Two churches

MEASURED in extra-judi cial killings, the evil rating of Marcos’s Martial Law regime was off the charts. Yet the Church of the bishops (first Church) never stood up to the dictator the way they are standing up to President Duterte now for the evil of yet-to-be-proven-state-ordered killings.

In those dark days, this Church adopted a feeble policy of critical collaboration with a dictator that was jailing, torturing, causing to disappear and killing members of the Church of the laity (second Church) for witnessing to Christ’s compassion among the poor and oppressed.

But non-Catholic Ferdinand Marcos was “respectful” of the bishops. Hence, even when they knew the priests, nuns and lay leaders were persecuted by Marcos for their work with poor workers and farmers, the Church of the bishops (with the exception of the bishops of Mindanao) was egregiously tight-lipped.

Duterte, for his part, calls the bishops out for hypocrisy. Thus, even when we don’t really know why the three priests were killed the latter nevertheless have the temerity (I wouldn’t call it courage) to presume them killed for witnessing to their faith and dump blame on Duterte’s lap.

The Church of the bishops doesn’t really care for the poor as the general lack of diocesan and parish programs for the poor would prove. Thus, they are not really speaking up to champion the cause of the poor (whom they only see as souls and not as bodies) but to defend the position of influence they have always enjoyed since colonial times.

Meanwhile, members of the Church of the laity continue to work for justice and peace in critical collaboration with this administration. Both practicing and non-practicing Catholics can be found witnessing to their faith among workers, farmers, urban poor, trafficked persons, lumads, etc. none of whom are getting nothing more than grudging moral, but no financial support, from the wealthy Church of the bishops.

Only when the influence of the first Church wanes will this country attain economic stability and political maturity because only then will the suffering second Church learn to take personal responsibility for their lives, rely on their Godgiven gifts of courage and creativity to face life’s challenges and not leave their fate to God.