EDITORIAL - The rules of Christianity have not changed

Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros was quoted in newspaper reports as saying Catholics who support the RH bill may no longer be considered Catholics. The statement, if quoted accurately, is most unfortunate.

It is most unfortunate because not only is it patently wrong and goes against the grain of the very foundation of the Church, it is also a statement that is apparently shared by many Catholics, mostly those opposed to the RH bill.

It is not for Oliveros to pass judgment on whether a person remains a Catholic or not on the basis of what he perceives to be that person’s sin. If that were so, then shouldn’t Oliveros, as a matter of fairness, also say sexually abusive priests and bishops are no longer Catholics? 

Oliveros and others who think like him need to be reminded that all of Christianity, of which Roman Catholicism is the biggest denomination, is founded on the bedrock of forgiveness. It is what Christ dying on the cross is all about — forgiveness, not rejection or excommunication.

The RH bill has become a very divisive issue because the arguments have gone beyond whether the bill itself is good or bad. Many in these debates have seen people to hurling mud at each other’s faces, oblivious to the fact that when they do, they also come away with muddied hands.

Granted the RH bill is wrong and sinful, shouldn’t leaders of the Church, as shepherds of the flock acting in the name of Jesus, take the lead in bringing these erring brothers back to the fold, instead of taking the lead in driving them away?

Have our priests and bishops, as well as the faithful who think like them, forgotten that the Holy Scriptures themselves are full of examples of love and forgiveness, of bringing back to the fold those who have strayed?

Prodigal sons merit a banquet in the Lord’s eyes and unclean women enjoy the company of His person — all in the name of love, understanding and forgiveness. This is Christianity as Christians have always known it. If the rules have changed, it is not up to Oliveros to say so.