Vidal backs resumption of Sulpicio’s shipping operation

Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal voiced his support for the resumption of the shipping operations of Sulpicio Lines Inc. and appealed to the faithful to stop blaming one another and instead learn from the M/V Princess of the Stars tragedy.

“The pain will not go away if we start blaming one another or come out with superficial conclusions. To private and public agencies, let the truth emerge with no preconditions, so that we may finally learn from our tragedies”, and above all, efforts must be done to “stop events of this magnitude from happening again,” said the archbishop. 

Vidal then asked the government to undertake immediate review, update and stricter enforcement of maritime laws and practices, weather forecasting, and disaster prevention.  

The cardinal hoped that there will be “a revision of the national navigational code,” but he called on all parties for “sobriety and objectivity” so that the truth on what actually happened will “emerge without preconditions.”

He said that “pointing fingers” serves only to sharpen “tension and divisions.”

Vidal also issued memorandum circular ordering a special collection in all Masses in each of the 144 parishes of the archdiocese, following the Archdiocese of Cebu’s campaign for donations for those badly affected by typhoon Frank.

In the latest issue of “Bag-ong Lungsoranon”, a weekly publication of the archdiocese, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines is reported to have been conducting its own donation drive.

Lungsoranon said the Knights of Columbus in America and the Catholic Relief Services of the US Bishops Conference had recently donated US$25,000 and the United Methodists Church, also in the US, had donated US$10,000..

The management of Sulpicio Lines Inc., on the other hand, recently announced to all families, friends and relatives of the passengers of its ill-fated ship that Masses are offered at the Santo Rosario Church through the entire month of July.

In a text message sent to The Freeman, Bernard Ryan Go, vice president of the Deck Maintenance of SLI, said the Mass will start today until July 31. These Masses are offered for the victims and their relatives.

The Santo Rosario Church is near the Cebu City Sports Center where the action center has been set up, and is along the way to the Cosmopolitan Funeral Parlor at Junquera Street, where the retrieved bodies of the fatalities have been laid.

“This is indeed a difficult time for all of us, and prayer is the most powerful instrument that could appease all of us, especially for us who lost our loved ones and hope to those who are missing until now,” the SLI message said.

SLI said it is never stopping its retrieval of the bodies, and that its ship, the M/V Cagayan Princess, is now in Sibuyan Island with 19 more retrieved bodies already on board. — Jasmin R. Uy and Ferliza C. Contratista, and Joy Kareen T. Saliente/RAE