Archbishop Soc: Pray the rosary vs China aggression

MANILA, Philippines — With the country’s armed forces apparently no match against China’s military, Filipinos may turn to God for help, specifically by praying the rosary, to counter the Asian giant’s threat to Philippine sovereignty and freedom, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said yesterday.

In his three-page pastoral letter, Villegas said they have launched a “Rosary Campaign” beginning on June 27, the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, until Aug. 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption, to seek intercession from the Blessed Mother.

Villegas extended his invitation to pray the rosary not just to Catholics belonging to his archdiocese, but to all the faithful.

“May the power of the rosary preserve our nation’s faith and freedom. May the power of the rosary crush the serpent’s head! May the power of the rosary drive away Satan’s power from our shores,” Villegas said.

He also encouraged acts of penance and supererogation “with particular intensity” during this period.

“May God be honored by all that we do for our country, our people and their future; for our faith and our Church, for the freedom to believe and the freedom to worship as we believe,” Villegas added.

In the pastoral letter, Villegas called China a “threat.”

He expressed his concerns about the growing threat of China at sea and the reports of its infiltration and espionage in the country.

“The threat is no longer imagined. It is no longer mere conjecture. There is evidence of insidious attempts by a foreign power that governs by an ideology that recognizes no God and keeps all religion and the practice of faith under the heavy heel of its totalitarian boot ‘to trample our sacred shores’,” he said.

“The network of agents it maintains and is capable of deploying, including those involved in espionage and even subversive activity, will not be denied by anyone who makes it his business to keep himself abreast of disturbing news reports. The People’s Republic of China shows neither fear nor does it exhibit hesitation in inching menacingly close to the Philippines,” he added.

He mentioned the possibility that the government has been infiltrated by persons on Beijing’s payroll or Filipinos who have received favors and in return placed the country’s sovereignty and independence on the line.

Investigations conducted by both the Senate and the House of Representatives “have made clear that due to the lackadaisical, if not criminal, conduct of many government personnel, it is not impossible for foreigners with malicious intent to acquire documentation allowing them not only entry but residence in the Philippines, perhaps even to pass themselves off as natural-born Filipino citizens and thus qualify for public office,” Villegas said.