Another hard look at the relations between state and church

Now that Pope Francis has gone home to Vatican, and we are back to the business of running a nation and Philippine society, perhaps it is apropos to take another hard and serious look at the relations between the State, or, at the very least, the relations between the government and the Church. There are many unanswered questions that were left hanging, and mindful Filipinos might wish to tackle them here and now, in an atmosphere of democratic discourse, or academic discussion.

First, the President, in Malacañan, while welcoming the visiting Supreme Pontiff, made reference to certain irritants in these relations, starting from the days of the friars during the times of Rizal and Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora. Mention was also made about Cardinal Sin and the propensity of certain bishops and priests to interpret the search for truth via the mechanism of criticisms against the affairs of the State and the acts and decisions of government. Some priests commented that the President was rather undiplomatic in raising those negative comments while welcoming the Head of the Church, who is also a Head of State.

Our take on this is that the Church leaders have the perfect right, even a moral duty, we believe, to call attention to the social cancers that beset Philippine society. Priests and bishops are citizens of the country. They have a stake in the life of the nation and on how government makes decisions, allocates and uses resources, addresses social and economic issues, administers justice and deals with raging issues on politics, the economy and society' They too have a stake on how conflicts are resolved, in balancing the many colliding forces of the times. Government leaders should not be onion-skinned and should expect Church leaders to remind them of the moral and ethical implications of what they do.

In the same manner, government officials, too, if they are members of the Church, have the right to criticize bishops and priests who exceed the bounds of their pastoral and ecclesiastical prerogatives. The government exempts the Church and many of its instrumentalities from taxation. It is only right and just that the government should expect from the Church some measure of respect and, if church leaders should criticize, they should be more constructive and fair. The best way to settle differences in opinions is to conduct regular dialogues and consultations. Instead of hitting each other publicly, both the Church and State should rise above parochial biases and look at the big picture.

We cannot just say. "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's". The Church and the State are both serving the same people. They have common constituencies. The people will be the happiest if we see President Aquino and CBCP President  Soc Villegas and Cardinal Chito Tagle meeting every so often, to share ideas, compare notes and information, coordinate efforts and jointly look at the horizon to find common paths and areas of convergences. We have a lot of problems. We cannot afford to see the pillars of our nation being fragmented.

It will be to the best interests of the people if Governor Junjun Davide and Archbishop Jose Palma start such a regular dialogue in Cebu, so that every mayor shall hold hands with every parish priest in all towns.  Many changes have started in Cebu. Let the rest of the nation follow. Yes, we shall become stronger if the State and the Church shall be bound by a common purpose. That is what matters most.

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