Sins of omission
OCCASIONALLY, we have a rich man dying in the crash of his own private helicopter. But mostly, it is the poor who are injured or who die in accidents from factory fires, sunk motorboats, toppled electric posts, fallen old trees and crumbling walls or buildings. No wonder official indifference in the country to people’s safety is appalling.
Maybe priests can help with the poor’s physical well-being by spiritually condemning the sins of omission of irresponsible and corrupt government officials who fail to implement safeguards against serious injuries or deaths in accidents. Because… who really killed t he workers in the Valenzuela fire and many others in earl i er fires? Who killed the victims of the ill-fated M/B Kim Nirvana-B and many others in previous sea mishaps? Who killed the thirteen and twelve-year-old boys (and many others before them) who were pinned down by a post and electrocuted by a live wire respectively?
Who killed the elderly woman (and many others before her?) who was run over by a bus last Monday? And who is maiming or killing all the victims of motorcycle accidents that have become routine in the city and province? Who is responsible for the injuries and deaths caused by open manholes, obstructed and uneven sidewalks, complimentary tents (of politicians) used in the street during wakes or religious ceremonies?
They were not injured or killed only by greedy owners and reckless operators but also by irresponsible and possibly corrupt government officials who failed in their duty to implement safety regulations and take pre-emptive measures against accidents.
Thus, the elderly woman was not killed only by the reckless speeding driver but by traffic enforcers and policemen who do not enforce traffic rules. She was also killed by Land Transportation Office (LTO) personnel who keep renewing licenses (for a consideration presumably) of on-record reckless drivers.
What these accidents tell us is that our predominantly Catholic society has very little respect for life and less so for the life of the poor. It means that our consciences have not been sensitized to admit and confess as a sin of omission the killing of people through neglect and/or corruption.
Unfortunately and sadly, pro-life priests and bishops are only denouncing as “murderers” those who help the poor manage the size of their families with contraceptives. Death by accident is a moral issue because often the cause is somebody’s sin of omission. Priests should be able to see this through their moral microscope and ask people to repent for their sins not only of commission but also of omission.
Otherwise, failure to tag official neglect as a sin of omission will be the priests’ own sin of omission to confess and atone for.