Confused bishops’ noises

The intensity of the attacks from the detractors is increasing, with the bishops again joining the fray, even as the faithful yearn for the Church’s guidance, as priests prefer to pontificate from their ivory tower rather than commune with their parishioners.

It was even President Rodrigo Duterte, who was the butt of criticism by the bishops over the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), who had to invoke divine presence to intervene and save the nation from the coronavirus disease pandemic.

“God is knowledgeable. He knows He won’t forsake us, especially the Philippines because we’re Christians,” he said in a recorded public address aired Tuesday morning.

If Jesus Christ could sacrifice himself for the sins of humanity, Filipinos could at least practice “patience” while waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine to be developed, according to the President.

“Let’s sacrifice a little. Our Idol made a sacrifice as well. He was whipped, nailed to the cross. We just hear Mass, kneel. So, dedicate it to the Lord that you also suffer for the country,” he explained in the simplest way why the heavens will not forsake Filipinos.

Nothing of such profound petition has been obtained from the Church lately, which instead has taken the line of the administration’s opponents in every brickbat thrown against President Duterte, including the supposed police and military actions in response to the pandemic.

Contrast the President’s words with those of the venom-laced statements from the bishops who are trying to provoke a legal battle over the ATA.

Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Manila Archdiocese, dared Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador

Panelo to file a case against the clergy and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) who are protesting the controversial Anti-Terror Law.

Panelo knows the bishops are playing politics and are trying to bait an action that they can brand as “government suppression, silencing of voices and weaponization of the law, similar to what detractors and critics recite when they are hailed to court for their transgressions.”

In a pastoral letter, which is a misnomer since priests have abandoned their spiritual duty to pursue terrestrial concerns, including demonizing the President, the CBCP claimed the ATA was “fast-tracked” in Congress despite legislators’ statement of the need for a stronger law to replace the weak Human Security Act (HSA).

The HSA was made useless by the same detractors who have installed provisions that made it almost impossible for law enforcers to carry out their jobs against terror groups.

“Panelo indicated the bishops’ letter seemed to have crossed the line separating the Church and State as mandated by the 1987 Constitution.

Panelo indicated the bishops’ letter seemed to have crossed the line separating the Church and State as mandated by the

1987 Constitution.

Moreover, the bishops appear to be lending their voice to the political critics since the ATA has lately been targeted as a main issue against President Duterte.

“The Church should not attempt to interfere in purely political or temporal matters. Otherwise, with its strong persuasion, they are to dictate how the nation should run its earthly affairs — a clear derogation of the separation principle,” he said.

Men of the cloak should first attend to the faithful’s spiritual well-being, which also has been drastically affected by the pandemic, as Church services have been suspended and lately have resumed but have been greatly limited.

Priests should have played a pivotal role in giving answers to several questions raised regarding the existential crisis many are facing.

“Nothing of such profound petition has been obtained from the Church lately, which instead has taken the line of the administration’s opponents.