EDITORIAL - Mixing faith and politics

With the elections fast approaching, Cebu Archdiocesan media liaison officer Msgr. Achilles Dakay has a valid concern -- politicians might show up to do some politicking during the feast of Christ the King tomorrow, which the archdiocese celebrates with its Diamond Jubilee.

And so Dakay said that while the archdiocese would welcome the presence of politicians during the celebration as an act of Christian politeness, he is exhorting them not to use the occasion to promote their own political agendas.

That is of course a very difficult thing to avoid. Even if politicians who are known to be bent on pursuing political positions in the coming elections do not say a word about their ambitions, their mere presence already does so much to publicize such ambitions.

The sight of, say, politician Juan de la Cruz will already remind the public that he is running for mayor or governor or congressman. And when he starts shaking hands, even if he just smiles and says nothing, already gives his shot at name-recall a huge boost.

On the other hand, the fact that politician Juan de la Cruz may be a Christian, or even a Roman Catholic, expressly gives him the right to be there at the celebration, and no amount of underscoring the fact that he is a politician can deprive him of his right to be there.

Besides, politicking as we all know it, is not and cannot ever be held as an exclusive prerogative of politicians to play and practice. Even Msgr. Dakay will have to admit that there are quite many among the priests and bishops in this country who confuse politics as a mission.

The most prominent, of course, is that priest from Pampanga, who left the priesthood to run and win as governor of his province. But there are also others who, not content to play politics from the sidelines, are very up front and high profile in their political engagements.

Oscar Cruz, who retired only recently as Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop, was a constant news material, gaining prominence more for his acerbic political meddling than for his religious and ministerial accomplishments. Several more can be lumped in this particular mould.

And so, while all devout Christians and Catholics would naturally prefer their celebration to be rendered solemn by religious purity and focus, there is no escaping the seeping in of politics. Maybe we should just leave everything to God in his justice and his wisdom.