Month: February 2019

«We are members one of another» (Eph 4:25).
From social network communities to the human community

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Ever since the internet first became available, the Church has always sought to promote its use in the service of the encounter between persons, and of solidarity among all. With this Message, I would like to invite you once again to reflect on the foundation and importance of our being-in- relation and to rediscover, in the vast array of challenges of the current communications context, the desire of the human person who does not want to be left isolated and alone.

The metaphors of the net and community

Today’s media environment is so pervasive as to be indistinguishable from the sphere of everyday life. The Net is a resource of our time. It is a source of knowledge and relationships that were once unthinkable. However, in terms of the profound transformations technology has brought to bear on the process of production, distribution and use of content, many experts also highlight the risks that threaten the search for, and sharing of, authentic information on a global scale. If the Internet represents an extraordinary possibility of access to knowledge, it is also true that it has proven to be one of the areas most exposed to disinformation and to the conscious and targeted distortion of facts and interpersonal relationships, which are often used to discredit.

We need to recognize how social networks, on the one hand, help us to better connect, rediscover, and assist one another, but on the other, lend themselves to the manipulation of personal data, aimed at obtaining political or economic advantages, without due respect for the person and his or her rights. Statistics show that among young people one in four is involved in episodes of cyberbullying. [1]

In this complex scenario, it may be useful to reflect again on the metaphor of the net, which was the basis of the Internet to begin with, to rediscover its positive potential. The image of the net invites us to reflect on the multiplicity of lines and intersections that ensure its stability in the absence of a centre, a hierarchical structure, a form of vertical organization. The networks because all its elements share responsibility.

From an anthropological point of view, the metaphor of the net recalls another meaningful image: the community. A community is that much stronger if it is cohesive and supportive, if it is animated by feelings of trust, and pursues common objectives. The community as a network of solidarity requires mutual listening and dialogue, based on the responsible use of language.

Everyone can see how, in the present scenario, social network communities are not automatically synonymous with community. In the best cases, these virtual communities are able to demonstrate cohesion and solidarity, but often they remain simply groups of individuals who recognize one another through common interests or concerns characterized by weak bonds.

Moreover, in the social web identity is too often based on opposition to the other, the person outside the group: we define ourselves starting with what divides us rather than with what unites us, giving rise to suspicion and to the venting of every kind of prejudice (ethnic, sexual, religious and other). This tendency encourages groups that exclude diversity, that even in the digital environment nourish unbridled individualism which sometimes ends up fomenting spirals of hatred. In this way, what ought to be a window on the world becomes a showcase for exhibiting personal narcissism.

The Net is an opportunity to promote encounter with others, but it can also increase our self- isolation, like a web that can entrap us. Young people are the ones most exposed to the illusion that the social web can completely satisfy them on a relational level. There is the dangerous phenomenon of young people becoming “social hermits” who risk alienating themselves completely from society. This dramatic situation reveals a serious rupture in the relational fabric of society, one we cannot ignore.

This multiform and dangerous reality raises various questions of an ethical, social, juridical, political and economic nature, and challenges the Church as well. While governments seek legal ways to regulate the web and to protect the original vision of a free, open and secure network, we all have the possibility and the responsibility to promote its positive use.

Clearly, it is not enough to multiply connections in order to increase mutual understanding. How, then, can we find our true communitarian identity, aware of the responsibility we have towards one another in the online network as well?

“We are members one of another”

A possible answer can be drawn from a third metaphor: that of the body and the members, which Saint Paul uses to describe the reciprocal relationship among people, based on the organism that unites them. “Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each to his neighbour, for we are members one of another” (Eph 4:25). Being members one of another is the profound motivation with which the Apostle invites us to put away falsehood and speak the truth: the duty to guard the truth springs from the need not to belie the mutual relationship of communion. Truth is revealed in communion. Lies, on the other hand, are a selfish refusal to recognize that we are members of one body; they are a refusal to give ourselves to others, thus losing the only way to find ourselves.

The metaphor of the body and the members leads us to reflect on our identity, which is based on communion and on “otherness”. As Christians, we all recognize ourselves as members of the one body whose head is Christ. This helps us not to see people as potential competitors, but to consider even our enemies as persons. We no longer need an adversary in order to define ourselves, because the all-encompassing gaze we learn from Christ leads us to discover otherness in a new way, as an integral part and condition of relationship and closeness.

Such a capacity for understanding and communication among human persons is based on the communion of love among the divine Persons. God is not Solitude, but Communion; he is Love, and therefore communication, because love always communicates; indeed, it communicates itself in order to encounter the other. In order to communicate with us and to communicate himself to us, God adapts himself to our language, establishing a real dialogue with humanity throughout history (cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, 2).

By virtue of our being created in the image and likeness of God who is communion and communication-of-Self, we carry forever in our hearts the longing for living in communion, for belonging to a community. “Nothing, in fact, is as specific to our nature as entering into a relationship one with another, having need of one another,” says Saint Basil.[2]

The present context calls on all of us to invest in relationships, and to affirm the interpersonal nature of our humanity, including in and through the network. All the more so, we Christians are called to manifest that communion which marks our identity as believers. Faith itself, in fact, is a relationship, an encounter; and under the impetus of God’s love, we can communicate, welcome and understand the gift of the other and respond to it.

Communion in the image of the Trinity is precisely what distinguishes the person from the individual. From faith in God who is Trinity, it follows that in order to be myself I need others. I am truly human, truly personal, only if I relate to others. In fact, the word “person” signifies the human being as a “face”, whose face is turned towards the other, who is engaged with others. Our life becomes more human insofar as its nature becomes less individual and more personal; we see this authentic path of becoming more human in one who moves from being an individual who perceives the other as a rival, to a person who recognizes others as travelling companions.

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“Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)

Our dear People of God,

Peace be with you. We are aware that many of you have been wondering why your bishops have kept a collective silence over many disturbing issues, about which you may have felt you urgently needed our spiritual and pastoral guidance. Forgive us for the length of time that it took us to find our collective voice. We too needed to be guided properly in prayer and discernment before we could guide you.

RESPONDING WITH SILENCE

For the past few months now, we have observed how the culture of violence has gradually prevailed in our land. The recent bombing of the cathedral of Jolo where scores of people were killed and several more were injured is a further evidence to the cycle of hate that is destroying the moral fabric of our country. Lately, we have also been on the receiving end of cruel words that pierce into the soul of the Catholic Church like sharp daggers. From deep within, the body of Christ is crying out in anguish as he did to Saul of Tarsus on his way to Damascus. (Acts 9:4) We have silently noted these painful instances with deep sorrow and prayed over them. We have taken our cue from Pope Francis who tells us that in some instances, “…the best response is silence and prayer.”

FAITH: OUR PEOPLE’S SOURCE OF STRENGTH

We respect the freedom of conscience and religion of people of other faiths, including former Catholic Christians who may have already renounced their faith. We also respect the freedom of expression of our fellow citizens in this country, including their personal opinions about faith and religion. But as far as we know, the freedom of expression does not include a license to insult other people’s faith, especially our core beliefs. We know that this cuts deeply into the souls of our people—especially the poor, because faith is the only thing they have to hold on to. It gives them hope and strength to continue living and working despite all the odds that come their way. It sustains them when they feel alone and defenseless in foreign lands where they work.

When people do not understand our essential doctrines as Roman Catholic Christians, we have also ourselves to blame. It could also mean we have failed in our preaching. Perhaps we have not been effective enough in our catechesis about the faith? Perhaps we should find better and more appropriate ways of communicating the faith. Our preparation for the celebration of the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines could serve as a perfect opportunity to embark on a renewed integral evangelization in word and witness.

ADMITTING OUR SHORTCOMINGS

Like the leaders and members of any other human institution, no doubt, we, your bishops and priests have our own share of failures and shortcomings as well. We have already mentioned in our previous statement that “we bow in shame when we hear of abuses committed by some of (us)…”, that “we hold ourselves accountable for their actions, and accept our duty to correct them…”

NOT AGAINST FIGHTING ILLEGAL DRUGS

There are people who, perhaps out of concern for us, have warned us about being critical of the government’s fight against illegal drugs. Perhaps we need to make ourselves clear about this issue. We are not against the government’s efforts to fight illegal drugs. We do respect the fact that it is the government’s duty to maintain law and order and to protect its citizens from lawless elements. We have long acknowledged that illegal drugs are a menace to society and that their easier victims are the poor. Like most other Filipinos we had high hopes that the government would truly flex some political will to be able to use the full force of the law in working against this terrible menace. It was when we started hearing of mostly poor people being brutally murdered on mere suspicion of being small-time drug users and peddlers while the big-time smugglers and drug lords went scot-free, that we started wondering about the direction this “drug war” was taking.

As bishops, we have no intention of interfering in the conduct of State affairs. But neither do we intend to abdicate our sacred mandate as shepherds to whom the Lord has entrusted his flock. We have a solemn duty to defend our flock, especially when they are attacked by wolves(!) We do not fight with arms. We fight only with the truth. Therefore, no amount of intimidation or even threat to our lives will make us give up our prophetic role, especially that of giving voice to the voiceless. As Paul once said, “Woe to me if I don’t preach the Gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16)

GOD’S IMAGE AND LIKENESS

Our faith informs us that no human being in this world deserves to be treated as a “non-human”, not even the mentally ill, or those born with disabilities. This is consistent with our defense of the right to life even of the unborn, because we believe that all human beings are creatures in God’s image and likeness, imbued with an innate dignity. We also must consider the right to life of people who are brutally murdered just because they are suspected of being opponents of government, as well as those who are summarily executed by armed groups. Everyone in the civilized community of nations would agree that even those who may have committed criminal offenses should be treated in a humane way, even as justice demands that they be held accountable for their actions.

SAVE THE CHILDREN

There is no way we can call ourselves a civilized society if we hold children in conflict with the law criminally liable. Children who get involved in crimes, such as those who are used as runners by adult drug pushers, do not deserve to be treated as criminals; they are victims that need to be rescued. It is obvious that most children in conflict with the law come from very poor families and were born and raised in an environment of abuse. We beg our country’s legislators to give the bills they are drafting some serious rethinking and consider the greater harm that such a move can cause on the young people of our country. We commend the initiatives to improve the Bahay-Pag-asa shelters for the care of children in conflict with the law.

THE PERSPECTIVE OF MERCY

Being civilized is not just about more advanced technology and infrastructure but about being more humane to the poor, the weak, the disadvantaged, the elderly, the children, those with special needs and all those who tend to be left out in society. We are not just creatures endowed with intelligence and guided by the evolutionary instincts of “survival of the fittest”. What makes us more superior as creatures is not our impulse to dominate each other but our innate sensitivity and capacity to love, to respect, to care for one another, to be both just and merciful, to be compassionate, to build community and to be genuinely concerned about the common good. The law of retaliation that demands “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:24) has long been repudiated in Christian tradition. As Christians, we have to learn the way of Jesus who says, “Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.”(Luke 6:36)

CONQUERING EVIL WITH GOOD

More than ever, as members of the Church, we must realize that our strength lies in keeping our communities of faith intact. We must educate the faithful in the application of their conscience to the complex and myriad problems of life — in the choice of leaders, in the exercise of their vocation as citizens, in the raising of families, in their work and chosen professions, in the efforts to care for the environment, etc. Our faith must try to hold these different aspects of life together into an integral whole — letting conscience speak its wisdom consistently in every aspect of our life.

Finally, we reiterate what we said in the previous statement that “the battles that we fight are spiritual.” (Ephesians 6:10-17). In the midst of spiritual warfare, St. Peter admonishes us to “be sober and alert” especially when the enemy attacks “like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) As members of God’s flock, we must learn to be brave, to stick together, and look after one another. Let this moment be a time to pray, to be strong, wise, and committed. Let this be also a teaching moment for us all—a moment for relearning the core beliefs, principles and values of our faith, and what it means to be a Catholic Christian at this time.

For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines:

Greetings of peace!

Once again, I’m writing you about the PasaLord Prayer Movement, which we launched in 2017 to unite Filipinos of every creed and denomination in praying for our country. Now we are organizing a nationwide moment of prayer to take place at 12 noon on February 7, 2019.

We invite you and all the parishioners of the CBCP bishops to be one with us as we intercede for peace, unity and prosperity in our land. It will take only a moment or two of your time to say the interfaith Prayer for Peace in the Philippines. The wonderful thing about being one in the Spirit is we can pray wherever we are and with whom we want and still be joined with one another.

The logistics are simple.
1. On February 7, wear any of the four colors of the Philippine flag.
2. Just before 12 noon, wherever you are, gather the people you want to pray with. You can be with a small group or a big group or even by yourself.
3. Ask the media or your staff to record this event.
4. Put you hands together, fingers interlinked, and bring your hands over your heart (as in the logo above).
5. At exactly 12 noon, say the Prayer for Peace in the Philippines. (We have English, Filipino, Cebuano and Hiligaynon versions.)
6. Have the media or your staff forward the clips or photos to us at info@pasalord.org.

That’s all there is to it. No fanfare, no blare of trumpets. The star of the event is the Lord and we look forward to the great things the Almighty can do for us as we invite Him to intervene in the affairs of our nation. (Incidentally, we will also be praying for your special intentions.)

Just so you know, we have invited the President, the Vice President, the Justices of the Supreme Court, and members of the Senate and Congress to join us in this moment of prayer. We are now getting in touch with the the media, the business and the military sectors, as well as the academe, to urge them to stand in solidarity with the nation.

Your Excellency, this will be an historic event. Imagine, the entire nation stopping for a minute to lift up our country to the Lord. To my knowledge, this has never been done before in the Philippines, nor in any other country in the world. To mark this singular moment, may we ask if you could have the church bells ring all over the Philippines? It would be a fitting reminder to all the faithful to pray and, at the same time, a celebration of our unity under God.

Pray with us, please, and ignite all the faithful and the parishes under the ambit of the CBCP to do the same. do the same! Together we can change the spiritual climate of the Philippines so that all the good that we’ve been trying to do may have a better chance of success.

Asking Your Excellency’s blessings, I am,

Yours respectfully in Christ,
Mrs. Lourdes “Bing” Ll. Pimentel
Founder and Lead Convenor
PasaLord Prayer Movement

Prayer for Peace in the Philippines

Almighty God, in Your mercy and compassion, forgive our sins and the sins of our people.
Look with favor upon us as we pray for our country, the Philippines.
Bless our leaders with wisdom, integrity, truthfulness and righteousness.
Uphold our families and keep our children safe.
Help us be upright and moral citizens, living together peacefully, with sincerity, loving kindness, acceptance, tolerance and forgiveness.
Protect us from foreign invasion and destructive influences, and defend us from acts of lawlessness, terrorism and war.
Grant our country peace, unity and prosperity, and bring about the transformation of our nation so that we may be Your light to Asia and the world.
Amen.

Panalangin para sa Kapayapaan sa Pilipinas

Makapangyarihang Diyos, sa Inyong habag at awa, patawarin N’yo po ang aming mga sala at ang kasalanan ng aming lipi.
Kalugdan N’yo po kami sa aming pagsamo para sa aming bansang Pilipinas.
Biyayaan N’yo po ang aming mga pinuno ng karunungan, integridad, katapatan at katuwiran.
Kalingain N’yo po ang aming pamilya at ingatan ang aming mga anak.
Tulungan N’yo po kaming maging matuwid na mamamayan na namumuhay nang mapayapa, matapat at may tunay na malasakit, pagtanggap at pagpapatawad.
Protektahan N’yo po ang aming bayan sa anumang banta ng pananakop ng dayuhan at nakawawasak na impluwensya, at ipagtanggol kami sa anumang uri ng paglabag sa batas, terorismo at digmaan.
Pagkalooban N’yo po ang aming bansa ng kapayapaan, pagkakaisa at kasaganaan at hayaang maganap ang tunay na pagbabago sa aming bayan upang kami ay maging Iyong liwanag sa Asya at sa mundo.
Amen.

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Peace advocates denounce the brutal of slay of Randy Malayao and continued detention of Rey Claro Casambre, Vic Ladlad and five others involved in peace negotiations.

Under past administrations, the President of the Philippines has always projected him or herself as one who respects and adheres to human rights and international humanitarian law, even if state forces had been documented as violators of human rights.

President Rodrigo Duterte has been loud and proud on his disregard for human rights.  On December 22, 2018, in a speech to AFP soldiers in Compostela Valley, Mindanao, where Duterte told the soldiers not only to go after rebels, but after their so-called legal fronts and infrastructures, he expressed his rogue criminality this way, “Destroy them. Do not believe in human rights. I assume full responsibility.”

We note two glaring results of Duterte’s despicable call for the violation of human rights exacted on Filipinos working for peace.

At 2:30am, January 30, 2019, Randy Malayo, NDFP consultant for Political and Constitutional Reforms, was shot dead by assassins when the bus he was riding waited at a bus stop in Nueva Viscaya.  The killing was brutal, heinous, and without justification: a human rights violations in its purest form, Randy Malayao was by all appearances assassinated by State forces.

Meanwhile at 1pm of the same afternoon, Rey Claro Casambre and his wife Cora were facing a preliminary investigation on the State’s case of illegal possession of firearms and explosives levied against them, using evidence planted at the time of their arrest on December 7, 2018.  Mr. Casambre, Executive Director of the Philippines Peace Center has been detained since this date, due to another ludicrous and utterly false charge of murder and attempted murder. Regarding this charge for an incident alleged to have happened in September 2018 in Davao Oriental, Casambre’s lawyers submitted his counter affidavit stating that he was a speaker along with Secretary Bello at the Committee on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity in the House of Representatives in Batasan, Quezon City, only hours before the alleged incident. Charging Rey and Cora with illegal possession using planted evidence and keeping Rey under detention using such glaring untruths is a travesty of justice.  

As peace advocates, we say to President Duterte that he has become a sloppy and sick warmonger.  We hold him accountable for these attacks against peace advocates.  As he stokes the fires of war and seeks to satiate his bloodlust, he is only bringing the country further from peace.  Whipping soldiers and death squads towards a frenzied spilling of the blood and attacks against those involved in peace talks makes building peace even more difficult.  Detaining known peace advocates and seeking to make them a bogey for his surge towards fascist tyranny or nationwide martial law exposes both desperation and an unchecked thirst for power.

There is no easy road to peace.  For every human rights violation, more will rise in opposition.  The Armed Forces of the Philippines has claimed that they would defeat the New People’s Army many times, over decades.  A road to peace can be found in addressing the roots of the armed conflict and building a more just Philippines.   This is a better choice altogether.

Duterte –who once spoke of addressing “historic injustices”— now calls for destroying dissent.  We are greatly concerned for how far he and his minions will go in attacking those who have actually dared to move in public forums, dialogues, and discussions as advocates of the peace talks.  As he has chosen easy targets—the ones who traveled the halls of Congress, spoke with foreign diplomats, and talked in Churches, schools, and other civil society organizations around the county, we sound the alarm that Duterte is ruining prospects for the resumption of peace negotiations that he has unilaterally terminated.  We sound the alarm that if left unchecked he will continue to spill the blood of civil libertarians, human rights defenders and peace advocates. 

He will punish and kill the very people who have been building bridges for peace and dialogue.  In the end, the entire country will suffer the consequence, because his depraved bloodshed will not bring victory. His trumped-up charges and illegal detentions will deepen the divide with the discontented and disenfranchised, thus, further destroying the fabric of civil liberties and the rule of law, and sharpening craven corruption, criminality, and militarism within state forces.

We do hold accountable the disparate and self-absorbed fool who keeps inciting troops and death squads to destroy the nation he feigns to love. May he–like the Apostle Paul–be blinded and converted in a most fantastic miracle of modern day. If not, may God show mercy on this land!

Rt. Rev. Joel Porlares, IFI
Convenor, Pilgrims for Peace
1 February 2019