Pope Francis

baptizes infants, says

faith is their greatest
inheritance, A3

Monitor

TRUTH

PROMOTER
OF

PEAC E
20.

UGNAYAN
The News Supplement
of Couples for Christ, C1

CBCP

PROTAGONIST
OF

PHP

Overcome
indifference and
win peace, B1

00

VOLUME 20 NUMBER 1
JANUARY 11-24, 2016

Prelate to priests: Send

more poor delegates to IEC
By Rommel Lopez

AFTER setting a policy against soliciting or accepting payments for

sacraments, a Catholic archbishop
this time wants his parishes to stop
charging fixed rates for issuing
certificates.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas of
Lingayen-Dagupan said the move
is still part of the ongoing archdiocesan reform, as he reminded
the clergy not to commercialize
church services.
This is in consonance with
our collective vision to cleanse
the church of any semblance of
commercialism in the rendering
of Church services, Villegas told
his priests in a circular issued on
Jan. 11.

ASIDE from hoping that

more delegates from around
the globe would join the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress (IEC), Cebu
Archbishop Jose Palma calls
on all priests to find more
ways to shoulder the participation of more marginalized
and financially challenged
delegates to the event that
will be January 24-31, 2016.
We encouraged the parish priests of
Cebu to sponsor the participation of the
poor parishioners. The congress is not
only for those who can pay. This is for
everyone, said Palma in a press briefing
at the Arzobispado de Manila.
He also called on all parish priests to
organize a fundraiser to help send poor
parishioners to the once-in-a-lifetime
event aimed at deepening our love and
faith in the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Delegates, A7

Chants of Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno reverberated the whole route of the annual Black Nazarene procession from Quirino Grandstand in Luneta to Quiapo
Church in Manila on January 9, 2016. The wooden Black Nazarene, carved in Mexico and brought to Manila in the early 17th century, is deeply cherished and
believed to be miraculous by millions of devotees. ROI LAGARDE

CBCP warns vs. use of govt

resources in campaigning

The country will be having its national elections in May 2016. FILE PHOTO

THE Catholic hierarchy has

warned against using government
resources in the campaign for next
years local and national elections.
In a new voters guide released
on Tuesday, the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines said
government funds and offices

should not be used to advance any

political agenda.
CBCP president Archbishop
Socrates Villegas also cautioned
against subtler forms of coercion
and intimidation to promote a
particular candidate.
Campaigning, A6

in Asia almost a year ago,

said he was saddened by
the attacks and asked all
believers to reject violence
in the name of God.
The pontiff s feelings
were expressed in a telegram
sent by his Secretary of State
Cardinal Pietro Parolin to
Cardinal Orlando Quevedo
of the Cotabato archdiocese
on Monday, Dec. 28.
The Holy Father was
deeply saddened to learn
[about] the senseless killing of innocent people in
Mindanao, and he sends
condolences to the families of those who lost their
lives, the statement read.

Certificates, A7

Cardinal Tagle: Dont judge Nazarene devotees

CARDINAL Luis Antonio Tagle
of Manila does not want people
to judge the extreme piety of the
Black Nazarene devotees.
In his homily during a Mass
held few hours before the annual Black Nazarene procession
on Saturday, the cardinal said this
burning and fervent devotion is
the devotees expression of faith,
love and thanksgiving.
For the others who think the
devotees are just shoving each
other. That is not true! Tagle said.
Have you ever experienced
having nothing more to hold on
to? Once youve experienced that,
then the Nazareno is there for you.
Go to him. Hold on to him. You
will understand why the devotees
just want to get near Him. You
dont have anyone to hold on to,
but the Nazarene is there, he said.
In defending the ardor of the

Pope calls Mindanao attacks senseless

POPE Francis has condemned assaults by a
breakaway Muslim rebel
group that killed at least
nine civilians in Southern
Philippines, calling the act
senseless.
In simultaneous attacks,
outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters
killed (BIFF) seven farmers
and two other civilians in
Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, and North Cotabato
provinces on Christmas eve.
Responding army soldiers
also killed four rebels in the
Sultan Kudarat attack.
The Pope, who visited
the top Catholic country

No fixed amount
The new obligatory policy was
also agreed upon by the majority
of priests and religious men of the
archdiocese during their regular
meeting last Friday.
The policy states that baptismal certificates, confirmation
certificates, marriage certificates,
wedding banns, and similar documents must be issued to requesting
parishioners without requiring
any fixed amount.
In April last year, the archbishop
pushed an end to the system of
charging fixed rates for sacraments
and sacramentals.
Instead, Villegas, who is currently the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines presi-

The pontiff is also hoping that security and safety

will be established in the
troubled region so that
dialogue, tolerance, and
peace may enable each person to live free from fear.
Pope Francis also called
on the faithful to join him
in praying for the victims
and their families.
The BIFF broke away
from the mainstream Moro
Islamic Liberation Front in
2010 due to disagreements
over the peace deal with the
government which aims to
end decades of turmoil in
Mindanao. (R. Lagarde/
CBCPNews)

devotees, he noted how many

Catholics even lined up for more
than seven hours for the traditional Pahalik at the Quirino
Grandstand, enduring hunger,
thirst and the heat just to get a
few seconds to touch the revered
image.
Why do you sacrifice every
year? Getting less sleep, getting
hungry at time? Others get injured. Others faint because of the
heat. But why do you keep doing
it? The common answer is, This
is my way of showing my gratitude. I want to thank the Poong
Nazareno because of his undying
and unfathomable faithfulness at
goodness to me, he said.
Hold on to Jesus
The cardinal said devotees he
talked to said this sacrificing love
they express is their way of giving

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila. FILE PHOTO

something small back to the Lord

who gave a lot for all of us.
Tagle reminded the devotees
that they were not the first ones
to reach out to Christ because it

was Christ who came to reach out

to them.
When you feel you are alone
and you have no one to hold on
Devotees, A6

BBL in limbo, says cardinal Church rejects personal vows

COTABATO Archbishop
Orlando B. Cardinal Quevedo, OMI said the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is in
limbo and nobody knows
whats happening behind
the scenes.
In a recent interview, the
prelate said what he knows
are indications that President
Benigno Simeon C. Aquino
III is doing something to
have the BBL passed as it is
his legacy.
He underscored the need
to have the proposed measure passed in its original
form and not the emasculated and watered-down
versions proposed by Senator
Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. and Congressman

in wedding rites

ILLUSTRATION BY BROTHERS MATIAS

Greetings from Pope Francis

Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto echoed the sentiments of Palma by giving a challenge to
all Filipinos to bring the Eucharist who
is Christ [to those] living alongside the
people in the peripheries.
In the pilgrimage of Cebu, you take
the Gospel with you and reflect on St.
Johns Gospel [passage] on the bread of
life. And nothing more, said Pinto.

Archdiocese
removes
fixed fees
for canonical
certificates

Cotabato Archbishop Orlando B.

Cardinal Quevedo, OMI. FILE PHOTO

Rufus Rodriguez.
These watered-down versions will be unacceptable to
the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF), said the
76-year-old cardinal.
Normalization process
He added the BBL is the
BBL, A7

THE head of the Catholic

Bishops Conference of the
Philippines has clarified that
couples cannot write their
own Catholic wedding vows.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas,

CBCP President, said the

Rite of Marriage does not
provide an option for couples
to publicly express their love
in their own words.
Responding to queries
Rites, A6

A2 WORLD NEWS

Vatican Briefing
Pope to diplomats: Migrants present challenges, but dont
forget their dignity
Francis gave his first major speech of the year to the diplomatic
corps accredited to the Holy See, focusing on the hot-button
topic of migration and the need to find dignified solutions to
the problem. While the increasing number of migrants certainly
poses a challenge, Francis said that the basic human dignity of
those seeking a better life shouldnt be overshadowed by the
problems that come with them. Over the past year Europe
has witnessed a great wave of refugeesmany of whom died in
the attempta wave unprecedented in recent history, not even
after the end of the Second World War, the Pope told diplomats
Jan. 11. (CNA)
Vatican paper blasts Charlie Hebdo cover as insulting to all faiths
One year after the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris that left 12
dead, the Vatican daily newspaper has condemned the French
satirical papers anniversary cover which depicts God as an armed
terrorist. The illustration on the papers front cover is insulting
toward faithful of all religions, Anouar Kbibech, President of
the Conseil franais du culte musulman said in a Jan. 7 article in
the Vatican newspaper LOsservatore Romano. It is a caricature
which is not at all helpful at a time when we need to stand by
each other. Hebdos cover for the one-year-anniversary of the
tragedy uses Christian iconography to depict God as a terrorist
covered in blood, who is running away with a Kalashnikov slung
on his back. The title of the cover reads Lassasin court toujours,
translating roughly as the assassin is still at large. (CNA)
Missionaries of Mercy to be sent out under the gaze of Padre Pio
The body of Padre Pio will be on display for veneration at next
months Ash Wednesday Mass in the Vatican, where a group of
priests will be sent out as Missionaries of Mercy for the Jubilee
Year. Pope Francis has expressed his keen desire for the relics of
the Capuchin saint to be exposed during the Feb. 10 Mass in St.
Peters Basilica, said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the
Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
In a letter Archbishop Michele Castoro of Manfredonia-ViesteSan Giovanni Rotondo, Archbishop Fisichella explained that this
years Ash Wednesday is the day on which the Pope will send
the Missionaries of Mercy throughout the world, conferring on
them the special mandate of preaching and hearing confessions,
as a living sign of how the Father welcomes all those who seek
his forgiveness. (CNA)
Pope Francis baptizes infants, says faith is their
greatest inheritance
On Sunday Pope Francis baptized 26 babies in the Sistine Chapel, telling parents to nurture the faith in the lives of their children, because it is the greatest inheritance they can give. Dont
forget that the greatest inheritance you can give to your children
is the faith. Try to see that it is not lost, nurture it and leave it as
an inheritance, the Pope said Jan. 10. In his brief homily, the
Pope told parents that in bringing their children to the chapel to
receive baptism, they are imitating the act of Mary and Joseph,
who, 40 days after Jesus birth, brought him to the temple to
present him to God. This is how faith is transmitted from one
generation to the next, like a chain across time, he said, referring
to how it is faith that is received during the sacrament. (CNA)
Churchs credibility found in showing mercy, pope says in
new book
Being ministers of Gods mercy, church members overcome
prejudice and rigidity, taking risks like Jesus did in order to heal
and to save, Pope Francis said. In Jesus day, lepers were cast out
of the community to avoid contamination: the healthy needed
to be protected, but Jesus, at his own risk, goes up to the leper
and he restores him, he heals him, Pope Francis said in a new
book-length interview on mercy. By welcoming a marginalized
person whose body is wounded and by welcoming the sinner
whose soul is wounded, we put our credibility as Christians on
the line, the pope told the Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli
in The Name of God Is Mercy. The book was scheduled for a
worldwide release Jan. 12. (CNA)
Pope establishes Syriac Catholic exarchate in Canada
Pope Francis erected an apostolic exarchate for Syriac Catholics
living in Canada. The exarchate, a church jurisdiction similar
to a diocese established for Eastern or Orthodox Christians living outside their native land, will have its seat in Montreal, the
Vatican announced Jan. 7. The Vatican said the exarchate will
be made up of territory in Canada that was once part of the
Newark, New Jersey-based Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance for Syriac Catholics. It will include cities such as Ottawa
and Mississauga, Ontario; and Laval, Quebec. Pope Francis
also named Father Antoine Nassif as the first apostolic exarch
of the new jurisdiction. Born in Beirut in 1969, Father Nassif
worked in two parishes in Lebanon before serving as rector of
the patriarchal seminary in Charfet, Lebanon. (CNS)
Vatican agreement with Palestine goes into effect
A historic agreement signed between the Holy See and Palestine
that supports a two-state solution in the Holy Land has gone
into effect, the Vatican announced. The agreement, consisting
of a preamble and 32 articles, regards essential aspects of the life
and activity of the Church in Palestine, while at the same time
reaffirming the support for a negotiated and peaceful solution
to the conflict in the region, the Vatican said in a statement
Jan. 2. The two parties signed the Comprehensive Agreement
between the Holy See and the State of Palestine at the Vatican
June 26. The accord focuses mostly on the status and activity
of the Catholic Church in the Palestinian territories. It assures
the church juridical recognition and guarantees for its work
and institutions in there. (CNS)
Singing does good for the soul, pope tells young choristers
Singing is good for ones soul and, as St. Augustine says, Christian
life is not a sad path but a joyous one that is done singing and
walking, Pope Francis said. Remember this: Sing and walk,
the pope said Dec. 31 to 6,000 young choristers, their families,
friends and choirmasters from 18 countries. And in this way,
your soul will enjoy more the joy of the gospel. The young choir
members took part in the Dec. 28-Jan. 1 International Congress
of Pueri Cantores in Rome. They held concerts at several churches
in Rome and were scheduled to sing in St. Peters Basilica on
New Years Day. (CNS)

January 11-24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

CBCP Monitor

After week of silence, German

bishops respond to Cologne attacks
COLOGNE, Germany, Jan. 11,
2016A week after hundreds
were attacked in Cologne on New
Years Eve, Cardinal Reinhard
Marx, Archbishop of Munich
and Freising and president of the
German Conference of Catholic
Bishops, condemned the attacks in
a press release and called for more
vigilance in the future.
(T)he excesses in Cologne
and other large cities are deeply
disturbing for our society and can
in no way be tolerated, Marx said.
We need accurate information
and a clear response from the
authorities.
Over 500 criminal complaints
about 40 percent of which
involve allegations of sexual
assault have been filed to
the German police regarding
attacks that took place in the
square outside Colognes main
train station on Monday night
according to BBC.
Wo m e n a p p e a r e d t o b e
intentional targets of the attacks,
which were allegedly carried out
by large groups of seeming Arabs
or North Africans.
The incident has sparked
national and international
controversy, with accusations of
a cover-up by the police, media
and politicians after investigations
indicated many of the attackers

Cardinal Marx at the German Bishops press conference at the Teutonic College on
October 5, 2015. BOHUMIL PETRIK/CNA

were men who entered the country

as refugees.
The local police have been
inundated with accusations over
the delay in informing the public
about the attacks. They have also
been criticized for supposedly
holding back information about
the nationality of the suspects.
German bishops also faced
criticisms for their failure to
respond in a timely manner.
In his Jan. 8 statement, Cardinal
Marx warned that these new
forms of violence and especially
the inhumane treatment of

women cannot be tolerated

and he demanded that all the
different forces in society must
work together to prevent this type
of incidents and guarantee safety.
As a Church we are here
to make our contribution to
participate in a society that lives in
mutual respect, he stated.
The Cologne chief of police,
Wolfgang Albers, lost his job over
the controversy. He was dismissed
Monday, Jan. 11.
A police report leaked to press
noted that when he was arrested

one of the suspects exclaimed

Im a Syrian. You have to treat
me well. Mrs. Merkel invited me,
referring to German Chancellor
Angela Merkel.
In late November, Merkel was
harshly criticized for promoting
an open door policy for refugees,
despite various security concerns.
In 2015, the country took in more
than 1 million asylum seekers,
largely from North Africa and the
Middle East.
In a statement to the BBC,
Merkel described the attacks as
repugnant criminal acts that
Germany will not accept.
The German Chancellor
demanded that everything that
happened there will be brought
to the table.
We must examine again and
again whether we have already
done what is necessary in terms
of deportations from Germany, in
order to send clear signals to those
who are not prepared to abide by
our legal order.
Cologne Mayor HenrietteReker
also came under fire for her
response to the attacks, when
she initially refuted the link to
migrants and said that the city will
be publishing online guides to
help women and girls be better
prepared when they go out at
night. (CNA)

As the Year of Mercy opens, so does this

new mercy-themed university
ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 10, 2016Only a
few weeks into the Holy Year of Mercy and
the fruits of the jubilee year are already starting to be seen.
Among those seeing these fruits is the Institute for Psychological Sciences (IPS), which
recently announced that it would be opening
a new School of Counseling for the 2016
year and taking on the name Divine Mercy
University.
This has been a long-term project for the
institute, said Jessie Tappel, the director of
communications for IPS.
Its been really exciting to see the expansion that we have been able to have, based on
demand, the needs in the field, and on the
positive response we have received in our degree
programs, she told CNA.
The Institute for Psychological Sciences was
founded in 1999 in Arlington, Virginia by a group
of mental health professionals and originally offered degree programs in the field of psychology.
Now, the institute is expanding under the
launch of Divine Mercy University to collectively offer doctorate and masters degrees in
Clinical Psychology and Counseling, with the
newly minted School of Counseling.
The fields of psychology and counseling
are two different fields, so we now have two
schools - the school of psychology, which is
IPS, and the school of counseling, which is
our new school we are launching with our first
programs in the fall, Tappel explained.
The new School of Counseling will give
students the opportunity for national accreditation as mental health counselors and will also
be available to students online.
Its something very new that we are going to
be doing - you could basically be taking classes
from any state through our online program,
which is great because the reach of our alumni
and our students is going to exponentially
grow, Tappel said.
The new namesake of the institution is not
without meaning. Tappel calls Divine Mercy
University a mission-centric name with an
outward focus on mercy.
Christ asks us to be His instruments of
mercy and healing in the world, stated Fr.

Current students of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, now a part of Divine Mercy University. DIVINE MERCY
UNIVERSITY.

Charles Sikorsky, the president of Divine

Mercy University, in a Dec. 29 press release.
Divine Mercy Universitys programs not
only prepare graduates to excel in their fields,
they also provide a foundation in understanding the totality of the human person, their
value and dignity, he continued.
For the faculty and students, the theme of
mercy is essential to the mission of healing the
human person, which is why they chose Divine
Mercy as the anchor of their education.
What we do is train mental health professionals with a foundation in psychology,
philosophy, and theology to be able to have an
understanding of the human person, marriage
and family - and we needed to encapsulate
that, Tappel noted.
Its really exciting that we are launching during the Year of Mercy, which is something that
is definitely providential, because we are paying
special attention to the theme of mercy, what
we need as humans, and what the meaning of
suffering is, she said.
Unlike many other psychology programs,
Tappel believes Divine Mercy University sets
itself apart by tackling the deeper, anthropological questions of the human person in light
of Catholic faith.
The university can go above and beyond
the limits of modern psychology because of its
roots in the Catholic-Christian definition of
man, she said. This understanding approaches

the healing of clients from a holistic vantage,

rather than the typical symptom reduction
treatments or the nearsighted band-aid approach.
In contrast, Tappel said, the Divine Mercy
psychology and counseling programs explore
how a human person can flourish in the midst
of suffering by focusing on the deeper questions
every human person has, such as: Who am I?
What is suffering? and How do I attain true
happiness and freedom?
Our program is very unique because of that
aspect, she said, adding that students spend
their time learning psychology through the
lenses of philosophy and theology, in addition
to their rigorous academic and clinical work.
Looking forward, Divine Mercy University
hopes to expand their reach in other areas, such
as offering certificate programs for those who
do not need a degree program.
It is our responsibility to be able to go out
there to reach and train solid, mental health
professionals with a Catholic-Christian view of
the human person, Tappel stated, saying their
mission has been encouraged by the positive
responses they have already received.
Divine Mercy University really signifies
the willingness and openness to the responsive
demand of human suffering, she continued,
adding we are looking forward to what the
future will hold for us and for our place in
society. (CNA)

Church set on fire in Lahore

LAHORE, January 11, 2016A
church building in eastern Pakistan
has been set ablaze following a row
over the use of its loudspeakers during Muslim prayer times.During
the evening, Muslim villagers went
to Pastor YaqoobSaroya and asked
him to turn the loud speaker off,
saying that it was the time for
Islamic prayers but he refused,
SardarMusthaq Gill, a Christian
lawyer and head of the Legal Evangelical Association Development,
told ucanews.com.
The Apostolic Church building in
the Baath neighborhood in Lahore
was conducting a healing prayer
session at the time on Jan. 7.Later
that night, someone broke into the
church building, set furniture, tents
and other stuff on fire and escaped,
Gill said, adding that several copies
of the Bible were also burnt.SobaSa-

roya, brother of the local pastor who

lodged a police complaint, said local
Muslims were cooperating with
church officials to help identify the
culprits.There is no tension in the
neighborhood at this moment.
A meeting between Christians
and Muslims took place Jan. 10
to settle the matter amicably, Saroyasaid.Father Emmanuel Yousaf
Mani of Lahore condemned the
arson attack on the church. This
is the first incident of attack on our
place of worship this year.
The government should immediately apprehend those responsible
and urge people against taking the
law into their own hands, said the
director of the Catholic bishops
National Commission for Justice
and Peace.Father Mani said he has
always been cautious when Mass
timings coincide with the Muslim

The Apostolic Church building in the Baath neigborhood of Lahore was set ablaze Jan.
7. UCANEWS

call for prayers.I always instruct

my catechists to lower the volume
of church loudspeakers during
Islamic prayer.Nonetheless, both
sides should respect anothers religious practices, he added.
Pakistan has witnessed several
such instances of violence against
Christians. In November last year,

the office of a Christian TV channel,

Gawahi was damaged in an arson
attack.In May last year, mobs attacked a church and set fire to Christian homes in DhoopSerri, Lahore
after they accused Christian youths
of burning pages from a Koran.Two
months earlier, blasts at two Catholic
churches killed 15 people. (UCAN)

CBCP Monitor

A3

January 11-24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

Pope Francis baptizes

infants, says faith is their
greatest inheritance
VATICAN, Jan. 10, 2016On Sunday
Pope Francis baptized 26 babies in the Sistine Chapel, telling parents to nurture the
faith in the lives of their children, because
it is the greatest inheritance they can give.
Dont forget that the greatest inheritance you can give to your children is the
faith. Try to see that it is not lost, nurture
it and leave it as an inheritance, the Pope
said Jan. 10.
Francis celebrated Mass for the feast
of the Baptism of the Lord in the Sistine
Chapel, where he kept with papal tradition and baptized several infants. This
year there were 26 13 girls and 13 boys.
In his brief homily, the Pope told parents that in bringing their children to the
chapel to receive baptism, they are imitating the act of Mary and Joseph, who, 40
days after Jesus birth, brought him to the
temple to present him to God.
This is how faith is transmitted
from one generation to the next, like
a chain across time, he said, referring
to how it is faith that is received during
the sacrament.
Eventually the infants baptized will
grow up to be parents themselves, and will
ask the same thing for their own children,
he observed: the faith, the faith that is
given in baptism, the faith which today

Vatican City - December 15, 2015. Press conference on Pope Francis 2016 Message for the World Day
of Peace at the Holy See Press Office. CNA

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

brings the Holy Spirit into the hearts,

souls and life lives of these, your children.
Pope Francis then pointed to the specific point in the rite of baptism in which
the parents are handed a lit candle, and
told to safeguard the faith of their newly
baptized babies.
He told them that faith is the greatest
treasure they can leave their children, and

encouraged them to make this faith grow

throughout the lives of their children.
This is what I wish for you today,
which is a joyful day for you. I hope
that you will be able to help these
children grow in the faith, and that the
greatest inheritance they can receive
from you is the faith. (Elise Harris/
CNA/EWTN News)

Modern-day popes bravely meet the press:

anarchists, atheists, apostles
VATICAN, Jan. 8, 2015
Before he was elected pontiff,
Pope Francis had a reputation
for not liking to do interviews.
Really, I dont give interviews. But I dont know why.
I cant, thats just how it is. I
find it a bit tiresome, but Im
grateful for your company, he
told the more than 70 journalists from all over the world
accompanying him aboard his
first papal flight to Brazil for
World Youth Day in July 2013.
The pope, who was unafraid of breaking long-held
practices, looked like he was
ready to end a decades-long
tradition of taking questions
from reporters on papal flights.
One veteran journalist from
Mexico sought to reassure the
new pope that even though he
might feel hed been thrown
into the lions den by coming
to the back of the plane to
meet the press, the truth is
that we arent that ferocious.
Something eventually happened to change his mind
because, six days later, on the
return trip back to Rome,
Pope Francis opened the floor
to journalists, answering every
question posed in an 80-minute session.
And ever since then, the
pastor who never liked interviews has become the mostinterviewed pope in history.
The nearly 600 responses
hes given to reporters questions in less than three years
are now compiled in a 368page book, in Italian only,
titled Pope Francis Replies:
Every Interview and Press
Conference.
While Pope Francis is the
most prolific with the press, his
late-blooming bravery turns
out to be a common trait of
modern-day popes, according
to the books introduction,
written by Giovanni Maria
Vian, a church historian and
editor-in-chief of the Vaticans LOsservatore Romano

Whats the plan for reforming

Vatican communications?

newspaper.
Vian traces in great detail
the history of papal interviews,
and how these universal pastors became increasingly confident and open to the worlds
media.
The first pope in modern
history to enter the so-called
lions den wasaptlyPope
Leo XIII when he sat down
in July 1892 with Caroline
Remyan anarchist, feminist,
lapsed Catholic and one of the
best-known reporters of the
time in France.
The twice-divorced 37-yearold, whose pen name was
Severine, had written to
the Vatican secretary of state,
presenting herself as a woman
who had been Christian but
remembers the importance of
loving the least and defending
the weak, and as a socialist
who, even if not in a state of
grace, has kept intact in her
wounded heart a deep respect
for the faith and esteem for
the aging pontiff.
The first papal interview in
modern history was quickly arranged and lasted 70 minutes,
Vian wrote.
Remy, who took no notes
during the encounter, spent
that afternoon writing the
story and submitted a draft
the next day to the secretary
of state, who only made a few
rewrites before it appeared on
the front page of Le Figaro,
Vian said.
Just a few months before,
Pope Leo had sat down with
Ernest Judet, the French editor
of what would soon become
the world largest newspaper,
Le Petit Journal. The private
audience, Vian said, does not
count as an actual interview
since the pope met the editor,
not to take questions, but to
give him a declarationessentially the gist of his upcoming encyclical On the Church
and State in France.
The next time a pope sat

down with a reporter was on

Palm Sunday in 1959 after
St. John XXIIIs secretary,
now-Cardinal Loris Capovilla,
contacted Indro Montanelli,
who was working for the Italian daily, Corriere della Sera.
The journalist said, years
later, the pope had wanted an
interview with a writer who
wasnt a part of the Catholic
world and therefore skipped
over his coworkera Catholic
and veteran Vatican reporter,
Silvio Negro.
Montanelli said the papal
invitation scandalized his editor, who did not like the pope
giving an interview at all,
and especially not to a secular
outlet: In his mind, the pope
should be speaking in Latin.
Despite the historic and commercial coup of clinching a
papal interview, the piece ended
up on the papers third page,
Montanelli said, because the
editor was afraid a big splash
would hurt Negros feelings.
The real turning point in the
papal approach to the press
came with Blessed Paul VI
toward the end of the Second
Vatican Council, Vian said.
One evening in 1965, the
pope sat down with another
reporter from Corriere della
Sera, Alberto Cavallari, who
said the pope explicitly rejected the classic monologue
of the popes.
Cavallari wrote that the pope
told him times had changed
and today millions of people
no longer have any religious
faith. Hence the need for the
church to open itself up. We
need to address those who no
longer believe and those who
no longer believe in us.
Blessed Paul saw sitting
down with the secular press
as the next necessary form of
papal communicationThis
is dialogue, Cavallari reported
the pope as saying.
Talking, explaining oneself, wanting that the speaker

not feel isolated, knowing

how to listen, always looking
to demolish the walls created between a person and the
pope seemed to be a key part
of Blessed Pauls personality,
Cavallari wrote. The conversation was frank, relaxed,
unscripted and reflected the
pope was aware he had to
face the risk of communicating
in a way that was direct, agile
and genuinely human, the
journalist wrote.
That approach, especially in
seeking out and responding
to the secular world, has continued the past half-century,
as Blessed Pauls successors
have sat down for interviews
with atheists, philosophers,
converts and cradle Catholics.
Blessed Paul was the first
pope to invite the press onto
the papal plane to travel with
him during his trips abroad,
Vian wrote.
While Blessed Paul would
simply greet those flying with
him, St. John Paul II started
speaking directly to journalists
during the flights and began
the aboard-the-papal-plane
news conferences, which continued under Pope Benedict
XVI and, despite his initial
fears, Pope Francis.
On that flight back from
Brazil, Pope Francis told reporters how happy and spiritually renewed he was to have
been cast among the throngs of
young people. He said foregoing heavy security meant I
could be with the people, hug
them, greet them, without
armor-proof cars. Its the security of trusting in the people
and God.
I prefer the craziness of being out and running the risk,
he said, which may be what
led to him to take that other
risk of being cast to the den at
the back of the plane where, he
admitted, Ive seen the lions
werent so ferocious. (Carol
Glatz/Catholic News Service)

VATICAN, Jan. 9, 2016Amid the

lengthy process of reforming Vatican
communications, the Secretariat of State
has stated that the Holy See press offices
administrative and human resources
branches are to be handed over to the new
Secretariat for Communications.
The announcement came in a Dec.
21, 2015 letter signed by Cardinal Pietro
Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State.
The letter also noted that the press offices Bollettino, used to deliver official information, will remain under the control
of the state secretariat, in accordance with
Pastor bonus, the 1988 apostolic constitution of St. John Paul II which regulates the
functions and tasks of the Roman Curias
dicasteries and departments.
The Holy See press offices other activities, however, will be coordinated
with the communications secretariat so
as to secure the unification of all the
communications processes, which are
within the competence of the Secretariat
for Communications.
Cardinal Parolins letter recalls that
the Pope entrusted the Secretariat for
Communication with a comprehensive
restructuring of all Holy See communications efforts.
The drafting of the statutes of the
Secretariat for Communication is still
underway, but the letter clarifies that the
Holy See press office will be part of the
new secretariat.
The project for the restructuring of
Vatican media is proceeding on a fouryear plan. According to a source within
the Secretariat for Communications, the
secretariat will take over control of the delivery of official information at the end of
that term, and the passage of competences
from the Secretariat of State to the communications secretariat will be gradually
assessed in the course of these four years.

The same say as Cardinal Parolins

letter was delivered, the Holy See press
office announed the appointment of Greg
Burke as its deputy director, and of Stefano DAgostini as director of the Vatican
Television Center.
Burke has served as the Secretariat of
States senior advisor for communication
for three years; he will replace the current
deputy director, Fr. Ciro Benedettini, who
will retire as he will turn 70 in February.
Burke is likely to serve as a liaison between
the state and communications secretariats.
DAgostini has spent all of his career
within the Vatican Television Center. He
replaces Msgr. Dario Edoardo Vigan,
who is now prefect of the Secretariat
for Communications. DAgostini was
technical head at CTV, and will largely
manage the organization of filming, while
the Secretariat for Communications will
manage the content.
The Pontifical Council for Social Communications will likely be absorbed by the
Secretariat for Communications, which
is expected to move its headquarters to
the building which currently hosts the
pontifical council.
Archbishop Celli, currently president of
the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, will turn 75 in July, reaching retirement age. He is not expected to be replaced.
Archbishop Cellis deputy, Monsignor
Paul Tighe, was transferred Dec. 19, 2015,
to the Pontifical Council for Culture. He
is to be its adjunct secretary, and will be
consecrated a bishop.
At the conclusion of the four-year plan
for the reform of Vatican media, it is likely
that all offices involved in Vatican communications will be under the control
of the Secretariat for Communications.
Moreover, a unified newsroom to manage
news content is being studied. (Andrea
Gagliarducci/CNA/EWTN News)

Budget cut on contraceptives

a welcome move
MANILA, Jan. 8, 2015Church officials have welcomed the legislatures
decision to cut the governments P1
billion budget for contraceptives.
Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of
Lipa archdiocese told reporters he
thought it was very Filipino
I hope all P1 billion will be spent
to construct schools, give high education and moral formation for the
young, and job opportunities for
adults, said Arguelles who heads the
CBCP Permanent Committee on
Public Affairs.
Heath Secretary Janette Garin earlier said the agencys 2016 budget for
the procurement of contraceptives had
been scrapped when it passed through
Congress.
Senator Vicente Tito Sotto,
however, said less than P200 million only was removed from the
budget for contraceptives, including injectables that are considered
abortifacients.
Senator Loren Legarda, who chairs
the Senate committee on finance, also

defended the budget cut, saying it was

meant to increase the budget of other
agencies.
She said part of it was also used for
the increase in the state universities
and colleges budget.
Legarda added that a part of the P1
billion was even realigned within the
health department to provide for the
health facilities and medical assistance
to indigent patients.
Fr. Jerome Secillano of the Nuestra
Seora del Perpetuo Socorro Parish
Church in Manilas Sampaloc district,
said it is perplexing that a law that
prevents life from developing should
be funded.
It is, therefore, good to know that
no budget is allocated for the procurement of contraceptives, he said. Its
a welcome news.
Theres still much to be done.
The government should be more
proactive in funding programs that
will help people rise up from their
miserable conditions, Secillano said.
(CBCPNews)

Missionaries of Mercy to be sent out under the gaze of Padre Pio

VATICAN, Jan. 6, 2016 The
body of Padre Pio will be on display for veneration at next months
Ash Wednesday Mass in the Vatican, where a group of priests will
be sent out as Missionaries of
Mercy for the Jubilee Year.
Pope Francis has expressed his
keen desire for the relics of the
Capuchin saint to be exposed during the Feb. 10 Mass in St. Peters
Basilica, said Archbishop Rino
Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of
the New Evangelization.

In a letter Archbishop Michele Castoro of ManfredoniaVieste-San Giovanni Rotondo,

Archbishop Fisichella explained
that this years Ash Wednesday is
the day on which the Pope will
send the Missionaries of Mercy
throughout the world, conferring
on them the special mandate of
preaching and hearing confessions, as a living sign of how the
Father welcomes all those who
seek his forgiveness.
The presence of St. Pios remains, he said, will be a pre-

cious sign for all missionaries and

priests, who will find strength for
their own mission in the wondrous example of this untiring,
welcoming and patient confessor,
an authentic witness of the Fathers
mercy.
These Missionaries of Mercy are
priests who, during the Jubilee of
Mercy, will be given the faculties
to pardon sins in cases otherwise
reserved to the Holy See.
St. Pio of Pietrelcina, colloquially known as Padre Pio, was a
priest of the Order of the Friars

Minor Capuchin, a stigmatist,

and a mystic, who lived from
1887-1968. He was beatified in
1999, and canonized in 2002 by
St. John Paul II. He was born in
Pietrelcina, but ministered in San
Giovanni Rotondo from 1916
until his death.
Februarys exposition of Padre
Pios remains at the Vatican is part
of the relics tour for the Year of
Mercy, which will include stops
in Rome and Pietrelcina, according to newly released information.
Italian media reports that Padre

Pios relics, which reside in the

shrine at San Giovanni Rotondo,
will arrive Feb. 3 at Romes Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside
the Walls, where it will remain
through Feb. 4, under the care of
the Capuchins.
On Feb. 5, the relics will be
carried in procession from Saint
Lawrence to St. Peters Basilica,
where they will remain until Feb.
11. Various events will be held
during this period, including a
papal audience Feb. 6 with members of Padre Pio prayer groups,

workers at the Home to Relieve

Suffering founded by St. Pio
in 1956 and faithful from the
Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni
Rotondo archdiocese.
On Feb. 9, Pope Francis will
preside over Mass with Capuchin
brothers, Padre Pios own order,
from around the world.
After Mass Feb. 11 for the feast
of Our Lady of Lourdes presided
over by Archbishop Fisichella,
St. Pios relics will be taken for
three days to Pietrelcina. (Ann
Schneible/CNA/EWTN News)

A4 OPINION

January 11-24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

IN October last year, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma delivered

a talk at the Holy See Press Office in Rome about the forthcoming 51st International Eucharistic Congress that will
be held in Cebu on Jan. 24 - 31, 2016; to be preceded by a
theological symposium on Jan. 20-22.
In that talk, he asked for prayers so that the Congress should
bear fruit along the lines of the following objectives: a) to
promote an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in
the life and mission of the Catholic Church; b) to help and
improve our understanding and celebration of the liturgy; c)
to draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist.
The pastoral directions of the International Eucharistic
Congress when it was first held in the Philippines in 1937
may not be farfetched. But, disputably though, it has deepened mostly along the path of the liturgical or devotional.
The crowd of churchgoers, for instance, that fills up parish
churches on Sundays is relatively higher than in other Catholic
countries, although PCP-II observed that the number is still
small vis--vis the total Catholic population in a locality. This
observable fact says rather loudly about how most Filipinos
love the Eucharist. In Europe and even North America as in
other parts of the world, Filipinos have a signature presence
in Catholic Churches, especially during Sunday masses.
But one thing that has been found very much wanting
is the difficulty of translating the social dimension of the
Eucharist into praxis. = Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle calls
this practical atheism which is very prevalent among many
Filipino churchgoers. In one of his homilies some years back
he said; During Sundays, we profess our faith in God. But
starting Monday, cheating happens because of money we
take advantage of other people for our own interests.
In a press conference last month, Archbishop Palma announced that he has created a committee on social concerns
among the many committees of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress. We should be able to make the poor believe
that we who benefit from the Eucharist should manifest this
in our concerns, especially for the less privileged, he said.
This is a tall order. But this will make so much difference,
especially in the context of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of
Mercy.

IEC at the home of Sto. Nio

WITH the guidance of the Pontifical Committee on International Eucharistic Congress we started our preparations both
in the national level through the Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines and in the local level in the Archdiocese
of Cebu. Various Committees were formed and documents
related to the I.E.C. were prepared. In a few months our
Theological Committee has proposed relevant themes. During our meeting in Rome, the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians 1:27 Christ in you, our hope of glory was chosen as
most appropriate. The visit and ocular inspection of the Most
Rev. Piero Marini, President of I.E.C., Fr. Vittorio Boccardi
and Anne Griffin to Cebu that September of 2012 proved
most helpful in their practical assessment and orientation.
In the midst of our preparations for I.E.C. two natural
disasters happened in our country in 2013. The earthquake
that occurred on October 15 and the super typhoon on
November 8 confirmed that indeed as Bishop Claver, S.J.
pointed out Philippines has the unenviable title of being the
natural disaster capital of the world. The whole world has
seen that death by thousands and destruction of infrastructures and crops by the billions (others say, in fact they are
unquantifiable) descended particularly in the Visayas islands.
As expected the entire country focused our efforts for immediate relief and rehabilitation. Cebu played a major role as the
center of communication, transportation, relief operations
and rehabilitation efforts. Understandably, preparations for
I.E.C. slackened if not really halted. At this point may I,
in the name of my brother Bishops and the entire country,
sincerely thank you for the prayers and for the various support or aid given to our country. The visit of the Holy Father
last January 15 to 19 proved most consoling for our people
In 1937 IEC in Manila a phrase in a popular song made
us claim that we are a pueblo amante de Maria. 79 years
after that, we renew the claim with fervor that we have become lovers of Mary, because we know she has loved us in
the first place. We entrust this I.E.C. to Mary, mother of the
Eucharist. May she who was there at the foot of the cross
when Jesus offered this supreme sacrifice of love be with us
that like her we may be imbued with the missionary spirit.
Devotion to Seor Sto. Nio de Cebu is the oldest devotion
in our country. The image of the Child Jesus is the gift of the
Spanish explorers to Queen Juana and Rajah Humabon on
the occasion of their baptism. The special feast of the Santo
Nio in the Philippines is celebrated on the third Sunday of
January. In Matthew, the wise men from the East came to
adore the Child Jesus and they offered to him their gifts. It
is our prayer that many will come to Cebu, home of the Sto.
Nio. He who would eventually offer His body to eat and
blood to drink in the Eucharist. And like the Magi they will
go home returning on different routes of conversion and
mission bringing home the gifts they have received from the
Lord Jesus.
- Excerpts of the talk given by Archbishop Jose Palma
at the Holy See Press Office in October 2015
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OF

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Monitor
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Editor-in-Chief

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Features Editor

Living Mission
Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

POPE Francis is truly a pope of

mercy. This fact was clearly demonstrated by the theme chosen
for his January 2015 visit to the
Philippines: mercy and compassion.
As noted by the Philippine bishops
in their pastoral letter: The Holy
Father has clearly laid out his wish
that the main objective of his visit
is to bring Christs compassion for
our suffering people, still struggling to rise from the devastation
wrought by the earthquake and
typhoon.
In a unique way Pope Francis
has focused the Churchs attention
on the theme of mercy and the
poor. His document, Misericordiae Vultus (The Face of Mercy),
proclaims an entire year of mercy,
extending from December 8, 2015
[50th anniversary of the close of
Vatican II] to November 20, 2016
[Feast of Christ the King]. Francis
says: We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It
is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and
peace. Mercy [is] the bridge that
connects God and man (MV 2).
God, Father of Mercy. Scripture clearly affirms that God is the

Father of mercies and the God

of all consolation (2 Cor 1:3).
Our God is rich in mercy (Eph
2:4). One of Jesus best known
parables is that of the merciful
father (though often known as
the parable of the prodigal son):
Lk 15:11-32. The magnanimous
father shows his overflowing love,
mercy and compassion to both of
his sons. There is great rejoicing
because the younger brother, presumably dead, has returned alive. A
close reading of this narrative reveals
the overflowing mercy and tenderness of the compassionate father.
Jesus, the Face of the Fathers
Mercy. In Jesus of Nazareth,
mercy has become living and
visible. Indeed, whoever sees
Jesus sees the Father (cf. Jn 14:9).
Jesus entire life and his person is
nothing but love, a love given gratuitously. The signs he works,
especially in the face of sinners, the
poor, the marginalized, the sick,
and the suffering, are all meant to
teach mercy. Everything in him
speaks of mercy. Nothing in him
is devoid of compassion (MV
8). Jesus felt deep compassion

Gifts for priests

Part 2

Mercy: The Beating

Heart of the Gospel
for the crowds (Mt 9:36). Jesus
spoke many parables devoted to
mercy: the lost sheep, the lost coin,
and the father with two sons (Lk
15:4-7, 8-10, 11-32).
Church, Community of Mercy. Mercy is the very foundation
of the Churchs life. All of her
pastoral activity should be caught
up in the tenderness she makes
present to believers; nothing in
her preaching and in her witness to
the world can be lacking in mercy.
The Church lives an authentic life
when she professes and proclaims
mercy and when she brings
people close to the sources of the
saviors mercy, of which she is the
trustee and dispenser (MV 11).
The Church is commissioned to
announce the mercy of God, the
beating heart of the Gospel.
Wherever there are Christians,
everyone should find an oasis of
mercy (MV 12).
Mary, Mother of Mercy. My
thoughts now turn to the Mother
of Mercy. No one has penetrated the profound mystery of
the incarnation like Mary. Her
entire life was patterned after the

presence of mercy made flesh.

She treasured divine mercy in her
heart. Her hymn of praise (Lk
1:46-55) was dedicated to the
mercy of God. At the foot of
the cross, Mary, together with
John, the disciple of love, witnessed the words of forgiveness
spoken by Jesus. This supreme
expression of mercy towards those
who crucified him shows us the
point to which the mercy of God
can reach (MV 24).
Christians and the Practice of
Mercy. Some guidelines for our
living-in-mercy are: (1) Manifesting Gods mercy is a duty for every
Christian; it is not optional; (2)
Mercy addresses suffering / poverty of various types in the world:
physical, spiritual, personal, structural, and psychological; (3) We
need to practice mercy both ad
intra and ad extra [both in and
beyond our homes and communities]; (4) Mercy is demanding; it is
not easy; yes, its demands are often
inconvenient and unpredictable;
it impinges on our personal plans
and schedules; it is not only giving
things, but giving ourselves.

And Thats The Truth

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

A NUMBER of readers responded to our last

columns request for gift-suggestions for priests.
Priests birthdays and anniversaries occur all
year round, and because we enjoy celebrating
them by giving gifts, sometimes we run out of
gift ideas. Before you shop around for the next
gift-worthy event, it might be good to consider
this list from our readers; with the best of intentions we dont want to waste anything by giving
the wrong gift to our beloved consecrated
men. Here goes:
For a practical, affordable gift: Ask the
priest what his projects or parishioners need,
as I did with our newly assigned parish priest.
He gave me a list from which I picked something I could afforda small electric kettle
for quick water-boiling, 290 pesos. Yes, its an
impersonal gift, but very useful, and benefits
all who are served tea or coffee in his office.
This one thinks of the priests safety even

when asleep: A simple reliquary he may put

in his bedroom so he sleeps in the company of
his favorite saints.
For instant do-it-yourself relief at work:
Something that he can use for relaxation, like
a hand-held massager for aching shoulders. Or
healing aromatic oils. Our family has many
priest-friends, and we are sure they appreciate
this one.
Another stress-busting suggestion: Puzzles
of any kind would be appreciated. They momentarily distract [us] from problems.
This reader gave a number of guaranteedto-work suggestions: Find out his interests.
Sports? Give him towels, elbow guard, knee
guard, athletic socks. Music? Give a collection of best hits from several genres, saved in
a USB flash drive. Beach-walking? There
are good-quality but inexpensive beach shoes
availableI once gave a pair (bought at a

Candidly Speaking
Fr. Roy Cimagala

tiangge) to a priest who wore them (even

when driving) until they disintegrated, then
asked me to buy him another pair after. He
really loved them because theyre comfortable,
durable, and cheap.
This one thought about the priests flock
as well: Mompo may be ordinary but it is
a practical gift; the priest will never not need
it, and you lessen the expense of the parish by
giving it, too.
This came from someone organizing a
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) training for priests: I believe that the best gift for
priests would be a seminar that will make them
effective preachers, counselors, and healers.
You can give a personal gift, too, like this:
Personalized stationery would be both useful
and unique. I got the idea when I was visiting
a friend who owns a printing press. I saw the
And Thats The Truth, A6

Politics and
the Year of Mercy

CBCP

Pedro C. Quitorio

News Editor

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The social dimension

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Circulation Manager

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POLITICS and mercy can and

should be together. Contrary to
what many people may think,
politics is in great need of mercy,
otherwise it has no other alternative but to go to the dogs.
It should never be thought of as
an anything-goes affair, an open
field for all kinds of shenanigans
to take place. We need to break
away from that mindset, for the
simple reason that it does us no
good, it corrupts us as a person
and as a people, it can only generate a vicious cycle of evils.
When politics is merciless,
one evil generates another which
reinforces the former that again
spawns another evil, and so on

and so forth, until the whole atmosphere is completely polluted

and poisoned. The worst thing
that can happen is when this unfortunate state of affairs becomes
normal to us.
Just like any human endeavor,
politics should be done in the
framework of charity and mercy.
Mind you, that framework does
not undermine the realism we
need to have when doing politics. On the contrary, it enhances
such realism, but prevents it from
deteriorating into a heartless and
inhuman activity. We need to
explode the myth that charity and
mercy would hinder the workings
of politics.

With mercy, our politics can

remain human and with a heart,
capable of seeing things with
utmost objectivity and realism,
and with the proper priorities
preserved and defended. Charity
and mercy can only sharpen our
desire for truth, justice, and the
common good, without taking
immoral and illegal short-cuts.
What good does a general
political culture of bashing, mudslinging, and fault-finding do? If
thats our idea of being objective
and realistic, we as a people are
still light-years away from the
spirit of Christ whom most of us
profess to believe and follow. Put
in another way, we would seem

to be in the primitive stage yet

as a people insofar as politics is
concerned.
Christ precisely was undeterred
by sin and the many miseries of
men. In fact, sin and the human
miseries made him to be most
solicitous of us, showering us with
an abundance of his mercy.
What only got his goat was the
self-righteousness of some people
who were quick to judge others,
to find fault in them, even if they
themselves have their own shortcomings and other worse things.
This self-righteousness is precisely what is most opposed to
the spirit of Christ. Its not mens
Candidly Speaking, A7

CBCP Monitor

OPINION A5

January 11-24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

Justice and mercy

By the Roadside
Rev. Eutiquio Euly Belizar,
Jr., SThD
A PRIEST and a judge were seated beside
each other during a wake. The conversation
turned to legal matters. The judge was trying
to underscore the superiority of the law over
anyone or anything in human society. You
see, Father, as we say in the legal profession,
We are a government of laws, not of men,
he said. For example, if I were to commit a
crime, say murder or slander someone, I must
be given my just desserts, a jail sentence if
need be, because even if I am a judge, I am
not above the law. The priest thought for a
while and said, How true. But if you were to
come to me for confession and you were truly
repentant, I would have to give you absolution
because Gods mercy is above the law.
It is wrong to draw from this story the
conclusion that justice and mercy are at loggerheads and one of them ultimately triumphs
over the other at some point in life. Still,
considering the relation between justice and
mercy is no mere theoretical exercise. It is at
the heart of a believers life.
The more human society matures the greater
its sense of justice as a rule to live by. St. Augustine, in fact, in his commentary on John
the Evangelist, exclaimed, Fiat jus et pereat
mundus (Let justice be done, though the world
perish). For Pope Francis this is no surprise
at all. He even thinks justice is necessary for
any aggrupation of human beings. Justice, he
asserts, is a fundamental concept for civil society, which is meant to be governed by the rule
of law. Justice is also understood as that which
is rightly due to each individual (Misericordiae Vultus, no. 20). He, however, also points
out that there is a sense of justice that leads to
an extreme condition called legalism. He cites
the case of justice in the OT being equivalent
to the full observance of the (Mosaic) Law and
the behavior of every good Israelite in conformity with Gods commandments, a legalism
can be overcome only by bearing in mind that

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

in Sacred Scripture justice is conceived as the

faithful abandonment of oneself to Gods will
(ibid.). Time and again Jesus shows us in the
Gospel that this so-called faithful abandonment of oneself to Gods will can mean more
than observing the letter of the Law of Moses.
In fact, in regard to the Pharisees and scribes
who excelled in literal observance of the Law,
he warns his hearers, I tell you, then, that if
you are not righteous in a way better that the
teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, you
will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt
5:20). He contrasts the doing of the letter of
the Law to what the will of God fully and more
perfectly demands. Consider his teaching on
the fifth commandment: You have heard that
it was said in the past, Do not commit murder;
anyone who kills will have to face trial. But I
tell you, whoever gets angry with his brother
will have to face trial. Whoever insults his
brother deserves to be brought to the Sanhedrin, whoever humiliates his brother deserves
to be thrown into the fires of hell (Mt 5:2122). Or on adultery: You have heard that it
was said: Do not commit adultery. But I tell
you this: anyone who looks at a woman with
lust has already committed adultery with her
in his heart (Mt 5:27-28). On this two alone
it is easy to see that for Jesus, justice does not
necessarily mean the mere observance of the
letter of the (Mosaic) Law.
No, we are not trying to give justice a bad name.
We are rather leading the conversation to
what happens to justice when faith in Jesus
Christ comes into the equation. In fact, the
Holy Father declares that Jesus himself has
transformed justice by putting faith above the
observance of the Law, saying to objecting
Pharisees, Go and learn the meaning of I
desire mercy and not sacrifice [Is 6:6]. I have
come not to call the righteous but sinners (Mt
9:13) [MV 20]. Jesus, says the pope, expands
justice that divides people into just and sin-

Happy and Sad Seeds

ners based solely on obedience or disobedience

to the Law. This he does by revealing the great
gift of mercy that searches out sinners and offers them pardon and salvation (ibid.).
This conversation is further enriched when
we turn to two figures in the Gospels: John the
Baptist and Jesus. As John preaches repentance
and judgment to sinners, it becomes clear how
he is a prophet who underscores justice because
he tries to turn sinners back to obedience to
the Law, though in a sense above the literal
legalism of the Pharisees. On the other hand,
Jesus mingles with and accompanies sinners,
searching them out, dining with them and
inviting them to his company because This
is the time of fulfillment; the kingdom is near
at hand and it is in relation to this that they
are further invited to repent and believe in
the good news (Mk 1:15). The justice and
judgment preached by John the Baptist is
not opposed to the preaching and practice
of Jesus but leads to the further revelation by
Jesus himself of Gods mercy. John the Baptist
does end up being the Messiah; he gives way
to Jesus the Christ. Justice may indeed lead to
obedience to Gods commandments, but it is
the mercy of God in Jesus Christ that leads
to salvation. Mercy, says the pope, is not
opposed to justice but rather expresses Gods
way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him
a new chance to look at himself, convert and
believe (MV 21).
Lets digress and take a hypothetical case.
If suppose you were a father and you told
your children not to play with matches, and
they disobeyed you resulting in your house
being burned down, would you not save your
children because, in your line of reasoning, by
justice they deserve the consequences of their
disobedience? I doubt it. In life you would let
mercy triumph over justice when it concerns
persons you love. Should it be any less with
God, the Father of us all?

Whatever

Fr. Francis Ongkingco

ELLY, what are you doing, honey?
Sortin out the seeds, mommy,
Little Elly said. She had scattered
a pile of monggo seeds in front of
her and was sorting them out between a pink cup and an ordinary
paper cup.
What goes into the pink cup,
dear? Her mom asked.
They are the happy seeds,
mommy!
Happy? How do you know
they are happy?
I look at them very closely, she
took a seed and stared intensely at
it that she almost got cross-eyed.
Then?
Then, I feel happy, she giggled
as she placed the last seed into the
pink cup.
And if it isnt?
Then it goes into the other
cup.
***
We may not have Ellys gift of
discerning happy from sad seeds.
But we all know, without needing
any special gift, when we are either
happy or sad. Moreover, we are
aware of what can make us happy
and what can make us sad.

The usual cause of common

sadness, not including psychoemotional disorders, would be
unfulfilled goals and expectations.
This is especially true when we
have sincerely worked for them.
But this kind of sadness has a redeeming value in fortifying ones
will and tempering the passions.
It is unlike the sadness resulting
from selfishness.
Selfishness, is a kind of sadness
masked by an apparent happiness. One actually isnt happy but
only content with oneself: to have
eaten, enjoyed, slept, and earned.
The only capacity for growing in
this condition is the thickening of
the egos layers and blinding one
from the needs of his neighbor
and society.
One of the best ways to overcome this selfishness, more so
when one is really feeling down
and out, is sowing happy seeds.
How can one who is sad sow happiness? Humanly speaking, this is
quite unnatural because it would
be hard to give what one does not
have. But spiritually, this is not
only meritorious, but will even
make the soul happier and holier.
Fulton Sheen has a reflection

that may help us to understand

better the idea behind Christian
self-giving or sowing happiness:
There is a law about mercy just
as rigid as the laws of nature. What
we sow, that also we reap. If we
sow sparingly we reap sparingly.
If we sow generously we reap an
abundant harvest. () In other
words, by thinking of others we
get God to think of us. If the seed
of the springtime thought only
of self, but never of the soil, the
rain, and the sun, it would never
bloom and blossom into flower
and fruit. But once it forgets
itself and goes outside itself, and
even dies to seed-life for the sake
of the soil and sun and air, lo! it
finds itself renewed and beautified
a thousand times. (The Cross and
the Beatitudes)
Let us learn to sow happy seeds
every day. Even though sometimes
the weather conditions dont seem
all too favorable due to discord,
violence, lies, and all forms of
immoral storms and surges. Thus,
Pope Francis would suggest that
the keys to happiness within our
families and society could be
found in three secret phrases:
May I?, Thank you, and Im

sorry. (Audience, 13-V-2015)

***
Elly finished sorting out the
seeds. Her mother could not help
but be amused with this childlike
game she was in.
What are you going to do with
the sad seeds, Elly? She asked.
I guess I will plant them in the
backyard, she replied.
You will still plant them? Why
not throw them in the garbage
can?
Nah, who knows if they
change, they may give wonder
flowers and seeds later on, Elly
stood up to dispose of her seeds.
How do you suppose they will
change, dear?
Maybe I could cheer them up
with a song or a joke before planting them, she said gleefully as she
disappeared behind the kitchen
door.
***
If we patiently sow even the tiniest seeds of a smile, understanding,
and kindness, the bad weather will
pass and the seeds even the ones
that seem sad will bear fruits of
happiness and peace watered with
Gods grace and mercy.

Better Late than Never

Spaces of Hope

Fr. Carmelo O. Diola

TOO bad my good friend, Inting Visarra,

and I arrived three weeks later. We were at
House no. 20 East at 72 St. between Madison
and Fifth Avenues in Manhattan. This was
Pope Franciss residence when he visited New
York City last 24 and 25 September 2015. But
then, even if we had arrived earlier, we would
not have been able to make it to first base.
Still, once in a while, we can imagine, cant we?
Intings Talibon kababayan, Archbishop Bernie Auza, Permanent Observer of the Vatican
to the UN, had been Pope Franciss point man
in the Big Apple. He had graciously invited us
for supper along with some priests from New
York and Utah. This turned out to be a very
pleasant and informative evening.
Inting had been my student at the theology seminary of Cebu where he succeeded at
knowing what his vocation was. This former
seminarian is now married to Dindin and they
have four girls, ages 9-15. He had graciously
provided me much-needed company and
mobility support.
The house of the Permanent Observer of
the Holy See to the United Nations is a six
story concrete building, 10,960-square-foot,
of neo-Renaissance style, whose interior is
mostly made of high-quality wood. It had
been donated to the Archbishop of New York

Duc In Altum

in 1975 by the heirs of the late Hugh J. Grant,

who served as New York City mayor from
1889-1892. The building does not have an
imposing exterior.
As the evening progressed, so did rchbishop
Bernie show a good grasp of many current
issues that were of interest to his guests from
New York City and Utah. His ready wit fueled
much laughter.
***
The good prelate from Bohol had shown
his mettle in the aftermath of the earthquake
that demolished much of Haiti in 12 January
2010 and killed about 200,000 people. He was
Papal Nuncio there.
He reminisced about a local painter in Haiti
who had approached him on a beach and could
tell that he was a priest although he was not in
a clerical attire. He had since purchased some
of the painters works, one of which hangs in
his present residence.
He also showed us the room where Pope
Francis had stayed for two nights and told us
how Lolo Kiko had shown up thirty minutes early for a morning fellowship with his
(Archbishop Bernies) family last 25 September.
If my memory serves me right, Monsignor

Bernies parents will soon be celebrating their

70th wedding anniversary and they still travel
together!
This brief meeting with Abp. Bernie had
been part of my effort to invite delegates to
the 51st International Eucharistic Congress
to make a side trip to Tacloban and Tagbilaran
to experience the joyful and resilient faith of
Filipinos.
This side trip had been part of the plans of
the Solidarity and Communion Committee
(SCC) of the 51st IEC. The SCC is tasked
with ensuring the dignified participation of the
poor during the IEC. This plan, however, took
a back seat in the face of the many demands of
the SCC, like identifying and preparing 500
street and other very poor children. This also
means coordinating with parishes and groups
who will actually reach out to and catechize
the children.
Last September, the plan was revived due
to a confluence of factors. SCC decided to do
social marketing and actual legwork in the US
to invite more delegates and include the said
side trip. This is named the Break Bread campaign. The travel itinerary emerged on a daily
basis. It was also my first hands-one experience
in social marketing. Using Archbishop Palmas
Spaces of Hope, A6

May 2016 Usher in

Peace and Prosperity!
TIME flies so fast. Christmas has passed and the New Year is
now here. May the 51st International Eucharistic Congress
in Cebu from January 25 to 31, 2016 be a successful one,
especially with the theme Christ in you, our hope of glory.
The choice of the Philippines as the venue was announced by
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during the Eucharistic Congress
held in Dublin, Ireland in June 2012. The Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines hopes that the congress will
deepen the Eucharistic devotion in the Philippines and
prepare for the 500th anniversary of evangelization in the
country in 2021.
***
We pray that the Extraordinary Year of Mercy ushers in
peace and prosperity in the whole Philippines. In this Holy
Year, let us follow and observe what Pope Francis said:
We look forward to the experience of opening our hearts
to those living on the outermost fringes of society: fringes
modern society itself creates. How many are the wounds
borne by the flesh of those who have no voice because their
cry is muffled and drowned out by the indifference of the
rich! During this Jubilee, the Church will be called even
more to heal these wounds, to assuage them with the oil of
consolation, to bind them with mercy and cure them with
solidarity and vigilant care. Let us open our eyes and see the
misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters
who are denied their dignity, and let us recognize that we
are compelled to heed their cry for help! May we reach out
to them and support them so they can feel the warmth of
our presence, our friendship, and our fraternity! May their
cry become our own, and together may we break down the
barriers of indifference that too often reign supreme and
mask our hypocrisy and egoism!
***
The Episcopal Installation of Most Rev. Pablo Virgilio
Ambo David as the 2nd Bishop of the Diocese of
Kalookan was a huge success. Attended by 3 cardinals,
Their Eminences Luis Antonio Tagle, Orlando Quevedo,
and Gaudencio Rosales; the Apostolic Nuncio Archishop
Giuseppe Pinto; 9 archbishops - Socrates Villegas of
Lingayen-Dagupan, Jose Palma of Cebu, Paciano Aniceto,
Archbishop Emeritus of San Fernando, Florentino Lavarias
of San Fernando, Ramon Arguelles of Lipa, Jose Advincula
of Capiz, Rolando Tirona of Nueva Caceres, Romulo
dela Cruz of Zamboanga, Ernesto Salgado; 28 bishops
and hundreds of clergy from the Diocese of Kalookan,
Suffragan Dioceses of Manila and Pampanga, other Dioceses
in the country, the male and female members of religious
congregations, who travelled from far and wide just to be
with Bishop Ambos Canonical Possession of the Diocese
of Kalookan.
The cities of Caloocan, Malabon, and Navotas comprising
the Diocese prepared a simple civil ceremony before the
Installation Ceremony where the symbolic key of each city
was presented by the mayors to Bishop Ambo, witnessed by
congressmen and vice mayors.
In his homily, Bishop Ambo read the Gospel as a 3-fold
lesson on what it takes to be a good presentor of the Messiah
to the world, like John the Baptist. First point: Knowledge of
Oneself (Pagkilala sa sarili); Second Point: Knowledge of the
One Being Presented (Pagkilala sa Ipinakikilala); Third Point:
Emptying of Self (Paglimot o Pagbuhos ng Sarili).
Knowledge of Oneself. Knowledge of who we are goes
with it knowledge of who we are not. He thanked the
People of God of the Diocese for the warm welcome. He
said he is not Christ; he is Ambo and prefers to be called
Ambo, which according to his American friend, ambo is
the English word for stand from which the Word of God is
proclaimed.
Knowledge of the One Being Presented. He said the Jesuits
of San Jose and Loyola School of Theology had taught him
3 things: to see God clearly, to love God more dearly, and
to follow God more nearly in Jesus, day by day All of us,
members of his body are called to represent Him. He told
his brother priests that ours is a call, not just to talk about
Christ but to make Him truly present: to speak so that he is
heard, to touch so that his hand is felt, and to lead in such a
way that he himself leads. This he said, can be done by totally
forgetting ourselves.
Emptying of Self. Kenosis. Bishop Ambo mentioned that
John the Baptist stated that required of every Presenter of
the Christ He must increase and I must decrease; that
Christ himself went for a total emptying of self; that St. Paul
describes this as the gracious act of God, who for our sake
became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty
you might become rich. He pointed Pope Francis words
when he said, the higher in rank, the humbler he expects us
to be. We are, after all, miserando atque eligendo; wretched
but chosen.
His message to the Caloocan clergy. Dear brothers, like
John the Baptist, I know who I am and who I am not. I have
no illusion about shepherding the faithful of Kalookan alone.
Like you, I count on the grace of ordination that binds us
together so that together, we can truly become sacraments
of Christ, the One True Shepherd of the Church. As we
grow together in discipleship and mission, let us try to know
ourselves and one another well; let us know Him whom we
are called to present to the world; but above all, let us learn
to empty ourselves.
***
We greet the clergy from the Diocese of Kalookan, January
birthday celebrators, Msgr. Alex Amandy, Fr. Adrian Magnait,
and Fr. Leo Gilbero and those celebrating their sacerdotal
anniversary Fr. Alberto Caballero, and Fr. Benedict Cervantes;
also Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of Lipa City. Happy
Birthday also to Jun Hio and Gigi de Lara of Radio Ministry
and Hello Father 911 Saturday Edition and Marlon Laquio
of the Diocese of Kalookan.

A6 LOCAL NEWS

January 11-24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

CBCP vows to fight

coal plants

AFTER the Paris climate deal,

the Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines has vowed to
oppose new coal-fired power plant
projects in the country.
CBCP president Archbishop
Socrates Villegas asserted using
coal as a power source will do more
harm to the public.
The church will oppose the
opening of new coal-fired power
plants and advocates the denial of
government permits and licenses
to coal mines, stressed Villegas in
a statement.
After two weeks of intense
discussion, a deal to cut planetwarming carbon emissions to less
than 2C has been agreed upon
at the climate change summit in
Paris this month.
Interest of big business
Although hailed as a landmark
agreement to address the climate
crisis, local environmental activists
criticized the deal because it only
advances the interest of corporations and big emitters.
It is important as well to reflect
on the Paris outcome and its significance to the Philippines and
its vulnerable communities, the
Philippine Movement for Climate
Justice said.
The prelate said the Church
will do its share in protecting the
environment as he called on the
faithful to to make local threats
to global warming and climate
change a matter of community
discernment.

And the action to in response

to these threats, is a matter of community resolve, said Archbishop
Villegas.
Action points
He also called on the parishes
to desist from those practices that
aggravate an already-precarious
situation such as:

wasteful maintenance of
so many, unnecessary vehicles

the irresponsible use of
electric power

the wastage of water

laudable livelihood efforts that nevertheless pose a threat
to the environment
The CBCP also urged Catholic
institutions, including schools, to
make the increased use of alternative energy sources a priority of
research and development.
Destructive operations
The PMCJ said there are 26 new
coal plant projects that will operate in the country by year 2010.
Caritas Philippines executive
secretary Fr. Edwin Gariguez
earlier warned these projects
would open another door for the
Philippines to become a major
contributor of greenhouse gasses.
He called on for a more aggressive Church campaign against coal
power plant, saying the government is adamant in pursuing the
extension of these destructive
operations. (Roy Lagarde / CBCPNews)

Rites, A1

from some couples preparing for

their weddings, he said that personal spiritual expressions should
not be mixed with the liturgies of
the Church.
Mixing personal pious devotions with the liturgy could confuse, remove or diminish the focus
of the action of Christ Himself in
the liturgical action. The liturgy
is not ours to change at whim,
Archbishop Villegas said.
He stressed that the regulation
of the sacred liturgy depends
solely on the Vatican and in
limited cases, to the bishops
conferences.
Hence, no other person, not
even a priest may add, remove or
change anything in the liturgy on
his own authority, he said, citing

a provision from Sacrosanctum

Concilium, the Constitution on
the Sacred Liturgy.
Based on these norms, the idea
of pronouncing personal vows inserted within the wedding liturgy
must not be allowed, Archbishop
Villegas added.
Some couples like to write their
own vows to express their love for
one another more personally.
According to the prelate, one
option for couple who want to
publicly express their love in their
own word would be to read it at
the wedding reception.
Let us not compromise the
sacred character of the wedding
rites on the altar of romanticism,
Archbishop Villegas said. (R. Lagarde/CBCPNews)

Spaces of Hope, A5

unforgettable expression, I am still

not a resident of social marketing but I am moving there.
We targeted Filipino-Americans
who would then invite friends of
other nationalities.
***
Seven states were visited, each
with its own distinctive surprises.
People offered hospitality. I was inspired by how our Christian faith
enables Filipinos not only to cope
with but also to become stronger
in their struggles as immigrants.
I had a deepened appreciation of
the ever-present altars in Filipino
homes. One family in NYC even
attributes to their altar the miraculous sparing of their house from a
blaze that gutted their neighbors
places above them and immediately to their side.
In two separate occasions, two
prominent priests from NY and
from LA, after I told him of my
mission, spontaneously said, You
Filipinos keep our parishes alive.
Another one even more boldly
said, If there is a group of people

2015, a year of disappointing

economics prelate
ARCHBISHOP Oscar V. Cruz
said 2015 was a very disappointing year primarily because of the
harsh socio-economic realities.
I call on photographers to visit
certain areas in North Harbor to
see how people are with poverty
becoming the new normal, he
explained in an exclusive interview
with CBCP News. Almost all
food commodities in the market
are imported, if not smuggled,
added the former CBCP president.
According to Cruz, poverty has
become well-entrenched in many
areas in Metro Manila, keeping
conditions deplorable for countless famlies.

The CBCP plenary assembly. FILE PHOTO

who deserve to be visited twice by

Pope Francis, it is you, after I told
him the Pope would not be there
for the 51st IEC.
I had entrusted this trip to the
Virgin of Guadalupe. She saw to it
that doors were opened, even unexpected ones. Riding in an Uber
taxi in Washington DC on my way
to Union Station, I got to know
the driver, an African-American
named Neil. When he found out
I was Catholic, he opened up since
he too was Catholic who daily
reads the Bible. When he found
out I was a priest, he started talking about holiness and the need to
strive to be one.
What is holiness for you? I
probed him. After some moments
of reflective silence, he answered,
It is to think good and pure
thoughts and to try to behave
as much as possible like Jesus. I
must say, he is right on the dot.
There is now a call center for the
Break Bread campaign with a toll
free International number (+001855-432-7445). There is still some
window of opening to join the said
campaign. Better late than never.

CBCP Monitor

Imported food, garbage

Not only food is imported

because we also imported garbage

from Canada and God knows
from which other countries,
said the Archbishop Emeritus of
Lingayen Dagupan.
He described outgoing President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino
III as one whos against the
people, against population but at
the same time uses people in the
person of overseas Filipino workers whose remittances [keep] the
countrys economy afloat.
Cruz said there is no truth to
President Aquinos claims that the
Filipino people are his bosses
because in truth and in fact, his
close collaborators, those handling
public funds and appropriate
them for their own benefit, are the
ones who have Mr. Aquinos ear.
The slogan daang matuwid is

anything but matuwid, he insists.

Wheres the newly-enacted
General Appropriations Act of
2016 coming from? the prelate asked. He said most of the
budget comes from direct and
indirect taxes levied on rich and
poor Filipinos.
Un-free elections
A significant portion of it
would come from foreign borrowing, Cruzs further said. He added
he fears the coming budget would
be mishandled by government
executives as in previous years.
He specifically mentions the
Department of Social Welfare
and Developments Conditional
Cash Transfer (CCT) where he
believes beneficiaries are being
shortchanged by some govern-

ment officials.
In connection to this, Cruz
expressed fears the upcoming May
2016 elections will not be free
because when people are poor,
they are not free. He said with
a government budget of over Php
3 trillion, it would be easy to buy
and sell votes.
The 81-year-old prelate said he
believes the incoming administration equipped even with a little
intelligence, could do a lot for the
people.
The retired Lingayen-Dagupan
archbishop said the country has
transformed itself into a country of
illegal drug manufacturing, women
and children up for sale through
the internet and killings which
occur regularly, among other concerns. (Melo Acua/CBCP News)

Bishop lauds Qatar amnesty for 10 OFWs

A CATHOLIC bishop lauded Qatars amnesty for prisoners, including 10 Filipino
workers.
Bishop Ruperto Santos, chairman of the
CBCP Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People, said the Church is grateful to
the benevolent actions of the Emir, Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
We appreciate the kindness and charitable pardon of Qatar to our 10 OFWs,
Santos said.
On this Jubilee of Mercy we experienced
acts of mercy and compassion. Lives have

been spared from punishment. Lives have

been saved, he said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the
clemency were granted on the occasion of
Qatar National Day on December 18, 2015.
The agency, however, did not identified
the pardoned Filipinos and their offences.
The Emir usually issues pardons twice a
year, the other during the holy month of
Ramadan. In July 2015, the Emir pardoned
12 Filipino prisoners as part of the annual
Ramadan tradition.
Now from the pardon of Qatar we have

lessons to be learned: gratitude be shown by

more dedication to works and being more
disciplined to the laws and customs of those
countries, Santos said.
The prelate also called on the government to show compassion to our suffering
OFWs by preserving and promoting their
rights.
He said these include ending the P550
Philippine airport terminal fee for OFWs, respect of balikbayan boxes, and prosecuting
the tanim-bala extortionists. (R. Lagarde/
CBCPNews)

Devotees, A1

to have faith. Hold on to Jesus.

Jesus is carrying you, said Tagle.
He will not let you astray, even
if His shoulders are wounded. He
is carrying you. He is holding you.
And while He is holding you, He
thanks God. You are not heavy.
You are not a burden, he added.
Intl Eucharistic Congress
The cardinal also called everyones attention to the upcoming
51st International Eucharistic
Congress (IEC) which the country is hosting in Cebu on Jan. 24
to 31.
He said that Nazareno devotees
might not be able to get near the
image of the Black Nazarene, but
they must look to the Eucharist as
the fulfillment of their devotion.

In the Eucharist we see the

works of Jesus which we need to
follow, Tagle said.
He invited the faithful to imitate Jesus whom they want to
touch as a thanksgiving for graces
and favors granted thru the image.
Touched, giving thanks, offered ones self. That is the Eucharist. That is the devotion to Hesus
Nazareno. That is the Eucharist.
That is the life of the one who
believes in Hesus Nazareno. That
is why we too will hold on to Him
give thanks to Him and give our
life to others, he said.
Delusional, devotional
Former Minor Basilica of the Black
Nazarene rector Msgr. Jose Clemente
Ignacio agrees with the cardinal.

He stressed that the whether

some expressions are delusional
or devotional, it is the heart, the
interior of the person, that will
often decide if an expression is
right or wrong It is only God
who could see through the hearts
of these peoples.
I hope, before we make easy
judgments about devotions, we
must fully understand why people
express their faith the way they
do. Popular piety involves the
whole person, not just the mind.
It might me a mystical experience
even which we do not understand.
We only need to respect them,
Ignacio said.
The priest added that being a
pastor of Quiapo humbled him
and made him understand and

encounter the faith of the simple

people.
From where ordinary parishioners stand, one can feel the
intensity and sincerity of their
devotion, Ignacio also said.
Tagle earlier said that in order to
understand this fiery devotion one
needs to be walking with a devotee.
To understand the devotee you have
to be a devotee. Only a devotee could
best understand a devotee, he said.
Local authorities estimate the
crowd at the Luneta to have swollen to more than a million during
the Mass.
The number of devotees even
got bigger before the Traslacion which officially started
at 5:43 a.m. (Rommel Lopez/
CBCPNews)

Campaigning, A1

It is Gods will to provide his people with

shepherds after His merciful heart! said Villegas.
The appeal was among the 10-point guideline for Catholic voters deriving from the moral
teachings of the Church.
Life, family
Still refusing to endorse any particular candidates, the bishops, however, urged the faithful
to reject political aspirants who are opposed
to the Churchs stand on family and life issues.
They said that in good conscience, a
Catholic voter cannot support a candidate who
supports abortion, euthanasia, the return of the
death penalty, divorce, and same-sex union.
The Catholic voter must evaluate candidates according to the model of Christ, who
came to serve, not to be served, stressed the
prelate.
While realizing that there are no perfect candidates, he said, there is a difference between
one who has been wrong in the past and wil-

ing to amend his ways, and one who exhibits

stubbornness and obstinacy.
Religious tolerance
The bishops collegial body also warned voters
against candidates whose ideology are geared
towards making the Philippines a secular state
that has no respect for religion in its public life.
A Catholic cannot support a candidate who
vows to wipe out religion from public life,
said Villegas.
The CBCP head also called on Catholic voters not to close their doors to candidates who
have different religious beliefs, saying there are
worthy candidates from other religions.
Their qualifications and aspirations must
be given serious heed by our Catholic voters,
their truly helpful plans and visions must be
supported, he said.
No to dirty tactics
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila has

earlier called on Filipino politicians to raise

the bar in political campaigning.
The cardinal made the call when he met
with top presidential contenders, including
Vice President Jejomar Binay, Sen. Grace
Pope, and former Interior Secretary Mar
Roxas at his residence in Manila in September.
Villegas has warned that a candidate who
resorts to demolishing the reputation and tarnishing the image of his or her political rivals
must be suspect.
He may have nothing positive to offer,
and he debases the level of political discourse
by calling attention to the shortcomings of
his rivals and competitors, rather than on the
programs and projects he or she might have,
he said.
The bishops also reiterated their call to the
faithful to focus on platforms and not to rely on
surveys and polls in choosing their candidates.
(R. Lagarde / CBCPNews)

And Thats The Truth, A4

trimmings from their printing jobs

and had memo pads made with
just the priests name at the bottom. It looked very classy, and the
priest really appreciated it. He said
he uses it also for writing Thank
You notes.
Obviously concerned about
the priests ongoing formation is
this reader who wrote: Books
are the best. If the priest loves to
read, hell welcome them. If he
does not like to read, a book will
remind him that he should. Pick
something stimulating or thought
provoking, like The Future of the
Catholic Church, something that
may enrich his priesthood.
Based on experience, this suggestion goes even further, to broaden
the priests horizons: Books about
other faiths. It is so inspiring to listen to a priest (like our grand uncle,
aged 89 and a priest for 72 years)
who remains a staunch Catholic
while being very knowledgeable
about other religions.
What could be more practical

than this: I would go for cash, or if

(the priest is) a good friend, ask him
what he needs and buy it for him.
Another point for cash: Cash
is always useful. The priest can
buy with it what he needs. Saves
you from worrying what to give.
Advantage, you need not worry
that hell not like it. Its also showing the priest he is trusted.
A pious lady offers a different suggestion, but its up to you how to do
it: A heartfelt thank you message,
for priests are gifts from God. Without the priests how well do we know
our Almighty God? Without them
how do we know the right path in
going to heaven? Being a priest is not
an easy vocationalso daily prayers
for priests to keep them healthy to
continue their holy vocations.
We also sought the opinion of a
few priest-friends, and their replies
include gifts to avoid as well:
Try to know the daily medicines they take, like for maintenance (especially for those like us
who are not so young anymore).

Mahal din kasi ang gamot. Yun

ang ibigay mo, sigurado magagamit niya. What NOT to give:
though nage-enjoy kami, dont
treat us sa mga bawal na kainin
lalo na mataas sa cholesterol at uric
acid. Dont lead us to temptation
like lechon. Take care of your
priests but dont spoil them.
Another perennially useful gift:
Commentaries on the Gospel.
A candid suggestion from
a middle-aged priest: We are
thankful for any gift, really. But
please avoid branded clothes. Im
speaking only for myself, ha? It
flatters me that people think I
deserve costly items but really,
I dont need them. In fact, it embarrasses me to wear shirts with a
crocodile-logo on my chest (for
example) because even when I say
its an imitation from Divisoria
people will still think Im rich, and
therefore not like them. Worse,
they might think thats where the
Sunday collection goes.
A young priest (ordained five

years ago) echoes the above suggestion: Its okay to get gadgets
or tools but well-thought out
ones, like some Ive receiveda
rechargeable flashlight, a transistor
radio I can take to the far-flung
areas, a power bank, computer
cleaning kit. But Im uneasy about
using a monopad, that rod for taking selfiesits a luxury item for
me. I wish people would think
twice before they give us luxury
items or things only the rich can
buy. Not only do I think theyre
habit-forming, somehow they also
make me feel indebted to the giver,
and thats not right, I think.
Thirty-three years of priesthood
has given this religious the confidence to speak his mind about
gifts: Id take any gift, as long as
donors dont mind if their gifts are
recycled. People have to learn that
gifts should not be self-serving.
When someone asks me, Father,
why arent you wearing/using
the (item) I gave you? I feel like
returning it. (To be concluded)

CBCP Monitor

DIOCESAN NEWS A7

January 11-24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

Get married in Church, Catholic couples urged

ILOILO CityOn the occasion of
the Jubilee of Mercy, a parish here is
offering unmarried Catholic couples the
opportunity to participate more fully in
the life of the Church.
Msgr. Sergio Jamoyot, rector of
the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our
Lady of Fatima in Alta Tierra, Iloilo
City, said the Jubilee is a very good
opportunity for unmarried couples
to have their unions solemnized in
Church.
The shrine is one of the churches in
the archdiocese designated for the Jubilee
as a pilgrimage church with its own
Holy Door.

Common-law marriage, also called

live-in relationship, is something that
appears to be on the increase nowadays,
Jamoyot lamented.
The usual excuse given by unmarried
couples resorting to a live-in arrangement
or a civil marriage is a wedding in church
is expensive, he said.
In fact, he said, couples can be
married in church without spending
much or none at all. What make weddings
expensive are the decorations or other
frills which are not essential to marriage.
What matters is the sacrament.
Pastoral attention to couples

Parish shelters victims

of New Year fire
TACLOBAN CityA parish
church here was among the
first responders to the needs of
dozens of families displaced by
fire on New Years eve
The fire, which broke out
past 12 midnight, damaged
70 houses and left around 95
families homeless in Brgy. 56
Pericohon, a densely populated village.
Many of the victims, some
of whom are children, took
shelter at the nearby Redemptorist Church and the others at
the Tacloban at the Tacloban
City Astrodome, some three
kilometers away from the
fire site.
This village was among the
coastal villages deluged by
storm surge when super typhoon Yolanda struck the
city in 2013 and badly hit by
typhoon Ruby in 2014.
Huge fire also occurred in the
same community on Election
Day in 2013 and before the city
fiesta in 2014.
Fr. Constantino Puzon, pa-

rochial vicar of the Our Lady

of Perpetual Help Parish, said
the victims were immediately
accommodated at the parishs
St. Gerard Pastoral Center.
Aside from food, he said
they also distributed non-food
items such as cooking utensils,
basins and pails.
Palo Archbishop John Du
also visited the temporary
evacuation center and provided relief goods and other
basic needs to the victims.
Knowing the bishop, he
really has the heart for fire
victims. Just our mere presence
and the presence of the bishop
help uplift the spirit of the fire
victims, Puzon said.
The parishes of Sto. Nio
Parish and San Jose also provided aid to the fire evacuees,
he said.
Local authorities have yet
to determine the cause of the
fire suspected to have been
caused by a firecracker. (Eileen
Nazareno-Ballesteros/CBCP
News)

Certificates, A1

dent, wanted the pananabangan

or stewardship spirit to function.
That means, the parishes will
just accept whatever it is that the
parishioners can offer, adding that
blessings and sacraments must not
appear as church services rendered in exchange for fees.
Love for the Church
On other hand, the prelate appealed to the faithful for support
on a regular basis by donating generously to their parishes regardless
of services they may need.
This is a proof of our maturity
in the faith and devotion to our
Mother Church. We must be a
community that gives because we
love the Church, Villegas added.
We dream of a Church renewed, truly close to the people
and responsive to the needs of
the flock. Let us make this vision
come true. Thank you for sharing
the vision, he also said.
Religious stores
In another bid to rid Church
operations of any semblance
of business and commerce, the
Archdiocese is closing parish-run
religious stores.

Villegas said the move aims

to address a mistaken impression among the faithful that the
Church is engaging in business
beyond its spiritual mission.
It is a hard climb but we must
be wise as serpents and innocent
as doves, said Villegas in a circular
to his priests issued on Tuesday.
The new policy was discussed
and agreed upon during the archdiocesan clergy meeting last week.
During the meeting, it was also
noted that there are even some
print materials on sale which
are unrelated to devotion and
catechesis.
We will not open new religious stores and close the ones
that are in existence, unless such
stores have submitted their records
to the Bureau of Internal Revenue
and have gained business licenses
from the government as required
by law, explained Villegas.
According to him, the BIR has sent
some alarming signals about imposing taxes on such religious stores.
The Church stands at risk
as secularism gains ground. We
choose the path of pastoral prudence, said the prelate. (R. Lagarde/CBCPNews)

BBL, A1

product of 17 to 18 years of negotiations.

Quevedo explained if the BBL
that would be passed by both
houses of congress would be far
from the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB),
the whole peace process will stop
as the whole normalization process
would stop.
The normalization process calls
for the laying down of arms which
would require the MILF to decomission 30% of their weapons and
their troops with the passage of the
BBL, he explained.
Cardinal Quevedo forthere sk
certain percentage of their weapons and armed elements would
also be decomissioned when a
plebescite or referendum reveals
positive results for the BBL.
And when the MILF police is
organized, all of MILFs weapons
and personnel will be decomissioned and the process will take
two years, Quevedo added.
Unacceptable
Asked what version of the BBL

would be passed should there be

enough time for lawmakers to
seriously discuss the details of
the proposed measures, he said
whether its the one authored by
Senator Marcos or Congressman
Rodriguez, he could not say for
sure.
Both versions are unacceptable
to the MILF, he further said.
He explained both proposed
m e a s u re s w o u l d m a k e t h e
Bangsamoro less autonomous
than the current ARMM set-up.
The MILF is also concerned
that both the Marcos and Rodriguez versions would lessen the
privileges and make them comparable with any local government
unit, explained the prelate.
He concluded even his own
sources confirmed the impressions
of the MILF leadership.
The Cotabato prelate is a
staunch supporter of inter-religious dialogue and served as
Secretary-General of the Bangkokbased Federation of Asian Bishops
Conferences (FABC). (Melo M.
Acua/CBCPNews)

Also for the CBCPs Year of the

Eucharist and the Family, the parish will
organize Catholic mass weddings, one in
each of the five barangays in the parish,
to help unmarried couples solemnize their
union in church.
Aside from this, Catholic organizations
in our parish regularly reach out to
unmarried couples by helping them
prepare their marriage in church, he said.
Msgr. Jamoyot also advised the faithful
to distinguish church weddings from
mass weddings officiated by politicians.
These so-called mass weddings are
not the same as those celebrated in the
Catholic Church, the priest said.

At most, these mass weddings have

only a civil effect but have no sacramental
effect, that is the grace proper to the
sacrament to assist the spouses in their
vocation to marriage, he said.
Catechesis on marriage, family
More than the question of expenses,
Msgr. Jamoyot said a greater concern is
the formation people urgently need on
the teachings of the Church on marriage
and the family.
I make it a point to make an extensive
catechesis on the sacraments. For example,
in the recent Aguinaldo Masses I centered
the homilies on the Eucharist, family and

marriage, he added.
Aside from pastoral work in his parish,
Jamoyot, along with other priests, lay
persons and religious, host a catechetical
radio program on Sundays under the
auspices of the Katesismo sa Kahanginan
Apostolate (KSKA) and the Social
Communications Commission of the
Archdiocese of Jaro.
In the program we use the Catechism
of the Catholic Church to teach parents
on their role as the primary educators of
their children, of marriage as a school of
love and self-giving, the importance of
the sacraments in family life, etc., he
said. (Fr. Mickey Cardenas/CBCP News)

Parish inaugurates sanctuary for century-old bells

MEYCAUAYAN, BulacanA
small park that houses three
century-old bells was inaugurated
and consecrated at St. Francis of
Assisi Parish on Sunday, Dec. 13.
Malolos Diocese Bishop Jose
Oliveros led the unveiling ceremony after the Holy Mass which
he concelebrated with parish priest
Msgr. Adalberto Vergara, Parochial Vicars Fr. Norberto Ventura
and Fr. Jose Luis Perez, and guest
priest Fr. Marcelo Sanchez.
The parish bell tower used to
occupy three bells namely, Seor
San Josep (1863), Maria Concepcion (1868) and San Francisco de
Asis (1881). Maria Concepcion,
the largest bell, was said to be the
mightiest in the whole province
of Bulacan. However, consistent
ringing and exposure to weather
elements caused a huge crack on
Maria Concepcion and damage
on San Franciscos counterweight,
Robby dela Vega, a member of the
Committee on Church Cultural
Heritage, told CBCP News.
The Meycauayan Heritage Bells
He also shared that after more

signifies a call for all of us to come,

worship, and serve God.

The Meycauayan heritage bells at the Gascuea Park, St. Francis of Assisi Parish

MA.

ANGELICA AGUILAR

than a century, the three bells were

taken down in October 2015 and
replaced with a new set of bells cast
by the Grassmayr Bell Foundry in
Austria.
The heritage bells were placed
in a small park dedicated to the
memory of Fray Francisco Gascuea, OFM, parish priest of Meycauayan (1799-1831), he added.
Many experienced joy after
hearing the sound of the new carillons, said Vergara in his message.

Our parish is indeed blessed by

God for these three bells as well
as for the Gascuea Park where
the heritage bells were exhibited.
He also expressed his gratitude
to the people who took part in
the realization of the said project,
especially those who have shared
their resources to acquire the bells
and to construct the park.
Parish Pastoral Council cochairman Felix Dumigpe said the
echo coming from these bells

Door of Mercy
Meanwhile, Oliveros also led
the ceremonial opening of the
Door of Mercy together with the
priests, different church organizations, and the parish faithful. We
are called to rejoice and thank God
for this Jubilee Year of Mercy,
he said in his homily. The open
door is a sign that God is opening His heart for us, especially
to those who repent and seek for
His mercy.
St. Francis of Assisi Parish
church is a designated pilgrim
church for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy together with
the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral in Malolos, three national
shrines, five diocesan shrines, a
parish church, and a chapel, which
are all situated across the diocese.
Oliveros concluded the Mass
bestowing his blessing and plenary indulgence on behalf of
Pope Francis. (Myraine Carluen
Policarpio/CBCPNews)

Manila Observatory brings science to Church, grassroots

BAGANGA, Davao OrientalThree years
after Typhoon Pablo (International name:
Bopha) hit this part of the country, people are
slowly rebuilding their lives and learn the lessons that the disaster has brought with it with
the help of the Manila Observatory.
The Observatory facilitated the installation
of Automated Weather Station (AWS) in different areas in Davao Oriental for data-gathering
and localized weather reporting.
We are bringing science to the community
through evidence-based information. This will
help communities for better preparedness, said
team leader Milet Mendoza, a social scientist
and a humanitarian volunteer worker, adding
that the information will guide community
leaders both in the church and in the government in their decision-making.In partnership
with Smart Telecommunications and Shell,
three weather systems were installed on the
roof tops of Shell Matiao, Mati City station,
Immaculate Conception Church in Baganga,
and St. Francis Xavier Parish in Sigaboy.
Genie Lorenzo, research associate of Manila
Observatory, explained to the young people
and the lay leaders of the parishes how the AWS
works and how they can monitor changes in
weather patterns in their area.
She said the AWS will send data to the Manila
Observatory using internet connection provided
by Smart with information on the temperature,
amount of rainfall, wind speed in the area can

be accessed through www.weatherlink.com.

She added the AWS can effectively function
if the device is well-maintained and cleaned
which the lay leaders of the GagmayngKristo
hanongKatilingban (GKK) or Basic Ecclesial
Communities (BEC) can help ensure.
Saving lives through science
Mendoza said the team is bringing science
to the grassroots and highlight the lessons that
the people have learned from typhoon Pablo
which struck the province last Dec. 4, 2012.
Their decisions will save lives, Mendoza said.
Aside from the installation of AWS, the
Manila Observatory Team members, Liz Del
Castillo and Luigi Torres, also had a hazardmapping of the Davao Oriental area and
validated the identified hazard areas in the
province with the aid of a Global Positioning
System (GPS) device.
They also identified whether the satellite
images are consistent with its current state like
if the land is used for agriculture or industry.
They explained to the Mati clergy, religious,
and laity the effect of human activities on the
land, saying that mining activities, deforestation, construction of buildings, and increasing
population density in Davao Oriental have
affected the soils water-holding capacity, resulting in flooding and landslides.
Torres said the hazard map will help government officials in deciding whether to allow

building construction, especially for habitation

in areas prone to natural hazards.
Good partnership
Mendoza highlighted the Churchs BECsor
GKKs in the Davao, Digos, Tagum and Mati
(DADITAMA) ecclesiastical sub-region as a sector
that can potentially help in disaster risk reduction.
She said GKKs can mobilize themselves
because the members are living in the communities that are affected by the hazards.
This is a good partnership between Manila
Observatory, Shell, Smart, and the Church.
Manila Observatory knows the science of
climate change and how it affects people. We
want to transfer this knowledge to areas like
Davao Oriental who is vulnerable to environmental hazards, explained Mendoza.
She added they are looking forward to a partnership with the academe and work together
for climate change adaptation, especially that
the East Coast of Davao Oriental was affected
by tropical depression Onyok.
Manila Observatory is a Jesuit non-profit
research institute located at the Ateneo de
Davao University that was founded in 1865 for
weather forecasting and earthquake research.
The Manila Observatory has worked with
different partner organizations, including the
Archdiocese of Davao and Diocese of Mati,
especially during the onslaught of typhoon
Pablo. (John Frances C. Fuentes/CBCPNews)

Delegates, A1

The Holy Fathers representative in

the Philippines conveyed the prayer
and closeness of the Holy Father,
Pope Francis to the Filipino people
as the nation prepares for the IEC.
Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Most
Rev. Dennis Villarojo said 8,500
participants have already registered coming from 71 countries
which he describes as a good
representation. He said more
registrations are still being received
by the event secretariat.
Celebration of mercy
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, meanwhile,

reiterated the need for Catholics

to remember that the Eucharist is
the fulfillment of Christs promise
to remain with us until the end
of times.
His presence goes beyond the
Catholic ChurchThis is special
for Catholics and prophetic for the
whole world, he said.
Tagle underscored the importance of the celebration of the
IEC during the celebration of the
Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy
which Pope Francis officially
opened during the celebration of
the Solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception at St. Peters Basilica.

We hope that the celebration

of the IEC will add to the celebration of the Year of Mercy to
experience the mercy of God the
Father, he said.
2nd IEC in PH
Palma said the importance of
this congress is because of Jesus,
because of the Mass. In Christmas,
Jesus became Emmanuel, at every
Mass he is the Emmanuel that is
made present in our midst.
4 years ago I was anxious.
Now I am excitedGo to Cebu
and start with the Sinulog and
continue with the Eucharistic

Congress and know and experience why Cebu is the cradle of

Christian civilization of the Philippines, he said.
The first International Eucharistic Congress the Philippines hosted
was held in Manila in 1937 where
a young and soon to be cardinalarchbishop of Cebu, Ricardo Vidal,
was among those who received
their first Holy Communion.
Vidal will again be present in
his second IEC in the Philippines
this time as the celebrant of the
penultimate Mass of the IEC and
the archbishop emeritus of the
host diocese.

Candidly Speaking, A4

sins, weaknesses, and other miseries. This selfrighteousness is an attempt to make oneself
his own god, his own creator, and lawgiver.
Now that we are in the Year of Mercy, as
declared by Pope Francis, let us try our best
to be kind, compassionate, and understanding with the others, including the politicians,
especially those with whom we are at odds.
After overcoming as soon as possible our
initial automatic reaction of disgust, disappointment, and disapproval when we see the
defects and alleged crimes of politicians, let us
pray for them and see how we can help them.
This is the Christian way.
Let us see instead their qualities and accomplishments to see if they deserve our vote.

If in the end, we decide not to vote for them,

then lets make that decision without falling
into lack of charity and mercy.
If we feel that they have to answer for their
alleged crimes so that the requirements of
justice can be met, then lets do so without
being uncharitable and unmerciful.
In this way, our political life and culture
would be cleansed of impurities that only
block the proper political effort to pursue
our common good. The Year of Mercy can
be a good occasion to make a good, if not a
quantum, leap in the quality of our politics.
Lets hope that we can realize more deeply
that being uncharitable and unmerciful in
our political life can do a great harm to us

as a people. It is what can constitute as a big

obstacle to our true development and progress,
since it harms our soul much more than our
body. It strikes us at the most essential part
of our life.
Everyone of us should make a deep examination of conscience if only to make some
adjustments in our attitude and practice of
politics. Special mention should be given to
the politicians themselves and to the media
who play a crucial role in this field.
Many of us may consider this a pipe dream.
But lets realize that the pursuit for truth,
justice, and the common good starts with a
dream that is continually worked on until the
dream becomes a reality.

A8 PEOPLE, FACTS, AND PLACES

January 11-24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

David installed as new

Kalookan bishop
BISHOP Pablo Virgilio David has
been installed as the new leader of
the Catholic Diocese of Kaloolan.
He was installed as the dioceses
second bishop during a special service at the Cathedral of San Roque
on Saturday, January 2.
In his homily to the packed
audience at the cathedral, the
56-year old prelate said he was
humbled at his appointment by
Pope Francis.
My heart is overflowing with
gratitude to the Lord for entrusting this diocese to my humble
pastoral care and for giving me
this new opportunity of expressing
my love for Him by serving His
people, he said.
The 12-year old diocese has
been without a bishop, sede
vacante, since January 2013
when Bishop Deogracias Iiguez resigned due to health
reasons.
The former auxiliary bishop of
San Fernando archdiocese went
on to thank other bishops, as well
as the priests, religious men and
women of the diocese, and its over
a million Catholics.
I am here before you as one
who serves. You are Gods precious
gifts to me as I start my ministry
here. God has indeed been so
good. Let us therefore join our

Prayers sought for

2 devotees who
died in Traslacion

Devotees try to touch the centuries-old wooden life-size statue of the Black Nazarene
in Manila. MARIA TAN

Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio S. David

RAYMOND SEBASTIAN

hearts and voices in glorifying our

gracious God, he added.
Among the top Church officials
at the installation were Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop
Guiseppe Pinto, CBCP president
Archbishop Socrates Villegas, and
Cardinals Luis Antonio Cardinal

Tagle of Manila and Orlando

Quevedo of Cotabato.
San Fernando Archbishop Florentino Lavarias and Cardinal
Gaudencio Rosales, retired Manila archbishop, also graced the
occasion.
He was ordained a priest on

March 12, 1983 at the age of 24.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed him
Auxiliary Bishop of San Fernando
and was ordained bishop in 2006.
Pope Francis appointed him
bishop of Kalookan on October
14, 2015. (Raymond A. Sebastin/CBCP News)

Caritas seeks more aid for typhoon relief

He said that Caritas emergency and rehabilitation efforts since typhoon Yolanda in 2013
and typhoons Ruby and Seniang last year, and
this Octobers typhoon Lando have been largely
dependent on foreign funding.
The agency has initially extended some Php
1.75 million to typhoon victims from its from
its Alay Kapwa funds which had been its major
source of relief assistance efforts for typhoons,
floods, fire and other tragedies.
We have been able to make use of the Alay
Kapwa fund to assist our calamity-hit dioceses.

However, the local fund raised is very significant compared to the scale of the emergency
need, Archbishop Tirona said.
President Benigno Aquino III on Friday
declared a national state of calamity following
the devastation caused by the typhoon.
Caritas said donations to typhoon Nona
victims can be deposited to the Bank of the
Philippine Islands in Account Name: CBCP
Caritas Filipinas Foundation, Inc. NASSA;
and Account Number: 4951-0071-08.
(CBCPNews)

Poor Clare Monastery marks 25th anniv in Isabela

New place, new mission

It was a culmination of a journey that began when the nuns,
then part of a monastery in
Cabuyao, Laguna, first arrived in
the area upon the invitation of the
late Bishop Miguel Purugganan.
We were unknown to anyone
typical strangers in a new place,
Gretchen recalled when they first
arrived in Gamu before dawn of
Jan. 9, 1991 after a more than
eight-hour trip on a bus from
Manila.
She said they were welcomed by
Msgr. Marino Gatan of the Shrine
of Our Lady of Visitation together
with his altar boys. The priest
eventually became their chaplain
for many years.
On the same day, they met
Purugganan who invited the Poor

THE rector of Quiapo Church

asked people to pray for the two
devotees who died during the massive Black Nazarene procession in
Manila.
Monsignor Hernando Coronel
expressed sadness as he confirmed
at least two fatalities during the
20-hour Traslacion on Saturday.
Let us offer prayers for Alex
Fulyedo and Mauro Arabit who
died (during the procession),
Coronel said.
The priest said he will personally
get in touch with the families of
Fulyedo and Arabit to see how the
parish can help them.
The 27-year old Fulyedo from
Sampaloc, Manila suffered from
cardiac arrest and died on arrival
at the Ospital ng Maynila.
On the other hand, the 58-year
old Arabit of Binangonan, Rizal
was also declared on arrival at the
Jose Reyes Medical Center due to
acute coronary syndrome.
The Philippine Red Cross said

they were able to provide first aid

assistance to 1, 511 patients, most
of them sought for blood pressure
checking.
The PRC also recorded 53
major injuries and 591 minor
injuries.
The procession left the Quirino
Grandstand at 5:55am on Saturday and reached Quiapo Church
at 2:00am the following day, one
of the fastest in the past years.
Last year, the Black Nazarene
lasted for over 21 hours.
Coronel attributed the faster
procession to the proper coordination among all concerned government agencies.
Police and Manila officials said
the estimated crowd throughout
the procession was 1.5 million,
significantly less than the expected
over 10 million devotees.
Hundreds of thousands, meanwhile, waited for the images
arrival at the Quiapo Church.
(CBCPNews)

Workshop on Lenten
music set
CARITAS PHILIPPINES

CARITAS Philippines launched in midDecember an appeal for more aid to help relief
efforts in several areas hit by typhoon Nona.
More than 130, 000 were destroyed and
at least 40 people have been killed by Nona
through drownings, landslides and falling trees.
The Churchs humanitarian and social action
arm said a suffering of this kind affecting at
least 180, 889 people is unbearable.
In its initial assessment, the agency said
damages to infrastructure and agriculture in
Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, and Samar
provinces nearly reached Php 1 billion.
Since the wake of the typhoon, Caritas
Philippines and Caritas Manila have been
providing relief aid and financial assistance to
the worst-hit dioceses of Catarman, Sorsogon,
Romblon, Calapan and San Jose.
With the vastness of the devastation, however, Caritas Philippines national director
Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona said they are
already running short of resources.
It is for this reason that we appeal for your
support in terms of fund assistance to the dioceses affected by typhoon Nona, Archbishop
Tirona said.
He encouraged the Christian communities
to share in this mission of love and solidarity,
especially for the needy and the most vulnerable for the Lord comes and made himself
present.

GAMU, Isabela, Jan. 13, 2016

Its been 25 years since Poor Clare
Sister Mary Louise Gretchen and
five others arrived here with a
dream to establish a community
centered on the simple, yet deeply
meaningful, act of prayer.
On Jan. 9, the sisters from Monastery of Our Lady of the Eucharist in Guibang village celebrated
heir 25th jubilee, joined by some
clergy, other religious, benefactors,
and friends.
The celebration was highlighted
with a Mass presided over by
Bishop Prudencio Andaya of the
Vicariate Apostolic of Tabuk,
along with Ilagan Bishop Joseph
Nacua and other priests.

CBCP Monitor

lence, solitude, and peace in noisy

world a protected sanctuary for
spiritual renewal and reflection.
The sisters also grew in number.

The Poor Clares celebrate 25 years of Gods Providence in Isabela. FR. ALVIN M. PARAS, OFM

Clares to live in the Diocese of

Ilagan, and presided over a Mass
in the prayer room of their temporary residence while the the
construction of their contemplative house was ongoing.
Challenges, fun
With an air of nostalgia, the
nuns recalled that their early days
were filled with challenges, fun,
and excitement.
As a community, they worked
together in clearing the land given
to them by the diocese, trimmed
trees, removed the grass and prepared the soil for their vegetable
garden, and did their household
chores too.
With our bare hands and
frail bodies, we earned our bread
through the vegetable garden and
by making small rosaries that we
were able to sell. We were entirely

dependent on alms sent to us by

God through generous people,
shared Gretchen.
Aside from Gretchen, the other
pioneering nuns include Sisters
Mary Trinitas, Mary Immaculata,
Mary Christian, Mary Dominique, and May Lorette.
According to them, the early
years of their contemplative life
in Guibang tested their dedication
and determination to live their
vowed life as Poor Clare nuns.
Relying on Divine Providence
while faithfully fulfilling their
contemplative mission, the sisters
did not runout of support from
generous people who saw the
beauty and relevance of their contemplative presence in the diocese,
they shared.
In the course of time, the then
makeshift monastery and chapel
transformed into a place of si-

Local, international missionaries

As the sisters flourished in their
contemplative life in service to the
local church in the last 25 years,
they too responded to the need to
send sisters to other places either
to help in monasteries locally or
abroad or in establishing new
monasteries.
As the monastery received new
vocations to the contemplative
life of St. Clare of Assisi, the Poor
Clare community has also been
generous in sending missionaries to places where they may be
needed.
In 1995, the monastery was
instrumental in sending nuns to
Belfast, Northern Ireland. Sisters
Immaculata and Lorette volunteered to go and stayed there for
seven years. They are now back in
Guibang again.
Another call to serve as contemplatives came when Bishop
Andaya visited them in August
2014 and asked for their contemplative presence in his Vicariate.
Accepting the invitation, the
community will be sending five
solemn professed sisters as pioneers in the Tabuk Foundation
and are now in the final stage of
their preparation for the new mission. (Fr. Alvin M. Paras, OFM /
CBCP News)

THE Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc. (ACCI) invites lay

liturgists, choir members, heads of
music ministries, and just anyone
with a passion for liturgical music
to a forthcoming whole-day workshop on Lenten music to be conducted by legendary composer Fr.
Manoling V. Francisco, S.J. with
the Bukas Palad Music Ministry
on Feb. 13.
Through this seminar, we hope
to be able to give choir members,
people in parish music ministries
as well as those in charismatic
communities, who lack formal
training in liturgical music, a
chance to update their knowledge
and skills, said ACCIs Gigi Pasayloon in an interview.
With a master like Fr. Manoling and Bukas Palad, participants
are sure to get just the right information they will need to better
serve the Church through their
music, she added.
Titled Behold the Cross: Music

for Lent, the seminar is scheduled on Feb. 13, 2016, Saturday,

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Fr.
Moraleda Hall, Institute for Consecrated Life in Asia (ICLA), 526
Tandang Sora Ave., Quezon City.
Now on its third installment,
Pasayloon shared this years event
is the much-awaited answer to the
demand of attendees of previous
seminars for a bigger and better
workshop.
Registration runs from Jan. 30
to Feb. 10, 2016.
But given the limited number
of seats, registration is expected
to close as soon as the maximum
capacity of the venue is reached.
Fee is Php 700 which includes
the seminar proper, a seminar kit,
and a certificate.
For inquiries, interested parties
may contact Lily Javier at (02)
527-47-47, (+63) 921-5527-205,
or email cathbookcenter@gmial.
com. (Raymond A. Sebastin /
CBCP News)

Lay group holds character

formation for PMA cadets
ONLY for the Brave. This is the
title of Couples for Christ Order
of St. Michaels (OSM) Character
Enhancement Retreat for some
200 Philippine Military Academy
(PMA) cadets held on Dec. 28 at
PMA, Fort Del Pilar.
What we hope is that as usual
this will not just be an annual
activity and then whatever are
the outputs from our cadets,
even from our facilitators, this
can be used for alumni character
formation program because PMA
is a character building institution, said Capt. Reynan Afan,
adviser of the PMA Catholic
Action Group Club.
Daring to be brave
The whole day activity, comprises five talks on character
formation: Session 1: Heroes
for God and Country by Col.
Arturo Alabanza PMA CI 72;
Session 2: Roadblocks to Greatness by Cav. Wilfredo Ona,
PAF Ret. with a sharing from
Cav. Resty Aguilar PMA CL
78; Session 3: Defending Our
Families, Building Our Homes

by Jaycee Dela Cruz with a sharing from Cav. Jun Unson PMA
CI 78; Session 4: Forgiveness, a
Key to Success by Leo Deuxfils
Delacruz; and Session 5: All
Out Victory by Col. Arturo
Alabanza PMA CI 72.
Needed spiritual growth
There are also interactive workshops and small group sharing in
between sessions.
Aside from academic, physical,
and tactical training, Afan says
PMA cadets spiritual growth
during their four-year education
is crucial to their formation as
military officers.
The participants are PMA
fourth class men, all members of
the Catholic Action Group under
Fr. Leonides Cruel, PMA Post
Chaplain.
The OSM is a ministry of
Couples for Christ and the communitys partnering arm with
the different Chaplain Services
of the military, police, Coast
Guard, and other uniformed services. (Nirvaana Ella Delacruz
/ CBCP News)

CBCP Monitor

PASTORAL CONCERNS B1

January 11 - 24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

Overcome
indifference
and win peace

1.GOD is not indifferent! God

cares about mankind! God does not
abandon us!At the beginning of
the New Year, I would like to share
not only this profound conviction
but also my cordial good wishes
for prosperity, peace and the fulfilment of the hopes of every man
and every woman, every family,
people and nation throughout the
world, including all Heads of State
and Government and all religious
leaders. We continue to trust that
2016 will see us all firmly and
confidently engaged, on different
levels, in the pursuit of justice and
peace. Peace is both Gods gift and
a human achievement. As a gift of
God, it is entrusted to all men and
women, who are called to attain it.

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis

for the celebration of the
49th World Day of Peace
1 January 2016

CNA

Maintaining our reasons for hope

There are many

good reasons
to believe in
mankinds
capacity to act
together in
solidarity and,
on the basis of
our interconnection and
interdependence...
itself creates, and to refuse to fall
into a humiliating indifference
or a monotonous routine which
prevents us from discovering what
is new! Let us ward off destructive
cynicism![3]
There are many good reasons
to believe in mankinds capacity
to act together in solidarity and,
on the basis of our interconnection and interdependence, to
demonstrate concern for the more
vulnerable of our brothers and
sisters and for the protection of
the common good. This attitude
of mutual responsibility is rooted
in our fundamental vocation to
fraternity and a life in common.
Personal dignity and interpersonal
relationships are what constitute
us as human beings whom God
willed to create in his own image
and likeness. As creatures endowed
with inalienable dignity, we are
related to all our brothers and sisters, for whom we are responsible

and with whom we act in solidarity. Lacking this relationship, we

would be less human. We see,
then, how indifference represents
a menace to the human family. As
we approach a new year, I would
ask everyone to take stock of this
reality, in order to overcome indifference and to win peace.
Kinds of indifference
3. Clearly, indifference is not
something new; every period of
history has known people who
close their hearts to the needs of
others, who close their eyes to
what is happening around them,
who turn aside to avoid encountering other peoples problems.
But in our day, indifference has
ceased to be a purely personal
matter and has taken on broader
dimensions, producing a certain
globalization of indifference.
The first kind of indifference in
human society is indifference to
God, which then leads to indifference to ones neighbour and to
the environment. This is one of
the grave consequences of a false
humanism and practical materialism allied to relativism and nihilism. We have come to to think
that we are the source and creator
of ourselves, our lives and society.
We feel self-sufficient, prepared
not only to find a substitute for
God but to do completely without
him. As a consequence, we feel
that we owe nothing to anyone
but ourselves, and we claim only
rights.[4] Against this erroneous
understanding of the person,
Pope Benedict XVI observed that
neither man himself nor human
development can, on their own,
answer the question of our ultimate meaning.[5]Paul VI likewise
stated that there is no true humanism but that which is open
to the Absolute, and is conscious
of a vocation which gives human
life its authentic significance.[6]
Indifference to our neighbour
shows itself in different ways.
Some people are well-informed;
they listen to the radio, read the
newspapers or watch television,
but they do so mechanically and
without engagement. They are
vaguely aware of the tragedies
afflicting humanity, but they
have no sense of involvement or
compassion. Theirs is the attitude
of those who know, but keep their
gaze, their thoughts and their
actions focused on themselves.
Sadly, it must be said that todays
information explosion does not
of itself lead to an increased concern for other peoples problems,
which demands openness and
a sense of solidarity.[7] Indeed,
the information glut can numb
peoples sensibilities and to some
degree downplay the gravity of the
Peace, B4

CNA

Pope Francis addresses thousands of pilgrims on January 1, 2016.

2. Sadly, war and terrorism, accompanied by kidnapping, ethnic

or religious persecution and the
misuse of power, marked the past
year from start to finish. In many
parts of the world, these have became so common as to constitute a
real third world war fought piecemeal. Yet some events of the year
now ending inspire me, in looking
ahead to the new year, to encourage everyone not to lose hope in
our human ability to conquer evil
and to combat resignation and indifference. They demonstrate our
capacity to show solidarity and to
rise above self-interest, apathy and
indifference in the face of critical
situations.
Here I would mention the
efforts to bring world leaders
together at COP21 in the search
for new ways to confront climate
change and to protect the earth,
our common home. We can also
think of two earlier global events:
the Addis Ababa Summit for
funding sustainable development
worldwide and the adoption of the
United Nations 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, aimed
at ensuring a more dignified standard of living for all the worlds
peoples, especially the poor, by
that year.
For the Church, 2015 was a special year, since it marked the fiftieth
anniversary of two documents of
the Second Vatican Council which
eloquently expressed her sense of
solidarity with the world. Pope
John XXIII, at the beginning of
the Council, wanted to open wide
the windows of the Church and
to improve her communication
with the world. The two documents,Nostra AetateandGaudium
et Spes, are emblematic of the new
relationship of dialogue, solidarity and accompaniment which
the Church sought to awaken
within the human family. In the
Declaration Nostra Aetate, the
Church expressed her openness
to dialogue with non-Christian

religions. In the Pastoral ConstitutionGaudium et Spes, based on

a recognition that the joys and
hopes, the grief and anguish of the
people of our time, especially of
those who are poor or afflicted, are
the joys and hopes, the grief and
anguish of the followers of Christ
as well,[1]the Church proposed
to enter into dialogue with the
entire human family about the
problems of our world, as a sign of
solidarity, respect and affection.[2]
Along these same lines, with the
present Jubilee of Mercy I want
to invite the Church to pray and
work so that every Christian will
have a humble and compassionate
heart, one capable of proclaiming
and witnessing to mercy. It is
my hope that all of us will learn
to forgive and give, to become
more open to those living on
the outermost fringes of society
- fringes which modern society

Vatican City - January 1, 2016. Day of Peace in St. Peters Square during the Angelus on January 1, 2016.

B2 PASTORAL CONCERNS

January 11 - 24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

CBCP Monitor

Priests and politics

By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.
WE have a problem in my archdiocese
with a priest who said that priests can
campaign for the upcoming elections as
long as they dont do it from the pulpit.
People are confused because the statement
came out in the local papers. Is there anything in Canon Law on this?

This article originally appeared in
CBCP Monitor in March 2007 and
was reprinted in March 2010. We are
reprinting it here againwith minor
modificationsbecause of the relevance
of the topic to current events in the
Philippines.--Editor
The Role of the Priest in Political Life
By virtue of the service that he must
render to individuals and society, the
priest is interested in all those questions relative to public administration,
which inevitably entail an ethical
dimension. The correct notion of
the distinction of Church and State
does not mean that the hierarchy and
the political community should live

Limits to the Priests Participation in

the Political Exercise
The aforementioned rightlike any
other rightis obviously not an unlimited one. The external manifestation of
a priests political preferences may be
reasonably restricted by the demands
of his ministry, which seeks to embrace
everyone, to fully proclaim the Gospel
and to be a valid sign of unity among
all people.
Thus, c.287, 2 of the Code of Canon
Law explicitly limits the participation
of clerics in the political exercise in the
following terms: Clerics are not to have
an active role in political parties and in
the direction of labor unions, unless the
need to protect the rights of the Church or
to promote the common good requires it in
the judgment of the competent ecclesiastical authority.

The rationale behind this prohibition
is as follows:
1) To avoid any semblance of dogmatism. As the Synod of Bishops of 1971
pointed out, political choices are contingent by nature and do not express
the Gospels completely, adequately or

their being unduly coercedwhether

intentionally or otherwisethrough a
false reverential fear of displeasing their
pastor who expresses a political preference different from theirs.

hypothetical situation is, strictly speaking, participation on an active basis in

maintaining those organizationsi.e.,
to have positions of government and
direction in such unions.

The problem lies in the fact that

when a priest (more so a bishop) speaks
of his political preferences, it is difficult
for the faithful to distinguishespecially in a country with a tradition of
deep respect for the clergywhen he
is proclaiming Gospel truth and when
he is merely speaking of his preferences or opinions. In other words, it
is difficult for a priest to claim that he
is only speaking as a private citizen expressing his political leanings, without
the Catholic faithful perceiving it as
an authoritative moral determination.

3. Against militancy in favor of a

given person or party. As a logical consequence, the same Synod of Bishops of
1971 declared that the priest, witness
of future things, should keep a certain
distance from any political position or
effort. It is difficult to argue that this
statement does not refer precisely to
the priests actively campaigning for
a certain political party or electoral
candidate.

Scope of the Prohibition

1. Against active participation in
political parties. The juridical norm
extends the prohibition not only to the
exercise of functions of management
or direction of such parties, but also
to any membership in such parties,
the knowledge of which may trigger
an alienation of those faithful of a
different political leaningan alienation which the canonical prohibition
precisely seeks to avoid.

good. The canon obviates any danger

of laxity in the interpretation of this
exception, by precisely stipulating that
such an exception must be according to
the judgment of the ecclesiastical authority. Thus, no individual priest may
determine by himself the existence of
sufficient reason to make an exception
to the general prohibition, but must
rather depend on the judgment of the
competent authorityi.e., the Local
Ordinary to whom he has pledged
obedience on the day of his sacred
ordination.

4. Possible exception: To defend the

rights of the Church and the common

gation for the Clergy on 31.I.1994,

summarizes all these in the following
terms (ref. n.3):
The priest, as servant of the
universal Church, cannot tie himself
to any historical contingency, and
therefore must be above any political
party. He cannot take an active role in
political parties or labor unions, unless according to the judgment of the
ecclesiastical authority, the rights of the
Church and the defense of common
good require it.
In fact, even if these [political
parties and labor unions] are good
things in themselves, they are nevertheless foreign to the clerical state, since
they can constitute a grave danger of
division in the ecclesial communion.
Like Jesus (cf. Jn 6, 15 ff.), the

oblivious of each other. It means rather

that each has its own proper sphere of
responsibility: the hierarchy towards
the eternal common good, and the
government towards the temporal
common good.
But since the temporal common good
necessarily dovetailssince it ends up
in the same final destination of the human personwith the eternal common
good, the proper role of the hierarchy
towards the temporal common good is
one of magisterium and guidance: it is
the role of the hierarchy in general and
of priests in particular to form all men
of good will (but especially the lay faithful) to have the right criteria to exercise
their political options with freedom and
responsibility.
The priest, in addition, preserves the
right to have a personal political opinion and to exercise his right to vote,
according to his conscience. In those
circumstances in which diverse political,
social or economic choices legitimately
present themselvespointed out the
Synod of Bishops in 1971priests, like
all citizens, have the right to make their
own choices.

perennially. St. John Paul II, following

the same line of though, added that a
political party can never be identified
with the truth of the Gospel, nor could
it ever be, therefore, the object of absolute allegiance, unlike what happens
with the Gospel. He concluded that
the priest should not forget the relative
character of political activities even
when citizens of Christian faith create, in a plausible way, parties inspired
expressly in the Gospels, and he should
not cease to strive to make the light
of Christ also shine on other parties
and social groups (General Audience,
28.VII.1993).
2) To avoid any semblance clericalism.
As the saint also pointed out in the
aforementioned audience within the
framework of the Christian community,
[priestly ministry] should have respect
for the maturity of the laity and, what
is more, should strive to assist them to
achieve this, through the formation of
conscience. In other words, the correct
sense of empowerment of the laity consists
precisely in respecting their rightful
autonomy in political choices, without

The hoverboard
incident
By Msgr. Lope C. Robredillo
THE hoverboard affair in a Holy Mass at a parish church in Bian, Laguna, last Christmas provoked mixed reactions and even
spurred debate. But to me, the incident is symptomatic of, among
other issues, how little liturgy is understood and how, in our time,
the sense of the Sacred or the Holy has seemingly vanished into
thin air. Signs are apparent in how Mass is celebrated in many
parts of the country.
To mention a few:
[1] Some seem to look at the
Mass as if it were a stage performance, and a good number of
churchgoers seem to behave as
if they were mere audience, with
the latter applauding the performers at the end of the Mass.
[2] Choirs sing as if they were
putting on a concert.
[3] Musical instruments normally forbidden in church like
drums, cymbals, piano, electric
guitar and amplified organs
are played as in rock concert
in the park, while a number of
singers are each provided with
microphone.
[4] Photographers invade the
sanctuary, and aggressively take
pictures at wedding Mass as if
they were paparazzi, without
regard for the rites being performed, or the sacredness of
the place.
[5] Homilies are delivered as if
they were intended to entertain
and provoke laughter; the better
the entertainment and laughter,
the better the homily.
[6] Wedding planners provide you with misalette where texts are so changed that one is
left wondering whether the rite is still according to the Roman
Catholic Church!
[7] The interior of the church is sometimes decorated in such
a manner that one is made to feel he is in a hotel lobby or in a
mall, but not in a house of prayer.
The list can go on, but in the end, one has to ask: why are we
celebrating the liturgy?

The incident is
symptomatic
of, among
other issues,
how little
liturgy is
understood
and how, in
our time, the
sense of the
Sacred or
the Holy has
seemingly
vanished into
thin air.

File Photo

The priest, in addition, preserves

the right to have a personal political
opinion and to exercise his right to
vote, according to his conscience.

2. Against active participation in the

direction of labor unions. The treatment of the participation of clerics in
union associations is something very
different. What is forbidden in this

Conclusion
The Directory on the Ministry and
Life of Priests, issued by the Congre-

priest ought to refrain from actively

engaging himself in politics, as it often
happens, in order to be a central point
of spiritual fraternity. All the faithful,
therefore, must be able to approach
the priest without feeling inhibited for
any reason.
The Priest will remember that
it does not fall on the shoulders of the
Pastors of the Church to intervene
directly in political activities and in
social organizations. This task, in fact,
forms part of the lay faithfuls vocation,
in which they work by their own initiative together with their fellow citizens.
Nevertheless, he will not be absent in
the effort to form in them an upright
conscience.

Rinsing of Hands after

Distribution of Communion
(Father Edward McNamara, professor of
liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university, answers the following query:)
Q: I am an extraordinary minister of Holy
Communion in my parish. In my own diocese, the practice is for all ministers (ordinary
and extraordinary) who have handled the host
to rinse their fingers after the distribution of
Communion. On a recent visit to the Diocese of Santa Fe, I noticed that the diocesan
guidelines for EMHCs specifically prohibit
the washing of hands after the distribution of
Communion. In areas where EMHCs are told
not to wash their hands, what should they do
(if anything) after having handled the host? Is
there a reason why the washing of hands has
been prohibited? -- C.W., London
A: While practice might vary widely, I
would say that the customs of extraordinary
ministers of Holy Communion should be
guided by what is prescribed for ordinary
ministers.
The General Instruction of the Roman
Missal (GIRM) says the following regarding
the purification:
278. Whenever a fragment of the host
adheres to his fingers, especially after the fraction or the Communion of the faithful, the
priest is to wipe his fingers over the paten or,
if necessary, wash them. Likewise, he should
also gather any fragments that may have fallen
outside the paten.
This refers to visible fragments, even if
small. The need for such washing, however,
is actually quite rare, and most priests will use
the first option of rubbing the fingers over the
paten, occasionally with the help of a purifier.
I would say, therefore, that this would also
be the general rule for extraordinary ministers.
Should there be a real need, then, the hands
should be washed. In most cases, however, it
is not necessary to do so.
Since the GIRM foresees the possibility of
the need for washing hands after distributing Communion, it would not be correct to
explicitly forbid it. Indeed, in all fairness, the
norms issued by Diocese of Santa Fe do not
forbid it, and our reader might have missed
a small but important detail. The text of the

diocesan norms says the following:

EMHCs do not wash their hands in the
ablution bowl in the sanctuary either before
or after distribution of Holy Communion.
All EMHCs are reminded to wash their
hands in the sacristy or the rest room before
Mass begins.
The important words here are: do not wash
their hands in the ablution bowl.
The term ablution bowl could refer to
two types of vessel.
In the context of the ordinary form it would
most likely refer to the bowl used by the priest
for the lavabo, or rite of washing of hands, at
the presentation of gifts. The lavabo would
usually be left upon the credence table near
where the sacred vessels are left to be purified.
In the context of the extraordinary form,

a real danger exists that the water containing

fragments could be thrown down the public
drain. Although Christ would no longer be
really present in the fragments soaked in
the water, the Church still treats them with
respect.
Even if the much smaller ablution cup is
present, its use by several EMHCs would
require an unnecessary mini-procession as
it can be used by only one person at a time.
If and when it becomes necessary to wash
the fingers after distributing Communion, the
priests, deacons and extraordinary ministers
should always make sure that the water used
is poured into the sacrarium or directly into
the ground, as is done with the water used for
the first washing of sacred linens that might
contain fragments.

If and when it becomes necessary to wash

the fingers after distributing Communion,
the priests, deacons and extraordinary
ministers should always make sure that the
water used is poured into the sacrarium or
directly into the ground.
although still used in some places for the
ordinary form, the ablution bowl or ablution
cup is a small bowl-like container, filled with
water, and located near the tabernacle. After
the distribution of Communion the priest or
deacon dips his thumb and index finger into
the water to purify them and wipes his finger
on the purifier.
Since we are certainly in the context of the
ordinary form, the diocesan rule is actually
quite sensible and avoids a danger of disrespect to the Eucharist.
The water used for the priests washing of
hands is not blessed or treated in any special
way. It is also symbolically connected to the
priests admission of his personal sinfulness
and would thus not be an appropriate place
for the fragments.
Thus, if the EMHCs were to use this bowl,

The same rule would apply in dioceses such

as that of our reader. If the custom exists that
ordinary and extraordinary ministers always
wash their hands after distributing Communion, then a special vessel should be reserved
for this purpose different from that used for
the lavabo.
Historically, the practice of washing the
fingers after the sacrifice is mentioned as early
as the year 709, and around the same time the
First Roman Ordo speaks of the washing of
the popes hands as soon as all had received
Communion. After the year 1200 it became
customary and later the norm to purify the
fingers over the chalice first with wine then
with water and to drink the mixture.
This remains the norm for the extraordinary
form. The norm for the ordinary form is
found as above in GIRM, No. 278.

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES B3

January 11 - 24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

The Eucharist and Poverty

Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis
By Veronica Chiari A. Dy-Liacco

individuals transformation, in
that for one to be fitted into
the living body of Christ, the
Church, one must also undergo the fate of the Passion.
The fate of the cornerstone
reveals the plan of the entire
building.[7] This is the basis
for a genuine transformation
that the world needs and that
alone is capable of redeeming
the world.[8]

Benedict XVI on the Social

Mission of the Eucharist
The social mission of the Eucharist is the work of God. We
become cooperators with the
Lord in the social mission of

Franciss Vision of a Church of

the Poor
Pope Francis began his Lenten
Message for 2014 with 2 Cor 8:9,
which says, For you know the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, yet for
your sake he became poor, so that

the Eucharist when we consent

to Gods work of transformation
within us. This transformation
begins when we receive His body
and blood at Holy Communion.
But social mission also implies
a transformation of the world, in
a way which undoes everything
harmful and unjust which human fallibility has inflicted
upon it.
Yet in the Eucharistic Congress of 2002 held in the Diocese of Benevento, Cardinal
Ratzinger noted that in recent
history, social mission was taken
up in opposition to God and
the Church. It took the form
of a godless social theory and
praxis that sought to eliminate
poverty and achieve equality for

by his poverty you might become

rich. Like Benedict XVI, Pope
Francis sees Christ as the template
for the Church to follow. The
template is again Eucharistic, as
Christ [i]n every time and place
[] continues to save mankind
and the world through [his] poverty [] in the sacraments[9]
In this case, Pope Francis includes
the Church in Christs continuing
poverty, as the Church ideally
is a people of the poor. The
Church follows her Master in that
she does not pass on the riches of
Christ through her wealth, but
through the personal and communal poverty of her members.
For Pope Francis, this means that
we must make the poverty of our
poor brothers and sisters our own,

This is the love which does not

hesitate to offer itself in sacrifice
for the beloved. Charity, love, is
sharing with the one we love in
all things. Love makes us similar.
It creates equality, it breaks down
walls and eliminates distances.
God did this with us.[12] This
is the logic of the incarnation
and the cross. It is vastly different from one who gives out
of his abundance out of a sense
of altruism and piety. Neither
can cold, strategic planning for
overcoming poverty compare
with this love. [13]

A sad news during

Christmas time for
Christians and Muslims
who believe in dialogue
Fr. Sebastiano D Ambra, PIME
THE news comes from Iraq with the title Islamic State brand
Christmas festivities heretical.
This is one of the many alarming news that circulate in the
world today as part of a growing radicalism that makes good
Muslims uneasy and more in solidarity with the Christians.
Some can question this reflection telling me: why do you bring
this news here? This is only what happened in Iraq. Well, it is
difficult to tell names of Muslim leaders here in Mindanao who
share the same statement coming from Iraq. It is painful for me
and for many who believe in Muslim- Christian dialogue to see
that things are moving in the wrong direction and radicalism
in variety of forms with ideologies of violence, like the recent
violence in Cotabato area.
The AsiaNews sources in the north of Iraq report that ISIS militants in Monsul have posted signs in the City ordering Muslims
not to celebrate Christmas in any way with the Christians,
because they are heretics. The News continue to say that the
Christians have answered telling the Muslims to follow their faith
and to leave them free to have their celebrations reminding
to the Muslims that the Holy Quran says: I have my religion,
to you yours.
Indeed, in some parts of Mindanao we are reaching to the
same point of Iraq. We have already some Muslim religious leaders
who discourage Muslims to join Christians in celebrating the
joy of Christmas, one strong tradition in the Philippines. The
Muslims are disoriented at this point as well as in other points.
Celebrating together any Muslim or Christian event is a sign
of respect, solidarity and friendship and not a sign of accepting
the faith behind the celebration that is not our faith. The same
we can say for other events like marriages and traditions that
have religious implications in society.
This is a time when we invite religious leaders to be more
courageous promoting dialogue and understanding because we
believe that if this attitude continue it will also be detrimental to
the same faith we profess. We in Silsilah Dialogue Movement,
since 1984, have been consistent to remind Muslims to be good
Muslims and Christians to be good Christians. This principle can
also be applied for people of other cultures and religions.
We understand that often new radical moves are alimented by
local and international strategies. Thus, a question can be raced:
Why are some leaders accepting to be used by these devil plans?
Where are we going now? What will be our future in Mindanao?
It is time to wake up and not live in denial accepting the reality
that some among the leaders who support violence are victims
of ideological and geo-political strategies that are dividing us,
now more than before.
So many sad stories today! Christians are victimized because
they are Christians and Muslims because they are Muslims. My
reflection here is related to any action that is covered by a wrong
religious identity. More often Islam today emerges in some conflicting issues of violence to the point that some Muslims say that
some are planning to destroy Islam. No matter what is the real
analysis of this point, it is alarming.
In a sharing during an interfaith meeting in Zamboanga
City I raced the issue of the celebration of Christmas to some
respected Muslim religious friends. I complained about reports
that some leaders used to discourage the Muslims to join the
Christians during Christmas celebration. The sharing brought us
to many points, at the end they admitted that there are some
Muslim religious leaders who are spreading wrong information
about the proper relation with the Christians. The Holy Quran
says that the Christians are the people of the book and they
have to be respected by the Muslims. They are not Kafir (infidel).
Today we know some Muslims who do not belong to a certain
group of Muslim are also called Kafir. We can go behind this
argument and say: What is wrong to be kafir? Or who are
the kafir? All of us are free to practice our own faith. We know
also that some declare that they are atheists, some of them do
not see good example in people who claim to have a specific
faith. The principle is that any one is free, provided that each
one respects the basic law of the country.
The future of Mindanao is to build a multicultural and multi
religious society where Muslims, Christians, Indigenous people,
Chinese and others can be respected in their identity and religions. Today, more than before, we are challenged to share good
examples and good stories. Personally, I have many good and
sincere Muslim friends. All of us are touched by the love of
God, and our soul is an expression of this love that we have to
cultivate and share. With this spirit Pope Francis opened the
special Jubilee of Mercy started last December 8 inviting all to
share love and solidarity with all peoples of different cultures
and religions.

Implication: Christ-like
poverty
No amount of social planning
and activism, or strategies for

Roy Lagarde

BOTH Pope Benedict XVI and

Pope Francis view the Eucharist
as a sacrament of transformation. Pope Benedict XVI, in
emphasizing the sacrificial aspect
of the Eucharist, underlines how
Christ transformed the violence
and brutality he suffered into
self-giving love. Pope Francis,
reflecting on 2 Cor 9:8, sees
Christs eternal decision to give
up his riches, his divinity, in
order to become poor in his
humanity, as a continuing occurrence at every Holy Masss
Liturgy of the Eucharist. Thus,
taking Pope Benedict XVI and
Pope Francis together, Chris-

quiet prayer before Communion.[3] Our silent adoration

of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist is a loving act of devotion
to Him, and allows us to submit
ourselves to Him.[4] In this way,
we become cooperators with the
Lord, who Himself develops the
social mission of the Eucharist,
in which He is able to break
down the barriers between the
Lord and us but also and above
all those that separate us from
one another.[5]

Benedict XVI on Eucharistic

Adoration
Benedict XVI, as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, found praiseworthy the Churchs rediscovery
of the liturgy as a communal
celebration. At the same time,
however, he warned against the
risk of collectivization. He explained that Eucharistic fellowship is a deeply personal act, first
with Christ in the Eucharist, and
then with our neighbors. It requires that we must set out with
our whole self, beginning with
the authentic encounter with
Christ in Eucharistic adoration.
He believed that we are in need
of rediscovering this truth. [1]
The very reason for the Eucharist, the reason why Our Lord
Jesus Christ instituted its reception, is so that we may receive
Him: Lord I am not worthy
that you should enter under my
roof (Matt 8:8 par. Luke 7:6).
In receiving Him as the honored
guest, our very life becomes His.
In turn, we participate in His
resurrected life, in which we,
like Him who loved us to the
Cross, become capable of sharing ourselves wholly with others:
Receiving communion means
entering into communion with
Jesus Christ; it signifies moving
into the open through him who
alone who could overcome the
limits and thus, with him and
on the basis of his existence,
becoming capable of resurrection
oneself.[2]
Entering into this communion
with Christ entails not a ritual
performed in common, but a
personal act. The reception of
Christ in Holy Communion is
a deeply personal act. It is first
of all our interior response to
Christs call in the Eucharist.
Its movement outside of ourselves is first of all towards Him.
Therefore, rather than activity,
Cardinal Ratzinger recommends

poverty reduction and eradication

could ever approximate the kind
of social transformation which is
the end result of a true reception
of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
Both papal views of transformation point to the love of Christ
which is self-emptying. Suffering and poverty, which we as
Christians are called to take upon
ourselves, have been transformed
by Christ into love. It is when we
recognize Gods claim on our lives
in receiving Him in Holy Communion, and recognize the saving
poverty and humility of Christ in
the Holy Eucharist, that we can
renounce the goods of this world
(the false gods of our time), and
allow Gods Kingdom to manifest
in the here and now. Adoration of

(Fr. Sebastiano D Ambra, PIME, is the Founder of Silsilah

Dialogue Movement)

Roy Lagarde

tians at receiving Christ in Holy

Communion are called to enter
into these same transformations:
the transformation of violence
and brutality into self-giving
love, and the transformation of
stepping down from their own
wealth and comfort into poverty.
Both these visions have implications for our participation in the
Sacrament of the Eucharist.

all, but which ended up destroying old social structures, and

with them, spiritual and moral
forces as well.[6]
For believers in Christ, a godless social transformation is unthinkable. The way to become
agents of social change is necessarily by their transformation
into the image of Christ, by way
of reception of Christ into their
lives in Holy Communion, and
the willing acceptance of Gods
work of transformation in their
own life, their own personal fiat
to Gods mysterious work in
them. Thus the transformation
effected in Christs Passion now
becomes the template of the

even as we try to alleviate their

situation. He sees a necessary
distinction between material and
spiritual destitution. As a Church,
we can be poor materially, but
rich in the same way that Jesus
Christ was rich because of his
trust in the Father, and his desire
to do the Fathers will and to
glorify him.[10] He further says
that there is only one real kind
of poverty: not living as children
of God and brothers and sisters
of Christ.[11]
The Church of the poor of
Pope Francis vision is poor for
the sake of love, love of Jesus
who became poor for us, and
love of our neighbor in need.

Christ in the Holy Eucharist and

our reception of His transforming
love in Holy Communion, and
our desire to take on His poverty
and its accompanying difficulties
because He made it redeeming,
brings the saving power of the
Gospel to the world that seeks it.
(Veronica Chiari A. Dy-Liacco
is taking up her Masters degree
in Theology at the University of
Sto. Tomas Graduate School in
Manila.)
1
Joseph Ratzinger, The Eucharist
The Heart of the Church: The Real
Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic
Sacrament, trans. Henry Taylor, Theology of the Liturgy: The Sacramental

Foundation of Christian Existence,

Joseph Ratzinger Collected Works Vol.
11 (San Francisco: Libreria Editrice
Vaticana & Ignatius, 2014) 284-298,
here 290.
2
Joseph Ratzinger, The Real Presence, 289.
3

Ibid., 289-290.

Ibid., 290-91.

Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI

to the Roman Curia offering them his
Christmas Greetings, Dec. 22, 2005,
https://w2.vatican.va/content/benedictxvi/en/speeches/2005/december/documents/hf_ben_xvi_spe_20051222_roman-curia.html
5

Joseph Ratzinger, EucharistCommunioSolidarity, trans. Michael J.

Miller, Theology of the Liturgy, 355-370,
here, 365.

Joseph Ratzinger, Built from Living

Stones: The House of God and the

Christian Way of Worshipping God,

trans. Martha M. Matesich, Theology of
the Liturgy, 371-387, here, 377.
8

Ibid.

Lenten Message of Our Holy Father

Francis 2014: He became poor so that
by his poverty you may become rich,
February 4, 2014, https://w2.vatican.va/
content/francesco/en/messages/lent/
documents/papa-francesco_20131226_
messaggio-quaresima2014.html.

10

Ibid.

11

Ibid.

12

Ibid.

See Pope Francis Evangelii Gaudium

par. 90, which states that solutions
that flee from a committed personal
relationship with God are presenting
a false remedy which cripple the
heart and the body, failing to establish
lasting bonds with those whom we
seek to help.
13

B4 PASTORAL CONCERNS

January 11 - 24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

CBCP Monitor

A celebration of thanksgiving, life and mercy

A pastoral letter of the Diocese of Daet

ON the Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother Of

God, the Jubilee Door of the
Cathedral of the Most Holy
Trinity is blessed and opened to
officially usher in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy as desired
by His Holiness, Pope Francis.
In addition to the Cathedral

Plenary Indulgence is granted to

all the faithful who passes through
the Holy Doors of the Churches
mentioned above under the usual
condition of sacramental confession, Holy Communion and
prayer for the intentions of the
Holy Father.
Church: Rooted in Christ

she joyfully experiences the constant fulfilment of the promise:

Lo, I am with you always, to
the close of the age(Ecclesia de
Eucharistia no.1).The Eucharist
makes present again the Lord
Jesus Christ in the appearance
of bread and wine. This presence communicates over and

ebrated by the Philippine Church

as Year on the Family. In the post
Synodal exhortation FamiliarisConsortio no. 57, St. John Paul II
states that The Eucharist is the
very source of Christian marriage.
The Eucharistic Sacrifice, in fact,
represents Christs covenant of
love with the Church, sealed

bread, the different members of

the Christian family become one
body, which reveals and shares in
the wider unity of the Church.
The family is a school for
human enrichment [...] and the
foundation of society (GS, 52)
According to the report of the
Synod Fathers during its gathering last October in Rome: All
the relations among relatives in a
family, beyond the small family
unit itself, offer valuable assistance in the raising of children,
the transmission of values, the
safeguarding of inter-generational
ties and the enrichment of the
spiritual life(rf. 11).

The family should merit special

attention on the part of those responsible for the common good,
since the family is the basic cell
of society. (Pope Francis, Address
at the Airport of El Alto, Bolivia,
8 July 2015).
Forgiveness and Gods mercy
During this Jubilee Year of
Mercy, St. John Paul II reminds
us that, Repentance and mutual
pardon within the bosom of the
Christian family, so much a part
of daily life, receive their specific
sacramental expression in Christian Penance ... And if sin should
still keep its hold over them, let

Maria Tan

In this sacrifice of the New

and Eternal Covenant,
Christian spouses encounter
the source from which their
own marriage covenant flows,
is interiorly structured and
continuously renewed.

Church, the Parroquia de San

Juan Bautista in Daet, Parroquia
de San Pedro Apostol in Vinzons,
Parroquia de Nuestra Seora de
Candelaria, Diocesan Shrine
of Jesus the Black Nazarene of
Capalonga and the Parish of the
Divine Mercy in Alawihao, Daet
will also open their Holy Doors
during this Year of Mercy so that
the faithful who passes through
the Holy Door, the Door of Mercywill experience the love of God
who consoles, pardons, and instils
hope (Misericordiae Vultus #3).A

through the Eucharist

The Philippine Church starts
the year 2016 with a great blessing from the Lord on account
of the fact that the Archdiocese
of Cebu will be the venue of the
51st International Eucharistic
Congress from January 24-31,
2016. In the words of St. John
Paul II, The Church draws her
life from the Eucharist. This
truth does not simply express a
daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery
of the Church. In a variety of ways

over again the love and mercy

of God for His people. The International Eucharistic Congress
in our shores reaffirms once more
our deep love for the Eucharist
that nourishes and strengthens
us in our daily lives. Bishops,
Priests and Lay faithful from
the four corners of the world
will be gathered together as one
family united under Gods loving
embrace.
Domestic Church as its mission
The year 2016 will also be cel-

with His blood on the Cross.

In this sacrifice of the New and
Eternal Covenant, Christian
spouses encounter the source
from which their own marriage
covenant flows, is interiorly structured and continuously renewed.
As a representation of Christs
sacrifice of love for the Church,
the Eucharist is a fountain of
charity. In the Eucharistic gift of
charity the Christian family finds
the foundation and soul of its
communion and its mission:
by partaking in the Eucharistic

I enjoin all families to observe

once more that age old tradition
of attending mass together so that
the bonds of faith and life will be
strengthened further. Families
coming together for the celebration of the Eucharist will serve as
witnesses to Gods love and mercy
that would ultimately lead to
renewal and transformation, not
only of the family but of the larger
society as well. I ask our families
in the whole Diocese of Daet, to
be instruments of bringing Jesus
through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, especially
those who are in need of Gods
embrace. In the coming National
and Local Elections, I bring this
challenge to our people in the
whole Province of Camarines
Norte - Be discerning in choosing
candidates who would value and
respect life and the family since

them not be discouraged, but

rather have recourse with humble
perseverance to the mercy of
God, which is abundantly poured
forth in the sacrament of Penance. (FamiliarisConsortio no.
58) Mercy and Forgiveness are
values that are also learned in the
context of the family. However,
this basic circle of mercy and
forgiveness needs to grow more so
that it can embrace and include
more people.
We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy.
It is a wellspring of joy, serenity,
and peace. Our salvation depends
on it. Mercy: the word reveals the
very mystery of the Most Holy
Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and
supreme act by which God comes
to meet us. Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of
Thanksgiving, B7

Peace, B1

problems. There are those who simply

content themselves with blaming the
poor and the poor countries themselves
for their troubles; indulging in unwarranted generalizations, they claim that
the solution is an education that would
tranquilize them, making them tame and
harmless. All this becomes even more
exasperating for the marginalized in the
light of the widespread and deeply rooted
corruption found in many countries in
their governments, businesses and institutions whatever the political ideology of
their leaders.[8]
In other cases, indifference shows itself
in lack of concern for what is happening
around us, especially if it does not touch
us directly. Some people prefer not to ask
questions or seek answers; they lead lives
of comfort, deaf to the cry of those who
suffer. Almost imperceptibly, we grow
incapable of feeling compassion for others
and for their problems; we have no interest in caring for them, as if their troubles
were their own responsibility, and none
of our business.[9]When we are healthy
and comfortable, we forget about others
(something God the Father never does):
we are unconcerned with their problems,
their sufferings and the injustices they
endure Our heart grows cold. As long
as I am relatively healthy and comfortable,
I dont think about those less well off.[10]
Because we dwell in a common home,
we cannot help but ask ourselves about
the state of its health, as I sought to do
inLaudato Si. Water and air pollution,
the indiscriminate exploitation of forests
and the destruction of the natural environment are often the result of mans
indifference to man, since everything is
interrelated. Then too, there is the way
we treat animals, which has an effect on
the way we treat other people[11], and
the cases where people freely do elsewhere
what they would never dare do at home.
[12]
In these and in other situations, indifference leads to self-absorption and a lack
of commitment. It thus contributes to
the absence of peace with God, with our
neighbour and with the environment.
Peace threatened by globalized indifference
4. Indifference towards God transcends
the purely private sphere of the individual
and affects the public and social sphere. As
Benedict XVI pointed out, the glorification of God and human peace on earth
are closely linked.[13]Indeed, without
openness to the transcendent, human beings easily become prey to relativism and
find it difficult to act justly and to work

for peace.[14]Disregard and the denial

of God, which lead man to acknowledge
no norm above himself and himself
alone, have produced untold cruelty and
violence.[15]
On both the individual and communitarian levels, indifference to ones
neighbour, born of indifference to God,
finds expression in disinterest and a lack of
engagement, which only help to prolong
situations of injustice and grave social imbalance. These in turn can lead to conflicts
or, in any event, generate a climate of dissatisfaction which risks exploding sooner
or later into acts of violence and insecurity.
Indifference and lack of commitment
constitute a grave dereliction of the duty
whereby each of us must work in accordance with our abilities and our role
in society for the promotion of the common good, and in particular for peace,
which is one of mankinds most precious
goods.[16]
On the institutional level, indifference
to others and to their dignity, their fundamental rights and their freedom, when it
is part of a culture shaped by the pursuit
of profit and hedonism, can foster and
even justify actions and policies which
ultimately represent threats to peace.
Indifference can even lead to justifying
deplorable economic policies which breed
injustice, division and violence for the sake
of ensuring the wellbeing of individuals
or nations. Not infrequently, economic
and political projects aim at securing or
maintaining power and wealth, even at
the cost of trampling on the basic rights
and needs of others. When people witness
the denial of their elementary rights, such
as the right to food, water, health care or
employment, they are tempted to obtain
them by force.[17]
Moreover, indifference to the natural
environment, by countenancing deforestation, pollution and natural catastrophes
which uproot entire communities from
their ecosystem and create profound
insecurity, ends up creating new forms of
poverty and new situations of injustice,
often with dire consequences for security
and peace. How many wars have been
fought, and how many will continue
to be fought, over a shortage of goods
or out of an insatiable thirst for natural
resources?[18]
From indifference to mercy: the conversion
of hearts
5. One year ago, in my Message for the
2015 World Day of Peace, with the motto
No Longer Slaves, but Brothers and Sis-

ters, I evoked the first biblical icon of human brotherhood, that of Cain and Abel
(cf.Gen4:1-16). I meant to draw attract
attention to how from the very beginning
this original brotherhood was betrayed.
Cain and Abel were brothers. Both came
forth from the same womb, they were
equal in dignity and created in the image
and likeness of God; but their relationship
as brothers was destroyed. It was not only
that Cain could not stand Abel--he killed
him out of envy.[19]Fratricide was the
form of betrayal, and Cains refusal to
acknowledge Abel as his brother became
the first rupture in the family relations of
fraternity, solidarity and mutual respect.
God then intervened to remind man
of his responsibility towards his fellows,
as he had also done when Adam and Eve,
our first parents, ruptured their relationship with him, their Creator. Then the
Lord said to Cain: Where is Abel your
brother? He said, I do not know; am
I my brothers keeper? But the Lord
replied: What you have you done? The
voice of your brothers blood is crying to
me from the ground (Gen4:9-10).
Cain said he did not know what had
happened to his brother, that he was
not his brothers keeper. He did not feel
responsible for his life, for his fate. He did
not feel involved. He was indifferent to
his brother, despite their common origin.
How sad! What a sorry tale of brothers,
of families, of human beings! This was
the first display of indifference between
brothers. God, however, is not indifferent. Abels blood had immense value in
his eyes, and he asked Cain to give an
account of it. At the origin of the human
race, God shows himself to be involved in
mans destiny. Later, when the children of
Israel were slaves in Egypt, God once more
intervened to tell Moses: I have seen the
affliction of my people who are in Egypt,
and have heard their cry because of their
taskmasters; I know their sufferings, and
I have come down to deliver them out of
the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring
them up out of that land to a good and
broad land, a land flowing with milk and
honey (Ex3:7-8). We should note the
verbs which describe Gods intervention:
he sees, hears, knows, comes down and
delivers. God does not remain indifferent.
He is attentive and he acts.
In the same way, in Jesus his Son, God
has come down among us. He took flesh
and showed his solidarity with humanity
in all things but sin. Jesus identified with
us: he became the first-born among many
brethren (Rom8:29). He was not content

merely to teach the crowds, but he was

concerned for their welfare, especially
when he saw them hungry (cf.Mk6:3444) or without work (cf.Mt20:3). He
was concerned not only for men and
women, but also for the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, plants and trees, all
things great and small. He saw and embraced all of creation. But he did more
than just see; he touched peoples lives, he
spoke to them, helped them and showed
kindness to those in need. Not only this,
but he felt strong emotions and he wept
(cf.Jn11:33-44). And he worked to put
an end to suffering, sorrow, misery and
death.
Jesus taught us to be merciful like our
heavenly Father (cf.Lk6:36). In the parable of the Good Samaritan (cf.Lk10:2937), he condemned those who fail to help
others in need, those who pass by on
the other side (cf.Lk10:31-32). By this
example, he taught his listeners, and his
disciples in particular, to stop and to help
alleviate the sufferings of this world and
the pain of our brothers and sisters, using
whatever means are at hand, beginning
with our own time, however busy we
may be. Indifference often seeks excuses:
observing ritual prescriptions, looking to
all the things needing to be done, hiding
behind hostilities and prejudices which
keep us apart.
Mercy is the heart of God. It must also
be the heart of the members of the one
great family of his children: a heart which
beats all the more strongly wherever human dignity as a reflection of the face
of God in his creatures is in play. Jesus
tells us that love for others foreigners,
the sick, prisoners, the homeless, even
our enemies is the yardstick by which
God will judge our actions. Our eternal
destiny depends on this. It is not surprising that the Apostle Paul tells the Christians of Rome to rejoice with those who
rejoice and to weep with those who weep
(cf.Rom12:15), or that he encourages the
Corinthians to take up collections as a sign
of solidarity with the suffering members of
the Church (cf.1 Cor16:2-3). And Saint
John writes: If any one has the worlds
goods and sees his brother or sister in
need, yet refuses help, how does Gods love
abide in him? (1 Jn3:17; cf.Jas2:15-16).
This then is why it is absolutely essential for the Church and for the credibility
of her message that she herself live and
testify to mercy. Her language and her gestures must transmit mercy, so as to touch
the hearts of all people and inspire them

once more to find the road that leads to

the Father. The Churchs first truth is the
love of Christ. The Church makes herself
a servant of this love and mediates it to all
people: a love that forgives and expresses
itself in the gift of oneself. Consequently,
wherever the Church is present, the mercy
of the Father must be evident. In our
parishes, communities, associations and
movements, in a word, wherever there are
Christians, everyone should find an oasis
of mercy.[20]
We too, then, are called to make
compassion, love, mercy and solidarity a
true way of life, a rule of conduct in our
relationships with one another.[21]This
requires the conversion of our hearts: the
grace of God has to turn our hearts of
stone into hearts of flesh (cf.Ezek36:26),
open to others in authentic solidarity. For
solidarity is much more than a feeling of
vague compassion or shallow distress at
the misfortunes of so many people, both
near and far.[22] Solidarity is a firm
and persevering determination to commit
oneself to the common good; that is to say
to the good of all and of each individual,
because we are all really responsible for
all,[23]because compassion flows from
fraternity.
Understood in this way, solidarity
represents the moral and social attitude
which best corresponds to an awareness
of the scourges of our own day, and to
the growing interdependence, especially
in a globalized world, between the lives
of given individuals and communities and
those of other men and women in the rest
of the world.[24]
Building a culture of solidarity and mercy
to overcome indifference
6. Solidarity, as a moral virtue and social
attitude born of personal conversion, calls
for commitment on the part of those
responsible for education and formation.
I think first of families, which are called
to a primary and vital mission of education. Families are the first place where the
values of love and fraternity, togetherness
and sharing, concern and care for others
are lived out and handed on. They are also
the privileged milieu for transmitting the
faith, beginning with those first simple
gestures of devotion which mothers teach
their children.[25]
Teachers, who have the challenging task
of training children and youth in schools
or other settings, should be conscious
that their responsibility extends also to
the moral, spiritual and social aspects of
Peace, B7

CBCP Monitor

STATEMENTS B5

January 11 - 24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

Wise as serpents, innocent as doves

AS the rhetoric and the noise traditionally associated with Philippine politics and elections reach
higher levels of intensity, we wish
to offer some guidelines to our
Catholic voters deriving from the
moral teachings of the Church.
1. Reject claims by candidates
that they are candidates of the
CBCP, or of a diocese, or of a
particular bishop. It has never
been the practice of the Catholic
Church to hold out a candidate
to the faithful as the chosen
candidate of the Church. Church
d o c t r i n e h a s re m a i n e d c o n s i s tent: Par tisanship is an arena
into which the Church should
not venture.
2. We your bishops commit
to desist from any action or
s t a t e m e n t t h a t m a y g i ve t h e
appearance of persuading the
faithful to vote for a particular
candidate. While bishops, as
citizens of the Republic, have the
right to make their own choices,
our office in the Church as well
as our stature, of which we are all
unworthy, urge upon us that circumspection that should prevent
misunderstanding and confusion
among our flock.
3. The desired qualities of leaders as well as the political options
o p e n t o t h e p e o p l e a re p ro p e r
subjects of the collective discernment of the members of our lay
Catholic communities and associations, as long as these take
place in the context of prayer, a
careful reading of the Scriptures
in the light of the Churchs
teaching, a sense of fairness and
concern for the common good.
4 . T h e Ca t h o l i c vo t e r m u s t
evaluate candidates according to
the model of Christ, who came
to serve, not to be served. They
must look for the realization of
Gospel values in the lives, words
and deeds of those desirous of
public office, realizing that there
are no perfect candidates. There
is a cr ucial difference between
one who has been wrong in the
past and is willing to amend
his ways, and one who exhibits
stubbornness and obstinacy.

File Photo

(Mt.10:16)
A Guide to Catholic Voters

5. Sur veys and polls show

trends, and they are as limited
as the methodology that is used
to conduct them. The Catholic
therefore cannot make his or her
choice depend on who is topping or trailing in the polls and
surveys. There is a vocation to
authenticity: the Spirit-inspired
courage and determination to
make decisions for ourselves, setting ourselves free from trends
and herds, to do what is right

and to choose who is right!

6. A Catholic cannot support a
candidate who vows to wipe out
religion from public life. While
we e x p e c t e ve r y p u b l i c o f f i c e r
to give life to the constitutional
posture of benevolent neutrality in respect to the attitude of
the State towards religion, the
Catholic voter cannot and should
not lend his support to any candidate whose ideology binds him or
her to make of the Philippines a

secular state that has no tolerance

for religion in its public life.
7. Similarly, a Catholic voter
cannot, in good conscience, support a candidate whose legislative
or executive programs include initiativesdiametrically opposed to
Church moral teachingson such
vital issues as abortion, euthanasia,
the return of the death penalty,
divorce and the dilution of the
character of Christian marriage.
8. A Catholic is not closed to the

candidacy of a non-Catholic. In
fact, there are worthy candidates
from other Christian communities
and other religions. Their qualifications and aspirations must be
given serious heed by our Catholic
voters, their truly helpful plans and
visions must be supported.
9. A candidate who has thus far
spent his time demolishing the
re p u t a t i o n a n d t a rn i s h i n g t h e
good name of fellow candidates
must be suspect. He may have
n o t h i n g p o s i t i v e t o o f f e r, a n d
he debases the level of political
discourse by calling attention to
the shortcomings of his rivals and
competitors, rather than on the
programs and projects he or she
might have.
1 0 . We w a rn a g a i n s t t h e u s e
o f g o ve r n m e n t r e s o u r c e s , t h e
power of government offices and
instrumentalities and subtler forms
of coercion and intimidation to
promote the chances of a particular candidate. It is Gods will
to provide his people with sheph e rd s a f t e r Hi s m e r c i f u l h e a r t !
Fi n a l l y, w e a p p e a l t o C O M E L E C t o i n s u re t h a t a l l t h e s e curity measures mandated by
the Automated Election Law be
implemented diligently. The
credibility of the elections and the
stability of our democracy is at
risk if the security and sanctity of
the every ballot is compromised.
As Christians we will align ourselves not with powers like Herod
who trembled at the news that the
King had been born. We shall,
like the wise men, choose a different route, guided by intimations
of the Gospel, and so do our part,
in response to Gods initiative, to
make all things new!
See, I am sending you out like sheep
into the midst of wolves; so be wise
as serpents and innocent as doves.
(Matthew 10:16)
From the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines,
December 30, 2015
+ SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan
President, CBCP

And he saw that it was good!...

A Statement at the Conclusion of the Paris Conference on Climate Change

BEFORE the Paris Conference on Climate Change, the
CBCP issued a statement,
echoing Pope Francis impassioned appeal for all sons and
daughters of the Church to
unite in common cause in
support of the healing of our
grievously wounded planet.
The conference has just
been concluded. We are
happy that our country was
competently represented not
only by men and women in
government but also by zealous and well-informed academics and representatives
of cause-oriented groups. It
is our understanding that at
the CBCP that
the Philippine
delegation was
called upon the
lead the discussions of States
re n d e re d v u l nerable by climate change.
As always in
the past, we,
yo u r b i s h o p s ,
address ourselves to the moral dimensions of the matter
on hand. After each day of
creation, God saw his handiwork to be good. But we
have defaced our world. The
fact that the Pope Francis,
on several occasions in the
past, but most significantly
recently through Laudato Si,
an encyclical of enormous
import and significance, has
weighed in heavily in favor
of decisive action on the environment including climate
change makes the position
of the so-called deniers a
highly questionable, if not
irresponsible and ethically
unacceptable position, particularly if their denial of the

significance of the threat of

climate change is politically
or ideologically motivated,
rather than the result of heeding the virtually undeniable
data on hand!
Second, it has become clear
that care for the environment and resolute measures
towards healing our planet
are not only worthwhile
engagements, if we care to,
but are in fact moral imperatives, demands made both on
individuals as well as on communities and nations. Any
act that results in the further
depredation of the precarious

For one thing, poor and

struggling economies apparently pin their hopes of amelioration in the continued
use of fossil fuel and other
non-rene wable sources of
energy, finding alternatives
way beyond their reach. But
if we take the decisive steps
to keep us from falling off
the precipice only when all
countries shall have reached
an acceptable state of development, the opportunity to
make a difference shall then
have passed. In fact, many
have expressed the view that
we have already forfeited our
chance at reve r s i n g t h e
march to
cataclysm.
This only
underscores
the need for
that kind of
global and
regional
solidarity
that will not
leave poor
and underdeveloped economies to their
own resources, while prosperous nations wallow in luxury,
enjoying the benefits of prosperity. While there is good
reason to maintain that the
welfare of prosperous states
demands that they heed the
needs of underdeveloped and
developing states, it is more
in keeping with the Christian
message of mercy that it is an
obligation of our common
humanity that the prosperity of all be reckoned by the
prosperity of the least in the
world!
One more point needs to be
stressed: the right to a healthful ecologyincluding the
right to be protected against

the adverse effects of global

warningis a human right
and must both be advocated
and defended with the determination by which we stand
by other human rights. The
fact cannot be overstressed: It
is often the case that the poor
pay the price of the prosperity
of the rich!

opening of new coal-fired

power plants and advocates
the denial of government
permits and licenses to coal
mines.
We u r g e s c i e n t i s t s a n d
technologists in our colleges,
universities and schools and
we direct those in Catholic
institutionsto make the

otherwise laudable livelihood

efforts that nevertheless pose a
threat to the environment, such
as the wasteful and destructive
use of forest products.
We urge government and
scientists to keep us in the
CBCP constantly informed
so that together we may find
ways of doing what we can to

The Church in the Philippines will do its share. We

call on our Basic Ecclesial
Communities to make local
threats to the eco-system
and contributory causative
factors to global warming
and climate change a matter
of community discernment,
and the action in response
to these threats, a matter
of community resolve. The
church will also oppose the

increased use of alternative

energy sources a priority of
research and development.
We call on our parishes,
t h ro u g h o u r b i s h o p s a n d
priests, to desist from those
practices that aggravate an
already-precarious situation,
such as the wasteful maintenance of so many, unnecessary vehicles, the irresponsible use of electric power,
the wastage of water, even

transform the lofty aspirations

of the Paris Conference into
norms of everyday living for
each Filipino.

balance of eco-system, or that

leaves a threatening carbon
footprint, or that results in
the diminution of biodiversity is not only deplorable. It
is morally objectionable and
constitutes an offense against
social justice.
Third, the Paris Conference highlighted the tension
between the legitimate demands of developing countries (and underdeveloped
ones) and the requirements
that the Paris Conference
has endeavored to exact from
all state-parties in respect
to such matters as a cap on
increases in global temperature in the coming years and
decades.

File Photo

It has become clear that care

for the environment and resolute
measures towards healing our
planet are not only worthwhile
engagements, if we care to, but
are in fact moral imperatives.

From the Catholic Bishops

Conference of the Philippines,
December 17, 2015
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of LingayenDagupan
President, CBCP

B6 REFLECTIONS

January 11 - 24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

Challenged to grow in
wisdom and grace

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

Kris Bayos

Feast of the Sto. Nio (C), Lk 2:41-52;

January 17, 2016

THE news must have spread

like fire in a forest of pine trees:
there was in the Temple a wonder boy who kept amazing the
teachers of the Law not only
with his answers, but also with
his questions.
The audience of experts had
been increasing steadily. By the
third day, it had swollen to a sizable crowd of Scripture scholars
all wondering at what the boy
from Nazareth was saying and
the questions he was asking.
No doubt, the Boy knew the
Scriptures in all their details and
nuances. He knew more than what
the text said. He knew its message, the substance of it all. His
words were deep insights into
events and statements, presented
with mastery and authority.
And he was just a boy of twelve,
coming from a remote village
in the countryside! The learned
teachers just did not know what
to make of it . . . .
But Jesus was not just a wonder boy. He was, above all, a
wonder-faithful, and an exemplary one at that. Having gone to
Jerusalem with Mary and Joseph
for the Passover pilgrimage and
the fulfillment of all other duties
connected with that feast, he
showed that he appreciated and
was actively involved in keeping
the religious traditions and observances of his people, just as he was

at home with the Scriptures. he

had been taught to value those
traditions, and felt that they were
part of his life.
One often wonders whether
our children and our youth
could not be more like Jesus

One often
wonders
whether our
children and
our youth could
not be more
like Jesus as he
progressed in
knowledge and
maturity with
the passing of
the years.
as he progressed in knowledge
and maturity with the passing
of the years. Jesus had grown in
his appreciation of the precious
traditions of his people. He knew
them thoroughly, and kept them
with the enthusiasm that characterizes this age. This is what

CBCP Monitor

our children and pre-adolescents

would need to have and which
many lack . . .
Most of our youths are bright.
Some are exceptionally bright.
They are very familiar with the
names and characteristics of
movie and TV personalities,
sports champions, war heroes . .
. .Yet, when it comes to religious
knowledge, many hardly know
more than what they learned
when they were in kinder and
grade school . . . . When it comes
to our religious traditions, many
show coldness and boredom.
When it comes to making some
commitment in their parish
or religious association, they
become over-cautious and unreliable . . . .
The feast of the Sto. Nio
should offer them an opportunity to reflect on why things are
so. Many parents and educators,
likewise, should ask themselves
at what point they may have
gone wrong in the way they have
brought up their children and how
the situation can be remedied in
order to see our youth progress
steadily in wisdom and grace, before God and men (Lk 2:52), as
Jesus did. The observance of the
Year of the Family, and Pope
Francis exhortation to discover
(or re-discover) the mission of
the family in the Church and
society, especially in the formation of children and youth, can
be a wonderful opportunity to
bring this about.

The mission to set people free from all forms of evil

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C), Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21; January 24, 2016
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
JESUS was a man with a mission, the most
difficult and challenging mission, in fact
to save the whole of
mankind! His mission
had already been described by the prophet
Isaiah when he spoke
of the Servant of the
Lord in the remarkable words that Jesus
himself proclaimed in
the synagogue of his
hometown, Nazareth:

Sharing in
the mission of
Christ is not
the privilege
of bishops and
priests alone. It
is the right and
duty of all the
baptized. It is
the privilege of
each of us.

Jesus applied those prophetic words

to himself and lived them out to the
full. The whole of his public life was
a proclamation of glad tidings to the
poor, the afflicted, the marginalized, the

Antonio da Correggio

The Spirit of the

Lord is upon me;
t h e re f o re h e h a s
anointed me.
He has sent me to
bring glad tidings to
the poor,
to proclaim liberty
to captives, recovery of
sight to the blind
and release to prisoners;
to announce a year of
favor from the Lord.

despised, those who were losing or had

already lost hope. He proclaimed and
offered freedom to those who had been
enslaved by the devil in so many different ways. He offered the sight of faith
to those who could not
see meaning in what
was going on in their
own lives and/or in the
world around them. To
all, he opened wide the
gates of the Kingdom,
inviting them to enter
and thus begin to experience the year of favor
from the Lord.
Jesus trained His disciples to be people with
a mission, not just any
mission (no matter
how enticing), but that
of sharing in his own,
from beginning to end.
And after having sent
them on mission to the
world, he empowered
them with his Spirit
that they might not fail.
This is why, in spite of
their many limitations,
the apostles were able to extend the
blessings of the Kingdom to numerous
nations and to lead millions to the peace
of that Kingdom.
Their successors picked up from where
the apostles had left off and continued
through the centuries to make present

and operative the Gospel of life and love

proclaimed by Christ in words and deeds.
We call these successors of the Apostles
Popes and Bishops. They are our
leaders because they have been chosen
by the Lord Jesus to fulfill this role in
the Church. They make Jesus present to
us in a special manner.
But sharing in the mission of Christ is
not the privilege of bishops and priests
alone. It is the right and duty of all the
baptized. It is the privilege of each of us.
We, too, have our mission to accomplish
within the wider mission of the Church,
the collective Servant of Yahweh.
The situation of the world in which
we live is neither better nor much worse
than what it was in the time of Christ
and his apostles. Even now there are so
many aberrations to be corrected, injustices
to be rectified, abuses to be curbed. There
are so many forms of mans inhumanity to
man. A certain culture of death seems to
be expanding at unrelenting speed. This is
why a New Evangelization is needed.
On the other hand, there is a civilization
of life and love to be proposed as a visible
manifestation of the Kingdom of God on
earth. This civilization has to be created
and nurtured. People must be taught,
once again, to appreciate life, respect, and
promote it. We must teach them, by word
and example, how to love the way Christ
taught us. These are the features of the
Kingdom today. Much of the success of
this all-important enterprise depends on
how we accomplish our fulfill day by day.

Bo Sanchez

Bishop Pat Alo

SOULFOOD

ENCOUNTERS

Just Diamonds

GOD speaks with precision and ever remains

faithful to His unerring Word. The Holy Bible
is filled with the divine message, especially the
Words of the Son of God, Jesus, that touch and
penetrate the heart, and are applicable to different
situations in life.
The sixth chapter of John uncovers Jesus as
speaking the words of spirit and life (cf. Jn.
6:63). He assures Peter that Whoever comes to
me I shall not turn away (Jn. 6:37), while Peter,
moved by the Spirit, discloses his utter trust in the
Master, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life (Jn. 6:66).
Jesus reminds his disciples to be like the Son
of Man who has come, not to be served but to
serve, and to give his life to redeem many (Mt.
20:28). What a timely reminder for the candidates running for public office, to put authentic
service of the massive poor sector of society above
ones self-interest. Jesus the Leader claims only
His intimate, undying care for his flock I am
the good shepherd. I know my own and my own
know me, as the Father knows me and I know
the Father. Because of this, I give my life for my
sheep. The good shepherd gives his life for the
sheep (Jn.10:14-15).
Let this spark hope and strength for each person, and each family of our nation that we may
be the people chosen as Gods inheritance (cf.

Duccio

Hope in the word of

life and love

Ps. 33:12), thereby being the good soil who heard

the word, understood it, and bore fruit a hundred,
sixty, or thirty times more (Mt. 13:23). With
certitude shall our hearts be freed from all worry
and anxiety. Set your heart first on the kingdom
and justice of God, and all these things will also
be given to you. Do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day
has enough trouble of its own (Mt. 6:33-34). It
will be Jesus leading us to bear fruit in love as His
true disciples, so that in the end, He will say, By
this will everyone know that you are my disciples
if you have love for one another (Jn. 13:35)

LET me tell you a story about

true wealth.
One day, two very proud Jewellers were in the street, debating who had the biggest, most
beautiful diamonds.
Ive got the biggest diamonds! shouted one man.
The other said, Well, Ive got
the most beautiful diamonds!
Their voices were loud and
angry.
A third man approached them
and smiled, My name is Ibrahim Matta Zakariya Yunus AlYasa Efraim Dawud bin Tariq
bin Khalid Al-Fulan.
What? the two Jewellers
asked.
Just call me Ibrahim. If thats
still too long for you, you can call
me Ib. Im also a Jeweller. May I
tell you a story?
Before they could answer,
Ibrahim continued, One day,
I was going to another city to
sell my diamonds. And I had to
cross a large dessert. But that day,
a fierce sandstorm came out of
nowhere. It was the biggest and
fiercest sandstorms Ive ever experienced in my entire life. And I
got lost in the desert. After many

days wandering, I was dying of

starvation and thirst
Oh no said the Jewellers, What did you do? The
two men had totally forgotten
their argument and were now
totally mesmerized by Ibrahims
story. (That is why one of my
crazy friends proposed that
when Congressmen are fighting in congress, they can show
Telenovelas during their session
breaks. He said there would be
less fights.)
I sat on the sands, giving up
all hope, Ib said, but mindlessly, I went through my bags
for the hundredth time, looking
for food. I imagined that perhaps
there were breadcrumbs that fell
at the bottom of my bagand
I could lick my bag. Lo and
behold, I saw a hidden pocket
I didnt see before. I opened it
and saw a black pouch! Oh, you
can imagine how excited I was.
Perhaps it was bread. Or nuts.
Or dried fruit! And so with
trembling fingers, I opened it
Was it food? one Jeweller
asked.
Water perhaps? the other
one said.

Neither. With great dismay

and utter frustration, I saw that
the pouch was filled with nothing else but diamonds. It was just
diamonds!
***
Friend, there are some things
more important than money.
As I write this, there are many
rich people who are dying on
their death beds, surrounded by
their millions, but their hearts
are hungry for loveand they
find none.
Dont get me wrong. Money is
important. After all, we need to
feed our families.
But our souls real food is love.
So yes, earn money. You need
it.
In fact, be an expert in how
money worksso that you have
passive income flowing into your
lifeso that you can focus on
more important things.
Dont center your life on
money.
Center your life on love.
Spend time with your family.
Invest in your friendships.
And give your life to God.

CBCP Monitor

SOCIAL CONCERNS B7

January 11 - 24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

The joy of childrens freedom

THIS was a very happy Christmas and New Year celebration
for the 70 children - boys and
girls - in the PREDA childrens
homes in Zambales. They are recovering and finding a new life.
The boys are from the ages of
nine to 15 years old and have
been rescued from terrible subhuman jail conditions. The girls
have been rescued from rapists
and sex bars. Some are victims
of human trafficking and sex
slavery. Other are rescued from
their abusive parents.
The greatest moment for the
children is to be rescued from
cages and the prison cells or
saved from brothels and rapists.
To be rescued and be brought
to a place that is in a beautiful
location in the countryside surrounded by nature and to feel
safe from the abusers is what the
children say is their greatest joy.
The first thing a child will experience in the Preda childrens
home is freedom, respect, and a
feeling that they are wanted and
belong to a family.
It is the community spirit of
affirmation, support, encouragement, respect, and dignity
that the children love. They are
taught their rights and human
dignity and received therapy,
values formation, and education.
They soon learn that the
abuse done to them is a heinous
crime, that it is always wrong

pects have long fled. Marianna

was saved from abduction and
sex slavery. Later, she was reintegrated back into the loving
care of her grandmother and is
still under the Preda outreach
care program.
So many of these children on
the street and in jails are suffering rejection, physical and verbal abuse and worst of all, some
suffer grave sexual abuse. They
are driven out of the homes
into the streets and are immediately abducted and recruited
by pimps and human traffickers
and sold to pedophiles, bars,
and brothels for foreign and
local sex tourists.
Poverty is a large factor in this
as the children are neglected and
go hungry in the shacks and
hovels of city squatters. They are
subjected to abusive language
and bad treatment. A recent
survey in the Philippines discovered that 50 percent of the population of 104 million people
consider themselves poor. (See
www.preda.org) While the vast
majority of Filipino parents are
kind, loving, and very protective of their children, a segment
have been themselves abused
and they repeat that abuse in
Preda children and youth paraded in Olongapo city on March 8, 2014 to celebrate International Womens Day as well as to uphold a cycle of violence. They dont
know how to give love because
the rights and dignity of women and children.
they never received any. The
who had no way to cry out and ing off her hair as a punishment to walk free without filing Preda Homes try to change the
defend herself or even to make a as if she had been responsible charges for reasons unknown parents and relatives attitudes
and its not the first time abusers by family therapy. The children
complaint. A woman using sign for her own abduction.
will hopefully never repeat what
Mariannes grandmother got are granted impunity.
language offered her snacks and
Later, the Preda social work- was done to them.
food in a convenience store in help from Preda social workers
How parents live, behave, and
the town. There she was intro- and Marianne found shelter, ers filed the charges but the susfor the adults and the children
are not to blame. Usually, the
adult will claim that the child
seduced them and the child gave
consent. This cannot be upheld
anywhere.
The case of Marianne is a case
of abduction and human trafficking of a deaf and mute child

duced to two men who brought

her to a hotel and raped her
continually for almost 24 hours.
Her sister was looking for her
and traced her to the hotel and
called the police. The rapists
were arrested and Marianne was
rescued. But her two sisters took
her home and blamed her, shav-

protection, and therapy at the

Preda Home for Girls. It was a
difficult case but the therapists
and social workers communicated with her through basic
sign language taught to them
by her sister.
The police chief of Castillejos,
Zambales allowed the suspects

PREDA

By Fr. Shay Cullen

care for the family and respect

and help their neighbors has a
huge impact on the children.
If the children see and feel the
concern of the parents for them
and for others, they know that
they themselves are truly loved.
They will in turn grow up to
be young adults with strong
values with love, concern, and
compassion for others and for
their own children.
The majority of these child
detention centers are under
the direct control and responsibility of the municipal or
city administrations with the
Office of the President and the
Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD)
having little jurisdiction over
them. The local government
officials are illegally detaining
the children.
What is needed is a new law
to give back the responsibility and care of abused and neglected children to the national
government and more international intervention to make the
Philippine local government
answerable to the Convention
on the Rights of the Child and
Philippine child protection
laws.
For children to be physically,
sexually, and psychologically
abused inside government facilities is a serious crime. See
www.preda.org/gallery. Who
is capable of bringing charges
against them? We can protest
and challenge government to
change this.

Peace, B4

life. The values of freedom, mutual respect

and solidarity can be handed on from a
tender age. Speaking to educators, Pope
Benedict XVI noted that: Every educational setting can be a place of openness to
the transcendent and to others--a place of
dialogue, cohesiveness and attentive listening, where young people feel appreciated
for their personal abilities and inner riches,
and can learn to esteem their brothers
and sisters. May young people be taught
to savour the joy which comes from the
daily exercise of charity and compassion
towards others and from taking an active
part in the building of a more humane
and fraternal society.[26]
Communicators also have a responsibility for education and formation,
especially nowadays, when the means of
information and communication are so
widespread. Their duty is first and foremost to serve the truth, and not particular
interests. For the media not only inform
but also form the minds of their audiences, and so they can make a significant
contribution to the education of young
people. It is important never to forget that
the connection between education and
communication is extremely close: education takes place through communication,
which influences, for better or worse, the
formation of the person.[27]
Communicators should also be mindful that the way in which information is
obtained and made public should always
be legally and morally admissible.
Peace: the fruit of a culture of solidarity,
mercy and compassion
7. While conscious of the threat posed
by a globalization of indifference, we
should also recognize that, in the scenario I have just described, there are also
many positive initiatives which testify to
the compassion, mercy and solidarity of
which we are capable.
Here I would offer some examples
of praiseworthy commitment, which
demonstrate how all of us can overcome
indifference in choosing not to close our
eyes to our neighbour. These represent
good practices on the way to a more
humane society.

There are many non-governmental and

charitable organizations, both within and
outside the Church, whose members,
amidst epidemics, disasters and armed
conflicts, brave difficulties and dangers
in caring for the injured and sick, and in
burying the dead. I would also mention
those individuals and associations which
assist migrants who cross deserts and seas
in search of a better life. These efforts are
spiritual and corporal works of mercy on
which we will be judged at the end of
our lives.
I think also of the journalists and
photographers who shape public opinion
on difficult situations which trouble our
consciences, and all those devoted to the
defence of human rights, especially the
rights of ethnic and religious minorities,
indigenous peoples, women and children,
and the most vulnerable of our brothers
and sisters. Among them are also many
priests and missionaries who, as good
pastors, remain at the side of their flock
and support them, heedless of danger
and hardship, especially during armed
conflicts.
How many families, amid occupational and social difficulties, make great
sacrifices to provide their children with a
counter-cultural education in the values
of solidarity, compassion and fraternity!
How many families open their hearts and
homes to those in need, such as refugees
and migrants! I wish to thank in a particular way all those individuals, families, parishes, religious communities, monasteries
and shrines who readily responded to my
appeal to welcome a refugee family.[28]
Finally, I would mention those young
people who join in undertaking works of
solidarity, and all those who generously
help their neighbours in need in their
cities and countries and elsewhere in the
world. I thank and encourage everyone
engaged in such efforts, which often pass
unobserved. Their hunger and thirst for
justice will be satisfied, their mercy will
lead them to find mercy and, as peacemakers, they will be called children of
God (cf.Mt5:6-9).
Peace in the sign of the Jubilee of Mercy

8. In the spirit of the Jubilee of Mercy,

all of us are called to realize how indifference can manifest itself in our lives and
to work concretely to improve the world
around us, beginning with our families,
neighbours and places of employment.
Civil society is likewise called to make
specific and courageous gestures of concern for their most vulnerable members,
such as prisoners, migrants, the unemployed and the infirm.
With regard to prisoners, it would appear that in many cases practical measures
are urgently needed to improve their living conditions, with particular concern
for those detained while awaiting trial.
[29]It must be kept in mind that penal
sanctions have the aim of rehabilitation,
while national laws should consider the
possibility of other establishing penalties than incarceration. In this context,
I would like once more to appeal to
governmental authorities to abolish the
death penalty where it is still in force, and
to consider the possibility of an amnesty.
With regard to migrants, I would ask
that legislation on migration be reviewed,
so, while respecting reciprocal rights and
responsibilities, it can reflect a readiness to
welcome migrants and to facilitate their
integration. Special concern should be
paid to the conditions for legal residency,
since having to live clandestinely can lead
to criminal behaviour.
In this Jubilee Year, I would also appeal
to national leaders for concrete gestures
in favour of our brothers and sisters who
suffer from the lack oflabour, land and
lodging. I am thinking of the creation of
dignified jobs to combat the social plague
of unemployment, which affects many
families and young people, with grave
effects for society as a whole. Unemployment takes a heavy toll on peoples sense
of dignity and hope, and can only be partially compensated for by welfare benefits,
however necessary these may be, provided
to the unemployed and their families.
Special attention needs to be given to
women who unfortunately still encounter discrimination in the workplace and
to some categories of workers whose
conditions are precarious or dangerous,

and whose pay is not commensurate to

the importance of their social mission.
Finally, I express my hope that effective
steps will be taken to improve the living
conditions of the sick by ensuring that
all have access to medical treatment and
pharmaceuticals essential for life, as well
as the possibility of home care.
Looking beyond their own borders, national leaders are also called to renew their
relations with other peoples and to enable
their real participation and inclusion in
the life of the international community,
in order to ensure fraternity within the
family of nations as well.
With this in mind, I would like to make
a threefold appeal to the leaders of nations:
to refrain from drawing other peoples into
conflicts or wars which destroy not only
their material, cultural and social legacy,
but also and in the long term their
moral and spiritual integrity; to forgive
or manage in a sustainable way the international debt of the poorer nations; and
to adopt policies of cooperation which,
instead of bowing before the dictatorship
of certain ideologies, will respect the values
of local populations and, in any case, not
prove detrimental to the fundamental and
inalienable right to life of the unborn.
I entrust these reflections, together with
my best wishes for the New Year, to the
intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
our Mother, who cares for the needs of
our human family, that she may obtain
from her Son Jesus, the Prince of Peace,
the granting of our prayers and the blessing of our daily efforts for a fraternal and
united world.
From the Vatican, 8 December 2015
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Opening of the Extraordinary Jubilee of
Mercy

[5]Cf. ibid., 16.

[6]EncyclicalPopulorum Progressio, 42.
[7]As society becomes ever more globalized,
it makes us neighbours but does not make us
brothers. Reason, by itself, is capable of grasping
the equality between men and of giving stability
to their civic coexistence, but it cannot establish
fraternity (BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical LetterCaritas in Veritate, 19).
[8]Apostolic ExhortationEvangelii Gaudium, 60.
[9]Cf. ibid., 54.
[10]Message for Lent 2015.
[11]Cf. Encyclical LetterLaudato Si, 92.
[12]Cf. ibid., 51.
[13]Address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited
to the Holy See, 7 January 2013.
[14]Ibid.
[15]Cf. BENEDICT XVI,Intervention during the
Day of Reflection, Dialogue and Prayer for Peace
and Justice in the World, Assisi, 27 October 2011.
[16]Cf. Apostolic ExhortationEvangelii Gaudium,
217-237.
[17]Until exclusion and inequality in society and
between peoples are reversed, it will be impossible to eliminate violence. The poor and the poor
peoples are accused of violence, yet without equal
opportunities the different forms of aggression
and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth
and eventually explode. When a society whether
local, national or global is willing to leave a part of
itself on the fringes, no political programmes or resources spent on law enforcement or surveillance
systems can indefinitely guarantee tranquility. This
is not the case simply because inequality provokes
a violent reaction from those excluded from the
system, but because the socioeconomic system
is unjust at its root. Just as goodness tends to
spread, the toleration of evil, which is injustice,
tends to expand its baneful influence and quietly
to undermine any political and social system,
no matter how solid it may appear (Apostolic
ExhortationEvangelii Gaudium, 59),
[18]Cf. Encyclical LetterLaudato Si, 31 and 48.
[19]Message for the 2015 World Day of Peace, 2.
[20]Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee
of MercyMisericordiae Vultus, 12.
[21]Cf. ibid., 13.
[22]JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical LetterSollicitudo
Rei Socialis, 38.
[23]Ibid.
[24]Cf. ibid.

[1]SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL,

Pastoral ConstitutionGaudium et Spes, 1.

[25]Cf.Catechesis for the General Audience of 7

January 2015.

[2]Cf. ibid., 3.

[26]Message for the 2012 World Day of Peace, 2.

[3]Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of

MercyMisericordiae Vultus, 14-15.

[27]Ibid.

[4]Cf. BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical LetterCaritas

in Veritate, 43.

[28]Cf.AngelusAddress of 6 September 2015.

[29]Cf.Address to Delegates of the International
Association of Penal Law, 23 October 2014.

Thanksgiving, B4

every person who looks sincerely

into the eyes of his brothers and
sisters on the path of life. Mercy:
the bridge that connects God
and man, opening our hearts
to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.(Pope
Francis in Misericordiae Vultus no.
2)Indeed, we seek Gods mercy
and have received the same for
the many times that we have
been unfaithful to Him. May we
also learn to share His mercy to
those who have wronged us and
who are in need of our love and
concern. May we learn once more
to humbly kneel before the Lord
and ask for his forgiveness. May
we learn to stretch out our arms
to reach out to those who are far
from the Lord and bring them
back to Gods embrace.
2016: Jubilee of blessingsand

renewal of mission
May the year 2016 be an
occasion for us to constantly
thank the Lord for His presence
especially in the Holy Eucharist.
May we learn to uphold and
protect the dignity of life and
the family which have been
under attack from the Evil one.
May we become instruments
of Gods mercy to one another
knowing fully well that each
one of us have received mercy
from God.
May Mary, our Mother and
Mother of God, constantly guide
and protect us as we seek to follow
the values and teachings of Her
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
MOST REV. GILBERT A.
GARCERA, D.D.
Bishop of Daet
January 1, 2016

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B8 ENTERTAINMENT

CBCP Monitor
Moral Assessment

Buhay San Miguel

Brothers Matias

Lolo Kiko

Bladimer Usi

Abhorrent

Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome

Exemplary
Technical Assessment

Poor
Below average

Average

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xcellent

SIMPLE ang buhay ng magasawang Kaye (Soriano) at Edgar

(Cruz). Kaya lamang ay hindi
kuntento si Kaye sa kita niya sa
pagtuturo kayat pinasok na rin
niya ang negosyo ng kanyang ama.
Dahil relihiyosa ay madali niyang
makukumbinsi ang kanyang mga
kasamahan sa kongregasyong
kanyang sinasambahan na magambag ng malakinginvestment
dito. Ngunit hindi maisosoli
ni Kaye ang ipinangakong kita
sa takdang panahon. Dito niya
makikilala ang tunay na ugali
ng kanyang mga kasamahan sa
simbahan dahil pagbabantaan
ng mga ito ang pamilya dahil sa
anim na milyong pagkakautang.
Mapipilitang manghimasok si
Edgar upang protektahan ang
kanyang mag-ina at lalapit siya sa
kanyang mga kapatid. Sila pala ay
dating mga kasamahan ng Acetelyne Gang at babalakin nilang
looban ang mismong simbahan
na kinabibilangan ng mag-asawa.
Simple din ang kwento at
walang paliguy-ligoy na nasusundan natin ang kalooban ng isang
desperadong amang handang
gawin ang lahat para sa kanyang
pamilya. Ibang-ibang John Lloyd
ang mapapanod dito na lalong
nagpaigting sa katauhan ni Edgar.
Matalino ang pagkakasulat ni
Yamamoto at ang paghahabi ng
daloy ng kwento ni Matti dahil
sa bawat eksena ay nakaabang ang
manunuod kung anu ang susunod
na mangyayari. May respeto ni
Matti sa manunuod kayat hindi
niya isinubo ang mga detalye o
ang emosyon. May tiwala siya na
kayang timbangin at pagdugtungin ng manunuod ang naratibo sa
mga masasakit na pasabog sa lipunang ginagawalan ni Edgar. Ang
kwento at ang pagkakakwento
ang pinakamahusay na aspeto ng
Honor thy father dahil isa ito sa
mga pelikulang lokal na kailangan
masusi ang manunood.
Tila naubusan ng kabutihang
loob ang mga tao sa Honor thy
father. Wala ni isa sa mga tauhan
ang kinakitaan ng malasakit at
paggalang sa kapwa, kababaang
loob, at kagandahang asal. Sa
isang banda, marahil ito ay isang
pagsilip sa masakit na katotohanan sa kasalukuyang lagay ng
lipunan, pero sa kabilang banda,
ganito ba kadaling husgahan ang
isang salinlahi at sabihing wala
nang puwang para sa malasakit
at kabutihan? Walang paliguyligoy na isinusupalpal sa mukha
ng manunuod ang paglubog ng

moralidad ng mga lipunan sa

pelikula, walang pagtatago sa relihiyon, o tradisyon para lamang
maging mas katanggap-tanggap
sa mga konserbatibo. Wala ring
pagsusumikap na bumawi sa
lahat ng kasamaang nangibabaw
sa mga tao at biglang magkaroon
ng pagbabagong-loob o pagsisisi. Walang pagkukunwari ang
pelikula at naging matagumpay
ang sining ni Matti at kwento ni
Yamamoto. Kaya nga lang, mahirap, lalo sa mga kabataang di pa
sanay kumilatis ng produksyon,

HONOY THY
FATHER
LEAD CAST: John Lloyd (Edgar), Meryll Soriano (Kaye),
Tirso Cruz (Bishop), Kystal
Brimner (Angel/daughter)
DIRECTOR: Erik Matti
SCREENWRITER: Michiko
Yamamoto, Erik Matti
PRODUCER: Erik Matti
EDITOR: Jay Halili
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Erwin
Romulo (composer); Mikko
Quizon (sound supervision)
GENRE: Crime, drama, family
DISTRIBUTOR: Reality Entertainment Inc.
LOCATION:Baguio, Philippines
RUNNING TIME: 115 minutes
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:

MORAL ASSESSMENT:
CINEMA rating: V18

Buhay Parokya

Look for the images of Saint John Paul II,

Holy Bible and Jesus Christ.
(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

ang lumabas sa isang maganda

at masining na pagtatanghal na
lugmok sa kawalan ng pag-asa
at pagkanegatibo ng buhay (lalo
nat ang pinag-uusapan ay may
kaugnayan sa relihiyon). Walang
kahihiyang ipinahahayag ng pelikula na ang pera ay umaalipin sa
prinsipiyo at moralidad at sa oras
ng kagipitan mas madaling piliin
ang madaling paraan, masama
man ang maging kahinatnan
nito. Tila ba kasamaan ang nasa
kaibuturan ng puso ng tao. Totoo
na ang kasamaan ay nandiyan
lamang at biglang susulpot nang
walang pasintabi, ngunit hindi
naman totoo na walang kahit isang
mabuting kaloobang lalaban dito
sa pamamagitan ng pagmamahal,
sakripisyo, integridad at paguunawa. Ang pelikula ay mainam
na gamiting halimbawa ng masining na produksyon o simula ng
debate ukol sa moralidad, pero
maaaring makapagligaw ito sa
murang isipan ng manunuod o
sa mga taong walang kakayahang
manimbang sa pagitan ng desperadong katotohanan at kathang-isip.

MATAPOS ang labinlimang taon na pamamayagpag sa ere, magbibitiw

ang love expert at relationship guru na si Love (Kris Aquino) at
magnanais na magpahinga at makalimot sandali sa labis na kalungkutan.
Magpupunta siya ng Coron at doon ay makikilala niya si Dom (Derek
Ramsay). Doon din mapapadpad si Anya (Kim Chiu) na paninindigan
ang pagpapanggap na siya ang manager ng nasabing resort, sa pagpupumilit ng high school sweetheart niyang si Dino (Xian Lim) ito ay
upang pagtakpan ang tunay na kalagayan ni Anya sa kanilang mga
kaklase. Sa totoo, si Anya ay isang tutor at ang kanyang tinuturuang bata
na si Jake (Bimby Aquino) ay in-love sa kanya. Ang nanay naman ni Jake
na si Mel (Jodi Sta. Maria) ay unti-unting nahuhulog ang loob sa boss
niyang si Eric (Ian Veneracion)
na dumadaan sa matinding pagkabigo sa pag-ibig. Habang ang
teacher naman ni Jake na si Coring
(Pokwang) ay patuloy na umaasa
sa pag-ibig ng lalaking alam niyang DIRECTOR: Antoinette
Jadaone
hindi mapapasakanya. Samantala,
ang matandang mag-asawa na LEAD CAST: Kris Aquino,
Derek Ramsay, Jodi Sta.
sina Loise (Nova Villa) at Jaime
Maria, Ian Veneracion, Kim
(Ronaldo Valdez) ay dumaranas
Chiu, Xian Lim, Ronaldo
ng katabangan sa kanilang buhay
Valdez, Nova Villa, Pokwang, Bimby Aquino-Yap,
may-asawa.
Julia Concio, Talia Concio
Isang malaking ambisyon ang
GENRE: Romantic Comedy
All You Need is Pag-Ibig. Sinubo DISTRIBUTOR: Star Cinema
nitong pagtagni-tagniin ang napa- LOCATION: Philippines
karaming kuwento ng ibat-ibang RUNNING TIME: 115 minutes
uri (kundi man halos lahat na yata) Technical Assessment:
ng pag-ibig. Malawak kung sa Moral Assessment:
malawak ang nais nitong sakupin Cinema Rating: V14
para sa limitadong oras at espasyo
ng pelikula. Resultay maraming kuwento ang nagkulang ng sapat na
lalim at daloy patungo sa resolusyon. Pawang nagmadali tuloy upang
matapos lang. Pero sa kabila naman nito, hindi maitatanggi ang sinseridad ng pelikula na ipakita ang ibat-ibang uri ng pag-ibig sa makabagong
panahon. Sa dami ng kwento, napagtagumpayan pa rin naman nitong
pagdugtong-dugtungin silang lahat. May mga kwentong sadyang naging
sentro ng pelikula at maayos ang kinalabasan ng mga ito. Mahuhusay
din ang pagganap nila Nova Villa, Ronaldo Valdez, Jodi Sta. Maria,
Pokwang at maging si Kim Chiu. Maganda ang mga kuha ng pelikula
at mahusay ang pagkaka-edit nito. Sa kabuuan, maituturing pa rin
naming maayos ang All You Need is Pag-Ibig at napanindigan naman
nito ang tema na nais nitong ipadama sa mga manonood.

ALL YOU NEED

IS PAG-IBIG

Hitik naman sa mensahe ng pag-ibig ang All You Need is Pag-ibig.

Sinikap nitong imulat ang mata ng manonood sa kung ano ang tunay na
mahalaga sa buhayang pagmamahal at mga relasyon, mapa ito pa man
ay romantiko o pampamilya. Ang karakter ni Love ay patunay na sa kabila
ng yaman at kasikatan, tanging pagmamahal pa rin ang pupuno at bubuo
ng buhay at kasiyahan. Napagod at naubos ang kanyang lakas dahil wala na
siyang pinagkukunan ng pagmamahal. Si Coring naman ay nagmamahal
kahit pa hindi siya minamahal ngunit ang pagbibigay niya ng serbisyo at
pagmamahal sa mga pamangkin ay isa na ring uri ng pagmamahal at ito
ay kanyang mare-realize bandang dulo. Si Anya namay palutang-lutang sa
buhay dahil sa hindi niya pagpapatawad sa kanyang ama. Nang buksan niya
ang kanyang puso sa pagpapatawad at tunay na pagmamahal, magsisimula
ring maging maayos ang kanyang buhay. Ang mga kabutihan naman ni
Mel sa kanyang boss ay nagbunga rin ng maganda sa huli sa kabila ng ma-

salimuot nitong pinagdaanan. Ang samahan naman nila Loise at Jaime ay

patunay na may forever sa pagmamahalanlamang, ang pag-ibig ay tulad
ng isang halaman na dapat ay patuloy na inaalagan at dinidiligan upang
hindi ito mamatay. Bagamat hindi naipakita sa pelikula ang pinakadakilang
pagmamahalang pagmamahal ng Diyos na laging nariyan sa mga sandali
ng pag-iisa at kalungkutan, ang pagmamahal na laging tapat at sapatmay
isang mahalagang eksena sa simula ng pelikula na pawang mensahe na rin
ng pagmamahal ng Diyos. Ipinakitang sumuko si romantic love sa Diyos,
pero ang sinabi ng Diyos sa kanya ay ipamahagi niya ang kanyang sarili tulad
ng kanyang ginagawa. At tunay ngang ito ang pinakamatinding mensahe
ng pelikula ukol sa pag-ibigna ito ay unang ibinabahagi at pinapalaganapat siguradong ikaw ay makakatanggap. May mga ilang eksena nga
lang sa pelikula na hindi angkop sa mga bata, kayat sa ganang CINEMA,
ang pelikula ay nararapat lamang sa mga manonood na edad 14 pataas.

Ugnayan

THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST

CBCP Monitor. Vol. 19 No. 25

January 11 - 24, 2016 C1

CFC SETS DIRECTIONS

FOR 2016

Abp. Soc: Challenging CFC for the

New Year
The glory of God is shown
in the Arena! The glory of God
is revealed through Couples for
Christ!
This was the opening exhortation of His Excellency Most Rev.
Socrates Villegas, D.D., CBCP
President and Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, when he celebrated Mass at the 2016 International
Leaders Conference of Couples for
Christ held on January 9, 2016,
at The Arena, SM Mall of Asia
Complex, Pasay City.
Addressing the more than
15,000 CFC leaders from all Philippine provinces and from various
countries around the world, Archbishop Villegas said that A good
leader asks questions and a good
leader should be able to answer his
own questions.
He invited CFC to reflect on
three (3) questions: (1) What
makes you happy? (2) What makes
you afraid? and (3) Where are you
going?
What makes you happy?

The annual CFC Leaders Conference, one of the most-attended events of the community, is the venue for the setting of directions for the new year.

By Zeny Gimenez

Couples for Christ leaders from

all over the Philippines and
various parts of the world gathered at the Mall of Asia Arena
last January 9, 2016 for the annual Leaders Conference. The
conference was an occasion to
hear the communitys directions
for the year, anchored on the
theme for 2016 Rejoice. Pray.
Give Thanks. from Philippians 4:4-7.
Rejoice.

George Campos, CFC President, began by

expounding on the meaning and elements of
Rejoice. Saying that being joyful appears to
be offensive in this age and time, when we are

bombarded daily with bad news, when injustice prevails and when evil appears to triumph,
he countered this statement by stating that the
source of our rejoicing is God. The knowledge
that He loves us and that Jesus rose from the
dead to ensure our salvation is sufficient to
keep us in a spirit of rejoicing.
Campos emphasized that joy is a gift of
the Spirit, but it depends on ones intimate
relationship with God. He also shared that
to rejoice is not an option but a command.
This command demands that our joy be continuous, that we rejoice even in tough and
difficult times and that we should manifest our
joy through acts of kindness. As a joyful people
of God, our only response to Gods command
is to proclaim the joy of the Gospel.
Citing the example of St. Paul, who rejoiced
even as he faced a death sentence, he opined
that St. Pauls joy stemmed from the fact that
he never lifted his gaze from God and thus
he continually drew strength from that deep
relationship.

Pray.

In the second talk, Rouquel Ponte spoke

of how we can Pray. He cited Jesus as our
model of prayer because all his life, he was in
constant communion of love with the Father.
He also cited Marys Canticle of Faith, prayer
characterized by her generous faith offering
and her offering of her whole being to God.
Emphasizing that our CFC covenant is
focused on prayer and Scripture, Ponte said
Constant prayer should be in our spiritual
DNA.
He gave several levels of prayer vocal
prayer, meditation (or prayerful reflection)
and contemplation (a simple gaze upon God
in silence and love). He also stated that the
Christian family is the first place where children are educated in prayer and that Real
families pray together.
To end his talk, Ponte exhorted everyone to
reflect on the following: As leaders, are we
truly men and women of God, people with

According to Archbishop Villegas, one answer can be found in

the Gospel readings for the day
(Luke 3:315-16, 21-22). He said
that to be happy, the one big word
is give. Giving is what should
make us happy; not stable family, good job, popularity, friends
or gadgets. To be able to give my
popularity, my powers and all that
I have to the Lord is what should
make us happy. We should be able
to find our happiness in giving, not
accumulating.
He exhorted the CFC leaders to
accept the challenge of St. John in
the Gospel to be giving leaders
and to find happiness in giving
away until we have no more to
give. He added that people who
do not give do not become richer.
They die early. They die even before
they stop breathing. He invited
everyone to be like John whose
greatest joy was to die a martyrs
death. What a joy to give my life
for my beloved!
He explained that as a measure
of how much Jesus loves us, Jesus
Christ did not write a check. He did
not send dollars. He did not light
a candle. Jesus Christ gave himself
because the greatest measure of love
is to give without measure.

What makes you afraid?

The big word in the Second

Reading (Acts 10:34-38), according to Archbishop Villegas, is sin
and St. John asks us the question:
what makes you afraid?

He highlighted that there is only

one thing that a leader must fear
SIN. He should not be afraid
of losing power, being ignored,
being suspected, being forgotten,
of death, debts, of being fooled,
robbed or getting sick, old, and
alone. These should not make
us afraid because nothing can
separate us from the love of God
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Instead, he said leaders should
be afraid of sin or as St. John
cautioned to be on guard against
idols. He explained that idolatry
is not creating images and statues;
idolatry is attributing power and
giving importance to somebody
lesser than God. Leaders of Couples for Christ, be afraid of only
one: sin! Be afraid of only one:
putting something or somebody
on the same level as God.
Archbishop Villegas, however,
emphasized that an even greater
fear than sin is the fear to ask for
forgiveness. He advised that we
should not be afraid to ask for forgiveness. God will always forgive.
Do not say, Ive sinned much. Instead, say I have been blackened by
sin and yet I am beautiful because I
am touched by Gods love.
Where are you going?

Finally, the Archbishop asked:

Truthfully, where are you going?
Where do you want to go?
He reminded the CFC leaders
that All leadership should lead to
Heaven. If not, you must be leading (your people) to some other
place that is away from God. He
described Heaven as Gods will
obeyed; where God is obeyed and
no one else.
To end his homily, he posed
the question that resonated in
the hearts of all present: Where
are people going through your
leadership?
During the Prayers of the Faithful, the Archbishop prayed over the
CFC leaders for help to find joy in
giving, not to be afraid of anything
but sinning and the grace to always
find Gods will.
Before giving his final blessing,
he exhorted everyone to be truly
prayerful Couples for Christ.
The best way to do this, he explained, is first, to hear mass daily
and receive daily communion.
Second, to pray the rosary at home
with the family and third, to go to
confession once a month. If faithfully done, the Archbishop emphasized, these will bring renewal in
the Church and Couples for Christ
will start it. (Arnel Santos)

CFC 2016, C4

MM MC Offers First Fruits on the Feast of the Epiphany

His Excellency Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan encouraging CFC to
receive daily communion, pray the Rosary with the family and go to confession regularly.

Metro Manila leaders and their families offering their first fruits, symbols of their gratitude for all the blessings of the past year.

CFC leaders from Metro Manila gathered on January 3, on the Feast

of the Epiphany, for the first Mission Core Assembly and First Fruits
Offering. Bishop Mylo Vergara officiated at the Holy Mass.
In his homily, Bishop Vergara stated that the image of the Three Magi
compels the faithful to think of what Epiphany means a revelation
from God that the birth of Jesus is not only for the people of Israel but
for the whole of mankind.
Salvation is offered even for those not born in Israel, Bishop Vergara
emphasized.
According to Bishop Vergara, three words come to mind from the story
of how the Magi visited the new-born Jesus:
Searching the Magi looked for the Messiah, traveled from their
far away countries, guided by the star in search of the Messiah.
Why search? This reveals that there was still something lacking
in their lives, despite their being wise/ learned and respected in
their countries. They were searching for something greater which
could fill what was lacking in their lives. They were looking for a
sense of fulfillment. However, it is a universal truth that a persons

longings will never be satisfied by temporal things.

Showing This simply means the manifestation of God. The
visitation of the Magi was an encounter that took place because
of the initiative not of the wise men, but of God himself. In
each persons life, God is always present because of the love
of Christ. In 2016, let us open our eyes of faith and we will
see the Lord as He shows himself very clearly. Bishop Vergara
exhorted.
Offering What will you offer to Christ? Not gold, frankincense or myrrh, but offer what is difficult to givethe total
gift of self.
After the Mass, CFC Chairman Joe Tale exhorted the Metro Manila
Mission Core to offer the fruits of their blessings from the Lord during
the First Fruits Offering.
This offering, done in prayerful silence, has been a community
tradition since 2005, a symbolic act on the part of each individual
to thank God by returning to Him the many blessings He has given
during the previous year. (CFC Global Communications)

C2

January 11 - 24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

CFC Netherlands Celebrates 17 Years

The Filipino Family: Missionary Disciples of

The Eucharist
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God." ...John 1:1
Bishop Gilbert Garcera of the Diocese of Daet in
Camarines Norte was the recollection master during
the annual recollection of the CFC Elders Assembly.
The recollection was held in the morning of January
10, 2016 at the Lay Force in Guadalupe, Makati. He
began by quoting the above testimony from Saint John
the Evangelist proclaiming that Jesus Christ is our life
and the beginning of life.
The bishop reminded everyone that that particular
day was the last day of the Christmas season as well as
the celebration of the Baptism of Christ. Being only
a few days into the New Year, the bishop encouraged
everyone to have a New Years resolution in order to
attain our personal goals in life. He remarked that
such resolution serves as a constant reminder of what
we wish to achieve to better our life. He challenged
the EA members present to constantly seek change,
be open to change, and accept change, in the midst of
spiritual battles and worldly temptation. He stressed
that we should continue to stand firm in the belief that
we are created in the image and likeness of God the
Creator of everything including our very own lives.
New YearFresh startNew LifeHow do we
start right?

CFC Netherlands celebrates as it gears up for its 18th year.

Many are the plans in the mind

of a man, but it is the purpose of
the LORD that will stand (Proverbs 19:21)
Time and time again, God
has proven his faithfulness and
providence to Couples for Christ
Netherlands. True to his word,
in the years that have passed,
plans were formed and actions
were taken, trials were faced and
challenges were encountered, but
God has proven to be in control
when ultimately, in all facets of the
community, His purpose and will
were manifested.
To celebrate Gods mercy and
providence during the past 17
years and to pray for his grace
and mercy for the years to come,
Couples for Christ Netherlands, as
one community, gathered in Atlas

Hotel in Spijkenesse, Netherlands

last December 12, 2015. The
anniversary celebration became
even more vibrant and joyous as
it coincided with the communitys
Christmas party.
The celebration started with a
thanksgiving mass celebrated by
CFC Netherlands Spiritual Adviser
Fr. Richard Lobo and Fr. James
Arul, both SVD Missionaries. In
his homily, Fr. Richard pointed
out the importance of family as
we move on with our journey to
be closer to God.
The mass was followed by a funfilled night of food, presentations
from different areas and ministries
and warm greetings from one
member to another.
As CFC Netherlands celebrated its 17th year, the community

looked back at the milestones that

God allowed them to attain. The
most notable accomplishment
would have to be the recognition
received by CFC Netherlands
from the Bisdom of HaarlemAmsterdam (North Holland),
which would pave the way for the
community to establish parishbased areas. 2015 was also a
year of massive evangelization
through various general, pocket
and strategic CLPs. CFC has
likewise been blessed to be able
to raise funds to support the work
of ANCOP.
2015 has truly been a blessed
year for the CFC Netherlands
community and each member
looks forward and prays for more
blessings and grace from the Lord
as they move towards its 18th year.

CBCP Monitor

Bishop Garcera cited Isaiah 40:31, But those who

hope in the Lord will renew the strength. They will
take up wings like eagles. They will run and not
struggle. They will walk and not tire. He drew upon
the example of an eagle that needs to be pushed for
change to happen, to be gently coaxed to overcome
conflicting emotions the thrill of soaring and the fear
of falling and eventually to accept the painful process
of CHANGE that it needs in order to be equipped
for a new journey ahead.

When do we start to change?

Bishop Garcera cited the work of Dr. Caroline Leaf,

a cognitive neuroscientist specializing in Neuropsychology, in her book Switch On Your Brain, where
she links scientific principles of the brain with the
Wisdom, Love and Truth of Gods Word. Dr. Leaf
posited that the mind is the most powerful thing in
the universe after God.
The talk allowed me to reflect on the truth that God
made us in His image, that we are a reflection of God

in all the good things He has done in our lives. We

are indeed, as Bishop Garcera emphasized, wired for
His love which is basically the core of our Christian
life. It is painful to see that despite the two millennia
that have passed since Christs birth, the world has not
changed much. Glory to God and Peace to Men remains to be simply an expression, not a reality. Bishop
Garcera encouraged us to look beyond by the renewal
of our mind, if we believe that there is still hope for
change and for the reward that God will give us at the
end of our journey.
The bishop highlighted three important things we
need to do in order to remain focused in our faith
journey with our families:
Pray the Rosary as a family daily
Receive the Eucharist/attend Holy Mass daily
Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation
(Confession)
Bishop Garcera likened the family to a sacred temple
which accepts the love of God. He emphasized the
message of Pope Francis that there is no perfect family and that there are no perfect parents or perfect
children. Disappointments, even deep resentments,
prevail in many homes. However, there is still hope,
if one wants to know the mind of God, to find the
capacity to watch over ones own heart, mind, and
action. Bishop Garcera asked the participants to take
time to reflect on what happened in the previous year,
to be more vigilant, to resist hatred, envy and pride,
and to control our emotions so as not to inflict harm
on others.
The recollection gave my husband and me the firm
resolve to commit our family to Gods will. Together
we will bring back the joy of praying the Rosary at
home. As parents, we resolve to witness to other
parents that we need to educate our children to be
more loving, patient, persevering, generous, and God
fearing. We need to teach our children to be joyful
amidst the difficulties in everyday life, and ready to
smile all the time. Family is a gift from God, a place
of life, an enclave of cure and a stage of forgiveness
as Pope Francis imparted in his message to families.
As Catholics, let us carry with us the assurance of
Jesus that we are saved and that He loves us. As we
face the challenges of 2016, it is time to let go of past
burdens. Like the eagle, we must take the painful
decision to go through the process of change in order
to soar high again! (Indette Gaspillo)

CFC 2016, C1

CFC Netherlands Welcomes 2016 With a

National Assembly

CFC rejoicing, praying and giving thanks, clockwise from top left: Arch. Villegas celebrating Mass; the 15,000-strong CFC leadership;
Joe Tale, Rouquel Ponte and George Campos delivering the talks; the International Council with His Excellency before the Mass.

an ardent desire to dwell in Gods

presence, to listen to Gods voice,
to look at Gods beauty, to touch
Gods Incarnate Word and to taste
fully Gods infinite goodness?
Rejoice. Pray. Give Thanks! Verblidjt. Bid. Geef Dank!
This is the resounding call to all members of Couples
for Christ Netherlands as the community marches
forward to the New Year.
Couples for Christ Netherlands ushered in the new
year with a general assembly held at St. Pauluskerk
in Amsterdam last January 3. As they gathered and
looked back at the wonderful year that was 2015, they
also looked ahead in anticipation of the wonderful
blessings and graces God has in store for CFC Netherlands in 2016. Above all, the general assembly was
a moment of embracing, kissing and just reaching out
to brothers and sisters from all areas, spreading love as
one big family in Christ.
The assembly was spearheaded by the CFC
Netherlands Country Head, Junfer Dela Cruz, who
emphasize the importance and relevance of the years
CFC theme: Rejoice. Pray. Give Thanks. He also

presented the overview of the plans the community

has for all areas and how CFC plans to move the
community forward this year. It was clear that 2016s
most imperative goal is to focus on households and
to evangelize and bring more people closer to God
through our community.
Fr. Richard Lobo, CFC Netherlands Spiritual
Adviser, also gave his vision and aspirations for the
community for the year ahead. He inspired everyone
with his encouraging words as he asked everyone to
maintain open lines of communication with him
and with everyone in the community to ensure peace
and unity.
2016 is a year of promise. As God has been faithful in the past year, He still has a lot more graces
waiting for the community for 2016. Everyone only
needs to remain in Him and He will surely deliver a
wonderful year.

New Appointments in the Philippine Mission

In a memorandum released last January 11, 2016,
Philippine Missions Director Joe Yamamoto announced the appointment of the following leaders
as new Provincial Area Heads:
Sultan Kudarat - Dick Dadios
Leyte - Willie Padida
Northern Samar - Raymund Bucu
Cebu - Mannix Ocampo
Siquijor - Rene Tale
La Union - Vic Yamamoto
Batangas - Ding Aguinaldo
Rizal - Arnel Santos

Meanwhile, Reggie Ragojos, Dong Avila and Art

Valdellon were appointed as new Regional Heads for Central Luzon, Central Visayas, and Mimaropa, respectively.
Aside from the new appointments, Yamamoto
announced that North Cotabato has been realigned
under the South Central Mindanao Region.
Let us pray for our newly-appointed leaders that
as CFC faces the challenges of 2016, may they all be
fully equipped with the grace of strength, wisdom,
fortitude and commitment so that CFC can continue
to fulfill its mission of bringing God's Word to all.
(CFC Global Communications)

Give Thanks.

CFC Chairman Joe Tale rounded up the afternoon with the third
talk on Give Thanks.
He spoke of an attitude of gratitude, which is a state of being always in a state of rejoicing. However,
he cautioned that Our thanksgiving
should not only be through words
but by the action we take.
This attitude of gratitude is what
would propel the community to
fulfill its directions for 2016. According to Tale, these directions
can be summed up in two phrases
Strengthen our Core and Expand our Reach.
In order to strengthen our core,
Tale enumerated three directions: to
grow in holiness, to develop leaders
who will be true shepherds and to
protect and nurture our homefront.

He also announced some programs/activities designed to help

the community achieve its goal of
strengthening the core. Among
them are: the first-ever Pastoral
Formation Office International
Conference in April; the publication of a CFC Family Handbook;
the publication of Christian Life
Program talks as powerpoint presentations in different dialects and
even languages; the use of movie
showings to augment/enhance
teaching nights; the publication of
household topic guides and chapter prayer assembly exhortations.
He also announced the adoption
by the community of programs
designed for the very young CFC
couples and the senior members
of community. In February 2016,
CFC will also hold Marriage is
Beautiful, a time to honor those
within community who help
promote the sanctity and beauty
of marriage those who have
been married for a very long time
and the young who, despite what

society advocates and accepts, still

choose matrimony and the lifelong
commitment it entails.
As far as expanding our reach
is concerned, Tale announced
the intensification of evangelization through existing programs
like Cornerstone, the Migrants
Program, the work with the poor
in ANCOP and with our men in
uniform in the Order of St. Michael (OSM). He also announced
that CFC will make extensive use
of media in order to bring Gods
Word to more people.
Joe Tale exhorted everyone to
embrace the communitys prophetic
role, not just in the area of spirituality but also in our care for the environment. His closing exhortation
was for everyone to Become a sign
and instrument in the world of the
presence of Christ.
The conference was fittingly
ushered in by the celebration of
the Holy Eucharist by Archbishop
Socrates Villegas, CBCP President
(see related story on page C1).

CFC Ablaze Releases New Household Pastoral Guide

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

Alma M. Alvarez
Associate Editor

Zenaida A. Gimenez
Editor-in-Chief

Michael C. Ariola
IC Oversight

Deomar P. Oliveria
Layout Artist

Evangeline C. Mecedilla
Circulation Staff

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

facebook.com/CFC.Global.Mission

@CFChrist

The Pastoral Formation Office and CFC Ablaze has released

the publication: Rejoice. Pray. Give
Thanks. Household Topic Guide
and Chapter Assembly Exhortations.
This is anchored on the verse from
Philippians 4: 4-7, through which
the words of St. Paul inspire CFC
members to live their lives full of
joyful anticipation, without worry,

full of prayer, immersed in peace.

Filled with 24 topics to choose
from, six chapter assembly guides,
and inspirational letters from Pope
Francis, the booklet is a helpful tool
for CFC leaders to help members
increase in the richness of understanding of the theme, and have a
highly spirit-filled discussion in the
household prayer meetings.

As CFC Chairman Joe Tale

exhorted in his talk last January 9,
2016 at the CFC Leaders Conference, CFC leaders are encouraged
to invest time and effort in making
their households truly a spirit-filled
venue, allowing each one to grow
in faith and learn to love the Lord
through this mission. (CFC Global
Communications)

CBCP Monitor

C3

January 11 - 24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

Becoming the Change They Want to See

CHARACTER ENHANCEMENT FOR PMA

CLASS 2019
The CFC Order of Saint Michael
(OSM) conducted the Character
Enhancement Retreat (CER) for
Philippine Military Academy
(PMA) Class 2019 during the
hectic Christmas season. A total of
86 first year cadet participants attended the retreat held last December 28, 2015. A team composed of
18 individuals from Couples for
Christ (CFC) Manila and CFC
and Singles for Christ (SFC) Baguio sacrificed their holiday time to
travel to Baguio and serve during
the retreat.
The CER Module 1 titled Only

for the Brave is a one day activity

that has five talks. Speakers during
this module were OSM Head Art
Alabanza and OSM Vice Head
Willy Ona. Some PMA alumni and
CFC leaders from the OSM Core
Group, namely Jaycee de la Cruz
and Leo Delacruz, shared personal
testimonies. Songs, workshops and
some friendly contests completed
the module. Only for the Brave
is based on the interfaith official
Philippine Army Character Enhancement Program (PACEP).
CFC Order of Saint Michael
is a stakeholder of the Chaplain

Service in the Character Enhancement Program (CEP) and Spiritual

Wellness Platform for the cadets.
The Character Enhancement Retreat (CER) Only for the Brave
conducted for PMA Class 2018
last December 29, 2014 resulted
in 208 Catholic cadets signifying
interest in joining the CFC Singles
for Christ.
Recently, CFC OSM also concluded a corps-wide Christian
Life Program (CLP) for the PMA
Catholic Action Group. The said
CLP harvested 395 CFC Single
for Christ cadets. (By Imee Ona)

Canadian students from the TCDSB, the 5th batch to come to the Philippines, immersing themselves in CFC's work with the poor.

Fourteen students.
Three teachers.
One university volunteer.
One adult volunteer.
The numbers may not amount much, but for these
19 individuals, their journey to the Philippines spells
C-H-A-N-G-E.
On Christmas Day 2015, the 19 individuals from
the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB)
boarded the plane that took them to Manila, Philippines
for a two-week mission trip as ANCOP volunteers. The
group is the fifth batch of volunteers under the partnership between the school board and ANCOP.
In the groups blog, faculty volunteer Michael Consul
wrote, While half way across the world, we will be
helping in the construction of new homes for those less
fortunate, assisting in acommunity clean up, visiting an
orphanage, giving Christmas presents to five different
villages, dancing, having fun, and most importantly,
building relationships.
On their first day, after settling in their hotel and
hearing Mass, the group proceeded to pack the gifts
they brought with them from Canada. All in all, the
volunteers packed 53 bags, each containing 20 gift
packs for the different orphanages and communities
they would visit.
On Day 2, the students and adult chaperones headed
for Tagaytay City for a brief sightseeing before going to
the Canossian Sisters Convent for a teaching conducted
by Sr. Haydee Librojo, FdBB. The time with her gave
the volunteers a chance to prepare themselves spiritually
before embarking on their work with the poor activities, like the visit to Tondo in Manila the following day.
In Tondo, they visited the street children being cared
for by Centro Salvador St. Martin de Porres Mission.
Afterwards, the group went off to Happyland, a barangay where the main means of livelihood was scavenging.
While there, the students came face to face with the
harsh realities of the urban poor. In their day-to-day
account, Consul wrote, It was a lifestyle that we never
imagined even existed.
The verse When someone has been given much,
much will be required in return; and when someone has
been entrusted with much even more will be required.
from Luke 12:48 came alive for the volunteers as they
spent an eventful day with the children of St. Martin
and Happyland.
Consul added, Now that we know what poverty exists beyond what we normally see, we can never ignore
those less fortunate than ourselves.
Before finally going into the spirit of ANCOP volunteerism, the ANCOP missionaries took the students
to the Makati Business District where they came face
to face with the opposite of poverty. In their website,
the students expressed their reflections and reactions
towards their experiences in Tondo and Makati. At this

time, Consul led the students to the gratitude rock

activity. He asked each person to pick a rock from the
park, which from then on would become a physical
reminder for them to be grateful every day for all the
blessings they would receive, no matter how small.
On December 30, the volunteers interacted with the
home partners from ANCOP AVANAI. New Years Eve
was a day to get to know more about ANCOP and the
work they do on education, shelter and community
development. On New Years Day, the volunteers went
to another ANCOP Community, the Our Lady of
Banneux (OLB) Community in San Mateo, Rizal.
Interacting with the children and their families, sharing
gifts and sharing their lives with the residents of the communities from AVANAI and OLB made the students
realize how blessed they are, having been born in a first
world country and able to enjoy luxuries that children
their age in poor countries are not able to enjoy.
From January 2, the volunteers became almost
mainstays in their official build site, the ANCOP
Masagana Community in Quezon City. From morning
till just before six in the evening, the volunteers cleared
debris, unloaded trucks of construction materials,
and helped build eight houses with the supervision of
construction foremen.
On January 3, His Excellency Neil Reeder, Canadian
Ambassador to the Philippines, with his wife Irene
Hansen-Reeder, and the Hon. Senator Tobias C. Enverga Jr., the first Filipino-Canadian elected in the City
of Toronto, who served as Trustee to TCDSB, visited
the volunteers at the site. Together with CFC ANCOP
President Jimmy Ilagan, the two distinguished gentlemen spent time working and having fun with the Canadian students and their adult chaperones. Ambassador
Reeder and Senator Enverga affirmed the volunteers
desire to reach out to the children and families from
the various communities they visited. Furthermore,
they also encouraged the young people to always be
grateful for their blessings and to be blessings to others.
Like other volunteers before them, the students
worked using their hands, enduring the heat of the sun
during the four days they spent in Masagana. Like those
who came before them, the volunteers worked tirelessly,
happy to be doing something that will make a difference
in the lives of others. But more than the physical work,
what will remain with the volunteers for a long time is
the experience of sharing their lives with the people they
met during their two-week mission.
The volunteers time with the ANCOP community
ended on January 13. In the evening of that day, they
celebrated one last night of fellowship before returning
to Toronto. And like those who came before them, they
will be leaving not just a reminder of their hard work
through the houses they helped build, but also a part
of themselves in the hearts of the families in ANCOP
Masagana. (By A. Alvarez)

PMA Cadets going through the Character Enhancement Program before the New Year.

CFC GMC Gives Back to the Community

CFC Migrants Program Songwriting Contest Set

Before the Christmas break, missionaries from the CFC Global Mission Center spread the Yakap ng Pasko
to their neighbors in Bgy. Mangga via a simple gift-giving activity. Eric Ylagan, CFC GMC Administrator,
spearheaded the activity, supported by the General Services Department. Two hundred families received noche
buena packages and shirts from ANCOP and Ablaze. It was a modest act of kindness, but very much appreciated by the CFC GMCs neighbors.

Last year's Migrants Program Songwriting Contest participants and winners.

The CFC Migrants Program,

inspired by the success of the first
MP Songwriting Contest in 2014,
will again showcase the CFC global
talents in the 2nd CFC Migrants
Program Songwriting Contest
2016.
The search aims to create and
spread awareness of CFCs various programs for migrant CFC

brethren and their families.

According to the contest guidelines, song entries should reflect
the realities of Filipino migrants
and the families they leave behind
and their struggles and victories,
as well as impart a strong sense of
family values.
We are inviting all CFC members and its Family Ministries all

over the world, most especially

those
who are gifted musically,
whether amateur or professional
songwriters, to participate in this
competition, Jess Ferrer said.
Deadline for entries is on January 31, 2016. For more information, please get in touch with
Jess Ferrer at jmferrer8356@
yahoo.com.

C4

January 11 - 24, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 1

CBCP Monitor

The Pope in the Philippines

A Look Back at CFC During Last Years Papal Visit
2015 began quite beautifully for the Philippines.
Why? Because two weeks into the New Year, on January 15, Pope Francis landed on Philippine soil, with
millions of Filipinos, whether on the tarmac, on the
streets, or glued to their TV sets, eager to welcome
him with the famous Filipino hospitality.
Those five days were most anticipated, with the
Church and the State preparing for the most-awaited
famous guest. It was both a State and Apostolic Visit
for Pope Francis, being the Head of State of the Vatican, and the highest leader of the Catholic Church.
With 76 million Catholics in the Philippines, the
Holy Fathers visit brought hope, excitement and joy,

with every one eager to listen to his messages, and

yearning to hear what he had to say to the survivors
of typhoon Yolanda.
Couples for Christ may only be a small fraction of
the 76 million, but by the grace of God, the community, through the various volunteers in different committees for the Papal Visit, was able to lend a helping
hand, so to speak. Months prior to the coming of Pope
Francis, CFC leaders in the Global Mission Center,
the Metro Manila Sectors and the Provinces were in
and out of meetings with members of the clergy who
head some of the committees for the Apostolic Visit.
Among the tasks given to Couples for Christ were:

to provide the sound system at Plaza Roma during

the Holy Fathers Mass in the Manila Cathedral; to
provide 10,000-strong men and women from all the
ministries as part of the human barricade that will line
the streets where the Papal vehicles passed; to field
300 communications personnel to man the hand-held
two-way radios used by important personalities during
the Papal Visit; Media Accreditation volunteers; media
volunteers (social media content providers, writers,
and photographers) and Media Center Managers.
Several families, especially from the Philippine Missions, were also hand-picked by their local Bishops to
be delegates at the Meeting with the Families at the

SM MOA Arena.
The mission at hand was overwhelming, as it was
no less than the Vicar of Christ who came to visit.
And every person involved in their various capacities
gave their utmost in serving the Prince of the Church.
This issue is a throwback to those giddy days of the
papal visit. Here we relive the fervor of our welcome,
the joy of seeing and hearing the Vicar of Christ, the
spiritual experience brought by the profound messages
he imparted. The following stories by four individuals
who were blessed to have been part of the papal visit
preparations as volunteers, bring back the days when, as
one, we rejoiced at having our Holy Father among us.

An Unforgettable Milestone
Birthday

Gladys (extreme left) posing with the Media Center volunteers after Pope Francis' plane took off

When the Papal Visit was announced

thru media, I was so elated! The Pope
will be coming to the Philippines on my
birthday! What a way to celebrate my big
4-0! I was praying and telling my family
that I wanted to serve and volunteer. I also
told my household group and my leaders
in SFC. In November 2014, I received
a text message from a co-member in my
household (Ann) saying that my name was
submitted to be a volunteer.
My two household sisters and I went
to the training at the National Telecommunications Center in Quezon City, not
knowing what to expect. We had no idea
what would happen during the training. We
went through screenings and application
processes. We were made to submit application forms, as if we were applying for a job.
They told us to wait for their text message
or email on or before Christmas Day.
Finally, on December 28, 2014, I received the text message that I was accepted!
I was so happy! With one other volunteer
from Rizal, we went to a series of meetings at the NTC, MCG gatherings, and
pray over sessions. Two days before the
Pope came, I was the only one remaining
volunteer from our province!
I was not expecting the experience to be
a red carpet event for me. I was just expect-

ing to get out of my comfort zone. It wasnt

easy and smooth flowing but definitely, it
was a one of a lifetime experience.
One first for me was taking the LRT
to the venue. I was running late and all
roads were blocked in the area. I couldnt
get a cab because no one would take me.
I had no choice but to walk to the station
and take the train. I think I took all types
of transportation available during the
Papal Visitthe train, taxi, jeep, pedicab,
tricyclename it! And of course, the endless walking!
Another unforgettable experience was
seeing the Pope, of course. Celebrating
my birthday with the Pope, albeit seeing
him only from the TV monitors of the
Media Center where I was assigned, was
an unforgettable experience. When the
Media Center people found out it was my
birthday, even people I didnt know went
out of their way to greet me.
It was indeed a blessing to serve and
volunteer during the Papal Visit. I got to
stay in a 5-star hotel, and served nuns,
priests, crew, the international media,
and my other co-volunteers. It was the
most unforgettable five days of my life! I
am truly grateful to God for allowing me
to become a volunteer. (Gladys Amores,
SFC Rizal)

So Worth the Wait!

The Lord Never Fails to Surprise Us

Knowing that I was a regular volunteer
as a photographer to document CFC activities, Church events and as a professional
wedding photographer, Sky Ortigas asked
me if I would like to be part of the Papal Visit
Documentation Team. Of course I said yes!
After that, it was a series of meetings even
months before the big event. We were tasked
to build a pool of volunteer photographers
from all communities and dioceses. We held
photography workshops and retreats for all
members of the documentation team to
make sure we were all mentally, emotionally
and spiritually prepared.
The Papal Visit, however, was my first
time to document a Catholic gathering of
this proportion. I was not able to attend
the World Youth Day before but based on
the pictures I saw, there was a sea of people
gathering just to get a glimpse and listen
to the Pope. I was preparing for the worst.
My expectation for myself was just to offer
my all and just do my best since I will be
documenting one of the most historical
events in the Philippine Church. It was the
teams desire to share the experience with
the next generation of Filipino Catholics,

The picture perfect shot by Dominic Barrios.

in the hope that they would likewise feel

as blessed just as we were as we went to
witness Pope Francis' visit.
I did not expect that I would be chosen
to be among the official photographers of
Pope Francis to shoot him up close. That
was awesome! How challenging and at
the same time, humbling, to know that
I would be toe-to-toe with veteran local
and international photojournalists who,
incidentally, also had bigger and more
high-tech gear than I did!
After the Mass, as the other media prac-

titioners were all heading back to Manila

Hotel to upload all their photos to their
respective news bureaus, I decided to stay
at the Quirino Grandstand to listen to the
Pope and just drink in all the experience.
It was a fortuitous decision. Little did
I know that Pope Francis was going to
pass our direction as he exited the venue!
Immediately, I focused my camera, and
it was the closest shot of the Pope I had,
with him smiling and waving at us. Truly,
God rewards those who wait. (Dominic
Barrios, CFC Metro Manila)

It Was As If Jesus Was the One With Us!

One night on the last week of November, 2014, I came home from a meeting
where Caloy Subang (one of the CFC
leaders in Iligan) told us that the Diocese of
Iligan had announced that there were 100
slots available per Diocese for the Pope's
encounter with families at the MOA Arena
on Jan. 16, 2015 and that already, 36
names were on the list. We got so excited!
Knowing that the slots were to be filled
on a first-come-first-served basis, our family did not miss a second to immediately
call the Bishop's house that very night to

enlist. Everybody was so excited and immediately, we booked our plane tickets.
We thought we would have a close
encounter with the Pope and were even
hoping to kiss his hand. We have not been
to the MOA Arena before and so we had
no idea of the scenario. Unfortunately,
we were seated at the uppermost box of
MOA Arena. But even then, we considered
ourselves blessed to have seen the Pope
in person. Seeing him and hearing his
voice was truly one big opportunity and
privilege. We expected there would be a

vast crowd and hence we would have to

navigate heavy traffic, and then we would
have to walk a long distance, because we
were told vehicles will not be allowed near
the venue. But GOD is so good, we werent
caught in traffic and we were able to arrive
at the MOA Arena safely.
Having the Pope celebrate the Eucharist
of the Word and being together with our
whole family during this activity was the
most unforgettable moment for us during
the Papal visit. Our children were touched
that they were able to see him up-close during his last motorcade going to the airport.
I know they will carry that memory for the
rest of their lives.
It was worth the sacrifice of waking up
early just to be first in the line in getting
inside the MOA Arena. We endured the
waiting from 8:00 AM until the go signal to
enter the arena at 12:00 noon. The hours of
waiting at the arena were nothing compared
to seeing Pope Francis walk and talk and
wave his hands in blessing towards us. We
felt as if Jesus was there, in person, with all
of us! (Jun & Erl Yape, CFC Iligan)

I became a Papal Visit volunteer when

I responded to an invitation of my friend
Lloyd Polinar, a full-time pastoral worker
for CFC - Kids for Christ. I had no idea
what I would be doing, but I excitedly said
yes. I met up with Lloyd and we went to
the Media general headquarters in Intramuros where I was told I would be part of
the team managing the media accreditation
and access passes.
My first task was to make sure that the
details or personal data of each applying
media personnel were complete. I honestly got anxious when I saw more or less
3,000 application forms that we also had
to encode and check. But I knew God will
work in wondrous ways.
The next task assigned to me was to
attach photosscanned beforehand by
another volunteerto the media people's
profiles. Together with my team in Media
HQ, I was also tasked to classify who can
have all-access and who cannot, based on
their team or media type.
During the actual Papal Visit, I was assigned to be among those who will man the
Media Center in Manila Hotel. We had to
scan the ID's upon entry and exit, making
sure only those who have access can actually come in. During the Holy Mass at the
Quirino Grandstand, I was assigned at the
bleachers to check ID's.
Being with the media HQ staff was an
honor and a privilege for me. I knew my
contribution was a small one but all that
mattered to me was giving my best to serve
God through the Papal Visit in any way I
possibly can.
I just wanted to serve. An added bonus
to my volunteer work was meeting new
people within and outside of our community. One surprise was finding an old
friend who also came to the Media Center
to volunteer.
Apart from that, as any other Catholic,
I expected and hoped to gain spiritual
nourishment from my personal experiences
during the Papal Visit. Of course, all that
happened with God's grace. Though I
initially expected to have more chances of
seeing the pope, I only got to see him once.
Some of my most unforgettable moments were gaining new friends, going
through sleepless nights just to finish the
tasks for the media accreditation, and
walking along the historical streets of Intramuros. I also cherished walking towards
Quirino Grandstand for the Holy Mass
with the Pope, and sharing the big avenue
with thousands of happy people, all going
the same way.
I will also never forget one particular instance when the Popes message of Mercy

Pearl Barretto posing with "Pope Francis" during

one of the rare downtimes at the Media Center

and Compassion was brought home to

me in a very personal way. While waiting for the Pope to arrive at the Quirino
Grandstand, I experienced an episode of
chills. I was probably at my lowest point
physically, having had sleepless nights
prior to that day, plus it was a cold and
rainy day. I did not have a jacket or a
raincoat on. Suddenly, a tita from our
team whom I met just days before, draped
her jacket on my shoulder in an effort
to warm me. That kind gesture and the
excitement of seeing the Holy Father soon
warmed me instantly.
However, I nearly gave up hope of seeing the Pope up close for, on his way to
the altar. he did not pass our way. But I
was content admiring him from a distance
and was already thanking the Lord again
for providing me the opportunity to serve
Him through this once-in-a-lifetime event.
But after the Holy Mass, the pope mobile
suddenly moved towards the bleachers and
passed right in front of me! I could not
believe how blessed I am, and I considered
that encounter a gift from God because I
am sure that He knows how I have longed
to see the Pope. I felt so reassured of God's
love and indeed, the Papal experience was
worth the wait. (Pearl Stephanie C. Barretto (YFC)