Category: Documents

“Being homosexual is not a crime. It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime,” the pope told the AP

Catholic News Agency
January 26, 2023

Pope Francis has reiterated that homosexuality is “not a crime” in a new interview published on Wednesday, January 25.

The interview with the Associated Press covered a wide range of topics, including laws that criminalize homosexuality and sodomy.

“Being homosexual is not a crime. It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime,” the pope told the AP.

The remark promises to be a point of controversy. On the one hand, the Catholic Church has condemned the unjust discrimination of those with same-sex attraction. On the other hand, the Church does not teach that same-sex attraction is sinful in itself but that it is “intrinsically disordered.”

In the interview conducted at Pope Francis’ residence in Vatican City on Jan. 24, the pope reiterated the Holy See’s position that laws that criminalize homosexuality outright are “unjust” and that the Church must work to put an end to them.

Under Benedict XVI, the Vatican issued a statement in 2008 urging that “every sign of unjust discrimination toward homosexual persons should be avoided” and that countries should “do away with criminal penalties against them.”

“We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity,” Pope Francis said.

The pope told AP that bishops who support laws that criminalize homosexuality “have to have a process of conversion” and should apply “tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us.”

Pope Francis attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds and said bishops in particular need to undergo a process of change to recognize the dignity of everyone.

“Every man and every woman must have a window in their lives where they can pour out their hope and where they can see the dignity of God. And being homosexual is not a crime. It is a human condition,” he said.

In the interview, which lasted more than one hour, Pope Francis also decried the German Synodal Way as unhelpful, revealed that the intestinal problem that he had surgery for in 2021 has returned, and denied that he had any role in the handling of the alleged abuse by Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik.

The AP first published the pope’s comments about distinguishing between a crime and a sin with regard to homosexuality before publishing the full transcript of the interview in Spanish.

The Catholic Church does not teach that homosexuality, that is having same-sex attraction, is a sin.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered” and “under no circumstances can they be approved.”

“The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided,” it says.

“These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.”

The pope formally instituted the ministry of catechist in 2021 following his decision to open the ministries of lector and acolyte to women

CBCP News
January 25, 2023

Who are the two Filipinos installed by Pope Francis early this week to the ministry of the catechists?

They are Leon Asuncion and Norma Ramos of the Catechetical Foundation of the Archdiocese of Manila (CFAM).

Asuncion, 55, is from St. John the Baptist Parish in San Juan City, where he had been serving as Extraordinary Minister of the Holy Communion.

Blessed with four children, he and his wife, Juliefer, are also members of the Couples for Christ since 2008.

Asuncion’s involvement with CFAM started in 1992, when he served as catechist until 2000.

He also served through the years as CFAM’s area coordinator, ministry assistant for research and development, and human resource development officer.

Since 2019, Asuncion has been serving as CFAM’s catechetical coordinator.

Ramos, meanwhile, is a catechist from St. John Bosco Parish in Manila’s Tondo district and a volunteer servant of the The Lord’s Flock Catholic Charismatic Community.

She has been head catechist of CFAM since 2009.

The 57-year old also anchors Radio Veritas’ “Katekesis Like Ko To” program.

Pope Francis celebrated the fourth annual “Sunday of the Word of God” on January 22 and conferred the ministries of lector and catechist on ten lay people, including the two Filipinos.

The celebration took place in St. Peter’s Basilica, where the pope installed new catechists — four men and six women — from the Philippines, Italy, Congo, Mexico and the UK.

The pope formally instituted the ministry of catechist in 2021 following his decision to open the ministries of lector and acolyte to women.

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Dear fellow labor rights defenders,

Greetings of peace and solidarity!

The long-awaited International Labor Organization (ILO) High-Level Tripartite Mission (ILO-HLTM) to the Philippines is finally happening this January 2023. Representatives of governments, employers and workers from the ILO will visit PH this coming January 23 -26, 2023 to investigate the reported alarming state of freedom of association in the country. 

The Philippines has consistently ranked poorly in the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights Index, listing it as one of the 10 Worst Countries for workers, in the past six (6) years citing that trade unionists and labor rights advocates are being killed to silence them, preventing them from organizing and pushing for the welfare of the workers.

Meanwhile, the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) has documented 56 victims of killings among workers, unionists and labor rights defenders. 27 unionists and labor organizers also remain in detention for trumped-up cases and planted evidence. Thousands of unionists fear for their safety due to continuous red-tagging, harassment and intimidation perpetrated by the NTF-ELCAC. Unionists, organizers and rights defenders are continuously being hounded in their homes and workplaces to force them to disaffiliate from their unions/organizations.

Various policies have been used against the people and led to further shrinking of our democratic space such as the Martial Law in Mindanao, Executive Order 70 that led to the creation of the NTF-ELCAC, the Joint Industrial Peace Concerns Office (JIPCO) and the Anti-Terrorism Law.

In this regard, the Church People Workers Solidarity (CWS), United Labor, Citizens Rights Watch Network (CRWN) and the Labor Rights Defenders Network (LARD-Net) join unionists, workers and rights defenders in its efforts in intensifying our campaign against violations of labor and human rights in the Philippines and in calling for justice and accountability.

We invite you to join us in an Ecumenical Solidarity Gathering for the Victims of Trade Union Repression on January 20, 2023 at Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) Conference Hall (Taft, Manila), 3:00 in the afternoon.  Together, let us pray that this mission be successful and instrumental in achieving justice for all victims of workers’ and human rights violations and in forging a more democratic space for Filipinos to be able to fully enjoy their rights and realize dignity at work.  

Yours truly,

(Sgd)

Kalikasan urged the Department of Environment and National Resources to immediately stop and review megadam projects

LiCAS News
January 17, 2023

Environmental activists and a tribal people’s group called on the government to pull out soldiers who were reported to have been deployed in indigenous people’s communities in the past weeks.

“We call on the [police] and the [military] to pull out their troops immediately in the Tumandok areas,” said read a statement by Beverly Longid, national convener of Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan sa Pilipinas.

Longid said police and military operations in the ancestral lands of the Tumandok indigenous tribe in Calinog, Iloilo, and Tapaz, Capiz, “are causing alarm and fear for the Tumandok.”

In 2020, state forces simultaneously raided two Tumandok communities in Iloilo and Capiz, killing nine community leaders and arresting 17 others.

The Jalaur megadam in the island of Panay has faced controversy in recent years due to alleged human rights violations.

Just last week 300 soldiers again conducted military operations in the Tumandok communities, causing widespread fear there that a repeat of the 2020 massacre would occur.

“Civil-military ops like this often lead to human rights violations, intimidation, and disunity in the IP communities,” said Longid, adding that it causes fear and confusion among the people.

 “Like in the past, this might lead to dispossession and displacement,” she said.

Kalikasan People PNE, an environmental group, also expressed alarm over the recent deployment of military troops in the ancestral lands.

The group said the soldiers are not there to “keep the peace,” but instead have been sent there to “quell the resistance” of the Tumandok people against the controversial Jalaur megadam project.

“On top of violating Indigenous peoples’ rights, these megadams cause large-scale environmental destruction in the long run,” said the group in a statement.

Aside from the Jalaur megadam, other dam projects across the country have also been met with community resistance in recent years.

“Tandaan ninyo ito: kapag hindi kayo nagbago at tumulad sa mga bata, hinding-hindi kayo mabibilang sa mga pinaghaharian ng Diyos!”

Homily ni Bishop Broderick Pabillo para sa January 15, 2023; Feast of Sto Nino / Holy Childhood Day

Bishop Broderick Pabillo
January 15, 2023

“Sino ang pinakadakila sa kaharian ng langit?” Ang tanong na ito kay Jesus ng mga alagad ay siya ring tanong natin. Palagi tayong naghahanap tayo ng daan tungo sa kadakilaan pati na sa langit! Nakakabigla ang sagot ni Jesus. Ang dakila ay ang maliit. Less is more. Ang bata ay hindi lang ang dakila. Kailangan tayong tumulad sa mga bata upang makapasok sa kaharian ng langit.

Mabigat ang salita ni Jesus: “Tandaan ninyo ito: kapag hindi kayo nagbago at tumulad sa mga bata, hinding-hindi kayo mabibilang sa mga pinaghaharian ng Diyos!” Mas lalong matularan natin ang bata, mas dumadakila tayo sa mata ng Diyos.

Ano ba ang katangian ng pagkabata na mahalaga sa Diyos? Ang bata ay hindi nagmamalaki, hindi nagmamayabang, at siya ay mapagtiwala. Wala siyang tinatago kaya hindi siya mapagkunwari. Kailangan natin ang mga katangiang ito sa ating pakikitungo sa Diyos. Malakas ba ang ating tiwala sa Diyos? Umaasa ba tayo sa kanya? Sumusunod ba tayo sa kanya? Ang kasalanan ay pagmamayabang na mali ang Diyos at hindi tayo magiging maligaya kung susunod tayo sa kanya.

Ang pagiging maliit at mapagtiwala ang kadakilaan ng mga bata at iyan din ang kahinaan niya. Dahil sa mahina sila, maliit at mapagtiwala madali silang linlangin, utuin at abusuhin. Kaya sinasabi din ni Jesus na huwag nating hamakin ang mga ito. Ganoon kasama ang pag-aabuso sa mga bata na sabi niya na mas mabuti pang itapon sa dagat na may nakataling malaking bato sa kanyang liig ang gumagawa ng masama at nagbibigay ng masamang halimbawa sa isang bata. Marupok ang mga bata. Pagkaingatan natin sila. Ang sugat at ang lamat na natatanggap nila sa murang edad ay dala-dala nila sa kanilang buhay. Sinasabi ng mga psychiatrist na maraming mga issue natin sa buhay ay nanggaling sa pagtrato sa atin noong tayo ay bata pa.

Malakas ang debosyon nating mga Pilipino kay Jesus na niño, kay Jesus na bata. Kaya ngayong araw ang daming fiesta ng Sto Niño sa buong bansa at kahit na sa ibang bansa kung nasaan ang mga Pilipino. Marahil dahil din ito sa katangian nating mga Pilipino na malambot ang ating puso sa mga bata. Naaakit tayo sa kanila. Naaakit tayo sa Panginoong Jesus bilang bata. Hindi tayo natatakot sa kanya.

Pero tandaan natin na dahil si Jesus ay bata huwag lang natin siyang pag-laru-laruan. Huwag natin siyang utu-utuin. Bata nga siya ngunit siya ay ang ating Panginoon. Kaya malahari ang kanyang damit. May korona siya at hawak niya ang setro, isang baston na nagpapahiwatig ng kanyang kapangyarihan. Hawak niya ang daigdig sa kanyang kamay. Bata siya pero hari siya. Ang kanyang paghahari ay hindi nakakasindak. Hindi siya nakakatakot. Nagdadala siya ng katarungan at katwiran hindi sa pamamagitan ng pananakot kundi ng pang-aakit at ng pagmamahal. Kaya nga kahit na bata si Jesus, sundin at tularan natin siya. Iyan din ang hamon sa atin ng Sto Niño.

Kailangan natin ang hamong ito kasi kahit na katangian nating mga Pilipino na maging malapit sa mga bata, dito sa ating bayan mayroon ding nangyayari ng pang-aabuso sa kanila. Isang madalas na pang-aabuso sa mga bata ay ang pagsisigaw at pagmumura sa kanila. Dahil sa kanilang murang edad nakatatak sa kanila ang tinatawag natin sa kanila. Naaapektuhan ang kanilang paningin sa kanilang sarili kung tinatawag natin silang tanga, tamad, walang pakinabang, pasaway o pini-PI pa. Nandiyan din ang physical abuse. Oo kailangan ng disiplina ang mga bata pero hindi sa paraang violente o madahas, lalo na kung walang paliwanag bakit sila pinapalo o kinukurot. Huwag natin ibunton ang ating galit o hinanakit sa mga bata.

Sinabi ni Jesus: “Ang sinumang tumatanggap sa isang bata dahil sa akin, ako ang tinatanggap.” Isipin natin sa ating pag-aalaga ng mga bata na si Jesus ang inaalagaan natin. Kaya ang mga nag-aalaga ng mga bata – mga magulang, mga lola at lolo, mga ate at kuya at mga yaya – palagi kayong tumawag sa Santa Maria at kay San Jose na tulungan kayo paano mag-alaga sa mga maliliit tulad ng pag-alaga nila kay Nino Jesus.

Mabuti ang pagpalaki ng Banal na Mag-asawa kay Jesus. May disiplina si Jesus sa sarili at matiisin siya dahil sa kanyang mga magulang. Bata pa si Jesus gusto na niyang mapalalim ang kanyang kaalaman sa Bibliya kaya nagpaiwan siya sa templo. Saan nanggaling ito? Sa kanyang mga magulang. Ang pagiging matulungin niya sa mga mahihirap ay nanggaling din sa kanila. Oo, si Jesus ay Diyos pero siya ay tunay ding tao at ang pagkatao niya ay hinubog ng kanyang mga magulang. Humingi tayo ng tulong kay Maria at Jose paano palakihin ang mga anak natin tulad ng pagpalaki nila kay Santo Niño.

LICAS News Photo

Filipino Catholics across the country celebrate the “feast” of the Child Jesus, known as the Santo Niño, every January.

In the village of Bago Bantay in Quezon City in the Philippine capital, devotees perform street dances similar to the traditional Dinagyang, Ati-Atihan, and Sinulog festivals on Jan. 14, 2023, in honor of the Child Jesus.

The devotion of Filipinos, especially people from the central province of Cebu, to the Child Jesus has deep historical roots.

The image of the Santo Niño was brought to the country by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan on April 14, 1521, as a gift to Queen Juana of Cebu. She and her husband, Rajah Humabon, and about 800 natives, were baptized, thus establishing Christianity in the country.

In 1565, when Spanish conqueror Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived in Cebu, a Spanish soldier found the image inside a burned house of a native. Legazpi then named Cebu as the “City of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.”

Today, the image now known as Santo Nino de Cebu, is considered the oldest Christian relic in the country. (Photos by Jire Carreon)

Jire Carreon
LICAS News Photos
January 15, 2023

Devotees of the image of the Child Jesus, popularly known in the Philippines as the “Santo Niño de Cebu,” would cry on top of their voices “Pit Senyor!”“Pit Senyor!” is supposed to be short of the Cebuano “Sangpit sa Senyor!” or “Call on the Lord!”

Devotees of the image of the Child Jesus, popularly known in the Philippines as the “Santo Niño de Cebu,” would cry on top of their voices “Pit Senyor!” as they dance in honor of the Child Jesus during its “feast every third Sunday of January.

In the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice in the village of Diliman in Quezon City, women wearing traditional Philippine dresses dance to the church with images of the Child Jesus before the celebration of the Holy Eucharist on Jan. 15, 2023.

The devotion of Filipinos, especially people from the central province of Cebu, to the Child Jesus has deep historical roots. The image of the Santo Niño was brought to the country by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan on April 14, 1521, as a gift to Queen Juana of Cebu. She and her husband, Rajah Humabon, and about 800 natives, were baptized, thus establishing Christianity in the country.

21 November 2022

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Warm greetings from Church people-Workers Solidarity (CWS)!

CWS is a decade-old non-profit, ecumenical organization in support of workers’ rights and welfare. Workers are among the hardest hit by the worsening economic crisis exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and neoliberal policies that depress wages, destroy unions and attack workers. Our support has been carried out through our various programs including Education and Formation, Campaign and Advocacy, Welfare and Support Services and Networking. We are present in key cities in Metro Manila and in the Visayas.

As the year ends, CWS has endeavored to continue serving workers and farmworkers through four major activities this December:

 CWS-National Capital Region Assembly on December 5

CWS-NCR will convene workers and church people to revive the NCR arm of CWS which was first launched on March 17, 2012. An expected 200 participants, mainly workers from key cities in NCR, as well as advocates from the church sector, are expected to attend. This assembly is timely because of the dehumanizing situation of the workers and their families. 

Himamaylan, Negros Occidental Mercy Mission, December 14

Himamaylan has been under intense militarization since October, owing to state forces occupying, hamletting, and indiscriminately bombing rural communities under the guise of counter-insurgency programs. Farmers and farmworkers are slowly going back to their communities but face dire economic difficulties as their homes, crops, and animals have been destroyed. Reports state that they are under virtual military lockdowns and thus need support to allow for the entry of essentials such as food, medicine, and others.

CWS will be part of this endeavor together with other church people and faith-based organizations in Negros.

Paskuhan Para sa Manggagawa at ang kanilang Pamilya, December 26

Paskuhan para sa Manggagawa is a CWS Christmas activity for workers and their family. This year CWS plans to provide educational materials and toys to three hundred (300) children of workers in the communities under the parishes of San Pancracio in Grace Park, Kalookan City and Risen Christ in Balut, Tondo Manila, as well as workers of Regent Food Corporation in Pasig City who are on strike.

Once a week Kapihan/ Talakayan sa hanay ng Manggawa ng Tondo which will start in November 25, 2022

This activity is designed to reach out to the workers in Tondo specifically those working in Manila North Harbor Center which is composed of 16 piers and an international port and South Pier Harbor Center. All of these are owned by big tycoon billionaires, Ramon Ang and Enrique Razon. Low wages, contractualization and inhuman working conditions are some of the issues that should be addressed during the discussions.

This will be done every 7:30 am which is the time they are going home from work. This will be done in a parish near their workplace. 

This Advent Season, we seek your generosity and kindness to bring simple cheers to our sister and brother workers who ironically, create the world’s wealth but are among those with least in life. Your support in the form of goods, toys, and financial resources will go a long way for any of these activities. These will surely bring happiness and smiles to the children of the workers. 

You can send your donations through the BPI Kamuning Savings Bank account name Churchpeople-Workers Solidarity, Inc. and account # 3143-4239-39. Kindly advise us if you have deposited your donation so we can gladly acknowledge your support. For donations in kind such as educational toys and other gifts and items for the children, you can indicate the address where we can pick up the said items or you can bring these to this address, Bukal Center, ICM District House, 61, Banawe Street, 1114 Quezon City.

By Joseph Peter Calleja
November 18, 2022

A coalition of Filipino migrants has accused the Philippine government of brushing aside human rights violations of workers at home and abroad, at the United Nations meeting.

Migrante International, a global alliance of overseas Filipinos and their families in 24 countries, said the administration of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. had no right “to boast” that the human rights of migrants were being protected in the country and outside it.

“The Marcos Jr. government is lying: it is not protecting migrant Filipinos and our families. It is disgusting that it even made a marketing pitch for exporting Filipino labor in its report for the UN human rights body,” the group said in a statement on Nov. 16.

The statement came as the Philippine justice secretary allegedly “boasted” that the creation of the Department of Migrant Workers was proof that the administration of Marcos, Jr. was upholding human rights.

“The establishment of the Migrant Workers Department, something that President Marcos has achieved in his term, is a testimony of the government’s advocacy for the human rights and welfare of the overseas Filipino workers,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told the UN Human Rights Council representatives during a recent meeting.

Remulla also said that the country has remained in Tier 1 in the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons 2022 report.

The Philippines has been under the scrutiny of the UN since Nov. 14 for assessment of the human rights violations in the past administration.

The process is called the “universal periodic review” where 47 member states of the council would evaluate and recommend ways to address various human rights issues in a country.

Remulla said Marcos, Jr.’s performance was not yet ripe compared to former President Rodrigo Duterte, who had been accused of committing crimes against humanity for the alleged 30,000 killings of drug suspects during his term.

“It’s not fair for the president to answer for the accusations on the previous administration. What is important for us is today. We also cannot answer for the administration of the former President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.” Remulla added.

The migrants’ group said Remulla cannot evade the attacks against Marcos, Jr., and Duterte because they are their close allies.

“Marcos, Jr. cannot hide the realities on the ground: the government’s neglect and abandonment experienced by distressed Filipino migrant workers all over the world. The countless cases and testimonies of Filipino migrant workers who have been denied the urgent assistance and protection they need is a more accurate measure of the government’s sincerity in advancing their rights,” the group said.

Several member countries of the human rights council have called on Marcos, Jr. to address violations and issues left by Duterte’s war on illegal drugs.

Meanwhile, a Filipino nun challenged Marcos, Jr. to protect Filipino migrant workers in Qatar, who were demanding compensation from FIFA, the international football association, for abuses, including unexplained deaths, while preparing for the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

Benedictine Sister Mary John Mananzan waved a red card on Nov. 16 against Marcos, Jr., and Qatar saying they had no right to abuse labor rights.

Philippine human rights activist Father Robert Reyes said that the true measurement of the Philippines’ success in upholding human rights is the rule of law.

“The basic indicator is no other than the law- how many were killed yet remain unsolved cases docked in courts? Did anyone go to jail due to his or her responsibility for the killings? Were the killers brought to justice?” Father Reyes told UCA News.

International Labor Organization estimates that about 10 million Filipino live abroad as migrant workers and about one million Filipinos leave the country each year on average to work abroad.

Remittance from migrants is a major national thrust for economic growth in the Philippines.

However, rights groups have documented rights abuses and even deaths of Filipino migrants.