EDITORIAL - Finger on the problem

At a Mass in Badian for slain priest Fr. Jovencio Rabusa, who was shot dead recently by robbers who only wanted his cellphones, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal expressed sadness over the fact that the perpetrators of the crime were young men.

Vidal refuted the notion that had Fr. Rabusa been wearing a cassock or something that would have readily identified him as a priest, he probably would not have been attacked. He also said the priest was not killed merely for his cellphones.

According to Vidal, the priest was gunned down because the young robbers have lost all regard for human life. With this insight, the cardinal acknowledged that maybe priests should do more to reach out to people for them to differentiate right from wrong, and good from evil.

Finally, somebody with authority from within the Church has admitted what has long been apparent to most ordinary folk — that a growing number of members of the clergy have taken up causes, such as politics, which are not their primary concern.

These members of the clergy have for too long hidden with impunity behind that awkward notion to "follow what we preach but do what we do." If the truth be told, what kind of notion is that? But because it is probably just as awkward to argue with priests, so the notion stuck.

So when the good cardinal finally came out to voice his concern about the need for priests to reach out, the feeling of relief is indeed immense. At last a high ranking official of the Church has unequivocably put his finger on one of the real causes for all our problems.

For most of our problems spring from the growing alienation of people from God. Most of our problems are caused by the failure of people to know right from wrong. And that failure can only be traced to the fact that the shepherds of the flock are busy with other things.

In fact a good number of other church officials such as bishops and archbishops are probably more vocal about the political situation than about the social decay we see around us, a decay that would not have been so pervasive had people been made to toe God's line.