The Bishops’ statement

There are 120 Catholic Bishops in the Philippines. Ninety-five are active; 25 are retired. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - July 5, 6 and 7, 2005 – they gathered together to pray. They prayed for three full days, begging for the grace that their statement on the turmoil in Manila would be wise with the wisdom of God.

On Friday, January 8, they assembled to formulate that statement. All of the Bishops who had previously voiced their opinion on the subject – each Bishop speaking for his own ecclesiastical area, or for the Episcopal Commission of which he was Chairman – were present.

For two nights and two days they worked on that statement, paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence, phrase by phrase, word by word. It went through many drafts. The final declaration was acceptable to every Bishop. The approval was unanimous. Not one dissenting voice.

Their title was: Restoring Trust: A Plea for Moral Values in Philippine Politics

It was divided into four sections.

The Pastoral Situation

"As Bishops we have long contended that the crises that we have suffered are basically moral – the lack of moral values in ourselves, in our relationships, in our social structures."

"At the center of the present crisis is the issue of trust. The people mistrust our economic institutions which place them under the tyranny of market forces which produce for our people a life of grinding, dehumanizing poverty. They mistrust our political system. Elections are often presumed tainted rather than honest. Politics has not responded to the needs of the poor and marginalized."

"We commend the clear official stand of our military and police authorities – their loyalty to our Constitution that forbids them from engaging in partisan politics."

"Varied positions have been taken with regard to President Macapagal Arroyo – Resign!. . . . .Due process!. . . . A Truth Commission!. . . . Impeachment!. . . . and a wide manifestation of support for the chief executive by a cross section of society."

"We are not politicians who are to provide a political blueprint to solve political problems. With Pope Benedict XVI we do not believe in the ‘intrusion into politics on the part of the hierarchy’. We are to provide moral and religious guidance to our people. Not to do this would be an abdication of our duty."

Our Pastoral Role And Our Stand

"In the present situation we believe that no single concrete option regarding President Macapagal Arroyo can claim to be the only one demanded by the Gospel. Therefore, in a spirit of humility and truth, we declare our prayerfully discerned collective decision that we do not demand her resignation."

"Yet neither do we encourage her simply to dismiss such a call from others. For we recognize that non-violent appeals for her resignation, the demand for a Truth Commission and the filing of an impeachment case are not against the Gospel."

"A just political and moral order is best promoted by a clear and courageous preference for constitutional processes that flow from moral values and the natural law. We appeal to our people to discern their decisions not in terms of political loyalties but in the light of the Gospel values of truth, justice and the common good."

"We urge our people to pray together, to reason, decide and act together to help move the country out of its present impasse. We believe that through prayer the Filipino people are capable of arriving at decisions for the common good."

Restoring Moral Values

"On Moral Accountability: President Macapagal Arroyo has admitted and apologized for a lapse of judgment for calling a COMELEC official. Beyond apology is accountability. With forgiveness is justice. To restore trust would require a thorough, credible and independent process to examine the authority of the so-called Garcillano tapes, verify any possible betrayal of public trust, and mete out due punishment on all those found guilty."

"On Constitutionality: In the present crisis some calls are being made for measures that are counter-constitutional. We deplore the attempts of those groups who seek to exploit our vulnerable national situation in order to create confusion and social chaos, in order to seize power by unconstitutional means."

"We reject calls for juntas or revolutionary councils. Resolving the crisis has to be within the framework of the Constitution and the laws of the land."

"On Non-Violence: There are today those who would instigate violence in order to promote their own agenda or causes. We reject the use of force and violence as a solution to our problems."

"On Effective Governance: Together with competence, personal integrity is one of the most necessary requirements of a leader. Ineffective governance may be due to a lack of personal integrity or to a lack of competence. It could also be the result of a confluence of factors that have eroded trust and credibility."

"We would ask the President to discern deeply to what extent she might have contributed to the erosion of effective governance and whether the erosion is so severe as to be irreversible. In her heart, she has to make the necessary decision for the sake of the country."

Conclusion

"This Year of the Eucharist reminds us of the abiding, loving and healing presence of the Lord Jesus in our midst. By the grace and mercy of God and the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we pray that a deep sense of hope will prevail in these dark moments of our history."

"Our loving God will not abandon us no matter what pit of evil we have fallen into. We shall emerge stronger from this crisis. We shall rise endowed with greater integrity. We shall be witnesses to the power of God’s grace to transform us into a noble nation, a holier Church, a united people."

For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

+ Fernando R. Capalla, DD

President, Archbishop of Davao

10 July 2005

The CBCP is calling all of us to prayer. The Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines has asked us to consecrate this day, Saturday, July 16, the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, totally to prayer. Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales has called the Archdiocese of Manila to prayer, on this day. His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal has issued the same call from Cebu.

A group which is promoting "The Living Rosary for Life" is campaigning to have our whole nation praying at the same time, 4 p.m. this afternoon, for a true discernment towards truth, justice and peace. The 48 radio stations and 4 TV channels of the Catholic Media Network will broadcast the rosary today, saturating the nation.

It is an appeal for prayer power, rather than for violent rallies in the streets.

What the Bishops say is true: the Philippines has been touched by the hand of God, and He will never let anything happen to us unless He can draw it into good. We are in a crisis. But the Chinese word for crisis is two characters. One means "hardship". The other means "opportunity". This turmoil will become an opportunity. We will come out of it a new nation, a united people.

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