Seminarians air concern over increasing number of deaths, indifference

Seminarians from the Diocese of Imus in Cavite have expressed alarm over the increasing number of killings in the country as well as on the growing indifference between the Church and the government in a statement released yesterday.

The Pagtatalaga ng mga Seminarista Tungo sa Lingkod ng Kabite (PASTOL KA) said that news on deaths and killings “has become a part of the Filipinos’ everyday life.”

“Deaths, which have become part of daily news, became so ‘ordinary’ for some of us, that they do not catch our attention anymore nor become part of our prayers. Worse, some even find these deaths as fitting and just; passing swift judgment to their dead bodies instead of consoling the grieving loved ones they left behind,” the seminarians said in a Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) News post.

PASTOL KA is the official organization of Catholic seminarians in the province of Cavite which is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Imus headed by Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista.

The seminarians also expressed concern over the growing indifference between the local Church and the State.

“We are troubled with the growing animosity between Church leaders and the government who serve the same Filipino people. We detest the proliferation of fake news and harsh statements against humans and against God. Our language, which was developed to connect people, is now used to sever relationships,” they lamented.

The group encouraged the faithful to remain hopeful in faith. “May this hope heal the wounds we have caused to each other,” they said. “May it inspire us to return once again to the Word of God and proclaim it anew; a proclamation that warms the heart, directs our thoughts, and guides our actions,” the seminarians added.