Adopts Manila Archdiocese Stand: Cebu church closes May rites to gays
Days after Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales stirred a virtual hornet’s nest by declaring gays as unfit to portray the different roles of the Virgin Mary in the traditional May rites like the Santacruzan and Flores de Mayo, the Cebu Archdiocese came forward yesterday to stand in solidarity with the embattled prelate.
In the editorial of its weekly publication “Bag-ong Lungsoranon” issued Saturday, the Archdiocese of Cebu said it supports the stand of Cardinal Rosales to exclude gays “so as not to destroy the sanctity of the celebrations by having them portray the different roles of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
Cardinal Rosales has said that gays dressed up as female religious personalities during religious processions are “horrendous” and defeated the real purpose of the religious activities.
In support of that stand, the Lungsoranon editorial said the Santacruzan or Flores de Mayo should be spared from being converted into a “ theatre show “ since the religious activity is not only for the satisfaction of one sector.
The members of the third sex, the Lungsoranon said, should not criticize the stand and pronouncements of the Church whose pastoral call is to take care of the entire society of believers.
The Church constantly emphasizes its stand on the issue, saying it should not be taken as discriminatory on the part of the members of the third sex but as merely acting as guardians of morals and solemnity of religious activities.
“ Tingali ang maong tipo sa pasundayag makalingaw sa mga tumatan-aw, apan sayod kita nga dili kini mao gayuy lunsay nga tumong sa sagrado og solemneng tulumanon ( Perhaps this type of show can be entertaining to some viewers but we all know that this is not the real purpose of the sacred and solemn activity ), ” the Lungsoranon said.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the
According to CBCP Secretary General Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, when gays participate in the Santacruzan, people became “ tourists ” and the procession turns into a “ tourist attraction ” wherein people jeer at the way gays appear.
Lagdameo said the Santacruzan has been commercialized, especially in cities unlike in the olden times.
The Santacruzan procession is part of a sacred devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In the rural areas Catholics pray the Rosary devotedly and prayerfully along the Santacruzan procession that ends at the Church with a Holy Mass.
Patrick Ty, Visayas spokesperson of LADLAD, a national network of gays, lesbians, and transgenders, said he does not want to make any statement against the Church.
“ But as far as I know, commercialization of the Santacruzan started not with the gays, but with the church itself when the church started to bring queens to hotels and when the church started presenting them to the socialites in the hope of getting donations, ” Ty said.
He said he doesn’t see it as a sin or as an immoral act since joining the Santacruzan is an exercise or an expression of the spiritual side of gays.
LADLAD has applied for a partylist nomination in the previous elections but was denied by the Commission on Elections.
Ty claims the group has more than 10,000 members nationwide but its website only claims more than 3,000 members.
Another sex-oriented group called BISDAK Pride similarly reacted to the development with founder and coordinator Roxan Omega Doron saying the Roman Catholic Church has always been selective and biased.
Doron said the Santacruzan is not just a religious activity but also a cultural act.
“ Gays are known to participate in any cultural programs and they should respect that as long as we are not stepping on the rights of others and not mocking the Lord, ” Doron said.
He said he knows a lot of gay priests and monsignors who are not against gays.
“ The Bible does not condemn homosexuality. The individuals within the Church who are biased and homophobic are condemnable. The good Lord understands and respects and does not condemn, ” Doron said. ( with Jessica Ann Pareja, UP
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