Vol. 18 No. 19 September 15 - 28, 2014 Php 20.

00
Baclaran hosts
Season of Creation
LAITY and clergy
alike took time off
on Monday, Sep-
tember 1, to gath-
er at the National
Shrine of Our Moth-
er of Perpetual Help
(Baclaran Church)
i n cel ebrati on of
what is most often
exploited, yet rarely
cared forGods
creation.
Presi di ng over
the concelebrated
mass, Manila Arch-
bi shop Lu s An-
tonio G. Cardinal
Tagle urged fellow
Church leaders to
integrate the theme
and spirit of the Sea-
son of Creation in
our liturgical cele-
brations to provide
Baclaran / A7
A3 C1
Ugnayan
The News Supplement
of Couples for Christ
B1
Coconut / A6 AFP / A6
CBCP chief urges Filipinos
to draw inspiration from
Gilas Pilipinas
THE Catholic bish-
ops leadership called
on Filipinos to draw
inspiration from the
Philippine basketball
team, Gilas Pilipinas,
in promoting justice
and unity in the coun-
try.
A r c h b i s h o p
Socrates Villegas,
CBCP Presi dent ,
lauded the perfor-
mance of Gilas Pili-
pinas and urged the
public to nurture
t hei r recent f eat
through deeds that
would the beneft the
nation.
Gilas has sowed
seeds of goodwill,
understanding, and
friendship. Let all
nurture their flour-
ishing with hearts of
goodwill, thoughts of
peace and feet frmly
treading the ways of
friendship, said Vil-
legas said in a state-
ment.
He noted the na-
tional team played
fairly during the FIBA
World Cup in Spain
despite having clear
disadvantage and ex-
perience compared to
their high-ranked op-
ponents such as Croa-
tia, Greece, Argentina,
and Puerto Rico.
The archbi shop
said such principles
can be applied to
the country, includ-
ing the government,
amidst injustices that
beset many Filipinos.
Fairness that goes
by the sublime name
of justice is the fun-
damental aspiration
of our nation. It is the
hope of the CBCP that
as the nation under-
stood the necessity
that games be fairly
played, it also learned
the precious lesson
that whether in the
life of the individual
or of the community
or of the State, things
ought to be fair just
at all times, he said.
Similarly, Villegas
emphasi zed how
Filipino players em-
braced camaraderie,
brotherhood, and
sportsmanship with
other teams.
We can overcome
the differences that
set us apart when we
set our hearts to it.
When we choose to
be friendly towards
each other, even if
we must compete,
we can all have fun.
Happier and fuller
lives come with the
acceptance of others
and with a healthy re-
spect for differences,
said Villegas.
Last week, Gilas
Pilipinas made his-
tory after capturing
the frst win for the
Tagle to Filipinos: Focus on
commonalities, not differences
TAKING a swipe at armed con-
ficts happening in various parts
of the world, the archbishop of
Manila has called on the Catholic
faithful to live by the spirit of
communion through focusing on
the commonalities they possess
and ignoring the differences that
divide them.
Manila Archbishop Luis Anto-
nio Cardinal Tagle emphasized
the need for communion among
the faithful, noting that focus-
ing on common characteristics
instead of individual differences
is a way to foster peace among
conficting parties in the world.
Our world right now is so
divided that conficts are hap-
pening everywherein the
Gaza Strip, in Iraq, in the Go-
lan Heights, and in Ukraine,
Tagle said in his talk during the
Manila Archdiocesan Pastoral
Assembly (MAGPAS) held at
the Malate Catholic School last
September 6.
It seems like even the interna-
tional community has been too
preoccupied in finding ways
to compete against each other,
dominate, and trample upon the
weak, he added.
As the church is called to
live in solidarity with others,
Tagle noted that the spirit of
communion must be reflected
in all levels of the community
- be it in the smallest unit
which is the family up to the
whole world.
I hope that as a community
called by the Lord, we will be
witnesses to the communion
of God who is love. Let us not
Priest asks families to
pray for October synod
MANILA, September 15, 2014
As the Synod on the Family
draws nearer, a Catholic priest
called on the Filipino families
to get involved and support the
gathering with prayers.
Fr. Melvin Castro, executive
secretary of the CBCP Episcopal
Commission on Family and Life,
said that prayers are necessary as
the Vatican will discern on the
challenges facing modern fami-
lies this coming October 5 to 19.
Truthfulness of the family ang
ipagdasal nation dahil sensitive
matters ang idi-discuss, Castro
told Church-run Radyo Veritas.
Ipagdasal natin na hindi tayo
sasabay sa agos ng panahon at
lipunan at bagkus ay maging
matatag ang Simbahan sa pag-
sunod sa Ebanghelyo na hindi
nakakaligtaaan ang pagiging
maawain niya doon sa mag-
asawang nasa sitwasyon ng
diffculties ng divorce at re-mar-
riage, (Let us pray that we just
dont drift with the times instead
that the Church will remain ever
resolute in following the Gospel
that is compassionate to couples
that are in diffculty due to di-
vorce and re-marriage.) he said.
Castro also asked prayers
for the Synod Fathers that they
would have the pastoral care
without compromising the
evangelical truths.
More than 250 lay participants,
including married couples from
around the world, are expected
to attend the Synod aside from
the 114 presidents of bishops
conferences, 13 heads of Eastern
Catholic churches, and 25 heads
of Vatican congregations.
Castro said at least fve Fili-
pinos including three laypeople
will attend the gathering with
the theme The Pastoral Chal-
lenges of the Family in the Con-
text of Evangelization.
The delegation will be led by
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio
Cardinal Tagle, who part of the
synods ordinary council and
also one of the three delegate
presidents of the assembly, and
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop
Socrates Villegas, CBCP President.
Among those who will serve
as observers appointed by the
pope include Mr. and Mrs.
George Campos of the Couples
for Christ Global and Bro. Frank
Padilla of the Couples for Christ
Foundation for Family and Life.
(CBCPNews)
Govt urged to expedite rehab of
Yolanda-damaged coconut farms
A CATHOLIC priest pressed
the government to fast track its
rehabilitation of storm-ravaged
coconut farms and provide farm-
ers with alternative livelihood
sources.
Fr. Edu Gariguez of the CB-
CPs National Secretariat for
Social Action- Justice and Peace
(Nassa) said farmers from areas
which have been affected by
AFP elated too over papal visit
TOUGH guys can get excited too
over the Holy Fathers coming
to the Philippines, apparently.
This is what Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) chief General
Gregorio Pio Catapang revealed
during a recent press conference
on the upcoming papal visit, say-
ing the military will do its best to
protect the pope.
We are so elated and await-
ing the visit so we wont fail the
pope during his visit here, the
Commonalities / A6
Gilas / A6
Popes appointment
may signal advances
in new abuse offce
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle. FILE PHOTO
Fr. Melvin Castro, Executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and
Life, talks to members of the media. FILE PHOTO
Coconut crops remain a main source of livelihood for many farmers who were affected
by typhoon Yolanda last year. The Eastern Visayas region accounts for no less than 12%
of total coconut hectarage in the country. FILE PHOTO
CBCP: Keep
God in schools
By Roy Lagarde
AMID the threats of
secular culture to faith,
the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Phil-
ippines (CBCP) called
on schools to keep God
in classrooms.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas,
CBCP President, said God has a
place in school so future lead-
ers will retain the values and
ideas instilled in them during
childhood.
We appeal to the administra-
tors of the schools to ensure that
schools are places of encounter
with God; that your students
and teachers experience God
in your campus, Villegas said.
Continue to give your teach-
ers support they need so they
can deliver quality education to
the students, he said.
Villegas made the appeal
in his latest statement titled
Holy and heroic teachers in
the Year of the Laity issued
for the World Teachers Day on
October 5.
His call also comes after
the Department of Education
(DepEd) stood by its decision to
remove the term God-fearing
Filipinos from is vision state-
ment.
Not harmful
In the face of criticism, DepEd
Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro
said DepEds new vision, mis-
sion and core values statement
must be regarded as a docu-
ment to be appreciated in its
entirety.
Luistro, however, denied that
the group Filipino Freethinkers
had something to do with the
Schools / A6
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Sele time: Delegates to the Catholic Social Media Summit (CSMS) version 3.0, some coming from as far as Zamboanga, Dumaguete, Davao and Iloilo,
share a light moment between sessions by taking a sele with CSMS v3.0 emcees, broadcaster and motivational speaker Ilsa Reyes and Couples for
Christ missionary Shok Ariola. 1,186 students, social communication ministry ofcers, educators and media practitioners attended the CSMS v3.0 which
was held from September 13 - 14, 2014 at the Capitol Complex, Lingayen, Pangasinan. Angelo Ahumada
The love of Christ can
restore to spouses the joy
of journeying together
A2 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
World News
Vatican Briefng
Francis to Congolese bishops: Contribute, but dont
replace politicians
In his ad limina address to the bishops of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Pope Francis assured them of the
necessity of contributing to political life, without replacing
political institutions. Whereas your country will undergo
political events important for its future, it is necessary for the
Church to make her contribution, while avoiding the risk of
becoming a substitute for political institutions and temporal
realities that must retain their autonomy, he said Sept. 12 at
the Vaticans Consistory Hall. Particularly, he said, pastors
must be on guard not to take on roles that rightfully belong to
the lay faithful, whose mission is justly that of bearing witness
to Christ and the Gospel in politics and in all other areas of
their activities. (CNA)
Vatican confirms papal trip to Turkey in November
A statement released by the Vatican has confrmed that Pope
Francis will visit Turkey in November, where he is expected
to participate in celebrations surrounding the orthodox
feast of St. Andrew. This morning the Holy See received
the offcial letter of invitation from the part of the President
of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for a trip of Pope Francis
to the country, the Sept. 12 statement, signed by Vatican
spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., read. So the prepara-
tion will proceed for the trip in the fnal days of November,
but the length and schedule of the same trip are still to be
defned. The visit most likely follow the pontiffs Nov. 25
visit to Strasbourg, which was announced by the Vatican on
Sept. 11. (CNA)
Popes appointment may signal advances in new
abuse office
Pope Francis latest appointment to a commission designed to
fght sexual abuse of minors may have an effect in shaping the
upcoming Vatican offce also dedicated to combating abuse.
Delicta Graviora are serious crimes in the Church, and they
include grave offenses against morality: the sexual abuse of a
minor by a cleric, or the acquisition, possession, or distribu-
tion of child pornography by a cleric. A Delicta Graviora offce
is to be set up within the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, the Vatican announced May 19, also revealing that
Archbishop Jos Mollaghan of Rosario had been appointed
as responsible of the new offce. He will serve in this position
from Buenos Aires. Pope Francis decision to establish a special
commission for Delicta Graviora shows his commitment to
tackling abuse on a global level. (CNA)
Pope deeply saddened by brutal killing of missionary nuns
Pope Francis has expressed his condolences following the
brutal murder of three Italian nuns in Burundi over the
weekend, assuring the community of his closeness. The
Holy Father begs the Lord to welcome into his kingdom
of peace and light these three faithful and devout nuns,
reads Sept. 8 a telegram addressed to Archbishop Evariste
Ngoyagoye of Bujumbura, Burundi, where the sisters were
serving in the parish of Saint Guido Maria Conforti. Signed
by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State to the Holy
See, the telegram continues: In these tragic circumstances,
(Pope Francis) expresses his closeness to their religious com-
munity, to the families of the victims, and the entire diocesan
community. Sr. Lucia Pulici, 75, and Sr. Olga Raschietti, 82,
were found raped and brutally murdered in their dormitory
on Sunday. The remains of 79-year-old Sr. Bernadetta Bog-
gian, who had discovered the bodies of her fellow sisters,
was found the following day. All three were members of the
Xaverian Missionaries. (CNA)
Church educates through actions; not theoretical lectures
During his general audience Pope Francis continued to re-
fect on the Church as mother, explaining that she teaches us
by example how to go to the essential point of the Gospel,
which is mercy. Like a good mother and educator, she fo-
cuses on what is essential; and the essential, according to the
Gospel, is mercy. But the Churchs teaching is not something
merely theoretical, it doesnt give lectures, but rather transmits
through setting an example, the Roman Pontiff told pilgrims
Sept. 10. Speaking to those gathered in St. Peters Square, he
recalled how In our previous catechesis, we refected on the
Church as a Mother who nurtures us in the faith, guides us
on the way of salvation, and protects us from evil. Today, I
wish to refect on the Church as a Mother who teaches us the
works of mercy. (CNA)
Bishops synod taking on a less formal tone under
Pope Francis
The upcoming synod of bishops on the family will be set on
a more informal tune, the secretary general of the Synod of
Bishops, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, wrote in an article pub-
lished in the Sept. 10 issue of LOsservatore Romano. Cardinal
Baldisseri explained how the coming synod may be considered
different from its predecessors, as well as the ongoing process
of reform of the synod, whose members were made public
Sept. 9. The extraordinary synod of bishops on the challenge
of family in the context of the new evangelization will be held
Oct. 5-19, and is but the frst of two paired synods. In 2015,
an ordinary synod of bishops on the family will be held, and
will carry to conclusion the process of discussion began with
this years extraordinary synod. (CNA)
Despite violence, rumors of Nigeria split called a false alarm
Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama spoke out in the wake of
more violent attacks in Nigeria, saying that although fears
are high, rumors that the country is following a similar
pattern as Iraq are exaggerated. It is too alarmist to talk
of a break up of Nigeria because of Boko Haram activities,
Archbishop Kaigama of Jos and spokesman for the Bishops
Conference of Nigeria told CNA Sept. 5. He drew atten-
tion to how more than 490 delegates to Nigerias National
Conference have been in meetings since March to discuss
the Nigerian Project, a government initiative encouraging
citizens to actively participate in government affairs in
order to increase transparency. Despite an irrespective of
political, ethnic differences and serious disagreements over
some issues, the indivisibility of Nigeria was upheld, the
archbishop explained. (CNA)
Feast days of Sts. John Paul II, John XXIII added to
universal calendar
In light of countless requests from every part of the world,
Pope Francis has approved putting Sts. John Paul II and John
XXIII on the churchs universal calendar of feast days. Called
the General Roman Calendar, it is the universal schedule of
holy days and feast days for the Latin rite of the Catholic
Church. The two saints feast days, both of which have the
ranking of an optional -- not obligatory -- memorial, are Oct.
11 for St. John XXIII and Oct. 22 for St. John Paul II. The Vati-
can newspaper, LOsservatore Romano, published the decree
Sept. 11 from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Sacraments. (CNS)
Christian leaders prayerfully
remember 9/11
WASHINGTON D. C. , Sept.
13, 2014On the 13th an-
niversary of the September
11 terrorist attacks, Christian
patriarchs denounced terror-
ism and emphasized the need
for peaceful unity between
Christians and Muslims in the
Middle East.
The symbolism and signif-
cance of our presence here in
Washington, D.C. on September
11 is lost to no one. We are here on
this day because we refuse to be
intimidated and frightened by the
acts of terrorism, said Patriarch
Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II,
the patriarch of the Syriac Ortho-
dox Church, at the inaugural In
Defense of Christians Summit in
Washington, D.C.
The summit was attended by
religious leaders from various
churches in the Middle East
Coptic, Orthodox, Chaldean,
Maronite, and Melkite among
them. It was the frst gathering
of Eastern Catholic patriarchs
in the U.S., and the purpose was
to bring attention to the plight
of persecuted Christians in the
Middle East.
Noting the Sept. 11 anniver-
sary, Syro-Catholic Patriarch
Ignatius Youssef III Younan of
Antioch asked the audience at
the start of his morning address,
to please just for a moment, to
pray in silence for those who
have fallen. Mostly they were
civilian innocent, those who
wanted to go to their work,
daily work. And as we know,
since then, the whole universe
changed.
At the opening press confer-
ence of the summit on Sept. 9,
Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara
Boutros Cardinal Rai acknowl-
edged the upcoming anniver-
sary of the terror attacks, saying,
I wish here to remember with
deep respect and sorrow the vic-
tims of terrorism in this country.
He brought up the anniversa-
ry again at a Sept. 10 appearance
on Capitol Hill, stating that we
remember also with respect and
sorrow that we are on the eve of
September 11 here in the United
States.
Patriarch Aphrem also em-
phasized the current harmony
between many Christians, Mus-
lims, and Jews living together in
the Middle East.
We will not change our faith
or alter our way of living, he
said, simply due to the hatred
of some. We will continue to
live in peace with the millions
of peace-loving Muslims, Jews,
and others in the Middle East.
Bishop Angaelos of the Cop-
tic Orthodox Church in the
United Kingdom also pleaded
for unity, saying that Christians
must defend all victims of per-
secution.
We are not in defense of
Christians alone. We are in de-
fense of Christians, in defense
of Jews, in defense of Muslims,
in defense of those who have
no faith, he said of victims of
persecution. (CNA)
Greek Catholic Church blames Russia for
Ukraine bloodshed
MOSCOW, Sept. 12, 2014--The Greek Catho-
lic Church has issued a plea to the interna-
tional community to end the bloodshed in
Ukraine, caused, it said, by Russia. This
comes as non-Russian Catholic and Muslim
clergymen face diffculty in getting residence
permits in the Crimea, the peninsula on the
Black Sea annexed by Moscow after a refer-
endum in March.
We lift our voice in the name of the
people of Ukraine and we call to the peoples
of the world: Ukraine is bleeding. This
peaceful, sovereign state suffered a direct
military incursion on the part of its northern
neighbour, said a statement by the Synod
of bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Church, which met on Wednesday in Lviv,
Religiia v Ukraine reported.
For the prelates, Hundreds of units of
heavy weaponry and equipment and thou-
sands of armed mercenaries and troops of
the regular army of Russia have crossed the
borders of Ukraine and are sowing death
and destruction, despite negotiations for a
ceasefre and earlier diplomatic efforts
Equally, the Synod slammed propaganda,
which is no less destructive than weapons
of mass destruction, spreading hatred in
society, through the distortion of the facts.
Anybody who is killing people in
Ukraine will not hesitate tomorrow to turn
his weapon against anyone in his own coun-
try and beyond its borders and to attack any
state in the world, the bishops warn.
Stop the bloodshed in Ukraine! Silence
or inaction or refusal to recognise will turn
everyone into an accomplice in the sin of
murder that cries to heaven for justice, the
bishops said in their appeal, which is ad-
dressed to believers of different religions and
confessions, people of good will, heads of
state and members of the world community.
Meanwhile, in Crimea foreign members of
religious communities are facing problems.
Forum 18 reports that Russias Federal Mi-
gration Service refused to extend residence
permits of 18 of 23 Turkish imams and reli-
gious teachers serving in Crimea, claiming
the Muftiate could not invite any foreign
citizens until it has gained registration under
Russian law.
Others have complained that they are
under constant watch by Russias Federal
Security Service (FSB). For example, Bogdan
Kostetsky, a Greek Catholic priest reported
being questioned several times. FSB offcials
denied summoning him. (AsiaNews)
East Jerusalem tour heightens U.S. bishops awareness of complexities
JERUSALEM, Sept. 12, 2014
U.S. bishops visiting the Holy
Land said an on-the-ground tour
and briefng about the situation
in East Jerusalem heightened
their awareness of the settlement
issue in the divided city.
The expansion of settlements
is quickly driving (the possibility
of a two-state solution) off the
drawing board, said Bishop
Richard E. Pates of Des Moines,
Iowa, chairman of the U.S. bish-
ops Committee on International
Justice and Peace. The continu-
ing expansion of the Jewish com-
munities and its implication for
a two-state solution has been a
concern of the National Interre-
ligious Leadership Initiative for
Peace in the Middle East.
Retired Bishop Michael D.
Pfeifer of San Angelo, Texas,
stands in front of the Israeli sepa-
ration wall near Jerusalem Sept.
12. (CNS/Debbie Hill)
On a two-hour tour, Israeli
attorney and activist Daniel
Seidemann shared his concerns
for the increasingly shrinking
window of opportunity to push
forward the concept of the two-
state solution to the Palestinian-
Israeli confict.
The group visited the sites of
small Jewish enclaves being built
in the East Jerusalem neighbor-
hood of Sheikh Jarrah, which
abuts the 1967 border with West
Jerusalem.
The bishops also viewed the
desert corridor northeast of
Jerusalem. The corridor, known
as E1, has been designated by
Israel for a Jewish settlement
that would connect the largest
settlement in the West Bank, the
30,000-resident city of Maaleh
Adumim, with Jerusalem. That
would, in effect, cut off that area
of the Palestinian West Bank
from any connection to Jerusa-
lem, contributing to a further
cantonization of the West Bank
and destroying the possibility of
creating a contiguous Palestinian
state, said Seidemann.
The tour included a visit to
the Israeli separation barrier
that divides the East Jerusalem
neighborhood of Abu Dis, run-
ning across the road that, tradi-
tionally since Biblical times, has
led to Jericho.
In an envisioned peace agree-
ment, most of the 200,000 Jews
living in East Jerusalem would
be permitted to remain in ex-
change for land of equal quality
and size elsewhere in the West
Bank, noted Seidemann. He
said while the Israeli enclaves
embedded in East Jerusalem
remain small, with at most 2,500
Israeli Jews living there, it is still
possible to withdraw them, but
that if the settlements continue to
expand the situation will become
more complicated.
The next two to three years are
critical if a peace agreement is to
be reached, he told the bishops.
Seven years ago in order to
get to where the border needs to
be (to reach an agreement), we
would need to relocate 100,000
settlers. Today, we will need to
relocate 150,000. If it continues
to grow, at some point it will
not be feasible for the national
leaders to relocate hundreds of
thousands of settlers. It will be so
Balkanized it wont be possible,
said Seidemann.
Bishop Pates said the bishops
visit was intended to support the
peace process.
The importance of Jerusalem
(in the negotiations) has been
heightened as well as the neces-
sity to maintain ourselves open
to all religious communities
(here), particularly the Jews,
Christians and Muslims, he
said. This visit enables us to fo-
cus on this reality and to coalesce
behind the Vatican initiative to
insist on international guaran-
tees of this religious expression
in Jerusalem.
Retired Bishop Howard J.
Hubbard of Albany, New York,
said the bishops would need to
listen to other narratives before
they can come up with some
recommendations about what
needs to be done on both sides.
Nevertheless, he said, Seide-
manns briefing had captured
very well the frustration the
people living in East Jerusalem
are experiencing, especially with
the settlements.
It is suddenly clear that if this
is not addressed aggressively
and immediately, a two-state
solution will no longer be vi-
able, he said.
Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las
Cruces, New Mexico, noted the
importance of learning more
about the intricacies of the situa-
tion although he has been aware
of the churches support for the
two-state solution.
The possibility of losing the
window of opportunity to reach
a viable solution is alarming,
he said, and increases the need
for religious leaders to pray for
peace and to encourage political
leaders to work towards a just
solution.
This story has been a long
time in the making. It is not only
political but also a religious and
human one. Coming here has
certainly cemented for us the
human lives which are affected
by this situation -- Muslim,
Christian and Jewish, Bishop
Cantu said.
The group of 18 bishops from
the United States began their
nine-day pilgrimage Sept. 11
and celebrated Mass with Latin
Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusa-
lem following the Sept. 12 tour.
Later in the day they were
to meet with Franciscan Father
Pierbattista Pizzaballa, custos of
the Holy Land, and participate in
an interfaith Sabbath eve prayer
at a local Jewish synagogue.
More interfaith and ecumeni-
cal prayers were scheduled
during the visit. The bishops
were also to visit Christian,
Muslim and Jewish holy sites in
Jerusalem and Galilee, as well as
meet with Israeli and Palestinian
political leaders. (CNS)
A3 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
News Features
Popes appointment may signal
advances in new abuse offce
VATICAN CITY, Sep 12, 2014-
-Pope Francis latest appoint-
ment to a commission designed
to fght sexual abuse of minors
may have an effect in shaping
the upcoming Vatican offce also
dedicated to combatting abuse.
Delicta Graviora are serious
crimes in the Church, and they
include grave offenses against
morality: the sexual abuse of a
minor by a cleric, or the acquisi-
tion, possession, or distribution
of child pornography by a cleric.
A Delicta Graviora offce is to
be set up within the Congrega-
tion for the Doctrine of the Faith,
the Vatican announced May 19,
also revealing that Archbishop
Jos Mollaghan of Rosario had
been appointed as responsible of
the new offce. He will serve in
this position from Buenos Aires.
Pope Francis decision to es-
tablish a special commission for
Delicta Graviora shows his
commitment to tackling abuse
on a global level.
On Sept. 10, the Pontiff made
another step forward in this
commitment by announcing
the appointment of Boston
priest Msgr. Robert J. Oliver
to the post of Secretary of the
Pontifical Commission for the
protection of Minors.
Msgr. Oliver has spent years
helping the U.S. Church imple-
ment reforms to prevent and
respond to abuse of minors.
The Congregation will be
continuing working on cases,
and we will be working on pro-
tection of children, he explained
to CNA Sept. 10.
Msgr. Oliver already took part
in the last meeting of the com-
mission, held July 6. He has also
been called to help Cardinal Sean
OMalley of Boston--who heads
the commission--to enlarge the
groups membership to include
Asia, Africa, and South America,
as well as to draft the statutes of
the commission itself.
The statutes will also deal with
the relation between the commis-
sion and the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith, where
Msgr. Oliver served as promoter
of justice, a position also called
the Vaticans public prosecutor.
Furthermore, the statutes will
clarify the collaboration between
the commission and the soon-to-
be-establish offce for the Delicta
Graviora in the disciplinary sec-
tion of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith.
Msgr. Olivers contribution
to this process includes his ex-
pertise in canon law and experi-
ence as a former offcial of the
Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith, which will be useful
in helping to shape a balanced
distribution of competences and
responsibilities among the com-
mission, the congregation, and
the new offce.
In doing this, he will work
closely with Fr. Robert Geis-
inger, S.J., appointed as his
successor at the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith.
General procurator of the
Jesuit Curia, Fr. Geisinger is
considered a strong Canon Law
expert, able to keep a low profle
and to work hard.
He was one of the organizers
of the Gregorian-run sympo-
sium, Toward the Healing and
Renewal, which took place in
2011.
The next meeting of the Pon-
tifcal Commission for the Pro-
tection of Minors is scheduled
for October. (CNA/EWTN News/
Andrea Gagliarducci)
No scandal here: How the 20 couples married
by Pope Francis were legit
VATICAN City, Sep 15, 2014--Pope Francis
witnessing of marriages between Catholics
who cohabited or who have had annulments
is not a change, but is part of the Churchs
effort to bring people to Jesus Christ, said
two experts on Christian marriage.
I think there is a perception out there,
especially in some media circles, that Pope
Francis is trying to undermine what the
Church has taught and what the Church has
practiced, Catholic University of America
moral theology professor John Grabowski
told CNA Sept. 15.
I see absolutely no evidence of that.
When hes pressed on issues concerning the
Churchs teaching on marriage, on sexual-
ity, he is very frm, saying he is a son of the
Church, Grabowski continued. What he
wants to do is simply put the Churchs focus
on mercy, on an encounter with Christ as the
heart of its life.
On Sept. 14, Pope Francis celebrated the
marriages of 20 couples from the Diocese of
Rome. In his homily, he told them that Jesus
Christ will bring them healing by the merci-
ful love which pours forth from the Cross,
with the strength of his grace that renews
and sets married couples and families once
again on the right path.
Some media reports have focused on wheth-
er some of the couples had annulments or had
lived together before marrying. Time magazine
claimed that the marriages hint at coming
changes on divorce and remarriage. The New
York Times claimed that the weddings mean
that Pope Francis looks past tradition.
However, Grabowski said he saw no con-
crete evidence that the Pope is instituting
any kind of sweeping changes.
In fact, the Popes actions in marrying
cohabiting couples refect common Catholic
practice.
Its not just Pope Francis, its the whole
Church who wants to encourage people who
are living in a way that contradicts their
baptismal dignity to stop living that way,
the professor said.
Catholic teaching holds that cohabitation is
objectively, morally wrong and on a practi-
cal level undermines the prospects of success
for marriage. Studies indicate that couples
who cohabit before marriage show more pro-
pensity to divorce than couples who do not.
Grabowski noted the U.S. bishops 1999
document on marriage preparation and
cohabiting couples.
That document noted the destructive im-
pact of cohabitation and the steps couples
can take to change their situation before
marriage. These steps included ceasing a
sexual relationship until the wedding and
going to confession to try to begin their mar-
riage on a new footing so that this harmful
practice doesnt end up undermining their
chance at a happy, successful marriage,
Prof. Grabowski said.
Msgr. Joaqun Llobell, author of the book
Marriage Procedures in the Church,
stressed that marriage and the family are
the frst means of God to make us happy here
on Earth and to take us to Heaven.
He explained that the Catholic faith sees
a distinction between a divorce and a rec-
ognition of an invalid marriage, commonly
known as an annulment.
Civil divorce breaks a valid marriage. By
contrast, to annul a marriage doesnt break
that which existed. Rather, it is a declaration
from the Church that a marriage was never
valid to begin with.
A man with a previously annulled mar-
riage will be getting married for the frst
time because that previous union was not
valid due to a defect in him or in the woman
with whom he attempted to enter a martial
union. These defects can include matters of
intention, like the rejection of having chil-
dren as a purpose of marriage, or conditions
such as mental illness that prevent a true
marriage from being joined.
Msgr. Llobell is a canon law professor who
has taught at the Pontifcal University of the
Holy Cross and has served on the tribunal
for the Apostolic Signatura.
What Pope Francis has said most often
since becoming Pope is that God is merci-
ful, that we humans exist because God has
created us as a manifestation of Gods mercy.
Therefore the Church, which is the instru-
ment that God gives us to save us, cannot
not be merciful. It is always profoundly
merciful, the monsignor told CNA ahead
of the Sunday weddings.
He said the Church is also merciful in cases
of alleged marriage nullity, though these
cases are complicated.
If the Church thinks a marriage is valid, it
cannot but say the truth to its child: Your
marriage isnt invalid and therefore you cant
get married a second time.
And that is said with love, explaining
why, and with a mercy that is compatible
with the truth. (CNA/EWTN News)
Anti-gambling prelate
calls P3.5k casino
entrance fee ridiculous
MANILA, Sept 12, 2014Lin-
gayen-Dagupan Archbishop
Emeritus Oscar V. Cruz, who is
known for his crusade against
gambling, denounced a bill fled
recently by Misamis Oriental
Representative Peter Unabia,
which allegedly seeks to raise
casino entrance fees to P3,500,
dismissing it as ridiculously
small.
It is better than nothing. But I
think somebody else should fle a
bill with ten times or 25 times that
amount that amount is ridicu-
lous compared to the money that
goes in and out of the casinos.
Besides, casino goers wont mind
spending P3,500, said Cruz in
an interview over Church-run
Radyo Veritas.
According to him, patrons
of casinos have hundreds of
thousands, sometimes millions,
in their pockets, which they are
prepared to lose, so a P3,500
entrance fee will not do much
to deter them from the said vice.
The archbishop believes the
proposed law is just Malaca-
angs way of showing the
Filipino public it is serious about
eradicating the culture of gam-
bling in the country.
He noted, That entrance fee
is merely for show that will have
no effect on casino regulars, most
of them millionaires, particularly
those who come from abroad
and so think in terms of foreign
currency.
Cruz shared that the harm
inficted by gambling outweighs
its supposed economic benefts.
Gambling addicts live day-
in day-out only for the thrill
gambling gives them. Untold
number of families, relation-
ships, and livelihoods has been
ruined because of it. Its a vicious
circle that makes a gambler win a
game once, and lose much more
often later, explained he.
The prelate fears that gam-
bling conditions the mind of
people who engage in it to be-
lieve that dishonesty is normal.
Cruz asked, Why make gam-
bling a source of revenue and
livelihood in the frst place
He said casinos in Las Vegas
fold up one by one, realizing
people there are becoming wiser
with their money, and so what
used to be gambling houses have
been converted to theaters.
The problem is these gam-
bling lords move to our shores
to set up shop here, and our
government welcomes them,
laments Cruz. (Raymond A.
Sebastin)
Marian consecrations similar but not quitepriest
PARAAQUE City, Sept 6,
2014To celebrate the Blessed
Mothers nativity, the Order of
Friars Minor Conventual (OFM
Conv.) will be sponsoring a
Marian consecration open to the
public. And apparently, all con-
secrations have the same intent,
but are quite different.
Fr. Elijah M. Pantorilla, OFM
Conv., who will be giving a talk
on September 8, Monday titled
Mary, Highway to Heaven:
A Total Consecration to Jesus
through Mary, Queen of Heaven
and Earth, told CBCPNews
in an interview that consecra-
tion to Jesus Christ through the
Blessed Virgin Mary promises
many graces.
Belonging to Our Lady
Pantorilla, who also heads
the Philippine arm of the Militia
Immaculata, the group founded
by Polish martyr St. Maximilian
Maria Kolbe to convert heretics,
schismatics, and freemasons,
shared that consecration to Mary
according to St. Maximilians
spirituality is fundamentally
similar to other forms of con-
secrations like the prescribed
by St.Louis-Marie Grignon de
Monfort, in that both hold the
person being consecrated as no
longer belonging to himself but
to Our Lady.
The priest explained St. Maxi-
milians Consecration to the
Immaculate varies slightly in its
explicit emphasis on the Glory
of the Kingdom of the Most
Sacred Heart of Jesus Her Son
and for the Triumph of Her Im-
maculate Heart,
It is precisely for this reason,
he explained, that St. Maximil-
ian, the Polish martyr recognized
as the Apostle of Consecration
to Mary established the Militia
Immaculatae (MI).
Quoting from St. Maximil-
ians letter, Pantorilla explained
that MI calls itself a militia, a
knighthood, because anyone
who belongs to Our Lady does
not limit himself to consecrating
himself totally to the Immacu-
lata, but also strives, as much
as he can, to win the hearts of
others for Her, so that others,
too, may consecrate their hearts
to Her, just as he has consecrated
himself to Her.
Snatching souls from Satan
The Franciscan, however,
clarified that MI is not an as-
sociation in the conventional
sense, with definite concrete
activities, designed for a par-
ticular group of interested
persons.
It is a movement which
should attract the masses and
snatch them away from Satan,
he stressed.
Pantorilla said, drawing from
the same letter, that once souls
have been won over to the Im-
maculata, there will also be a
few who can be led further to the
very height of devotion, even to
the point of heroism in the ser-
vice of spreading the Kingdom
of God through the Immaculata.
He added that all religious
orders and congregations, all the
movements in the Church can
also be part of the MI, which en-
ables each member to give ones
best to the apostolate.
In this way, Pantorilla pointed
out, MI members attain Chris-
tian perfection according to their
state and vocation in life.
It is necessary to understand
the MI as something transcen-
dent rather than general; this
means that it should not be
viewed as just one organization
among many others; rather,
it ought to penetrate into the
depths of all other organiza-
tions, said he.
A mass will follow right after
the talk, which will be held at 5
p.m. at the St. Maximilian Maria
Kolbe Seminary in Multina-
tional Village, Paraaque City.
(Raymond A. Sebastin)
Selfe OK, but privacy frst
priest
MANILA, Sept 9, 2014A priest
calls on persons who enjoy
taking selfies and similar
photographs a little too much
to always respect the privacy
of others.
While Fr. Lito Jopson, executive
secretary of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines
Episcopal Commission on So-
cial Communications and Mass
Media (CBCP-ECSC), admits
that taking selfes may be fun,
the priest underscores the im-
portance of responsibility when
involving others in photographs.
Taking selfes are fun in gen-
eral because we can be the pho-
tographer and photographed at
the same time. Long before self-
ies, it was hardy possible to take
ones pictures with oneself and
others as subject. Now the tech-
nology allows that to happen,
but it comes with responsibility,
he explained over Church-run
Radyo Veritas.
Jopson reminds selfe-takers
of the ethical guidelines they
must observe in order to ensure
that the rights of the people
they want to photograph are
respected.
According to him, selfe takers
must be granted permission by
the other party, especially when
the photographs are intended for
public consumption.
Meanwhile, some members of
the Lower House are thumbing
down House Bill 4807, or the
Protection against Personal
Intrusion, better known as the
Anti-selfe Bill.
They believe the proposed law
infringes on the rights of people
to decide for themselves.
(Raymond A. Sebastin)
Vatican City - September 14, 2014: A couple newly married by Pope Francis receives communion in St. Peters Basilica
on Sept. 14, 2014. CNA
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Emeritus Oscar V. Cruz. FILE PHOTO
A talk on September 8, Monday titled Mary, Highway to Heaven: A Total Consecration
to Jesus through Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth was held on September 8, 2014,
5 p.m. at the St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe Seminary in Multinational Village, Paraaque
City. RAYMOND A. SEBASTIN
Proclaim what is good,
right priest
NAGA City, Sept 7, 2014
What do we proclaim?
asked Fr. William Parde, Jr.,
challenging the faithful to
stand up for what is good
and right in order to defeat
evil in the world.
If we do not register the
voices of good people, evil
will surely prevail, he said at
the Eucharistic celebration that
concluded this years Harubay,
the frst day of Novena Masses
in honor of El Divino Rostro.
According to Parde, the
good Catholic needs to recog-
nize the competing voices in
our world today.
In a world wherein words
may be given different associa-
tions like hope, now a cigarette
and trust, a contraceptive, it is
good that once a year we have
the opportunity to herald what
is good, what is right and what
is true, he said.
In his homily, Parde also
spoke about healing and
conversion. He exhorted the
faithful to pray not just for
temporal healing, but more
for the total healing of oneself.
By the worlds standard,
he said, smart people are
those who know how to get
things done, clever people are
those who get ahead in life,
and learned people are those
who fnish a degree and get
a good job. But for the Lord,
the smart, clever and learned
people are those who sur-
rendered their lives to Him.
Annually, a motorcade
around the major streets of
Naga City is observed early in
the morning of the Harubay
and a mass caps the activity
before lunch.
In 2008, the Apostleship
of Prayer initiated the said
activity to respond to what
they believe to be the com-
mercialization of the Peaf-
rancia festivities. Thus, the
Harubay aims to remind the
people of God to prepare
spiritually for the celebration
of the Solemnity of Our Lady
of Peafrancia.
Held at the Basilica Minore
de Peafrancia, the Harubay
this year was organized and
particularly supported by the
Our Lady of Peafrancia As-
sociation and Apostleship of
Prayer, respectively. (Natalie
Hazel Quimlat)
A4 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
EDITORIAL
Opinion
Pedro C. Quitorio
Editor-in-Chief
Nirvaana E. Delacruz
Associate Editor
Roy Q. Lagarde
News Editor
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Features Editor

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at 3rd Flr. HHC Building, Victoria cor. Basco Sts., Intramuros,
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OUR faith in Christ, who became poor, and was always close to
the poor and the outcast, is the basis of our concern for the integral
development of societys most neglected members.
Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an
instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor, and
for enabling them to be fully a part of society. This demands that we
be docile and attentive to the cry of the poor and to come to their aid.
A mere glance at the Scriptures is enough to make us see how our
gracious Father wants to hear the cry of the poor: I have observed
the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on
account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have
come down to deliver them so I will send you (Ex 3:7-8, 10).
We also see how he is concerned for their needs: When the Israelites
cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up for them a deliverer (Jg 3:15).
The Church has realized that the need to heed this plea is itself
born of the liberating action of grace within each of us, and thus,
it is not a question of a mission reserved only to a few: The
Church, guided by the Gospel of mercy and by love for mankind,
hears the cry for justice and intends to respond to it with all her
might. In this context we can understand Jesus command to
his disciples: You yourselves give them something to eat!
(Mk 6:37): it means working to eliminate the structural causes
of poverty and to promote the integral development of the poor,
as well as small daily acts of solidarity in meeting the real needs
which we encounter. The word solidarity is a little worn and at
times poorly understood, but it refers to something more than a
few sporadic acts of generosity. It presumes the creation of a new
mindset which thinks in terms of community and the priority of
the life of all over the appropriation of goods by a few.
Solidarity is a spontaneous reaction by those who recognize that the
social function of property and the universal destination of goods are
realities which come before private property. The private ownership
of goods is justifed by the need to protect and increase them, so that
they can better serve the common good; for this reason, solidarity
must be lived as the decision to restore to the poor what belongs to
them. These convictions and habits of solidarity, when they are put
into practice, open the way to other structural transformations and
make them possible. Changing structures without generating new
convictions and attitudes will only ensure that those same structures
will become, sooner or later, corrupt, oppressive and ineffectual.
Sometimes it is a matter of hearing the cry of entire peoples, the
poorest peoples of the earth, since peace is founded, not only
on respect for human rights, but also on respect for the rights of
peoples. Sadly, even human rights can be used as a justifcation for
an inordinate defense of individual rights or the rights of the richer
peoples. With due respect to the autonomy and culture of every nation,
we must never forget that the planet belongs to all mankind and is
meant for all mankind; the mere fact that some people are born in
places with fewer resources or less development does not justify
the fact that they are living with less dignity. It must be reiterated
that the more fortunate should renounce some of their rights so
as to place their goods more generously at the service of others.
--Evangelii Gaudium, #186-190, 2013
THUS spoke Pope Francis. And right, indeed, he is, for whereas
God carries forward the work of creation, and we men and women
are called to participate in the his work, war destroys. It also ruins
the most beautiful work of his hands: human beings. War ruins
everything, even bonds between brothers. War is irrational; its
only plan is to bring destruction: it seeks to grow by destroying.
The Holy Father said this on September 13, in his homily at the
Italian Military Memorial of Redipuglia, which was the site of
senseless fghting between Italy and the forces of the Central
Powers during World War I, which was waged from 1914 to 1918.
There are tears, there is sadness. From this place we remember
all the victims of every war.
A few days earlier, on September 7, 2014, at the International Meeting
of People and Religions, which was organized by the Rome-based lay
Community of SantEgidio, the Pope already said this in his statement
to more than 300 leaders, gathered in the diocese of Antwerp, Belgium:
that war is just senseless slaughter and should never be seen as
inevitable or a done deal because there is always a better way--the
way of dialogue, encounter and the sincere search for truth.
Centuries of experience has proven that war has never been a
satisfactory means of redressing injustice and achieving balanced
solutions to political and social discord, instead it drags people
into a spiral of violence which then proves diffcult to control; it
tears down what generations have labored to build up, and it sets
the scene for even greater injustices and conficts.
One of the participants of this global summit, Ali Abtahi Sayyed
Mohammad, a former vice president of Iran and current president
of Irans Institute of Interreligious Dialogue, said: Radicalism is
the product of an alliance between tyrants and ignorant followers.
All conficts based on presumably religious agenda have shown that
political leaders are the ones fomenting the violence, trying to convince
the devout that they are the only authentic religious group in the
world and that the other religions are deviant and false. This may be
the new face of contemporary conficts, which the West prefers to call
terrorism. And this maybe a tipping point for more global discord.
Pope Francis cites greed, intolerance, the lust for power as the
underlying motives for going to war. And they are justifed by
an ideology that are either political or radically religious or both
in order to sugar-coat the worst evil in humanity.
War is madness, says Pope Francis. And today humanity needs
to weep, and this is the time to weep.
Fr. Roy Cimagala
Candidly Speaking
Candidly Speaking / A7
The inclusion of the poor in society
War is madness
Conditional
Cash Transfer
When the blind can see
And Thats The Truth / A5
The bishops
Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS
and thats the truth
Oscar. V. Cruz, DD
Views and Points
A NOVEL way of making the poor down-
right mendicants or beggars, a creative way
of the administration playing Santa Claus
by generously giving away public funds to
its chosen private recipients, an ultimately
ingenious means of buying political patron-
age especially at the supposed advent of elec-
tions--all these and other indefensible factors
are behind the so-called CCT funded by a
truly generous capital of P108.881 billion for
2015! This dubious invention--though at frst
perceived as love incarnate and care unlim-
ited by the present administration through
the now likewise dubious DSWD--actually
raises more and more reasonable questions
in all sincerity and candor.
Following then are some of the more rel-
evant and serious questions asked and heard
behind the allegedly brilliant yet actually
dubious idea of freely giving away public
funds to supposedly poor families: In the
frst place, why is a family poor--because of
indolence, due to vice, on account of irre-
sponsibility? How poor should a family be in
order to receive CCT? How regularly really
do the poor families get their CCT? Who says
or determines that a family is really poor and
why? How long may a family remain poor in
order to continue receiving the CCT? How
sure is it that every poor family really gets the
whole CCT amount although all the required
receipts are signed? Who is really watching if
the recipient is actually and faithfully living
up to the conditions required by the Cash
Transfer? How long may a family remain
poor, month after month Cash Transfers
notwithstanding? When the present govern-
ment is gone, will CCT vanish therewith?
There are more and more poor people in
the country--notwithstanding all claims and
allegations of Malacaang to the contrary.
The poor have the need and the right to get
fnancial help from Malacaang that in effect
has the Power of the Purse and that in truth
also aims at holding the Power of the Pen.
But there must be a much better way of help-
ing the poor instead of giving doleouts or
mere limos to them. Not all poor people are
beggars--all contrary ideas and demeaning
perceptions of Malacaang to the contrary
notwithstanding.
There are basic livelihood programs,
which are rather easy to teach, to learn and to
put up. There are little cooperative ventures
that are not diffcult to study and operate.
There are modest manufacturing enterprises
that need but practical knowledge and skills.
This is but converting the limos into trabaho,
thus making the poor regain their legitimate
dignity and pride.
ALSO vice versa, when those who claim
they see become blind. Theres an intriguing
passage in the Gospel about the cure of the
man born blind. I believe its worth going
through it again, and slowly, to highlight a
particular point we need to understand well
and live better.
The passage is in St. Johns chapter 9, in
that part when Christ sought the blind man
who was cast out of the synagogue for at-
tributing his cure to Christ, even if he did
not know yet who Christ really was. The
passage goes this way:
Jesus heard that they had cast him (the
blind man with restored sight) out, and when
he found him, he said to him: Do you believe
in the Son of God? He answered and said:
Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?
And Jesus said to him: You have both
seen him, and it is he that talks with you.
And he (the blind man) said: Lord, I believe.
And he worshipped him. Jesus said: For
judgment I came into this world, that those
who do not see may see, and those who see
may become blind.
This is classic divine logic, paradoxical in
character, similar to Christs other statements
about exalting the humble and humbling the
proud, the last will be frst and the frst last, etc.
It is a logic that corresponds to our wound-
ed human condition that many times leads
us to think, judge, reason, speak and behave
in ways we consider as proper to us when
in reality they are contrary to our dignity as
God Himself, our Creator, intended for us.
Christs paradoxical statements seek to undo
this problem of ours.
We need to be more aware of this predica-
ment of ours and start to develop and use the
appropriate means to correct, if not avoid,
that delicate situation. We need to be humble,
always feeling the need to be with God even
in our most intimate thoughts, let alone, in
our words, deeds and public interventions.
There is actually no other way to correctly
and properly understand and react to things
and events in our life. We have to be wary of
our tendency to rely solely on our human es-
timations of things, quite independent, if not
contrary to the way God understands them.
In fact, not only should we be guarded against
this tendency. Rather, we should also actively
fght it, converting it into what is our proper
way of thinking, judging and reasoning. And
that is to do all these spiritual operations with
God as the main guide and inspiration.
The story of the man born blind does not
end there. The coup de grce still had to
come. It continues: Some of the Pharisees
near him heard this, and they said to him,
Are we also blind? Jesus said to them, If
you were blind, you would have no guilt,
but now that you say, We see, your guilt
remains.
We have to be most careful when because
perhaps of our education, our experience,
our position, among other reasons, we feel
that we would already have enough reason
to make ourselves our own standard of what
is true, good and beautiful.
We always need to be like the man born
blind, and resist the attitude of the Pharisees
mentioned in the gospel. Thats simply be-
cause its when we acknowledge our blind-
ness, defciency and inadequacy to tackle our
temporal affairs that we attract Gods grace,
Gods light, His wisdom, His strength.
Thats when we would know how to live
by the ideal of pursuing the truth in charity.
Especially in our contentious issues, like in
politics, we need to see to it that our views
and opinions, no matter how strongly we
feel about them, should always be given with
utmost delicacy.
We would be quick to understand others
in their opposing positions, and would know
BISHOPS are one of the most
misunderstood persons in the
Catholic Church. Add to mis-
understoodmaligned, hated,
feared, abhorred, mistrusted,
detested, dreaded, plus all the
synonyms of those horrible ad-
jectives. They are loved, but they
are seldom truly lovedloved
for the person they really are
minus the trappings, not loved
for the favors they can grant as
princes of the Church.
Its a pity, because bishops
can also be the most wonderful
treasures an ordinary believer
can encounter in the Church,
if we but try to look at them
through the eyes of compassion,
the eyes of Jesus. Beneath that
formidable veneer of glory and
power are persons both holy and
humanvulnerable and per-
severing, struggling to forgive
and to love all equally, battling
temptations to vanitytotally
dependent on Gods mercy to see
them through all the demands
imposed on their person by the
miter and the staff.
They may not always look
like it, but bishops are down
to earth beings who are aware
that one day when all the pomp
and circumstance have turned
to thin air, nothing will be left
of themselves but skeletons in
their tombs. From a distance,
all skeletons look the same. In
essence, all skeletons are the
samereminders of a life once
lived. Thus, bishops stand na-
ked and empty before God and
strive to be flled with gratitude
and grace to do what they have
been called to do.
Media in general have not
been empathetic to bishops,
while enemies of the Church
tend to judge the bishops pro-
nouncements, actions, and even
intentions with little or no regard
for context. Little do they know
that many of the bishops acts of
love are hidden from the public
eye. For instance, one bishop
who on the day of his episcopal
ordination vowed to surrender
all the money he would receive
to the diocesan coffershas
kept his vow, turning over to
the chancery all cash and checks,
even those meant as personal
gifts. His reason is Transpar-
encyanyway, I can always ask
for any amount I need to do my
job. I need not keep anything
for myself. This way everybody
knows where the money goes.
Another bishop chooses to
bear the contempt of his fam-
ily and relatives who tend to
see him as a stepping-stone to
prestige and fnancial comfort.
Aware that his ordinary charity
could be abused by relatives,
he sets family aside in order to
be fair to his fock. It is quite a
struggle he is at times tempted
to give up because Family is
family whichever way you look
at it, and when everybody has
turned their back on you theres
your family wholl be there for
you, but no, I must tell myself
that when I accepted my voca-
tion I was aware that from then
on I must not give blood relatives
special treatment.
Perhaps one of the hardest
things for a bishop to fght is the
temptation to pride engendered
by being regarded like a king
by his people. In his diocese, a
young bishop realized, he was
expected to say the last word,
to sit at the presidential table at
any event, to be the guest whose
presence was a blessing in any oc-
casion. He was always the center
of attention, the most wanted
person around (although not
always by the priests); everybody
A5 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
Opinion
Mass Media in the
Year of the Laity
P.E.G.
Hindsight
Policies and Sanctions
in Basic Ecclesial
Communities
Atty. Aurora A. Santiago
Duc in Altum
Fr. Francis Ongkingco
Whatever
Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, SThD
Along The Way
MASS media has a great role in
the propagation of truth. Pope
Francis believed in what the
media can do in the promotion of
justice and truth. The traditional
tri-media--newspaper, television
and radio--and now the social
media, are being used to expose
anomalies and abuses in the
government. The Vatican uses
social media to make known
Pope Francis views on current
issues. The daily tweets of Pope
Francis are made known; no
wonder he has lots of followers.
Almost all dioceses and parishes
have their own newsletter, web-
page, Facebook, Twitter and In-
stagram accounts to serve as the
information highway between
the Church hierarchy and the
parishioners where the free fow
of ideas are coursed through.
His Excellency, CBCP President
Socrates Villegas, Archbishop of
Lingayen-Dagupan, enjoined the
bishops to support the Catholic
Social Media Summit version 3.0,
The Encoounter, at Pangasinan
Training and Development Cen-
ter in Lingayen, Pangasinan. This
project is sponsored by Youth
Pinoy, the brainchild youth orga-
nization of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines
Commission on Youth and the
CBCP Media Offce, specifcally
created to heed the call for online
evangelization.
***
The power of social media
was resorted to last year by the
proponents of the Million People
March Against Pork Barrel or the
Priority Development Assistance
Fund (PDAF). People went to
Luneta to show their disgust
over the anomalous misuse and
abuses in handling pork barrel.
Taxpayers money in the form
of pork barrel are granted to
the president, senators, repre-
sentatives, governors, mayors,
councilors, even barangay of-
fcials, and this can be used at
their discretion without strict
accountability. It is supposed to
be used for projects to beneft
their constituents, however, the
money found its way into the
pockets of unscrupulous persons
or bogus non-government orga-
nizations (NGOs) because of its
anomalous misuse. The annual
PDAF allotment for Senators is
P200 million each, while the Rep-
resentatives is P70 million each.
Although the number of peo-
ple in Luneta was not reached,
the heavy turnout of people
from all walks of life was very
unexpected, to the surprise of
everyone. The point was, the
citizenry was made aware of
the abuses brought about by the
pork barrel. The money could
have been used for the purchase
of medicines in health centers
and government hospitals, con-
struction of schools, hospitals
and housing for the homeless,
and the like. The effective power
of social media was realized
when the Supreme Court de-
clared PDAF unconstitutional.
***
The continuous social media
campaign on the abolition of
the Disbursement Acceleration
Program (DAP), the pork bar-
rel counterpart of the Offce of
the President, came to fruition
when the Supreme Court also
declared DAP unconstitutional.
The Highest Court noted, among
others, the cross-border transfers
of the savings of the Executive
to augment the appropriations
of other offces outside the Ex-
ecutive, like the legislature.
The Court also found the fund-
ing of projects, activities and
programs not covered by any
appropriation in the General
Appropriations Act or Budget
unconstitutional.
***
The power of mass media is
now being tapped in the cam-
paign for the citizens support
of the Peoples Initiative Bill
(PIB) which abolishes all forms
of pork barrel, mandates line
item budgeting, prohibits and
criminalizes the allocation and
use of lump sum discretionary
funds and penalizes violators.
It aims to rid the country of a
corrupt system of patronage
that undermines the principles
of separation of powers, checks
and balances, transparency and
accountability.
We already mentioned in the
last issue the support of His
Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal
Tagle, CBCP President Archbish-
op Socrates Villegas, Archbishop
Jose Palma of Cebu, Archbishop
Antonio Ledesma of Cagayan de
Oro and Bishop Vicente Navarra
of Bacolod.
His Eminence Orlando Cardi-
nal Quevedo of Cotabato said,
The pork barrel system has
been a bottomless pit of cor-
ruption, a terrible instrument of
patronage politics, a war chest
to perpetuate patronage poli-
tics. I support its abolition and
encourage fellow citizens to act
against this bane in our political
system.
Most Rev. Patricio Buzon of
Kabangkalan, Negros Occiden-
tal noted, In this Year of (the)
Laity, the Peoples Initiative
for Pork Barrel Abolition is a
concrete response to the Lords
call for the laity to be leaven for
the transformation of society. To
participate in this initiative is to
be truly Christian and patriotic,
true Saints and Heroes of today.
Most Rev. Carlito Cenzon of
Baguio also congratulated the
launching of the initiative to
put an end to the pork barrel
system. Indeed the system is
the source of corruption in our
country.
Most Rev. Joseph Nacua of
Isabela said, To the major-
ity of countrymen of whatever
persuasion but really concerned
with the good administration of
our national patrimony, I join in
support. May our initiative He
has inspired in us be sustained
by His help and reach success-
ful conclusion for the common
good.
Fr. Amado Picardal comment-
ed that there are some people
who ask why should the Church
support the Peoples Initiative
Against Pork Barrel when the
Supreme Court already ruled the
PDAF and the DAP as unconsti-
tutional. The SC ruling has ap-
parently abolished the pork bar-
rel system. Thus, any campaign
to have it abolished is moot and
academic. However, this is not
really the case. Various groups
believe that Pork Barrel System
has not been dismantled--it per-
sists under various names and
forms not only in the national
level but also in local govern-
ment units.
***
I wish my Ate, Violeta Santia-
go-Rosales a very Happy Birth-
day. I pray that you will always
be blessed by our Lord Almighty.
Same birthday greetings go to Fr.
Alberto Cahilig, OMI, Fr. Rogelio
Caalim, OMI, Fr. Alfredo Fernan-
dez, Jr., OP, Fr. Elpidio Erlano, Jr.
Happy Sacerdotal Anniversary
to Fr. Rufno Yabut and Fr. Me-
dardo Ong, all from the Diocese
of Kalookan.
Its pretty much like wall climbing, Ted,
the priest explained.
Like how, Father Jim?
Youre the expert in climbing walls, you
should know! the priest replied.
Im not called the Gecko for nothing, but
how exactly can climbing walls be compared
to growing in ones spiritual life.
Both go up! But lets take it step by step,
Father Jim laughed.
Im all ears, Father, Ted straightened
himself from his chair.
Ive observed that when wall climbers go
up, they dont only use ropes, but also pegs.
right.
Well, I would like to focus on the pegs,
Father Jim said.
The pegs, Ted repeated softly.
Now, these pegs are only mini-ladders
that allow you to conquer dangerous walls,
but in case you slip, they are also like life-
lines.
Correct. But how do all this relate to my
spiritual life?
This is somehow related to what you
shared about having problems with being
constant in some of your spiritual goals like
prayer, going to Mass, saying the Rosary,
etc.
So the pegs are, Ted suddenly caught
the idea and was thrilled.
Right, were trying to scale the mountain
of life towards the peak which is Heaven. The
prayers, sacraments and other spiritual prac-
tices are the pegs that slowly help us up.
.but these are precisely what I cant get
on with, Ted said.
Get on with what?
I cant even get a peg frmly on the wall.
One day I manage to stick a peg, another day
I dont. Some even fall off!
Well, everyone has to begin somewhere.
But like any wall-climber, the idea is not to
give up, Father Jim reminded him.
Right! Ill remember that, Father.
And we have to remember that unlike
wall-climbing, what is important is putting at
least one peg each day, no matter how small.
Every bit of sincere effort, with the help of
Gods grace, helps us to go up no matter what.
Thats nice to know, Ted was consoled.
But thats not all. One cannot remain
content. In other words, we try our best to
put the peg a little higher, or at least within
the same level, but with some detail of refne-
ment and love.
But what if I never manage to hammer in
a peg all the way? Ted asked.
Lets take the example of reciting the
Rosary daily. Maybe one may start off not
fnishing it at all or may have spent the entire
prayer distracted.
Thats me, Father!
I didnt mean to refer to you, Father Jim
laughed.
So how exactly should I go about it?
I once heard that the worse way of saying
the Rosary is not saying it. So even though
we may only end up saying half of it, we
must at least resolve to somehow say it better
the next day and so on.
Isnt that making the spiritual life sound
uninteresting because you dont get to ac-
complish anything?
Thats precisely what many souls, includ-
ing myself, often misunderstand. We tend to
focus on the results of what we can do, but
we forget how God wants us to grow despite
what to us appears as a failed attempt. What
He wants to see is that whatever happens,
we never lose our faith and hope in Him.
Thats not easy to understand and prac-
tice, Ted confessed.
Yup, especially when its so human to
want to see and get results, Father Jim said.
So what else can you tell me about the
pegs?
Oh, I almost forgot. There are also pegs
that somehow keep you propped as you
climb.
Other pegs?
Maybe they dont exist in real wall-climb-
ing, but in the spiritual life these smaller
pegs help us to gradually climb and reach
the top.
What are they?
They are small pious acts or prayers that
one strives to offer up to God and others
constantly. For example, frequent acts of
thanksgiving, reparation, penance, etc.
They sound like sheer random acts, Ted
observed.
True, but one can set targets for how
many acts of thanksgiving one makes during
the day. Or how many times you will glance
at a Crucifx in your room or an image of
Mary, or reminding yourself to have some
positive complement for your colleagues
and so on.
But where do I work on these?
At least, like every wall-climber who
prepares his equipment the night before, we
also have the examination of conscience to
prepare for the next day. Its here where we
set specifc goals we wish, with Gods help,
to achieve the next day.
Maybe I should start there, Ted con-
cluded.
If you wish. And that is where you will
precisely learn the meaning of P.E.G., Father
Jim said.
P.E.G.?
Yes, Personally Engaging God!
Carmelo Acua
Issues and Concerns
IT has been said time and again
that hindsight offers perfect vi-
sion. It provides one a much
better perspective. The same
could be said about decisions
that could have been made and
options that would have been
considered.
Quite recently, Senator Paolo
Benigno Aquino fled a bill call-
ing for a halt to exports of un-
processed mineral ores, probably
taking the cue from Indonesia,
which led to a sudden increase
in nickel prices.
During Tapatan sa Aristocrats
focus on the environment, min-
ing and forestry, Dr. Carlo A.
Arcilla, professor and director
of UPs National Institute of
Geological Sciences said the
proposed measure is easier said
than done.
Mines and Geosciences Bureau
Director Leo Jasareno said while
the measure is good, it would
take time to construct processing
plants in the country. It is well
known that ores are exported in
its raw form to China and Japan
where they are processed. Dr.
Arcilla said it is too bad that the
Philippines needs to export ores
and import all requirements
from nails to steel.
Besides, Dr. Arcilla opined,
Indonesia can very well process
their ores because their electric-
ity is backed by geothermal. In
the Philippines, electric power
is not only costly, it is also un-
reliable.
Now, Senator Aquinos cous-
in, President Benigno Simeon
C. Aquino III made known
his request that he be granted
special powers by Congress
to address the looming power
crisis and ensure additional
capacity.
Such a request would further
prove the failure and fundamen-
tal flaws of the controversial
Electric Power Industry Reform
Act (EPIRA).
President Aquino could have
addressed these concerns had
he been told of the real picture
as soon as he took offce. Every
chief executive is expected to
hit the ground running. Some
believe he may have been the
exception. It may be too late in
the day to address these con-
cerns thats why he is seeking
emergency powers.
There would be no need for
such emergency powers had
he and his cabinet carefully as-
sessed, studied the situation and
considered options that ought to
have been taken. This is compa-
rable to a basketball team down
by 30 points and left with only
two minutes to play.
While he made good on his
anti-corruption campaign, he
could have set sights on other
concerns like power, water,
transport and traffc.
I still cant fnd the appropriate
translation for the Filipino word
sayang. We have missed the
boat again.
FOR the last forty-fve years, as part of the renewal promoted
by Vatican II, Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) have sprout-
ed all over the country. The PCP II in 1991, formally adopted
the formation of BECs as a pastoral priority and since then,
more and more dioceses have vigorously promoted BECs.
Forming sustainable BECs is not easy. Thus, BEC practitioners
came up with various methods. One of these was the introduc-
tion of policies with corresponding sanctions.
There are some dioceses and parishes that have adopted
the so-called policies and sanctions that would deny the
sacraments to those who are not actively involved in BECs.
This means that active membership in these communities is a
pre-requisite for receiving the sacraments. For example, par-
ents are required to get a signed certifcation from their BEC
leaders that they are active members of their family groupings
and BECs. This means, regularly attending their neighborhood
Bible-sharing sessions, weekly community Bible-Service in
the chapel, monthly Mass and other BEC activities. This also
means paying their monthly or annual dues. In one diocese,
the signatures of the heads of the various BEC/chapel minis-
tries (worship, education, service, temporalities, family & life,
youth) are needed for certifcation.
If they are not active members, the leaders wont give them
a certifcation. No certifcation means no baptism. Some
parishes require BEC certifcation for those intending to get
married. Some parishes refuse to conduct funeral masses for
those who have not been actively involved in BECs and have
not paid their dues. Other parishes have a policy that no festa
Mass will be celebrated for BECs if there is gambling going on
during the festa. Some parishes have a policy that a Mass in
the BEC can only be celebrated after the community has paid
the dues in full or have paid a quota for construction of the
cathedral. Other parishes have a policy that BECs without a
full line up of offcers be suspended and no BEC Mass will
be celebrated unless they are able to elect a complete set of
offcers.
The number of dioceses and parishes that have adopted such
policies and sanctions may be few--only less than 15 percent
(mostly in the South). This has become part of the BEC culture
in these places. Due to negative feedbacks, some have already
abandoned this and replaced certifcation with informa-
tion emphasizing that those who are not active members be
made to understand and encouraged to participate in their
BEC activities so that reception of the sacraments becomes
meaningful. But others continue the practice which is also
being introduced in a few dioceses in the Visayas and Luzon,
although some bishops have cautioned against it or refused
to adopt it.
The justifcation of those who adopt these policies and sanc-
tions is that this is a good way of instilling discipline among the
lay faithful. Those who want to avail of the sacraments must
have already lived as genuine Christians and active members
of the Christian community (the BEC). They believe that this
is an effective way of forming and strengthening the BEC.
On the other hand, this has caused a lot of hurt, anger and re-
sentment among many who have been denied the sacraments.
Consequently, this has alienated them from the Church or even
drove them away from the Church. The joy of parents and
relatives over the birth of a child has been replaced by anger
and hurt when told they could not be given a certifcation to
have the child baptized because they were not active in their
BECs. How do you console the bereaved when their loved one
who just died cannot have a funeral mass because he was not
an active member of his BEC or failed to pay his dues? How
would the lay faithful feel if they are already gathered in the
chapel for the festa mass but the priest who has just arrived
decide to cancel the Mass and go home because he saw several
people violating the policies by gambling outside? There are
some priests who are more lenient and compassionate and who
allow those without certifcation to avail of the sacraments.
For not strictly following the policies, they get the ire of other
priests and also of their own lay leaders who get discouraged
and think of resigning.
Some bishops and many canon lawyers have commented
that these policies and sanctions are even stricter than canon
law. Indeed, there is no canonical basis for them and they
are not in accordance with Church law. Canon 213 states:
Christs faithful have the right to be assisted by their pas-
tors from the spiritual riches of the Church, especially by the
word of God and the sacraments. According to canon 843
no. 1 sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those
who opportunely ask for them, are properly disposed, and
are not prohibited by law from receiving them. Canon 1184
no.1 lists down those to be denied Church funeral rites and
funeral mass. This list does not include those who are not
active members of BECs. These three canon law provisions
tell us that the faithful cannot be denied of the sacraments
just because they are not active members of the BEC. What
is required as stipulated in canon 843 no. 2 is that pastors
and other members of Christs faithful have a duty to ensure
those who ask for the sacraments are prepared for their re-
ception. This should be done through proper evangelization
and catechetical instruction Thus, what is important is
the preparation for the reception of the sacraments through
evangelization and catechesis.
A paper presented by Msgr. Rey Monsanto during the 2013
annual convention of the Canon Law Society of the Philippines
and which was endorsed by the body and submitted to the
CBCP states: Hence, the BECs, while being strongly made
a parochial or diocesan thrust, should never be imposed on
the faithful. Attraction should be the strategy Therefore,
while the faithful should be educated on the BECs and kindly
invited and encouraged to be active members, no one should
be forced nor inactive membership threatened with penalty,
like deprivation of a sacrament for oneself or for any member
of the family The right of the faithful to the sacraments and
to the spiritual assistance from their pastors must always be
respected (c.843 and c.213). Hence, active membership in the
BECs can never be made an absolute condition, or conditio
sine qua non, for participating in the celebration and/or
reception of the sacraments and sacramentals Hence, BECs
and Parish Priests should avoid making penal policies that
will sound more like threats, and thus turn people off. It is
enough that they follow and implement the laws of the Code,
and the laws of the diocese to which they belong. Too many
minute laws will make them sound like the Pharisees of old.
These policies and sanctions present a negative image of the
BECs as a new way of being Church. This image of the Church
is contrary to the Vatican II and PCP II vision of a renewed
Church. It presents an image of the Church that is highly
Along The Way / A7
A6 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
Local News
Bishop warns of mining-related violence in E. Samar
LOCAL Church authorities warn
of renewed violence if the gov-
ernment will continue to allow
a mining company to transport
nickel ore stockpiles off an island
in the southernmost tip of East-
ern Samar.
On Wednesday, tension erupt-
ed after residents of Manicani
Island in Guiuan town formed a
human barricade to stop Nickel
Asia Corp. (NAC) from loading
ore stockpiles.
Borongan Bishop Crispin Var-
quez appealed to both the gov-
ernment and the mining frm to
prevent a situation where life
will be lost because of mining.
I am vehemently against the
violence that has happened upon
loading of stockpiles, and the
accidents it brought to the resi-
dents of the island and I fear that
it may happen again should the
loading persist, Varquez said.
The struggle against mining
has been among the concerns
of the diocese after a mining
engineer was killed by angry
residents after a heated argu-
ment in 2000. A year later, the
son of an anti-mining leader
also died after being hit by the
mining companys dump truck
during a demonstration.
The diocese also kept an eye
on the military and local police
amid reports of harassment al-
legedly committed in the past
against anti-mining residents
whose sustainable livelihood
from farming and fishing is
threatened.
For more than two decades
now, the mining issue also con-
tinues to serve as a living symbol
of divided Manicani.
It also pains us to witness
the current division of the island
upon the entry of mining and we
wish for the residents to move
on from opposing each other,
Varquez said.
The operation of Hinatuan
Mining Corp., NACs subsidiary,
has been suspended since 2001
for causing aquatic and soil ero-
sion. It has since then sought per-
mit to haul and load more than
150,000 tons of ore stockpiles.
This suspension includes the
cessation of exploration, operation,
extraction, and disposal, except for
care and maintenance by the com-
pany. According to the bishop, the
permit to transport, therefore, goes
against the suspension.
Environmental hazards
In July this year, the Depart-
ment of Environment and Natu-
ral Resources and the Mines of
Geosciences Bureau released
an authorization for hauling
and loading to the company
based on an endorsement from
Presidential Assistant for Reha-
bilitation and Recovery Panflo
Lacson. The suspension, how-
ever, remains to be in effect.
On Tuesday, Varquez and
some clergy met with Lacson in
Manila to discuss how the min-
ing frm got the authority to load
nickel ore stockpiles now that it
is still suspended.
Borongans Diocesan Social
Action Center chair Fr. Juderick
Paul Calumpiano, who was
privy to the meeting, said Lac-
son requested NAC to haul and
load ore stockpiles as part of
the agencys rehabilitation and
recovery efforts.
According to OPARRs en-
dorsement letter, the disposal
of stockpiles is a mitigating
measure against any possible
adverse environmental effect
that may worsen calamities.
However, a test conducted by
the Environmental Management
Bureau (EMB) in Manicanis
bodies of water turned out nega-
tive from the hazard posed by
siltation.
Spread Gospel, use social media prelate
IN keeping with the Churchs mission of
evangelization, a prelate exhorts social
media users to be online missionaries,
reminding them of their Christian duty
to spread the Gospel.
The primary task the Lord gave the
Apostles was not to heal, not to change
the world, not to make miracles. It was
first and foremost to communicate, to
proclaim the good news about Gods
Kingdom, says Lingayen-Dagupan Arch-
bishop Socrates B. Villegas in a letter to the
organizers of the upcoming Catholic Social
Media Summit v3.0 (CSMS v.3.0).
Quoting Mark 16:15 in which Jesus
orders his disciples to Go into the
whole world and proclaim the Gospel
to every creature, Villegas emphasizes
the seriousness with which the Church
has to take on the task of proclaiming
the love of God.
The power of communication Jesus
enstrusted to the disciples. It is this
same power that is entrusted to us to-
day. We are stewards of this powerthe
power to renew, the power to rebuild,
the power to lead people and the whole
of creation into the redemption pro-
cured by the Fathers communication
through the Word made fesh, he said.
Accordi ng t o
Villegas, the Holy
Spirit confirmed
on Pentecost is the
same one that en-
ables and calls the
faithful to commu-
nicate love accord-
ing to the original
order of creation.
He said this love
is what the world
desperately needs
during this time of
uncertainty and
destruction around
us.
According to the
prelate, Christians
have been commis-
sioned by the Lord to communicate the
Good News, and to explore new fron-
tiers, new opportunities, and creative
ways of getting His message across like
the social media.
Citing Matthew 10:16, the archbishop
stresses, Behold, I am sending you
like sheep in the midst of wolves; so
be shrewd as serpents and simple as
doves
While acknowledging the many
benefits of social media, Villegas cau-
tions against using it for the wrong
reasons.
We realize that when we use the
social media we do not just chat, text,
post, or share. We either pursue love to
enrich others or destroy. We can inspire
or dishearten. We can bring others to
God or lead them astray, explains he.
(Raymond A. Sebastin)
Yolanda survivors get free space
in Iloilo mall
YOLANDA survivors in Iloilo City who
earn their income selling goods can
now do it inside a mall after its owners
allowed them to use a portion of the
establishment for free.
Marymart Mall, one of the most
popular shopping centers in Iloilo, has
given Caritas Manila free space where
local survivors of typhoon Yolanda,
with the help of the Churchs social ser-
vices arm projects, Segunda Mana and
Caritas Margins, can sell their products.
According to Fr. Anton CT Pascual,
executive director of Caritas Manila,
he had personally received from the
unnamed mall owners their donation
of 160 square meters of store space in a
recent meeting.
I thank the mall owners for their
generosity, he said over Radyo Veritas.
Segunda Mana and Caritas Margins
are projects started by Caritas Manila.
Segunda Mana (secondhand in Fili-
pino) aims to raise funds by collecting
itemseither used or unusedno
longer needed but have value and may
still be sold.
Caritas Margins enables Caritas Ma-
nila to market the products of its poor
partners, in this case Yolanda survivors,
as well as paintings by inmates it sup-
ports under the Caritas Restorative
Justice Program.
It helps its urban poor partners and
families of prisoners augment their in-
come and improve their quality of life.
Proceeds from the sales of the Caritas
Margins products support the Caritas
scholarship program, the Youth and
Servant Leadership and Education
Program.
Pascual shared that this will be Cari-
tas Manilas frst venture outside Metro
Manila.
The priest, who also heads the
Church-run Radyo Veritas, reported
his offce is coordinating closely with
the Social Action Center (SAC) directors
of the various dioceses and archdioceses
of Panay over the feasibility of teaching
Yolanda survivors how to make dried
fish, squids, and similar processed
foods, which can be good sources of
income. (Raymond A. Sebastin)
Philippines in the quadrennial world
basketball tournament in 40 years after
toppling Senegal, 81-79, in overtime.
The win over Senegal capped what
has been a mix of heartbreaking and
astonishing stint for the Gilas Pilipinas in
the prestigious tournament, where it cap-
tured the worlds attention despite last
minute collapses in their earlier games.
We may not have reaped a harvest
of victories, but Gilas certainly won
the admiration of many, Filipinos and
foreigners alike, said the archbishop.
The CBCP commends the members
of the team and joins an ecstatic nation
in hailing their admirable endeavor! Our
victories have been sweet, our defeats,
honorable! added Villegas. (CBCPNews)
Gilas / A1
add up to the division, angst, and dis-
crimination characterizing our present
world, the cardinal said.
Communion with others
Tagle urged the lay faithful to focus on
factors that bind them together instead
of looking at individual differences that
cause confict and destroy the commu-
nion fostered among them.
Before we think about our dis-
similarities, let us frst look at what is
common among us for it is very easy
to be divided if we focus our attention
to our individual differences, he said
in Filipino.
For example, when we focus on the
difference between the rich and the
poor, division easily sinks in. But if we
think about the fact that regardless of
our socioeconomic status, we are all
commonly seeking for a comfortable
and peaceful life for our families, then
maybe we will easily be united because
of the common cause that binds us,
he added.
Why dont we start on our common-
alities? Let us hold on to what is similar
among all of us for that is communion,
Tagle said. (Jennifer M. Orillaza)
Commonalities / A1
countrys top military commander said.
Speaking before the Foreign Cor-
respondents Association of the Philip-
pines at Holiday Inn Ortigas, Cata-
pang also said there is a very elaborate
security plan for Pope Francis safety
during his trip to certain places in Luzon
and in the Visayas.
Hell be safe, Catapang, AFP Chief
of Staff, assured the public even while
the AFP intelligence community is still
verifying reports that several Filipinos
have opted to join the Islamic State.
Pope Francis is the third Successor
of Peter to visit the Philippines. In
November 1970, Pope Paul VI visited
Manila and spoke before the Federa-
tion of Asian Bishops Conferences. On
November 27,1970, Pope Paul VI was
targeted for an assassination attempt by
one Benjamin Mendoza y Amor Flores
at the Manila International Airport. The
Pontiff was unharmed.
Newly-canonized St. Pope John Paul II
visited the Philippines in February 1981
and spoke before different groups in
Davao, Bacolod, Cebu, Legazpi, Baguio,
Morong in Bataan and returned for the
World Youth Day in January 1995. It was
the largest papal crowd ever.
Pope Francis Apostolic visit will take
him to the heart of typhoon Yolandas
wrath in Eastern Visayas. (Melo M.
Acuna)
AFP / A1
typhoon Yolanda and other
calamities have yet to receive
any rehabilitation from the
government.
Idle lands
Despite the P2.8 billion
fund released several months
ago to the Philippine Coconut
Authority for the rehabilita-
tion of coconut farms hard-
est hit by typhoon Yolanda,
coconut lands remain idle,
he said.
Gariguez said farmers
complain that up to now,
they have not received any
assistance from the PCA
after successive typhoons
that have left them jobless,
homeless, and starving.
Its very high time for
President Aquino to give
us a very clear direction as
to what the Aquino govern-
ment is planning to do with
the intended fund for reha-
bilitation of coconut farms.
There are around 3.5 million
coconut farmers in the coun-
try, while 25 percent of rural
folks depend on copra earn-
ings for their sustenance,
Gariguez said.
Coco Levy Fund question
The Eastern Visayas re-
gion, in particular, accounts
for no less than 12% of total
coconut hectarage in the
country, meaning 434 thou-
sand hectares out of the es-
timated 3.5 million hectares,
planted with some 46 million
trees.
It is estimated that some
300,000 families were af-
fected directly and indirectly
by the devastation of coconut
farms, mostly located along
the shorelines, particularly
by typhoon Yolanda which
made its frst landfall in Gui-
uan, Eastern Samar last year.
We can use the fund for
the livelihood and rehabilita-
tion of the coconut areas in
all typhoon affected areas.
Farmers can intercrop while
waiting for the coconut trees
to grow. It could alleviate
the miserable condition of
coconut farmers, Fr. Gari-
guez said.
Poor coconut farmers
should be the ones beneft-
ting from every single cen-
tavo of the public fund, not
only a few, he added.
Nassa also challenged
President Benigno Aquino III
to do something about the es-
crowed P73-billion Coconut
Levy Fund. Ever since the
Supreme Court (SC) ruled
with fnality that the coco-
levy funds belong to the gov-
ernment, the administration
has been mute on its plans
for its use. (CBCPNews)
Coconut / A1
This sparked the questioning
of the validity of the endorse-
ment and authorization by the
local church and anti-mining
groups.
Violations
The Borongan diocese said the
HMC also violated the Interim
Mines Permit (IMP) allowing the
company to extract only up to a
maximum of 250,000 metric tons
of nickel ore as it exceeded the
required extraction cap volume,
amounting to roughly a million
metric tons.
He said this led to yet another
problem on how the mining frm
to stockpile much more than
what is required by the IMP.
To add to this, the said com-
pany was a able to load more
than the prescribed cap volume
of ore reaching to about 300 met-
ric tons, which is another viola-
tion of IMP, the diocese said in
a petition letter to MGB Director
Leo Jasareno dated August 4.
Upon extraction and given
the said conditions, this is illegal
ore and should not be loaded by
the company or anyone. More
so, the company bases its opera-
tion on IMP which is currently
expired, and that the companys
operation is not covered by
MPSA to date, they said.
The clergy also said that they
do not desire that the vulner-
abilities of typhoon Yolanda
survivors be taken advantage of.
Not only did the conspicu-
ous timing of loading happened
right the after typhoon when
people were most vulnerable,
the said company also began
providing relief assistance to the
victims for, and we dare say, it to
win favor among the people as
if to be an exchange for the com-
panys assistance, they added.
Adding insult to injury
Various civil society organi-
zations, including residents of
Manicani, staged a rally yester-
day outside the DENR in Que-
zon City to press the agency to
withdraw the permit they issued
to the NAC.
This move is adding insult
to injury, said Marcial Gomooc,
President of Save Manicani
Movement (SaMaMo).
We are still reeling from the
destruction caused by Yolanda
to our lives and home and here
comes the government taunting
us with yet another disaster,
he said.
From DENR, the demonstra-
tors marched to the MGB main
office, while another group
picketed in front of NAC offce
in Taguig City. A simultaneous
rally was also held outside the
MGB regional offce in Tacloban
City.
Fr. Oli Castor of the Philippine
Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI)
condemned the action taken by
DENR-MGB because we all
know that HMCs intention has
always been run by capitalistic
greed and not by concern for the
environment.
It seems like MGB is creat-
ing a trend here that empow-
ers mining companies to do
their business-as-usual thing
under the guise of concern
for the environment, Castor
said.
First they lifted the suspen-
sion of Marcventures Mining
Development Corporation in
Surigao del Sur, second Phi-
lex was steered clear and now
HMC? Its horrifying to think
about what tricks they are going
to pull next just to cater to the
cold-blooded capitalistic inten-
tions of the mining industry. he
said. (CBCPNews)
Civil society groups protest outside the DENR main ofce in Quezon City the Nickel Asia Corp.s permit to load nickel ore stockpiles off Manicani Island in Eastern Samar, 4 Sept
2014. ALYANSA TIGIL MINA
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas gives the second plenary
talk of the Catholic Social Media Summit v3.0 (CSMS v.3.0) to 1, 186 attendees
at the Pangasinan Training and Development Center, Lingayen, Pangasinan on
September 13, 2014. Angelo Ahumada
(including the priests) laughed at his
jokes even if he himself knew they were
corny. This bishop was well aware of it
early on when he was practically smoth-
ered with gifts, attention, adulation, and
praises unlimited from politicians and
female fans. He knew that if such an
environment was allowed unchecked,
the ego massage it offered would entrap
him to the point of no return.
This young bishop then took it upon
himself to go incognito on occasion, to
experience the anonymity of being a man
on the street in Manila. Putting away his
Roman collar, his ring, pectoral cross,
and expensive watch (a gift), he donned
an ordinary polo shirt and nondescript
pants and took the jeepney to Tondo,
intending to go on retreat by serving
the male wards at Mother Teresas Home
for the Dying Destitute. Lunch found
him eating with the tricycle drivers at a
sidewalk turo-turofried hasa-hasa
and rice with free sinigang soup, served
in plastic dishes and with spoon and fork
soaked in hot water.
At the Home, where the nuns unwit-
tingly took him in as a regular volunteer,
he was asked what dialect he could
speak as the male wards usually needed
someone to talk to in their own dialects.
For quite some time he lent his ear to
a man old enough to be his father and
who spoke only Cebuano. Then the
man, perhaps feeling at home with a
kababayan and noticing his clean
cut head, asked if he was a soldier or a
policeman. The bishop said No, Im a
teacher. The old man said he wanted
to urinate, and told the bishop to get a
portable urinal in the toilet. After be-
ing assisted by the teacher to relieve
himself, he nonchalantly told the bishop
to empty the urinal and wash it. On
the bishops way back to the old mans
bedside, four other wards asked for the
same assistance; the bishop helped them
all, emptied and washed a total of fve
urinalsmaybe the most humbling yet
joyful 15 minutes of his life.
There are many more acts of faith,
courage, love and humility our bishops
have done with God as their only wit-
ness. In His own way and His own time,
God allows His people a glimpse into
the fruits of such acts. Meanwhile, we
continue to give our bishops due respect,
to examine our own weaknesses that
lead them to err in judgment, to trust in
Gods mercy to set things aright. Indeed,
heavy is the head that wears a miter, and
bound is the hand that holds the shep-
herds staff. Always we pray that our
bishops may never be too tired to pray,
that after attending to a myriad concerns,
they may see their private chapels as the
arms of God waiting to embrace them in
silence and solitude at the end of each
day. And thats the truth.
And Thats The Truth / A4
A7 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
Diocesan News
institutionalized, and bureau-
cratic, with a leadership style
that is authoritarian. It is based
on the strict observance of rules
and policies which the Pharisees
promoted and which Jesus criti-
cized because they lacked mercy
and compassion.
There is a need to come up
with more creative and effective
ways of promoting, forming and
revitalizing BECs. This requires a
lot of patience and compassion.
This also requires new ardor and
methods of evangelization that
lead to personal conversion and
communion with Christ and the
community. Active membership
in BECs should never depend on
coercive policies and sanctions.
This requires, according to the
2012 Synod of Bishops, abandon-
ing a strategy of maintenance and
adopting a more missionary strat-
egy--that is, of reaching out to the
vast majority of our members who
are nominal, and many of whom
are hurting or alienated from the
Church. The BECs must incarnate
the image of a Church of mercy
and compassion. As Pope Francis
reminds us: the Church must be a
place of mercy freely given, where
everyone can feel welcomed,
loved, forgiven and encouraged
to live the good life of the Gospel
(Evangelii Gaudium 114).
Pope Francis has something
to say to those who are obsessed
with policies and sanctions: Ev-
eryone can share in some way in
the life of the Church; everyone
can be part of the community,
nor should the doors of the
sacraments be closed for simply
any reason. This is especially
true of the sacrament which is
itself the door: baptism. The
Eucharist, although it is the
fullness of sacramental life, is
not a prize for the perfect but a
powerful medicine and nourish-
ment for the weak. (Evangelii
Gaudium 47).
Along The Way / A5
CBCP launches program
for OFW families
BALANGA City, BataanIn a
bid to make families of Overseas
Filipino Workers (OFW) less
dependent on remittances, the
Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP) Episco-
pal Commission for the Pastoral
Care for Migrants and Itinerant
People (ECMI) recently launched
the Diocesan Awareness Seminar
for Migrants Apostolate (DAS-
MA) in Luzon and Mindanao.
In an interview over Church-
run Radio Veritas, Balanga Bish-
op Ruperto C. Santos reported
that CBCP-ECMI has been at
the forefront of these livelihood
program seminars especially
designed to train relatives of
Filipino migrant workers in
valuable skills.
Added income
The bishop, who also chairs
the commission, explains the
project will enable OFW fami-
lies to supplement their income
and improve their lives in the
process.
We started this in Luzon and
Mindanao The bishops of Min-
danao held a series of consulta-
tion meetings on August 21-22
hosted by the Diocese of Ipil in
Zamboanga-Sibugay. This meet-
ing recommends the setting up
of Ministry for Migrants in each
Mindanao diocese, said Santos.
The prelate shared that the
next scheduled livelihood pro-
gram seminars will be conducted
in November in the Dioceses of
Dipolog, Pagadian, and Iligan,
and the Archdiocese of Ozamiz.
To ensure the programs suc-
cess, Santos stressed they have
teamed up with the govern-
ments Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority
(TESDA), and with the various
dioceses and organizations.
Santos shared it is EMIs desire
that in the future, Filipinos will
not have to leave their loved
ones behind to seek greener
pastures overseas.
Social costs of OFW phenomenon
According to the Commission
on Overseas Filipinos (CFO),
there are approximately 13 mil-
lion recorded Filipino citizens
abroad to date, no less than 2.2
million of whom the Philippine
Overseas Employment Admin-
istration (POEA) identifies as
OFWs or migrant workers.
Experts fault the lack of em-
ployment opportunities in the
Philippines for forcing many
Filipinos to consider finding
them elsewhere in the hope of
earning dollars.
This option, however, almost
always entails prolonged isola-
tion from ones partner and chil-
dren for months, even years, and
having to get by in an unfamiliar
socio-cultural setting. (Raymond
A. Sebastin)
We all came from
women, love them
prelate
DAGUPAN City Respect and
love all women. This was the
timely message Archbishop
Socrates Villegas gave 1,600
young people of Lingayen Da-
gupan during the annual Marian
Vigil from September 7 8, this
year held at the Most Holy Ro-
sary Parish.
All of us came from women.
Because all of us came from wom-
en, the frst lesson for us is that
women should be loved as moth-
ers, sisters, as friends, the prelate,
who also heads the Catholic Bish-
ops Conference told the attendees.
Father Soc, as he is fondly
called in his diocese, emphasized
womens important role of nur-
turing life.
Everyone has a birthday but
a birthday becomes important
when you are able to give an-
other person his birthday.
In connection to the events
aim of honoring the Blessed Vir-
gin, Villegas explained why the
Church stresses how important
Marys nativity, traditionally
celebrated on September 8, is.
That is why the Virgin Marys
birthday is important because
she is the one who gave a body,
a birthday to Jesus Christ.
The Sacrament of Confession
was also given importance in
this years Marian Vigil as Sr.
Marita Palma, executive secre-
tary of the Archdiocesan Youth
Ministry, said, The best gift we
could give to our Mother Mary
is purity of heart.
A worship band comprised of
young people from the different
parishes in the archdiocese also
played for the frst time during
the Marian Vigil.
The participants were divided
into three catechetical sites in
which they listened to three dif-
ferent speakers discuss the three
virtues of humility, simplicity,
and charity.
Organized by the Archdiocese
of Lingayen-Dagupan (ALD)
Youth Ministry, this years Mar-
ian Vigil revolved around the
theme, Mary: A Woman of Hu-
mility, Simplicity, and Charity.
(Sher Pauline Palola)
25 new chapels to rise in Yolanda-hit areas
MANILAThe Catholic Churchs
social service arm Caritas Manila
spearheads the construction of
25 new multipurpose chapels in
parts of Samar and Leyte where
typhoon Yolanda unleashed her
ferocity, killing thousands of people
and wrecking whole towns and
villages.
Caritas Manila director Fr. Anton
Pascual shares each chapel, which
measures a minimum of 100 square
meters in foor area, costs roughly
P1 million, and is being built from
funds raised through RISE, a char-
ity concert led by Manila Arch-
bishop Lus Antonio G. Cardinal
Tagle in June.
A success, the RISE concert was
able to bag as much as P20 million
in funds, excluding P5 million
donated by an unnamed Good
Samaritan.
According to Pascual, besides
their bigger size, these so-called
RISE chapels differ from ordinary
chapels for their durability, using
only quality materials in their
construction.
Although de-
signed primar-
ily as houses of
worship, Pas-
cual expl ai ns
the chapels can
also function as
mul ti purpose
halls and evac-
uation centers
when the need
for them arises,
particularly in
emergency cas-
es.
A l mo s t a
year after the
onslaught, the
priest reports
that the Church continues her re-
habilitation efforts in areas ravaged
by Yolanda.
Experts predict that Samar and
Leyte need 3-5 years to fully re-
cover.
While the Churchs rehabilita-
tion program are ongoing, we also
give Yolanda survivors spiritual
counseling. We also have an ex-
tensive program in partnership
with local and international Church
organizations like Catholic Relief
Services [CRS], CBCP-NASSA
[Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines-National Secre-
tariat for Social Action, Justice, and
Peace], Caritas International, and
social action groups from various
dioceses, said Pascual. (Raymond
A. Sebastin)
Priest defends Marian veneration
PARAAQUE City In a bid to
dispel wrong views some people
have about the Catholic venera-
tion of Mary, a priest explained
the active role the Blessed
Mother plays in the Divine Plan.
In his sermon on the Feast
of the Nativity of Our Lady on
Monday, September 8, at the St.
Maximilian Maria Kolbe For-
mation House in Multinational
Village, Paraaque City, Fr. JV
Acosta, a Conventual Franciscan
(OFMConv,), said the best way
one can go to Jesus is through
Mary, His mother.
He pointed out that while the
All-Powerful God could have
chosen any other means of en-
tering history, He opted to do so
through a humble woman who
called herself the handmaid of
the Lord.
Acosta stressed that if God
Himself in all His majesty had
condescended to come to hu-
mans through Mary, nothing
should prevent them from going
to God through her.
To make himself better under-
stood, the priest invited his audi-
ence to refect on this cooperative
role of Mary in salvation history.
He emphasized that the begin-
ning of the salvation of humanity
rested on the Blessed Virgins
yes, her let it be done accord-
ing to your Word.
Due to her fat, St. Irenaeus
of Lyons, a Church Father, gave
Mary the title New Eve.
He said, It was right and
necessary that Adam be restored
in Christ that Eve be restored
in Mary so that a Virgin, become
advocated of a virgin [Eve],
might erase and abolish the
disobedience of a virgin by her
obedience as a Virgin.
This title was also highlighted
by the Second Vatican Council
(Vatican II) which mentions, The
Holy Fathers see Mary as not
merely a passive instrument in the
hands of God, but as cooperating
in the salvation of human beings
with free faith and obedience.
One cannot love Christ and
hate His mother If you love
God, love whom He loves,
stressed Acosta.
According to him, Catholics
only honor the Blessed Virgin
because God honored her frst,
but this honoringhyper-
duliashould not be confused
with the worship that must be
accorded only to God.
He explained that in choosing
Mary to be the mother of His in-
carnate Son, He raised her above
all other creatures.
Echoing St. Polish martyr
and Militia Immaculatae (MI)
founder St. Maximilian Maria
Kolbe, himself a Conventual
Franciscan, Acosta said, Never
be afraid of loving the Blessed
Virgin too much. You can never
love her more than Jesus did.
Meanwhile, in a tweet post-
ed September 2, Pope Francis
shared, The Christian who does
not feel that the Virgin Mary is
his or her mother is an orphan.
(Raymond A. Sebastin)
a prayerful setting for thanks-
giving to God for creation.
Simple lifestyle
We cel ebrat e. We gi ve
thanks. We retrieve and recover
our calling to be stewards, not
owners. We are not owners,
we are stewards of creation,
he said.
In his homily, Tagle encour-
aged the faithful to lend the
season a penitential atmosphere
that expressly calls for a change
in lifestyle.
Dont we all do an act of pen-
ance after confessing our sins?
This season invites us to give
Nature a break from our wants
and excesses, he said.
According to Tagle, there is a
need to go back to a decent but
simple lifestyle, turning away
from consumerism.
The occasion marked the
Season of Creation, a time,
according to the 1988 Catho-
lic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) pastoral
letter What Is Happening to
Our Beautiful Land, when we
truly thank God for the many
ways He has gifted our land and
resolve to cherish and protect
what remains of this bounty for
this and future generations of
Filipinos.
Priceless gift
It is a month-long event frst
celebrated by the Diocese of
Imus in 2013.
It offcially starts on Septem-
ber 1Creation Dayand
ends October 4the Feast of
St. Francis of Assisi, the patron
of ecology.
The season aims to implement
programs that will emphasize
the importance of creation as a
priceless gift of the Almighty
and Loving Creator who has
made us into his own image and
likeness.
Delegates from the Arch-
di ocese of Mani l a and i t s
suffragan Dioceses of Imus,
Kalookan, Antipolo, Infanta,
and Paraaque, which hosted
the event, expressed thei r
support for various initiatives
that seek to protect nature
from mans greed by opposing
measures that will destroy the
environment in the name of
progress.
Large-scale mining, reclama-
tion
These include the proposed
Manila Bay reclamation in the
coastal areas of Paraaque,
Las Pias, and Cavite, and
large-scale mining in the Sierra
Madre.
Also in attendance were Bish-
ops Reynaldo Evangelista of
Imus and Jesse E. Mercado of
Paraaque, RCAM Auxiliary
Bishop Bernardino C. Cortez,
and the local Redemptorist
(C.Ss.R.) missionaries led by
Baclaran Shrine rector Rev. Fr.
Victorino A. Cueto.
In an earlier statement, Tagle
appealed for the education
and formation of the faithful
in their vocation as stewards
of creation, as co-workers of
God in developing the goods
of the earth for the benefit of
all, the promotion of the com-
mon good and the stability of
future generations. (Raymond
A. Sebastin)
Baclaran / A1
how to derive some
good and benefts from
them. We would know
how to be open-minded
and tolerant even as we
express our opinions too.
To be like the Phari-
sees mentioned in the
Gospel is to make our-
selves and no one and
nothing else the stan-
dard of truth and fair-
ness. We become rigid
and cl osed-mi nded,
prone to dogmatizing
opinions, making ab-
solute what only have
relative value.
No matter how strong-
ly we feel we are correct
in our views, we cannot
help but sooner or later
fall into the subtle traps
of pride, vanity, envy,
greed, lust, avarice.
Its always good to
acknowledge our blind-
ness so we can see things
clearly through Gods
grace.
Candidly Speaking / A4
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) estimates that there are
around 2.2 million OFWs all over the world. FILE PHOTO
CALMAY, Dagupan City The youth of the Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan serenade
the Blessed Virgin on the eve of her nativity, from September 7 8, 2014 during the annual
Marian Vigil, this year held at the Most Holy Rosary Parish. Franklin De Guzman
Typhoon Yolanda destroyed not just houses, schools and business
establishments but a good number of churches and chapels in Eastern
Samar and Leyte. FILE PHOTO
change in the DepEds vision statement.
Atheist group Filipino Freethinkers
lauded the agency for fxing a mistake
that was too sectarian for our Constitution
that is secular.
The group has long been urging the agen-
cy to remove the phrase for being clear
violations of the principle of secularism.
Villegas, however, believes that the right
of a child to recognize and love God cannot
be harmful to anyone else, believer or not.
He noted that a pluralistic society in-
deed accords respect for the option of some
to believe and for others not to.
Witnesses of faith
Villegas praised teachers as formators
of character and competence and as such,
they are witnesses of faith.
According to him, teachers take learning
beyond the four walls of the classroom and
open the eyes of the students to the realities
and problems of the world.
We owe much to teachers, he said.
They mold and inspire the young to work
for social transformation. The current situ-
ation that we have in our country, however,
presents a rather bleak condition for those
engaged in the teaching profession.
He also thanked the DepEd and those
who helped improve the circumstances of
teachers.
We thank all the school administrators
for always looking after the interest of our
teachers. We thank parish priests who en-
courage volunteer catechists to go to public
schools and deliver religious instruction,
Villegas said.
Go extra mile
Despite these, he said teachers in the Phil-
ippines still face a rather bleak condition.
The CBCP head called on the government
to go the extra mile to support teachers
and the education system.
In as much as we feel the support of
government, we ask you to go the extra
mile. We call on our legislators and budget
personnel to continue to support our educa-
tion system, Villegas said.
He mentioned stories of teachers going
abroad for better pay as caregivers or do-
mestic helpers and private school teachers
migrating to public schools for higher pay.
There is the challenge of multi-grade
teaching especially in schools located in the
hinterlands, Villegas also said.
Teachers are faced with the diffculty of
managing their time handling two classes
inside the same classroom divided only by
a blackboard to allow the teacher to monitor
activities happening on the other side of the
room, he added.
A group of public school teachers earlier
sought the help of the CBCP in its call for
a P10,000 across-the-board salary increase.
The Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC)
coursed is appeal for support in its fght
for a salary hike through the National Sec-
retariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace
(NASSA).
Villegas also encouraged young people to
love and respect their teachers, adding that
they have sacrifced much of their lives to
make them responsible citizens.
It is our prayer that the best ones among
you will fnd it in your hearts to be teach-
ers, he said.
Schools / A1
Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
A8 People, Facts & Places
Confab includes social
media skills training
WITH seven of its workshops especially
designed to train future online missionaries
in various important skills for social media
evangelization, the Catholic Social Media
Summit v3.0 (CSMS v3.0) delivered more
than the usual lineup of talks.
YouthPinoy (YP), the team behind CSMS
v3.0, enlisted seven experts in the fields
of graphics design, journalism and online
publication, video and animation, content
sharing and distribution, and others.
Whats more, they are Catholics, and they
were more than eager to help CSMS v3.0
participants become more effective social
media evangelizers.
Powerful images and more
Kei San Pablos workshop Picture Perfect
Inspirations: Creating Images and Graphics
Fit for Social Media Evangelization, gave
tips on how to turn Bible verses into share-
worthy memes to those who wanted to know
how to create powerful images with inspir-
ing verses and quotes.
In Publishing Your Faith: Expressing Your
Catholic Faith and Beliefs through Article &
Content Writing, Rommel Lopez, a social
communications consultant and social media
manager, taught participants with a passion
for the written word how to write articles for
online distribution.
The more techie-type beneftted much from
Animated Catholicism: Creating Videos &
Animations that Communicate the Catholic
Faith, where Charlie Aquino, Sophie Cre-
atives Animation co-founder, briefed del-
egates on how to create animation and videost
using tools and resources available online.
For those who do not have the time to create
content, but who still want to help in spread-
ing content generated by others, learned
from the workshop Share It Forward: How
to Help in Spreading the Catholic Faith and
Beliefs through Social Media Content Sharing
and Distribution by Valerie Deveza, a Certi-
fed Digital Marketing Analyst,
Organizations social media presence
In Social Builders: Building Your Par-
ish and Organizations Social Media Pres-
ence, Genesis Reonico, a blog and social
media entrepreneur from DigitalFilipino.
com, trained individuals and organizations
with the desire to jumpstart their social
media presence but do not know how.
Participants who are just starting out on-
line and would like to know how the social
media works and how it can be used to
inspire and evangelize enjoyed OMG (On-
line Missionaries of God) Bootcamp: Learn
How to Use and Maximize Social Media
the Catholic Way, which was given by JP
Acua, an Information and Communication
Technology for Development Coordinator at
Catholic Relief Services.
In Instafaith: How to Take Pictures & Use
Instagram & Pinterest for Evangelization,
YP president Sky Ortigas shared tips on how
to take photos professionally and use Insta-
gram and Pinterest in spreading the Catholic
messages of faith, hope and love.
The CSMS v3.0, which was held on Septem-
ber 13-14, 2014, at the Pangasinan Training
and Development Center, Provincial Capitol
grounds in Lingayen, Pangasinan, is the fag-
ship event of YP, a group of online missionar-
ies under the auspices of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Media
Office and the CBCP Episcopal Commis-
sion on Youth (CBCP-ECY). (Raymond A.
Sebastin)
Pinay duo join
intl anti-porn
contest
TAKING on the fight against
what they believe to be a scourge
of the family, two young Filipina
professionals based in Manila
have recently joined an inter-
national infographics contest
sponsored by Covenant Eyes,
a website committed to educat-
ing the public on the evils of
pornography.
Friends Sky Ortigas and Nir-
va Dela Cruz of Catholic lay
group YouthPinoy (YP), whose
Entry 148 have made it to the
list of fnalists, mince no words
in calling pornography the
Family Intruder for the subtle
way with which it destroys
households.
In their entry, Ortigas and
Delacruz let the fgures speak
for themselves, providing the
overwhelming statistical evi-
dence against porn and how
it ruins the relationship among
family members as well as their
relationship with other people
with its promise of false inti-
macy.
In view of the upcoming pa-
pal visit, the Ortigas-Delacruz
tandem humbly dedicates its
labor of love to Pope Francis,
who will be in the Philippines
for the first time on January
15-19, 2014.
While they are confdent with
their work, Ortigas and Dela-
cruz still need as many online
votes as possible to fnally win.
Those who believe in the
advocacy may help them win
by clicking on the following
link and by voting Entry
148:http://www.covenant-
eyes.com/2014/09/05/voting-
infographic/. (Raymond A.
Sebastin)
Dozens consecrate selves to Mary
SOME 30 individuals, young and old, male
and female, solemnly offered themselves
to the Blessed Virgin on the occasion of her
nativity Monday, September 8, in a simple
consecration ritual held at the St. Maximil-
ian Maria Kolbe Seminary in Multinational
Village, Paraaque City.
Presiding over the event, Fr. Elijah Panto-
rilla of the Order of Friars Minor Conven-
tual (OFMConv.) explained to the gathered
faithful what it means to be the property
of Our Lady.
According to him, those who have conse-
crated themselves to the Immaculatathe
Immaculate Onetotally belong to Her.
Totally Marys
We belong to Her with everything that
is ours. All our activities belong to Her as
well, said Pantorilla, quoting Polish martyr
and Militia Immaculatae (MI) founder St.
Maximilian Maria Kolbe.
As a sign of their consecration, newly en-
rolled MI members received a Miraculous
Medal which they must wear at all times,
he stressed.
Pantorilla added MI members are also
encouraged to renew their consecration
daily by reciting the following prayer and
intention for the month capped by three
Hail Marys:
Immaculata, Queen and Mother of the
Church, I renew my consecration to you this
day and for always, so that you may use me
for the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus in the
whole world. To this end, I offer you all my
prayers, actions, and sacrifces of this day.
Monthly intentions
Immaculata, please intercede
September: That, like you, we may learn
to magnify the Lord for the wonders He
works continually within us.
October: That by the testimony of our
lives we may contribute to lifting up people
who are suffering from many forms of
poverty.
November: That walking towards Christ
who comes we may remember that holiness
consists in receiving Him in the poverty of
heart that He Himself teaches us.
December: That the birth of Jesus in pov-
erty may remind us that in the Incarnation
He made Himself poor to enrich all of us.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to you, and for
all those who do not have recourse to you,
especially the enemies of Holy Church and
all those recommended to you. Amen.
For more information, visit https://www.
facebook.com/militiaimmaculata.flipino.
(Raymond A. Sebastin)
One of the Catholic Social Media Summit v3.0 (CSMS v3.0) workshop speakers, social communications consultant Rommel Lopez, gives his workshop, Publishing Your Faith:
Expressing Your Catholic Faith and Beliefs through Article & Content Writing in a jam-packed venue on September 13, 2014. ANGELO AHUMADA
Fr. Elijah Pantorilla of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFMConv.) presided over the consecration of 30 men and
women to the Blessed Virgin on September 8, 2014 at the St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe Seminary in Multinational Village,
Paraaque City. RAYMOND A. SEBASTIN
Latin Mass celebrated for persecuted Mideast Christians
A TRADITIONAL Latin Mass
was celebrated this Sunday, the
Feast of the Exaltation of the
Holy Cross, in solidarity with
the persecuted Christians of Iraq
and Syria.
Societas Ecclesia Dei Sancti
Joseph Una Voce Philippines
(SEDSI UVP) chairman Gerald
Cenir said the Solemn High Mass
in the Extraordinary Form of the
Roman Rite or more commonly
known as the Traditional Latin
Mass (TLM) was celebrated at
Holy Family Parish Church,
Roxas District, Quezon City as
a spiritual bouquet for the
persecuted Christians of the two
middle East countries.
On September 5, the bish-
ops of the Philippines through
Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines president
Archbishop Socrates Villegas
declared September 14 a Na-
tional Day of Prayer for Peace
in Iraq and Syria. All masses in
the Philippines were offered for
the Christians of Iraq and Syria.
A special charity collection for
the persecuted Christians was
also conducted.
We answered the call of the
bishops of the Philippines to
hold a day of prayer for our
Christian brothers and sisters
of Iraq and Syria who are be-
ing brutally murdered j ust
because they are Christians,
Cenir said.
Holy Family parish priest
and Sedsi-UVP spiritual di-
rector Fr. Jojo Zerrudo said
the Mass was al so hel d i n
thanksgiving to God for the
Motu propio of Pope emeritus
Benedi ct XVI , Summorum
Pontificum, which liberalized
the celebration of the Tradi-
tional Latin Mass throughout
the Universal Church. It was
on the feast of the Exaltation
of the Holy Cross that Summo-
rum Pontificum took effect. It
was only fitting that we thank
God for the gift of Summorum
Pontificum on this day, Fr.
Zerrudo said.
A relic of the True Cross un-
der the care of Fr. Zerrudo was
exposedand venerated follow-
ing the Mass at the Oratory of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
located inside the parish church.
Prayed during the exposition
of the relic was the petition for
peace for all persecuted Chris-
tians.
The intercession of saints who
suffered martyrdom at the hands
of the Saracens and Muslims
was also invoked for the special
intention.
The Sedsi-UVP has also orga-
nized prayer vigils and proces-
sions for the persecuted Chris-
tians of Iraq and Syria. A proces-
sion was held on the feast of St.
James the Apostle, July 25, after
the TLM. Last August 1 and Sep-
tember 5, Sedsi-UVP sponsored
a first Friday TLM, Eucharis-
tic Adoration, Exposition and
Benediction for the persecuted
Iraqi and Syrian Christians. The
parish also set-up a billboard
supporting the persecuted Chris-
tians. (Rommel Lopez)
B1
Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
Pastoral Concerns
Wedding / B7
C
N
A
TODAYS first reading speaks
to us of the peoples journey
through the desert. We can
imagine them as they walked,
l ed by Moses; they were
families: fathers, mothers, sons
and daughters, grandparents,
men and women of all ages,
accompanied by many children
and the elderly who struggled
to make the journey. This people
reminds us of the Church as
she makes her way across the
desert of the contemporary
world, reminds us of the People
of God composed, for the most
part, of families.
Thi s makes us thi nk of
families, our families, walking
along the paths of life with all
their day-to-day experiences.
It is impossible to quantify the
strength and depth of humanity
contained in a family: mutual
help, educational support,
relationships developing as
family members mature, the
sharing of joys and difficulties.
Families are the first place
in which we are formed as
persons and, at the same time,
the bricks for the building up
of society.
Let us return to the biblical
story. At a certain point, the
people became impatient on
the way (Num 21:4). They
are tired, water supplies are
low and all they have for food
is manna, which, although
plentiful and sent by God,
seems far too meager in a time
of crisis. And so they complain
and protest against God and
against Moses: Why did you
make us leave?... (cf. Num.
21:5). They are tempted to turn
back and abandon the journey.
Here our thoughts turn to
married couples who become
impatient on the way, the way
of conjugal and family life. The
hardship of the journey causes
them to experience interior
weariness; they lose the flavor
of matrimony and they cease to
draw water from the well of the
Sacrament. Daily life becomes
burdensome, and often, even
nauseating.
During such moments of
disorientation--the Bible says-
-poisonous serpents come and
bite the people, and many
die. This causes the people to
repent and to turn to Moses
for forgiveness, asking him to
beseech the Lord so that he will
cast out the snakes. Moses prays
to the Lord, and the Lord offers
a remedy: a bronze serpent set
on a pole; whoever looks at it
will be saved from the deadly
poison of the vipers.
What is the meaning of this
symbol? God does not destroy
the serpents, but rather offers
an antidote: by means of
the bronze serpent fashioned
by Moses, God transmits his
healing strength, namely his
mercy, which is more potent
than the Tempters poison.
As we have heard in the
Gospel, Jesus identifies himself
with this symbol: out of love
the Father has given his only
begotten Son so that men and
women might have eternal life
(cf. Jn 3:13-17). Such immense
love of the Father spurs the Son
to become man, to become a
servant and to die for us upon
a cross. Out of such love, the
Father raises up his son, giving
him dominion over the entire
universe. This is expressed by
Saint Paul in his hymn in the
Letter to the Philippians (cf. 2:6-
11). Whoever entrusts himself
to Jesus crucified receives the
mercy of God and finds healing
from the deadly poison of sin.
The cure which God offers
the people applies also, in a
particular way, to spouses who
have become impatient on
the way and who succumb
to the dangerous temptation
of discouragement, infidelity,
weakness, abandonment To
them too, God the Father gives
his Son Jesus, not to condemn
them, but to save them: if they
entrust themselves to him, he
will bring them healing by
the merciful love which pours
forth from the Cross, with the
strength of his grace that renews
and sets married couples and
families once again on the right
path.
The love of Christ, which has
blessed and sanctified the union
of husband and wife, is able to
sustain their love and to renew
it when, humanly speaking,
it becomes lost, wounded or
worn out. The love of Christ
can restore to spouses the joy
of journeying together. This is
what marriage is all about: man
and woman walking together,
wherein the husband helps
his wife to become ever more
a woman, and wherein the
woman has the task of helping
her husband to become ever
more a man. This is the task
that you both share. I love you,
and for this love I help you to
become ever more a woman;
I love you, and for this love I
help you to become ever more
a man.
Here we see the reciprocity
of differences. The path is not
always a smooth one, free of
disagreements, otherwise it
would not be human. It is a
demanding journey, at times
difficult, and at times turbulent,
but such is life! Within this
theology which the word of
God offers us concerning the
people on a journey, spouses
on a journey, I would like to
give you some advice. It is
normal for husband and wife
to argue: its normal. It always
happens. But my advice is this:
never let the day end without
having first made peace. Never!
A small gesture is sufficient.
Thus the journey may continue.
Marriage is a symbol of life, real
life: it is not fiction! It is the
Sacrament of the love of Christ
and the Church, a love which
finds its proof and guarantee in
the Cross. My desire for you is
that you have a good journey,
a fruitful one, growing in love.
I wish you happiness. There
will be crosses! But the Lord is
always there to help us move
forward. May the Lord bless
you!
At wedding, pope says
spouses make each other
better men and women
VATICAN CITY, September 15, 2014--Presiding over
the wedding of 20 couples in St. Peter s Basilica, Pope
Francis celebrated marriage as the union of a man and
woman playing complementary roles during their
common journey through life.
This is what marriage is all about: man and woman
walking together, wherein the husband helps his wife
to become ever more a woman, and wherein the woman
has the task of helping her husband to become ever
more a man, the pope said Sept. 14. Here we see the
reciprocity of differences.
The pope spoke during a wedding Mass for couples
from the Diocese of Rome.
In typically frank style, Pope Francis admitted
married life can be tiring, burdensome, and often,
even nauseating.
But the pope assured the brides and grooms that
Christs redemptive sacrifice would enable them to
resist the dangerous temptation of discouragement,
infidelity, weakness, abandonment.
The love of Christ, which has blessed and sanctified
the union of husband and wife, is able to sustain their
love and to renew it when, humanly speaking, it becomes
lost, wounded or worn out, he said.
Pope Francis also offered practical advice for dealing
with marital discord.
It is normal for a husband and wife to argue, he said.
It always happens. But my advice is this: never let the
day end without having first made peace. Never. A small
gesture is sufficient. Thus the journey may continue.
Speaki ng t hree weeks bef ore t he st ar t of an
extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family, the pope
emphasized the importance of the institution based on
marriage.
It is impossible to quantify the strength and depth
of humanity contained in a family: mutual help,
educational support, relationships developing as family
members mature, the sharing of joys and difficulties,
The love of Christ can
restore to spouses the joy
of journeying together
(Homily of Pope Francis at the wedding of 20 couples at St. Peters Square, Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross,
14 September 2014)
The hardship of the journey causes them to experience interior weariness; they lose the favor of matrimony and they cease to
draw water from the well of the Sacrament.
This is the task that you both share.
I love you, and for this love I help you to
become ever more a woman; I love you,
and for this love I help you to become
ever more a man.
Vatican City - September 14, 2014: Pope Francis married 20 couples in St. Peters Basilica on Sept. 14, 2014. The much-talked about ceremony on Sunday was the frst of its kind at St. Peters Square
since Pope John Paul II presided over a wedding in 2000.
B2 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
Updates
Revisiting the law on homilies
By Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.
Recently, a friend of mine told me that a
priest who had been celebrating Mass for
his group of senior citizens had proposed
to them that members of the community
take turns giving the homily, since they
had ample experience to share with the rest.
This reminded me of a related query some
years ago, whether listening to the homily
was essential to attending Holy Mass. I can
only surmise that it was a veiled reference
to the quality of some homilies, especially
those which tend to be long-winded or
unrelated to the scriptural readings of the
Mass, or worse with political undertones.
On the other hand, I have also been asked
why at times there are Masses with
homilies and at other times there is no
homily. Since some time has passed since
we touched on this matter, we can revisit
the law on homilies.
SINCES the people of God are first
brought together by the word of the living
God (c.762 in principio), among the
principal duties of the sacred ministers
is the authoritative proclamation of
the Gospel to the faithful (cf. c.762 in
fine). Such authoritative presentation
of doctrine to gatherings of people
is called preaching, and the Code
mentions several forms of preaching,
of which the homily is singled out as
the pre-eminent form.
The Homily
Among the forms of preaching the
homily is pre-eminent. It is a part of the
liturgy itself, whereby the mysteries of
faith and the norms of Christian living are
expounded from the sacred text through
the course of the liturgical year (c.767,
1).
A 1964 Instruction provides a fuller
description: By a homily derived from the
sacred text is understood an explanation
either of some aspect of the readings from
holy scripture or of another text from the
Ordinary or Proper of the Mass of the day,
taking into account the mystery which is
being celebrated and the particular needs
of the hearers.
1
The Code established the following
norms regarding the homily:
a) Obligation to preach: A homily
is to be given at all Sunday Masses and
at Masses celebrated on holy days of
obligation; it cannot be omitted without a
serious reason (c.767, 2). Furthermore,
if a sufficient number of people are present
it is strongly recommended that a homily
also be given at Masses celebrated during
the week, especially during Advent or Lent
or on the occasion of some feast day or time
of mourning (c.767, 3).
b) Proper Subject: The homily is
reserved to the priest or deacon (c.767,
1). This question had been debated
for a time due to the apparent margin
for lay preaching given by c.766. It
was authoritatively settled in 1987 by
the Pontifical Council for the Authentic
Interpretation of Legislative Texts,
which declared that the reservation
of the homily to ordained ministers
stipulated in c.767 cannot be dispensed
by the diocesan Bishop.
2

The Instruction of 1997 is more
explicit: The homily, therefore, during
the celebration of the Holy Eucharist,
must be reserved to the sacred minister,
Priest or Deacon to the exclusion of the
non-ordained faithful, even if these
should have responsibilities as pastoral
assistants or catechists in whatever
type of community or group. For
the same reason, the practice, on some
occasions, of entrusting the preaching
of the homily to seminarians or
theology students who are not clerics
is not permitted. Indeed, the homily
should not be regarded as a training
for some future ministry. All previous
norms which may have admitted the
non-ordained faithful to preaching the
homily during the Holy Eucharist are
to be considered abrogated by canon
767, 1.
3
The reason is non other than the
fact that the homily is an integral
part of the Eucharistic liturgy, which
demands that i ts subj ect be an
ordained minister.
c) Content: In the homily the mysteries
of faith and the norms of Christian living
are to be expounded (c.767, 1). The
homily must express the faith of the
preacher, his love for God and the
people, with a special emphasis on the
sharing of the people in the eucharistic
sacrifice.
With the option taken by the Second
Vatican Council to make the sermon
homiletici.e., based on the scriptural
readings of the days Massthere is
a greater need for the minister of the
word to plan and prepare his homilies,
so that the systematic explanation of
the doctrine of Christian faith and
morals is not neglected.
d) Obligation to attend the homily:
The obligation of preaching a homily in
Sunday Masses and in those celebrated
on holy days of obligation (c.767,
3) seems to imply a corresponding
obligation on the part of the faithful
to be present at the homily, since
it forms an integral part of the
Eucharistic liturgy, attendance to
which is obligatory on those days.
Nevertheless, should a person arrive
late at Holy Mass for some justifiable
cause, the criterion remains that for
the fulfillment of the precept to attend
Holy Mass on Sundays and holy days of
obligation, it is sufficient to be present
from the start of the offertory up to the
final blessing.
Other forms of preaching
Aside from the homily, which
occupies pride of place in the forms
of preaching, the following are also
mentioned in the Code:
a) Spiritual exercises or sacred
missions: At certain times according to
the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop,
pastors are to arrange for those types
of preaching which are called spiritual
exercises or sacred mission (c.770).
These are periods of recollection in
which the faithfulthrough a series
of conferences or meditations based
on the word of Godare made to
consider the fundamental realities of
their Christian vocation.
b) Radio or television talks on
Christian doctrinefor the giving of
which, the prescriptions of the conference
of bishops are to be observed (c.772, 2).
c) Other types of preaching. Without
specifying, the Code lays down the
duty of the pastor of souls to arrange
for his flockif not the previously
mentioned spiritual exercises or sacred
missionsother types of preaching
adapted to their needs (c.770). In any case,
the norms issued by the diocesan bishop
concerning the exercise of preaching are
to be observed by all (c.772, 1).
It is to these non-homiletic forms
of preaching that the dispositions for
the participation of the non-ordained
faithful mentioned above apply. The
1997 Instruction summarizes these
as follows: Preaching in churches or
oratories by the non-ordained faithful
can be permitted only as a supply for
sacred ministers or for those particular
reasons foreseen by the universal
law of the Church or by Conferences
of Bishops. It cannot, however, be
regarded as an ordinary occurrence
nor as an authentic promotion of the
laity.
4
Conclusions
By way of conclusion and in answer
to the questions posed at the start, we
can summarize the all the foregoing as
follows:
The homily is the pre-eminent form
of preaching, whereby the mysteries of
faith and the norms of Christian living
are expounded from the sacred text
through the course of the liturgical year
(c.767, 1). It should be an explanation
either of some aspect of the readings
from holy scripture or of another text
from the Ordinary or Proper of the
Mass of the day, taking into account
the mystery which is being celebrated
and the particular needs of the hearers.
A homily is to be given at all Sunday
Masses and at Masses celebrated on
holy days of obligation; it cannot
be omitted without a serious reason
(c.767, 2). Furthermore, if a sufficient
number of people are present it is
strongly recommended that a homily
also be given at Masses celebrated
during the week, especially during
Advent or Lent or on the occasion of
some feast day or time of mourning
(c.767, 3).
The homily, during the celebration
of the Holy Eucharist, must be reserved
to the sacred minister, Priest or Deacon,
to the exclusion of the non-ordained
faithful, even if these should have
responsibilities as pastoral assistants
or catechists in whatever type of
community or group. For the same
reason, the practice, on some occasions,
of entrusting the preaching of the
homily to seminarians or theology
students who are not clerics is not
permitted.
The obligation of preaching a
homily in Sunday Masses and in
those celebrated on holy days of
obligation (c.767, 3) seems to imply
a corresponding obligation on the
part of the faithful to be present at
the homily, since it forms an integral
part of the Euchari sti c l i turgy,
attendance to which is obligatory
on those days.
Footnotes:
1
S.C.Rites, Instruction Inter Oecu-
menici, 26.IX.1964, n.54.
2
Cf. AAS 79 [1987], 1249.
3
Instruction Ecclesia de Mysteriis
(15.VIII.1997), Art.3, 1.
4
Instruction Ecclesia de Mysteriis
(15.VIII.1997), Art.2, 4.
(Father Edward McNamara,
professor of liturgy and dean
of theology at the Regina
Apost ol orum uni versi t y,
answers the following query: )
Q: Should both the bride and
the groom be accompanied
by their mother and father
in the entrance procession
at a wedding in the United
States? The Rite of Marriage
states that If there is a
procession to the altar, the
ministers go first, followed
by the priest, and then the
bride and the bridegroom.
According to local custom,
t hey may be escor t ed
by at least their parents
and the two witnesses
(no. 20). In this rubric,
what does local custom
refer to: the custom of the
parish, or the custom of the
episcopal conference for
which the Rite of Marriage
was authorized? -- A.M.,
Danville, Virginia
A: Regarding custom, canon
law says the following:
No. 23. Onl y t hat
custom introduced by a
community of the faithful
and approved by t he
l egi sl at or accordi ng t o
the norm of the following
canons has the force of law.
No. 24 1. No custom
which is contrary to divine
law can obtain the force of
law.
2. A custom contrary
to or beyond canon law
(praeter ius canonicum)
cannot obtain the force of
law unless it is reasonable;
a custom which is expressly
reprobat ed i n t he l aw,
however, is not reasonable.
No. 25. No cust om
obt a i ns t he f or c e of
l aw unl ess i t has been
Wedding Processions
observed with the intention
of introducing a law (iuris) by
a community capable at least
of receiving law (legis).
No. 2 6 . Unl e s s t he
compet ent l egi sl at or has
speci f i cal l y approved i t ,
a cust om cont rary t o t he
canon law now in force or
one beyond a canonical law
(praeter legem canonicam)
obtains the force of law only
if it has been legitimately
observed for thirty continuous
and complete years. Only
a centenary or immemorial
custom, however, can prevail
against a canonical law which
contains a clause prohibiting
future customs.
No. 27. Custom is the best
interpreter of laws.
No. 28 Without prejudice
to the prescript of can. 5,
a contrary custom or law
revokes a custom which is
contrary to or beyond the
law (praeter legem). Unless
it makes express mention of
them, however, a law does
not revoke cent enar y or
i mmemori al cust oms, nor
does a universal law revoke
particular customs.
Whi l e we cannot off er
here an extended comment
on canon law, we could say
that examples of communities
that can form customs are:
national and local Churches;
institutes of consecrated life
and their provinces; personal
prelatures; parishes; public
associ at i ons and pr i vat e
associations that have received
juridical personality; formally
established religious houses;
seminaries, etc. Therefore a
local custom could even be
that of a single parish.
The English translations
do not a l wa ys c l e a r l y
distinguish between ius
(law, right, justice) and lex
(law). Strictly speaking, a
community cannot introduce
a law as this is the prerogative
of a legislative authority. It can
only introduce norms which
might or might not have the
force of law.
Ca noni s t s , t he r e f or e ,
s o me t i me s di s t i n g ui s h
between a legal custom, which
the faithful would normally
be obliged to follow, and a
custom of fact which does not
have the force of law.
Because of the 30-year
law on forming customs,
s ome bi s hops i s s ue d
general decrees in 2013
abol i shi ng al l practi ces
that were not in conformity
with liturgical and canon
l aw. Thi s was done as
a prevent i ve measure,
s i nc e 3 0 ye a r s we r e
about to elapse since the
promulgation of the Code
of Canon Law. In this way
the bishops assured that
no abusive practice could
lay claim to be a legitimate
custom.
In a similar way the
Holy See has specifically
reprobated some liturgical
abuses. Once more this
eliminates the possibility
of the abuse ever claiming
to be a legitimate custom
s i nc e no r e pr o b a t e d
practi ce can ever enter
into this category.
The rubri c regardi ng
the couple participating
in the entrance procession
was issued first in 1970.
Marriage is one area where
the Holy See gives wide-
r angi ng f reedom t o a
nations bishops to establish
rites in conformity with
national traditions that are
compatible with authentic
Chri st i an doct ri ne and
pr act i ce. I n count r i es
wi t h mul t i pl e cul t ural
tradi ti ons, the bi shops,
in turn, usually foresee
the possibility of different
usages.
It must be admi tted,
however, that the possibility
of the priest and the couple
processing together down
the aisle at the beginning of
the Mass has taken a long
time to be accepted in some
places and even today is
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B3 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
IT is the Holy Spirit who
gi ve s i de nt i t y t o t he
Christian. This is whyPope
Francis said in his homily
dur i ng mor ni ng Mass at
Santa Martayou can have
f i ve degrees i n t heol ogy,
but not have the Spirit of
God. And you might be a
great theologian but you are
not a Christian, precisely
because you do not have the
Spirit of God.
Thus , he poi nt ed out ,
many times we find, among
our f ai t hf ul , s i mpl e ol d
women who perhaps didnt
finish elementary school, but
who speak to you about things
bet t er t han a t heol ogi an,
because they have the Spirit
of Chri st. And the Pope
offered the example of St Paul,
who despi te hi s effecti ve
preaching had no particular
academi c qual i f i cat i ons
he had not taken courses
i n human wi s dom at
the Lateran or Gregorian
Pontifical Universitiesbut
he spoke to satisfy the Spirit
of God.
In the passage of the Gospel
according to Luke proposed
for the days Liturgy (4:31-
37), the word authority
appears twice. The people
were astonished by Jesus
teaching, for his word was with
authority, the Pope affirmed.
And then again, at the very end
of the passage, the Gospel tells
that they were all amazed and
said to one another: What is
this word? For with authority
and power he commands....
Thus, Pope Francis continued,
the people were astonished
because when Jesus spoke,
when he preached, he had
authority which the other
preachers didnt have, which
the other legal experts didnt
have, those who were teaching
the people.
The question to ask yourself
is: But what is this authority
of J esus, t hi s new t hi ng
which astounded the people?
This gift, different from the
l egal expert s manner of
speaki ng and t eachi ng?.
And the answer is definitive.
This authority, the Pontiff
explained, is precisely the
unique and special identity
of Jesus. Indeed, Jesus was
not a common preacher; Jesus
was not one who taught the
law like all the others: he did
so in a different way, in a
new way, because he had the
strength of the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis then recalled
that the day before, in the
liturgy, we read that passage
i n whi ch J es us pres ent s
himself, visits his synagogue
and he speaks of himself in
the words of the Prophet
Isai ah: The Spi ri t of the
Lord is upon me, because he
has anointed me and he
has sent me to proclaim.
The Holy Father explained
that this, too, confirms that
the authority which Jesus
has comes precisely from this
special anointing of the Holy
Spirit: Jesus is anointed, the
first Anointed One, the true
Anointed One. And this
anointing gives authority to
Jesus.
The very identity of Jesus
is the Anointed Being, the
Pontiff restated. He is the
Son of God, anointed and
sent, sent to bring salvation,
to bring freedom. Thus this
is the identity of Jesus, and
because of this the people
said: This man has special
authority, which the legal
experts who teach us do not
have. But, the Pope added,
some are scandalized by this
manner of Jesus, this style of
Jesus.
Here then, the liberty, the
freedom of Jesus is the very
anointing of the Holy Spirit.
And, Francis exhorted, we
c an as k our s e l ve s what
our identity as Christians
i s. In the Fi rst Letter to
the Cori nthi ans (2: 10-16),
St Paul explains that we
i mpart t hi s i n words not
taught by human wisdom.
And i n t hi s r e ga r d t he
Pont i f f hi ghl i ght ed t hat
Paul s preachi ng does
not emanate from human
wisdom, because his words
were taught to him by the
Holy Spirit. In fact, the Pope
emphasized, he preached
with the anointing of the
Spirit, expressing spiritual
mat t er s of t he Spi r i t i n
spiritual terms.
However, Francis noted,
using the very expressions of
St Paul: The unspiritual man
does not receive the gifts of
the Spirit of God, ... and he is
not able to understand them
because they are spiritually
di scer ned. Thus i f we
Christians do not understand
the gifts of the Spirit, we do
not bear and we do not offer
testimony, we do not have
identity.
After all, these gifts of
t he spi ri t seem onl y a
folly, such that those who
lack identity are not able to
understand them.
The Po nt i f f r e c a l l e d,
referring again to the Letter
of St Paul, that the spiritual
man j udges all things, but
is himself to be j udged by
no one. Indeed, the Pope
added, agai n quoti ng the
words of the Apostle, who
has known the mind of the
Lord? But now we have the
mind of Christ, that is, the
Spirit of Christ. And this
i s t he Chri st i an i dent i t y:
not havi ng t he spi r i t of
the world, that manner of
t hi nki ng, t hat manner of
j udging.
Ul ti matel y, what gi ves
authority, what gives identity
i s t he Hol y Spi r i t , t he
anointing of the Holy Spirit.
This is why, according to
the Pope, people dont love
those preachers, those legal
experts, because they spoke
truthfully about theology, but
they didnt reach the heart,
they didn t give freedom,
they werent capable of doing
so in a manner the people
identified with, because they
were not anointed by the
Holy Spirit. However, the
Pope clarified, the authority
of Jesusand the authority
of t he Chr i s t i ancomes
from this very capacity to
understand the gifts of the
Spirit, to speak the language
of the Spirit; it comes from
this anointing of the Holy
Spirit.
Pope Francis concluded by
praying to the Lord to give
us the Christian identity,
that which You have: give
us your Spirit; give us your
way of thinking, of feeling, of
speaking: that is, Lord grant
us the anointing of the Holy
Spirit.
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Old women and the theologian
Tuesday, 2 September 2014
Monday, 1 September 2014
The question to
ask yourself is:
But what is this
authority of Jesus,
this new thing
which astounded
the people?
This gift, different
from the legal
experts manner
of speaking and
teaching?
Daily meditation of Pope Francis at the Chapel of the Domus Santae Marthae (LOsservatore Romano)
The Gospel in your pocket
J ESUS i s present i n t he Word
of God and he speaks t o us.
Thi s i s why t he Word of God i s
di ff erent even f rom t he l of t i est
human words. And we must
draw near t o i t wi t h an open
heart , wi t h a humbl e heart , wi t h
the spi ri t of the Beati tudes. Thi s
is the reason that Pope Francis has
agai n suggest ed t hat one shoul d
al ways carry a smal l , pocket -
si zed Gospel , t o read i t when
possi bl e and thus to fi nd Jesus.
He repeated thi s duri ng the Mass
at Sant a Mart a.
R e s u mi n g t h e mo r n i n g
Euchari sti c cel ebrati ons open to
groups of t he f ai t hf ul af t er a
peri od of suspensi on duri ng Jul y
and Augustthe Pontiff reflected
on t he Word of God based on
the two readi ngs from the day s
l i turgy, taken from, respecti vel y,
t he Fi rst Let t er of Paul t o t he
Cori nthi ans (2: 1-5) and from the
Gospel accordi ng to Luke (4: 16-
30).
Po pe F r a nc i s unde r s c o r e d
that, i n the fi rst readi ng, St Paul
remi nds the Cori nthi ans what
hi s message was l i ke, how he
had pr oc l ai med t he Gos pel ,
and he expl ai ned: I di d not
come procl ai mi ng t o you t he
testi mony of God i n l ofty words
or wi sdom. Paul conti nues, the
Pope added, by sayi ng that he
di d not present hi msel f i n order
t o c onvi nc e hi s i nt er l oc ut or s
wi t h argument s, wi t h words,
even wi th i mages. The Apostl e
chose i nst ead anot her mode,
anot her s t yl e, and t hat i s a
demonstrati on of the Spi ri t and
power, t hat t hese are Paul s
wordsyour faith might not rest
i n the wi sdom of men but i n the
power of God.
In effect, the Ponti ff conti nued,
the Apostle recalled that the Word
of God i s somet hi ng di fferent ,
somet hi ng whi ch i s unequal ed
by a human word, a wi se word,
a sci enti fi c word, a phi l osophi cal
word. The Word of God, i ndeed,
i s somethi ng el se, i t comes i n
another way: i t i s di fferent
because i t i s how God speaks.
Luke confirms this in the Gospel
passage which tells of Jesus in the
Synagogue of Nazareth, where
he grew up and where everyone
knew hi m as a chi l d. In that
context, the Pope expl ai ned, he
began to speak and the peopl e
l i st ened t o hi m, comment i ng:
Oh, how i nt eres t i ng! . Then
t hey bore wi t ness: t hey were
amazed with the words he spoke.
And among them they observed:
Look at him, this one! How good,
this boy whom we know, how good
he has become! But where must
he have studi ed?.
However, the Ponti ff poi nted
out, Jesus stopped them and
sai d to them: Trul y, I say to you,
no prophet i s acceptabl e i n hi s
own country. Thus, to those who
l i stened to hi m i n the Synagogue
at fi rst i t seemed a good thi ng
and they accepted that manner of
conversati on and recepti on. But
when Jesus began to gi ve the
Word of God they became furi ous
and t hey want ed t o ki l l hi m.
Thus they passed from one si de
to the other, because the Word of
God i s di fferent from the word of
man, even from the l ofti est word
of man, the most phi l osophi cal
word of man.
And so, Franci s asked hi msel f ,
what i s t he Word of God l i ke?.
The Let t er t o t he Hebrews , he
aff i rmed, began by sayi ng t hat ,
s i nce anci ent t i mes , God had
s poken, and he s poke t o our
f at her s t hrough t he prophet s .
But i n t hes e t i mes , at t he end
of t hat wor l d, he spoke t hrough
t he Son. I n ot her words , t he
Wor d of God i s J e s us , J e s us
hi msel f . That i s what Paul was
preachi ng, when he sai d: When
I came t o you, bret hren, I di d
not come procl ai mi ng t o you
t he t es t i mony of God i n l of t y
words or wi sdom. For I deci ded
t o know not hi ng among you
except J es us Chr i s t and Chr i s t
cr uci f i ed.
Thi s i s the Word of God, the
onl y Word of God, t he Pope
expl ai ned. And Jesus Chri st i s
a reason for scandal : the Cross
of Chri st scandal i zes. That i s the
strength of the Word of God: Jesus
Chri st, the Lord.
It becomes so i mportant, the
Pont i ff sai d, t o ask oursel ves:
How do we recei ve the Word
of God?. The response i s cl ear:
As one recei ves J esus Chri st .
The Church tel l s us that Jesus i s
present i n the Scri pture, i n Hi s
Word. Thi s i s why, he added, I
have advi sed you many ti mes to
al ways carry a smal l Gospel wi th
youmoreover, i t costs l i ttl e
to buy i t, he added, smi l i ngto
keep i t i n your purse, i n your
pocket, and read a passage from
the Gospel during the day. Some
practi cal advi ce, he sai d, not so
much to l earn somethi ng, but
most l y t o f i nd J esus, because
Jesus actual l y i s i n Hi s Word, i n
Hi s Gospel . Thus, he restated,
every ti me I read the Gospel , I
fi nd Jesus.
And what i s the ri ght atti tude
to recei ve thi s Word? It must be
recei ved, t he Bi shop of Rome
affi rmed, as one recei ves Jesus,
that i s, wi th an open heart, wi th
a humbl e heart, wi th the spi ri t
of the Beati tudes. Because thi s i s
how Jesus came, i n humi l i ty: he
came in poverty, he came anointed
by the Hol y Spi ri t. Such that
he hi msel f began hi s di scourse
i n the Synagogue of Nazareth
wi th these words: The Spi ri t of
the Lord i s upon me, because he
has anoi nted me to preach the
Good News to the poor. He has
sent me to procl ai m rel ease to the
capti ves and recoveri ng of si ght
to the bl i nd, to set at l i berty those
who are oppressed, to procl ai m
the acceptabl e year of the Lord.
Thus, he i s st rengt h, he i s t he
Word of God, because he was
anoi nt ed by t he Hol y Spi r i t . I n
t hi s way, Franci s recommended,
we t oo, i f we want t o hear and
recei ve t he Word of God, we
must pr ay t o t he Hol y Spi r i t
and ask f or t hi s anoi nt i ng of t he
hear t , whi ch i s t he unct i on of
t he Beat i t udes. Thus, t o have
a hear t l i ke t he hear t of t he
Beat i t udes.
As Jesus i s present i n the Word
of God, the Pope sai d, and He
speaks to us i n the Word of God,
i t wi l l do us good duri ng the day
today to ask oursel ves: How do
I recei ve the Word of God?. An
essenti al questi on, Pope Franci s
concl uded, agai n renewi ng hi s
counsel to always carry the Gospel
wi th you so as to read a passage
every day.
B4 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
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A Silsilah Way to Promote Dialogue and
Peace in Basilan
B y S i l s i l a h D i a l o g u e
Movement
IN the midst of so much alarming
news of radicalism and terrorism
in Mindanao and other parts of the
world, Silsilah invites all to move
with determination in promoting
di a l ogue a nd pe a c e t hr ough
education and formation and share
our lives in solidarity with those
who suffer most. With this spirit,
the Movement maintains groups
and cent er s i n many par t s of
Mindanao and Manila through the
Silsilah Forums formed by Muslim
and Christian Silsilah Alumni and
others who wish to be part of this
experience that is articulated in
different forms.
In Basilan, Silsilah has a special
pres enc e wi t h a Cent er and
a group of respected Muslims and
Christian leaders who, together,
f orm t he I nt er Fai t h Counci l
of Le a de r s ( I FCL) Ba s i l a n.
The leaders of IFCL are the top
religious leaders of Basilan among
t he Cat hol i c s , t he Pr ot es t ant
past ors and t he Musl i ms. The
last experience of the activities
of Si l s i l ah i n Bas i l an was a
formation program for teachers
of Islamic schools called Madaris
Gurus. This program is not new in
Silsilah. From time to time Silsilah
invites madaris gurus and catechists
together to build friendship, to
know more about dialogue and
t he Cul t ur e of Di al ogue and
encourage them to teach according
to their own religion and program,
but in a dialogical
way. Considering
t h a t t h e r e a r e
many prej udi ces
among our people,
Mu s l i ms a n d
Chr i s t i a ns , t he
religious teachers
can help either to
remove prejudices
o r a g g r a v a t e
them. It is in their
way of t eachi ng
that the students
c a n b e c o m e
peopl e of peace
or perpetuate the
prejudices that are
the entry points to
violence.
From September
10 to 13, a group
of madaris gurus,
men and women,
were wi t h us i n
Harmony Village in Zamboanga
to attend a formation program. It
was only for them because this
was t he r eques t of t he I FCL
Basi l an who observed that i n
s o me I s l a mi c s c h o o l s i n
Bas i - l an s ome Mus l i ms t r y
to contact the madaris gurus in
order t o pres ent t o t hem t he
radical ways of teaching that is
often the entry point of violence.
At this time when the fever of
ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant) coming from Iraq was being
circulated also in Basilan and other
parts of Mindanao, a good number
of l eaders, i ncl udi ng Musl i m
religious leaders, were alarmed
and tried to find ways to promote
peace through the correct way
of teaching Islam. For this reason,
Silsilah was invited to help.
The group arrived in Harmony
Village in the morning of September
10. Most of the teachers were sent
by t he DepEd ( Depart ment of
Education) of Basilan because the
teachers/madaris gurus are part of
a DepEd program. The seminar
wor ks hop was organi zed by
Ustadh Garson A. Hamja, teacher of
the Silsilah Madrasa, with the help
of other resource persons: Ustadh
Abdulla Ibrahim, Director of the
Silsilah Madrasa; Prof. Siddique
Abdel Azcem Muhammad, teacher
of the College of Asian and Islamic
Studies of Western Mindanao State
University (WMSU); and Aminda
E. Sano, President of the Silsilah
Dialogue Movement.
The s har i ng was ope n and
f r i e n d l y. Gr a d u a l l y, t h e
form good Musl i ms and good
citizens. The participants were also
i nformed about the curri cul um
a nd me t hodol ogy of I s l a mi c
t eachi ng i n WMSU. A speci al
topic was the presentation of the
Culture of Dialogue that Silsilah
promot es, t he present at i on of
t he open l et t er t he Common
Word of 138 Musl i m schol ars
of the world who wrote in 2007
to Pope Benedict XVI and other
Christian leaders of the world.
In this letter, the importance for
Muslims and Christians to work
together for peace in the world
is emphasized--starting from the
concept of the Love of God and
the love of neighbor in Islam and
Chr i s t i ani t y. Anot her s pec i al
topic was a presentation of the
concept of the great Jihad that
promotes the spi ri tual j ourney
of purification, a concept quite
different from the fundamentalist
concept of the word Jihad. The
shari ng was open and fri endl y
and the participants returned to
Basilan determined to apply what
they learned in Silsilah.
There are those who have a very
negative perception of Basilan that
is often considered the place of
the Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group
wel l known around the worl d.
Meanwhile, we know the reality
of violence, kidnapping and other
forms of criminality in Basilan.
We reaffirm that there are many
respected Muslims and Christian
leaders in Basilan who are sincere
in their commitment for peace. And
the group of madaris gurus who
were i nvi t ed
t o Ha r mony
Village was a
sign of hope.
We s a l u t e
t h e m a n d
we pray that
wi t h o t h e r
good Musl i m
and Christian
l e a d e r s o f
Bas i l an t hey
can overcome
f e a r - - a
fear expressed
o f t e n wi t h
s i l e n c e . I n
s p i t e o f
t h e f e a r
observable in
the sharing of
t he madar i s
gurus activity
d o n e i n
H a r m o n y
Village, there is so much hope in
Basi l an. The ex- peri ence of
the last September madaris gurus
act i vi t y i s an aff i rmat i on of
this hope.
Si l si l ah i s i n sol i dari t y wi t h
those who suffer violence in the
Love at 30,000 Feet
By Madonna P. Escolano
DREAMING of love while cruising
at high altitude...Closer to heaven
were thirty thousand feet up in
the sky... So goes some lines from
the song composed by Jose Mari
Chan, which has been close to my
heart being an early-retired airline
empl oyee and previ ous choral
member of the Philippine flag-
carriers company.
On a recent 18-hour flight, I found
myself answering the call to be
ready to make a defense to everyone
who asks you to give an account
for the hope that is in you, yet with
gentleness and reverence. (1Peter
3:15) It was also an opportunity to
share Gods love.
An Englishman, who said hes an
atheist, was seated next to me. Like
most Caucasian men Ive met, he was
quite good in the art of small talk.
It was a long-haul flight, and sleep
wasnt being good to me. What started
as a polite conversation about trivial,
uncontroversial matters turned into
a profound discussion about travel,
life and faith. He told me that his
work as an engineer for a submarine
communications cable company
allows him to travel and marvel at
the world. He was proud to tell me
that being part of a team that makes
it possible for fiber optic technology
solutions to carry digital data across
oceans gives him satisfaction. Its
indeed a blessing to do what youre
passionate about and get paid for it!
He said he served in the army
duri ng Worl d War I I and was
totally changed by it. No more
nightmares, fortunately for him. The
war, he narrated, taught him many
things and made him thankful and
appreciative of his very existence and
of everyone around him.
He talked about faith; about how he
was brought up as a Catholic, went
to Catholic schools, served as an
altar boy, and used to attend Sunday
Mass religiously. He said he lost his
faith not because of anger towards
God, nor disagreeing about dogma
he could not totally comprehend,
but because he simply did not have
time for it. He explained that being
a Christian involves hard work:
It is not enough to accept Jesus as
ones personal savior. He added
that everyone around him should
see through his actions that he is a
follower of Christ and worthy of the
name Christian.
And then came the all-too-familiar
questions: Why does God allow pain
and evil in the world? Why do evil
men prosper, while the just suffer and
remain poor? What do Christians do
about this?
I am not an expert in Sacred
Theology, so I shared with him a little
bit of my Faith journey, and how God
has been faithful to His promises to
me in spite of my own wretchedness
and sinfulness. (Unbeknownst to
him, I whispered a prayer to the Holy
Spirit for wisdom and guidance!)
I wanted to reassure him that God
loves him dearly, that there is always
a reason to hold on to hope, and that
faith makes wonders.
I retold the Creation story; that
man was created in Gods image and
likeness, and was given the gifts of
knowledge, integrity and free will.
We were created in Love, and God
saw it fit to allow us to love freely
as He does. But then came the fall of
Adam and Eve; God allowed them to
be tempted, trusting that they knew
what to do. That was the essence
of our free will after all: to choose
what is good. We know how that
story ended, and how evil and death
came into the world. God did not
make death. God takes no delight in
the ruin of anything that lives. God
created humans to live forever. Death
entered the universe only through the
devils envy. (Wisdom 1:13; 2:23-24)
Pain then is a consequence of our sins.
We suffer when we choose evil over
good. And every little sin we make
not only hurts us, but also everyone
around us.
I told him about those unsung
heroes who have chosen to live lives
serving the least, the last and the lost.
I shared with him how blessed I am to
know people who have gone through
what seemed insurmountable trials,
yet courageously overcame and are
the same ones who help alleviate
the affliction of others and remain
selfless in making the world a better
place to live. I briefly shared with
him the lives of missionaries I am
honored to call my friends who have
left their comfort zones and have
answered the call to share the joy of
the Gospel and be fishers of men. I
told him of the faith of saints whose
sufferings sanctified them. And I
reminded him that God loves him
and all of us so much that He had to
send Jesus Christ to die on the cross
that we may all live.
At that point in our conversation,
he told me that his Filipina wife was
diagnosed with stage four cancer
several years ago. He said that the
faith of his wife and the prayers of
her family and friends helped her
go through pain and treatment. Ten
years after, her wife is still very much
alive and full of life. He said her wife
attributes the miracle of her healing
to the power of God.
Before our final descent towards
Mani l a, he sai d he woul d l ove
for his wife to meet me one day,
and l ooks f orward t o i nvi t i ng
me to their house warming and
blessing once the renovation of
their home is completed. The best
part about our entire conversation
was when he expressed his interest
in revisiting his faith, and hopes
one day to join his wife attend holy
mass again.
I was thankful, certain that it was
the Living Flame of Love, the Holy
Spirit, at work. I told him that God
shall patiently wait for his return; and
the angels and saints will celebrate
in heaven when that day comes. He
smiled and, to my surprise, said
Amen!
Pope Francis said that Although
the life of a person is in a land full
of thorns and weeds, there is always
a space in which the good seed can
grow. You have to trust God.
I said goodbye to him, assured that
Gods infinite and unfathomable love
rekindled in his heart will bring him
back into the Lords merciful arms,
all in His perfect time.
Students, teachers, policemen, the military, CSOs, and government offcials and
employees, light candles as a sign of support for the Mindanao peace process
in Legazpi City, Albay.
Another special topic
was a presentation
of the concept of the
great Jihad that
promotes the spiritual
journey of purifcation,
a concept quite different
from the fundamentalist
concept of
the word Jihad.
He said he lost his faith not because of anger
towards God, nor disagreeing about dogma he
could not totally comprehend, but because he
simply did not have time for it.
par t i c i pant s wer e i nt r oduc ed
t o t he concept of t he Cul t ure
of Dialogue, Path to Peace and
the dialogical teaching in madaris
schools. These inputs helped them
understand the i mportance of
harmonizing the curriculum and
t he met hodol ogy i n order t o Silsilah / B7
B5 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
Statements
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Holy and heroic teachers in the Year of the Laity
DEAR People of God:
If you wish, you can be taught; if you
are willing to listen, you will learn; if you
give heed, you will be wise. Frequent the
company of the elders; whoever is wise,
stay close to him. Be eager to hear every
godly discourse; let no wise saying escape
you. If you see a man of prudence, seek him
out; let your feet wear away his doorstep!
Reflect on the precepts of the LORD, let
his commandments be your constant
meditation; then he will enlighten your
mind, and the wisdom you desire he will
grant. (Sirach 6:32-37)
Parents as first teachers
Parents are the primary teachers
of faith and morals. Parents have the
first responsibility for the education of
their children. They bear witness to this
responsibility first by creating a home
where tenderness, forgiveness, respect,
fidelity, and disinterested service are
the rule. (Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 2223)
And when they had accomplished all
things that were according to the law of
the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to
their own city Nazareth. And the child
grew, and waxed strong, filled with
wisdom: and the grace of God was upon
him. (Luke 2:39-40)
Education in the faith by the parents
should begin in the childs earliest
years... Parents have the mission of
teaching their children to pray and
to discover their vocation as children
of God (CCC, 2226). Jesus grew up
in the city of Nazareth where there
was no formal schooling, Nazareth
became his first school with Mary and
Joseph his first teachers. Even without
formal schooling, just from the lives of
witnessing by his parents, Jesus was
filled with wisdom and the grace of
God was upon him. After all, children
learn from what they see.
We do know that the education of a
child does not end in the home. It has
always been said that it takes a village
to raise a child. Thus, the parents
must exercise their right to choose a
school for their children that will best
help them in their task as Christian
educators (CCC, 2229).
Teachers as formators of character
and competence
Children grow in faith and wisdom
when nurtured by proper education.
Proper education as a supplement for
the formation in the home must be
given well in the schools. This includes
having the best possible teachers. The
nobility of the task to which teachers
are called demands that, in imitation of
Christ, they reveal the Christian message
not only by word, but also by every gesture
of their behavior. (The Catholic School,
43) These teachers educate not only
the mind but also the heart.
Teachers are shapers of competence
and character. They never deliver
mediocrity, only excellence. They
come to class prepared and on time. In
so doing, they model for the students
what is expected from each of them.
Thus, pushing their students to
become responsible and helping them
develop their full potentials.
Teachers draw out what is best in
students. They are patient in dealing
wi th those who are di sci pl i ne-
chal l enged and as wel l as t he
academically-challenged. They try
to find the unique giftedness in each
person, drawing out the Christ in
them.
Mor eover, as f or mat or s of
competence and character they
are witnesses of faith. They take
learning beyond the four walls of the
classroom. Teachers open the eyes
of the students to the realities and
problems of the world. They show
how each we are connected with
nature and with one another. If one
part is hurt, all the parts share its pain.
And if one part is honored, all the parts
share its joy (1 Corinthians 12:26).
Teachers then encourage each student
to contemplate on how she or he can
contribute to the betterment of the
world. When they teach, they bring
the experience of their own lives to this
social development and social awareness,
so that students can be prepared to take
their place in society (LCIS, 19)
We owe much to teachers. They
mold and inspire the young to work
for social transformation. The current
situation that we have in our country,
however, presents a rather bleak
condition for those engaged in the
teaching profession.
Plight of teachers
Time and again we would hear
stories of teachers going abroad for
better pay as caregivers or domestic
helpers. We have private school
teachers migrating to public schools
for higher pay because some private
school salaries are so low cannot
even afford raise a family. Yet even
the public school system with a
relatively higher salary scale has
its share of challenges for teachers.
There is the challenge of multi-grade
teaching especially in schools located
in the hinterlands. Teachers are faced
with the difficulty of managing their
time handling two classes inside the
same classroom divided only by a
blackboard to allow the teacher to
monitor activities happening on the
Unless the LORD builds the house, the
builders labor in vain (Ps 127:1)
The Birth of A New Diocese
On May 27, 1971, Pope Paul VI through
the Apostol i c Consti tuti on Requi ri t
Maximopere established the Diocese
of Daet which was comprised of the
entire province of Camarines Norte.
The diocese was canonically erected
on the 1
st
day of September, 1974 and
became a suffragan of the Archdiocese
of Caceres, its mother diocese.
The Gift of Gods Abiding Presence
This year marks the 40
th
year of our
diocese and we are deeply grateful to
God for the many wonderful blessings
he has bestowed to the bishops, clergy
and lay faithful in our local church
through the years. We have witnessed
both the joyous occasions and trying
times of our faith journey and through
all these, we have seen the ever generous
and abiding presence of God in our
midst. Indeed, Unless the Lord builds
the house, the builders labor in vain
Ps 127:1. Gods goodness, providence
and forgiveness to all of us constantly
reaffirms our close relationship with
Him that sustains us each day of our
lives. As a concrete expression of our
thanksgiving, I invite you all my dear
brothers and sisters in the Lord to the
Solemn Thanksgiving Mass of our 40
th

Foundation Anniversary, 1
st
day of
September at 9:00 a.m. at the Cathedral
of the Most Holy Trinity, Cathedral
Compound, Gahonon, Daet, Camarines
Norte.
The Grace of Growth
One manifest grace that God has
given us is the blessing of growth in
our faith community. In 1974, there were
only thirteen parishes that comprised
the local Church of Daet. Today, we
have 26 full pledged parishes and 4
quasi parishes that take care of the
different spiritual and pastoral needs
of the people. The dynamism that the
Holy Spirit brings us enabled the faith
community to grow in leaps and bounds.
In this year s celebration of the Year on
the Laity and Socio Pastoral Concerns in
the diocese, we have been blessed with
lay leaders and ordinary parishioners
who also do their share in bringing
people closer to our Lord Jesus Christ
and Holy Mother Church.
Journeying with Inay Candi and St.
Joseph
Truly, we have reached a milestone
in our pilgrimage of faith but the road
still lies ahead for all of us. But, we look
ahead to the future with deep faith,
unwavering hope and more intense
love for we know that the tenderness
and protection of Nuestra Seora de
Candelaria, our Inay Candi, and the
simplicity and obedience of St. Joseph
to the will of God will serve as beacons
of light for all of us.
A Blessed and Grace filled Ruby
Jubilee to all of us!
+GILBERT GARCERA
Bishop of Daet
August 20, 2014
Tribute to Teachers during World Teachers Day; October 5, 2014
CBCP President
on the Lessons
from Gilas
Pilipinas
FOR the frst time in forty years, a Filipino basketball team,
GILAS, a name that has captured the imagination as well as
carried the hopes of our countrymen, represented the country
in the FIBA competitions. We may not have reaped a harvest
of victories, but GILAS certainly won the admiration of many,
Filipinos and foreigners alike.
The CBCP commends the members of the team and joins
an ecstatic nation in hailing their admirable endeavour! Our
victories have been sweet, our defeats, honorable!
FAIRNESS. Sports can and should be a promising vehicle of
evangelization, for fairness is its fundamental rule. Fairness
that goes by the sublime name of justice is the fundamental
aspiration of our nation. It is the hope of the CBCP that as the
nation understood the necessity that games be fairly played, it
also learned the precious lesson that whether in the life of the
individual or of the community or of the State, things ought
to be fair just at all times.
UNITY. The players came from different nations
different in race, language, belief and ideologybut these
differences did not stand in the way of the camaraderie and
the sportsmanship that gave sports-lovers the world over a
welcome respite from the cruel realities that hound us daily.
We can overcome the differences that set us apart when we set
our hearts to it. When we choose to be friendly towards each
other, even if we must compete, we can all have fun. Happier
and fuller lives come with the acceptance of others and with
a healthy respect for differences. GILAS and the other teams
that joined FIBA learned this. So did we!
GILAS has sowed seeds of goodwill, understanding and
friendship. Let all nurture their fourishing with hearts of
goodwill, thoughts of peace and feet frmly treading the ways
of friendship. Mabuhay ang GILAS!
+ SOCRATES VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan
CBCP President
September 11, 2014
Teachers are shapers of competence and character.
They never deliver mediocrity, only excellence.
They come to class prepared and on time. In so
doing, they model for the students what is expected
from each of them.
other side of the room. The tedious
task of preparing lessons and the
additional task of checking for two
grade levels would be very taxing
for these teachers. Sometimes, those
hired to do multi-grade teaching are
even new graduates without any
teaching experience and yet, they
persevere in with their work. There
are also principals who even use part
of their salaries just to improve the
conditions of the schools under their
care--true stewards in the service
of the providing education for the
nation. We have volunteer catechists
who give religious instruction in the
public schools without any pay at all.
There are also teachers, both in the
public and private sector (those in
small mission schools), who travel
hours on end to scale mountains
The players came from different
nationsdifferent in race, language,
belief and ideologybut these
differences did not stand in the
way of the camaraderie and the
sportsmanship that gave sports lovers
the world over a welcome respite from
the cruel realities that hound us daily.
A Pastoral Letter on the 40th Foundation Anniversary of the Diocese of Daet
(1974 -- 1 September -- 2014)
Teachers / B7
B6 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
By Fr. Joseph Pellegrino

TODAYS second reading is from the second chapter
of Pauls Letter to the Philippians. The reading contains
one of the most beautiful Christological hymns in
scripture. Paul begins by telling the Philippians to
care for each other, be united in one heart and do
nothing out of selfishness and vainglory. He then
tells us to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus. The
Christological hymn follows: who though he was in the
form of God did not deem equality with God something to
be grasped, but rather emptied himself. . . . etc.
For God to work through us, we have to take on the
humility of Christ and be more concerned with those
for whom we are called to care then with ourselves.
As a priest, I have had times when Ive been treated
rather poorly and have come close to saying, This
I dont need. Let them figure out how to handle this
without me. There are times that I want to pack up
and go home. But then I have to ask myself, Why are
you here in the first place? I often have to remind
myself that I am a priest, and the people need a priest.
When I realize that, I am far more open to letting
God work through me. Then I end up experiencing
a great comfort and success in ministry in various
ways because I realize that I have to be concerned
with Christ, not with myself.
I am sure you have had similar situations. I am
sure that every married person has had to be more
concerned with caring for his or her spouse then
with how he or she has been treated by that same
spouse. One snaps at the other, and the other has
various choices: retaliate and snap back, employ the
old classic passive aggressive behavior known as
the silent treatment, sulk, or say, Im sorry, and
look for something to do together to ease the upset.
Certainly, the silliest words ever uttered by Hollywood
were from the old movie, Love Story, Love means
never having to say you are sorry. No, love means
always having to say you are sorry. But that takes
humility. Pride and marriage cannot co-exist, at least
not peacefully. But through humility you can be like
Jesus for each other.
I am sure that every parent has had to swallow hard
when their children have said something thoughtless.
Parents know that they have to be more concerned
with caring for the children than their own feelings.
Parents do not bring children into the world so they
can have little people telling them how wonderful
they are. They have children to expand their love
and to fill the world with new reflections of Gods
love. And yes it is an important part of parenting to
bring children up to respect authority, but for their
sake, not for the parents sake.
I am also sure that every single person has been
confronted with the choice of serving God or receiving
the proper respect he or she feels due. We cant serve
God when we are so concerned about how we are
treated by others.
Why? Why do we have to be more concerned with
others than with, as the athletes would say, Receiving
our props. (By that they mean, our proper respect. )
That is the way that God works through us. When
we are concerned with ourselves, or proper respect,
vain-glory the reading calls it, then we make ourselves
the center of our action instead of the work of God.
When we empty ourselves of our desire for status,
position, respect, what have you, then we are like
Christ, who humbled himself. For the Christian, empty
means full. We empty ourselves of our self concern
and find ourselves full of Christ.
We of t en come upon t he s cr i pt ure pas s ages
where the Lord tells us to pick up our crosses and
Ref lections
Bishop Pat Alo
Bo Sanchez
ENCOUNTERS
SOULFOOD
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IN this wide world of ours there are
so many who claim to have or say the
truth. But it will be wiser for us to
observe the biblical truth that asserts
(Mt. 7:7): Ask and you shall receive,
seek and you will find, knock and the
door will be opened to you. There is
certainly truth in those words, if only
you sincerely keep them and practice
them. The same applies with the many
world religions. I heard those words of
HAVE you recently dined in a
fve-star restaurant?
Let me refresh your memory.
First, the waiters wear tuxedoes
and toupees. The tablecloth
is immaculate and the orchids
in front of you are fresh. The
ambiance is gorgeous.
Second, the dishes arent called
on a frst name basis.
You have to use their complete
names, such as Aroz a la Cobanna,
and Paella de Barcelona. Or
Drunkard Ducks Who Failed the
Twelve Steps Program and French
Frogs Legs with Manicured
Toenails. (I made those two up.)
Learning from God to be magnanimous
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mt 20:1-16 (A) September 21, 2014
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mt 21:28-32 (A)
National Seafarers Day
September 28, 2014
As a priest, I have had times when
Ive been treated rather poorly and
have come close to saying, This I
dont need. Let them fgure out how
to handle this without me.
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time,
Mt. 21:28-32; September 28, 2014
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
THE workers of t he f i rst hour
had been praiseworthy, available,
hardworking, laboring the whole
day in the scorching heat. Really,
they had done their best to earn
their wages. But their complaining
at pay time tarnishes their image,
for it reveals their weakness: they
are envious. In spite of all our ef-
f ort s t o sympat hi ze wi t h t hei r
concern for a fair retribution, the
truth of the matter is that they do
not know how to appreciate the mag-
nanimity of their Master. They feel
envious when they see that others
are off ered a bet t er deal . Thei r
jealousy clouds their vision.
They woul d be ri ght i f every-
thing in life were to be reduced to
proportional retribution--so much
compensation for so much done or
produced. But if this were the only
rul e i n l i fe, no one woul d have
time and attention (and money!)
for those who do not produce-
-the weak, the sick, the disabled,
the babies, the aged . . . .
Even the strongest among us would
have had a very short life. For all of
us, in fact, there was a time when
we were weak, when we did not
produce anyt hi ng at al l , and
were t ot al l y dependent on t he
generous love of our parents and
other people.
We live on borrowed life! We all
are the fruit of Gods generosity, not
of Gods retribution. And He keeps
being generous with us, even when
we posi t i vel y deserve Hi s j ust
punishment.
Why react negatively, then, at
His exceptional generosity to-
ward some of our brothers and sis-
ters when we know that everyone
will have to account in proportion
to what one has recei ved? Why
be saddened by Gods generosity
toward others, and forget that we
too, and more than once, have been
the beneficiaries of His wonderful
liberality?
Envy i s a terri bl e woodworm. It
devours us from within. If left un-
checked, it can destroy so much
good in us and around us. Envy
Aiming at imitating Jesus, the perfect
Son welcome us back
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
MANY of us, whenever we
read the story of the two sons
featured in todays Gospel
passage, may dismiss it as
irrelevant to our situation.
Others may remain puzzled
by the indirect praise received
by t he second son. He
definitely did better than the
first, but his behavior, too,
was far from being perfect, for
he dared to say an arrogant
No! to his father before
doing what he had been asked
to do.
But this is as far as the parable
goes, since it is meant to
describe in symbolic language
the different responses to
Gods call of the self righteous
J ews ( represent ed by t he
eldest son) and the public
sinners (represented by the
younger son). We somehow feel
that there must be a better way
of relating to ones father who
symbolizes God, our heavenly
Father . . . .
Thi s better way i s not
included in todays parable,
but it is the basic message of
the parable of Jesus life.
This better way is: Saying
YES a nd Do i ng YES.
That is the way of Jesus, the
responded with a perfect Yes!
to the Father, both in words and
actions. Such should be the way
of all Christians.
I t i s not enough t o be
Empty means full
perfect YES! to the Father.
The whole Gospel is about
t hi s wonderf ul parabl e
that teaches us how Jesus
the perfect Son always
Claimants of the truth
Shakespeare in the play Hamlet which
say: To thine own self be true and it shall
follow as day follows night you will be true
to every man.
Following the above-quoted biblical
truth (Mt. 7:7), being true to ourselves
would mean that in the quest for truth
we should have no other motivation
but to pursue the truth without any
selfish or vested interests. After all as
the Bible says: The truth will make you
free (Jn. 8:32). If we observe the truth
for the sake of some worldly or per-
sonal advantage we are only deceiving
ourselves. There is a God who knows
all things.
I heard once the expression: the truth
will out. Sooner or later it will come
out, whether you like it or not. What-
ever people say, lets be honest in our
quest for the truth. Otherwise we our-
selves will be the losers in the long run.
Live your life with presentation
And the menu describes each
dish so verbosely, youd think
poets wrote them. The lowly
burger becomes Salisbury
steak swathed in thick gravy
sauce, sprinkled with roasted
garlic, mixed with delectable
button mushrooms on a hot
plate. Served with crisp, buttered
vegetables, hi-land rice, and
sweet Japanese corn.
Wow. Makes you want to eat
the menu.
Why are they called fve-star
restaurants?
Because of presentation.
Ambiance. Style. Design.
Atmosphere.
I have a suggestion for you.
Live your life with presentation.
Dont be cut and dried. Dont
just be functional. Dont be a get-
this-day-over-with person.
Dont be so goal-oriented and
job-obsessed, you no longer open
yourself to the rich blessings that
God pours onto you at every
moment of life!
Value yourself. Put a little
garnish. Have some style.
Create ambiance in your life.
Be fve-star!
No, Im not talking about
luxury.
Im talking about enjoying
life. About breathing with
passion.
Sing. Dance. Dream. Stop to
smell the fowers. Listen to the
birds and watch sunsets. Play
like a child. Pray like a child.
Eat more ice cream. Embrace
the people that you love. Take
vacations often. Give more.
Smile more. Worry less. Say
thank you with all your heart.
Have more fun!
Dont be ordinary.
Because youre not.
Youre His child.
Live with gusto!
Empty / B7
nominal Christians, (being
Chri st i ans onl y i n words) .
It is not enough either to
be occasional Christians
( pe opl e who s ome t i me s
behave well, though refusing
to make a clear profession of
faith in Jesus.) What we need
is consistency. All of us must
be consi st ent Chri st i ans,
i . e. , peopl e who const ant l y
live by the faith we profess.
Indeed, the test of our worth
as Christians lies in honoring
our commi t ment t o God,
in doing the good we have
promi s ed t o do, and i n
avoiding what we promised
to avoid.
Being a real Christian entails
also taking responsibility for
our failings and faults, rather
than trying to put the blame
on others, as the Israelites
did during their exile. (See
todays First Reading.) Genuine
Christians know that they are not
perfect. They know they can fail
and they are ready to admit that
they did fail. This honest and
humble admission has to be
followed by a real and lasting
conversion. It is the basis for
resuming with determination
saying YES! to God in words
and deeds, following the example
of all saints, the best imitators
of Jesus.
Being a real Christian entails also
taking responsibility for our failings
and faults, rather than trying to put the
blame on others, as the Israelites did
during their exile.
Learning / B7
B7 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
Social Concerns
C
N
A
Thousands of young teenage children, mostly girls are lured away from their
families and villages with offers of fne jobs and are sold into brothels from
where they have no escape.
Silsilah / B4
Procession / B2
Empty / B6
Learning / B6
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CBCPMonitor
over t he good f ort une or
achievements of our neigh-
bor i s l i ke a pl ague t hat
makes everybodys life mis-
erabl e. I nst ead, we shoul d
l earn f rom God, who i s ever
so generous, ever so good. We
shoul d l earn t o rej oi ce at
His liberality toward all His
creatures. We should learn
to imitate Him, in our little
way, by using His very gifts
to do good to others.
follow Him. We know that
thi s means accepti ng our
suffering so the world can
be f i l l ed wi t h sacri f i ci al
love, and the Kingdom of
God might grow. But we
usually j ust relegate these
passages to the way that
we handle crises. Todays
s e c ond r e adi ng i s mor e
expansive. It tells us that
to follow Christ we have to
change our attitude in life to
be like His. We have to be
like the One who humbled
Himself. This is difficult. It
is difficult because pride is
so deeply rooted in each of
us. But through the Grace of
God we can conquer pride.
And t hen we can be t he
people that God needs us to
be for His Kingdom. Christ
is the victor, even over our
pride. And because He can
c onquer our pr i de, He
makes us an eternal offering
to the Father.
By Fr. Shay Cullen
IT was a solemn moment in the great
meeting hall in the Vatican where the
joint agreement and statement was to
be signed by the representatives of
the great world religions. It was not
some lofty, irrelevant declaration to
work for mutual respect for different
faiths but to launch the Global
Freedom Network. Its goal is to
eradicate modern forms of slavery
and human trafficking.
The agreement to work together
was because they shared abhorrence
at the growing numbers of victims and
the searing personal destructiveness
of modern sl avery and human
trafficking. The statement calls for
urgent action by all other Christian
Churches and global faiths. This is
a historical cooperation agreement
and gives hope to many that people
of faith will work together to stop it
or reduce it significantly.
Pope Francis was represented by
Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo,
chancellor of the Pontifical Academy
of Sciences and Social Sciences.
Present too were Mahmoud Azab, on
behalf of the Grand Imam of Al Azhar,
Egypt; Rev. Sir John Moxon, on behalf
of the Archbishop of Canterbury; the
Most Reverend Justin Welby; and
Andrew Forrest, founder of the Walk
Free Foundation. It is an important
undertaking and a major change in
Church policy and practice. In the
past, it was generally ignored, now
it is taking center stage.
This modern form of slavery comes
as bonded labor where people are
enslaved to pay a debt, or pressured
and threatened if they dont work for
unpaid labor and worst, trafficked
into sex slavery. The International
Labour Organization estimates that
women and girls represent the largest
share of forced labor victims with
11.4 million trafficked victims (55
percent) compared to 9.5 million (45
percent) men. Most of the girls and
women are forced into sex bars and
clubs and brothels that are operated
Religions unite against traffcking of persons
with local government permits in the
Philippines and elsewhere.
Thousands of young t eenage
children, mostly girls are lured away
from their families and villages
with offers of fine jobs and are sold
into brothels from where they have
no escape. There is an estimated
25 million people in slavery today,
an illegal business that generates
as much as US$34 billion a year. It
is estimated that US$15 billion is
generated in the developed countries.
The trafficking of children and
rape even in a police station is
shocking, but all too frequent. Take
the case of the latest child victim at
the Preda center for abused children.
Jezebel was only 13 years old when
her stepfather tried to rape her, but
she was quick and agile enough to
escape his clutches and ran away.
She found a job in a store in Limay,
Bataan, but was accused of stealing
and was brought to the Limay police
station.
There, after a while, she was
forced into an empty cell by a
prisoner trustee and was raped.
The police officer on duty saw
her being raped and ignored it.
Some days later, Jezebel with her
trusted aunt, went back to the
police station to file a charge of
rape but the female police officer
did not give them a certificate to
have a medico-legal examination
and they were advised to forget it.
A case was filed, but after several
months, the prosecutor in Balanga,
Bataan had yet to act on it. Thats
the state of justice and the Church
and human rights advocates ought
to take up this case and go write to
the media, the Secretary of Justice
and the Secretary of Interior and
Local Government about this case.
The Vat i can press st at ement
underl i ned j ust how i mportant
this move is where millions of
children are raped every year like
Jezebel . Accordi ng to the Joi nt
Statement, Modern slavery and
human trafficking are crimes against
humanity. The physical, economic,
and sexual exploitation of men,
women and children condemns 30
million people to dehumanization
and degradation. Every day we let
this tragic situation continue is a
grievous assault on our common
humanity and a shameful affront to
the consciences of all peoples. Any
indifference to those suffering and
exploitation must cease. We call to
action all people of faith and their
leaders, all governments and people
of goodwill, to join the movement
against modern slavery and human
trafficking and support the Global
Freedom Network.
This is such a serious and growing
problem that groups demand that the
government fight it, not support it.
That seems to be case at present. We
have to take a stand and speak out.
Silence can even be misunderstood as
consent. The faith that does not flow
over into action for justice is dead,
says Saint James. We cannot be the
walking dead, we need to be filled
with the spirit and have compassion
and concern and take action. Faith is
at its highest point when we become
disciples of Jesus and go imitate the
good done by the Samaritan.
There is an important challenge
to all of us in this statement and
initiative. Taking action to save the
victims of abuse and exploitation is
what Jesus of Nazareth did and he
expects the same from his followers.
(shaycullen@preda.org, www.preda.
org)
Vatican City - May 20, 2014: Sr. Estrella Castalone speaks about Talitha Kums new campaign against human traffcking
Play for life, against human traffcking at the Vatican Press Offce on May 20, 2014.
he said. Families are the
first place in which we are
formed as persons and, at the
same time, the bricks for the
building up of society.
The newl yweds ranged
in age from 25 to 56 and
represent ed a var i et y of
s i t u a t i o n s , wi t h s o me
already having children or
having lived together before
marriage.
Cohabitation, though not
a c anoni c al i mpedi ment
t o marri age, vi ol at es t he
Catholic Churchs teaching
on marriage and sexual love.
Pastoral ministers helping
Catholic couples prepare for
the sacrament are urged to
encourage them to regularize
s uch s i t uat i ons pr i or t o
marrying.
At the start of the papal
wedding Mass, the brides,
weari ng tradi ti onal whi te
gowns, were accompanied
up the aisle of the basilica
by t hei r f at hers or ot her
Wedding / B1 Teachers / B5
male relatives. The grooms
entered with their mothers.
One at a time, each couple
read t he weddi ng vows
and exchanged rings before
t he congregat i on and t he
television audience.
As a thank-you present to
the pope, the couples jointly
contributed to an educational
and recreational center for
disadvantaged youth in a
suburban neighborhood of
Rome, to be established by
the local branch of Caritas.
The ceremony was the first
public papal celebration of a
wedding since 2000, when St.
John Paul II joined in marriage
eight couples from different
parts of the world as part of
the Jubilee for Families. He
also publicly presided over
another j oint wedding for
a group of couples in 1994
as part of his celebration of
the International Year of the
Family. (Francis X. Rocca /
Catholic News Service)
and cross rivers before they
can reach the schools. Some
schools do not have the proper
amenities, with buildings that
are ready to collapse in the next
natural disaster. Some do not
have electricity and therefore
are not conducive to learning
but the teachers continue to
persevere anyway and make
do with the available resources.
There are those who have
dedicated themselves for the
education of the Indigenous
People away from the cities.
This would mean that they
would be away from their
families for days just so they
could deliver education.
Teachers as heroes and saints
Teachers prepare for class,
undergo ongoi ng trai ni ng
for their discipline, build
community with other teachers,
and continue to be formed by
the church. Outside the school,
they have families to raise on
their own and sometimes their
salaries are not enough to
support their families. Even
in the face of the seemingly
dire situations that we find
these educators in, they persist
i n thei r vocati on because
they believe in the cause of
education, because they know
that education gives hope and
leads to social transformation.
These educators are the true
missionaries who fully respond
to all of its demands, secure in
the knowledge that their response
is vital for the construction and
ongoing renewal of the earthly
city, and for the evangelization
of the world. (LCIS, 37)
Teachers are challenged to
be brave amidst the turbulent
times. They are called to holiness
and heroism. They look to the
teacher par excellence, Jesus
Christ. Jesus never rejected
the title teacher. You call me
Teacher and Lord, and you are
right, for so I am. [John 13:13].
He spoke with authority. He
was a great communicator of
the vision of the Kingdom.
Teachers then look to Christ
as example. By their witness
of the faith and through their
example, they make saints and
heroes out of their students.
They use the discipline of love
to lead them to holiness and
heroism.
There is no retirement for
teachers. Even as employment
ends, teachers devote their
time as volunteer catechists
in public schools, they lead
in forming the basic ecclesial
communi t i es i n pari shes.
They take active part in their
dioceses. They take part in the
building of the Kingdom.
Gratitude to Teachers
For this reason, we would
like to thank all those who
have committed their lives in
the teaching profession. We
thank them for the service
they deliver to our nation by
their excellent teaching. They
are our heroes. They are the
true missionaries. They give
without counting the cost.
They develop in themselves, and
cultivate in their students, a keen
social awareness and a profound
sense of ci vi c and pol i ti cal
responsibility committed to the
task of forming men and women
who will make the civilization
of love a reality. (LCIS, 19)
We also thank all those who
help in one way or another
in making the circumstances
for our teachers a little better.
We thank the Department
of Education for trying to
close the gap in teacher and
student ratio and providing
better salaries for the public
school teachers. We thank
all the school administrators
for always looking after the
interest of our teachers. We
thank pari sh pri ests who
encourage volunteer catechists
to go to public schools and
deliver religious instruction.
In as much as we feel the
support of government, we
ask you to go the extra mile.
We call on our legislators and
budget personnel to continue
to support our educati on
system.
We a l s o c a l l on our
brother priests to strengthen
catechetical instruction in the
public schools within your
pari shes. Moreover, make
your parishes youth friendly.
As pastors of souls you are
teachers of the faith. Visit
the public schools and be
present in the youth of the
schools, encourage and inspire
the young people to choose
education as a vocation.
We admonish the young
people to love and respect their
teachers. They have sacrificed
much of their lives to make
you responsible members of
society. It is our prayer that the
best ones among you will find
it in your hearts to be teachers.
We a p p e a l t o t h e
administrators of the schools
to ensure that schools are
pl aces of encount er wi t h
God; that your students and
teachers experience God in
your campus. Continue to give
your teachers support they
need so they can deliver quality
education to the students.
Finally, we thank the teachers
for your generosity of spirit. We
pray that you persevere in the
good work that you are doing.
Continue to let the face of God
shine on you. May the Lord who
began his good work in you will
see it to completion in the day of
Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:9).
May Mary mother of all
teachers bring us closer to Jesus
our only Teacher!
For the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines,
Oct ober 5, 2014, Wor l d
Teachers Day
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbi shop of Li ngayen
Dagupan
CBCP President
References
TCS The Catholic School,
Congregation for Catholic
Education, March 19, 1977
LCIS - Lay Catholics in
Schools: Witnesses to Faith,
CONGREGATI ON F OR
CATHOLIC EDUCATION,
October 15, 1982
not universal.
Thi s f or m of t he r i t e
under l i nes t he c oupl e s
freedom as they make their
marriage covenant, the fact
that it is a religious celebration
and that the couple themselves
are t he mi ni st ers of t hi s
sacrament.
It also moves away from
ritual expressions that might
suggest marri age customs
no longer present in Western
society and hailing from the
times when a bride was in
some fashion given away or
exchanged for a dowry, by her
parents.
wor l d, par t i cul ar l y now
in Iraq and Syria. But we
do not forget the violence
i n our mi ds t , i nc l udi ng
the painful experiences of
violence in Basilan suffered
by al l , especi al l y agai nst
the Christians. We know
that violence begets more
violence. Indeed, the road
towards dialogue is long,
but there i s hope i f such
di al ogue i s s i nc er e and
not used as a strategy.
Di al ogue i s t he way of
peace only when it becomes
a deeper experience of love
and res pect of di f f erent
cultures and religions giving
s pec i al at t ent i on t o t he
less privileged. This is the
Silsilah way of solidarity,
peace and development.
B8
Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
B8
CBCP Monitor
Scenes which are devoid of emotion
are depicted in black and white; those
that are rife with feeling are gently and
gradually awash with color. In receiving
past memories, Jonas perception of
things is portrayed by the camera through
exaggeratedly vivid hues.
With its well-developed themes, The
Giver serves meaty issues for young
adults to ponder and discussall related
to life. Happily, the film does not preach,
yet everything about it underscores the
value and sanctity of life. This supposedly
Utopian society, deemed ideal by mere
human standards, equates perfection with
conformity to the rule. People wear virtual
uniformsno fashionistas allowed; each
family is allowed two children, one boy and
one girl, who are genetically engineered
Entertainment
Cloth with Christs face draws
thousands during PH visit
HUNDREDS if not thousands of Filipino faithful got a chance
to venerate what many believe to be a piece of cloth containing
an imprint of the Lords Face.
Named The Holy Face of Jesus from Manoppello, the said
sacred object is a sudarium, which is a veil or handkerchief
customarily used by Jews to cover the face of their dead at burial.
Also known as The Veil of Manoppello, it has been housed for
500 years in the Capuchin Friary in Abruzzo, Pescara, near Rome.
During its visit to Our Lady of the Abandoned Church in
Santa Ana, Manila on Monday, September 15, many devotees,
young and old, came to venerate the framed veil believed to
miraculously contain an actual imprint of Jesus face, which is
in the country for a weeklong tour.
Notwithstanding long queues, each of the faithful patiently
waited for his turn to kiss and touch what experts say could
likely be, along with the more famous Shroud of Turin, the
most sacred object of all.
We would love to see it for ourselves. Its not often that we
get an opportunity like this, shared Denzel Castro who tagged
his wife and children along from nearby Santa Mesa.
According to Mylene Nieves of Mandaluyong City, she is
blessed to have been able to venerate the veil.
Few of us can afford a plane ticket to Italy It is really a
blessing to have the image here, she added.
The Veil has drawn pilgrims to the obscure hilltop village following
the visits of then Benedict XVI to the shrine early in his pontifcate.
Amazing discoveries
These papal visits have since called attention to the Veils
signifcance in the history of Christs life on earth.
The Manoppello image made it to the cover of Inside The
Vatican magazine, in its August-September 2014 issue.
While its origins are largely anecdotal, years of scientifc
study and historical research now report the Veil as having the
following attributes:
1. The faces on the more famous Shroud of Turin and that on
the Manoppello Veil coincide perfectly;
2. Both images are acheiropoietas, meaning they could not
have been made by human hands;
3. The Veilmeasuring a mere 7 x 10 inchesis dated between
the time of the Lords Crucifxion and His Resurrection.
4. The Shroud of Turin shows the image of a man with closed
eyes and fresh wounds, while that on the Manoppello Veil
features a face with open eyes and closed wounds.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was reported to have been drawn
to Manoppello after receiving the frst printed copy of The Face
of God, a book by German author Paul Badde which covers ten
years of intensive studies on the Veil by professors, scientists,
iconographic experts, and authorities of the Catholic Church.
The Manoppello veil will be coming to the Philippines on September
10-17 directly from a tour of the US West Coast and Las Vegas.
Philippine itinerary
On its frst stop, the Veil paid a visit to Santuario de San
Antonio, Forbes Park, Makati on September 10, Wednesday for
a holy mass at 6 p.m. As one of the highlights of its Philippine
itinerary, the Holy Face of Jesus joined the Marian Pilgrimage
activities in Lipa, Batangas from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It was then
transferred immediately after to the Montemaria Shrine at
Batangas City for a 6 p.m. holy mass.
Last September 11, the Veil then returned to Lipa, Batangas at
7 a.m. to join the Marian Pilgrimage Activities until 5 p.m. Going
back to the heart of the Metro Manila, the image was brought to the
EDSA Shrine on September 13, Saturday at 9:30 a.m., staying for a
holy mass at 12:15 pm. At 3 p.m., it left for the Holy Face of Jesus
Chapel at 1111 F. R. Hidalgo St, Quiapo, Manila where Fr. Carmine
Cucinelli, rector of the Basilica of the Holy Face of Manoppello,
delivered a short talk. A holy mass followed after. Last September
14, Sunday, the Veil of Manoppello was brought to the National
Sacred Heart Shrine, 4 Sacred Heart Street corner Kamagong,
Makati City, where mass was celebrated at 10:30 a.m. On one of
its last visits, the image then proceeded to the Church of Our Lady
of the Abandoned on Pedro Gil St. in Santa Ana, Manila for a vigil
and holy mass last September 15, Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
At 3:30 p.m. of the same day, a vigil was held at the Immaculate
Conception Cathedral at Plaza Rizal, Malinao, Pasig City;
In its only trip outside Metro Manila, the Veil visits to
Immaculate Conception Parish Church at Nampicuan, Nueva
Ecija on September 16, Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lastly, a
farewell mass was celebrated on September 17, Wednesday at
6:15 a.m. at the Santuario de San Antonio, Forbes Park, Makati
as a proper send-off to the Veil. (Raymond A. Sebastin)
Entertainment
Technical Assessment
Poor
Below average
Average
Above average
Excellent
Moral Assessment
Abhorrent
Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome
Exemplary
FRIENDS since childhood Jonas (Brenton
Thwaites), Fiona (Odeya Rush), and
Asher (Cameron Monaghan), graduates-
to-be, are looking forward to adult life
in a futuristic society that knows no
suffering, hunger, injustice, pain, and
violence. Presiding at the graduation
ceremony is Chief Elder (Meryl Streep),
present in hologram form, who assigns
each graduate different functions that will
shape their adult lives. Citizens in this
sanitized society inject themselves daily
with a serum that erases memories and
suppresses their emotions, individuality,
choi ce, f reedom, t empt at i on, and
religion. Jonas is the last to be given
an assignment, but he gets the heaviest
oneas the communitys new Receiver,
the repository of historical memories that
average citizens are not allowed to access.
For this position he learns the ropes from
the current Receiver, known as the Giver
(Jeff Bridges), who is weary from bearing
all the past memories and who must pass
on the knowledge of this real world
to his trainee Jonas. Jonas soon realizes
emotions enrich life, and discovers the
Elders secrets as well.
The Giver is based on a 1993 bestseller
by Lois Lowry, and in the hands of adept
director Philip Noyce (Salt) it faithfully
translates the message of the book into
memorable moving images. The prestige
cast delivers solid acting but it almost plays
a supporting role to Emerys powerful
images. It is the look of The Giver that
gives a sense of realness to the otherwise
fictitious story. The creative interspersing
of color visuals in a predominantly black
and white film aids in advancing the story
and drawing a well-defined line between
rich and impoverished emotional states.
SI Marilou (Eugene Domingo)
ay ang masunuring maybahay
ni Jose (Daniel Fernando), and
kaisa-isang barbero sa baryo nila
sa probinsiya. Hindi lamang siya
masunurinsunud-sunuran pa
siya, hanggang sa puntong siya pa
ang nagpapaligo sa asawa niya, na
iniiwan lang naman siya sa gabi
para mag-gudtaym sa kabayanan.
Pero may pakinabang din ang
pagiging masunurin niya, pagkat
natuto siyang maggupit ng buhok
sa kauudyok ng asawa, kahit na
nga wala naman siyang ambisyong
magbarbero, at katunayan siya
ang gumugupit ng buhok ni Jose.
Isang araw, hindi na gigising si
Jose matapos ang isang gabi ng
pagkalasing. Bagamat bantulot,
masusumpungan ni Marilou na
buksang muli ang barberya ni Jose,
at siya nga ang magiging barbero
dito. Mapapasok sa masalimuot
na mga pangyayari ang buhay ni
Marilou, at mangyayari ang hindi
inaasahan.
Ka h a n g a - h a n g a a n g
pagkakabuo ng Barbers Tales (Mga
Kuwentong Barbero), at karapat-
dapat lamang na isang batikang
artistang tulad ni Domingo ang
maging tampok na tauhan nito.
Walang maipipintas na gasino
sa aspetong teknikal ng pelikula
sapagkat ang mga mumunting
pagkukulang nito ay nalulukuban
naman ng pangkalahatang
angking kinang nito, lalo na ng
sinematograpiya. Maganda
naman ang kuwento bagamat
minsan ay mukhang pilit, tila ba
labis na mainit sa paghahatid ng
pinili nitong mensahe. Mahusay
ang direksiyon, kapani-paniwala
ang setting ng istorya, at malikhain
ang sinematograpiya. Ipinanalo ni
Domingo ang pagganap niya sa
Barbers Tales ng isang Best Actress
award sa 2013 Tokyo International
Film Festivalsalamat naman
at kinikilala ang husay ng aktres
hindi lamang sa komedya kundi
pati na rin sa drama.
Tanong ng manonood,
masustansiya ba ang Barbers
Tales? Naniniwala kaming may
matayog na hangarin ang pelikula.
Gusto nitong imulat ang mga
mata ng manonood sa abang
kalagayan ng mga kababaihan sa
isang kulturang hindi kumikilala
sa kanilang mga katangian liban
DIRECTOR: Jun Robles Lana
LEAD CAST: Eugene Do-
mingo, Eddie Garcia,
Shamaine Buencamino,
Gladys Reyes, Noni
Buencamino, Iza Calzado,
Daniel Fernando, Nicco
Manalo, Sue Prado
MUSIC: Ryan Cayabyab
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Carlo
Mendoza
GENRE: Drama
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:

MORAL ASSESSMENT:
CINEMA rating: V 18
Buhay San Miguel Brothers Matias
sa kanilang pagiging butihin
asawa, ina, o alila. Nais din ng
pelikula na bigyang-diin ang
kawalan ng katarungan sa isang
lipunang mapang-api sa maralita
at mapagsamantala sa mangmang.
Kaya lamang, hindi nito napalalim
ang pagsasaad ng matayog
nitong hangarin, nagmukha
tuloy karikatura ang ilang mga
situwasyon. Isang halimbawa,
hindi naipakita nang sapat ang
mga dahilan kung bakit nagiging
rebelde ang isang tao. Gasgas na
gasgas na rin ang tema ng martial
law at diktadurang Marcoswala
na bang ibang maaaring sisihin
ang mga gustong magrebelde?
Sa kabila din ng pagsisikap
ng pelikula na ipakitang may
magagawang kabutihan ang mga
babae kung magkakabuklod-
buklod lamang sila, nanaig
pa rin ang nakakalungkot na
katotohanang ang kanilang
pagkamasarili at karuwagan
din ang daan tungo sa kanilang
pagkabigo. Sa gawing pagtatapos
sumemplang ang Barbers Tales:
napaniwala nito ang manonood
na moog ng lakas at liwanag ng
isip si Marilou, pero paano siya
bumigay nang walang kaabug-
abog? Iisa lamang ang maaaring
dahilan noonclassmates
pala sila ng luka-lukang akala
niyay tinutulungan niya. Hay,
kuwentong barbero nga.
DIRECTOR: Phillip Noyce
CAST: Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Bren-
ton Thwaites, Alexander Skarsgard,
Katie Holmes, Odeya Rush, Cameron
Monaghan
SCREENPLAY: Michael Mitnick and Rob-
ert B. Weide, based on the book by
Lois Lowry
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ross Emery
MUSIC: Marco Beltrami
GENRE: Science fction
U.S. DISTRIBUTOR: The Weinstein Com-
pany
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:
MORAL ASSESSMENT:
CINEMA rating: V14
THE GIVER
BARBERS
TALES
replacements for their parents. Even
their homes are identicalthe opening
scene is an aerial shot of the communitys
residential district, and the all-white
houses at first glance strongly resemble
the crosses on a cemeterys green lawn.
We suspect this is intentional, as though
to denote lifelessness in uniformity.
What is most heartening in this film
is its unequivocal pro-life message that
people of faith will definitely resonate
with. Theres a point when Jonas begins
to believe that the knowledge he receives
must also be shared with othersthat is
when he discovers that the communitys
Elders, in their dogged determination
to maintain a perfect society, eliminate
flawed babies and old people too fragile
to keep alive.
C1
Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
The News Supplement of
Couples for Christ
CFC EuroCon 2014 re-kindles passion for Christ
ANCOP First Canada National Summit 2014:
A Breakthrough to Success
'Love More'The CFC Theme for 2015
CFC Gears for Community Consecration
THE COUPLES for Christ 2014
European Conference, dubbed
as The Beloved Weekend,
opened last August 22, si-
multaneously with the EKV
(European Kids Village), with
over 300 excited delegates from
CFC from 10 countries around
Europe, plus the Philippines
and the United States. The
Conference was held at Eretria
Resort and Convention Center
in Evia, Greece.
Roger Santos, CFC Country
Representative to Greece &
member of CFC USA National
Council, welcomed the par-
ticipants with these words:
Welcome to Greece, birthplace
of democracy!
After the Mass, and the din-
ner of a variety of native food
brought by the participating
countries, Mannix and his wife
THE CFCS ANCOP Program in Canada is
making headway in Answering the Cry of
the Poor.
Last August 2-3, 2014, ANCOP launched
the First Canada National Summit at the St.
Andrew Parish Hall in Edmonton, Alberta.
Sixty-four delegates comprising of CFC Area
Heads and ANCOP Coordinators took part
in the event. They came from Edmonton,
Calgary and Fort McMurray (Alberta),
Vancouver and Victoria (British Columbia),
Winnipeg (Manitoba), Hamilton, Ottawa and
Toronto (Ontario), Montreal (Quebec), Regina
and Saskatoon (Saskatchewan). Also present
was Eric Villanueva, CFC National Director
for the USA.
ANCOP President, Ricky Cuenca, spear-
headed the two-day Summit. Under the guid-
ance of Cuenca and Bong Garrucho (Van-
couver ANCOP Coordinator), Godofredo
Gods Lanuza, (Victoria KFC Coordinator)
designed the Summit and co-facilitated the
two-day event with Garrucho and Gabby
Consulta (ANCOP Marketing Director).
Program documentation and Workshop
support were provided by Edna Garrucho
and Mot Saliba the ANCOP Finance Offcer.
Fresh from a successful staging of the 2014
CFC Conference, Edmonton CFC once again
provided seamless administrative and logisti-
cal support.
Summit start-up: Setting the Tone
Garrucho set the tone for Day 1 as he
discussed with participants the following:
Expectations What do/can you expect to
Aileen cut the ceremonial rib-
bon that marked the start of
the three-day Conference. A
community worship followed
the ribbon-cutting with CFC
Greeces Area Head Luis Ila-
gan leading.
The opening night was high-
lighted by a colorful parade of
banners and fags.
Earlier in the day, the Kids
for Christ (KFC) held a Beloved
Child of God Parade in a sepa-
rate venue in the hotel.
Speakers during the three-
day conference who re-ignited
the Europe CFC members
passion for Jesus Christ and for
the community were Joe Yama-
moto, Mannix Ocampo, Roquel
Ponte, Mon Carpio and Noli
Arzadon . The speakers spoke
about this years CFC theme:
Behold and Ponder.
By Alex Velasco, Gods Lanuza and
Gemma Iturralde
were 200% successful in the work we do?
ANCOP Mission
What does our organization (ANCOP
Canada) need to embrace and do for the
ANCOP vision to be realized? Why do
we exist as an organization and what are
we entrusted to do?
ANCOP Values
What are the 3 to 4 values that ANCOP
Canada needs to live by for the vision
to be realized? What will guide our
toughest decisions as an organization?
And how would we be seen as walking
the talk?
Before the Summit, the Area Heads and
ANCOP Coordinators engaged their mem-
bers on various levels of discussion to draw
out their thoughts, insights and recommenda-
tions on ANCOPs vision, mission and values.
Results of these activities where brought to
the Summit to serve as guide for ANCOP-
CFC elders and leaders to help them fnalize
the ANCOP strategic plan.
Analyzing ANCOPs SWOT
This part of the Summit was designed to
look at ANCOP in terms of its organizational
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats (SWOT). It generated a lot of discus-
sion and drew out concerns and action points,
major of which pertain to transparency, guid-
ance for ANCOP Coordinators and future
direction of ANCOP as an organization.
Defning ANCOPs key result areas
From the SWOT analysis, Consulta guided
the participants onto the discussion of key
result areas (KRA). KRAs are the major points
ANCOP SUMMIT 2014/ C3
Final night emcees Josie Santos
and Romy Dacayanan of CFC
New Jersey rocked the house
with their opening dance num-
ber to the music of ABBA, Eng-
lands popular musical group.
In a post-Conference note
to delegates, Santos and Ila-
gan pr ai sed and t hanked
the Lord for the victorious
meet. Both also thanked the
members and leaders of CFC
Greece for their 100% attend-
ance and wholehearted co-
operation, and all those who
came to the 3-day confab.
CFC members who attended
the Beloved Weekend came
from Austria, Canada, France,
Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta,
Monaco, The Netherlands, Phil-
ippines, Switzerland, United
Kingdom, United States of
America and Greece.
LAST September 6 and 7,
2014, the CFC International
Council got together for a
weekend of discernment for
the theme of Couples for
Christ for 2015.
With hearts overflowing
with thanksgiving for the
word of the Lord to the global
family of Couples for Christ,
the CFC IC shared in a letter
sent to the global CFC commu-
nity: Love more! This shall
be CFCs theme for 2015.
Love more! is inspired by
John 21: 15-17 (NAB Revised
Edition):
When they had finished
breakfast, Jesus said to Simon
Peter, Simon, son of John, do
you love me more than these?
He said to him, Yes, Lord, you
know that I love you. He said
to him, Feed my lambs.
He said to him a second time,
Simon, son of John, do you love
me? He said to him, Yes, Lord,
you know that I love you. He
said to him, Tend my sheep.
He said to him the third time,
Simon, son of John, do you
love me? Peter was distressed
that he had said to him a third
time, Do you love me? and
he said to him, Lord, you know
everything you know that I love
you. [Jesus] said to him, Feed
my sheep.
ON December 7, 2014, the global community of CFC will hold a
special MC Prayer Assembly with the theme Hail Mary! Queen
of Families: CFCs Continuing Journey with Mary.
Every member of Couples for Christ and its Family Minis-
tries will be consecrated to the Blessed Mother, after a 33-day
preparation using as guide the 33 days to Morning Glory by Fr.
Michael Gaitley, MIC. The community will be preparing a special
recollection especially for this purpose.
The journey of CFC for the last three years has beenin a
unique and more pronounced waya journey with the Blessed
Mother.
And just like John, the beloved disciple in John 19:27 (From
that hour the disciple took her into his own household...), CFC now
takes Mary into their own homes. The global community of CFC
has been called to behold the Blessed Mother as the Queen of
Families, the Virgin of the Poor, the Star of Evangelization, and
the Mother of our community.
The memorandum and guidelines for the community consecra-
tion have been disseminated to the CFC leaders worldwide, and
are also available in the CFC website (www.couplesforchrist-
global.org).
According to the IC, the
theme is a result of beholding
Gods love, and after ponder-
ing how beloved CFC really
is. It is an expression of grate-
fulnessfor the grace, mercy
and compassion showered
to the community by Him
who became poor to make
us rich, and had to suffer and
die on the cross, and resurrect
to initiate reconciliation and
fellowship with Him.
Next years theme springs
from a gentle reminder of the
Lord that of the many things
that CFC is called to do, the
global community must make
sure that they do not miss on
the most essential: loving God
and loving neighbour.
It is a humble admission
that it is love that moves mis-
sion. While CFC may think
that it has done much, it may
have actually done too little
because CFC has loved too
little. As the IC stated in the
letter, We have to do more
by loving more. We have to
strengthen one another more
by serving and loving each
other more.
With much excitement and
anticipation, the global family
of CFC is praying for a won-
derful journey of CFC to love
God and neighbour more.
achieve from the Summit?; Processes How
will these expectations be achieved?; Agenda
What concerns need to be addressed at the
Summit?
Looking back, each area reported on its
milestones and victories in implementing
ANCOP in their locality. The sharing inspired
and warmed up the delegates and opened
them up to the vast potentials and opportu-
nities that ANCOP can harness to advance
its cause.
During the dialogue, there was the inter-
view session with Cuenca. The participants
were grouped randomly and given the
chance to ask about the strategic directions of
ANCOP, and express the concerns and chal-
lenges that they have in their respective areas.
In setting the context Cuenca started and
ended the interview session with a sharing
of his refections/ insights on, observations
of, and aspirations for ANCOP Canada. He
also touched on the challenges that ANCOP
is facing. This set the context for the next ses-
sion on clarifying ANCOPs foundationsits
vision, mission and values.
Refining Ancops Vision, Mission And
Values
In a workshop, there was a focus on
enhancing ANCOPs vision, mission and
values. Lanuza provided trigger questions
to jumpstart discussions and encourage stra-
tegic faith-based thinking!
The workshop questions were as follows:
ANCOP Vision
What is the best a benefciary community
served by CFC ANCOP could possibly
be that is consistent with our CFC vision?
What will this community look like if we
C2 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
Ugnayan
USA, Canada stage
ANCOP Global Walk 2014
DURING the month of August in the US, and Canada, the ANCOP Global Walk had been staged annu-
ally to raise awareness and funds for ANCOP, the work with the poor program of Couples for Christ.
The 5-kilometer walk has helped, thru the kindness of donors and sponsors, 7,000 scholars in the
elementary, high school and college levels all over the Philippines. (ANCOP USA Communications)
A bright new day to move in to a bright new home
STARTING early on a bright sunny morning of Au-
gust 9, 2014, ANCOP volunteers and offcers, Cross
Catholic Outreach (CCO) representatives and
residents/home partners gathered in the village of
ANCOP Kapatid Community (AKC) to witness the
blessing and turnover of six new houses. Claudio
Merisio, CCO International Project Director, and
Lot Ortiz, CCO Country Coordinator awarded the
new homes to the six home partners Ver and Len
Malasarte, Rey and Sis. Juliet dela Roco, Rex and
Anne Ado, Marissa Narag, Joel and Fely Estrella,
and Cesar and Beth Elumin.
This is just the frst installment of the commit-
ment of Cross Catholic to the residents of AKC,
as ANCOP and CCO signed a Memorandum of
Agreement last February to sponsor 30 new houses.
Fr. Melchor Balingao officiated the house
blessing, and images of the Sacred Heart were
enthroned in the six new houses. The images were
given by each house donor of Cross Catholic to
the home partners. Fr. Melchor exhorted the new
homeowners to love and take care of their new
homes and to always be thankful for the people
who made this dream of owning a home come true.
Residents of AKC were former workers of the
Ambassador Knitting Corporation. However, with
the closure of the company more than a decade ago,
residents who used to be gainfully employed lost
their jobs. The once peaceful community deterio-
rated into a place of poverty, crime and vices. In
2005, the arrival of Couples for Christ introduced
ANCOP, and through the initiative of the residents,
a partnership was formed. They underwent renewal
programs that will uplift their values and put Christ
in the center of their lives so that love and respect
for one another become the foundation of building
a new and transformed community. The group
convinced the owner of Ambassador Knitting Cor-
poration to sell the land to them through the gov-
ernments Community Mortgage Program (CMP).
Currently, ANCOP has been able to generate
funding for 70 units out of the 139 houses to be
built. Fifty-one houses are now constructed and 69
more houses remain are awaiting funding.
By Romy M. Medina
ONE OF the main visions of
Cornerstone is to teach the slow
reader elementary students of
becoming an effective reader.
But what makes them a slow
reader could be because of poor
eyesight, hearing impairment,
sickness or malnutrition.
Last August 30, 2014, West B
Cornerstone conducted their Sec-
tor Wide Medical/Dental Check-
up with Laboratory Diagnosis
for their elementary students
in Ramon Magsaysay Elemen-
tary School in Apo St. Q.C. The
activity is part of their holistic
approach to assist their Corner-
stone kids with their struggles in
reading, as well as helping those
who have a health problem.
This Medical Mission is in
partnership with FEU-NRMF
College of Medicine (Section
2-D) who sponsored and per-
formed fecalysis and urinalysis
Cornerstone Medical Mission: Healthy mind
and body for effective learning
on site for the children. They
even have set-up a laboratory in
RMES science room by bringing
with them 10 electron micro-
scope. Together with the entire
class of 65 medical students,
the event was also fully sup-
ported by the Dean of Institute
of Medicine FEU-NRMF Dr.
Linda Tamesis who personally
oversee the laboratory diagnosis
along with four other fellows.
There were a total of 104 Cor-
nerstone tutees coming from 5
elementary schools (Cubao El-
ementary School 16, Diosdado
Macapagal Elementary School
15, San Francisco Elementary
School 29, E. Rodriguez Sr. El-
ementary School 16 and RMES
28) who completed the medical
and dental check-up conducted by
our volunteer medical practition-
ers that consist of four (4) doctors
and 3 dentists from CFC West B
headed by Dr. Ding Regino and
Dr. Ross Aquino, ten (10) doctors
from UST - Titans and 1 doctor
from DOH - Philippine Center for
Specialized Health Care.
Prescribed medicines, vita-
mins, and some giveaways were
also given to the Cornerstone
students. The plenary session
was also conducted with the
kids that discussed about the
importance of eating vegetables
and its benefts to the body. A
hearty serving of breakfast and
lunch were also provided to all
the participants and volunteers.
This was such a great experi-
ence! Working with the kids and
their families was very reward-
ing and reminded me why I
entered medical school. I cant
believe we were able to help so
many families in just one morn-
ing, exclaimed by Christoper
Tan, 2nd Year Medical Student.
CFC ANCOP Singapore partnered Caritas-
Charis Singapore for a mission build in Bogo
City, Cebu wherein Charis has already com-
mitted to funding a total of 80 permanent &
transitions houses for the families affected
by the Haiyan typhoon last year. The team
comprised of 36 mission volunteers from CFC
and Charis. This article is a personal refection
by one mission volunteer, Michelle Timoteo of
SFC Singapore.
6 years ago when I was still a student and
my parents were already members of Couples
for Christ in the Philippines, I witnessed their
service in ANCOP. Seeing them serving the
poor made me realize that they have their own
defnition of giving.
Once, my Mom said if I want to help, I
should start with our extended family. I saw
with my own eyes how she herself had helped
her parents and siblings. On the other hand, my
Dads defnition of giving is not just the core of
the family. He said it should also fow outward
to anyone in need, with us giving everything
that we can.
I remember one remarkable conversation
with my Dad which started with this simple
question: Dad, What do you do in CFC? His
humble reply was, We actually do praise and
worship, but aside from that we serve in the
ANCOP ministry which means Answering the
Cry of the Poor. He continued to tell me about
building houses and feeding programs. He
added, Michelle, I hope someday, when you
start earning your own money, you can save
and sponsor a child to send to school. That
simple conversation created a huge impact on
CFC ANCOP SG, Caritas-Charis Singapore
partner for Mission Friendship Build 2014
my, prompting me to join the mission build in
Bogo, Cebu.
Guided by our anchor verse from Hebrews
3:4, For every house is built by someone but
the builder of all things is God, the Couples for
Christ-Singapore, ANCOP (Answering the Cry
of the Poor), CHARIS (Caritas Humanitarian
Aid Relief Initiative Singapore) and Red Pencil
Singapore came together to do one of the most
remarkable missions this yearthe Mission
Friendship Build, The build lasted for 5 days,
from August 29-september 2, 2014.
Saying Yes to this calling was such a great
experience for all of us. It was a mission guided
by divine intervention. This was planned by
the Almighty for us to work hand in hand with
our mission-partner, Caritas-Charis, to build
the homes of the poor and our less fortunate
brethren affected by the super typhoon Haiyan
last year.
With sustenance and provision coming from
God, through faith, hope and charity, we not
only tried to build the foundation of the new
houses. I, together with my fellow missionaries
and the home partners, laid the foundation for
memories in this very unique experience. These
memories will forever be etched in our lives.
Hopefully our visit and work touched the lives
of the people, as we were equally touched by
the stories and courage of the home partners.
We defnitely felt their love and restored dig-
nity through our humble interaction with them.
And as for me, I can say that now, I am begin-
ning to understand my Dads words of wisdom
about service and giving. I am also beginning
to see our Gods mission for me.
Young Caglieros Build For Ancop
YCOM is back in the Philip-
pines!
The Young Caglieros Out-
reach Movement, also known
as YCOM, sent 13 missionar-
ies to the Philippines in a
mission trip called YCOM
Builds for ANCOP Immer-
sion 2014. The missionaries
arrived on August 11, 2014
and were immediately given
orientation about ANCOP
and its different work with
the poor programs. They
were then brought to the
ANCOP Community in San
Vicente, Tarlac where they
spent 3 days building houses
and interacting with the com-
munity. They were the frst
guest-volunteer builders in
this particular ANCOP Com-
munity.
Other activities of the group
included a visit to St. Martin de
Porres Childrens Village, an
orphanage located in Tondo,
Manila; a television guesting in
a morning show called Good
Morning, Boss to promote
YCOMs advocacy; a tour in the
eastern side of Manila to visit the
Our Lady of Banneux ANCOP
Community; and a short stop at
the Philippine Center for Padre
Pio of Pietrelcina in Bagum-
bayan, Quezon City.
YCOM is a dynamic youth
movement spearheaded by the
Salesian Cooperators and CFC
Youth for Christ based in British
Columbia, Canada. This Catho-
lic Christian organization was
established in early 2012, and
supports outreach and immer-
sion to the poor through annual
mission trips for high school
and university-aged youth. This
organization sent its frst 10
missionaries from Our Lady
of Good Counsel Parish to
the Philippines in July 2012
through the Great Adventure
Tour, a CFC-Youth initiative,
in collaboration with ANCOP
(Answering the Cry of the
Poor).
YCOM missionaries are be-
ing sent to these mission trips
for the sole purpose of loving
God. They hope to be a source
of Christs love by immersing
with the poor even for a lim-
ited time, sharing their time
and sweating it out in build-
ing houses, leaving behind
toys for the children and gifts
to the community. According
to these young people, they
never forget the experience
and definitely bring home
memories of love, laughter
and hope.
By Romy M. Medina
C3 Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
Ugnayan
CFC Metro Manila East A Celebrates
Silver Anniversary
AUGUST is a special month for
Couples for Christ East A Sector
as it celebrates its 25th year as a
ministry. Held last August 2 at
Our Lady of Light Parish Forma-
tion Center, the Seniors Fair and
Medical Mission kicked off the
month-long commemoration.
The event was well-attended by
seniors who had a great time at
the sessions especially during
the Laughter Yoga, and patients
who availed laboratory tests at a
low cost. Freebies were also given
away to attendees. Both the Sen-
iors Fair and the Medical Mission
were made possible through the
generosity of the CFC members
and friends in the medical feld
and in partnership with Unilab.
The second major activity held
in line with the anniversary was
the Family Day which took place
on the following Saturday, Au-
gust 9, at Siena College, Taytay.
The whole-day event began
with the celebration of the Holy
Eucharist presided by Rev. Fr.
Leo Luanzon, whose parents are
also members of CFC East A. In
his homily, Fr. Leo shared two
realities: that failure is part of our
life, and that the challenge for
us is to deal with those failures
by staying connected with God.
He concluded by saying that
nothing is impossible with love,
for God is love, and nothing is
impossible with God.
Ending the month-long cel-
ebration was the Silver An-
niversary Ball held on August
23 at Cainta Catholic College
Auditorium. It was a night of
remembering and honoring the
pillars of CFC East A and rejoic-
ing in Gods faithfulness for the
past 25 years. Guests were enter-
tained and led to a walk down
memory lane with the presenta-
tions of the four clusters and the
Family Ministries highlighting
the milestones in the history of
CFC. The event was graced by
the presence of CFC Chairman
Joe Tale and his wife Babylou,
and Cynthia Campos, wife of
CFC Executive Director George
Campos who is currently on mis-
sion and who also once served
as CFC East A Sector Head. In
his inspirational speech, Joe Tale
reminded the community that
amidst the tremendous work
that we need to do, amidst the
changes that we constantly
need to deal with, two things
must remain: our love for God,
and our love for one another as
brothers and sisters. He exhorted
the members to continue to walk
with faith as the Lord unfolds
His great plan for the next 25
years. Chito Cubacub, CFC East
A Sector Head also shared how
symbolic it was to celebrate the
silver anniversary at the very
venue where East A had its hum-
ble beginnings. The frst Chris-
tian Life Program that started it
all for the sector was held in 1989
at Cainta Catholic College Audi-
torium which, at that time, was
just a simple indoor gym. After
the awarding, the presentations,
and the speeches, the auditorium
turned into one happy dance
foor as everyone merrily danced
the night away in full confdence,
faith, and gratitude that the good
Lord will continue to bless the
work in East A just as He did in
the past 25 years.
CFC East A is led by Sector
Head Chito Cubacub and wife
Peachy along with the members
of the Sector Governance Team.
It covers some areas of Pasig (par-
ticularly Santolan and Mangga-
han), Cainta, and Taytay, Rizal
with a total membership of not
less than 3,000 including mem-
bers of the Family Ministries.
By Aiza Garnica
facebook.com/CFC.Global.Mission @CFChrist
The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation, Inc., with editorial
offces 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
George B. Campos
IC Oversight
Bernadette Cuevas
Editor-in-Chief
Alma M. Alvarez
Associate Editor
Evangeline C. Mecedilla
Circulation Staff
Deomar P. Oliveria
Layout Artist
The News Supplement
of Couples for Christ
ANCOP SUMMIT 2014/ C1
Bishop Garcera challenges CFC-Cam Norte:
Move towards the real Alter Christus way
AUGUST 17, 2014 was a blessed and wonderful
day for the members of Couples for Christ in
Camarines Norte as they celebrated their 23rd
Founding Anniversary, with no other than His
Excellency, Most Reverend Gilbert A. Garcera,
Bishop of the Diocese of Daet as the Mass pre-
sider. In his homily, Bishop Garcera explained
the meaning of the Latin word alter Christus. He
stressed that although the term Alter Christus
means another Christ, CFC and all Catholics
should focus on the real Christ, the Lord Jesus.
According to His Excellency, CFC is the most ac-
tive religious organization not only in the province,
but also in the entire Bicol Region. He commended
Vic Alvarez, CFC Regional Head, along with the
members of the Area Governance Team headed by
Vic Corporal, Provincial Area Director, for nurtur-
ing all the CFC members in the province.
Alvarez immediately responded to the
Bishops concern in his message right after the
Mass. He assured the Bishop that the CFC ac-
tivities will be in accordance with the direction
of all the Parishes in the entire Bicol Region. He
also challenged all the CFC members to focus
on the family and the youth, which according
to the good Bishop, are the focus of the devils
destruction nowadays.
This years anniversary celebration was dif-
ferent from the previous celebrations. Instead
of the usual production numbers, CFC featured
the various traditional games via Palaro ng Lahi,
which CFC members from different chapters
gamely participated in. Rudy Lubis, Livelihood
Coordinator of CFC-ANCOP and Provincial
Area Head of CFC Albay, together with Ben
Bagui of CFC-Canada gave their inspiring mes-
sages and shared strategies on how to answer
the cry of the poor. The messages couldnt be
more timely as the Church has declared 2015 as
the Year of the Poor.
Being nurtured as disciples of Christ and devo-
tees of Mama Mary, all leaders and members of
CFC Camarines Norte are defnitely ready to
face the future challenges the future may bring.
By Teodoro Licarte
CFC Seniors Program Coordinators Hold Initial Planning
Last August 31, 2014, the coordinators from Metro Manila gathered for its frst planning ses-
sion for the CFC Seniors Program. The Seniors Program is not a new ministry, but a special
formation program for CFC, HOLD and SOLD members who are 60 years old and above.This
program aims to promote the fullness of life and a life of purpose for the elderly members
of community. It also aims to provide opportunities for sharing knowledge and competence,
to fnd new leadership roles and create new beginnings in the context of the community,
to promote physical health, sustain hope and trust, share blessings and to build life-giving
relationships. This is also an avenue to win back inactive members and former leaders and
open a gateway for evangelization to the elderly.
According to CFC Executive Director George Campos, who is also IC overseer of this pro-
gram, the activities of the Seniors Program do not and should not affect the pastoral struc-
ture membership (households, units and chapters). Rather, the program development and
implementation of activities is a joint responsibility of the Seniors Program Core Group, PFO,
concerned ministries and the pastoral leaders at the level of the CFC areas (National and
Local). (Jovy Amatorio)
DELEGATES from all over the
Philippines, including repre-
sentatives from the Couples for
Christ Global Mission Center
trooped to the Pangasinan Train-
ing and Development Center,
LIngayen, for the Catholic Social
Media Summit last September 13
and 14, 2014.
The conference, which is
spearheaded by YouthPinoy,
aims to encourage the par-
ticipants to experience authentic
encounters by 'looking up' from
CFC GMC delegates experience The Encounter
at 3
rd
Catholic Social Media Summit
their mobile devices and using
social media as a tool in order
to promote God's love and love
of neighbor.
His Excellency Archbishop
Socrates Villegas of the Lin-
gayen-Dagupan Archdiocese
hosted the event, together with
the local government of Pan-
gasinan.
Plenary speakers Michael
Angelo Lobrin II, Archbishop
Villegas and Bernanrd Cana-
berral shook the worlds of the
delegates as they challenged
each person to go back to basics
in terms of having authentic
relationships.
Skills workshops helped eqiup
the OMGs or online missionaries
of God thru social media tools.
Advocacy workshops, on the
other hand, awakened the con-
sciousness and passion of the
participants on relevant social
issues, pushing them to use so-
cial media for a higher purpose.
(A. Alvarez)
CFC at CSMSv3, clockwise from bottom right: Michael Angelo Lobrin II brought the house down
during the frst talk; Archbishop Soc Villegas reminding delagates to ask the what, why and how to
have true encounters; emcees Ilsa Reyes and Michael Ariola take a "selfe" with 1,200 OMGs; the
Cross is venerated prior to the Mass to celebrate the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross.
that ANCOP should invest its energy and resources
into and achieve results and impacts on. At the end
of the day, the success of ANCOP shall be gauged
in terms of how much of the KRAs it has achieved.
There are fve KRAs for ANCOP:
1) Direction This is the cornerstone of the
entire ANCOP organization and defnes AN-
COPs vision, mission and values. It answers
the questions: What does ANCOP do? Why
does ANCOP do what it does? How should
ANCOP do it?
2) Effective Programs This pertains to AN-
COPs Child Sponsorship Program (CSP) and
Community Development Program (CDP)
and how effectively they may be implemented
in terms of events to undertake and partner-
ships to pursue. Coming up with this KRA
made ANCOP look beyond ANCOP as just
the ANCOP Walk.
3) Integration of ANCOP with the Couples for
Christ (CFC) Community This KRA focuses
on integrating CFC into the mainstream of
ANCOPs work so that they it can fully sup-
port and commit to ANCOP. It makes sure
that CFC leaders and members:
are aware of, understand and internalize
the work and drive of ANCOP and
share the same passion and commitment
in promoting ANCOP and supporting all
its initiatives.
4) Governance This focuses on ANCOPs
organizational structure, systems and pro-
cedures and how effective it is in serving its
intended benefciaries; relating with people
within and outside the structure; and promot-
ing transparency and accountability. Specifc
concerns that emerged were on transparency
and accountability, relationship between
ANCOP Canada and ANCOP CFC-Tekton
(Philippines), and need to update donors on
a regular basis.
5) Capacity Building - This KRA touches on
developing the right materials and tools,
drawing in a pool of volunteers, and running
training programs to build peoples capabil-
ity/skills. It does many things:
Educate It will build the right frame
of mind among implementers to help
them carry out their mission. It also helps
CFC members through their Household
Leaders gain a broader understanding of
ANCOP.
Capacitate It will ensure that all areas
of ANCOP are equipped with what they
need to succeed;
Guide It will guide feld implementers in
their actions. A concrete tool to do this is a
manual that ANCOP Coordinators and Area
Teams may refer to regularly for guidance;
Standardize It will set standards to fa-
cilitate procedures and processes within
ANCOP.
Summit milestones and next steps for ANCOP
The fnal day ended with presentations of each
areas organizational structure and ANCOPs gen-
eral work processes. It served as a venue for the
participants to have a clear picture of:
The various areas diverse operational con-
texts, specifc needs and unique processes;
How the ANCOP Head Office can best
respond and provide effective support in
terms of organizational structure and busi-
ness process.
Overall, the Summit was a success espe-
cially as it paved the way towards achieving
the following:
Fresh information and ideas for CFC and
ANCOP to work on generated;
ANCOP directions beyond 2014 set;
New partnerships among the Area Heads and
ANCOP Area Coordinators forged; and
Better coordination mechanisms for the entire
organization defned.
The remaining question then was, what next?
Certainly, it meant laying down the concrete next
steps after the Summit so that target outputs and
results are achieved. Following are the major action
points that emerged:
The ANCOP Leadership shall draft the Vision,
Mission and Values using the recommenda-
tions from the Summit
The ANCOP Head Offce in Toronto shall
formulate the fnal ANCOP 2015-2017 Plan
(inclusive of the rest of 2014);
Time-sensitive tasks shall be delegated to
responsible persons;
The ANCOP Head Offce shall take the lead
in documenting Summit proceedings with the
help of each one with their inputs.
The Summit was a signifcant frst for Canada;
but more so, the entire global ANCOP. It certainly
wont be the last. In his concluding remarks, Bro.
Greg Parillas, CFC National Director for Canada,
announced the next event to watch for: The 2015
ANCOP Canada National Summit on July 9-10,
2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
C4
Vol. 18 No. 19
September 15 - 28, 2014
CBCP Monitor
Ugnayan
molding men into more responsible and
loving husbands and fathers.
Inspired from last year mens confer-
ence 24/15 Best Decision which was
taken from Joshua 24:15 and from the
movie Courageous, the conference
encouraged the CFC men not just to
commit themselves, but rather have
their whole family commit to and serve
the Lord. The Mens Conference also
emphasized how men must take full
responsibility for their actions and be
the spiritual heads of their own house-
holds. To fulfll that commitment, men
need to turn to God and relate to Him
as their role model of a father on how to
keep ones promise. Thus, A Fathers
Promise was born.
A Fathers Promise conference
offered wonderful insight from the
four sessions conducted, which were
inspired by famous quotes.
The frst session, God the Father,
talks about our Loving God and all the
promises He has made and kept. Truly
He is a real Father.
The second session, When a Man
Loves a Woman came from the quote:
The most important thing a father
can do for his children is to love their
WHO would ever thought that men,
rowdy as they are, can be gathered
together to listen and participate in
a seminar on how to become good
fathers and better husbands? Un-
thinkable? Also, husbands have been
constantly reminded by priests and
nagged by wives, but still, some men
just wouldnt budge. This has been the
mystery and success of the CFC Catho-
lic Mens Conference led by the CFC
Servants of the Lord Ministry (SOLD)
for the past 3 years, and it works! Priest
often exclaimed, Wow! Ive never seen
so many men gathered for a religious
activity. Unbelievable!"
Recently, the CFC Catholic Mens
Conference titled A Fathers Promise
was held last August 30 & 31, 2014 at
Batis Aramin Resort, Lucban Quezon
(right in front of the Kamay ni Hesus
Shrine). It was attended mostly by men
of CFC and SOLD leaders and members
from Metro Manila and the Luzon prov-
inces. Some even brought their wives,
who likewise appreciated the talks and
activities, for in the end it is the wife
who will beneft from this program,
REITERATING the primacy of
families in the Catholic Church,
Bishop James Thoppil of Ko-
hima has launched the Couples
for Christ movement in his
diocese.
A unit of the movement was
inaugurated at the cathedral
parish during the two week-
ends of July 26 and 27, and
August 3 and 4.
Bishop Thoppil stressed the
need to build up good Christian
families and said marriage was
COUPLES for Christ was invited by the Ang Li-
gaya ng Panginoon (ALNP) Community to share
experiences, lessons learned and best practices at
The Harvest Conference last September 6, 2014.
The sharing was conducted via a workshop track
titled Global Expansion in Your Ministry: To the Ends
of the Earth. Rouquel Ponte, head of the Church
Integration Office (CIO) and Deputy Director
for Pastoral Formation, and Michael Ariola, CIO
Coordinator and head of the Evangelization and
Missions Planning Offce (EMPO) gave the ses-
sions for the half-day module.
In the frst session, Ponte encouraged the partici-
pants to have the desire to respond to God's call to
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
(Mark 16:15). He shared about the experiences of CFC
for the past in the context of its vision of being families
By Renee Ardiente mother, by Theodore M. Hesburgh.
This talked about loving and treating
ones wife as a gift and helpmate from
God and not as a sex object.
The third session titled, Father as
the Alter Christus was inspired by,
He didnt tell me how to live, he lived
and let me watch him do it. by Clar-
ence Budington Kelland. This session
discussed that fathers must mirror God
to their children, and need to be Christ
to them by example.
The fourth session, A Fathers Bless-
ing, was taken from this quote: Being
a great father is like shaving; no matter
how good you shave today, you have
to do it again tomorrow. by Reed
Markhalm. The talk pointed out that
men cannot retire from their roles as a
fathers, and must continue to bless their
children every day. Why? Because men
can never repay their own fathers; they
can only pay it forward.
As the men have learned in SOLD
and in all the other CFC Catholic Mens
Conferences, if we heal the fathers,
we heal the families. And healthy
families make a healthy society; more
healthier societies make a better world
to live in.
Kohima starts unit of Couples for Christ CFC shares lessons learned, best practices on global
evangelization at The Harvest Conference
CFC Nepal Holds Mens And Womens Conference
CFC Nepal successfully conducted a
back-to-back Mens and Womens last
August 9-10 at the Godavari Pastoral
Center, about 30 minutes outside of
Kathmandu City, the capital of Nepal.
These conferences were the frst ever
conducted by CFC Nepal with the sup-
port of CFC Bahrain and the CFC Global
Mission Center.
The Mens Conference theme was
the Abba Father Weekend Retreat
whi l e t he Women s Conf erence
Theme was Blossoms in Gods Gar-
den. There were 55 participants in
the Womens Conference coming
from the parishes of Dhobighat and
Godavari in Lalitput district, Ban-
iyatar in Kathmandu, and Pokhara
in Western Nepal, 7 hours away
from Kathmandu.
The conferences began with a Holy
Mass on August 8th, officiated by Fr.
Pius Perumana SJ, the parish priest of
Godavari and also the Chancellor of
the Nepal Vicariate. The conferences
closed with adoration and benedic-
tion led by Fr. Pius.
The speakers for the Mens con-
ference were Mon F. Santiago, CFC
South Asia Regional Coordinator for
session 1 Gods Plan for Fathers;
Chiren Satyal, CFC Nepal Financial
Servant for session 2 A Fathers
Response to a Fast and Changing
World; Gyan Rai, CFC Nepal Coun-
try Head for session 3 Redeeming
Love, and George Campos, CFC Ex-
ecutive Director for session 4 How
Do I Love Thee 4. Mar Japitana, CFC
Nepal Country Coordinator was the
facilitator together Vinod Gurung,
SOLD leaders, of the four activi-
ties during the conference, namely
Hand Drawing, 11 Most Important
Things, Letter Writing and Five Key
Habits of Smart Fathers, which the
participants actively participated
and thoroughly enjoyed.
The wor s hi p l eader s f or t he
Mens conference were Augustine
Bomzom Lama and Vinod Gurung
on the first day and Simon Lama
of CFC Pokhara on the second day.
The conference translator was Sur-
bir Rai while the conference emcee
was Bro. Reginald.
The Blossoms in Gods Garden
Women Conference was also a big hit
to the CFC wives and HOLD mem-
bers. The speakers of the conference
were Cynthia Campos who gave ses-
sion 1 And God Saw It Was Good,
followed by Tita Santiago for session
2 Uprooted from the Garden. Ses-
sion 3 Regaining Paradise was
given Sujata Rai, wife of Gyan
while session 4 Tending the
Garden was delivered by Jyoti
Khanal, a HOLD Nepal house-
hold head. The last session, In
Full Bloom, was given by Au
Japitana, who also gave a very
powerful sharing on the Eucha-
rist. The other sharers were Ce-
lestina Subba, CFC Nepal HOLD
Coordinator for Session 2; Bimala
Lama of CFC Pokhara for session
3; Yamuna of CFC Baniyatar for
session 4; and Bibiyana Dhungana
and Geeta Lepcha for session 5.
The sisters from CFC Baniyatar
performed the skit in session 2
while Agnes Dewan and Celes-
tina Subba led the healing ses-
sion in session 3.
The worship leaders for the
Womens conference were Celes-
tina Subba, Agnes Dewan, Aruna
Rai while the emcees were Jyoti
on the first day and Sujata on the
second day.
A fellowship night was also held
for the conference participants on
August 9th where many of the
participants showed their talents
in singing, dancing, playing musi-
cal instruments.
By Mon Santiago
a permanent bond that God has
established.
He expressed hope that the
movement will help broken
families to untie, marriage
bonds strengthen and bring
exemplary Christian life in the
diocese.
The CFC movement that be-
gan in the Philippines in 1981
has now units in 106 countries,
including India.
The movement is a private
lay association approved by
the Church and it has branches
to include every member of the
family such as Kids for Christ,
Youth for Christ, Singles for
Christ, Servants of the Lord and
Handmaids of the Lord.
The CFC country head, Hec-
tor and Garnet Poppen,based
in Bangalore organized the pro-
gram, which was attended by
41 members from the different
parishes of Kohima. (Reposted
from the Nagaland Post http://
www.nagalandpost.com/)
in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the earth.
In the second session, Ariola shared pratical
information on how CFC is responding to the call
of global evangelization, including the setbacks
and lessons learned.
At the end of the day, everything should boil
down to transformationfor brethren to experience
the abundant life Jesus promised in John 10:10.
"More than adding to your ministry's numbers, we
must all desire for our families, our friends, our co-
workers, and all humanity to share in the fullness of life
that Jesus has in store for everyone," Ariola concluded.
As a fnal word, Spanky Meer, head servant of
ALNP, expressed that the occasion has opened
doors for communities to network with each other
and learn from one another's strengths and gifts.
(A. Alvarez)
First CLP conducted at Sacred Heart Parish, Jatni
COUPLES for Christ was given the opportunity
and grace to conduct its frst Christian Life Pro-
gram (CLP) from August 29th to August 31st, 2014
at the Sacred Heart Church in Khurda District,
Odhisa, India.
The mission team comprised of three couples and
one brotherElias and
Apollonia Tirkey, Basil
and Suchita Toppo,
Luis and Rajeshwari
Ekka and Bijaya Prad-
hanall from our origi-
nal CLP graduates of
November 2012, from
St. Vincents parish in
Bhubaneswar.
A total of 42 partici-
pants fnished the CLP.
Through the support
of the parish priest, Fr.
Premananda Nayak;
Fr. Ashok Singh, as-
sistant parish priest;
and the nuns from the
Missionaries of Char-
ity, the mission team was able to accomplish the
weekend Christian Life Program with great suc-
cess. Overwhelmed by the movement of the Holy
Spirit, Fr. Singh even offered to host the monthly
assembly. Truly, all is possible in the strength of
the grace of the Holy Spirit. (Francis Almeida)
Parejas Para Cristo graduates 33 in Ecuador
THIRTY-THREE i ndi vi dual s were
dedicated to the Lord following the
conduct of a Christian Life Program
in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The CLP was
held in Iglesia San Juan Bautista De
Guayaquil. The mission team headed by
Glen Santayana, a member of the CFC
USA National Council, left the United
States on September 12, in time for the CLP
Orientation on September 13th.
A Fathers Promise
The CFC Catholic Mens Conference