Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin urged Roman Catholics yesterday to wear blue clothing when they go to church as a silent protest over the desecration of the EDSA Shrine by supporters of ousted President Joseph Estrada.
The outspoken cleric, who was influential in the ouster of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in February 1986 and of Estrada last January, said thousands of Estrada loyalists had "profaned a house of prayer" in their rally at the shrine to demand the former leader’s release.
"So many of us are on the brink of tears. We are grieving for the EDSA Shrine, church of the people, temple of God, monument to peace," he said.
However, it seemed there was no remorse on the part of organizers of the pro-Estrada protest.
"Bakit, sila lang ba ang anak ng Diyos (Why, are they the only children of God)? " asked JV Ejercito, a son of Estrada.
Sin expressed grief over reports that the protesters took down the flag of the Vatican and replaced it with an Estrada banner, piled garbage on a historical marker, and plastered posters of their "jailed idol" on the huge Virgin Mary statue atop the shrine.
He also mourned the placing of loudspeakers in front of the shrine’s chapel, which disrupted church ceremonies, and the protesters’ singing of "obscene songs within the church grounds... offending our Catholic sensibilities."
The rally at the shrine began late Wednesday after the ousted president was jailed to stand trial on charges of plunder, a crime punishable by death. He was accused of illegally amassing more than P500 million in his 31 months in power.
Sin, who led protests at the same shrine in January that toppled Estrada, said the place was private church property.
"It stands on titled land that belongs to the Catholic Church. It is not like Rizal Park or Mendiola," he said, referring to a public park and a street leading to the presidential palace where protest rallies are often held.
He called on the mostly Catholic populace to "offer reparation for this act of profanation" with a special prayer, which he said should be held after Mass this weekend.
"I am sad for what they have done to the EDSA Shrine," he said, adding in his prayer: "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."
Estrada’s son JV, for one, said politicians criticizing his father’s followers should be reminded that these same people are the ones that make a difference during elections.
"They criticize the masses yet they still court them during elections," he said. "Why is there a strong bond between the masses and my father? It is because the masses believe in his sincerity."
Former Press Secretary Ricardo Puno, a senatorial candidate under Estrada’s party, meanwhile, said everyone must be allowed to use the EDSA Shrine. "EDSA is for all kinds of people. Let us stop this kind of arrogance," he said.
Crispin Remulla, spokesman for Estrada’s Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino party, for his part, said the Catholic Church’s negative reaction to the EDSA protest only showed its "snobbery" towards the poor.
He said the Church should minister to the poor "instead of hobnobbing with the rich and famous."
"There should be no double standard. What is sauce for the goose should also be sauce for the gander," he said. "The great unwashed EDSA belongs to the people."