The search for truth is a universal prerogative, not the Church’s

The question before us is not whether the bishops are right when they pronounce that ‘the search for truth must continue’ apropos the Presidency’s legitimacy nor whether they should include the Mining Act in their shopping list. What is objectionable is the bishops’ presumption that the CBCP as a collegial body should have a say on these matters. They may have a right to their opinion as individuals or as citizens but not when they use the CBCP as their mouthpiece.

It is a sad commentary on our national life that CBCP statements have time and again been used for political purposes. Neither is it surprising that the Opposition which has been casting the net for more allies should be clapping their hands with glee. Here at last, they hope is the long awaited catalyst for widespread people power revolt. So far, they have not succeeded even with icons like Cory Aquino or Susan Roces on their side.

Aha, but with the bishops are on their side, that is a different matter. A pastoral letter issue by the CBCP has ecclesiastical weight and should get the widespread political support the Opposition needs to make President GMA resign or be ousted.

No matter their protestations, the fact is the pastoral letter they recently issued is a political weapon they have given the Opposition. Otherwise why would Sen. Aquilino Pimentel crow and say that President GMA faces political isolation with the CBCP withdrawal. "The biggest blow to the President so far is the severe rebuke she received from the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines," declares Pi-mentel,

When the Catholic Church in the Philippines (in the garb of the CBCP) makes such pronouncements in the thick of a political dispute, it purports to assert its power over the state. The expectation is that President GMA will buckle in with the might of a bishops’ pastoral letter that would have the persuasive power to enjoin millions of its followers. If this is not Church interference in state matters, I don’t know what is.

The search for truth is the prerogative of every human being, from whatever religion, indeed, even those who do not profess religion. The danger yet again when the Church makes such pronouncement is its effect on the unthinking masses, who will feel obliged to follow the churchmen’s dictum. The issuance of the pastoral letter is a deliberate and willful act to demonstrate the power of the church over the state.

The separation of Church and State is the foundation of the American Constitution, a principle we have borrowed and claimed as our own in the shaping of our nation. The American founding fathers were moved by the "malignant influence of religious hatred not only on individuals but on the health and prosperity of the state." Therefore it was not enough to have a law that guaranteed complete religious liberty. They argued for a secular government because only then can it be "evenhanded in all forms of belief and non belief that would serve sufficiently to minimize the worst effects of religious discord on civil society and government."

In that sense the Roman Catholic bishops overstepped their bounds with a pastoral letter urging that "search for truth must continue" and "the issue of legitimacy of the Arroyo presidency should ultimately be settled." What if the search of truth includes disagreement with the Church? Not everyone would want to fall into the trap of assuming that faith-based groups, as is the Catholic Church, must be good at everything. Moreover, it was discomfiting that the message of righteousness should have been delivered by Bishop Bacani whose integrity remains under a cloud. This is the same Bishop Bacani who has persistently opposed constitutional reform of any kind through the years. It strains one’s faith when it says that the country’s problems could be traced to the ‘erosion of moral values’ at the same time that it l’affaire Bacani, as far as I know remains unresolved.

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Jaime de Vera of Fourth-B St., Ecoland Subdivision, Matina, Davao City writes:

"Nobody quarrels with Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in seeking the whole truth about cheating in the 2004 presidential election. But the question is, whose truth are we searching: the opposition’s truth, the administration’s truth, the CBCP’s – 119 bishops’ – truth, or the truth that is the product of extensive judicial process under our laws and Constitution?

The Presidential Electoral Tribunal and the Supreme Court have spoken with finality (it’s done!) on who won the presidential and vice-presidential elections. The CBCP should present hard evidence for the appreciation of the court instead of issuing pastoral statements that tend to divide the parishioners because of partisan beliefs, not to mention the negative effect on our economy and political stability. More often than not, such statements (a form of one-way traffic) are based on perceptions coupled with hidden agendas of politically minded and biased bishops.

I strongly condemn the intrusion and arrogance of CBCP in the political affairs of the State. Such political issues as Charter Change, election commissioners’ resignation, the Mining Act, etc., are better resolved by the three branches of government (the Executive and Legislative branches and the Judiciary), which are more than qualified to dissect the issues skillfully and decide them judiciously.

The CBCP should be reminded time and again on the basic principle of the separation of Church and State. Let us not allow religion to divide mankind. Let us respect the law just as we respect the rights of others.

For the nth time, the Pope is reminding the clergy to focus on religious matters, in which they are properly trained, instead of indulging in politics, in which they have no business, no accountability, and is not their forte.

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The Da Vinci Code will be the opening-night movie at the Cannes Film Festival in May, organizers said. Based on Dan Brown’s esoteric thriller about code-breaking and conspiracy, the adaptation by Oscar-winning director Ron Howard has an international cast led by Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou. Earlier this month, a spokesman for the Louvre said the movie’s producers were trying to decide between the museum and the Cannes festival as a site for the European premiere.

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