Nation mourns Reuter’s death

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. yesterday led government officials in expressing sadness over the death of Catholic media stalwart Fr. James Reuter.

Binay said Reuter will be remembered as a great Filipino while Belmonte said he “was born American but had become every bit a Filipino at heart.”

Binay said Reuter harnessed the tools of media and communications in promoting the Catholic faith and in the defense of freedom and democracy, especially during the days of martial law and the 1986 Edsa People Power revolution.

“In life, Father Reuter was a man of faith and a defender of the rights that we hold sacred. In death, he will be remembered as a great Filipino,” Binay said.

Belmonte, for his part, said in a statement that Reuter “was

a well-loved media man of the Church who spent his life mentoring many young people, spanning generations.”

Reuter, he said, will be best remembered for sharing his talents in theater as well as for the many causes he had espoused, including his dream of reviving the Pasig River.

“I condole and offer sincere prayers to his family and to all those whose lives he touched. May you be comforted by the thought that Fr. Reuter’s vast contributions to the Filipino people will make him live on for a long time to come,” Belmonte said.

Quezon City Rep Winston Castelo described Reuter as a “friend, teacher, talent developer, communicator and spiritual adviser of the Filipino people – all rolled into one.”

“All through his adult life, Fr. Reuter had exemplified selfless dedication and devotion to his calling and vocation as a spiritual leader. He had made the Philippines his second home, nurturing Filipinos to spiritual growth,” Castelo said.

Saying that his presence would be missed, the lawmaker said Reuter’s name “would be forever etched into the hearts of many Filipinos.”

Ang Kasangga party-list Rep. Teodorico Haresco lamented “the loss of a defender of press freedom and the arts.”

“His death is a profound loss. It would be extremely hard to find someone to equal his passion and patience, and that’s what saddens me most,” Haresco said.

Reuter died in the country last Monday at 96 after suffering a mild stroke. – With Jose Rodel Clapano