No to priests carrying guns

As expected, Nandy Pacheco, president of Gunless Society of the Philippines, opposes – very seriously – the idea of priests and pastors carrying firearms to protect themselves. His opposition has been energized in the wake of reports of men of the cloth applying for permits to carry firearms to defend themselves after the killing of three priests in the last few months. According to National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde, 246 permit applications had been filed, 188 of them by Catholic priests, and 58, by Protestant pastors and ministers.

On June 10, 2018, Catholic priest Richmond Villaflor Nilo was killed by a gunman in the province of Nueva Ecija. Father Mark Ventura was also shot dead by a gunman in the province of Cagayan a few days earlier. On Dec. 4, 2017, Father Marcelito Paez was killed in an ambush also in the province of Nueva Ecija.

The country’s Catholic bishops, however, have expressed opposition to arming priests with guns, among them Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, and Fr. Jerome Secillano the CBCP public affairs committee. Fr. Jerome told an interviewer, “Arming priests is not the solution for crimes against them, and that they need not arm themselves with guns because they like ordinary citizens, are entitled to protection from the state.”

Nandy Pacheco told me priests should not be afraid of being killed and protecting themselves by shooting their killers. Doing so is preaching violence and killing, when they should be preaching love. Priests, like politicians, he said, should not be where they are if they are afraid of being killed.

Among my files is Nandy’s folio on the government promoting domestic armament – “genocracy” – and the gun culture through its existing laws and policies. 

Nandy is not for a total gun ban, but will allow police officers to carry firearms while on duty.

“Gun control or a gun ban in public places will make it a criminal offense for anyone, but police officers, or military personnel, or licensed private security guards who are authorized, in uniform and on duty can carry firearms in public places. This will not, however, prejudice the privilege of responsible gun owners and sportsmen to keep licensed guns at home for protection or at the gun club.

“Given the deadly nature of a gun, a gun ban is essentially a crime-prevention and common-sense measure; it is pro-life, and pro-poor; it stops gun violence before it begins. Gun control makes the harmless act of carrying a gun in public places a criminal offense before such harmless act turns into a violent act like murder, homicide, robbery, kidnapping, etc. Gun control promotes public safety and the common good.

“Our proposed gun control in public places is peanuts. It is a small baby-step. In Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and in other European countries, gun laws are very strict. In England and Japan you cannot even keep a gun at home. In England shooters have to go outside England for their target shooting.”

But beyond gun control, Nandy preaches love of God as basic in keeping the peace. “We choose to live Christ’s peace based on love, justice, reconciliation, active nonviolence and progressive disarmament. We prefer to meet violence with nonviolence, to meet hate with love, and to throw water, not fire, to put out the fire. We believe that our safety and security rest in God, not guns.”

It is a shame, Nandy says, that the prevailing mood is to shoot to kill, as opposed to living God’s command for people to love one another. Next year, the country celebrates the 500th year of the Christianization of the Philippines, but what have we done to show there is love and justice and a reconciliatory spirit among Christians in the only predominantly Christian country in Asia?

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Can there be a United World?

Yes, there can be, what with the commitment and zeal of the Youth for a United World, young members of the Focolare Movement. 

Thousands of youth from all over the world are expected to meet in Manila – the first to be held in Asia – for the 11th edition of GenFest. With the theme “Beyond All Borders,” they will be sharing the same ideal of unity, experiences, manifest artistic expressions, participate in workshops and do social action among people of different cultures, races, and social origins, among Christians of various denominations and people of different religions and diverse beliefs.

The Focolare Movement was founded by Chiara Lubich in 1973 in Italy. The Movement feels called to contribute toward the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer to the Father: “May they all be one” (John 17:21), and its goal is universal brotherhood.

Focolare is present in 182 countries in five continents, and its centers are found in 87 nations. It has about 110,000 members, and another two million share closely in its life and support its work, and another million are reached regularly through various activities and social initiatives.

The main venue of Genfest is the World Trade Center. The event starts on July 6 with an opening program and a cultural night. In the morning of July 7, more than 100 workshops and forums will be held, to be facilitated by international and local speakers covering such topics as the economy, peace, ecology, education, arts, media, and politics.

In the afternoon of July 7, participants will fan out to peripheries of the cities by doing concrete actions such as a feeding program, community and coastal cleanups, interactions with the blind, deaf and the elderly. Such activities will take place simultaneously in Manila and all over the world.

Participants will gather together again for “Time Out for Peace,” a solemn moment for a deeper experience of communion among people in spite of differences.

The second day will end with an international night entitled “A United World,” to be celebrated through testimonies, songs, and artistic presentations.

On July 8, Genfest will conclude with a closing mass to be presided by the Archbishop of Manila, His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, and a message from the president of the Focolare Movement, Maria Voce.

The Genfest has been endorsed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and several bishops in their respective dioceses. It is also endorsed by the Commission on Higher Education, and granted patronage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

For inquiries, contact Tina Bonifacio, workshops and forums lead coordinator, [email protected], or 0917-8911285, and the Genfest workshops and forums helpdesk at [email protected].

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Email: [email protected]