THE Archbishop of Manila issued a statement on Wednesday “on the recent issues in our country,” addressed to “My Dear Priests in the Archdiocese.”
Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle’s statement, as posted on the Web sites of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, comes in the wake of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s ranting against the Catholic Church and God.
The statement, sent from Geneva where the Archbishop said he is attending the United Nations Conference on Migrants and Refugees sponsored in part by the Holy See, called for “peace” and “calm,” and for “us not (to) be distracted from addressing other pressing concerns with the fervor of faith and love: for example, the increasing prices of goods, job security, exploitation of women and children, violence in homes and neighborhoods, different types of addictions, crimes, vulnerabilities of OFWs, the daily paralyzing traffic in big cities, flooding, reconstruction of destroyed cities, combating terrorism, corruption and others.”
“Be at peace. Be calm. Don’t let things disturb your inner peace. Let us read the situation with the eyes of faith,” the Archbishop said.
He also cited Vatican II, which “stressed that we Catholics should respect non-Catholics and their religions.”
“We also respect those who do not believe in God. All people should strive to respect those who differ from their beliefs. Religions are not to be used for conflicts but for mutual understanding and peace, he added.
The statement went further: “Questioning God and God’s ways is not new. It is as old as humanity and religions. In the history of the church, they have become moments for study, reflection and clarification of doctrine. Creation and evolution, God’s goodness and evil, God’s grace and human freedom, God’s mercy and eternal punishment — these topics have been raised at various moments of the Church’s history.”
Archbishop Tagle also recalled Pope Francis’s 2015 visit to the Philippines. “Remember Glyzelle, the young girl who asked Pope Francis at UST, ‘Why does God allow children to suffer?’ These questions are always raised and will continue to be raised.”
Mr. Duterte, at the start of his presidential campaign in 2016, ranted against the Pope for the traffic in Manila during the visit of His Holiness and saying, “Pope, p—–ina ka, umuwi ka na” (Pope, you son of a _____, just go home).”
The Archbishop said further: As a constructive step perhaps, we can invite our philosophers, scientists, theologians, bible scholars, catechists and social workers to revisit these concerns and present responses appropriate to our contemporary sensibilities.”
He also shared some Bible verses that “might help restore a faith perspective and interior peace when people get disturbed by questions about God and God’s ways.”
One of the verses that Mr. Tagle shared, from Matthew 5: 11-12, went “Blest are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you because of Me.”
Also on Wednesday, Davao City Mayor and presidential daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio posted on social media: “Please do not listen to him (Mr. Duterte) interpret the (B)ible or (Q)uoran, he is not a priest, a pastor or an imam. He is the President, listen only when he speaks about his work. And criticize him on his work not on his ‘talkkalese.’ Do not waste your negative energy on his interpretation of the (B)ible, that is his opinion. He is protected by the Constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression even if he is President.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

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