Bishops: We would rather go to jail than give up promoting life

Manila, Philippines - Some Catholic prelates yesterday said that they would rather go to jail on charges of sedition than give up their campaign to promote life.

The statement was made in reaction to President Aquino’s threats that the anti-Reproductive Health (RH) bill groups who encourage civil disobedience through non-payment of taxes may face sedition or rebellion charges. 

He can put us all in jail. We are willing to pay the price to save the unborn from modern Herods and save the executioners from the grasp of the evil one, Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles told CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Collin Bagaforo said Amen! We obey God rather than man while Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes said, Let him (President Aquino) charge all of us bishops, priests, religious, all the faithful with sedition because it is better to obey God rather than men and immoral laws.

Meantime, former CBCP president Archbishop Angel Lagdameo called on the Catholic faithful to wait and see as he emphasized the need for both sides to be calm, reasonable and consider the moral aspect of the issue.

In the end, we must obey God and not man, he said.