Our fearless Pope Francis

CEBU, Philippines – He went to South Korea notwithstanding that country’s strained relations with North Korea.  The other week he visited Albania, a predominantly Muslim country, despite warnings from Iraq that IS jihadists could be planning an attack on his person. Instead, while there, he courageously proclaimed the principle of Christian Catholic morality that the end does not justify the means: “To kill in the name of God is a grave sacrilege; to discriminate in the name of God is inhuman.”

In last week’s issue of The Freeman (September 25, page 32), there is a news item that “Vatican puts ex-envoy under house arrest in sex abuse case.”  The 65-year old ex-envoy, the report says, is the Polish former Archbishop Josef  Wesolowski, who was ordained by no less than the late Pope St. John Paul II!

Cases of sexual abuse of children (paedophilia) by priests and bishops were numerous in Ireland, the US, and Australia, according to the news item. With the exception of one reported case (too scandalous to be repeated here) paedophile cases among the Cebuano clerics are not so rampant. But “celibates with kabits” or priests with paramours or lovers or mistresses are not quite uncommon in our country. Unfortunately our country’s flawed or dented culture inherited from the Spanish friars has condoned such immoral behavior of some of our Roman Catholic priests.

This writer hopes and prays that our fearless Pope Francis will have the courage to make optional and voluntary the discipline of celibacy imposed by the Western Rite Roman Church on her priests instead of it being obligatory and mandatory.  That’s more pleasing to God because marriage is a human right while serving in the active ministry of the Western Rite Roman Catholic Church is a privilege.  From his recent pronouncements, it seems that Pope Francis is moving in that direction.

The Pope will be sent a copy of this article.