By Nestor Etolle (The Philippine Star)
... on the Honorable Congressman Edcel Laman's comments on the above mentioned article
Comment #1 - Just wondering what would they have done if someone from a pro-life group starts barging into the house of representative's session hall while they are deliberating a "very important bill" such as the RH Bill.
Comment #2 - The Hon. Gentleman is a lawmaker, he should know better what a law and adherence to the law means. If the Good Congressman really believes that Article 133 of the revised penal code "is an archaic and colonial vestige", as a lawmaker what does he intend to do about it?
To accuse the Filipino Catholic Clergy of abusing their authority simply because they are showing an opposition to a Bill that falls to what has been declared "illicit" since 1968 by an encyclical letter of Pope Paul VI is not even justifiable.
For the stand of the CBCP is not a stand that only the Local Conference of Bishops has made, but was made from a stand point promulgated by the Vicar of Christ in the 60s and upheld by his successors.
In the words of one wikipedia writer on the topic Humanae Vitae
"...what was true yesterday is true also today." - Words of Pope Benedict XVI on May 12, 2008, when he accepted an invitation to talk to participants in the International Congress organized by the Pontifical Lateran University on the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae.
If the Filipino Catholic Clergy in making a firm stand to a duty that was imposed to them by an encyclical promulgated by a Vicar of Christ is bedeviling a government, I don't think I will be able to make a distinction between good and evil anymore.
As an example, before the Presidential election of this year took place, some members of the clergy also used their homilies to inform the public of not voting for known corrupt officials, can this be considered to be lambasting and defaming corrupt officials?
Secondly, if telling the truth and the reasons why the Universal Church Opposes the Reproductive Health Bill can now be considered lambasting and defaming, I no longer know what these two words means...
" To be a member of the Catholic Church is easy, it's becoming one that makes it difficult"
Maybe our Parish Priest was right when he said "... the Spaniards were successful in converting us into Christianity, but has failed in evangelizing most of us..."
- Jov of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, OCDS
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... the filing of charges against Celdran “smacks of intolerance and unchristian conduct by the Catholic hierarchy.”
It is stretching too far the Church’s opposition to the Reproductive Health bill because the ejection of Celdran from the Manila Cathedral premises was sufficient and his incarceration at the time when prosecutory and judicial offices were closed was unnecessary and unwarranted,” - Hon. Edcel Lagman
Comment #1 - Just wondering what would they have done if someone from a pro-life group starts barging into the house of representative's session hall while they are deliberating a "very important bill" such as the RH Bill.
... Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code on “offending the religious feelings” is “an archaic and colonial vestige.” - Hon. Edcel Lagman
Comment #2 - The Hon. Gentleman is a lawmaker, he should know better what a law and adherence to the law means. If the Good Congressman really believes that Article 133 of the revised penal code "is an archaic and colonial vestige", as a lawmaker what does he intend to do about it?
“Celdran’s display of a placard on which was written the name ‘DAMASO’ is an apt reminder to Church officials of the abuses and inequities of the clergy during the Spanish colonial regime when the Church wantonly interfered in secular activities and dictated on civilian authorities,” - Hon. Edcel Lagman
“The message of Celdran is that ‘Father Damasos’ have survived the Spanish era and continue to bedevil government up to today,” - Hon. Edcel LagmanComment #3 - as I have said in my previous post, if Mr. Celdran has done it outside of the Cathedral, the Church Hierarchy would simply have just disregarded it, or who knows, might have even listened to him. But as the Clergy of the Arch Diocese of Manila has pointed out
“These actions cannot by any means be considered within the purview of freedom of expression. Instead they were malicious acts directed towards a faith, a religion that was represented by its leaders and the faithful gathered. It was desecrating a consecrated place, as every Catholic Church or chapel is consecrated by sacred rites” ...
“His right to protest in this manner ended after he entered the doors of the Manila Cathedral..."
To accuse the Filipino Catholic Clergy of abusing their authority simply because they are showing an opposition to a Bill that falls to what has been declared "illicit" since 1968 by an encyclical letter of Pope Paul VI is not even justifiable.
For the stand of the CBCP is not a stand that only the Local Conference of Bishops has made, but was made from a stand point promulgated by the Vicar of Christ in the 60s and upheld by his successors.
In the words of one wikipedia writer on the topic Humanae Vitae
"18. It is to be anticipated that perhaps not everyone will easily accept this particular teaching.
There is too much clamorous outcry against the voice of the Church, and this is intensified by modern means of communication.
But it comes as no surprise to the Church that she, no less than her divine Founder, is destined to be a "sign of contradiction." [23] She does not, because of this, evade the duty imposed on her of proclaiming humbly but firmly the entire moral law, both natural and evangelical.
Since the Church did not make either of these laws, she cannot be their arbiter—only their guardian and interpreter. It could never be right for her to declare lawful what is in fact unlawful, since that, by its very nature, is always opposed to the true good of man.
In preserving intact the whole moral law of marriage, the Church is convinced that she is contributing to the creation of a truly human civilization. She urges man not to betray his personal responsibilities by putting all his faith in technical expedients.
In this way she defends the dignity of husband and wife. This course of action shows that the Church, loyal to the example and teaching of the divine Savior, is sincere and unselfish in her regard for men whom she strives to help even now during this earthly pilgrimage "to share God's life as sons of the living God, the Father of all men."
"...what was true yesterday is true also today." - Words of Pope Benedict XVI on May 12, 2008, when he accepted an invitation to talk to participants in the International Congress organized by the Pontifical Lateran University on the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae.
If the Filipino Catholic Clergy in making a firm stand to a duty that was imposed to them by an encyclical promulgated by a Vicar of Christ is bedeviling a government, I don't think I will be able to make a distinction between good and evil anymore.
“The protest of Celdran is even of a lesser degree than the clergy’s using the pulpit to repeatedly lambast and defame RH advocates in lieu of a homily on the gospel for the day, which malicious tirades also offend the religious feelings of the faithful who go to Church to participate in a solemn Mass,”...Comment #4 - If the Honorable Congressman is not a Catholic I will understand why he would say these words. But if he is a Catholic, he should know that the Homily is just a part of the Liturgy of the Word that can be used by the Clergy to convey a pastoral message/s issued by their Local Ordinaries and can also be used to address local social issues and concerns.
As an example, before the Presidential election of this year took place, some members of the clergy also used their homilies to inform the public of not voting for known corrupt officials, can this be considered to be lambasting and defaming corrupt officials?
Secondly, if telling the truth and the reasons why the Universal Church Opposes the Reproductive Health Bill can now be considered lambasting and defaming, I no longer know what these two words means...
" To be a member of the Catholic Church is easy, it's becoming one that makes it difficult"
Maybe our Parish Priest was right when he said "... the Spaniards were successful in converting us into Christianity, but has failed in evangelizing most of us..."
- Jov of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, OCDS
Related Links:
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