Vol. 14 No. 9
April 26 - May 9, 2010
Php 20.
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Church will act againstsex abuse, popepromises victims
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By Roy Lagarde
CATHOLICS were urged bythe head of the Catholic bish-ops’ leadership to pray for thecountry as people prepare togo to polls in May to elect anew President.
He also called on the politicians andall other leaders to be careful of their ut-terances in order to maintain the peaceduring and after the elections.Calling it the most important elec-tion in years and highlighted by the
country’s rst automated elections on
May 10, Bishop Nereo Odchimar saidthe country is entering a crucial transi-tion period.According to him, the success of the
election is signicant to the country’s
political and economic stability whileits failure could further the suffering ofmany poor people.“No one will deny we stand at a cru-cial moment of transition,” Odchimarsaid in a statement released to the mediatoday, barely 11 days to go before theelections.The bishop said the country is alreadyin a “critical situation” caused by theerosion of moral values and the wide-spread corruption and dishonesty “allaround us.”
UGNAYAN
The News Supplementof Couples for Christ
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Bishop to bishops: Letpeople vote according toconscience
WITH the unprecedented political endorse-ments made by some Catholic bishops, a retiredprelate called on them to let the people voteaccording to their conscience in the approach-ing elections.While all the bishops are entitled to their ownopinions, Retired Bishop Francisco Claver cau-tioned fellow bishops that endorsing particularbets could divide the church and confuse thepeople.
Conscience / A6
Go on spiritual renewal,political bets told
A SENIOR prelate has given the presidentialwannabes a bit of unsolicited advice. Go onretreat for spiritual renewal.In a radio interview with Radio Veritas, JaroArchbishop Angel Lagdameo said that presi-dential aspirants should undergo recollectionfor their spiritual renewal.“Spiritual recollections are very importantand will surely do them good,” he said in thevernacular.Lagdameo said that instead of looking into theimperfections of their political rivals, candidates
Renewal / A6
May elections ‘crucial’to RP – CBCP
I l l u s t r a t i o n b y B l a d i m e r U s i
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‘The Priest and Pastoral Ministryin a Digital World: New Media atthe Service of the Word’
Bishop Odchimar asks prayer toachieve clean, peaceful polls
L-R Archbishop Oscar Cruz, Bishops Deogracias Iniguez and Teodoro Bacani join other religious leaders in prayer during the “Jericho March” for a
clean and peaceful elections, held in front of the ofce of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Intramuros, Manila, April 22, 2010.
We are apeople of faith
DEAR Broth-ers and Sistersin the RisenLord Jesus,and fellowcitizens inour belovedcountry:May 10,2010 marks atruly important date for all Filipinos.On this day of our national and lo-cal elections we are to choose whowill lead our nation and our localcommunities in the country in thecoming years. No one will denywe stand at a crucial moment oftransition. The country is in a criticalsituation; the need of true moral andsocial transformation is universallyfelt; in the erosion of moral values;in truly widespread corruption anddishonesty all around us; in thedecline of integrity of conduct inso many of our private and publicinstitutions. Poverty is ever grow-ing; the gap between rich and poorso obviously widening. Millions
have to go abroad to nd jobs. Divi
-sions and insurgencies persist andworsen. Much reform and changeis needed. The elections provide ameans for our people to take strongand decisive step toward urgentrenewal, toward changes that all arecrying out for—toward hope.We are a people of faith. Webelieve in a good and loving God.We know we need His guidanceand His help, so that we may moveforward toward new genuine hope,especially among our young people.We know God wishes us to build anation “founded on truth, guided
by justice, realized in freedom,owering in peace” (Blessed John
XXIII, Pacem in terris). But God bidsus to make His will for us our ownpurpose and endeavor. If we openour hearts to His needed grace, Heempowers us. Nasa Diyos ang awa[so we say], sa tao ang gawa. Webelieve that “unless the Lord build
the house, (we) labor in vain to riseit up.” (Ps 127:1) Even we in political
life, we know, “without Him we cando nothing!” Without God, we can-not transform truly and lastingly oursociety according to His will.Yes, in all these, there must befirst a turning to God in prayer.This is why we the Catholic Bish-ops’ conference of the Philippines,hereby endorse the urgent novenaaddressed to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heartof Mary, interceding our Fatherin heaven, for the realization ofintegrally free, clean and honestelection. This novena, initiated byseveral of the largest lay movementsand organizations in our country,has been blessed and proposed byHis Eminence Cardinal GaudencioRosales of Manila; we also make ittruly our own. We urge all Catholics,in their families, parishes and othercommunities, to pray these novenaprayers from May 1 to May 9. Makethis novena with sincerity and con-stancy, and even with intensity, asour present moment demands.If the Lord is with us, we need notfear all the forces of evil which arepresent and trying, by every kind ofdevious deed and shameless strat-egy, to make their own self-seekinginterests to prevail over the commongood, over the genuine aspirationsof our people. We implore God todisarm the evil-intentioned and tobring to naught those who wouldsubvert our people’s true will, andto sabotage honest, peaceful andcredible elections. “Vox populi Deiest”; that is God’s voice heard—inMINDANAO-based Catholic bishops and ulamas areset to meet later this month to discuss the upcomingMay polls amid looming scenario of a failureof elections.Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla,convenor of Bishop-Ulama Conference
(BUC), said the interfaith meeting is meant
to gather more information to guide them indecision making should the elections comeout not credible.He admitted that “the rumors, especiallyin Mindanao, are very strong about thefailure of elections…” adding, “…we willdiscuss what [we should] do if there’s afailure of election…”Capalla said the conference is very impor-tant as it will gather the three most stableorganizations in the country: the police,military and the Church.Expected to attend the meeting, aside fromCBCP President and Tandag Bishop NereoOdchimar, are Mindanao-based prelates and
Bishops, ulamas meet to discuss May polls
key ofcials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
and Philippine National Police, Manila-based Philip-pine Council of Evangelical Churches, Ulama Leagueof the Philippines and the Military Ordinariate whichserves the Armed Forces of the Philippinesand PNP with Catholic, Protestant and Mus-lim chaplains.Both AFP and PNP will provide updateson their preparations for the coming nationaland local elections, especially their effort todismantle private armed groups, and the
conscation of loose rearms, Capalla said.
The Independent Commission AgainstPrivate Armies where Butuan Bishop Juan DeDios Pueblos sits as Commissioner togetherwith Davao City-based Alim Mahmod Adi-
lao of the Ulama League will give a brieng
on the issue.
Joint statement
A joint statement is likely to be issued after
the assembly, according to Capalla. He dis-closed that a draft has already been preparedTAGBILARAN Bishop Leon-ardo Medroso appealed tothe Movie and TelevisionReview and Classification
Board (MTRCB) to ban the
Ultimate Fighting Champion-
ship (UFC) Sports, a mixed
martial arts tournament beingaired on cable television.Interviewed over Catholic-run Radio Veritas recently,the prelate said the sportsis too violent and barbaricand he is hoping the MTRCBwould ban the show on television.
“Dapat ipagbawal yan kasi whatcomes out is the bestiality of a man.Parang nagiging barbaric sila eh. Nan-dyan ang gusto ng tao na ang kanyang
power would over power the other,”the prelate said.Medroso also said this kind of show
will inuence men to be violent. He
added that these actions are not veryChristian and are the deeds of barbaricpeople.
“Tanda ng pagiging hayop yan e.kahayupan yan at gawa yan ng mgabarbaric na tao at hindi ng Kristiyano,”
Medroso said.The bishop said people are calledto be civilized, educated and to beChristian.“We are called to be Christian and toTHE country’s lead-ing prelates said thecountry’s politiciansand voters mustlearn to look at therecent past to learnlessons on leader-ship and dedicationto duty.Manila Archbish-op Gaudencio Car-dinal Rosales saidimportant issues takethe back seat as thecampaign seasonturn fever pitch dur-ing the last coupleof weeks before theMay 10, 2010 localand national polls.“Ang isyu ay na-tatabunan at angnakikita’y ang kaku-langan at kapintasan ng tao tulad ngpagpula at paninira sa kapwa,” Rosalestold CBCPNews when asked why thecampaign has focused on personali-ties instead of the country’s importantissues.
The 77-year old prelate said politi
-
cians who assume ofce do not seem to
care about the good things their prede-cessors accomplished. He stressed theneed for continuity.
Personalities rather than issuestake center stage, Cardinal says
He observed thatmost politiciansare convinced theirplans and strategiesare far better thantheir predecessors.“It appears if it isnot their idea then itmust be a bad idea,”he added. He ex-plained there is nocontinuity of goodgovernment pro-grams.“If this will al-ways be the case wewill never progressas most politiciansand political partieshave no clear politi-cal platforms, phi-losophy and convic-tions found in otherpolitical parties abroad.He said Americans have only tochoose between the Democrats andRepublicans who are poles apart interms of strategies in governance. Heexplained American voters know whatto expect when they elect either Demo-crats or Republicans.He said the entry of party-list even“muddled” the situation as most voters
Prelate urges MTRCB to ban UFC
Sports on TV
be Christian is to relate with others in
love and in justice,” he said.
Medroso expressed that the humandignity and sacredness of the body ofeach individual has to be respected asbrothers and sisters.He also urged the people not toadapt this sport since it is counter-cultural and against the traditions ofthe Filipinos.
“Huwag nating yakapin ang mga ganitong sports mula sa ibang bansadahil hindi ito akma sa kultura at tradi-syon ng mga Filipino. At ang masaklap pa sa sports na ito kapag ka nakikitanilang duguan at nakahandusay nawalang malay ang kanilang kalaban aynaghihiyawan pa at ipinapakita talagana walang halaga ang buhay ng tao.”
(Kate Laceda)
‘Crucial’ / A6
Bishop Nereo Odchimar
Discuss / A6Center stage / A6Faith / A6
Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales
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Vol. 14 No. 9
April 26 - May 9, 2010
CBCP Monitor
World News
Youth offer their faces as birthday giftfor Pope
MADRID, Spain, April 22, 2010—With the idea of making a birthday gift for Benedict XVI, World
Youth Day organizers used the ofcial Facebook page to collect 1,200 personal photos in 48 hours for
a collage that forms the image of Benedict XVI.The image was published on the Pope’s birthday—April 16—at the World Youth Day Web site.
“It is as though seeing the whole Church with one look,” one youth reected.
And the Holy Father himself is participating in the external preparations for the Aug. 16-21 eventin Madrid. During the general audience of Holy Week, one of the World Youth Day organizers, Paula
Rodríguez, presented him with a hat embroidered with the ofcial logo.
“He took the cap, put it on, and looked at me as though asking ‘does it look all right?’” Rodríguezrecounted excitedly. “He was very affectionate, he was truly a father, excited also with me.”
(Zenit)
KILDARE, Ireland, April 22, 2010—Bene-dict XVI has accepted the resignation ofanother Irish bishop who asked to stepdown in the wake of the widespread sexualabuse scandal in this country.Bishop James Moriarty of Kildare andLeighlin offered his resignation in De-cember, after the Murphy Report waspublished.
In a statement today, the 73-year-old
prelate said: "I did not anticipate resign-
ing when I rst read the Murphy Report,
because I was not directly criticized. How-ever, the Murphy Report covers far morethan what individual bishops did or didnot do. Renewal must begin with acceptingresponsibility for the past.
Pope accepts resignation of
Irish Bishop
BRUGES, Belgium, April 23, 2010—Benedict XVI has accepted the
resignation of Bishop Roger Joseph Vangheluwe of Bruges, Belgium,who admitted to sexually abusing a minor.
The resignation was reported by the Vatican press ofce. At a
press conference in Brussels, Bishop Vangheluwe admitted, "When
I was still just a priest, and for a certain period at the beginning
of my episcopate, I sexually abused a minor from my immediateenvironment.""The victim is still marked by what happened," he added.The prelate said that "over the course of these decades I haverepeatedly recognized my guilt towards him and his family, andI have asked forgiveness; but this did not pacify him, as it did notpacify me."He continued: "The media storm of recent weeks has increasedthe trauma, and the situation is no longer tenable."I profoundly regret what I did and offer my most sincere apolo-gies to the victim, to his family, to all the Catholic community andto society in general."
Thus, the 73-year-old bishop stated, "I have presented my
resignation as bishop of Bruges toPope Benedict XVI."At the same press conference,Archbishop Andre-Mutien Leonardof Mechelen-Brussels acknowledged,"We are facing a particularly serioussituation."
"Our thoughts go rst and foremost
to the victim and his family, someof whom have learned the shockingnews only today," he said. "For thevictim this has been a long Calvary,which has clearly not yet ended."
Conversion
The prelate noted that Bishop
Belgian Bishopsteps down, admitssexual abuse
"I servedas an auxil-iary bishopin the Arch-diocese ofDublinfrom 1991until myappoint-ment to thisdiocese in2002. I waspart of thegovernance of the archdiocese prior towhen correct child protection policies andprocedures were implemented. Again Iaccept that from the time I became an aux-iliary bishop, I should have challengedthe prevailing culture. Once more I apolo-gize to all survivors and their families."
(Zenit)
MADRID, Spain, April 22, 2010—Europeanparliamentarian Rocco Buttiglione recentlycalled on Catholics to strongly defendPope Benedict XVI from media criticism.He noted that pedophilia among priestsis “much lower than it is in any other pro-fessional sector,” and accused the mediaof “trying to scare families into thinkingthat it is dangerous for their children tobe Catholic.”During the 5th Conference of Catholics andPublic Life, the Italian politician said the datafrom a study by the University of New York,which includes accusations against Catholicpriests from the last 50 years in the U.S., shows
that out of 4,392 accusations, “958 were cases ofpedophilia, which led to 54 guilty verdicts.”
Italian politician urges Catholics tostrongly defend Pope Benedict
“In 50 years this equals one guilty verdictfor pedophilia per year out of 109,000 Catho-lic priests in the United States. That is, oneguilty verdict for every 2,000 priests.”Consequently, he concluded, accordingto this study, the incidence of pedophilia “ismuch lower than it is in any other profes-sional sector."Buttiglione said it appears that thoseleading the campaign against the Popeand the Church have lumped togetherdata from 50 years in order to “create panicamong the people and get in the headlinesfor an attack on the Catholic Church, towhich we must strongly respond, as it isunacceptable.”“They are trying to scare families intothinking that it is dangerous for theirchildren to be Catholic, which is absolutemadness, and to give the impression thatthe Catholic Church does not live up to herprinciples,” he added.Buttiglione strongly criticized priests whoabuse children, but noted that if the offenderwere “a Hollywood star, people would cometo his defense.”Those who attack Benedict XVI, he said,didn’t have the courage to do the same to John Paul II “because of the prestige he had.”“But now, with the arrival of Benedict XVI,they have sought their revenge.”For this reason, he called on the faith-ful to strongly defend the current Pontiff.
(CNA)
ROME, Italy, April 23, 2010—
The Italian Bishops' Conference
(CEI) inaugurated a three-day
conference on "Digital Wit-nesses" yesterday in Rome. Thegathering is aimed at providinga new generation with access tothe message of Christ, using arecognizable "language."The conference has drawn
more than 1,300 participants from
across Italy, who are attendingaddresses given by directors and
journalists from Italian media
outlets, experts on communica-tions and digital technologies andChurch leaders.In his address on the openingday of the conference, CEI's sec-retary general, Bishop MarianoCrociata, said that while newmedia channels promoted bythe Church community do notreplace other means of com-munication, they do "representa new opportunity" in responseto the demand to "intensify dia-logue and collaboration."
Church must confrm Christian identity
online, says Italian bishop
lenge of establishing an "organic
project" for social communica
-tions in the pastoral plan ofdioceses that integrates thislanguage and identity into otherenvironments.Citing the Holy Father's mes-sage for World CommunicationsDay, the CEI secretary generalconcluded, "We must stop con-sidering communications as 'anVangheluwe, as a person "has the right to conversion, trusting inthe mercy of God."However, he added, "as regardshis function, it is vital that, out ofrespect for the victim and his family,and out of respect for the truth, he
should resign from ofce; this is what
he has done.""The Pope immediately acceptedthe resignation of the bishop of Bru-
ges," the archbishop afrmed.
He continued: "The Church thusunderlines the importance of not pro-crastinating in such cases. We hopeto contribute to the rehabilitation ofthe victim."The decision of the bishop ofBruges, and the calling of this pressconference, express the transparency that the Catholic Churchin Belgium rigorously wishes to apply in these matters, turninga new page with respect to the not-so-distant period in whichthe Church, and others, preferred the solution of silence orconcealment."Archbishop Leonard acknowledged that "this event will causegreat suffering in the whole Catholic community of Belgium, es-pecially because Bishop Vangheluwe was considered a generousand dynamic person, much appreciated in his diocese and in theBelgian Church.""We, his confreres, are aware of the crisis of trust this will provokein many people," the prelate added.Nonetheless, he concluded, "we dare to hope that wisdomwill prevail and that the bishops, and especially the priests, ofthis country will not be unduly discredited as a group, because
the vast majority lives a lifestyle coherent with their vocation,
with a faithfulness for which I here publicly express my thanks."
(Zenit)
It's about reaching ageneration which hasa different vocabu-lary, Bishop Crociataexplained, describingyoung people as "dig-ital natives" who havebeen raised with thespeed and pervasive-ness of today's "hori-zontal, decentralizedand interactive com-munication."It's "a generationthat is not against Godor the Church, buta generation that islearning to live without God andwithout the Church," he noted.In this context, he continued,the commitment of the Churchto developing a "new literacy"in the digital media is abouthaving a presence that is markedby "the Christian identity, thesuperabundance represented bythe Gospel."He also highlighted the chal-ulterior segment to thepastoral ministry or asector dedicated tothe media,' to under-stand it rather as 'thesetting for a pastoraloutreach entirely andintegrally "rethought"from what the cultureof media is and deter-mines in consciencesand in society.'"Additional topicsto be address duringthe conference are:"The social networkand its centrality incommunicative practices" and"Young people between massmedia and personal media."The culminating event of the
conference is the nal address,
which will be given by the HolyFather in the Vatican's Paul VIHall on Saturday afternoon to a
crowd of around 8,000 partici
-pants and other representativesof the Italian Church.
(CNA)
Researcher fnds
strong link betweencontraception and HIV
FORT ROYAL, Va., April 23, 2010—A researcher reportedearlier this week that there is a strong scientic link between
hormonal contraceptives and a woman's risk of contractingAIDS/HIV. Joan Robinson, a researcher at the Population Research Insti-tution, said that although over 50 medical studies to date show
the link between the two, the scientic consensus has received
little to no media coverage due to the economic and ideologicalforce behind contraception.“The science is settled,” Robinson says. “Hormonal contra-ceptives—the oral pill and Depo-Provera—increase almostall known risk factors for HIV, from upping a woman's riskof infection, to increasing the replication of the HIV virus, tospeeding the debilitating and deadly progression of the dis-ease,” reports Robinson in her article, titled “The Pill's Deadlyaffair with HIV/AIDS.”Robinson explained on the PRI website Tuesday that hor-
monal contraceptives boost the number of specic cells in
women which HIV uses to infect and proliferate in the body.According to the researcher, hormonal contraceptives alsocreate an “ideal” site for HIV infection on the surface of awoman's uterus, eliminate the natural pH acid protectionagainst infection and cause the fragile cervical tissue to growbeyond its natural bounds and replace what would normallybe thick, protective membrane. Additionally, said Robinson,hormonal contraception can cause vaginal dryness whichmakes the environment susceptible to tears and abrasions,creating fertile sites for infection.“The ‘family planning’ types dismiss out of hand the im-
pressive body of scientic research demonstrating a Pill/HIV
link,” Robinson continued, “preferring to rely on a handful of
their own highly questionable trials which claim to nd ‘no
increase in HIV risk among users of oral contraceptives andDepo-Provera.’”“This is like relying on a tobacco company to monitor a studyon the link between cigarettes and cancer,” she charged.Robinson also wrote that despite the risks involved, manyU.S-funded organizations promote these drugs to women indeveloping countries, even though they increase the odds ofthese women contracting HIV/AIDS.“Population control groups continue to lobby for morehormonal contraception, not less,” she noted. “How manylives are being lost because we continue to ship boatloadsof hormonal contraceptives to a continent and to countrieslaboring under an HIV/AIDS pandemic? Isn't it time that westopped?”Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute,echoed Robinson and said on Wednesday that “Groups likeUSAID and the U.N. Population Fund must recognize the dangerof recklessly pushing hormonal contraception on populationssuffering from the scourge of AIDS.”
(CNA)
© h o l y i n n o c e n t s l o n g b e a c h . b l o g s p o t . c o m © w w w . c a r l o w - n a t i o n a l i s t . i e
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Vol. 14 No. 9
April 26 - May 9, 2010
CBCP Monitor
News Features
Church will act against sexabuse, pope promises victims
VATICAN CITY, April 21, 2010—Recalling a recent meeting with victims of sexabuse by clergy, Pope Benedict XVI reiterated his promise that the church wasdoing everything it could to end abuse.
During his April 17-18 trip to Malta, “I wanted to meet with some people—
victims of abuse by some members of clergy,” the pope told about 15,000 peoplegathered in St. Peter’s Square for his general audience April 21.
The pope privately met April 18 with eight men who had been abused as
minors by priests.“I shared in their suffering and, with emotion, I prayed with them, assuringaction on behalf of the church,” he said at the general audience.According to a Vatican statement released immediately after the pope’s 20-minute meeting with victims at the apostolic nunciature in Rabat, Malta, the popewas “deeply moved by their stories and expressed his shame and sorrow overwhat victims and their families have suffered.”“He prayed with them and assured them that the church is doing, and will
continue to do, all in its power to investigate allegations, to bring to justice those
responsible for abuse and to implement effective measures designed to safeguardyoung people in the future,” the statement said.The pope reviewed the highlights of his trip to Malta during his weekly gen-eral audience.The pope’s two-day trip helped commemorate the 1,950th anniversary of St.Paul’s shipwreck on the island, which heralded in the beginnings of Christian-ity in Malta.Ever since St. Paul’s arrival, Malta has held fast to its Catholic roots, and thepope praised the Mediterranean nation for being faithful to the Gospel for the past two millennia.It is not always easy for a country to draw inspiration from the Gospel that will help them addresscomplicated, modern day challenges, he said.However, the people of Malta have “a Christian vision of life” when they respond to new challenges,he said. For example, the country has staunchly maintained its respect for the unborn and the sanctityof marriage by not allowing the legalization of abortion or divorce.
He recalled his meeting with young people April 18, which
was “a moment of deep and intense dialogue.”After the youths presented their hopes, doubts and wor-ries, the pope offered St. Paul as an example of a youth whoexperienced “a radical transformation after his encounterwith the risen Christ.”Young people around the world are called to discover thebeauty of God’s love and the mystery of Christ’s cross andto be victorious over the trials and tribulations in their ownlives, the pope said.He said the message he took to Malta was that peopleshould not fear life’s storms and disaster.“Do not be afraid of the storms of life, even less its ship-wrecks, because God’s loving plan is even greater thanstorms and shipwrecks,” he said.He also reminded people of the problem of immigration inMalta, which must deal with large numbers of people who
often are eeing poverty, violence and persecution.
The humanitarian, political and legal problems caused by
a large inux of immigrants on a tiny island “do not have
easy solutions,” he said. But solutions must be “sought withperseverance and tenacity” while working together withinternational organizations and initiatives, he said.At the end of the audience, a Canadian artist presented the
pope with a 28-inch-high bronze monstrance. Achim Klaas, whose company is located in Ontario, handed thepope the monstrance, which is based on a traditional “ray design,” which has its roots in 14th-century art.Also present at the audience were more than 400 priests from the diocese of Rome, who came to the
square at the invitation of Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the papal vicar of Rome, to express their “most
cordial and affectionate greetings” for the pope’s birthday April 16 and the fth anniversary of hisponticate April 19.
(CNS)
ROME, Italy, April 19, 2010—In
the midst of difculties, the Holy
Father continues to pursue the
priorities of his ponticate with
“consistency and courage,” statedVatican spokesman Fr. FedericoLombardi on his weekly televi-sion program this past Saturday.He briefly reviewed the mile-stones of Pope Benedict’s tenure,noting the “rich and full balance”the Pope has struck “betweenserving God and humanity.”
Reecting on the fth anniver
-sary of Pope Benedict XVI’s pon-
ticate on his weekly television
Vatican Television show, “OctavaDies,” Fr. Lombardi observed thatto gain a proper perspective on theperiod, “we must return to the Sistine Chapel.” From this venue on themorning following his election, the Holy Father spoke of the spirituallegacy of Pope John Paul II and indicated the priorities that would be
the focus of his ponticate, recalled the Vatican spokesman.On April 20, 2005, the Holy Father directed his rst address to the
College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, clearly stating his wish
to renew his “unconditional promise of delity” to the Lord and his
intention “to serve him alone,” dedicating himself completely to theservice of his Church.Among the priorities the Pope spoke of on that day, Fr. Lom-
Vatican spokesman calls Benedict
XVI’s ponticate ‘rich and full’
bardi listed “man’s relationshipwith God” as revealed by Christand found in the Eucharist andChurch worship, a tireless com-mitment to “full and visible”Christian unity and a responseto the “call for help” from afearful and uncertain modernhumanity for answers regardingits future.Fr. Lombardi noted anotherpriority for Pope Benedict is towork for an “open and sinceredialogue” on the ecumenical andinter-religious fronts.“There is no doubt,” he related,“that these have been the real pri-
orities of the ponticate, pursued
with consistency and courage ina context often not without tensions and obstacles.”
Reviewing the major journeys the Pope has taken and his sub
-stantial contributions to society through his writings, Fr. Lombardicommented that it was not his own light that the Pope declared hewould shine on that day, “but that of Christ.”
The Vatican spokesman nished his weekly editorial by saying,“The ponticate thus far has seen a rich and full balance between
serving God and humanity.It is, he said, “A path to continue with a sure course.”
(CNA/ ETWN News)
QUEZON CITY, April 18, 2010—A network of environmental advo
-cates have lauded the Supreme Court’s promulgation of a set of rulesthat would protect the integrity of creation and hasten resolution ofenvironmental cases.
The Supreme Court on April 14 has published the “Rules of Proce
-dures for environmental Cases” that will take effect 15 days later.Kalookan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez, Jr., who currently heads theCBCP Public Affairs Committee, said the new rules “should leadto increased vigilance and action to defend the integrity of creationfrom destructive activities such as dumping, mining and logging,to cite a few.”“I hope that affected communities will take advantage of the forti-
ed legal recourse to uphold the sanctity of the ecosystems and the
common good,” Iñiguez said.Legal luminaries and environmental activists have given theirinput in the development of the Rules. They also participated inconsultative processes organized by the Supreme Court.“We hail the Puno court for providing our citizens with new tools
to expedite their quest for the elusive environmental justice,” saidlawyer Amang Mejia, counsel of the EcoWaste Coalition, an envi
-ronmental network that has previously commended Chief Justice
Reynato Puno for his “green judicial activism.”
“It is now up to the people to speak out, go to the courts and testthe Rules to seek remedies against crimes committed against MotherNature,” he emphasized.The Rules will cover cases involving the enforcement of the coun-try’s environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act, Clean WaterAct, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, Toxic Substancesand Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Act, Oil Spill CompensationAct, National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, IndigenousPeople’s Rights Act,Philippine Fisheries Code, Wildlife Conservationand Protection Act, to name a few.The Supreme Court has included a precautionary principle into
the Rules, stating that “when there is a lack of full scientic certainty
in establishing a causal link between human activity and environ-mental effect, the court shall apply the precautionary principle inresolving the case before it.”“With this, we anticipate the courts hewing arguments and deci-sions espousing that the protection of the people’s health and theenvironment takes precedence over personal or corporate gains,”noted Eileen Sison, NGO representative to the National Solid WasteManagement Commission.Atty. Golly Ramos of the Global Legal Action on Climate Changealso noted that the Rules “will transform the legal profession and thepractice of law in our country and instill a mindset of sustainabilityamong stakeholders.”“The wide gap existing between the law and reality will be nar-rowed down as the trail-blazing remedies such as the writ of ka-likasan, writ of continuing mandamus, citizen suit and anti-SLAPP,afforded to the people, ecological stewards and dedicated civilservants will render the violation or non-compliance of environ-mental laws a very expensive and tedious option,” Ramos pointedout.
(CBCPNews)
Advocates laud Court rulesprotecting environment
CAGAYAN DE ORO City, April21, 2010— Alibi, the weakestdefense in the book, was whatopened the door to freedom fortwo members of the powerfulwarlord-cum-politicians’ clan ofMaguindanao, said the lawyer-president of this city’s press club.This as the party-list group
Anak Mindanao (AMIN) said that
Justice Secretary Alberto Agra hasset a bad precedent by his decision,and thus, guilty of abortion.“The DOJ is guilty of abortion.Secretary Agra’s decision sets avery bad precedent as it will con-vey the message that crime doespay in this country and that crimi-nals will go unpunished for aslong as they have friends in highplaces,” said AMIN Rep. Ariel C.Hernandez, a native of GingoogCity in Misamis Oriental.
DOJ decision sets bad precedent—partylist
Bobby Goking, president ofthe Cagayan de Oro Press Club
(COPC) said Agra based his de
-cision to dismiss the case againstsuspended ARMM Gov. ZaldyAmpatuan and Vice Gov. Ak-mad Ampatuan on the “weakestof all defenses,” alibi.“This is very glaring. They’regoing to free them one by one,”he said. Justice Secretary Alberto Agracleared the two Ampatuanson murder charges for “lack ofproof that they conspired withthe other accused.”Agra also said in his high-ly controversial decision that“mere relationship and havingthe same name, do not establishconspiracy.”In his alibi, Zaldy Ampatuansaid he was in a meeting withother governors in Davao Cityon the eve of the massacre. Andon the day of the massacre, he
claimed he ew to Manila fromDavao as certied by the Philip
-pine Airlines.On the other hand, Akmad wasfreed because, according to Agra,there was “lack of witnesses toimplicate him in the massacre.”But COPC’s Goking, who isalso a lawyer, said the two Am-patuans’ defense were all alibis.Goking also said it was no lon-
ger under Agra’s jurisdiction to
free the two because the case had
already been led in court.
Another lawyer, Beverly Mus-ni of the Union of People’s Law-
yers in Mindanao (UPLM) said
Agra’s decision is fraught withanomalies and that it thrashedthe rules of the courts.“The rules of court werethrashed; the normal process
of the justice system was set
aside. Agra didn’t even havethe courtesy to inform the legalcounsels of the victims’ relativesthat the two had been exoneratedso that they can take appropriatelegal remedies,” she said duringMonday’s indignation rally atthe Freedom Monument in frontof the Provincial Capitol here.Musni, who is also the secre-tary-general for Northern Mind-anao of the human rights groupKarapatan, said that the DOJ hadearlier recommended the inclu-sion of the two Ampatuans in themurder charges because of a testi-mony of a witness that was foundby the court to be reliable.AMIN’s Hernandez, mean-while, urged the Committee on Justice to initiate a congressionalinquiry on Agra over his contro-versial decision.Hernandez said there really isa great need to investigate Agrasince his decision is “highly suspi-cious and leaves a ‘very bad tastein the mouth, so to speak’.”He said a congressional in-quiry is the best venue for Agrato explain to the Filipino nationhis decision.“As a true Mindanawon party-
list, advocating and ghting for
the aspirations of all Mindana-wons for equity, development,
peace and social justice, AMIN is
calling for a congressional inquiryand let the Department of Justice
(DOJ) explain to the whole Fili
-pino nation this very controversialdecision,” Hernandez said.According to him, AMIN is
joining the families of the victims
and is supporting the indigna-tion rallies organized to protestthe very controversial decision.“We are supporting the fami-
lies of the victims on their ghtfor justice. And we are joining
the whole Filipino nation in con-demning this decision,” he said.Hernandez also said AMINquestions the timing of the de-cision.
© w w w . d i - v e . c o m © w w w . c o m p a n y s j . c o m
Fr. Federico Lombardi
VATICAN CITY, April21, 2010—The HolyFather sent a specialmessage to the priestsof the world at Wednes-day morning’s generalaudience in St. Peter’sSquare. He dedicated afew words to a particu-lar group of clergy rep-resented there in personand expressed his “re-spect and deep recogni-tion” for all priests.During the individual language greet-ings on a mostly cloudy spring day inRome, the Holy Father once again tookthe opportunity to recognize clergy as theongoing Year for Priests unfolds.In his Italian-language greeting, Pope
Priests recognized by BenedictXVI for being servants of Christ
Benedict welcomedpriests from the Dioceseof Rome, of which he isthe bishop. The priests,led by Cardinal Vicar ofRome and auxiliary bish-
ops, had just returned
from a pilgrimage to Ars,France, the home of St. Jean Vianney, as an ini-tiative for the Year forPriests.Thanking them fortheir presence, affectionand “spiritual closeness,” Pope Benedict alsoexpressed his “respect and deep recognition
to (these) and to priests who all over the
world dedicate themselves with apostoliczeal to serving the people of God, thus bear-ing witness to Christ’s charity.”He encouraged them to be “patient andsolicitous pastors” in the line of the Patronof Priests, St. Vianney, “for the good ofsouls.”The Holy Father also included a re-minder that the World Day of Prayer forVocations will be celebrated this comingSunday.Still speaking in Italian, the Pope con-cluded with special greeting to youngpeople, the sick and newly married
couples. He called on the youth to nd
their “personal answer to His design oflove” in their dialogue with God, askedthe sick to offer up their suffering for thematurity of “numerous and holy voca-tions” and exhorted the newlyweds to
nd the strength to build “an authentic
Christian family” in daily prayer.
(CNA/ EWTN News)
© r e l i g i o n c o m p a s s . w o r d p r e s s . c o m
© C B C P M e d i a
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CBCP Monitor vol14-n9
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