Change and the Catholic Church

Iam not a Catholic, and neither am I a diehard fan of President Duterte. But for once, the two called for change recently. On All Saints’ Day, President Duterte told the people learn to “become agents of positive change in our country.” During the other Sunday’s “Heal Our Land” Mass, which was organized as a call for healing in our country rocked by extrajudicial killings and social media wars, the homily of outgoing Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Soc Villegas carried the same message: “Let us change our lives, including myself.” The incoming CBCP President, Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, had a softer message: “Inspire and not condemn the police.”

The messages are good and are needed by a fragmented nation. But there are questions on the institutions calling for such change. The president started his reign with the promise of change, but a recent survey showed that six of ten Pinoys doubt if he can deliver that promise. Critics point to the fact that Duterte’s campaign against corruption and crime has only further victimized the poor who had earlier pinned their hopes on him.

On the other side, the Catholic Church also has lost much of its authority and influence. It has been seen as being out of step with the times as it clings to orthodoxy rather than, say, pushing for the right of people for reproductive health care and to divorce. But more jarring are the failures of its leadership to hold previous presidents accountable for corruption and human rights violations.

Still, the Church’s message carries a prophetic role. As we see the country rocked by divisiveness and fanaticism to a president that diehard supporters call “the last hope to save the nation,” Bishop Villegas articulated more of our ills, “We chose violence over peace. We chose lies over truth. We laugh at obscenities instead of correcting these. This is not being a Filipino.”

We have to be reminded that calls for change should come from within, or more radically from the people who have seen enough of slogans and rhetoric. I remember progressive nuns and priests saying the church we want is a church that journeys with the poor, the victims of killings, the farmers crying for agrarian reform, the Lumads saying stop bombing our schools and putting mining companies and plantations over our land.

I remember activists who call out that the change we need in government should be a substantial one. One that provides more jobs, more land, better wages, better conditions in public services from schools to hospitals to agrarian reform. More peace than all-out wars. More independence and self-reliance than relying on foreign-driven investments and capital.

“Feel the pain, talk about it,” goes a Tears for Fears song. “If you’re a worried man, then shout about it. Open hearts, feel about it. Open minds, think about it.” The change we want truly starts with us when we open our hearts and minds.--

from SunStar Davao

I remember activists who call out that the change we need in government should be a substantial one