MANILA, Philippines — The Catholic Church will cease to exist if it stays silent on serious matters affecting people’s fundamental rights, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said Monday.
The CBCP issued a strongly-worded pastoral letter Sunday, denouncing the passage of the contentious Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, which is feared to be used as a weapon to suppress legitimate dissent and opposition.
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“The dissenting voices were strong but they remained unheeded. None of the serious concerns that they expressed about this legislative measure seemed to be of any consequence to them. Alas, the political pressure from above seemed to weigh more heavily on our legislators than the voices from below,” read the letter signed by Caloocan bishop Pablo Virgilio David, CBCP acting president.
The pastoral letter also expressed concern over the shutdown of media giant ABS-CBN.
“We cannot just be quite about all these things. Otherwise, we also risk losing our voice at the same time, we also risk not doing our moral obligation to our country,” Fr. Jerome Secillano, CBCP spokesperson, said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.
“If the Church does not anymore speak about all these matters when in fact there are wrongs being committed left and right, then we cease to exist as a Church,” he added.
Secillano also said the Constitution does not bar church leaders from expressing their opinions, contrary to the claim of Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo that the CBCP violated the Constitutional provision on the separation of the Church and State.
“From my legal understanding of the constitutional provision of separation of Church and State, it means that the State is not actually going to put up an official religion. Secondly, that state funds should be used to fund a particular religion… But it doesn’t actually bar Church leaders, priests, bishops or any religious for that matter to express their political opinions,” he said.
The CBCP spokesperson stressed it is the prophetic role of the Catholic Church to speak out on matters that are affecting the people’s fundamental rights and the moral order.
“So we are entering into a picture not to interfere with the affairs of the government but actually to make people aware of what’s happening, to correct all these errors, all these wrongs being done against the people,” Secillano said. — Gaea Katreena Cabico