-657)
Acts and Decrees of the Second Plenary Council of the
Philippines, 1991

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Illustration by Brothers Matias

or many observers, the very fact that the pope of Rome and the
F
patriarch of Constantinople have been warmly welcomed into the
basilica and have performed liturgy there, is a continuing sign
of openness to the path of reconciliation, which until today still
remains arduous and obstacle-ridden. The basilica of the Holy
Sepulchre is a mute witness to the historical divisions between and
among Christian Faiths. On the basis of a status quo dating back
to 1753 and the Ottoman empire, the ownership of this basilica
is assigned to the Greek Orthodox patriarchate of Jerusalem, the
Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land and the Armenian Apostolic
Patriarchate. The Coptic, Syriac, Ethiopian Christians are allowed
to perform their own liturgical services there, but observing
meticulously the assignment of times and places.

Courtesy resignation
CIVILITY and gentility, gallantry
and deference, respectability and
cordialityall these and other
admirable personality traits forward the meaning and implications of the word courtesy. So
it is that in spirit and intention,
Courtesy Resignation says and
implies nothing more than elementary good manners and
right conduct as its fundamental reason. In fact, the assumption is that the more schooled
someone is, the more trusted
he is; the higher authoritative
position he is appointed to, so,
too, does the laudable practice of
resignation out of courtesy is an
expression of respectful submission to the appointing authority.
Courtesy Resignation is
submitted by someone to the
superior authority who ap-

pointed him to office by reason

of trust, capability, friendship or
other reasonable considerations.
When the appointee becomes
the object of distrust, be accused of wrongdoing and the
liketrue or notit becomes a
mandate of ethics for the same
to submit his resignation out
of courtesy to the appointing
authority. Hereto belongs the
right and prerogative to accept
or reject the resignation as dictated by prudence. This is why
Courtesy Resignation is usually
considered as a sign, not only of
self-respect, but respect as well
for the authority that made the
appointment.
In these times and under the
present administration, such a
practice of honor and decency
appears unknown and thus

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

and thats the truth

MULLING over the truth behind current and
hottest issues reflected in news headlines,
does anyone notice the cause-and-effect
connection between religious beliefs and
work ethics? The two cannot and must not
be separated if we hope to live a life God
has meant us to live. Why have we been
inundated for months now with Napoles
headlines to the extent that peoplenearly
lost in a profusion of side issues like her
health condition and details about a private
surgery performed on herno longer know
whom or what to believe?
We are where we are, a perennially poor
nation becoming even poorer, despite the
governments claims of economic growth.
Much of it is because, bottom line, certain
people create their own moral standards
when it comes to work. For these newsmakers, getting their way takes precedence over
obedience to Gods laws in their manner of
earning a living. If some people believe in
the separation of Church and State, there are
also those who insist, unfortunately, on the

Views and Points

blatantly unobserved. How
come? It is enough to say the
abominable phrase PDAF
scamnot to mention so many
other shady deals and shameful contractsthe nature and
implications of which are in the
sphere of big graft and huge,
corrupt practices. Definitely
more than one Malacaang
appointee has been denounced
publicly as personally involved
in the infamous porky deals.
And more than one appointee
of Malacaang has been tagged
as incompetent or ineffective
in key administrative agenda
thereto entrusted. And the record stands that no oneyes, no
one as of this writinghad the
courtesy to submit his resignation and allow Malacaang to
accept or reject it.

Truth, of course, is about what

is objective, real, right, fair. It is
more about how things ought to
be, which may not coincide with
how things are at present. In the
end, truth is Christ himself, his
whole self, his entire teaching
and example. He himself said,
I am the way, the truth and the
life. (Jn 14,6)
Our difficulty starts when we
understand truth simply as an
intellectual affair, divorced from
its moral requirements. That
attitude restricts the essence of
truth, making it abstract, projected only in the ideal world of
the mind and desires, detached
from the concrete and real world
where many other considerations ought to be made.
Truth understood and lived
in this way is actually not truth,

These are not only hard,

but truly trying times for the
People of the Philippines in
generaleven but considering
the singular and monumental,
wanton and callous thievery
of their hard-earned money
demanded by the governmentin form of different
kinds of taxes for different
reasonsin order to fill up
the public coffers intended to
finance public welfare. But
lo and behold, so much of the
peoples money merely end
up in the big, deep, and bottomless pockets of singularly
covetous public authorities
be they unfortunately elected
or undeservingly appointed.
What a shameless, crooked,
and unfortunate legacy to the
young people of the Philippines!

Separation of Church
and Workplace

separation of Church and Workplace. Our

religious beliefs to a great extent determine
the quality of our work performance. You
can be sure that anybody who leaves his
religion behind in church on Sundays will
be susceptible to corruption at work from
Mondays through Saturdays.
Even if we are not typically pious, religious, or saradong Katoliko, we can find
sustenance of spirit from day to day in Jesus
words in His priestly prayer in Chapter 17 of
St. Johns Gospel. A moving prayer where
Jesus talks to the Father and intercedes for
His disciples who were with Him, it has the
power to lodge itself like a seed in the darkness of our heart. It is not something reason
can grasp, but if we just allow Jesus words
to play over and over again like background
music inside our head, it will change many
things about ourselves.
Allow me to dare ask people whose
reputations have been tarnished by news
involving them in corruption and public
scandal: Are you brave? Then I invite you

Truths exclusivity,
charitys inclusivity
WE need to figure out how the
exclusivity of truth can blend
with the inclusivity of charity.
Truth and charity should go
together, not one without the
other. St. Paul says it to us very
clearly: Do the truth in charity.
(Eph 4,15)
He says that it is by this guideline that we will become like
Christ. He reiterates this point
when in another letter, he says:
Let all your things be done in
charity. (1 Cor 16,14)
And thats simply because
charity is the mother of all virtues, the summary of all goodness, and, in fact, the very essence of God in whose image
and likeness we are. Nothing is
genuinely good and proper to us
unless it is infused or motivated
by charity.

Oscar. V. Cruz, DD

to a seeding experiment. Today, set aside

your daily woes, waste some time, take a
Bible, and read John 17 over and over again.
Dont try to understand it; just go on reading until your eyes get so tired, youll want
to close them. With eyes shut, let the words
carry you afloat. Keep the experiment a
secret, and repeat it any day, any time, as often as you possibly can or want. This private
exercise is not seen by others, but will make
the seed in your heart germinate and in
Gods time bear fruit, affecting all aspects
of your being.
Things done in secret, good or bad, do not
remain a secret for long. They mold our being and deeply influence our attitudes and
way of relating to others. Just like harmful
bacteria that hide in our blood stream, work
secretly, and manifest themselves in bodily
illness in due time, your hidden seeding
experiment with our Lord Jesus words
in John 17 (done in a spirit of surrender to
His will) can result in good works that will
And Thats The Truth / A6

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking
since it would miss the entire
picture of reality. And so we
must disabuse ourselves of the
indiscriminate reference of this
term when what we are referring to are actually principles,
doctrine, dogmas, opinions, and
even popular consensus only.
If ever we have to use that term,
we need to qualify it accordingly
as principles, doctrine, dogmas,
ideologies, opinions or some
consensus. It still has to pass the
test of charity, which means that
it has contend with the concrete
data on the ground, the facts and
conditions, that would determine
whether such truth as principles,
doctrine would be applicable or
not, and also the way such truth
ought to be presented.
We have to be most wary
to impose the truth on others.

Thats not the way Christ did it.

He was willing to be misunderstood, to suffer for the truth and
eventually, to die for it. Even in
the strongest terms in which he
presented the truth, he never
imposed it on anyone by force.
This is something that we
have to learn to do, since very
often our tendency is that even
in matters of opinion where any
view can have more or less the
same weight as any other, we
like to thrust ours to others. We
feel hurt when we encounter
disagreement.
Yes, we need to foster the truth,
especially the Gospel truth, in
season and out of season, as
St. Paul says. But it should be
always done with charity. We
have to try to avoid humiliating
Candidly Speaking / A5

Opinion

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

Rev. Eutiquio Euly B. Belizar, Jr., SThD

By the Roadside
THE canonization of St. John
Paul II last April 27, 2014 brought
me back to the 90s when I was
a student priest in Rome. Even
then, I already counted myself
among the blessed (not in a technical way and certainly without
official church approval). I had
only one reason for feeling the
way I did: I was breathing
the same air the Holy Father
breathed. And he wasnt even
canonized yet. Every time Bus
46 passed St. Peters Square as
I tried to make my way to The
Greg (Pontifical Gregorian University), I would silently breathe
in, hoping some tiny bits of grace
from then Pope John Paul IIs
prayers would find their way to
me and my little concerns. This
brings me to the second reason:
I was writing a dissertation on
his vision of the local Church
and its role in societal transformation. I confess it all started
when I heard, as a seminarian,
the Holy Fathers strong words
on upholding human rights and
dignity to then President Marcos
(on his 1981 visit to the Philippines). I wouldnt tell you about
that, at least not here.
Since the canonization my
mind keeps on giving me
flashbacks. My mind, as anybody elses, is a veritable
time machine. Lately, these
flashbacks have taken me to
two occasions at which I had
a chance to concelebrate mass
with Pope John Paul II out of
sheer grace. Each took place in
the Holy Father s little chapel
at the Vatican, with no more
than 20 people in attendance.
On the second occasion, I

was a designated reader. It was

only when I was actually doing
the reading that I realized how
lucky I was because the Holy
Father was only a foot away (It
felt so much better than Clarissa Ocampos being only a foot
away from Jose Velarde). Once
in a while, I glanced his way. It
struck me how simple he was.
The Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church displayed
none of the pomp of power Hollywood associates with popes
and kings. In fact, I noticed his
white papal zucchetto (skullcap), like his dress, was rather
worn-out and faded. When he
prayed, I could hear him groaning as though he was turning
over to God the Churchs and the
worlds burdens. I thought afterwards that if the Holy Father
mingled with other senior priests
then, it would have been hard
to recognize him as the Visible
Head of Roman Catholic Church.
In fact, the Churchs head
was the epitome of simplicity.
Because of his simplicity and
poverty, people hardly recognized him for who he is. That is
why, for instance, it is said in the
Gospel of Luke: You cannot tell
by careful watching when the
reign of God will come. Neither
is it a matter of reporting that it is
here or there. The reign of God
is in your midst. (Lk 17:20-21).
What is Jesus referring to here?
Himself. The Kingdom of God is
in our midst because Jesus has
brought it to us in his person.
In himself, God reigns and in
himself, Gods will is perfectly
fulfilled. Another saintly pope,
Blessed Paul VI would agree

Our Christian Duty to

Protect the Family
Los Angeles, CaliforniaThe Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP), together with the Pontifical Council
for the Family, successfully held the Asian
Conference on the Family (ACF). The theme
Families of Asia: Lights of Hope discussed
the rights of the family. The delegatescomposed of lay faithful, religious and the clergy,
as well as men and women from other faith
came from 14 Asian countries, 60 Philippine
dioceses and 20 lay associations; 28 bishops
attended the ACF. Bishop Jean Laffitte, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family,
was the keynote speaker.
The ACF issued a statement on the need
to protect the family, the basic unit of society,
the first social institution established by
God to foster, defend and promote human
life and human love. Because the family is so
valuable and because God wants the future
of humanity to pass through the human
family, we must safeguard, protect, foster
and promote the family. Weeach one of
us, all of usmust individually and together
do this for what is at stake is the future of
humanity.
It further declared that the faithful should
not allow the State to encroach upon the
inherent and inalienable rights of families.
There are always impending threats compounded by governments and other social
institutions that militate against life and the
family through coercive measures that run
counter to the rights of individuals, couples
and families to flourish according to the
natural law and the laws of the Church xxx
Governments that promote contraception,
abortion, sterilization, coercive population

when he directly and accurately

taught the NT idea of the Kingdom of God as not a place, but
a person, the Person of Jesus
Christ. And yet this Jesus Christ
was clothed in simplicity unlike
anyone elses. The non-simple
could neither recognize him nor
fathom his message. Is it any
wonder?
The Napolist culture is an indictment of how we have abandoned simplicity in our society
for big money life and politics.
While the media has almost
single-mindedly brought the
names of lawmakers (senators
and congressmen), as well as
other personalities in their public
or private capacities to our attention, we conveniently forget that
we, too, share in the blame we so
willingly cast on others. After all,
it is we who have long cultivated
the Napolist culture by allowing
money to control our politics and
almost anything else in our social
relations. That no one, no matter
how qualified in other crucial
criteria, can run for any local or
national office without him/her
wooing the masses to the tune
of millions (I suspect, even billions) of pesos -- the staple food
of any Napolitan practitioner
or aspirant. This, together with
patronage politics, provides
highly fertile ground for the
Napolist culture. A remark by
Ruby Tuason, explaining why
she allowed herself to be a bag
lady for a senators PDAF share
so she could help him respond
to people who were constantly
asking the senator for money
assistance to needs of various
kinds, was very telling. Multiply

Duc in Altum

***
The Vatican announced the holding of the
2015 World Day of Families in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, U.S. The theme is Love is
our Mission: The Family Fully Alive. The
announcement was made by Archbishop
Charles Chaput of the Diocese of Philadelphia, who was appointed by Pope Francis to
the Pontifical Council of the Laity.
It might be Divine Providence that the
venue was aptly selected by Vatican.
Philadelphia is the very place where the
representatives from 13 states originally
drafted the U.S. Constitution. It was in their

Whatever
friends comment.
I believe that the food is
good, but I think youre that one
who isnt so healthy.
I think, Ill just have a salad
then, my friend conceded
defeat.
***
Our Lord Jesus Christ was
not satisfied with saving us
by simply suffering and dying
upon the Cross. He also promised that He will be with us
until the end of time, so that
weas pilgrims or wayfarers
journeying towards our Heavenly destinywill never be left
on our own.
Jesus marvelously carries
this out by instituting the Sacrament of the Eucharist before
dying in Calvary. The bread
becoming His body and the
wine becoming His blood are
the Christians spiritual food to
nourish and strengthen him on
his way to heaven. These spiri-

that situation with the number

of our public servants or even
celebrities and it wouldnt be
too hard to see why the Napolist may only be the tip of the
iceberg.
I guess I could say, to paraphrase a popular saying, I have
seen the Napolist and the Napolist is us.
We need to rediscover simplicity, even if through a saintly
pope whom we love in the
Philippines, to respond to the
Napolist culture. St. John Paul
IIs simplicity urges us to be
simple enough to be uncluttered
by the materialism around us in
order to get to the essence of life:
faith, hope and love that should
be concrete in the way we hold
office, work, transact business or
provide services. Simple enough
to see that the abuse of power
starts with us who abuse the
power to vote when we vote the
undeserving into office. Simple
enough to refrain from treating
public officials as fiscal messiahs
because it compels them to be
corrupt. Simple enough never
to stop demanding transparency and accountability from
those who manage, well or ill,
the resources of our government
and society. Simple enough to
demand both sides of the Napolist or other corruption charges.
Simple enough to admit that if
we keep refusing to check the
performance of people in power
out of fear or sloth, we reap the
whirlwinds.
Simple enough to realize, every constantly, that we must live
simply so that many more may
simply live.

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

control, divorce, same-sex marriages and

euthanasia, destroy families which they are
duty-bound to protect and foster.
The Church and the Governments must
protect the family. The governments are
urged to seriously consider the rights of the
family in making policies affecting it. There
should be dialogue with the respective governments on matters affecting the family.
The delegates were challenged to choose
between life and death for the human family.
If we choose life and obey the law of God
written in our hearts, we shall live. We in this
assembly choose life for the family! We will
pray and work for the protection, preservation, and flourishing of every human family.
It quoted the newly-canonized St. John
Paul II, the patron of family, who exhorted
the faithful in Asian countries where the
demographic question is often used as an
argument for the need to introduce abortion
and artificial population control programs,
to resist the culture of death.

Fr. Francis Ongkingco

ONCE I was invited to lunch by

a family friend. He suggested
that we try out a restaurant
that served very healthy food.
We found the place and started
checking out what to order.
This one looks so delicious,
but I dont think I can take it,
he said rather dismayed.
Why so? I asked.
My doctor has advised me
to keep away from these types
of ingredients. And this particularly tempting dish seems
to have a lot of it.
Then why dont you try out
this other one..., I pointed to
another dish.
Nope, I cant take that either.
...and this one...?
Nah...!
And how about...?
[SIGH!] I thought this was a
healthy restaurant, he quipped.
The waiter who was patiently
awaiting our orders couldnt
help, but give a large grin at my

A saints simplicity and

the Napolist culture

Independence Hall where the basic constitutional right to life, liberty and property and
right to equal protection were adopted.
These are the rights that protect the family.
Our very own Constitution promotes these
in the Bill of Rights.
The famous Liberty Bell was first rung on
July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia to urge everyone
to respect and obey the Constitution. At the
Liberty Bell Center, this very touching quotation is displayed Ring Loud that Hallowed
BELL... Ring it till the slave be free. The first
Supreme Court of the United States also met
in historic Philadelphia from 1796 to 1800.
We felt blessed that we personally set
foot in the Independence Hall where the
framers drafted the U.S. Constitution, the
Center where the Liberty Bell is displayed
and the building where the U.S. Supreme
Court first met.
***
The Vatican Radio announced that Pope
Francis made a private visit to the Roman
Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray and entrust his Holy Land pilgrimage to Our Lady.
The Pope also made an unannounced visit
to the same Basilica before his journey to
the World Youth Day gathering in Brazil in
July 2013. Let us pray for the safety of Pope
Francis and for the success of his pilgrimage
to Holy Land.
***
The San Bartolome de Malabon Church
celebrated its 400 years last May 17. The
celebration was capped with the Holy Mass

Duc in Altum / A7

Good Food, Bad Health

tual ingredients are not simply
some supplementary powerups, but are the very source of
grace, Grace itself, the Author of
grace Himself, who transforms
the person into Himself.
The grandeur of the Eucharist
is that it simultaneously and
mysteriously already contains
both the means for and the
end of the Christians awaiting
perfection. While still alive on
earth, the faithful son of God receives the food that makes him
grow in holiness, but already
mysteriously gives him the end
that he aspires to be united with
one day in heaven.
Thus, the Catechism of the
Catholic Church emphasizes
why anyone desiring to receive
this spiritual treasure must
strive to prepare himself properly to receive Jesus in the mass.
The Catechism teaches that this
preparedness to receive our
Lord in the Sacrament of the
Holy Eucharist means that one

may only receive communion

if he is not conscious of having committed any serious or
mortal offenses against God
and neighbor. Awareness of any
mortal sin requires that a person
must first receive sacramental
absolution before receiving
communion.
Very often, people would
come to me saying that they
had no choice but to receive
or they couldnt resist not
taking holy communion even
if they were not spiritually
conditioned to do so or they
had to receive because the Mass
would seem incomplete if they
hadnt. I believe that my recent
gastronomic experience would
help individualswho feel
some entitlement to receive
our Lordto understand why
they may not go to communion.
Like my friend in the restaurant, the problem of enjoying
the good food in the restaurant
Whatever / A7

A5
Commentary
Michael Cook

Looking in the wrong

places to explain
another mass murder
LAST Friday, Elliot Rodger, a 22-year-old student, ran amok,
stabbing two roommates and a visitor to death, before he went
to a sorority at the University of California, Santa Barbara and
shot three young women, killing two of them. Jumping into
a black BMW, he went to a delicatessen and shot dead a male
student. Jumping back in, he began shooting randomly as he
drove. After injuring several people, he crashed the car and
committed suicide.
The tally: seven dead and 13 injured.
The father of one of the victims, Christopher Martinez,
blamed craven, irresponsible politicians and the NRA [National Rifle Association]. They talk about gun rights, he
said. What about Chriss right to live? When will this insanity
stop? His anguish is understandable, but half of the victims
in this latest atrocity were stabbed to death.
A new suspect is toxic masculinity. Rodger left behind a
140-page manifesto full of hatred for women who ignored him.
My orchestration of the Day of Retribution is my attempt to
do everything, in my power, to destroy everything I cannot
have, he wrote. All of those beautiful girls Ive desired so
much in my life, but can never have because they despise and
loathe me, I will destroy. He also vowed to kill men who
attracted women. I will kill them all and make them suffer,
just as they have made me suffer. It is only fair.
He also posted a YouTube video (which has been taken
down). It spews adolescent sexual frustration and hatred.
You are animals and I will slaughter you like animals. And I
will be a god, exacting my retribution on all those who deserve
it. You do deserve it. Just for the crime of living a better life
than me. All you, popular kids, youve never accepted me, and
now you will all pay for it. And girls, all I ever wanted was to
love you, and to be loved by you. Ive wanted a girlfriend, Ive
wanted sex, Ive wanted love, affection, adoration. You think
Im unworthy of it. Thats a crime that can never be forgiven.
An editor at Salon interpreted this obscene drivel as symptomatic of a culture which devalues, denigrates and despises
women. I cant help but be reminded of all of the women who
have been victimized by a culture and a system that denies
their humanity, wrote Katie McDonough.
But thats not all that Rodgers had to say. In his manifesto, he
also said he had been traumatized by his first encounter with
pornography at the age of 11. A couple of years later, he was
shaken when he saw another teenager watching pornography
in an internet caf. The sight was shocking, traumatizing, and
arousing. All of these feelings mixed together took a great toll
on me. I walked home and cried by myself for a bit. I felt too
guilty about what I saw to talk to my parents about it.
No wonder he couldnt talk to his parents about it. They
had been divorced when he was sevena moment which
he fingered as the beginning of his inner torment. But his
fatherwho worked in Hollywood filmsquickly found
another girlfriend. This seems to have warped Rodgers view
of women, sexuality and relationships. Males who can easily
find female mates garner more respect from their fellow men,
even children, he wrote. How ironic is it that my father, one
of those men who could easily find a girlfriend, has a son who
would struggle all his life to find a girlfriend.
Behind the deluded self-pity, it seems clear that Elliot Rodger
was a lonely youngster starved for a father and shaken to the
core by his parents divorce. A curious boy who had no one to
talk to about the facts of life. A sick teenager who had no one
to guide him through adolescent temptations.
Its a familiar story. Most of the men on the never-ending
list of rampage killers in the Unites States came from homes
where the parents were divorced or separated. Predictably,
their own relationships were fraught as well. Here are a few
of the latest tragedies:
John Zawahiri, 23, killed five people in Santa Monica in
2013 near and on the campus of a state college. His parents
had been separated for years.
In December 2012, Adam Lanza, 20, killed his mother, six
staff at a Connecticut primary school, and 20 school children
before shooting himself. His parents were divorced.
Also in December 2012, 22-year-old Jacob Roberts ran amok
in a Portland, Oregon, shopping mall. He killed two people
with an automatic rifle before committing suicide. He had
never known his mother and was raised by a divorced aunt
and her husband who shared custody of him.
Wade Page was a white supremacist who shot six Sikhs dead
in Milwaukee before being killed by a police officer earlier in
August 2012. His parents were divorced.
In October 2011 a California man, 41-year-old Scott Evans
Dekraai walked into his ex-wifes hair salon and shot her and
seven other people dead. His parents were divorced.
Gun control is opposed by many Americans because
gun-toting is said to be a fundamental freedom. But what
about the fundamental freedom of quick-and-easy no-fault
divorce? Marriage breakdown is one of the most serious
problems faced by the USand every other Western society.
It destroys lives. And, as the latest rampage killing demonstrates, not just the lives of the kids of the divorced couple.
Perhaps they wouldnt need more gun control if they had
better divorce control.
(Michael Cook is editor of MercatorNet.)

Candidly Speaking / A4

others, especially those who are

clearly in error.
As much as possible, the transmission of truth should be such
that the audience or recipients
would feel that they get to know
the truth by their own accord,
instead of being told, or made to
arrive at a certain conclusion because of how the truth is framed.
Priests, who by office preach,
should try their best that their
words drip with charity, compassion, understanding and mercy.
As much as possible, they (we)
have to avoid sounding domineering and lording it over. This
will require nothing less than a
vital union with God
No matter how sure we are of
our doctrine or how relevant the
point we want to make is, there is
no basis for us to sound scolding
and controlling. The tone should
always be kind and warm, posi-

tive and encouraging, hopeful

and optimistic, even if we have
to issue some suggestions, warnings or corrections.
We should remove any trace of
bitterness, sarcasm, irony. These
only leave a bad taste in the
mouth, and can be more destructive than constructive. Rather,
there has to be a more dialogical
character of any communication. This is how we can more
effectively blend the exclusivity
of truth with the inclusivity of
charity.
To reach and to adapt to us,
God had to become man, and
the man-God, Jesus Christ, did
everything humanly possible to
make himself understood. He
used parables and his teachings
were accompanied by appropriate actions. He was willing to go
all the way to die on the Cross to
make his point.

Local News

CBCP Monitor

Churchs social action staff

train on emergency responses

Clergy group opposes

Orthopedic privatization

Brian McDonald, Head of Programs, Catholic Relief Service Philippines familiarizes the social action coordinators with several new concepts through
his talk on Introduction to Analysis Tools: Ranking Matrices & Conceptual Frameworks during the weeklong Module Development cum Trainers
Training on Project Design & Emergency Response Strategies Based on SPHERE Minimum Standards Best Practices held in San Mateo, Rizal on
May 21 to 28, 2014.

IN the light of climate change

and the huge socio-economic
costs of natural disasters, the
Churchs social action centers
undergo training on muchneeded emergency response
strategies in a week-long module
facilitated by the Catholic Relief
Service (CRS) in partnership
with the National Secretariat for
Social Action, Justice and Peace
(NASSA) from May 21 to 28.
Held in San Mateo, Rizal, the

training with the theme Module

Development cum Trainers Training on Project Design & Emergency Response Strategies Based
on SPHERE Minimum Standards
Best Practices aims to identify the
social action centers response
capability in an emergency situation based on food security and
livelihood; water sanitation and
hygiene promotion; shelter and
non-food items; and evacuation
center management and emer-

gency telecommunication.
The said module will examine the
project design components based
on the conceptual, analytical and
approval stages of the dioceses.
During the training, the participants will also go through
the essential components of the
project design and will facilitate
the development of a customized
project design module that the
dioceses can implement.
At the end of the training,

participants from different diocesan social action centers will

formulate a facilitation guide
for each emergency response
strategy and will come up with
an action plan to implement at
the diocesan-parish level. Participants were from the diocesan
social action centers of Pagadian,
Ilagan, Baguio, Antipolo, Catarman, Pampanga, Vicariate of
Bontoc-Lagawe and Caritas Manila. (SocialActionNews)

UNDERPRIVILEGED
kids from Baclaran
communities and from
nearby Paraaque and
Pasay are the stars of Baclaran Churchs Flores
de Mara (Flowers of
Mary) celebration this
month.
Children as young
as six take part in the
month-long activities,
most notably, the praying
of the Rosary, which most
of them are encountering
for the first time.
Dancing and singing
also form part of the yearly Marian celebration.
National Shrine of Our
Mother of Perpetual Help
rector Rev. Fr. Victorino
Cueto, C.Ss.R shared that
the welfare of the youth is

a great concern for them

(Baclaran Redemptorists).
As part of its apostolate, the missionary Congregation of the Most
Holy Redeemer reaches out to the youth, especially those at risk
around the shrine [and]
who are involved in drug
addiction, juvenile delinquency, and other difficulties.
Seeing these as an ongoing challenge, the
Redemptorists strive to
become more connected
to the complex and delicate demands of todays
youth and to open
more our community to
young people.
The shrines youth

ministry aims at channeling the energies of

the youth towards productive and constructive activities for their
own development and
in service to others and
to God.
To g e t h e r w i t h t h e
youth, the ministry intends to create an environment where we can
listen to and celebrate
our common aspirations
and dreamsBe able
to share their talents,
giftedness and response
to Gods call that they
may give life and joy
to the church and society, especially to the
poor and the most abandoned.
The Flores de Mara

Baclaran children, mostly from depressed areas nearby,

perform a doxology as part of the shrines Flores de
Mara celebration while the famous icon of Our Mother of
Perpetual Help watches them from behind.

celebration (Flowers of
Mary) is part of a Filipino
May month tradition that

dates backs hundreds

of years. (Raymond A.
Sebastin)

Napoles / A6

Faith / A3

on short trips to Tagaytay or

abroad, he said.
He added that he misses
their meals together.
Family meals are something I look forward to always
doingWhen I was still playing for Ateneo and I would
come home late, like at nine
or ten in the evening, my parents, no matter how sleepy
they were, would make an effort to come downnot to eat
because theyve already done

Raymond A. Sebastin

Underprivileged kids star in Baclarans

Flores de Maria

eatingbut to talk to me, just

ask me how my day was
catch up, Tiu explained.
Aside from his commitment
to the Philippine Basketball
Association (PBA) where he
plays for Rain or Shine Elasto
Painters, Tiu hosts regular
programs on GMA Network
and AKTV.
He is also an ambassador
for World Vision and a former
community leader. (Raymond
A. Sebastin)

knows. Do not be afraid of the

truth, he said
The CBCP head earlier called
on those investigating the P10billion pork barrel scam to
cross-check the supposed lists
of conspirators that are coming
out recently.
If you want to authenticate
the document that you have, you
have to cross-check it with other
sources and references and then
you can come up a certain degree
of certainty that this one is the

authentic, this one is less accurate, and so on, Villegas said.

The Archbishop of LingayenDagupan also said that aside
from the said lists, investigators
should also explore all possible
avenues to discover those involved in the anomaly because
if you name just one, you will
exclude the others.
As long as there is a
source that is available, you
should explore that, he said.
(CBCPNews)

Pope / A6

gle said the recent calamities beckoned for

him to come sooner.
Defining character
Tagle, who just came from Rome for the
Synod of Families, said the pope want to
come close to the victims of the disasters.
I think one purpose of the visit of the
Holy Father is to come close to the people
who suffered from the recent typhoon and
the earthquake, Tagle told Catholic News
Service.
We will see how that could be done. But
I think, he would want that to be a defining
character of his trip, he said.
Tagle added, I have said his coming
will be stronger than the typhoon, but in a
positive way.
In January, the pontiff sent his emissary to
visit some areas devastated by the worlds
strongest typhoon to make a landfall in
recent history.
In a Mass in Palo town, in Leyte, Cardinal Robert Sarah, President of the Pontifical

Council Cor Unum, raised hopes among

survivors that they could be getting a visit
from the pope.
I go now because I might be going there
also, Sarah said recalling what the pope
told him, drawing cheers and applause from
those attending the Mass.
The Vatican also extended more assistance
for the rehabilitation efforts of local dioceses
struck by the typhoon and even to those hit
by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Bohol
last October.
No official word
Local Church officials, meanwhile, said
there is no official announcement yet about
the much-anticipated papal trip.
The Secretariat has not yet received any
official communication from the Vatican or
Nunciature, said Fr. Marvin Mejia, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
secretary general.
Henrietta de Villa, a consultor to the
Vaticans Pontifical Council Cor Unum,

said there is a standing invitation for the

pontiff to visit the country, but theres no
official response yet.
We are all hoping that he could come
this coming year, but the one who would
announce it is the Nunciature or the
CBCP president or Cardinal Tagle, De
Villa said.
Tagle earlier said that he has high confidence that the pope will visit the country,
particularly, the areas in the Visayas affected
by recent calamities, in 2015.
Cardinal Tagle is very hopeful because he
often travel to the Vatican because the pope
gave him much work. He has the ear of the
pope so we hope [the visit pushes through],
added De Villa.
We are hopeful he could come because
I think the pope wants to come sooner than
2016 and theres a standing invitation (for the
pope) to come anytime, she added.
Pope Francis will be the third pope to visit
the Philippines, after Pope Paul VI (1970) and
now St. John Paul II (1981 and 1995).

And Thats The Truth / A4

benefit yourself and all others in

Gods time. Your co-workers, superiors, clients, customers, constituents, people who are with
you most of the daymay notice
changes in you even before you
even do. All because in pondering His words in your heart you
have been guided in conversation with Him, and have been

moved to want to belong to Him

alone! Then you will realize that
you have gone further out in the
background, removed from common things, and find yourself in
Gods plan for us have learned
to intercede for others as well.
What a glorious realization this
is, to recognize that it is the Holy
Spirit working in you from the

Father through the Son who was

sent to live among us to reveal
this truth! What a turnaround
from selfishness to selflessness!
Imagine how this kind of
conversion in those accused of
corruption can affect the future
of this impoverished nation!
We, who take pride in being the
first and biggest Christian na-

tion in Asia, can still count on

a leaderJesus, our true shepherd who will never abandon us.
Its about time we dumped our
public servants who have one
set of rules for worship and another for the workplace, whether
that workplace be a legislative
building or a palace. And thats
the truth.

Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

A DISCERNMENT group of
Catholic priests in the Visayas
have joined calls to stop the
privatization of the Philippine
Orthopedic Center.
In a statement, the Visayas
Clergy Discernment Group
(VCDG) said it is a crime of
neglect for the government to
privatize the public hospital.
San Carlos Bishop Gerardo
Alminaza, VCDG head convenor, said that in the Philippines,
around 70% of the population,
or some 66 million Filipinos,
are living off less than P104 per
person a day.
The Philippine government
would be reneging on its constitutional obligation to take care
of the basic needs of the people,

one of which is adequate medical

care [if it privatized the hospital], Alminaza said.
Instead of privatizing the government hospitals, they urged
the government to build more
government hospitals, especially
in the rural areas.
Moreover, [the government should] strengthen the
program to mobilize young
doctors, nurses and other caregivers to the rural areas before
they go abroad, Alminaza
added.
It is the poor workers, farmers, and fisherfolk who provide
the basic needs of the of Philippine society. If they are healthy,
the Philippines will be healthy,
he said. (CBCPNews)

Cardinal Tagle lifts

moratorium on shrines
MANILA Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle lifts a
moratorium on petitions to declare churches as shrines under
his pastoral jurisdiction.
In a decree issued earlier this
month, the cardinal announced
that the archdiocese is now open
to receive new petitions and to
review those petitions withheld
in the past.
We pray that this action will
contribute to true renewal of
the Church of the Archdiocese
of Manila, Tagle said in the
decree.
He designated the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission to
study and evaluate them based
on church laws and the norms
of the archdiocese.
The church official also instructed the said Commission
to review and update the guidelines for the declaration of archdiocesan shrines.
A moratorium on petitions to
elevate a parochial church to the
dignity of archdiocesan shrine
was declared some years back.
The cardinal said this was
done to help the parish churches desiring to be shrines to
prepare well for the responsibilities to contribute to the

FILE PHOTO

SocialActionNews

A6

The Shrine of Our Lady of the

Rosary of Manaoag is one of the
more famous shrines in the country.
It is dedicated to the Nuestra Seora
del Rosario de Manaoag, who is
also the patroness of the town.

growth of the pastoral life of

the church.
Shrines, he added, are places of special devotion of the
faithful to a particular title of
Christ, of the Holy Spirit or of
the Blessed Mother, and to the
saints.
They have the distinct function and mission to keep alive
and promote the mystery of
faith through these devotions,
Tagle said. (CBCPNews)

Healthy lifestyle reduces

global warming doctor
DESPITE alarming ecological changes, people can help
mitigate global warming and
climate change by shifting to
a healthy, disciplined lifestyle,
says Dr. Ponciano F. Aberin,
an ecology consultant of University of the Philippines (UP)
System.
He encouraged Filipinos ride
bicycles or walk, instead of
driving cars, to not smoke, do
exercise at least three times a
week, and to plant trees.
Choosing to walk instead of
using a car when ones destination is not too far is not only
good for the environment, but
a beneficial act for the health.
Walking, as a costless exercise, is good for the body, Dr.
Aberin said. Not using the car
and its air conditioning will
help reduce carbon dioxide
emission.
Carbon dioxide is a major
contributor to global warming,
studies say, exacerbating the
greenhouse effect.
The presence of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere can
be greatly reduced if Filipinos
will use bikes as a means of
urban transportation, instead
of cars and motorcycles, Dr.
Aberin said.
One can drive the bike on
weekends as an alternative
and practical transportation,
he said. Biking is not only ecofriendly, but also an efficient
form of exercise.
In China, the customary and
widespread use of bikes as a
means of both urban and rural

transportation is both a healthy

lifestyle and an environmentfriendly choice.
Dr. Aberin was in Beijing in
the late 1990s and saw Chinese
women, including the social
bobcats, riding the bicycle.
Beijing, Chinas capital has
a cool temperature since trees
dot the city, he said. Growing
more trees in Metro Manila will
greatly help the temperature to
get cool.
Trees release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide, Dr. Aberin
said. More trees means more
carbon dioxide absorbed.
He expressed alarm over
the increasing volume of smog
over Metro Manila.
Air pollution causes cardiovascular disease, asthma, tuberculosis, and other illnesses,
Dr. Aberin noted.
Everybody can do his share
in stopping global warming
and climate change from getting worse, he said. One should
minimize his use of energy.
Planting more trees will replace trees lost to illegal logging, which contributes to
global warming and causes
floods and landslides.
It is not the end, Dr. Aberin
said. Its a matter of people
helping one another. Everyone
can do something.
The key to a clean environment and a healthy life is a matter of choice, he said. Everyone
should demonstrate discipline
and concern for the environment, otherwise things will get
worse. (Oliver Samson)

Rehab / A1

Conference of the Philippines

(CBCP).
According to him, it will not
be good for the government if
the pontiff and the international
community would see that
many survivors are still living
in bad condition.
The bishop said that thousands of survivors are still in
dire need of decent, clean, and
safe place to rest and recover
from the havoc brought by
Yolanda.
Nearly seven months after
the typhoon, many families are

still living in their dilapidated

houses and makeshift shanties
that are made of patches of corrugated iron sheets, plywood
and tents.
I think his (pope) plan of
visiting here is to check the condition of the typhoon Yolanda
victims so the rehabilitation
works should be hastened
Pabillo said.
On Tuesday, reports came out
quoting Pope Francis as saying
he will visit the Philippines
and Sri Lanka in January 2015.
(CBCPNews)

May 26 - June 8, 2014

Diocesan News

Raymond A. Sebastin

Chinas bullying of PH
foretold in Lipa apparition

Atty. Marwil Llasos reveals how a Carmelite novice came to know about
present-day tensions between China and the Philippines, some 65 years
ahead.

MANDALUYONG City
Believe it or not, someone
else knew about the Peoples
Republic of Chinas less-thandiplomatic dealings with the
Philippinesmore than sixty
years ahead.
In a spine-tingling talk Saturday, held at Santuario de San Jos
Parish hall in Greenhills, one of
the countrys top Mariologists
(specialists on Mary), lawyer
Marwil Llasos, O.P. shared that
as early as 1949, the current
strain on China-Phlippines relations had already been made
known to a Carmelite novice
sister named Teresita L. Castillo
of Lipa, Batangas.
In her own account which
Llasos read, and which gave
his audience goosebumps, Our
Lady said, Pray hard for Chinas dream to invade the whole
world. The Philippines is one of
its favorites.
The Blessed Mother emphasized, Money is the evil force
that will lead the people of the
world to destruction.
If this sounds eerie enough,
Llasos noted that the apparition took place roughly two
weeks after Chariman Mao Zedongs defeat of the Kuomintang led by General Chiang Kai
Shekwhen China was still

politically and economically

insignificant.
If Ftima had its Russia, Lipa,
it seemed, had its China.
But what will be Filipinos
secret weapon against a potential
foreign invasion?
Our Lady had this to recommend, Prayers, sacrifices selfdenials and the daily recitation
of the Holy Rosary will soften
the heart of my Son as I said
before.
Castillo, affectionately called
Teresing, was a member of one of
the provinces richest and most
influential families, who decided
to enter Carmel.
Her given name, interestingly, relates her to three great
Carmelite saints, Teresa of vila,
Threse of Lisieux, and Teresa
Benedicta, while her surname
is half the title of St. Teresa of
vilas book, Castillo Interior
(Interior Castle).
The Blessed Mother who appeared to Sister Teresing as the
Mediatrix of All Graces, on
October 17, 1949, at the San Sebastin Cathedral, and many other
times before and after that at the
Carmelite Monastery in Lipa.
The Lipa apparitions are
c u r re n t l y b e i n g re i n v e s t i gated, Llasos said. (Raymond
A. Sebastin)

Duc In Altum / A5

presided by CBCP President

and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas. Bishop
Francis de Leon, the Kalookan
Diocese Apostolic Administrator, and Most Rev. Bernardito Auza, Apostolic Nuncio
of Haiti, concelebrated. Almost
150 bishops and clergy from Kalookan and other dioceses were
present. To commemorate the
Quadricentennial Celebration,
the Philippine Postal Corporation issued special limited edition commemorative stamp. It
was designed by Philpost artist
Victorino Serevo. Congratulations Fr. Ric Torrefiel, parish
priest of San Bartolome, and his
parishioners.

***
We congratulate the youth of
National Capital Region (NCR)
and the Council of the Laity of
the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto
Princesa for the successful Conference on New Evangelization at the
Holy Trinity University in Puerto
Princesa City, Palawan. It is the
youths response to the Churchs
call to the laity in the Year of the
Laitys theme Called to be Saints,
Sent forth as Heroes.
***
I wish to greet Fr. Medardo
Ong of Kalookan Diocese a very
happy birthday. Same birthday
greetings go to my family friend,
Fr. Robert Ramos.

Whatever / A5

wasnt because there was any

problem with the food. In reality, it is the other way around:
my friend was not healthy
enough to eat certain food because taking them would harm
his health. He was physiologically lacking what a normal person has in order to adequately
ingest and enjoy a certain dish.
In the same way, we can understand that anyone wishing
to receive communion in an
undignified state only causes
himself harm and puts to waste
such an exquisite divine nourishment. Obviously, this is not
due to any fault of our Lord,
but of the person whose sinful
condition prevents him from
truly absorbing all the spiritual
graces our Lord extends with
every communion.
Moreover, we understand
why St. Paul in his first letter
to the Corinthians, admonishes
them about the need to worthily
receive our Lord. Let a man
examine himself, and so eat
of the bread and drink of the
cup. For anyone who eats and
drinks without discerning the
body eats and drinks judgment
upon himself. Thus, his words
clearly demonstrate that when
unworthily received, the person
harms himself more not because
our Lords Body and Blood are
evil, but because these spiritual
goods
***
Here are a few helpful points
in order to better prepare oneself to receive our Lord in Holy
Communion:

a) Save your faith not your

face. By choosing not to receive
communion, one may feel uncomfortable with what other
may say or think, but its more
important to know what Jesus
thinks and will say if we decide
not to receive because of our
love and respect for Him.
b) Swallow our pride, not our
Lord. For the same reason, when
we dont receive communion
because we are not prepared,
then it would be more refined
with our Lord if we swallowed
our pride and offered not receiving Him as a form of prayer
and penance lifted to God for
the sins or omissions committed
against Him and our neighbor.
c) Frequenting confession.
Growing in the habit or devotion of frequently going to
confession is not only instrumental against grave disorderly
tendencies. It also predisposes
us more to receive our Lord in
Holy Communion, as well as
for our personal pious practices.
d) The deeper conversion. To
receive is always good. This is
one reason the Church encourages us to receive communion
yearly as a preceptwhen
we have the proper spiritual
dispositions to do so. But ones
frustrated desire to receive
communion should not always
be seen as something negative.
It can help one to learn how
to prepare himself more adequately in the future, consider
that this spiritual frustration
can be converted in a form of a
penitent prayer offered to God
for ones sins.

A7

Thousands brave rains, heat to

venerate relics of new pope saints
JARO, IloiloAs a literal response to the Year of the Laity
challenge Choose to be Brave!
thousands of Catholic faithful
from Iloilo and neighboring
provinces braved strong rains
and sweltering heat recently to
stand in line for an opportunity
to venerate the relics of St. John
XXIII and St. John Paul II on.
Devotees waited in lines that
extended from the San Agustin
University chapel to the parking area for an opportunity to
venerate the relics of the newly
canonized Popes and of Blessed
Ivan Merz.
Devotees coming as far as the
provinces outside Iloilo testified
in interviews over local radio
that they could not help but feel
the presence and holiness of the
new saints when they prayed
before their sacred relics.
Campus Ministry Director
Mhark Dominic Macaranas related that many devotees came
to venerate the relics to give
thanks. Some religious sisters
have told me that they came here
repeatedly out of gratitude for
the many favors that they had re-

ceived through the intercession

the new saints. Macaranas said.
According to University of
San Agustin student council
president Jeremiah Verdeleon,
the relics custodians told him
that, of all the places in the Philippines where they have brought
the saints relics, they have never
seen a multitude that was so
recollected and prayerful.
The custodians noticed that
the people came, not only to
look, but also to touch, pause
and pray before the saints relics. It was also observed that the
majority of the pilgrims participated in the holy mass and many
of them went to Confession.
During an 11 a.m. mass, also
at the said university, Jaro Archbishop Angel N. Lagdame underlined the message that everyone is called to be a canonizable
saint. He even jokingly told the
people that they ought to lead
holy lives because the process
of canonization can be very
expensive.
The relics of St. John Paul II
and of St. John XXIII arrived in
Iloilo Airport on May 20 and

Vincent Valencia

Vol. 18 No. 11

The Iloilo faithful take the time to visit the relics of the two pope saints, St.
John XXIII and St. John Paul II on May 20, 2014.

were brought by motorcade to

the University of San Agustin
with two brief stopovers at the
Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral
as an act of homage to Our Lady
of Candles whose image Pope
John Paul II canonically crowned
in his visit here in 1981 and at
St. Pauls University.

The visit of the relics of St.

John XXIII and St. John Paul II
in Iloilo ended on May 22, after
a despedida mass celebrated
by Fr. Joenick Territorio, Director
of the Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on the Laity, with other
priest concelebrants. (Fr. Mickey
Cardenas)

St. John Paul II marker to be blessed in Bacolod

BACOLOD CityOn
May 18, Bacolod Bishop
Vicente Navarra blessed
a marker marking the
spot where the newlyminted saint, St. John
Paul II, prayed during
his visit to the city in
1981.
The occasion took
place during the 10 a.m.
Sunday Mass presided
over by Navarre at the
San Sebastian Cathedral.
The date of the blessing
also marks the birthday
of St. John Paul II.

When St. John Paul

II visited the San Sebastian Cathedral he
prayed in the sanctuary in front of the image of San Sebastian.
The spot, sanctified
by the presence and
prayers of the new
saint, will be memorialized by a marker
that Bishop Navarra
will bless, said Fr.
Deogracias Camon,
Parochial Vicar of the
San Sebastian Cathedral Parish.

San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod is one of

the places that St. John
Paul II visited during
his Papal pastoral visit
to the Philippines in
1981.
It is part of Catholic
liturgical tradition that
visiting prelates on official visits to churches
pray in front of the altar
of the patron saint of the
church.
According to the
priest the recent canonization of Pope

John Paul II is doubly significant for Bacolod.

John Paul II, not
only blessed the diocese through his presence, but he also visited us during a period
when the Negros provinces were undergoing social and political
upheavals due to the
widening inequality
between the hacienda
owners and the sugar
field workers, Camon
explained.

In his address to landowners and sugarcane

plantation workers,
John Paul II helped the
clergy and the faithful in
Negros look at the situation in the light of the
social teachings of the
Church, the priest said.
According to Camon,
the Popes visit in 1981
also brought to the
awareness of the international community
the plight of the Negros
sugarcane workers. (Fr.
Mickey Cardenas)

Rizal youth beat the heat with sportsfest

ANGONO, Rizal, May 16, 2014
Hundreds of youth from
the Diocese of Antipolo, also
known as KaDA (Kabataan ng
Diosesis ng Antipolo) gathered
on Saturday, May 10, to beat
the heat of the summer during
their 6th Diocesan Youth Sports
fest with the theme AliwJuan
Fiesta: KaDAng Layko, Nagkaka-isa.
One of the special surprises for
most of participants was the Higanteng Palaro in the afternoon,
where the participants were
divided into 3 major groups as
they played.
[The biggest surprise were]
the games themselves, one
of the participants said in the
vernacular.
Adapting Angonos famous
Higantes Festival, the organizers gave Filipino games a
twist by providing extra big
materials, mechanics, and time
limits. Some of the games
included playing with giant
jackstones with yoga balls, gigantic puzzles, oversized cards
and relays.
Each year, the diocesan sportsfest also features vicariate dance
competitions, and since Angono
is a place of art, culture and
tradition, this years vicariate
competition was an adaptation

Joy Rago

CBCP Monitor

Youth from the Diocese of Antipolo dance with the Higantes during the annual Diocesan Youth Sports with the
theme AliwJuan Fiesta: KaDAng Layko, Nagkaka-isa on May 10, 2014 at Bloomingdale Homes Subdivision,
Angono, Rizal.

of the Aliwan Festival, highlighting famous cultural dances of the

Philippines.
The Vicariate of San Ildefonso
de To l e d o , p e r f o r m i n g a n
adaptation of Baguios Panagbenga, took home the top
prize. St. Francis Xavier Vicariate won second place with
A k l a n s A t i - At i h a n , w h i l e
the Our Lady of Aranzazu

Vicariate bagged third prize

with their version of Quezons
Pahiyas.
Some of the other noteworthy
presentations included Cebus
Sinulog Festival, Iloilos Dinagyang and Pintados Festival,
Marinduques Moriones which
awakened a fiesta spirit with
the groups colorful costumes
and lively music.

The fun the young people

had was no match for the heat
of the sun, causing several of
the participants to call the event
unforgettable, unexpected,
life-turner and amazing.
The said event, was hosted
by St. Clement Parish, Angono, Rizal and was held at the
Bloomingdale Homes Subdivision. (Chrixy Paguirigan)

Coalition / A1

rity, to allow investigations and legal scrutiny

to proceed, unobstructed
by any influence coming
from them, said Msgr.
Romualdo Kintanar, convenor of CCAPBS.
Besides, decent legislators can submit documents that can withstand
scrutiny, he said.
To insist, he said, on
staying in office because
of their electoral mandate
is wrong, adding that

they cannot hide behind

the pretense that they
have to serve the electorate that placed them in
office.
The people voted for
them in good faith, in all
innocence of their possible crimes. The only
way for these legislators
to prove that this good
faith is held sacred is to
step down and step aside
and allow the process of
justice to proceed with-

out delay, and to remain

outside their office until
their names are cleared,
he said.
The coalition also
called on concerned agencies to show the public
the results of their pork
scam probe, lamenting
the slow progress of the
investigation.
It described the pork
barrel scam, which involves a number of congressmen and senators,

a s re v o l v i n g a ro u n d
the most shameful accusations of crime the
legislative branch of
government has ever
faced in its entire history.
Kintanar said that this
is the only time in the
countrys history that a
branch of government
is being blamed for its
gross inability to lessen
poverty.
People have come to

doubt that legislators

never ran for office to
serve the public good,
but only to dip their fingers into the pork barrel
funds, he said.
While we are glad
that more evidence has
surfaced, and more witnesses come forward,
we also feel disgusted
at the apparent mishandling of the emerging issues, Kintanar added.
(CBCPNews)

Pride / A1

faithful of their weaknesses,

noting that we have nothing
to boast for everybody is more
powerful than us. We cannot
be proud and we can only be
humble because we are only
little ones.
Before the Lord, we cannot
boast of anything. Before the
Lord we are all nothing, but
we have become beautiful, we
have become tall, Villegas
said.

Different kind of pride

Villegas pointed to a different
sort of pridepride in being
touched by God.
We can stand tall in the midst
of other people, not on our own,
but because we have been touched
by God. We have been made
beautiful by God even if we have
been blackened by sin, he added.
Bearing the theme, Families
of Asia: Lights of Hope, the
ACF aimed to generate discus-

sion on the Charter of Rights of

the Familyits message, challenges, and impact on families in
the Asian region30 years after
it was promulgated on October
22, 1983. The four-day convention ran from May 13 to 16.
The Charter, which came
two years after the Apostolic
Exhortation of Pope John Paul
II on the role of the Christian
family in the modern world
(Familiaris Consortio), was

intended to provide a formulation of the fundamental rights

that are inherent in the natural
and universal society which is
the family.
Bishop Jean Laffitte, Secretary
of the Pontifical Council for the
Family, graced the celebration
together with bishops from
Indonesia, Laos-Cambodia,
Thailand, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Taiwan. (Jennifer
M. Orillaza)

People, Facts & Places

A8

CBCP Monitor

Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

Malabon Church stamp marks

400th anniversary
Parish de Malabon on May
17, Saturday at Poblacion,
Malabon City.
The stamp, which is being sold for P20 each, shows
the old Malabon church, the
image of the citys patron,
St. Bartholomew and the
quadricentennial logo in
the foreground.
Designed by PhilPost
in-house artist Victorino Z.
Serevo, the commemorative
stamps are available at the
Post Shop, Philately and

Museum Division, Manila

Central Post Office, Door
203, Liwasang Bonifacio,
1000 Manila and at all regional offices of PhilPost.
In a press release, the
PhilPost noted the significance of May 17, and how
50 years ago, the Augustinians founded the first
parish of San Bartolome
de Malabon, the day of
its independence from Vicariato of Tondo, Manila.
(CBCP News/ND)

MONSIGNOR Francisco Tantoco, Jr., former Caritas Manila executive director, died
on Friday after around
a decade bout with Parkinsons disease. He
was 75.
Tantoco was rushed
to San Juan De Dios
Hospital in Pasay City
at 9pm yesterday after
his condition exacerbated. He passed away
at 6:45am today.
The funeral service,
led by Manila Archbishop Antonio Cardinal,
was held within day
of his death at a chapel
inside the archbishops
residence in Intramuros, Manila.
Cardinal Tagle said it
has been the request
of Msgr. Tantoco that
he be buried within 24
hours after his death.
We are respecting
his will, Cardinal Tagle said.
Although he was
quiet shy, the cardinal described Msgr.
Tantoco as an achiever,
diligent, and talented.
He has a lot of incomparable accomplishments, said

Roy Lagarde / CBCP News

Msgr. Tantoco, ex-Caritas Manila

director, dies at 75

Msgr. Francisco Tantoco, Jr.s passing away at age 75 marks the end of a life-long
commitment to serving the Church, especially the youth and the poor.

Cardinal Tagle in his

homily.
I thank his immediate family for sharing
his life to the church
and to the community,
he added.
Msgr. Tantoco was
ordained priest for the
Diocese of Borongan in
Eastern Samar on December 27, 1969 at the
Holy Redeemer Church
in Quezon City.
In 1985, he was incardinated to the Archdiocese of Manila where he

was appointed to head

Caritas Manila until
2004.
As executive director,
he expanded his work
not only in feeding the
poor but also in raising
their dignity as children
of God.
He worked for the
collaborative efforts
even of international
agencies to beef up resources for the poor.
It was during his stint
that the agency was
awarded Ora et Labora

Award by the San Beda

College in 2003.
Msgr. Tantoco was
instrumental in the
growth of Knights of
Columbus, one the biggest Catholic organizations in the Philippines,
where he served as the
national secretary from
1968 to 1984.
He was quoted as
saying: I spent the best
years of my priesthood
with the Knights of Columbus.
During his active

years in the priesthood,

the youth also has a special space in his heart
and was never got tired
of helping them.
For several years, he
served as the National
Chaplain of the Catholic Youth Organization
in the Philippines.
Here are just some of
the well-known church
service positions that
he has held in the past:
He was the former
National Youth Director of the Episcopal
Commission on Lay
Apostolate in 1982
He was the President and Administrator
of the La Loma Catholic
Cemetery
He was the Vicar
General and the Moderator Curiae of the
Arzobizpado de Manila
He is the National
Chaplain of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate
He was the wellloved Executive Director of Caritas Manila,
Inc. for many years.
Msgr. Tantoco was
buried at the La Loma
cemetery in Manila.
(CBCPNews)

Don Bosco statue to move to Skyway area

SOON the faithful will be
greeted by the smiling image
of the Father and Teacher of
the Youth at the Skyway-SM
Bicutan area, says the Shrine
of Mary Help of Christians
(MHC) rector.
According to Fr. Vitaliano
Chito Dimaranan, SDB, to
highlight his role as patron
of Barangay Don Bosco, the
statue of St. John Bosco, displayed prominently on the
National Shrine of Mary Help
of Christians (MHC) grounds,
is set to be relocated to the Skyway-SM Bicutan area where
more people can appreciate
and venerate it.

Big move
Even as he is awaiting reassignment to another mission,
as rector/president of the

Don Bosco Technical College

in Mandaluyong, Dimaranan
talked about the project, a joint
one between the Salesians of
Don Bosco (SDB), the Don
Bosco barangay government,
and the Federation of Homeowners in the four communities of Paraaque City.
Another aim of the move
is to emphasize the National
Shrine as being that of Mary,
Help of Christians.
Dimaranan noted that small
groups of pilgrims have come
to use the St. John Bosco Chapel on the ground floor of
the Shrines Marian Pilgrims
Center.
This gives a certain flexibility to the pilgrims who can
now pay the Shrine a visit any
time of the day, and still do
their pilgrimage even if the

big church is in use by parishioners, he said.

There are several new developments in the National Shrine of Mary Help of
Christians (MHC) anniversary
preparations in Don Bosco,
Paraaque as well.
Shrine anniversary updates
We have ordered a new
statue of MHC from Bacolor,
Pampanga. We also procured
a secondhand carroza that
would match the new statue
and will be used during the
Grand Marian Procession
on May 24, Dimaranan said.
Dimaranan also shared that
thousands of copies of the
new and revised edition of
the MHC devotional booklet,
in both English and Filipino,
have already seen print.

These are usually given

free to pilgrims, he said,
adding that versions of the
booklet in Pampango and
Waray are coming off the press
soon, while the Cebuano and
Hiligaynon versions of the
MHC devotional are coming
out soon.
The National Shrine is
scheduled to celebrate its
40th anniversary on May
24, Saturday, which coincides with the feast of its
patroness, Mary, Help of
Christians.
A Grand Marian Procession at 5:00 p.m. is expected
to cap the special occasion, followed by a concelebrated mass
at 6:30 p.m. with Paraaque
Bishop Jesse E. Mercado as
main celebrant. (Raymond A.
Sebastin)

OVER 30 children, between 10 and 13 years

old, learn more about
the dangers of online
threats like cyberbullying, among others,
at the Websites and
Social Media Reflection workshop held
Saturday, May 17.
A c c o rd i n g t o S r.
Amelyne Paglinawan
of the Pauline Institute of Communication
in Asia (PICA), when
left unaddressed, issues like sexting, get
in the way of [young
peoples] relationship
with other people, with
themselves, and with
God.
She emphasized that
sexting and other issues like cyber bullying,
intrusion of privacy
and others pose a serious threat to the young

netizens moral wellbeing.

To p r e p a r e a n d
ground young people
for online socializing
and relationships, Paglinawan prepared an
activity called Media,
Me & God, which
made the participants
reflect on a vital relationship, their relationship with God.
Providing the tweens
and teens with a more
in-depth background
on online realities, she
discussed internet addiction, cyber-bullying, intrusion of privacy, online
sexualizing, online
violence, online violence,
among many other important concerns.
Held at the National
Shrine of Our Mother
of Perpetual Helps
(Baclaran Church) Gro-

RMMS

Youth learn dangers of cyber-bullying

at workshop

The kids of Baclaran learned about the many

dangers they may be exposed to online during the
recently concluded media workshop organized by the
Redemptorist Multimedia Staff in partnership with the
Pauline Institute of Communications in Asia (PICA).

gan Hall, the workshop

was organized by the
Baclaran Churchs Redemptorist Multimedia Staff (RMMS) as
part of its volunteers
formation/education
program this summer.
It sought to educate

users of social media

called netizensespecially the youth, on
the endless potential harms they can
be easily exposed to
with just the click of
a mouse. (Raymond
A. Sebastin)

CEAP to adopt common

manual for campus ministers
CAMPUS ministers from Catholic
Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP)-member schools
will meet in Cebu City to review
and approve a proposed manual
for Christian Formation for Catholic Educational institutions.
The draft Manual for Christian
Formation will be presented at
the 3rd CEAP National Campus
Ministry Conference on July 29 to
31 at the Betania Retreat House,
Nivel Hills, Lahug, Cebu City.
According to Msgr. Gerardo
O. Santos, chairman of the CEAP
National Christian Formation
Commission, the conference aims
to familiarize the participants and
seek their approval of the Manual.
Themed Campus Ministers:
Celebrating our Calls to be Heroes
and Saints, the assembly also
aims to form support group that
will tackle the needs of the Campus Ministers in CEAP schools

and to build communion among

Catholic Campus Ministry practitioners.
There will be plenary sessions
on the identified concerns of the
Campus Ministers in Catholic
Schools in relation to the theme,
which shall be discussed by
resource persons who are engaged in various ministries in the
Church. A discussion of the role of
the laity in Catholic schools will
also highlight this years celebration, Santos said in an invitation
sent to the Campus Ministers.
One of the speakers in the
three-day event is Archbishop
Jose Palma of Cebu.
Interested participants may
confirm their attendance to the
CEAP National Campus Ministry Conference by contacting
the CEAP National Office at (02)
926-6273, or emailing inquiries to
info@ceap.org.ph. (YouthPinoy)

Mama Mary stars in vocation

search-in
THE theme of a vocation search-in for students and young professionals centers on
the Blessed Virgin Mary
and the important roles
she plays in the lives of
the discerners.
As the perfect mother and first Christian,
there is so much we can
learn from herand one
of which is the value
of obedience, shared
Vincent de Vera Abejo,
a real estate broker from
Quezon province, who
took part in the searchin at the National Shrine
of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Baclaran
Church), on Sunday,
May 18.
According to Edwin
Dio Despabiladeras, vocation coordinator, the
theme of the vocation
search-in was inspired
by Mary, May being
the month dedicated to
Our Lady.
To h i g h l i g h t t h e
Blessed Virgins centrality to the search-in,
the meeting opened
with the praying of the
rosary before a statue

Raymond A. Sebastin

TO celebrate San Bartolome

de Malabon churchs 400
years of existence, the Philippine Postal Corporation
(PhilPost) issues a special,
limited edition commemorative stamp with only
104,000 printed copies.
PhilPost Assistant Postmaster General for Marketing Luis D. Carlos presented the quadricentennial
commemorative stamps to
Fr. Ricardo D. Torrefiel, parish priest of San Bartolome

Redemptorist lay missionary Edwin Dio Despabiladeras

(wearing glasses, in blue shirt) meets vocation
discerners during the monthly vocation search-in held
at National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
(Baclaran Church) receiving room.

of Our Lady of Ftima,

whose sacred feast the
Catholic faithful celebrated May 13.
Aside from helping you through the
process of discernment,
this search-in also may
also function as a support group. If you have
problems, whether at
work, at home, etc., and
you need a ready ear,
feel free to come here,
Despabiladeras told
the participants, who
were mostly young professionals between the
ages of 25 and 35.
This months Redemptorist vocation

search-in aims to help

male high school graduates, college students,
and young professionals discern whether
they are made for the
priesthood.
The search in ended
with the singing of the
Marian hymn, Stella
Maris.
The Redemptorist
vocation search-in is
held on the third Sunday of each month.
For inquiries, call and/
or text vocation coordinator Edwin Dio Despabiladeras at (02) 832-1151 and 0928-852-4863.
(Raymond A. Sebastin)

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

Pastoral Concerns

B1
which the mission of transmitting life is
exclusively entrusted;
* the family, a natural society, exists
prior to the State or any other community,
and possesses inherent rights which are
inalienable (CRF, Preamble, B-D).
* Because the family exists prior to
the State, we should not allow the State
to encroach upon the inherent and
inalienable rights of families.

FILE PHOTO

We urge respect for every human life

We urge respect for every human life
from conception to natural death and
echo the words of St. John Paul II, the
saint of the family, who called upon the
faithful in Asian countries where the
demographic question is often used as
an argument for the need to introduce
abortion and artificial population
control programs, to resist the culture
of death. They can show their fidelity
to God and their commitment to true
human promotion by supporting and
participating in programs which defend
the life of those who are powerless to
defend themselves (Ecclesia in Asia, n.
35).

Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Bishop Jean Laffitte, as well as 28 bishops and several men and women from different religions were
present at the Asian Conference on the Family, which was held from May 13 to 16, 2014.

The family and the destiny of nations

We should also ensure that the family
remains the place where different
generations come together and help one
another to grow in human wisdom and
to harmonize the rights of individuals
with other demands of social life (CRF,
Preamble, F). We should realize that our
place in human history comes by way of
our family.
The need for social equity
We commit ourselves and we urge
our Asian societies to work for a more

Statement of the Asian

Conference on the Family
May 13-16, 2014

Introduction
We, 551 participants, lay faithful,
religious and clergy, coming from 14
Asian countries, 60 Philippine dioceses
and 20 lay associations, gathered in
Manila from 13 to 16 May 2014 to
celebrate with exuberant joy the thirty
years since the Charter of the Rights of
the Family was promulgated.
With us was the Secretary of the
Pontifical Council for the Family, Bishop
Jean Laffitte, as well as 28 bishops and
some men and women of other faith
traditions.
The Charter of Rights of the Family
The Charter manifests that nothing
authentically human fails to find an echo
in the heart of each believer (Gaudium et
Spes, n. 1). It expresses what we hold to
be the basic framework within which
the human familyany human family,
every human familycan form, flourish
and fulfill its mission.

Challenges and Threats

These challenges present themselves
as threats to the very existence of the
family itself. Abortion kills the very
life without which no family can exist.
Contraception and sterilizationand a
contraceptive mentality which refuses
to shoulder the responsibility of having
children threaten the procreative
purpose of marriage and the family by
attacking the very wellsprings of human
life. The advocacy for same-sex marriages
likewise attempts to reduce marriage to
a sterile relationship between people of
the same sex.
An amnesia of God and moral relativism
A consumeristic, materialistic and
individualistic culture that suffers from
an amnesia of God (Pope Benedict XVI)
and is fed by a certain liberal and moral
relativism has also threatened the family
by breeding lifestyles harmful to family
living. And so people live, motivated not
so much by the cultivation of healthy
human relationships but driven rather
by the desire for money, pleasure and
success. The outcome is a society where
fidelity and commitment come in short
supply and are subordinated to the
accumulation of possessions and the
achievement of personal ambitions;
hence, the widespread phenomenon of
divorce and marital infidelity.
Poverty breeds moral desolation
Looming large like a storm cloud
whose waters can drown the family
is the poverty that afflicts billions of
people in our continent. This poverty
has resulted in conditions which make
moral living almost impossible, and
has become a fertile field of temptations
for impoverished families to surrender

FILE PHOTO

50 years since Vatican II

In the past 50 years, the world has
been undergoing great changes in the
economic, social, political, cultural
and religious spheres. Affected by
these changes is the most basic human
institution, the family. In fact, the family
itself has been the primary beneficiary
and victim of these changes, which have
become challenges to families all over the
world.

We urge respect for every human life from conception to natural death and echo the words of St.
John Paul II, the saint of the family, who called upon the faithful in Asian countries where the
demographic question is often used as an argument for the need to introduce abortion and artificial
population control programs, to resist the culture of death.
their own human dignity in order to
meet the economic requirements of
survival. Poverty is the fertile ground for
pornography, cybercrimes, prostitution,
human trafficking, slavery, and other
practices that dehumanize and divide
members of families. Poverty has also
driven people to seek means of livelihood
that separate husbands and wives from
each other and from their children. Thus,
poverty, the deprivation of the necessities
for decent human living, has led to the
destruction of families.
The ambiguity of affluence
If poverty is gravely harmful to the
family, affluence also affects families
destructively if it is not tempered by a
sense of solidarity with others, especially
the poor. Affluence, when enjoyed in a
self-centered manner, can only result in
the destruction of the lives of individuals
and families through hedonism and
extravagance.
Threats from other institutions
Compounding the threats to the
family are governments and other

social institutions that militate against

life and the family through coercive
measures that run counter to the rights
of individuals, couples and families to
flourish according to the natural law
and the laws of the Church. This natural
law we refer to is the participation of
human beings in Gods eternal law,
a participation inscribed in our very
humanity and can be discovered by
the light of reason aided by the grace
of God. Governments that promote
contraception, abortion, sterilization,
coercive population control, divorce,
same-sex marriages and euthanasia,
destroy families which they are dutybound to protect and foster.
A tsunami of evils
The result of all of these and other
threats to family life is a tsunami of evils
threatening to engulf families today,
whether they be rich or poor.
The family is dear to the heart of God
But the present changes present
not only threats but opportunities for
families. We believe that the family is

especially dear to the heart of God, for

the family is the first social institution
established by God to foster, defend
and promote human life and human
love. It is by way of the family, that the
good of society, of humanity and of the
Church herself passes (CRF, Preamble,
K). Because it is so precious to God, it
must also be most highly valued by us.
Thank God, we in Asia do. Because the
family is so valuable and because God
wants the future of humanity to pass
through the human family, we must
safeguard, protect, foster and promote
the family. Weeach one of us, all of
usmust individually and together do
this for what is at stake is the future of
humanity.
Therefore, we must continue to insist that:
* the family is based on marriage, that
intimate union of life in complementarity
between a man and a woman which
is constituted in the freely contracted
and publicly expressed indissoluble
bond of matrimony and is open to the
transmission of life;
* marriage is the natural institution to

equitable sharing in the goods of this

world so as to enable all families to
have their rightful share in this worlds
goods.
The family and the Church as sacrament
We in the Catholic Church have a
special obligation to protect and promote
the human family and the Christian
family. For the Church is of its nature
a sacrament of salvation which both
signifies and effects the union of God
with human beings and the union of
human beings with each other (LG 1).
Hence, what makes for the unity of
human beings should be protected and
fostered by the Church. The family is, of
course, most necessary for the union of
human beings with each other. But we
in the Church should especially protect
and foster the Christian family because
it is the basic unit of the Church, the
domestic Church, the Church in the
home. As the Christian family goes, so
goes the Church. If the Christian family
is strong, the Church will be strong. If
the Christian family is weak, the Church
Family / B7

Updates

B2

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

The Financial Remuneration of the Clergy

By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.

Vesture for Noncelebrating Priests

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

I HAVE been tasked by my bishop to craft a

Charter of Priests Remuneration Fund for our
diocese. A question has arisen whether other
sources of funds for diocesan priestse.g.,
salaries from schools or other such entities in
which the priest may be working forshould
be deducted from the remuneration from the
diocesan fund, or whether the remuneration
from the diocesan fund should just be uniform
for all priests. Does Canon Law have anything
to say about this?

FILE PHOTO

This matter was the object of an authentic

interpretation by the Pontifical Council for
Legislative Texts (PCLT), issued by a Decree
of 29.IV.2000, occasioned by a letter dated
1.II.2000, from the Procurator/Advocate
for a diocesan priest (Pontifical Council for
Legislative Texts, N.7194/2000), questioning
the legality of his dioceses Charter of Priests
Remuneration Fund, which precisely provided
for a corresponding deduction of such
pensions received from other sources from
the remuneration received from the diocese.
We can quote heavily from that decree.

Q: I am wondering about the appropriate vesture for a priest

in attendance at Mass but not concelebrating. I have been told
that a priest should wear a stole to receive Communion. I have
never seen where that is written in the liturgical instructions,
however, and so I cannot clarify related questions, such as
whether the priest should be in cassock and surplice. Is it
sufficient to wear a stole over a religious habit? Should the
stole be worn only for the reception of Communion or also at
any other parts of the Mass? In a related matter, what would
be the practice for a deacon attending Mass but not officially
assisting? I encounter this more often in the United States,
now that there are so many permanent deacons in parishes.
Should they wear a stole for receiving Communion? Also,
what is the proper vesture for administering Communion
for non-concelebrating priests and for deacons, who are not
assisting? -- B.H., Latrobe, Pennsylvania

Priests Remuneration in the Code of Canon

Law
The Code of Canon Law deals with
the notion of priestly remuneration
fundamentally in cc. 281 and 1274 as follows:
Can. 281, 1. Since clerics dedicate themselves
to the ecclesiastical ministry, they deserve the
remuneration that befits their condition, taking
into account both the nature of their office and
the conditions of time and place. It is to be such
that it provides for the necessities of their life and
for the just remuneration of those whose services

canonical scholarship have established the

following points of reference for an equitable
system for the support of clergy:
1) It is an obligation of the individual
diocese. The first paragraph of c.1274
establishes that every diocese is to arrange
for the establishment of a special fund in
accordance with c.281, for the support of the
clergy who serve the diocese, unless they are
otherwise provided for. While reference is
made to c.281 in its entirety, it is the first
paragraph of that canon that is of interest
in the case at hand: Since clerics dedicate
themselves to the ecclesiastical ministry, they
deserve the remuneration that befits their
condition, taking into account both the nature of
their office and the conditions of time and place.
It is to be such that it provides for the necessities
of their life and for the just remuneration of those
whose services they need.
The distinct emphases of the two canons
are easily identifiable. Can. 281, 1 speaks of
the exercise of ministry, without any reference
to service in favor of the diocese, an element
that is specified, in contrast, in c.1274. While
c.281 creates a generic right, c.1274, in the
specific context of the diocesan institute or
fund, refers more narrowly to clergy who
render service to the diocese. One notes,
moreover, that c.1274, 1 does not foresee
a national institute for the remuneration
of priests, but only for other purposes (cfr.
4). In other words, the responsibility for
such remuneration of the clergy lies on the
ecclesiastical circumscription to which they
are incardinated.
2) It is a right of the cleric working in the
diocese. As the PCLT points out, the fact that
c.281 is found in the chapter of Book II, which
sets forth the obligations and rights of the
clergy, leads to the logical conclusion that

or should offer his services, for reasons other

than those which would motivate the average
laborer.

remuneration is a right: a cleric has a right

to adequate remuneration. Furthermore,
the PCLT affirms that a diocesan system for
remuneration is extended to all those priests
who exercise some ministry in service of
the diocese, as that concept is determined in
its concrete aspects by particular law; that
same legislation, moreover, is required to
establish the parameters for remuneration
and any incidental factors relating to the
same, taking into account two legal points
of reference: the nature of the office and the
circumstances of time and place.
3) The remuneration is not a stipend. The
PCLT points out that the remuneration that
the Church must ensure for the cleric who
dedicates himself to the exercise of ministry
according to the mandate of the Bishop is
not measurable according to the criteria of

3) The diocesan institute or fund for

priestly remuneration. The diocesan institute
or fund has the task, in those cases in which
the designated level of remuneration for the
individual cleric is not met, of supplementing
the partial remuneration received from
ecclesiastical entities or the stipend received
from other sources.
Nothing prohibits the entities subject to
the Diocesan Bishop, or having contracted
with him, from paying directly to the
diocesan institute the contribution owed to
the individual priest, if the fiscal system in
use would make that advantageous.
Furthermore, the PCLT points out,
in establishing the source of that
remuneration, c.1274 follows an approach
that leaves open many possibilities and does
not impose a direct correspondence between
remuneration and
those for whose
advantage
a
c l e r i c e x e rc i s e s
his ecclesiastical
ministry. The abovecited provisions
involve a general
affirmation that
is quite relevant:
the remuneration
of which can. 281
speaks cannot be considered to be a
stipend, that is, it is not to be considered
compensation for work performed, agreed
upon and measured in relationship to either
the quantity or the quality of the services
rendered.

The Sources of Funding for Priestly

Remuneration
The Code of Canon Law leaves open
a vast array of possibilities regarding the
sources from which it is legitimate to
receive the quantum necessary for the
remuneration of the clergy. As the PCLT
points out, c.1274, 1, in fact, speaks of a
diocesan institute for the support of the
clergy, unless they are otherwise provided for.
Based on that phrase, one can deduce that
the remuneration of a cleric may come from
other sources, whether taken singularly or
pooled together. Schematically thenthe
PCLT points outthere are three types of
sources for the necessary sustenance:
1) Ecclesiastical entities for which
the priests exercise their ministry, whether
full-time or part-time. It is recognized
that, in practice, there are priests who
simultaneously provide services to a number
of ecclesiastical entities. Such ecclesiastical
entities may be at the diocesan level or at
a broader level. All of these entities are
bound, by virtue of the service requested,
to make their proper economic contribution,
according to particular law.
2) Subjects from which the priests
receive what corresponds to a true and
proper stipend, or a pension, according to
the norms in force of the relevant juridical
order. The payers of stipends may be either
ecclesiastical entities (imagine, for example,
a Catholic school, etc.) or civil entities
whether private or publicfor which the
priests exercise a task, by virtue of an express
or tacit mandate of their own Ordinary.

A: There are some general norms regarding these points. Their

application, however, also depends on the concrete situations
of each celebration.
Thus with regard to vesture the General Instruction of the
Roman Missal says:
114. For it is preferable that priests who are present at a
Eucharistic Celebration, unless excused for a good reason,
should as a rule exercise the office proper to their Order and
hence take part as concelebrants, wearing the sacred vestments.
Otherwise, they wear their proper choir dress or a surplice
over a cassock.
Regarding their placement the instruction later adds:
310. [] Likewise, seats should be arranged in the
sanctuary for concelebrating priests as well as for priests who
are present for the celebration in choir dress but who are not
concelebrating.

According to No. 283, such priests should also receive

Communion under both kinds.
Thus from these basic principles we can say the following:
It is preferable for priests to concelebrate if attending Mass.
If this is not possible for a just cause (for example, other
pastoral commitments, ignorance of the language of the Mass,
etc.), then they should use choir dress if possible.
The proper choir dress depends on the particular conditions
of the cleric. If he has some ecclesiastical dignity, such as canon
or monsignor, then his choir dress follows certain rules of
protocol. If he is a religious, then it depends on the particular
rules of his congregation. If he is none of the above, or the
proper vesture is unavailable, then cassock and surplice can
be used as a substitute.
An alb, with or without a stole, would not usually be
considered choir dress in this context and could easily cause
confusion with the concelebrants.
These non-concelebrating priests in choir dress should be
placed in the sanctuary. This obviously depends on the real
possibility of doing so. If the sanctuary is too small, then some
pews may be reserved for them. This solution could also be
adopted if a number of priests attend Mass wearing simple
clerical suits.
With respect to the use of the stole for receiving Communion:
There is no rule that would make this obligatory, nor is there
any law which would forbid it.
It is customary in many places to use the stole, especially
on Good Friday, when no Mass is celebrated and all receive
Communion form the hosts consecrated in the Mass of the
Lords Supper on Holy Thursday.
It may be an established liturgical custom among certain
religious orders or congregations, as well as in some dioceses
or regions. As a valid custom which is not against any law it
may be legitimately continued.
There are no particular provisions for non-officiating
deacons, and no mention is made of how they should receive
Communion. It would therefore be presumed that they receive
in the same manner as the faithful.
There are some special celebrations, however, when either the
rubrics or the local custom is to invite all the deacons present to
participate in the celebration vested in alb and stole. On such
occasions they either receive Communion separately under
both kinds or approach the altar after the concelebrants and
receive Communion from the last concelebrants.
The deacon always receives Communion from another
minister and never takes it himself in the manner of a
concelebrant. Consuming the Precious Blood left over in the
chalice after communion is a different case as he has already
received Communion.
Finally, non-concelebrating priests or extra deacons who
assist in distributing Communion may wear either alb and
stole, or cassock, surplice and stole.

FILE PHOTO

It is not permitted for the individual

cleric to refuse the relevant
contribution derived from other
available sources or to not request
whatever belongs to him
they need.
2. Suitable provision is likewise to be
made for such social welfare as they may need
in infirmity, sickness or old age.
3. Married deacons who dedicate
themselves fulltime to the ecclesiastical ministry
deserve remuneration sufficient to provide for
themselves and their families. Those, however,
who receive remuneration by reason of a secular
profession which they exercise or exercised, are
to see to their own and to their families needs
from that income.
Can. 1274, 1. In every diocese there is to
be a special fund which collects offerings and
temporal goods for the purpose of providing,
in accordance with Can. 281, for the support of
the clergy who serve the diocese, unless they are
otherwise catered for.
2. Where there is as yet no properly
organised system of
social provision for the
clergy, the Episcopal
Conference is to see that
a fund is established
which will furnish
adequate social security
for them.
3. To the extent
that it is required, a
common reserve is to
be established in every
diocese by which the Bishop is enabled to fulfil his
obligations towards other persons who serve the
Church and to meet various needs of the diocese,
this can also be the means by which wealthier
dioceses may help poorer ones.
4. Depending on differing local
circumstances, the purposes described in 2
and 3 might better be achieved by amalgamating
various diocesan funds, or by cooperation between
various dioceses, or even by setting up a suitable
association for them, or indeed for the whole
territory of the Episcopal Conference itself.
5. If possible, these funds are to be
established in such a manner that they will
have standing also in the civil law.

The deacon always receives Communion from another

minister and never takes it himself in the manner of a
concelebrant. Consuming the Precious Blood left over in
the chalice after communion is a different case as he has
already received Communion.

The Nature of Priests Remuneration

The aforementioned PCLT Decree points
out that as an actuation of what had been
foreseen by the Second Vatican Council in
the decree Presbyterorum Ordinis (nn. 2021), the universal laws of the Church and

commutative justice, that is, of reciprocity

and of proportionality with respect to the
particular services rendered by the cleric.
The Church, in fact, is not called upon to
ensure a stipend (c.281, 1 uses, in fact,
the term remuneratio, which expresses a
different concept than stipendio) for the
work or works performed by the cleric,
but guarantees honest sustenance to the
cleric, whatever might be the assignment
(or assignments) that he receives from
the Bishop, so that he might continue to
exercise his ministry, requiring the total
giving of himself and his time, in serenity
and complete liberty.
From this perspective, one sees the radical
difference between the remuneration given
to a cleric and the salary or stipend paid to the
laity: above all, it is not the quantity of services
performed that needs to be recognized and
proportionately compensated, but rather the
person of the cleric, who offers his services,

Resolution of the Question

After the aforementioned discussion, the
PCLT concludes that taking into account all
the possible sources of remuneration falls
explicitly within the ratio legis intended by the
canonical legislator. Such action is required
both to express the unity of ministerial
service of the priests incardinated in a diocese
and to guarantee an adequate equalization
of work and of remuneration between all
the priests. Specifically:
1) Where a diocesan system of
remuneration is in existence, it is not
permitted for the individual cleric to refuse
Remuneration / B7

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

Features

B3

Pilgrimage of Pope Francis to the Holy Land

on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the meeting between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem
May 24-26, 2014

CNA

Address of Pope Francis during the meeting with authorities of

the Kingdom of Jordan, Amman, May 24, 2014

Bethlehem - May 24, 2014: Pilgrims fill Manger Square in Bethlehem for an audience with Pope Francis on May 24, 2014.

Address of Pope Francis at the Ben Gurion

International Airport, Tel Aviv, May 25, 2014
Mr. President, Mr Prime Minister,
Your Eminences, Excellencies, Ladies and
Gentlemen, Brothers and Sisters,
I thank you most heartily for your
welcome to the State of Israel, which I
have the joy of visiting on this pilgrimage.
I am grateful to President Shimon
Peres and to Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu for their kind words and I
willingly recall my meetings with them
in the Vatican. As you know, I have
come on pilgrimage to mark the fiftieth
anniversary of the historic visit of Pope
Paul VI. Since then, much has changed
in the relationship between the Holy
See and the State of Israel: diplomatic
relations, established some twenty years
ago, have favored the development of
good relations, as witnessed by the two
Agreements already signed and ratified,
and a third which is in the process of
being finalized. In this spirit I greet all
the people of Israel with prayerful good
wishes that their aspirations of peace
and prosperity will achieve fulfillment.
In the foot-steps of my predecessors,
I have come as a pilgrim to the Holy
Land, rich in history and home to the
principal events in the origin and growth
of the three great monotheistic religions,
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. As such,
it is of immense spiritual significance for
a great part of humanity. So I express my
hope and prayer that this blessed land
may be one which has no place for those
who, by exploiting and absolutizing the
value of their own religious tradition,
prove intolerant and violent towards
those of others.
During my pilgrimage to the Holy
Land I will visit some of the most
significant places in Jerusalem, a city
of universal importance. Jerusalem, of
course, means city of peace. This is
what God wills it to be, and such is the
desire of all people of good will. Yet sadly
Jerusalem remains deeply troubled as a
result of longstanding conflicts. We all
know how urgent is the need for peace,
not only for Israel but also for the entire

region. May efforts and energies be

increasingly directed to the pursuit of a
just and lasting solution to the conflicts
which have caused so much suffering.
In union with all men and women of
good will, I implore those in positions of
responsibility to leave no stone unturned
in the search for equitable solutions to
complex problems, so that Israelis and
Palestinians may live in peace. The path
of dialogue, reconciliation and peace
must constantly be taken up anew,
courageously and tirelessly. There is
simply no other way. And so I renew
the appeal made in this place by Pope
Benedict XVI: the right of the State of
Israel to exist and to flourish in peace
and security within internationally
recognized borders must be universally
recognized. At the same time, there
must also be a recognition of the right
of the Palestinian people to a sovereign
homeland and their right to live with
dignity and with freedom of movement.
The Two State Solution must become
reality and not remain merely a dream.
A particularly moving part of my
stay will be my visit to the Yad Vashem
Memorial to the six million Jews who
were victims of the Shoah, a tragedy
which is the enduring symbol of the
depths to which human evil can sink
when, spurred by false ideologies, it fails
to recognize the fundamental dignity of
each person, which merits unconditional
respect regardless of ethnic origin or
religious belief. I beg God that there
will never be another such crime, which
counted among its victims Jews above all,
but also numerous Christians and others.
Ever mindful of the past, let us promote
an education in which exclusion and
confrontation give way to inclusion and
encounter, where there will be no place
for anti-Semitism in any of its forms or for
expressions of hostility, discrimination
or intolerance towards any individual
or people.
With a heavy heart I think of those who
have lost their lives in the atrocious attack

yesterday in Brussels. While reiterating

my condemnation for this criminal act of
anti-Semitic hatred, I entrust the victims
of this crime to the God of mercy and
invoke upon the wounded his gift of
healing.
Although my brief visit makes it
impossible to meet everyone, I would
like even now to greet all Israels citizens
and to express my closeness to them,
particularly those living in Nazareth
and in Galilee, where many Christian
communities are found.
To the Bishops and the Christian
faithful I offer a warm and fraternal
greeting. I encourage them to persevere in
their quiet witness of faith and hope in the
service of reconciliation and forgiveness,
following the teaching and example of
the Lord Jesus, who gave his life to bring
about peace between God and man, and
between brothers. May you always be a
leaven of reconciliation, bringing hope to
others, bearing witness to charity! Know
that you are constantly in my prayers.
I wish to invite you, Mr. President,
together with President Mahmoud
Abbas, to join me in heartfelt prayer
to God for the gift of peace. I offer my
home in the Vatican as a place for this
encounter of prayer. All of us want peace.
Many people build it day by day through
small gestures and acts; many of them
are suffering, yet patiently persevere in
their efforts to be peacemakers. All of us
especially those placed at the service of
their respective peoples have the duty
to become instruments and artisans of
peace, especially by our prayers. Building
peace is difficult, but living without
peace is a constant torment. The men
and women of these lands, and of the
entire world, all of them, ask us to bring
before God their fervent hopes for peace.
Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister,
Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you once
again for your kind welcome.
May peace and prosperity descend in
abundance upon Israel. And may God
bless his people with peace! Shalom!

Address of Pope Francis at the Welcome

Ceremony at the Ecumenical Celebration on the
occasion of the 50th anniversary of the meeting
between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras
YOUR Holiness, Dear Brother Bishops,Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
In this Basilica, which all Christians
regard with the deepest veneration,
my pilgrimage in the company of
my beloved brother in Christ, His
Holiness Bartholomaios, now reaches
its culmination. We are making this
pilgrimage in the footsteps of our
venerable predecessors, Pope Paul
VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, who,
with courage and docility to the Holy
Spirit, made possible, fifty years ago, in
this holy city of Jerusalem, an historic
meeting between the Bishop of Rome
and the Patriarch of Constantinople. I
cordially greet all of you who are present.
In a special way I express my heartfelt
gratitude to those who have made
this moment possible: His Beatitude
Theophilos, who has welcomed us so
graciously, His Beatitude Nourhan
Manoogian and Father Pierbattista

Pizzaballa.
It is an extraordinary grace to be
gathered here in prayer. The empty tomb,
that new garden grave where Joseph
of Arimathea had reverently placed
Jesus body, is the place from which the
proclamation of the resurrection begins:
Do not be afraid; I know that you are
looking for Jesus who was crucified. He
is not here, for he has been raised, as he
said. Come, see the place where he lay.
Then go quickly and tell his disciples, He
has been raised from the dead (Mt28:57). This proclamation, confirmed by
the testimony of those to whom the
risen Lord appeared, is the heart of the
Christian message, faithfully passed
down from generation to generation,
as the Apostle Paul, from the very
beginning, bears witness: I handed on
to you as of first importance what I in
turn had received: that Christ died for our
sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

and that he was buried, and that he was

raised on the third day in accordance
with the Scriptures (1 Cor15:3-4). This
is the basis of the faith which unites us,
whereby together we profess that Jesus
Christ, the only-begotten Son of the
Father and our sole Lord, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and
was buried; he descended into hell; on the
third day he rose again from the dead
(Apostles Creed). Each of us, everyone
baptized in Christ, has spiritually risen
from this tomb, for in baptism all of us
truly became members of the body of the
One who is the Firstborn of all creation;
we were buried together with him, so as
to be raised up with him and to walk in
newness of life (cf.Rom6:4).
Let us receive the special grace of
this moment. We pause in reverent
silence before this empty tomb in
order to rediscover the grandeur of our

Anniversary / B4

YOUR Majesties, Your Excellencies, Dear

Brother Bishops, Dear Friends,
I thank God for granting me this
opportunity to visit the Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan in the footsteps of
my predecessors Paul VI, John Paul
II and Benedict XVI. I am grateful to
His Majesty King Abdullah II for his
warm words of welcome, as I recall
with pleasure our recent meeting in the
Vatican. I also greet the members of the
Royal Family, the government and the
people of Jordan, this land so rich in
history and with such great religious
significance for Judaism, Christianity
and Islam.
Jordan has offered a generous welcome
to great numbers of Palestinian and Iraqi
refugees, as well as to other refugees
from troubled areas, particularly
neighboring Syria, ravaged by a
conflict which has lasted all too long.
Such generosity merits, Your Majesty,
the appreciation and support of the
international community. The Catholic
Church, to the extent of its abilities, has
sought to provide assistance to refugees
and those in need, especially through
Caritas Jordan.
While acknowledging with deep
regret the continuing grave tensions in
the Middle East, I thank the authorities
of the Kingdom for all that they are doing
and I encourage them to persevere in
their efforts to seek lasting peace for the
entire region. This great goal urgently
requires that a peaceful solution be
found to the crisis in Syria, as well as
a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
I take this opportunity to reiterate
my profound respect and esteem
for the Muslim community and my
appreciation for the leadership of His
Majesty the King in promoting a better
understanding of the virtues taught by
Islam and a climate of serene coexistence
between the faithful of the different
religions. You are known as a man of
peace and a peacemaker: thank you! I
am grateful that Jordan has supported
a number of important initiatives aimed

at advancing interreligious dialogue and

understanding between Jews, Christians
and Muslims. I think in particular of the
Amman Message and the support given
within the United Nations Organization
to the annual celebration of World
Interfaith Harmony Week.
I would also like to offer an affectionate
greeting to the Christian communities
welcomedbythisKingdom,communities
present in this country since apostolic
times, contributing to the common
good of the society of which they are
fully a part. Although Christians today
are numerically a minority, theirs is a
significant and valued presence in the
fields of education and health care,
thanks to their schools and hospitals.
They are able to profess their faith
peaceably, in a climate of respect for
religious freedom. Religious freedom
is in fact a fundamental human right
and I cannot fail to express my hope
that it will be upheld throughout the
Middle East and the entire world. The
right to religious freedom includes on
the individual and collective levels the
freedom to follow ones conscience in
religious matters and, at the same time,
freedom of worship [it also includes]
the freedom to choose the religion which
one judges to be true and to manifest
ones beliefs in public (Ecclesia in
Medio Oriente, 26). Christians consider
themselves, and indeed are, full citizens,
and as such they seek, together with
their Muslim fellow citizens, to make
their own particular contribution to the
society in which they live.
Finally, I cordially invoke peace and
prosperity upon the Kingdom of Jordan
and its people. I pray that my visit will
help to advance and strengthen good
and cordial relations between Christians
and Muslims. And may the Lord God
preserve us from the fear of change
which Your Majesty referred to.
I thank you for your courteous and
warm welcome. May the Almighty and
Merciful God grant happiness and long
life to Your Majesties, and may he bless
Jordan abundantly. Salaam!

Address of Pope Francis to

Palestinian Authorities
Bethlehem, May 25, 2014
MR President, Dear Friends, Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I thank President Mahmoud Abbas for his kind welcome and I offer
cordial greetings to the representatives of the government and the entire
Palestinian people. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to be here with you
today in the birthplace of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. I thank all of you for
your warm reception.
For decades the Middle East has known the tragic consequences of a
protracted conflict which has inflicted many wounds so difficult to heal.
Even in the absence of violence, the climate of instability and a lack of mutual
understanding have produced insecurity, the violation of rights, isolation
and the flight of entire communities, conflicts, shortages and sufferings of
every sort.
In expressing my closeness to those who suffer most from this conflict, I
wish to state my heartfelt conviction that the time has come to put an end
to this situation which has become increasingly unacceptable. For the good
of all, there is a need to intensify efforts and initiatives aimed at creating the
conditions for a stable peace based on justice, on the recognition of the rights
of every individual, and on mutual security. The time has come for everyone
to find the courage to be generous and creative in the service of the common
good, the courage to forge a peace which rests on the acknowledgment by
all of the right of two States to exist and to live in peace and security within
internationally recognized borders.
To this end, I can only express my profound hope that all will refrain from
initiatives and actions which contradict the stated desire to reach a true
agreement, and that peace will be pursued with tireless determination and
tenacity. Peace will bring countless benefits for the peoples of this region
and for the world as a whole. And so it must resolutely be pursued, even if
each side has to make certain sacrifices.
I pray that the Palestinian and Israeli peoples and their respective leaders
will undertake this promising journey of peace with the same courage and
steadfastness needed for every journey. Peace in security and mutual trust
will become the stable frame of reference for confronting and resolving every
other problem, and thus provide an opportunity for a balanced development,
one which can serve as a model for other crisis areas.
Here I would like to say a word about the active Christian community
which contributes significantly to the common good of society, sharing in
the joys and sufferings of the whole people. Christians desire to continue in
this role as full citizens, along with their fellow citizens, whom they regard
as their brothers and sisters.
Mr President, you are known as a man of peace and a peacemaker. Our
recent meeting in the Vatican and my presence today in Palestine attest to
the good relations existing between the Holy See and the State of Palestine.
I trust that these relations can further develop for the good of all. In this
regard, I express my appreciation for the efforts being made to draft an
agreement between the parties regarding various aspects of the life of the
Catholic community in this country, with particular attention to religious
freedom. Respect for this fundamental human right is, in fact, one of the
essential conditions for peace, fraternity and harmony. It tells the world that
it is possible and necessary to build harmony and understanding between
different cultures and religions. It also testifies to the fact that, since the
important things we share are so many, it is possible to find a means of
serene, ordered and peaceful coexistence, accepting our differences and
rejoicing that, as children of the one God, we are all brothers and sisters.
Mr. President, dear brothers and sisters gathered here in Bethlehem: may
Almighty God bless you, protect you and grant you the wisdom and strength
needed to continue courageously along the path to peace, so that swords
will be turned into ploughshares and this land will once more flourish in
prosperity and concord. Salaam!

B4

Features

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

Common Declaration of Pope Address of Pope Francis at the courtesy visit

to the two Chief Rabbis of Israel Heichal
Francis and the Ecumenical
Shlomo Center, May 26, 2014
Patriarch Bartholomew I,
Jerusalem, May 25, 2014
1. LIKE our venerable predecessorsPope Paul VIand Ecumenical
Patriarch Athenagoras who met here in Jerusalem fifty years ago,
we too,Pope Francisand Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, were
determined to meet in the Holy Land where our common Redeemer,
Christ our Lord, lived, taught, died, rose again, and ascended into
Heaven, whence he sent the Holy Spirit on the infant Church (Common
communiqu of Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, published after
their meeting of 6 January 1964). Our meeting, another encounter of
the Bishops of the Churches of Rome and Constantinople founded
respectively by the two Brothers the Apostles Peter and Andrew, is
a source of profound spiritual joy for us. It presents a providential
occasion to reflect on the depth and the authenticity of our existing
bonds, themselves the fruit of a grace-filled journey on which the Lord
has guided us since that blessed day of fifty years ago.
2. Our fraternal encounter today is a new and necessary step on the
journey towards the unity to which only the Holy Spirit can lead us, that
of communion in legitimate diversity. We call to mind with profound
gratitude the steps that the Lord has already enabled us to undertake. The
embrace exchanged betweenPope Paul VIand Patriarch Athenagoras
here in Jerusalem, after many centuries of silence, paved the way for a
momentous gesture, the removal from the memory and from the midst
of the Church of the acts of mutual excommunication in 1054. This
was followed by an exchange of visits between the respective Sees of
Rome and Constantinople, by regular correspondence and, later, by the
decision announced byPope John Paul IIand Patriarch Dimitrios, of
blessed memory both, to initiate a theological dialogue of truth between
Catholics and Orthodox. Over these years, God, the source of all peace
and love, has taught us to regard one another as members of the same
Christian family, under one Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and to love
one another, so that we may confess our faith in the same Gospel of
Christ, as received by the Apostles and expressed and transmitted to us
by the Ecumenical Councils and the Church Fathers. While fully aware
of not having reached the goal of full communion, today we confirm our
commitment to continue walking together towards the unity for which
Christ our Lord prayed to the Father so that all may be one (Jn 17:21).
3. Well aware that unity is manifested in love of God and love
of neighbor, we look forward in eager anticipation to the day in
which we will finally partake together in the Eucharistic banquet. As
Christians, we are called to prepare to receive this gift of Eucharistic
communion, according to the teaching of Saint Irenaeus of Lyon
(Against Heresies, IV,18,5, PG 7,1028), through the confession of the
one faith, persevering prayer, inner conversion, renewal of life and
fraternal dialogue. By achieving this hoped for goal, we will manifest
to the world the love of God by which we are recognized as true
disciples of Jesus Christ (cf. Jn 13:35).
4. To this end, the theological dialogue undertaken by the Joint
International Commission offers a fundamental contribution to
the search for full communion among Catholics and Orthodox.
Throughout the subsequent times of PopesJohn Paul IIandBenedict
the XVI, and Patriarch Dimitrios, the progress of our theological
encounters has been substantial. Today we express heartfelt
appreciation for the achievements to date, as well as for the current
endeavors. This is no mere theoretical exercise, but an exercise in
truth and love that demands an ever deeper knowledge of each
others traditions in order to understand them and to learn from
them. Thus we affirm once again that the theological dialogue does
not seek a theological lowest common denominator on which to
reach a compromise, but is rather about deepening ones grasp of
the whole truth that Christ has given to his Church, a truth that
we never cease to understand better as we follow the Holy Spirits
promptings. Hence, we affirm together that our faithfulness to the
Lord demands fraternal encounter and true dialogue. Such a common
pursuit does not lead us away from the truth; rather, through an
exchange of gifts, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it will
lead us into all truth (cf. Jn 16:13).
5. Yet even as we make this journey towards full communion we
already have the duty to offer common witness to the love of God for
all people by working together in the service of humanity, especially
in defending the dignity of the human person at every stage of life
and the sanctity of family based on marriage, in promoting peace
and the common good, and in responding to the suffering that
continues to afflict our world. We acknowledge that hunger, poverty,
illiteracy, the inequitable distribution of resources must constantly be
addressed. It is our duty to seek to build together a just and humane
society in which no-one feels excluded or emarginated.
6. It is our profound conviction that the future of the human
family depends also on how we safeguardboth prudently and
compassionately, with justice and fairnessthe gift of creation
that our Creator has entrusted to us. Therefore, we acknowledge
in repentance the wrongful mistreatment of our planet, which
is tantamount to sin before the eyes of God. We reaffirm our
responsibility and obligation to foster a sense of humility and
moderation so that all may feel the need to respect creation and
to safeguard it with care. Together, we pledge our commitment to
raising awareness about the stewardship of creation; we appeal to
all people of goodwill to consider ways of living less wastefully and
more frugally, manifesting less greed and more generosity for the
protection of Gods world and the benefit of His people.
7. There is likewise an urgent need for effective and committed
cooperation of Christians in order to safeguard everywhere the right
to express publicly ones faith and to be treated fairly when promoting
that which Christianity continues to offer to contemporary society
and culture. In this regard, we invite all Christians to promote an
authentic dialogue with Judaism, Islam and other religious traditions.
Indifference and mutual ignorance can only lead to mistrust and
unfortunately even conflict.
8. From this holy city of Jerusalem, we express our shared profound
concern for the situation of Christians in the Middle East and for
their right to remain full citizens of their homelands. In trust we
turn to the almighty and merciful God in a prayer for peace in the
Holy Land and in the Middle East in general. We especially pray for
the Churches in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, which have suffered most
grievously due to recent events. We encourage all parties regardless
of their religious convictions to continue to work for reconciliation
and for the just recognition of peoples rights. We are persuaded
that it is not arms, but dialogue, pardon and reconciliation that are
the only possible means to achieve peace.
9. In an historical context marked by violence, indifference and
egoism, many men and women today feel that they have lost their
bearings. It is precisely through our common witness to the good
news of the Gospel that we may be able to help the people of our
time to rediscover the way that leads to truth, justice and peace.
United in our intentions, and recalling the example, fifty years ago
here in Jerusalem, of Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, we
call upon all Christians, together with believers of every religious
tradition and all people of good will, to recognize the urgency of
the hour that compels us to seek the reconciliation and unity of the
human family, while fully respecting legitimate differences, for the
good of all humanity and of future generations.
10. In undertaking this shared pilgrimage to the site where our
one same Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and rose again,
we humbly commend to the intercession of the Most Holy and
Ever Virgin Mary our future steps on the path towards the fullness
of unity, entrusting to Gods infinite love the entire human family.
May the Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! (Num 6:25-26).

DISTINGUISHED Chief Rabbis of Israel, Dear

Brothers and Sisters,
I am particularly pleased to be here with you
today. I am grateful for your warm reception
and your kind words of welcome.
As you know, from the time I was Archbishop
of Buenos Aires, I have counted many Jews
among my friends. Today two friends who
are rabbis are here with us. Together we
organized rewarding occasions of encounter
and dialogue; with them I also experienced
significant moments of sharing on a spiritual
level. In the first months of my pontificate, I
was able to receive various organizations and
representatives from the Jewish community
worldwide. As was the case with my
predecessors, there have been many requests
for such meetings. Together with the numerous
initiatives taking place on national and local
levels, these testify to our mutual desire to know
one another better, to listen to each other and
to build bonds of true fraternity.
This journey of friendship represents one
of the fruits of theSecond Vatican Council,
and particularly of the Declaration Nostra
Aetate, which proved so influential and
whose fiftieth anniversary we will celebrate
next year. I am convinced that the progress

which has been made in recent decades in

the relationship between Jews and Catholics
has been a genuine gift of God, one of those
great works for which we are called to bless
his holy name: Give thanks to the Lord of
lords, for his love endures forever; who alone
has wrought marvellous works, for his love
endures forever (Ps135/136:3-4).
A gift of God, yes, but one which would
not have come about without the efforts of
so many courageous and generous people,
Jews and Christians alike. Here I would like to
mention in particular the growing importance
of the dialogue between the Chief Rabbinate
of Israel and the Holy Sees Commission for
Religious Relations with the Jews. Inspired
by the visit ofPope John Paul IIto the Holy
Land, this dialogue was inaugurated in 2002
and is already in its twelfth year. I would like
to think that, in terms of the Jewish tradition
of theBar Mitzvah, it is just coming of age. I
am confident that it will continue and have a
bright future in years to come.
We need to do more than simply establish
reciprocal and respectful relations on a human
level: we are also called, as Christians and Jews,
to reflect deeply on the spiritual significance
of the bond existing between us. It is a bond

whose origins are from on high, one which

transcends our own plans and projects, and one
which remains intact despite all the difficulties
which, sadly, have marked our relationship
in the past.
On the part of Catholics, there is a clear
intention to reflect deeply on the significance
of the Jewish roots of our own faith. I trust
that, with your help, on the part of Jews too,
there will be a continued and even growing
interest in knowledge of Christianity, also in
this holy land to which Christians trace their
origins. This is especially to be hoped for
among young people.
Mutual understanding of our spiritual
heritage, appreciation for what we have in
common and respect in matters on which
we disagree: all these can help to guide us to
a closer relationship, an intention which we
put in Gods hands. Together, we can make
a great contribution to the cause of peace;
together, we can bear witness, in this rapidly
changing world, to the perennial importance
of the divine plan of creation; together, we can
firmly oppose every form of anti-Semitism and
all other forms of discrimination. May the Lord
help us to walk with confidence and strength
in his ways.Shalom!

Address of Pope Francis during his visit to the

Yad Vashem Memorial Jerusalem, May 26, 2014
ADAM, where are you? (cf.
Gen 3:9). Where are you, o man?
What have you come to? In this
place, this memorial of the Shoah,
we hear Gods question echo once
more: Adam, where are you?
This question is charged with all the
sorrow of a Father who has lost his
child. The Father knew the risk of
freedom; he knew that his children
could be lost yet perhaps not even
the Father could imagine so great
a fall, so profound an abyss! Here,
before the boundless tragedy of the
Holocaust, That cryWhere are
you?echoes like a faint voice in
an unfathomable abyss
Adam, who are you? I no longer
recognize you. Who are you, o

man? What have you become?

Of what horror have you been
capable? What made you fall to
such depths?
Certainly it is not the dust of
the earth from which you were
made. The dust of the earth is
something good, the work of my
hands. Certainly it is not the breath
of life which I breathed into you.
That breath comes from me, and
it is something good (cf. Gen 2:7).
No, this abyss is not merely the
work of your own hands, your own
heart Who corrupted you? Who
disfigured you? Who led you to
presume that you are the master of
good and evil? Who convinced you
that you were god? Not only did

you torture and kill your brothers

and sisters, but you sacrificed them
to yourself, because you made
yourself a god.
Today, in this place, we hear once
more the voice of God: Adam,
where are you?
From the ground there rises up
a soft cry: Have mercy on us, O
Lord! To you, O Lord our God,
belongs righteousness; but to us
confusion of face and shame (cf.
Bar 1:15).
A great evil has befallen us,
such as never happened under
the heavens (cf. Bar 2:2). Now,
Lord, hear our prayer, hear our
plea, save us in your mercy. Save
us from this horror.

Almighty Lord, a soul in

anguish cries out to you. Hear,
Lord, and have mercy! We have
sinned against you. You reign for
ever (cf. Bar 3:1-2). Remember
us in your mercy. Grant us the
grace to be ashamed of what we
men have done, to be ashamed of
this massive idolatry, of having
despised and destroyed our own
flesh which you formed from the
earth, to which you gave life with
your own breath of life. Never
again, Lord, never again!
Adam, where are you? Here
we are, Lord, shamed by what
man, created in your own image
and likeness, was capable of doing.
Remember us in your mercy.

Address of Pope Francis on the occasion of his

courtesy visit to the President of the State of Israel,
Presidential Residence, Jerusalem, May 26, 2014
MR. President, Your Excellencies, Ladies and
Gentlemen,
I am grateful to you, Mr President, for your
kind and sage words of greeting and your
warm welcome. I am happy to be able to meet
you once again, this time in Jerusalem, the
city which preserves the Holy Places dear to
the three great religions which worship the
God who called Abraham. The Holy Places
are not monuments or museums for tourists,
but places where communities of believers
daily express their faith and culture, and
carry out their works of charity. Precisely for
this reason, their sacred character must be
perpetually maintained and protection given
not only to the legacy of the past but also to
all those who visit these sites today and to
those who will visit them in the future. May
Jerusalem be truly the City of Peace! May
her identity and her sacred character, her
universal religious and cultural significance
shine forth as a treasure for all mankind! How
good it is when pilgrims and residents enjoy
free access to the Holy Places and can freely
take part in religious celebrations.
Mr. President, you are known as a man
of peace and a peacemaker. I appreciate
and admire the approach you have taken.

Peacemaking demands first and foremost

respect for the dignity and freedom of every
human person, which Jews, Christians and
Muslims alike believe to be created by God
and destined to eternal life. This shared
conviction enables us resolutely to pursue
peaceful solutions to every controversy and
conflict. Here I renew my plea that all parties
avoid initiatives and actions which contradict
their stated determination to reach a true
agreement and that they tirelessly work for
peace, with decisiveness and tenacity.
There is likewise need for a firm rejection
of all that is opposed to the cultivation of
peace and respectful relations between
Jews, Christians and Muslims. We think,
for example, of recourse to violence and
terrorism, all forms of discrimination on the
basis of race or religion, attempts to impose
ones own point of view at the expense of
the rights of others, anti-Semitism in all its
possible expressions, and signs of intolerance
directed against individuals or places of
worship, be they Jewish, Christian or Muslim.
A variety of Christian communities lives
and works in the State of Israel. They are an
integral part of society and participate fully
in its civic, political and cultural affairs.

Christians wish, as such, to contribute to

the common good and the growth of peace;
they wish to do so as full-fledged citizens
who reject extremism in all its forms and
are committed to fostering reconciliation
and harmony.
The presence of these communities and
respect for their rightsas for the rights of all
other religious groups and all minoritiesare
the guarantee of a healthy pluralism and proof
of the vitality of democratic values as they
are authentically embodied in the daily life
and workings of the State.
Mr. President, you know that I pray for you
and I know that you are praying for me, and
I assure you of my continued prayers for the
institutions and the citizens of the State of
Israel. I likewise assure you of my constant
prayer for the attainment of peace and all
the inestimable goods which accompany it:
security, tranquillity, prosperity andthe
most beautiful of allfraternity. Finally, my
thoughts turn to all those afflicted by the
continuing crises in the Middle East. I pray
that their sufferings may soon be alleviated
by an honourable resolution of hostilities.
Peace be upon Israel and the entire Middle
East!Shalom!

Anniversary / B3

Christian vocation: we are men

and women of resurrection, and
not of death. From this place
we learn how to live our lives,
the trials of our Churches and
of the whole world, in the light
of Easter morning. Every injury,
every one of our pains and
sorrows, has been borne on the
shoulders of the Good Shepherd
who offered himself in sacrifice
and thereby opened the way to
eternal life. His open wounds are
like the cleft through which the
torrent of his mercy is poured
out upon the world. Let us not
allow ourselves to be robbed of
the basis of our hope, which is
this: Christs anesti! Let us not
deprive the world of the joyful
message of the resurrection! And
let us not be deaf to the powerful
summons to unity which rings
out from this very place, in the
words of the One who, risen
from the dead, calls all of us my
brothers (cf.Mt28:10;Jn20:17).
Clearly we cannot deny the
divisions which continue to
exist among us, the disciples of
Jesus: this sacred place makes
us even more painfully aware
of how tragic they are. And yet,
fifty years after the embrace of
those two venerable Fathers,

we realize with gratitude and

renewed amazement how it
was possible, at the prompting
of the Holy Spirit, to take truly
significant steps towards unity.
We know that much distance still
needs to be travelled before we
attain that fullness of communion
which can also be expressed by
sharing the same Eucharistic
table, something we ardently
desire; yet our disagreements
must not frighten us and paralyze
our progress. We need to believe
that, just as the stone before the
tomb was cast aside, so too every
obstacle to our full communion
will also be removed. This will
be a grace of resurrection, of
which we can have a foretaste
even today. Every time we ask
forgiveness of one another for
our sins against other Christians
and every time we find the
courage to grant and receive
such forgiveness, we experience
the resurrection! Every time we
put behind us our longstanding
prejudices and find the courage to
build new fraternal relationships,
we confess that Christ is truly
risen! Every time we reflect on
the future of the Church in the
light of her vocation to unity,
the dawn of Easter breaks forth!

Here I reiterate the hope already

expressed by my predecessors
for a continued dialogue with
all our brothers and sisters in
Christ, aimed at finding a means
of exercising the specific ministry
of the Bishop of Rome which,
in fidelity to his mission, can
be open to a new situation and
can be, in the present context, a
service of love and of communion
acknowledged by all (cf. JOHN
PAUL II,Ut Unum Sint, 95-96).
Standing as pilgrims in these
holy places, we also remember in
our prayers the entire Middle East,
so frequently and lamentably
marked by acts of violence and
conflict. Nor do we forget in our
prayers the many other men and
women who in various parts
of our world are suffering from
war, poverty and hunger, as well
as the many Christians who are
persecuted for their faith in the
risen Lord. When Christians
of different confessions suffer
together, side by side, and assist
one another with fraternal charity,
there is born an ecumenism
of suffering, an ecumenism of
blood, which proves particularly
powerful not only for those
situations in which it occurs, but
also, by virtue of the communion

of the saints, for the whole Church

as well. Those who kill, persecute
Christians out of hatred, do
not ask if they are Orthodox or
Catholics: they are Christians. The
blood of Christians is the same.
Your Holiness, beloved brother,
dear brothers and sisters all, let
us put aside the misgivings we
have inherited from the past and
open our hearts to the working of
the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love
(cf. Rom 5:5), in order to hasten
together towards that blessed day
when our full communion will be
restored. In making this journey,
we feel ourselves sustained by
the prayer which Jesus himself, in
this city, on the eve of his passion,
death and resurrection, offered
to the Father for his disciples. It
is a prayer which we ourselves
in humility never tire to make
our own: that they may all be
one that the world may believe
(Jn 17:21). And when disunity
makes us pessimistic, distrusting,
fearful, let us all commend
ourselves to the protection of the
Holy Mother of God. When there
is spiritual turmoil in the Christian
soul, it is only by seeking refuge
under her mantle that we can find
peace. May the Holy Mother of
God help us on this journey.

Statements

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

B5

Do not be overcome by evil but

overcome evil with good! (Romans 12:21)

Show us results
of the pork scam
investigation now!

Pastoral Guidance on the Pork Barrel Scam

DEAR brothers and sisters in

Christ:
The Lord Jesus promised us at
the Last Supper before he died:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I
give to you. Not as the world gives
do I give it to you. Do not let your
hearts be troubled or afraid. (John
14:27) In the past months there
has been no peace in the minds
and hearts of many of our people.
Besides the many problems that
our people are facing just to make
ends meet, many are bothered at
the news of millions and billions
of the peoples hard earned money
being squandered by people to
whom they have entrusted the
care of governance of our country.
This has disturbed not a few.

As the alleged net of corruption

spread, all the more the people
are disturbed and some are even
losing hope. Where will all this
lead us? Whom can we trust?
We cannot keep silent in the
midst of this turmoil. Pope Francis
wrote: The Churchs pastors
have the right to offer opinions
on all that affects peoples lives,
since the task of evangelization
implies and demands the integral
promotion of each human being.
(EG 182). In this issue of great
import for our people we make
the following call:
1. We invite all those implicated
in the pork barrel scam to allow
impartial investigation to take
place. If they are in public office,

they must NOT use the power of

their office to obstruct the pursuit
of truth.
2. We plead with the media to be
fair in protecting the good name of
people. Let those who have been
implicated be given proper forum
and proper coverage to explain
their actions.
3. Let the Ombudsman do its
task to investigate and prosecute
those who are at fault. The
judiciary is the proper venue to
bring out justice. Justice delayed
is justice denied.
4. Let those who are at fault
come out and admit their wrong
doings rather than hurling
denials and counter-accusations,
thus muddling the issue to the

confusion of the people. What is

stolen must be returned. The good
name destroyed must be repaired.
5. Let the concern of all be the
common good that people do
not lose trust on the institutions
of governance and that there may
be just restitution of the public
money lost.
We are much saddened by
the pork barrel scandal. We
are shocked, together with our
people, at the amount of money
squandered when there are so
many in great need. But we are
grateful that in Gods Providence
the scam is coming to light. Truth
ultimately comes out. This should
make public officials careful that
Overcome / B7

Statement of Silsilah on the

Comprehensive Agreement on the
Bangsamoro

created by the same God. Thus, we are

brothers and sisters and we have to respect
each other in our culture, religion and
aspiration, guided by the principle to live
together promoting the common good.
We reaffirm our determination and
mission to work in dialogue with others
for peace, proposingpoints of reflection
taken from the HARMONY PRAYER
which starts:
O Lord, I cry for peacePurify my eyes

Show / B7

Statement against the

privatization of the
Philippine Orthopedic
Center (POC)

OPAPP

IN solidarity with the people of Mindanao

and in the spirit of the continuing concern
of Silsilah for dialogue and peace I take
this occasion to share Silsilahs position
on the Comprehensive Agreement on the
Bangsamoro (CAB).
We are often asked What is the position
of Silsilah about the CAB? More than
a position Silsilah shares its voice of
peace.
The CAB has become a sensitive and
vital issue in Mindanao, not only among
Christians and Indigenous People but
also among the Muslims. The issue has
become even more sensitive because
there are those who try to use cultural
and religious differences to divide the
people instead of helping them to work
together for the common good.
Silsilah always appreciates genuine
peace agreements because these are signs
of hope. In this spirit we welcomed the
CAB, an agreement that is still in progress.
To be consistent with the spirit of the
Movement, Silsilah wishes to remain a
voice to guide people to make a spiritual
rather than a political reflection on the
issue. At the same time we respect the
position of those who take their own stand
with sincerity and freedom.
We reaffirm our mission to be a link
(Silsilah) among peoples, convinced
that all belong to the same human family

THE Cebu Coalition Against the Pork Barrel System, representing
the more than 80 civil society organizations in Cebu, feels increasing
indignation for the slow progress of the investigation into the most
shameful accusations of crime the legislative branch of Government
has ever faced in its entire history.
For the first time in the history of our country, the Legislature has
come under the severest and most vociferous suspicions on its integrity.
This is the one time in our history that a branch of Government is
being blamed for its
gross inability to lessen
poverty in the country.
People have come to
doubt that Legislators
never ran for office to
serve the public good,
but only to dip their
fingers into the pork
barrel funds.
While we are glad
that more evidence
has surfaced, and
more witnesses come
forward, we also
feel disgusted at the
apparent mishandling
of the emerging issues.
As a unified group,
we have come before
God Almighty and
prayed for the Truth to
emerge fully out of this
gigantic mess, and it
appears our prayers are
slowly being answered,
yet hampered at the
same time by persons
whose interests remain
in question.
We are compelled
therefore to express our
stand regarding the following issues.
1.Expose the true list.The emergence of the so-called different
versions of lists of guilty officials supposedly from Janet Lim-Napoles
and the undue attention the controversy stirred within official and
media circles only served to confuse the public and muddle the
process of getting the truly guilty punished.
2. More witnesses must come forward. The publics sense of
betrayal has reached a very high level, the disappointment with
government so palpable, and the clamor for Truth now so strong.

FILE PHOTO

FILE PHOTO

Statement of the Cebu Coalition

Against the Pork Barrel System

to see peacepurify my mind to understand

peacepurify my heart to love peacepurify
my memory to work for peacethe peace that
comes from your love and compassion.
Yes, the peace process also needs a
process of purification and not only
agreements stated in official documents.
We wish to contribute on this specific
aspect of purification to rebuild trust
andhope.The issue of CAB is becoming a

WE support and join the call to

STOP the PRIVATIZATION of the
Philippine Orthopedic Center.
In the Philippines, around 70% of
the population, or some 66 million
Filipinos, are living off less than P104
per person per day. The majority are
so poor that they cannot afford
adequate medical attention. It is,
therefore, a CRIME OF NEGLECT
for the government to privatize this
government hospital. The Philippine
government would be reneging on its
constitutional obligation to take care
of the basic needs of the people, one
of which is adequate medical care.
Church doctrines identify the
following as basic human needs:
peace, housing, food, religious
freedom, work, education, and health
care. The responsibility for attaining
the common good, besides falling to
individual persons, belongs also to
the State, since the common good is
the reason that the political authority

exists (cf. Catechism of the Catholic

Church, no.1910).
We therefore say, Instead of
privatizing government hospitals,
BUILD MORE GOVERNMENT
HOSPITALS, especially in the rural
areas! Moreover, strengthen the
program to mobilize young doctors,
nurses and other caregivers to the
rural areas before
they go abroad.
It is the poor workers, farmers, and
fisherfolk who provide the BASIC
NEEDS of Philippine society (FOOD
and SERVICES). If they are healthy,
the Philippines will be healthy.
+GERARDO A. ALMINAZA, D.D.
Bishop, Diocese of San Carlos
Head Convenor, Visayas Clergy
Discernment Group
Head Convenor, Church People and
Workers Solidarity
May 14, 2014

Silsilah / B7

THE National Secretariat for

Social Action, Justice and
Peace/ Caritas Philippines
(CBCP-NASSA), social
advocacy arm of the Philippine
Catholic Church, strongly
condemns the senseless and
brutal assassination of farmer
leader Menelao Melon Barcia
on May 2, 2014 in Purok 3,
Barangay Manibaug Paralaya
in Porac, Pampanga. Barcia was
the third, in six months who was
killed in relation to land reform.
It is saddening and infuriating
that another farmer leader was
killed for the second time in
Hacienda Dolores. Threats and
fear continuously surrounds
the whole community, while
they are still in the process of
asserting their land rights amidst
the threats and harassment of the
contesting landowner.

To g e t h e r w i t h s o m e
300 farmer-families, Barcia
demanded the distribution
of Hacienda Dolores under
the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Program (CARP). They
are only requesting a portion of
the 761.1 hectares of agricultural
land in the Hacienda which they
have been cultivating for more
than 50 years.
The death of Melon Barcia and
Armand Padino (January 2014)
who were fighting for the piece of
land they were tilling for a long
time, only reflects the inability
of the Philippine government
to protect the landless farmers
against wealthy and politically
influential landlords. In an
apparent attempt to sow fear and
dampen the spirits of the poor
tillers struggling for their rights,
the killing of Barcia is a clear and

FILE PHOTO

Statement on Assassination of Farmer leader in Porac

shameful act of intimidation and
violence against the poor and
struggling farmers. The fact that
it was repeated within a few
months reflects impunity on the
part of law and justice enforcers.
The Church, in its prophetic
ministry of promoting social
justice, stands in solidarity with
the small farmers and indigenous
peoples in Porac to their struggle
for their rightful claim for the
land.
In support of the call of the
Archdiocese of San Fernando,
P a m p a n g a , w e u rg e t h e
government to uphold the law
and protect the rights of the
farmers and Aeta communities
in Porac. We demand the Office
of the Presidential Adviser
for Special Concerns and the
Department of Agrarian Reform
(DAR) to immediately act on the

resolution of the land conflict in

Hacienda Dolores particularly
the ancestral domain and the
CARP issues. We urge the
Department of Justice and
the Commission on Human
Rights to conduct an immediate
and thorough investigation,
identify the perpetrators and
masterminds, and bring them
to justice. We also urge the lay
faithful to be brave in defending
justice and sacredness of life and
dignity, especially for the poor
and defenseless.
+ BRODERICK S. PABILLO, DD
National Director, NASSA
+ ROLANDO J. TRIA TIRONA,
OCD
Chairman, ECSA-JP
May 10, 2014

Ref lections

B6
Carrying on the work of
the Divine Missionary
THE event of the Ascension tells
us that the risen Son of Man has
entered the glory that belongs to God
alone, for he now sits at the right
hand of the Father, as we proclaim
in the Creed. Thus, the vision of the
prophet Daniel has come true: I saw
One like a son of man coming on the
clouds of heaven. When he reached the
Ancient One and was presented before
him, he received dominion, glory and
kingship; nations and people of every
language serve him. His dominion is an
everlasting dominion . . . (Dn 7:13-14).
But the One whom people had
known as Jesus of Nazareth was
no stranger in heaven, for this had
been his home, from before time
began, as the Eternal Word Who
was with God, and Who was God
(Jn 1:1). However, at the Incarnation,
when the Word became flesh (Jn
1:14) the Splendor of the Father divested
himself of his divine prerogatives so as
to become one like us in everything,

design, Christs mission has to be

carried on by the Church, under the
visible leadership of the Apostles
and their successors, empowered
and guided by the Holy Spirit. The
sowing work of mankinds Redemption
continues in the Church and through
the Church. In her, the mystery of
an omnipotent God, who solicits

except sin. From that moment on,

suffering and deathand death on
a crossbecame his lot, and all this
out of love for sinful mankind.
Jesus resurrection vindicated
the truth of his message and of
his claims. The humiliations and
torments to which he had been
subjected in his humanity were
transformed into a glorious new
life where suffering and death are
no more.
Having redeemed mankind
from the devastating consequences
of sin, the Risen Christ could
rightly proclaim, MISSION
ACCOMPLISHED! He could now
ascend, even as a man, to the
Father, and go back to Him as the
eternal Son. The glorious ascension of
the victorious God-Man, sealed the end
of his earthly mission and the ingress into
that Kingdom where all is peace and love.
But the work of proclaiming the
Gospel to all nations and of applying to
all people the fruits of the redemption he
had accomplished, has to continue until
the end of time. According to Gods

Human foolishness or
indiscretion

IN spite of all human mistakes or indiscretion we can only gaze

in awe and wonder at how God keeps the world in existence.
Yes, there have been so many wars and violent exchanges in
the past, lots of bombs exploding during past wars, and we
have to thank the Lord, who in His providence has kept us in
existence. No wonder there are people we admire and with
whom we wish to join in prayer, as they persevere in trusting
God Almighty for His protection on us poor mortals in spite
of the indiscreet violence of many foolish or ambitious people.

It might be the poor and simple people

who restrain Gods punishing arm from
punishing the abuse of the violent and
rich who might not respect the rights of
the less fortunate in society.
Yes, God is still in control because there are holy people who
pray and trust in His mighty works. Otherwise, if it were not
for those humble and saintly people who call upon the Lord
confidently, what will happen to humanity in general? It might
be the poor and simple people who restrain Gods punishing
arm from punishing the abuse of the violent and rich who
might not respect the rights of the less fortunate in society.
We must remember in this world there is a living God who
cares for the poor. Otherwise, how could this universe of ours
last this long in existence? Since there are multifarious arms
for violence we must exert extra efforts for the reign of peace.

Bo Sanchez

Soulfood

Dont Try To Please

Everyone
LET me share with you a simple secret in succeeding in life.
Dont ever try to please everyone.
Ive been a leader of ministries for more than three decades
now.If Ill try to please all the expectations that people heap on
me, I need to be Padre Pio and Bill Gates and Francis of Assisi
and John Rockefeller and and Clark Kent rolled into one.
Talk about severe schizophrenia!
Some want me to be Padre Pio:Bo, your early morning
prayer timedone at four in the morningshould last for
three hours.You should levitate once in a while.When you
walk around, we should smell the odor of sanctity and see
a beautiful glow on your face.Jeepers, I have sometypeof
odor, that I know.But I doubt if its sacred.(Spell out my
name.Reminds you of something?)
Others want me to be Bill Gates, the great CEO: As our
leader, you should manage a well-knit, well-run, well-oiled
organization.You should implement reengineering, develop
our marketing niche, and work towards ISO 9002 systems in
our prayer group.
Others want me to be St. Francis of Assisi, the ascetic: Bo,
you should live in poverty, wear second-hand clothes, and
never touch or own or think of money at all.Drive a beat up,
rusty, dilapidated car.And live in a slum area.
And yet another group of people insists that I be John
Rockefeller, the philanthropist. When we have financial
needs, itll be nice if we see you dig deep into your pocket and
help us in our childrens tuition fees, in our hospital bills, in
our shopping sprees.
Some wish me to be Clark Kent: I dont care if your
schedule is full.You have to be there for me!Be my personal
best friend.Dont just be my leader!Phone me every day and
visit my home every other day.Uhfor each of the 12,000
people who attend the PICC Feastand the thousands more
in the 165 Feasts around the world?
Ive accepted this truth:I believe that if I will do what my
Creator wants me to do, Ill end up disappointing a lot of people.
Im not all these characters.
Im Bo.And I like being Bo!God has created me to be this
particular person with my own set of strengths, weaknesses,
and idiosyncrasies.
Heres my message: Dont try to please everyone.
Disappoint people!
Know your call.
And answer it.

in it the mustard seed of the Kingdom.

They carried with them all their defects,
but also the power of the Spirit and the
certitude of their Lords unfailing presence.
They could not ask for more.
This mystery of God saving men
through men continues through the
centuries. It will go on till the end
of time, in spite of all opposition

Having redeemed mankind from the

devastating consequences of sin, the Risen
Christ could rightly proclaim, MISSION
ACCOMPLISHED!
the cooperation of frail creatures in
order to realize His plan, is restated
and re-enacted in ever-new and,
disconcerting manner.
This style started with twelve
fearful nobodies, mustered from
among fishermen, tax collectors, and
zealots. They were sent by Jesus into
an immense, unfriendly world to sow

from outside the Church, and the

limitations, defects and failures of
its members, including its leaders.
Such is the strategy adopted by
God. And it is simply fascinating
that God should hold us in such
a high esteem as to make us His
associates in the fulfillment of His
plan of salvation.

The great ecclesial commission

Bishop Pat Alo

ENCOUNTERS

Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

Ascension of Our Lord, Mt 28:16-20 (A)

World Communications Sunday
June 1, 2014

Gebhard Fugel

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

CBCP Monitor

Ascension of Our Lord, Mt 28:16-20 (A) June 1, 2014

By Fr. Francisco R. Albano
Diocese of Ilagan
THE life of Jesus Christ Son of God on earth
ended after 33 years. He had a hidden life of
thirty years, living with Mary and Joseph and
learning from them the disciplines of prayer
and work and sound values of family life. He
experienced the strengths and weaknesses of
social life of village and community, temple
and synagogue, market and citadel under
the Roman Empire and the local elites.
Then followed three years of ministry of
teaching, proclaiming the Kingdom, and
healing the sick and expelling demons. Three
years of denouncing evil and its perpetrators
and expounding standards of love, service,
and worship of highest
quality in fulfillment of
the Law.
Three years of
painstaking exposition
of himself as JesusChrist-Son of God,
covenantal I AM.
Three years of
recruiting and educating
disciples and apostles
and being a threat to
the powers who would not have a prophet
in their midst, no matter how non-violent his
advocacy for social change. For all this was
he then illegally arrested and killed crucified.
Then he rose glorious from the tomb giving
solid final proof of his identity as Jesus-ChristSon of God, covenantal I AM faithful to his
promises of freedom and abundant life for all
against the power of death in all its forms. And
in his final forty days he appeared to disciples
and eleven apostles, the few men and women
who could be consolidated in faith despite their
doubts and weaknesses of psyche and spirit,
and be transformed to continue his work.
Then was he ready to ascend to heaven
to sit at the right hand of his Father to judge
the living and the dead on the last day of

time. His final salvific act? He led disciples

and eleven apostles, surely with Mother
Mary with them, to a mount that would
remind them, and us today, of Sinai, Nebo,
Tabor, Calvary and the cross, and said: 18.
All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. 19. Go therefore and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20.
and teaching them to obey everything that I have
commanded you. And remember, I am with you
always, to the end of the age.
And so was the first ecclesial community
formed and consolidated with a mission.
So it is too the mission of us Christians
as a community of believers who have
surrendered to Jesus in faith that not only
justifies but mandates to do good works of

become persons of faith. Double tasking!

Two modes -- of catalytic yeast enabling
people to rise to greater heights, salt enabling
the preservation of the warmth of live, and
light enabling discovery of truth and seeds
of hope in the modern world, and creating
also ecological space, time, relations for Gods
gift of faith to persons and communities of
his choice for the expansion of the Church.
Nations and individuals are to be baptized.
An individual called to faith is to be washed
clean with sacramental water, restored to
grace of special identity as Child of God,
servant-leader, prophet to denounce evil and
point to ways of righteousness, peace and
abundant life, and priest of prayer, worship
and sacrifice. Nations are to be baptized by
the influence of Gospel values, by the light
of the Jesus Story, and
magnetic examples of
goodness of Christians
and the Church of
many presencesfor
personal renewal and
social; transformation.
In the name of the
Father, and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
A n d f o r t h e
baptized disciple is
mandated obedience to the Law of Love:
Love your neighbor as yourself. And on a higher
plane, Love one another as IJesus-Christ-Son
of Godlove you. The call is to reduplicate the
hidden and public deeds of the Lord: learning,
teaching, proclaiming the Kingdom, healing
the sick , embracing the cross, rising to new
life in the Lord.
The great ecclesial commission is being
fulfilled today as it was in the past, historically,
painstakingly, personally and collectively,
against arrogant powers of darkness.
Gods grace is given, sufficient for you and
me, nation and community. Covenantal
assurance has been given: Remember, I am
with you always, to the end of the age. Death
shall have no dominion.

He had a hidden life of thirty years... He experienced

the strengths and weaknesses of social life of village and
community, temple and synagogue, market and citadel
under the Roman Empire and the local elites.
evangelization in thanksgiving for the gift
of faith. This commission is based not on
the Law of Moses or on any decree of an
emperor or temple priest but on the supreme
authority of the risen Jesus Christ Son of
God himself. The commission is therefore a
divine mandate that must be obeyed by the
ecclesial community of Church in its various
sociological and historical presences.
Go, and make disciples of all nations and
communities without discrimination, and
individual persons without discrimination.
The assignment is simple and modest. A faith
community called Church is commissioned
to make communities and nations disciples/
students/followers. A community called
Church is called to invite individuals to

The transforming and unifying role of the Holy Spirit

Pentecost Sunday, Jn 20:19-23 (A) June 8, 2014

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

J E S US f re e d us f rom s i n
through his passion, death, and
resurrection. Thanks to him,
salvation is made available and
offered to all human beings.
But this does not mean that
we are all herded into heaven.
Christ destroyed sin, but not our
freedom. It can still happen that
we say once again No! to God.
As long as we live on earth,
sin remains a possible accident
caused by a number of factors,
the main ones of which are the
devils temptations, the negative
influence of the environment in
which we live, and especially the
moral weakness of our wounded
nature. Experience shows that
sin remains a sad reality to this
very day, both in ourselves and
around us.
Jesus knew it would be
so. That is why he repeatedly
promised and eventually gave
the Holy Spirit to the Church that
she might continue his healing
mission in the power of the
Source of all unity, wholeness,
and holiness.
T h u s , J e s u s c o m p l e t e d
h i s re d e m p t i v e w o r k b y
commissioning the Church to
carry on the struggle against
all that divides mankind, all
that makes us selfish, proud,
aggressive, and oppressive.
And this is what the Church
has been doing in her 2000 years
of existence, in spite of all the

limitations and weaknesses that

come to her from her human
component. The Holy Spirit,
present in her as her soul,
is the divine Power that keeps
the Church alive, constantly
renews her, guides her into an
ever greater appreciation of the
truths of revelation, sanctifies
her, and strengthens her against
all dangers and oppositions.
And so the mystery of the
Incarnation continuesGod
saving men through men, not just
through the all-holy Jesus, but
also through the ministry of frail
and defective people, sanctified
and strengthened by the Spirit
of love, unity, and holiness.
We will never be able to fully
appreciate the importance to
the role of the Holy Spirit in the
Church and in each of us. Without
him the Church would be just a
human institution, destined to
perish like all other institutions,
empires and civilizations. But the
Church will last until the end
of time only because the Holy
Spirit, the Lord of Life, animates
her.
Thanks to the presence of
the Spirit, the gift of salvation
and all other gifts of the Risen
Christ are channeled to people,
especially through those sacred
acts that we call sacraments.
In particular, the forgiving love
of God becomes a reality for us,
today, through the sacrament of
Reconciliation, which enables us
to rise after every fall, purified
and strengthened by Gods

forgiving love.

Social Concerns

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

B7

Climate change is upon us

THE sights, sounds, and smells that
assailed me as I walked through the
devastated chaos and destruction of
Tacloban city in the Philippines last year,
soon after the most powerful storm ever
to hit land, made me realize that this
was the future. This utter devastation
wrecked by a vengeful nature on her
tormentors was going to be repeated
across the globe. Climate change is
upon us.
Extreme weather conditions will be
what we can expect in the future. In the
UK last year, massive unprecedented
flooding cut off towns and villages.
The economic cost was massive. We
have to ask why and what can be done
to prevent such destructive weather
conditions from getting worse. The
Philippines experienced 25 typhoons
in 2013.
Humans are the custodians of the
creation and guardians of the planet
and yet, we have sinned against it. Now
its time to repent and make amends,
but how?
As I write this, the Balkans is
experiencing the worst flooding in 120
years when records began. Vast areas
of countryside, towns and villages are
inundated and as many as 300 landslides
have destroyed property and 35 people
were killed. In three days, rain that
would normally fall in three months
hit the region, causing destruction,
death and huge commercial loss. In
Afghanistan, a few weeks ago, an entire
village with hundreds of people were
buried alive when a rain saturated
hillside came roaring down to bury and
smother them all.

FILE PHOTO

By Fr. Shay Cullen, Mssc

Every news bulletin seems to carry

reports of another huge ecological
disaster, droughts and wild fires in the
United States are consuming forests and
fields, even more destructive floods are
to come in Europe we are told.
Last week, the United Nations InterCounty Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) made its latest report after
seven years of exhaustive research
and number crunching to inform and
convince us that catastrophic climate
change can be averted and even reversed
if we act now. The report was made by
1,250 eminent scientists and experts and

endorsed by 146 governments.

Its for real, the planet has warmed
up and we, humans, have caused it by
burning fossil fuels non-stop for the last
150 years. That has to stop. We must
turn to alternative sources of energy,
the report strongly advises, or else
The worst offenders are the oil and
coal-burning industries. Their power
plants, factories, houses and cars warm
the earth by releasing CO2 gases. The
carbon dioxide and methane gases
create a blanket around the earth
causing this warming. This, in turn, has
melted huge sections of the polar ice

Family / B1

will be weak.
The Church protects the family
But it is also true that the Church
is the most potent protector of the
family. If the Church cannot protect
the family, the family will be left
without much protection. But if the
Church is vigorous in protecting
and fostering the family, the family
will be protected and flourish.
Governments must protect the
family
We urge governments to
consider seriously the Charter
on the Rights of the Family in the
formulation of policies affecting
the family. We pledge ourselves
to encourage dialogue with
our respective governments on
matters affecting the family.
The witness of families
During this assembly, we
have heard and seen couples
and young people witness how
the Christian family has been a
powerful transmitter of Gospel
values, and of the Good News
itself. Where Christ is accepted
in faith and imitated in love,
there also Christian values

Remuneration / B2

are protected and transmitted

and the Christian family is
strengthened.
under the sign of the Cross
In this assembly, we wish to
express our solidarity with our
brothers and sisters in Asia and in
other parts of the world who are
prevented from expressing their
faith in God by oppressive cultural
systems and government policies.
With brothers and sisters of
other faiths
We have come to appreciate
more through the sharing of our
brothers and sisters who are of
other faiths that they are also
our allies in transmitting to our
future generations the values of
God and his Kingdom.
We choose life!
Today, we are challenged to
choose between life and death for
the human family. If we choose
life and obey the law of God
written in our hearts, we shall live
(cf. Dt 30:19f). We in this assembly
choose life for the family! We will
pray and work for the protection,

Show / B5

People are realizing that of

the problems of the country,
CORRUPTION has taken the
worst toll on the lives of the
ordinary citizens. This issue is a
FIGHT BETWEEN GOOD AND
EVIL.
We urge those who are in the
know to come forward NOW, to
do the right thing, to side with
the GOOD and somehow clear
your name for yourself and for
the sake of your families.
GOOD will overcome EVIL,
and when that happens, those
who have a tinge of conscience
left would do well to be on the
right side. Regardless of how
far down the wrong path you
have gone, you are given a
chance to stand once more on
principle, for your sake and that
of your descendants, and most
importantly to help right the
destiny of this country.
3.For the accused to RESIGN.
True statesmen, those honorable
men who are bred and raised to
adhere to strict codes of conduct,
will immediately resign under
public accusations against their
integrity, to allow investigations
and legal scrutiny to proceed,
unobstructed by any influence
coming from them. Besides,
DECENT legislators can submit
documents that can withstand
scrutiny.
To insist on staying in office
because of their electoral mandate
is WRONG! They cannot hide
behind the pretense that they
have to serve the electorate that
placed them in office. The people
voted for them in good faith, in
all innocence of their possible
crimes. The only way for these
legislators to prove that this
good faith is held sacred is to
step down and step aside and
allow the process of justice to
proceed without delay, and to
remain outside their office until

caps and removed natures big reflector

of sun light. Antarctica is melting too.
Soon the rise in ocean levels will be
covering low lying islands and beach
fronts.
The permafrost in Siberia and Canada
is melting, releasing even more deadly
methane gas from the once frozen bogs
and releasing it into the atmosphere.
The effect on food production and water
resources will be massive and will lead
to food shortages and the social impact
will be great; migration and armed
conflicts will erupt.
China, one of the worst climate

polluters with its thousands of coal and

oil power plants, is in direct conflict
with Vietnam after moving an oil
drilling platform into waters claimed by
Vietnam. Riots, property destruction and
the evacuation of thousands of Chinese
from Vietnam is the news this week.
The content of the reports of the IPCC
are vehemently denied by powerful
business interests in the gas, oil and coal
industries. These thermal tycoons want
the burning of fossil fuels to continue,
but the time is coming when fossil fuels
have to be abandoned and left in the
ground. Alternative renewable sources
of electric power like solar, wind and
geothermal electric generation have to
power the future.
Huge investments have to be made in
wind and solar power. Natural gas is a
much cleaner source of energy, though
with some limitations, but still a better
alternative to coal. The common people
and their governments have to stand up
to the polluters of the planet and bring
closer that day when the demand for oil
and coal will taper off. In the Philippines,
crony capitalists are manipulating the
national leadership and capturing the
regulators to persuade them to approve
more coal plants.
We all have to be caretakers of our
God-given world, the garden of Eden
is sadly wilting and dying and we,
humans, will be dying in body and spirit
with it through disease, famine, and
extreme weather events. Remember,
more than 6,000 people were killed by
typhoon Haiyan last November 8,
there will be many more dying in future
storms and floods of equal magnitude.
We must preserve all life, especially
the life of the planet itself. [shaycullen@
preda.org,www.preda.org]

preservation, and flourishing of

every human family.
Encouraged by one another, we
are joyful missionaries!
Strengthened by the testimony
of those who have given witness
in this assembly, encouraged by
our togetherness and sharing,
and fortified by the Spirit of the
Lord, we go forth in joy to make
of the family and especially the
Christian family Good News for the
salvation of the world. We shall be
joyful missionaries for the family,
proclaiming the Gospel of life and
love so as to be a voice in public
life on behalf of freedom and justice
that cannot be silenced by force (cf.
Evangelii Gaudium, n. 74).
The Holy Family, the Family
of Life
We ask the Holy Family of the
Lord Jesus Christ who is Life (Jn
14:6) the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mother of Life (cf. Jn 19:26f;
cf. Rev 12:1-6) and St. Joseph
Guardian of Life (Mt 3:13-23) to
intercede for us in our prayer and
work for the family to the praise
and glory of the Blessed Trinity.

the relevant contribution derived

from other available sources or to
not request whatever belongs to
him, and, at the same time, to
claim the usual supplement. By
such an act, in fact, he would
damage the entire diocesan
system of priestly remuneration
that, in concrete, is inte-rrelated
in a manner that is akin to the
relationship described by the
principle of physics known as
communicating vessels: that
which the individual refuses
must be paid by the common
fund, resulting in damage to
the others drawing from that
common fund.
2) With respect to the inclusion
of pensions collected, or which could
be collected (inasmuch as they are
owed, if requested, by the State),
one notes that, taking into account
the state of the economic resources
of the diocese and of the specific
context of the general principles
set forth above, they could be
includedby way of deduction
in the calculation of remuneration
from the diocesan fund.
If one considers the necessary
equality that should exist among

Overcome / B5

their names are cleared.

De l i c a d e z a i s a l on g
held value, practiced by the
HONORABLE STATESMEN
of this country, and of other
countries as well. What exempts
this present crop of legislators
from this high standard of
conduct? Do we sense Fear, fear
that when one steps down, he
loses substantial platform to
influence the judicial system?
4.For all involved agencies
to produce results. Although
we believe in the strategic
importance of not telegraphing
ones punches by withholding
evidence, we are of the opinion
that this strategy does not apply
to the Pork Barrel Scam anymore
because for certain, the guilty
parties are already preparing
their own defenses.
The grand announcements
and the feigned moves only fuel
exasperation with the system of
justice in our country, creating
the opinion that any person in
authority can toy around with
it, delay it, or derail it, for any
purpose other than bringing
the guilty to justice. These
announcements, if not followed
by significant action can achieve
only one thing: make the press
releasing official look good in the
media.
T he Cebu Coalition says,
ENOUGH!!! STOP PRIMPING
BEFORE THE MEDIA!!! SHOW
RESULTS!!!
May 16, 2014
FOR REFERENCE:
MSGR. ROMUALDO G.
KINTANAR
Convenor
CEBU COALITION AGAINST
THE PORK BARREL SYSTEM
Tel. No. 272-8091; Email:
archdiocesandiscernment@
gmail.com

they do not abuse the trust given

to them. This also invites all of
us to be vigilant over our public
officials. There should be public
accountability over public trust.
Let us not lose hope! As in all
situations, we will see the light
beyond this crisis. It will make us
stronger and more mature. Let
us not stop hoping, praying and
being concerned and vigilant. Our
government is what we make of
it. Again, let us heed what Pope
Francis said in a talk which he
gave on Sept 16, 1013: None of us
can say, I have nothing to do with
this, how they govern. No, no, I
am responsible for their governance,
and I have to do the best so that they
govern well, and I have to do my best
by participating in politics according
to my ability.
I request all our Catholic faithful

the priests of a diocese, it may

be appropriate or necessary to
include in the pool of resources
to be redistributed all those
incomes that are able to be
objectively quantified. It is not
only licit but also appropriate
to take into accountwhether
partially or totally, depending on
the circumstancesthe income
received by the individual, as
long as it does not come from
strictly personal savings. There
have been some objections that
pensions should be considered as
income from personal resources
and not be figured into the
accounting. However, other than
the practical difficulty involved
in a system of remuneration
that seeks to encompass even
personal income derived from
inheritances or from capital,
one cannot forget that a pension
owed by the State and income
from p er sona l g oods a re
economic goods that are quite
different.
3) Finally, the PCLT concludes,
the present case does not present
circumstances for invoking the
principle of canonical equity.

Aequitas canonica is a canonical

notion that comes into play at the
moment that the law is applied, to
correct any abstractness in the law
that would render it inadequate
or unjust in relationship to a
concrete situation. A norm such
as the one here in question,
however, could be considered to
be contrary to canonical equity
only in the case that it, when
considered in itself and not in its
application, would be contrary to
natural right.
T h e d i o c e s a n n o r m i n
question, as such, does not
injure in any way the right of
the individual cleric to adequate
remuneration; it serves, rather,
to guarantee it. It constitutes a
stimulus so that the negligence
of some would not cause damage
to the well-being of the others.
In conclusion, one might even
add,thatfortheindividualdiocesan
cleric to claim his due from sources
other than the diocesan fund
for priestly remuneratione.g.,
salaries from school or pensions
from the statewould not only
be an expression of justice but of
his secularity.

Silsilah / B5

to pray an extra rosary from May 31,

Feast of the Visitation until August
15, Solemnity of the Assumption,
and offer it for the conversion of
the culprits in the pork barrel scam,
for the courage of the witnesses
and the healing of our country. I
encourage our youth and children
to receive Holy Communion
frequently during these days of
prayer and offer prayers for the
culprits, the witnesses and our
government. Let us overcome evil
by the power of good.
For the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines,
May 24, 2014, Memorial of Mary
Help of Christians
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan
CBCP President

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very complicated issue, especially

in some areas because there are
emerging many cultural and
religious elements that need to be
purified.
What can be done in this
situation? I propose to continue
to inform the people, with
appropriate action, about this
on- going process. At the same
time anyone connected with
Silsilah is free to participate, as an
individual, in any sincere effort
and stand promoted by other
groups and institutions.
The CAB issue will become more
sensitive in the coming months and
during the plebiscite. We invite
those in government and others
who have power in this process
to be sensitive and listen to
reasonable requests that help to
remove clouds of doubts and fears.

Silsilah will continue to

help all to share in the spirit of
dialogue and peace, at the same
time avoiding to be used by
any one group because we hope
to remain A VOICE OF THE
CONSCIENCE that cannot be
bought or be sold to any group
for their own objective. The
contribution of Silsilah in this stage
of the peace process is to move
in the spirit of active-harmony. I
hope that this position will help
many to reflectand act properly to
move with sincere mind and heart
in building the future peace in
Mindanao.
FR. SEBASTIANO DAMBRA,
PIME
Founder, Silsilah Dialogue
Movement
May 14, 2014

Name _________________________________________________
(Family Name)

(Given Name)

(Middle Name)

Mailing Address _______________________________________________

_________________________________________________
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Or e-mail this at cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.com

B8
In one of Spider-mans (Garfield)
crime-fighting adventures, he
gets to save Max Dillion (Foxx),
a lonely and unrecognized
Oscorp Engineer who later
believes that they have formed
a deep friendship. Spider-man/
Peter Parker gets a call from his
girlfriend Gwen (Stone) who is
about to deliver her Valedictory
message in their high school
graduation rites as Peter sees a
vision of her father who seems
to remind him to stay away
from Gwen. Eaten by guilt,
Peter confides to Gwen but
she decides to break up as she
can no longer keep up with the
emotional roller-coaster Peter
drags him to everytime he feels
guilty. Meanwhile, Max falls into
a tank full of genetically altered
electric eels and gets transformed
into a electricity-generating
freak. At the same time, Harry
Osborne (DeHaan) returns to
New York and discovers he has
inherited his fathers disease
and only Spider-mans blood
could cure him. However, Maxx/
Electro and Harry both feel
betrayed when Spider-man steals
the limelight and moment of
recognition from the former and
refuses to give blood to the latter.
Simultaneously, Peter discovers
the truth about his parents
disappearance as Gwen follows
her hunch about Max and snoops
for his files in Oscorp. Spiderman/Peter tries to catch Gwen
who is on the way to the airport
to fly to Europe but Electro
causes another blackout in the
city and the two team up to fight
and destroy him. Harry, now
transformed as Green Goblin,
arrives and deduces Spidermans true identity. Vowing
revenge for Spider-mans refusal,
Green Goblin kidnaps Gwen.
The Amazing Spider-man
2s greatest strength is the

Entertainment
honest vulnerability of the
charactersfrom Peter to Aunt
May. It exposes certain human
traits and allows the narrative to
poke at them gently so that the
audience also feels the tinge of
pain and helplessness. But it does
not allow the viewers to wallow
in desperation or tears like a
melodrama does, because very
timely, goofy Spider-man comes
and throws his one liners or Gwen
and Peter electrify the screen with
their genuine chemistry. The
film is successful at garnering
emotional investment from
viewers so that they understand
not only the characters back
stories but also their motivations.
While its storytelling does have
one too many webbed subplots,
foreshadowing helps explain
and tie the narrative together
in the end. There is no question
about the post production works
and special effects. Every battle
scene between Spider-man and
his enemy is gives roller-coaster
highs and thrills (even in 2D).
The movie has several good
points : a positive father-son
plot where each others love
is tested and withstands time
and trials, a strong warning
on the corrupting influence of
resentment and desperation, a
superhero who becomes a rolemodel for children, and having
courage over pain and failure. But
more importantly, the message of
hope and selflessness resounds
throughout the movie. Explicitly
laid down during Gwens speech,
viewers are challenged to be
beacons of hope not only as an
empty symbol or image but by
doing what is right and what
is good all the time, regardless
of appreciation or recognition.
And as one rallies to bring
hope through ones choices and
actions for the common good, he
develops a spirit of self-sacrifice,

The amazing
Spider-man 2

Abhorrent

Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome

Exemplary

DIRECTOR: Marc Webb

LEAD CAST: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie
Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm
Feore, Felicity Jones,
Campbell Scott, Embeth
Davidtz, Paul Giamati,
Sally Field
SCREENWRITER: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff
Pinkner
PRODUCER: Avi Arad, Matt
Tolmach
GENRE: Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction &
Fantasy
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Daniel
Mendel
DISTRIBUTOR: Columbia
Pictures
LOCATION: United States
RUNNING TIME: 142 minutes
Technical Assessment:

Moral Assessment:

CINEMA rating: V 14

Si Lira (Carla Abellana) ay iniwan ng

kanyang kasintahang si Tony (JC De
Vera) sa araw mismo ng kanilang kasal.
Maraming araw at buwan ang makalilipas
ngunit sadyang di pa rin malilimutan ni
Lira si Tony kahit pa ang lagi niyang
ipinapakita sa madla ay masaya na siyang
muli. Si Goryo (Tom Rodrguez) naman
ay isang sapatero ama ng isang pipi na
mag-isa niyang itinataguyod. Ang
dati niyang kinakasama (Bangs Garcia)
ay ikakasal na rin sa kasintahan nito.
Sa isang hindi inaasahang pagtatagpo
ay magku-krus ang landas nina Goryo
at Lira. Magkakagaanan sila ng loob
at maisisiwilat sa isat isa ang mga
dinadalang damdamin. Si Lira, ibubuhos
ang sama ng loob kay Tony na malapit
na ring ikasal at si Goryo ay ganun din.
Magpapasya silang magpanggap bilang
magnobyo at dadalo sila sa kasal ng

LEAD CAST: Hugh Jackman,

Peter Dinklage, Jennifer
Lawrence, Ellen Page,
James McAvoy, Ian
McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Michael Fassbender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi
Director: Bryan Singer
Running time: 131 min

Time travel meets a gleefully

loopy version of American
history in X-Men: Days of Future
Past (Fox).
There are many surreal
moments -- Jennifer Lawrence
as cerulean shape-shifter Raven/
Mystique in a showdown with
Richard Nixon, for one -- but

kani-kanilang mga dating kasintahan.

Lingid sa kaalaman ni Lira ay unti-unti
nang nahuhulog ang loob ni Goryo sa
kanilang pagpapanggap. Si Lira naman
ay nag-aasam pa ring maagaw si Tony.
Sino kaya ang magkakatuluyan sa huli?
Nagsubok maghain ang So its you ng
napapanahong romantic comedy pero
nabigo ito sa paglalahad ng matinong
kuwento. Wala sa hulog at sa tamang
pag-iisip ang pangunahin nitong tauhan
na si Lira na hindi malaman at hindi
maintindihan ng mga manonood kung
bakit patay na patay kay Tony. Bukod
sa guwapo at mayaman, wala nang
ibang katangian pa si Tony upang
manatiling in-love si Lira dito sa kabila ng
pagtalikod sa kanya nito sa araw mismo
ng kanilang kasal. Nang dumating sa
buhay ni Lira si Goryo, kitang mayroon
na siyang pagpipilian, ngunit sa di pa rin
maipaliwanag ng pelikula ang dahilan,
mas pinipili pa ring pilit ni Lira ang
sarili kay Tony. Walang mga sapat at
matibay na motibasyon ang mga tauhan
sa kanilang pagmamahal. Maliban kay
Goryo, pawang mga hindi na totoong
tao ang mga tauhan sa pelikula. Sayang
ang galing ng mga nagsiganap lalo na
si Abellana at Rodriguez. Maging ang
paggamit ng mga uso sa internet at
social media ay pawang ipinilit lang para
masabing modern ang pelikula pagkat
wala itong masyadong kinalaman sa
takbo ng kuwento. Hindi rin malaman
ng pelikula kung ito ba ay magpapatawa,
magpapaiyak, o sabay dahil parang hindi
sila magkasundo-sundo kung ano ba
ang nais nilang maramdaman ng mga
manonood.

Brothers Matias

also some thoughtful moral

commentary on whether its a
good idea to alter the path of
history or accept an immutable
destiny.
The plot, loaded with the
kinetic action sequences familiar
from the first six films in the series,
is quite simple. Its 2023 and the
planet has been devastated by the
Sentinels, fire-breathing robots
first unleashed -- for American
defense! -- 50 years earlier. As
doom descends on the mutants
known collectively as X-Men, the
elderly versions of Dr. Charles
Xavier and Magneto (Patrick
Stewart and Ian McKellen) argue
about the need to rewrite history.
Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) has
the ability to send someones
consciousness back in time, so
she sends the most indestructible
among them, Wolverine (Hugh

Technical Assessment

Poor
Below average

Average

Above average
E
xcellent

incorruptibility and commitment

to the common good. On the side,
The Amazing Spider-man 2 gives
us a heroine who is not a helpless
high pitch damsel in distress but
a strong-willed and intelligent
woman who knows what she
wants, makes her own choices
and supports the man she loves
to the end. The Amazing Spiderman 2 may not please everyone,
especially those who feel that
is merely an expensive movie
whose director is undecided
whether it is a love story or a
superhero film but it does leave
a positive impression which will
last longer than the criticisms.
Some action sequences and
themes may be too violent for
very young audiences.

DIRECTOR: Jun Lana

LEAD CAST: Carla Abellana, Tom
Rodriguez, JC De Vera, Joey
Marquez, Arlene Muhlach, Bangs
Garcia
SCREENWRITER: Jun Lana
PRODUCER: Regal Films
GENRE: Comedy
LOCATION: Manila
RUNNING TIME: 1 hour: 55 mins.
Technical Assessment:
Moral Assessment:
MTRCB rating: PG
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 13
years old and below with parental guidance

X-Men Days of
Future Past

Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

Moral Assessment

So its you

Buhay San Miguel

CBCP Monitor

Jackman) to 1973 so he can

intercept Raven/Mystique
before she assassinates the
Sentinels inventor, Bolivar Trask
(Peter Dinklage).
It was after that event that
the blue gal was captured and
her DNA replicated to make the
Sentinels virtually indestructible.
If Trask lives, though, hell be
imprisoned and the nascent
Sentinel program will go away.
Wolverine also grabs the
younger Magneto (Michael
Fassbender), who is being
held in a secret underground
prison at the Pentagon after
being wrongfully implicated in
the assassination of President
Kennedy. Hes helped by a new
character, Quicksilver (Evan
Peters), who escapes every jam
with his super-high speed.
Discussions about how a

single event changes the future

mingle with arguments between
the younger Xavier (James
McAvoy) and Magneto about
how best to deal with Raven/
Mystique. Director Brian Singer
and screenwriters Simon Kinberg
and Jane Goldman eventually
surrender existential angst to
the plethora of special effects,
including a flying stadium.
The film contains gun and
physical violence, fleeting rear
male nudity, a reference to
nonmarital sexual activity,
and fleeting rough and crude
language. The Catholic News
Service classification is A-III
-- adults. The Motion Picture
Association of America rating
is PG-13 -- parents strongly
cautioned. Some material may be
inappropriate for children under
13. (Kurt Jensen/CNS)

Kaakibat ng mga kakulangan sa

kuwento ay ang kakulangan din sa
dalisay na mensahe ng pelikula. Ano ba
talaga ang nais nitong sabihin? Si Lira,
bilang isang desperada ay gagawin ang
lahat magbalik lamang ang nobyong
nang-iwan sa kanya. Nagkabalikan sila
sa kabila ng maraming pagpapanggap at
sa panahon na kung saan ay dapat niyang
ipinagtulakan si Tony sa asawa nitong
nangangailangan. Bumawi sa bandang
huli si Lira ngunit hindi malinaw kung
bakit matagal bago niya gawin ang tama
at nararapat. Si Goryo ay may malinis
na hangarin kay Lira at siya ang pinakadalisay sa lahat ng tauhan. Magandang
halimbawa siya sa mga kalalakihan at
mga haligi ng tahanan. Ang tauhan ni
Goryo ang nagsasabing may pag-asa pa
sa pagmamahal dahil mayroon pa ring
handang maghintay at magsakripisyo
alang-alang sa minamahal. Hindi naman
masyadong nabigyan ng pansin ang anak
ni Goryo na may kapansanan. Pawang
hindi malinaw kung bakit ginawa pang
pipi ang karakter. Hindi malinaw ang
koneksiyon ng kanyang kapansanan
sa kabuuan ng kuwento. Hindi tuloy
nabigyan ng karampatang hustisya ang
katayuan ng mga batang tulad nila sa
lipunan. Pipi na nga ang bata, wala pa
rin siyang naging malinaw na boses sa
kuwento. Maging ang ilang mga moral na
usapin ay nakalimutan nang payabungin
sa pelikula tulad ng pagmamalabis at
pag-aaksaya ng yaman, ang pagkunsinti
sa gawing homosekswal at pag-iwan sa
asawa sa panahon ng karamdaman. Mga
seryosong usapin na naligaw na lang sa
kawalan at hindi binigyang-pansin.

CBCP Monitor

C1

Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

AGW 2014: A Weekend of Love

By Alma Alvarez

The ANCOP Global Walk, an international fun walk which happened

last May 25, 2014, was more than just
a crowd funding activity. It was an act
of love.
As early as 2:30 AM, members of the
service team were already onsite to
welcome the early birds. At 5:00 AM,
Mass was celebrated in the various walk
pointsin Manila, the Philippine provinces and some countriesto open the
event. And at 6:00 AM, the countdown
and gun start signaled the start of the 5
kilometer walk.
As with the previous AGW events,
thousands of people from all walks of
life gathered in the many walk points
worldwide to walk at almost the same

time in order to raise awareness as well

as funds to send children from poor
families to school.
Now on its 4th year, the ANCOP Global Walk (AGW) is funding the scholarship for more than 1,000 children.
This year, a major partner for the AGW
in the Philippines is SM, through their
various entitiesSM Cares, SM Mall of
Asia and the SM Mall of Asia Complex.
For the AGW in Metro Manila, SM Mall
of Asia agreed to waive the rental of the
SM MOA grounds for the event. This is a
welcome development as it helps ensure
that a bigger portion of the sponsorship
will go to the education of the scholars
and not on event expenses.
Several corporate partners likewise
agreed to participate in this year's Walk,
among them Maynilad, the Far Eastern

University, M2M, Vista Land, HGS,

Mars Laboratory Instrument Center,
Yupangco Electronics, First Metro Investement Corp., ASEC, One Meralco,
Microtel, iRemit, Security Bank Foundation, Co-ops for Christ, Philbelt, Tricom,
MMAS, Supreme Pipe, NDC, KJ Pua
Acoustics Design & Consultancy, EEI
Corp., and PhilHealth. Media sponsors
DZMM TeleRadyo, Veritas 846, Win
Radio, Energy FM, Magic 89.1 and iFM
helped in promoting the AGW as well.
All in all, the AGW 2014 was a weekend of love, where families came to give
their time and treasure, and corporate
partners opened their hands to share
their resources to ensure that the scholars since AGW 2011 can continue their
education and new ones can be added to
the growing number of AGW scholars.

Strong families make a strong Church

Kids for Christ Celebrates being a 'Beloved Child'

All roads led to Dasmarias City,

Cavite for the 17 th International
Kids Village of the CFC Kids for
Christ. The IKV, which happened
from May 2nd to May 4th, had more
than 4,000 delegates from Metro
Manila, Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and from various countries
worldwide .
To open the IKV, Lloyd Po-

linar, fulltime pastoral worker for

CFC KFC, led the Kids Praise. Afterwards, Ian Maraguinot led the
athletes to an oath of sportsmanship
prior to the competitions.
The Ugnayang La Salle and the Dasmarias National High School were literally on fire with excitement as each area
rooted for their respective bets for the
various creative and sports competitions.

Aside from the competitions,

delegates of the IKV were in for a
great experience, especially with the
sessions. The creative skit, which is
inspired by the IKV theme I am a
beloved child of God (John 19:2627), revolved around each individual
being Gods most cherished child.
As a form of commitment, the kids
IKV2014 / C2

Couples for Christ missionaries, together with lay faithful, religious and
clergy from 14 Asian countries, 60 Philippine dioceses and 20 lay associations,
participated in the first Asian Conference
on the Family, (ACF) which happened
from May 14 to 16, 2014, at the Pope
Pius Centre, Manila, Philippines. The
ACF is the CBCPs initiative in relation
to the Extraordinary General Assembly
of the Synod of Bishops, which is being
convened in October. The synod is being convened to discuss the theme of
Pastoral Challenges To The Family In
The Context Of Evangelisation.
Organized by the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines, the ACF
presented the many challenges affecting
the Catholic Asian family. His Excellency
Bishop Jean Lafitte, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family and former

Vice President of the Pontifical Academy

of Life, spoke about how the laws affecting the family such as marriage for all
or what is popularly known as same sex
marriages is truly disturbing. He further
emphasized that it is easier for a country
like the Philippines, where laws such
as this have not been passed, to oppose
governments who push for such laws.
Atty. Luisito V. Liban gives a reaction
to Bishop Lafittes Keynote Address via
the Implementation of the Charter of
Rights of the Family vis-a-vis the UN
and Asian Setting, citing how the Philippine Constitution is closely similar to
the Charter of Rights of the Family as
far as defining and defending what the
family is. Fr. Shenan Boquet, President
of Human Life International, supported
Libans arguments in his talk on The

ACF / C2

Faith and the family, clockwise from top left: Atty. Liban, Bishop Lafitte and Fr. Boquet anwer questions
during the open forum; young achievers tell about their stories of faith and family; Bishop Teodoro
bacani presents the resolutions formulated via the conference; Festival of Families; Bishop Lafitte
delivering his keynote address; an inter-faith dialogue on the role of faith in the flourishing of the family.

Ugnayan

C2

CFC HOLD Convenes 1st Prison Summit

at Camp Karingal in Quezon City, shared her

experiences serving in the Prison ministry. She
also enumerated future plans for the Program,
such as teambuilding activities, retreats, and
training for volunteers. Several members serving in the various city jails likewise shared their
experiences, inspiring the new recruits to
pursue the service and to learn more about how
they could contribute to the Program.

CFC GMC volunteers for Brigada Eskwela

Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

4 Cum Laude and 7 Valedictorians

Lead 2014 ANCOP Graduates

By Efren Tompong

CFC Handmaids of the Lord assembled

the leaders and members serving in the prison
ministry for the first ever Prison Summit last
May 17, 2014. Bel Liboro, National Coordinator
for the HOLD Prison Program, and serving in
the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong, welcomed the participants from the
12 Metro Manila Sectors and presented the beginnings of the program. Lori Mas, who serves

CBCP Monitor

Leading the 2014 graduates

from the roster of Ancop scholars were four (4) cum laude and
seven (7) valedictorians. The
number of students that graduated in college and technical
courses substantially rose to
more than a hundred, a bountiful harvest of potential professionals and technical workers.
Glory Jane Bandibas, ANCOP
USA scholar from Southern
Leyte since 2010, graduated cum
laude with a degree in Education
from the Visayas State University. ANCOP Canada scholars
Jerry Pongpong from Camarines
Sur and Nia Francesca Flores
from Metro Manila West B,
completed their Mass Communication courses, both receiving
cum laude honors as well. Jerry
studied at Partido State University, a multi-campus higher-level
institution in Bicol, while Nia

Francesca graduated from the

Polytechnic University of the
Philippines (PUP).
Lucky Deocalles from Quezon
also graduated cum laude in Accountancy at Southern Luzon
State University. Lucky was
provided funds from proceeds
of the Quezon AGW, which
sustained his college education
until he graduated in April 2014.
Leading the pack of graduates among ANCOP scholars in
the elementary and high school
levels are Jelai Sor and Ryan
Espayos from Payatas Orione
Foundation (PAOFI) in Lucena
City, and Marlyn Matucinio,
from Bahay at Yaman ni San
Martin de Porres (BYSMP) Bulacan. The 3 honor graduates are
funded by ANCOP USA. CFC
ANCOP has existing partnership
with PAOFI and BYSMP, NGOs
with strong Catholic orientation,
both headed by priests.
On the other hand, ANCOP Can-

ada valedictorians Venus Violeta

from Camarines Norte; Arian Joy
Esposado from Metro Manila North
A; ANCOP Australia valedictorian
from Pag-asa Elementary Scholl in
MM North A Maria Alyana Grace
Lucreda; and Timmy Balite, high
school valedictorian from Ilocos
Norte funded by CFC ANCOP
Singapore, complete the list.
These young achievers are all
excited and inspired to excel in
academics as they become high
school and college students
come June 2014.
The ANCOP college graduates are prepared academically
to tackle and carry on new roles
as income earners and resource
providers to their families. Moreover, they possess proper work
behavior and values, as a result of
their exposure to values formation
activities and KFC/ YFC involvement, two integral components of
the CSP which are requirements
for all ANCOP scholars.

ANCOP Graduates Join the Workforce

CFC Global Mission Center mission workers participated in the Brigada Eskwela activities at
the Cubao Elementary School last May 23, in support to the call of the Department of Education for
volunteers to come together to do clean up and repairs in the various public schools nationwide.
The CFC GMC's participation this year was made possible through the coordination of Cornerstone, one of the Education Programs of CFC ANCOP. The Cornerstone Program primarily
partners with public schools and enlists volunteers who will help tutor those students who are
having difficulties in reading and writing.
IKV2014 / C1

By Efren Tompong
The number of professionals
and gainfully employed among
past and present CSP graduates
is constantly increasing, with
more graduates joining the
workforce. Rene Borigas, ANCOP USA scholar, was offered
a teaching position in the college faculty of AMA University,
after an exemplary performance
as Information Technology student from the same university.
Joan Kristine Batacan was immediately hired by Ericksson,
a multinational company, after
completing Instrumentation and
Control Engineering at Rizal
Technological University. Last
April 2014, Batacan received
educational support under the
HOLD Adopt-a-Scholar Program (HASP) USA. She was
recently designated YFC Sector
Head of CFC East B.
were led to make 7 promises.
Are you ready to make a promise to God?
was the first thing that the speaker, Kuya Dong
Borja asked the kids upon going on stage. And
so the kids answer with a resounding YES!
Dancing to the hip cheer of Promise, the kids
yelled out their seven promises to God:
1. I will pray to God everyday.
2. I will respect and obey my parents and elders.
3. I will love my family, classmates, and friends.
4. I will help at home and in school and my
community.
5. I will study my lessons well.

Khen Mark Agustin, a magna

cum laude 2012 graduate in Accountancy at PUP was hired as
Auditor by auditing firm SGV,
which provides excellent training for new Certified Public
Accountants. Another scholar
funded by HASP USA, Grace
Padida, passed the CPA board
exams last September 2013 and
now works with Isla Lipana,
along with ANCOP Canada
scholar Simon Beringuela who
became a CPA in 2012.
Ronald John Lamano is now a
professional in the government
service serving the Agriculture
Department as Technical Assistant. Lamano completed BS
Agriculture, Major in Dairy Science at the UP at Los Baos. Jhon
Robert Ko from Metro Manila
West C received educational
support from the ANCOP Global
Walk at a time he was to drop
out from school due to family

problems and financial difficulties. Ko graduated April 2014 at

the University of the Philippines
Diliman with a degree in Community Development, a course
that is suitable and useful in his
new work as ANCOP Education
Coordinator for Metro Manila
and Luzon.
A big number of ANCOP
scholars who graduated in previous years are now accountants,
teachers, engineers, IT and Computer Specialist, among others.
The ANCOP Child Sponsirship
Program (CSP) enables poor
students to sustain education
until completion of courses.
Moreover, they possess proper
work behavior and values, as
a result of their exposure to
values formation activities and
YFC involvement, two integral
components of the CSP which
are requirements for all ANCOP
scholars.

CFC USA Trains with Virtus

6. I will share with those who are in need.

7. I will tell others about Jesus.
When we make our promises, people
around us feel the love of God, Borja added.
Kids were further encouraged to fulfill their
promises daily with love and joy, exhorting
them to be happy as you make your promises. Though fulfilling the promises will always
be challenging, the session left a message of
courage, telling the young generation to never
be afraid because you are called to be Gods
light to your family and to the poor. (Text
and photos by the IKV Docu Team)

In line with creating safe environments for the children and youth in Couples for Christ USA communities and parishes, Virtus
Director Pat Neal conducted a Virtus Train the Trainor on "Protecting Gods Children" with CFC USA Leaders. Present were
Ronie and Jocybelle Chavez, Romy Dacayanan, Jundy and Anne Lacuata, Roger and Josie Santos, Alex and Enely Algarme,
Alexander Santos, Ricky Coronel, Roland Peralta , Romy Quiblat, and Marivie Mariano.
Virtus identifies best practices programs designed to help prevent wrongdoing and promote rightdoing within religious
organizations. The Virtus programs empower organizations and people to better control risk and improve the lives of all those
who interact with the Church.
CFC USAs objective is to assist CFC USA communities and parishes in understanding and implementing the Charter for the
Protection of Children and Young People. This involves training certification programs that advance the safety of children.
However criminal background screening will be coordinated at the diocesan level where the CFC USA member belongs.

ACF / C1

Defense of the Rights of the Family against Contemporary Totalitarian Tendencies of the State.
In the afternoon, simultaneous with the clergys
hour with Bishop Lafitte, several lay individuals
shared about the Lessons and Successes in Harmonizing Legislation And Culture with the Gospel.
In their testimonies, the sharers put emphasis on inculturation as an essential factor in harmonizing the
Gospel message with the rich cultures and traditions
of the countries in Asia. Furthermore, the sharers also

identified lack of education, poverty, distortion of the

natural law and migration as deterrents to strengthen
the morals of the Christians in Asia.
At the end of the Conference, the entire body
agreed that the family is the Church in the home,
and that the Church and the State must continue to
protect this basic unit of society. And that in todays
culture of death, the Asian faithful must pray and
work for the protection, preservation, and flourishing of every human family. (Alma Alvarez)

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

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

@CFChrist

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

Ugnayan

Realizing Acts 1:8 in our lives:

CFC Mission in Islamabad, Pakistan

By Allan and Cecil Patacsil

"May I call the next couple who successfully
completed the CLP by the grace of God... Allan
and Cecil Patacsil!" shouted the CLP Team Head.
My wife and I felt so happy as we humbly stood
up to collect our CFC kit that afternoon, followed
by a couple of photos that were taken while we
were receiving the kit as mementos for the special
event. The feeling and experience were unique and
extraordinary as other couples started to embrace
and welcome us as new members of Couples for
Christ. That happened 10 years ago. Since then, our
lives have never been the same again.
Little did we know that after 10 years in CFC,
my wife and I would be given an opportunity to
go on mission, to a place where we have never
thought of visiting. A place where Catholics are
minority and persecuted, and used to be a hiding
place of the world's most wanted terrorist. But the
bible says in Mark 6:7, Calling the twelve to him,
He began to send them out two by two and gave
them authority over impure spirits. Pretty much
the same instructions have been passed to us.
We came boldly
Yes, we were sent to Islamabad, Pakistan along
with Andrew and Elsie Bo to boldly and courageously proclaim God's good news and to let His people
know that He loves and cares for them by way of a
Christian Life Program. Human as we are, in the beginning we were hesitant and scared and had many
reservations. We prayed hard to God asking if He is
really serious about His plan of bringing us to that
place. God has given us His assurance of protection
as He declares in Jeremiah 1:8, Do not be afraid of
them, for I am with you, and will rescue you.
At Benazir Bhutto International Airport, God
confirmed to us that we are not alone in our jour-

ney and He is always with us. Two uniformed

men requested us to follow them for questioning.
The men turned out to be God's sent angels. They
offered us their contact numbers just in case we
needed them.
Miracles upon miracles
We have witnessed miracles upon miracles
unfolding before our eyes during the CLP. We
were struck by God's awesome power. Several
Pakistani priests and couples listened attentively
as we proclaimed God's word. There may have
been a language barrier, but gestures, actions, and
smiles were enough for us to feel their welcoming
love. The true meaning of loving your neighbor
came alive. Truly, there's no boundary in loving.
Our Pakistani brethren shared that they sometimes felt threatened as they are the minority, yet
were not afraid to be living witnesses of God. As
much as we carefully planned out the program, the
sequence of events kept on changing. We didn't
realize that God had really planned it well, and
as it turned out, it was what was best for all of us.
God really prepared our hearts. Acts 1:8 has been
realized in our lives: But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you
will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.
We praise and thank God for the wonderful
experience and awesome blessing He granted us.
We are so thankful to our elders in CFC for their
trust to let us go on that mission. We are also grateful to all brothers and sisters for their unceasing
prayers. Indeed, it is a humbling experience and
another victory for the Lord and CFC. We are
looking forward for our next mission.
My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,
your praises all day long. (Psalm 35:28). May
God's name be praised forever.

The Fertile Christian Soil of Namibia

C3

Re-establishing CFC Stronghold in Iraq

By Harold Grecia
Orona, Iraq Country
Coordinator
The moment I was appointed
as the country coordinator of
Iraq, I prayed intently and
asked for Gods direction,
praying that God will lead
us to proclaim his words
without any hindrance. God
always answers with His
marching order to Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations..., with a promise to,
Behold, I am with you to the
very end of age.
Gods plan was revealed
early morning of March 1,
2014, when I woke up at
5AM, grabbed my laptop
and started writing the Road
Map to Iraq which was later
presented as a Mission Plan
template during a gathering
of Cluster Heads who will
be acting as paired mission
partners to the UAE-based
Country Coordinators.
After calling the mission
team for a one-night orientation on Iraq, we had mixed
emotions among husbands
and wives especially after
presenting the history of Iraq
where Christians were beheaded and bombs exploded in Church premises. But
when I asked for their passport copies so that I could get
a security clearance, many
of them sent their passport
copies immediately without
hesitation. This gave me more
courage to act in spite of fear
because I have a team who
is courageous and willing to
answer Gods call.
Finally, the teamErick
Pagdanganan, Roy San Buenaventura, Philip Nulud and
wife Lyn, and myselfwill be

going out on mission.

The Holy Spirit leads
We arrived in Iraq on May 1,
2014 and at 2PM, had a meeting
with Fr. Douglas, who told us
the story of how the Christians
migrated out of Iraq and into
Erbil because of the war. He
told us that their story is a story
of constant migration, of trying
to find a secure land. He added,
Where there is love and justice,
there is your land.
He also narrated that the
people in Erbil have a fear of
modernization. Persecution
drastically reduced the Christian
population. From an initial 35
priests in Baghdad, the number
dropped to 14 priests after atrocities were committed. From 34
churches, number reduced to
16 churches only. From 2,060
families/clans, it dropped to 368
families/clans only. From 25,000
Christians in Baghdad, only
3,000 Christians remain. This is
due to the conflict between Suniite and Shiite Muslims in Iraq
where the churches are caught
in the middle of the war and
Christians were forced to flee.
After hearing that story, I felt the
Spirits prompting to change the
songs to be sung during the CLP.
Later, we had a dinner at
Lornas place, and we heard
horror stories of expats living in
Iraq being involved in abuses,
tainting the image of Filipinos
in Erbil. The talks which I studied were now beginning to take
shape and direction based on
local need.
The next day, May 2, we prepared the venue at 7AM and
we had a joint worship with,
Stephen, the Kurdish caretaker
of the Church. By 8AM no participant came and I was told by
Lorna, our contact, to announce
the Christian Life Program at the

basketball court where there

was an ongoing tournament
for basketball and volleyball.
I went without hesitation and
spoke. Immediately, 4 persons left the basketball court
and joined the CLP! At the
venue there were around 10
participants already waiting
for us to start. I immediately
got the guitar and started
teaching songs for the worship. God made it easy for us
to teach songs because most
of the attendees were members of the Choir.
And despite the distractions, God was so faithful and
gave us a good harvest. In the
middle of talk 9 before the
pray over session, I was led
to announce, Today marks
a special day in the history of
CFC because today we will reestablish the CFC stronghold
in Iraq. Because despite the
war, he was able to sustain
2 CFC couples, 2 SOLD, 7
HOLD and 8 SFCs to be part of
our community. And with the
help of Joy Lanuza, Cai Macawile, Manny (former SFCchoir master) Lorna and Lito,
we currently have around 25
members in CFC Iraq!
At the end of the CLP, we
prayed for the participants
and we sang songs of praises
thanking the Lord for what
He has given us. One member
shouted from the back saying
Lets do this CLP in Baghdad. We were amazed by
the revelation. We still have a
long way to go, but this promise sustains me: Christians in
Iraq will no longer wander
in the desert but bend their
knees before the Lord and
every tongue confess that Jesus is indeed our Lord. With
Gods Grace, this will happen
in His perfect time.

Burundi: A Mission With

Great Lessons

By Bads & Agnes Ellica

On 25 April 2014, the mission team of Errol Martinez (FTW Pretoria-based), Brian (South African
CFC), and Bads & Agnes Ellica (FTW Dubai-based)
touched down at the Namibian airport. Immediately, the team travelled to Dobra, an OMI retreat
house which is about 30 kilometers away from the
city. Located at the foot of mountain, the place was
simply captivating for those who love solitude.
The audible silence and the 15 degrees centigrade
weather seemed to conspire to make it an idyllic
place for a close encounter with the Lord.
The team was warmly received by Sr. Aida Manlucu, an American-Filipino nun who coordinates
the National Family Life ministry of the Catholic
Church, the office that subsidized the food and
accommodation of participants during the twoday course of the Christian Life Program for new
members and the Covenant Orientation for the
previous ones.
Namibia is basically a Christian country dominated strongly by the Lutheran whose followers
comprise 50% of the population of 2.1 million.
There are about 385,000 Roman Catholics that
represent approximately 17%.
Dobra Mission
The following morning, the team immediately
engaged in the hectic program of conducting
simultaneously the Covenant Orientation in one
room with ten participants, and the CLP in another
room with 45 participants. The speakers crisscrossed between the two activities, fully focused
on presenting the talks in 30 to 40 minutes so that
the 12 talks could be completed without sacrificing the 15-minute group discussions which is undoubtedly the most powerful tool for assimilation,
openness and group bonding.
The participants in the Covenant Orientation, together with Sr. Aida, are the leaders that comprise
the Fraternal Household. Despite their passion to
live out the CFC life and mission, the geographical
distance among them proved to be a challenge.

Yet, these leaders have all agreed to meet once a

month and committed to conduct the household
prayer meetings regularly in their respective areas.
It was inspiring to note that most of the CLP
participants had to travel 8 hours just to reach the
venue. But then, their passion for music and the
vibrant group discussions expressing their hunger
for God and a great desire to renew commitment
from couples to place God as the center in their
families, was truly overwhelming. Although the
participants found the talks familiar, many expressed being enlightened and guided, and found
a deeper perspective in their Christian life through
the CLP teachings. The program culminated with
a Sunday Mass on April 27, 2014 officiated by
Fr. Richard (Max) Jacobs, the National Spiritual
Director.
Off to Walvis Bay
After Dobra CLP, the mission team journeyed
for a day with Fr. Max to the northwest side of
Namibia at St. Peters Parish of Walvis Bay. It is
one of the important ports of the country where
the fishing industry serves as a huge labor force.
It is predominantly a German community where
the structures are noticeably peculiar compared to
the rest of the African continent.
The CLP was attended by 18 participants comprising of 3 couples, 1 SOLD, 1 SFC (Seminarian) and
the rest were HOLD. Originally there were about
30 participants who signed up for the CLP. However, due to the changes in the originally proposed
schedule because of visa problems coupled with the
long holidays, most went out of town for a vacation.
Like the Dobra CLP group, the participants found
the teachings enlightening and affirming. They appreciated the group discussions, the singing and the
presentations. Many expressed gladness to have
opted for CLP participation rather than proceeding
with their initial plan of going for the holidays just
like the others. There was confession and Sunday
Mass concelebrated by Fr. Max and Fr. Anthony,
placing the CLP graduation in a jubilant mood,
ushering in our new brethren in Couples for Christ.

By James Ssemwangu, Country

Coordinator, Burundi
On May 30, 2014, Team Burundi arrived in
Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. The team
included Robert Nnyanja, Carol Nnyanja,
Monica Ssemwangu, myself, and little Benjamin
Victor Kasuma.
After freshening up, our first encounter was
with our SFC brother named Proper, who passed
by the guesthouse to see if we had already
checked in. That evening we attended Mass at
the St. Dominics Chapel.
The following day, we were supposed to meet
His Lordship Bishop Evariste Ngoyangoye. It was
imperative that we meet and reintroduce CFC
to Bishop Evariste Ngoyangoye, because a new
Commission for Family Affairs was put in place.
Also, we learned that all communities coming
from outside Burundi had to be screened properly
and CFC was no exception.
At the Bishops residence, we were received
by a religious sister. Before we were ushered in,
it took about ten minutes while the sister asked
many questions in Kirundi and a little English.
Our SFC brethren Fiacre and Jean Baptist who
accompanied us were there to answer her questions. However, during the questioning, we were
told that the Bishop was away in Rome. But later
on, after so much explanation, we were finally
led inside. After hearing more about CFC, the
sister was convinced that we came with the best
intentions.
Later that afternoon we met Fr. Benjamin
at St. Dominics Church who agreed to invite

participants who will join us at Bujumbura

Cathedral for the CLP. Then we set off to meet
Fr. Ermes at Bujumbura Cathedral where we
were warmly welcomed. During the Mass, we
were introduced and later allowed to talk to the
congregation to invite them to attend the CLP.
Despite my unpolished French, we were able
to get our message across.
The following day we had training for leaders on how to handle households and also conducted the Covenant Orientation. We were also
able to talk to members of an English choir at St.
Dominics who came to the CLP.
However, as the CLP was almost set to start
there was a power outage. We had to say the
opening prayer in the dark! In my heart I asked,
Lord we are set to start, why does this have to
happen? But shortly after the opening prayer,
the power came back! Thank God!
At the end of the CLP we had fifteen new
members who had great enthusiasm to embrace the life in CFC.
Later on, I reflected: what did we learn in this
mission?
1. Patience despite the uncertainties, the Lord
will require us to be patient as we do His
work.
2. Gratitude for the support from CFC UAE,
and for the protection from the Almighty for
us and for our families while we were away.
3. Trust in the Lord our members in Burundi
are generally young but they are courageous
and determined even when things seem
unclear.
With these new lessons learned, we look forward to the next one!

Ugnayan

C4

CBCP Monitor

Vol. 18 No. 11

May 26 - June 8, 2014

CFC Singapore relives the Story of Our Lives

during 27th Anniversary

CFC Singapore National Head Patrick Thong: ' CFC is passionately witnessing in Singapore'

By Maita Cabinian
On the afternoon of May 4th 2014,
over 500 members of the CFC Singapore
community gathered in the brand new
UE Convention Centre to celebrate their
27th Anniversary. After the opening
worship led by Elmer Lobusta, the festivities began with a trip down memory
lane through a song and dance number
from the Creatives Group featuring an
original composition that narrated the
history of CFC in Singapore. This was
followed by colorful presentations from
each chapter, with couples singing and
dancing and members of all family
ministries joining in. Between the chapter performances, William Villaviray,
head of the North Chapter, and his
familyhis wife, Susan, and children
Miles, Seann, and Larahgave powerful testimonies on their journey with the
community, overcoming challenges and
looking forward to a long future and
greater service with CFC.
Midway through the afternoon, everyone was serenaded by the SFC Couple
Coordinators who performed their
song number that won second place
in the talent competition during the
recent SFC ICON. CFC SGs National
Head, Patrick Thong, then delivered an
exhortation on how CFC is passionately
witnessing in Singapore as evidenced

by the strengthening of its membership through transitioning SFCs into

CFC as they start their new families,
bringing them into the community; by
providing a home away from home for
weary travellers and welcoming local
Christians; and by sending out missionaries to other countries to help build the
church of the home and the church of
the poor.
Afterwards, the CFC SG Mission
Ready Teams launched the Mission
Volunteers Manual that they created
as a guide for those who go on mission
trips outside of Singapore. Thong led
the pray over for the new couples in
CFC and their families, for the Singaporean members who continue to be in
the community even the inactive ones,
for the youth leaders, and for the international missionaries. He closed with
a call for all members to renew their
commitment to the CFC Covenant by
reading and pledging to the statutes of
their Covenant Card.
The anniversary celebration ended
with a praisefest led by Rudy Dimayacyac, followed by the Holy Eucharist
officiated by CFC SGs Spiritual Director, Rev. Fr. Stephen Yim. While the
event started with a view of the past 27
years, it ended with the anticipation of
a vibrant and blessed future for CFC in
Singapore.

Month-long Celebration for Guams 19th

Anniversary

The month-long celebration of

the 19th CFC Guam Anniversary
began with several activities as
early April 2. A courtesy visit to
the Archbishop of Agana, His
Excellency Archbishop Anthony
Apuron was scheduled by Guam
CFC Country Head Greg Calvo,
who incidentatlly is a candidate
in the Deaconate Program. His
Excellency warmly welcomed
the group of Jess Ferrer, Country Coordinator; IC member
Mannix Ocampo and spouse
Aileen; Greg and Frances Calvo
and Governance Team member
Ebet Sapida.
The group presented to the
Archbishop the activities of CFC
worldwide and the forthcoming
33rd Anniversary in June, on
which the His Excellency was
extended invitation to grace the
weeklong celebration. Later on
in the day, a Family Ministry
Appreciation Talk was held at
the CFC Guam Mission Center
attended by leaders of the various Ministries.
Mannix Ocampo was on hand
to give the Appreciation Session
which was highlighted by a Q &
A portion. This was followed by
a session on the echo of the CFC
Leaders Conference on April 4,
again by Ocampo, dovetailed
with Talk 2, The New Evangelization from GLEC 2 delivered
by Bong Arjonillo.
The final event for the week,
The Beloved Weekend Conference was next in line and was
held at the Verona Hotel on

April 6, Sunday, attended by

around 150 members.
The first inspiring Talk, Ponder, The Family of Love, was
also delivered by Ocampo, with
his spouse spouse Aileen as
sharer. She recounted how their
marriage had almost failed before
attending the CLP. Local members Dennis and Lena Rodriguez
also shared their colorful family
life, sending many into tears. The
couple likewise honored their
parents, who were there every
time they needed guidance.
The next topic, Ponder, The
Mangers Message was given
by Reggie Ragojos. It was truly
an eye opener on the life of poverty that Jesus embraced. His
moving presentation, coupled
with the sharing of Caloy Nunez
made everyone realize the goodness of the Lord, especially on
how He had gifted CFC with
the two-fold mission of Building the Church of the Home
and Building the Church of
the Poor.
The third topic, Behold, the
New Mission given by Jess
Ferrer was equally motivating as
he exhorted the congregation to
bring Christ and CFC beyond the
island. His wife Mercy shared
about the New Evangelization
thru the CFC Migrants Program.
Couple sharers Ebet and Carrie
Sapida inspired everyone by telling about their arduous journey.
Despite the crosses they had to
bear, the couple held on and
were rewarded of their faithful-

ness. The third topic was capped

by the Prayer on the Commitment to Mission and later on the
distribution of the Mission Rosaries to all attendees, for them
to bring the Blessed Mother in
all their Evangelization efforts.
The fourth and last talk, Behold, The Beloved Son by Bong
Arjonillo was likewise empowering as the appreciative participants levelled up to their commitment to prioritize serving
the Lord in CFC thru Mary. The
sharing of Rene dela Cruz all the
more highlighted the importance
of our role as an alter Christus.
The conference highlight was
the Eucharistic Celebration at the
Santa Barbara Church in Dededo. Truly, it was one awakening
and empowering conference that
surely left a deep imprint in the
hearts and minds of all those
who attended.
The other anniversary activities included a Bowling Fun
Game Fellowship on May 3 at
the Century Lanes, followed
by the Anniversary Mass celebration at the Santa Benardita
Chapel on May 10 organized
by CFC Our Lady of Lourdes,
headed by its Spiritual Director
Fr. Danny Ferrandiz.
May 17 was be allotted to the
Family Ministries, particularly
the KFC and YFC as they set
ashore to go Dolphin Watching. Finally the Anniversary
Activities ended with the ANCOP Global Walk at the Lencho
Park in Dededo on May 25.

Twin Celebration for CFC Quirino

By Helen B. Buyucan
May 3,2014 was a very significant day for
CFC Quirino. For the first time ever, CFC
Quirino celebrated two occasions in one day:
the AGW 2014 and the provincial CFCs 18th
Anniversary. CFC Quirino province was the
first to conduct the ANCOP GLOBAL WALK
this year.
At 4:30 AM, CFC and its Family Ministries,
together with other supporters gathered at the
Barangay Hall of Cajel, Diffun, Quirino with
a noble aim to raise funds to support ANCOP
scholars. The 5km walk started at 5am after
the opening program. A PNP mobile, different chapters (Nagtipunan/Maddela, Aglipay,
Cabarroguis and Diffun), CFC leaders, bikers
headed by Fr. Ronie Flores, and other supporters like the Department of Agrarian Reform
paraded through the streets to raise awareness
about ANCOP and to raise funds for the AGW
scholars.
The walk ended at St. Mark Parish, Cabarroguis, Quirino where tired but enthusiastic
walkers had their salo-salo. Certain gifts were
awarded to the youngest, oldest and earliest
walkers.
The Holy Mass capped the AGW, and also
formally opened the official celebration of the
18th CFC Anniversary, with Rev. Fr. Mario

Ronillo S. Flores, the Spiritual Director of CFC

Quirino as the main celebrant. In his homily,
Fr. Flores emphasized on the theme of the anniversary, Know His Words, Proclaim His
Goodness: Behold and Ponder.
The CFC and its Family Ministries in pink
uniform had the processional march at St.
Marks gymnasium. Worship was led by
Rhomer Collado, Unit leader of CFC Cabarroguis, the host chapter. The Provincial Area
Head, Sammy de la Cruz, gave his anniversary
message, exhorting that CFC Quirino at 18 was
like a lady having her debut, which meant that
CFC Quirino is moving towards maturity. The
Regional Area Head, Steve Maningat and wife,
Minnie were glad to experience for the first time
CFC Quirino on its 18th Anniversary.
In his message, Maningat focused on LIFE
stating that in order to continue the mission
of Christ, each member of the community
must have L-Love, I-identity, F-fullness and
E-empowerment.
Lively intermission numbers from the different chapters entertained the group. After lunch,
activities resumed, highlighting parlor games,
the Bible Quiz and the raffle draw. The praisefest led by Baltazar Mamaoag, the Chapter Head
of Diffun, concluded the 18th anniversary. The
top CFC leadership later had their anniversary
dinner with Rev. Fr. Flores.