CBCP Monitor Vol. 17 No. 25

8/13/2019 CBCP Monitor Vol. 17 No. 25

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Vol. 17 No. 25December 9 - 30, 2013 Php 20.00

NASSA, Caritas Intl

map out rehab plans for

typhoon-ravaged areas

THE National Secretariat for Social ActionJustice and Peace (NASSA) of the CatholicBishops Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) met with members of Caritas Inter-nationalis and local partners to discuss and

map out coordinated response for a compre-hensive rehabilitation of areas devastated bytyphoon Yolanda.

The meeting held at the ArchbishopsResidence in Cebu City, tackled a long term

NASSA / A6

A3 C1 UgnayanThe News Supplement ofCouples for Christ

B1Filipino Catholic Laity:Called to be SaintsSent Forth as Heroes!

Pope to dedicate2015 to

consecrated life

Laity / A7

CBCP declares 2014 Year of the LaityBy Jennifer M. Orillaza

THE Catholic Bishops Con-ference of the Philippines

(CBCP) on December 1 de-clared 2014 as the Year of theLaity to emphasize the roleplayed by the Catholic faith-ful in the sanctication and

transformation of the world.It is certainly a shameful proof of

our failure to evangelize our countrythat our churches are lled with people,our religious festivities are fervent, ourCatholic schools are many, but ourcountry is mired in poverty and in cor-ruption, the CBCP said.

In its pastoral exhortation FilipinoCatholic Laity: Called to be SaintsSentForth as Heroes, the bishops collegialbody stressed the need to empower thelaity, noting that the political upheavalsfaced by the country may be caused bythe evident disconnection between thefaith they profess and the actions theycommit.

Many, perhaps the majority of thecorrupt people in politics and in busi-ness are graduates of our own Catholicschools and are practicing Catholics.The majority of those who cheat inelections and those who sell their votesare also baptized Catholics. This is alsotrue of the bribe takers in public ofc esand the looters of our public coffers,it added.

The criteria for decisions taken bymany in politics do not derive fromfaith but from other sources inimicalto the Christian life. The poison of thegreed for power and wealth has alreadypervaded the political and businesssystems, it said.

Noting the systemic corruption

destroying the countrys political and

Rehab of Samar, Leyte top priority of new CBCP ofcersLESS than a week after assumingofce on Dec. 1, the new set ofofcers of the Catholic BishopsConference of the Philippines(CBCP) readily targeted the re-habilitation of Samar and Leyte,which were recently struck bysuper typhoon Yolanda, as atop priority.

The rst immediate concernis helping our suffering country-men in Leyte and Samar Wemust move forward from reliefwork to rehabilitation work thenhopefully to developmental

programs, new CBCP presidentand Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan Socrates Villegas saidin a recent interview.

Simple lifestyleVillegas, who was particularly

moved by the recent disaster and

penned a prayer calling on Godto spare the Philippines fromfurther disasters, said the urgentneed of people in the Visayasdemands a certain simplicity oflifestyle to make it possible tohelp the displaced and grievingtyphoon victims.

It is Jesus who is suffering.We must serve the Lord amongour suffering countrymen, headded.

According to a recent reportfrom Caritas Manila, weeks afterthe disaster, as many as 1.6 mil-

lion families in Samar and Leytecontinue to be in dire need ofbasic necessities like food andtoiletries.

The Manila archdiocesescharity arm calls on the public todonate basic provisions like rice,biscuits, bottled water, coffee,

canned goods, soap, toothpaste,new underwear, cooking ware,beddings, tool boxes, working/school clothes, crucix/rosaries.

The Joy of the GospelAside from concerns on the

national level, the CBCP sees the

Pope calls for action againstscandal of hunger in a world

of plentyVATICAN CityPeoplemust stand united againstthe scandal of hunger whileavoiding food waste and ir-responsible use of the world'sresources, Pope Francis said.

People should "stop thinkingthat our daily actions do nothave an impact on the lives ofthose who suffer from hungerrsthand," he said in a video

message Dec. 9, launching aglobal campaign of prayer andaction against hunger.

Organized by Caritas Inter-nationalis, the Vatican-basedfederation of Catholic chari-ties, a global "wave of prayer"was to begin at noon Dec. 10on the South Pacic island ofSamoa and head west acrossthe world's time zones.

Pope Francis offered hisblessing and support for the"One Human Family, FoodFor All" campaign in a videomessage released on the eveof the global launch.

With about 1 billion peoplestill suffering from hunger to-day, "we cannot look the otherway and pretend this does not

exist," he said in the message.There is enough food in the

world to feed everyone, hesaid, but only "if there is thewill" to respect the "God-giv-en rights of everyone to haveaccess to adequate food."

By sharing in Christiancharity with those "who facenumerous obstacles," thepope said, "we promote anauthentic cooperation withthe poor so that, through thefruits of their and our work,they can live a dignied life."

Pope Francis invited allpeople to act "as one single

human family, to give a voiceto all of those who suffersilently from hunger, so thatthis voice becomes a roarwhich can shake the world."

The Caritas campaign isalso a way to invite peopleto pay attention to their ownfood choices, "which oftenlead to waste and a poor useof the resources available to

us," the pope said.Caritas Internationalis in-

vited its 164 member orga-nizations and local churchesto pray for an end to hungerand malnutrition, by actingon a local, national or globallevel against food waste andin favor of food access andsecurity worldwide.

Caritas is urging Catholicsto take a few moments atnoon Dec. 10 to join the worldin praying against hunger,and to engage in long-termaction through raising aware-ness, advocacy, charitablework or other efforts support-ing food security.

The right to food is part ofthe Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights and the "FoodFor All" launch-date of Dec.10 marks the U.N.'s HumanRights Day.

The Caritas campaign iscalling on the United Nationsto hold a session on the rightto food at its 2015 General As-sembly and is asking govern-ments to guarantee the rightto food in national legislation.

People can contact their localCaritas organization for moreinformation or the campaign'smain site at food.caritas.org(Carol Glatz / Catholic NewsService)

Producer bankrolls Calungsod movie

to inspire youth to holiness

D E SPIT E know -ing that religiousfilms hardly makeit to the blockbusterlist, an investmentbanker has agreedto throw moneyaway to bankrollthe production of

Pedro Calungsod,Batang Martir mov-ie, knowing that thefilm adaptation ofthe life of the secondFilipino saint mustbe made.

While recoupingappears a distant

reality, Tiongsonsaid inspiring chil-dren to holiness isworth more thanrecovering theirlosses or even bag-ging awards for themovie.

Bishop appeals to public,

Help our old, sick priestsIF the shepherd gets sick, willthe ock help? This is a questiona young bishop posed to thepublic recently as he appealedfor help in behalf of old, sick andretired priests in his diocese.

It would be a big slap on ourface as a Christian communityif we hear any word of a priest

that is just left alone to die byhimself somewhere, forgotten,uncared for after many years ofhard work for Gods kingdom,newly-installed San CarlosBishop Gerardo Alminaza saidduring a holy mass last Novem-ber 29 at the EDSA Shrine.

Give up parties but celebrate Christmaspriest

A CATHOLICpriest urged thepublic to cele-brate the spirit ofChristmas even ifthey choose to dowithout partiesin solidarity withthe victims of Ty-phoon Yolanda.

F o r e g oChristmas partybut please, cel-

Movie producer Ida Tiongson and the cast of Pedro Calungsod, BatangMartir movie answer questions during a press conference.

Rehab / A7

Inspire / A6 Parties / A6

Help / A6

A team of 40 workers-survivor clear access roads from logs and other debrisin three zones and elementary school in Palo, Leyte as part of the Cashfor Work Program initiated by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) togetherwith NASSA/Caritas Philippines.

PhotocourtesyofTiongson'sFacebookPage

YenOcampo

Bishops, priests and lay workers from in and outside the country attend the planning and logistics coordination meeting of Caritas international network in Cebu City, December 4. The

Caritas network, the second largest humanitarian network in the world, mapped out a comprehensive rehabilitation of areas devastated by super Typhoon Yolanda. The agency hasbeen coordinating with the Philippine government, the United Nations and other humanitarian groups, in its emergency response on food relief, shelter and hygiene and household kits.

YenOcampo

IllustrationbyBrothersMatias


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A2 Vol. 17 No. 25December 9 - 30, 2013

CBCP Monitor

World News

Vatican Briefng South African cardinal says iconicMandela had touch of humanityCAPE TOWN, South Africa, Dec.6, 2013Nelson Mandela, wholed the struggle to replace South

Africas apartheid regime with amultiracial democracy, died Dec.5 at his home in Johannesburg.

Mandela, 95, became the coun-trys rst black president in 1994.He was awarded the NobelPeace Prize in 1993.

One of the worlds most re-vered statesmen, Mandela hada touch of humanity rarely seenin political leaders, said Cardi-nal Wilfrid Napier of Durban,South Africa in an interview withCatholic News Service earlierthis year.

Cardinal Napier represent-ed the South African CatholicChurch in discussions betweenMandela and church leadersbeginning in 1990, followingMandelas release after 27 yearsin prison, until he retired frompublic life in 2004.

Cardinal Napier said he cameto treasure Mandela throughregular meetings church leadershad with his African NationalCongress in the transition fromapartheid to democracy.

I always felt we should in-troduce ourselves to him again,but it was never necessary, saidthe cardinal, who was presidentof the Southern African CatholicBishops Conference from 1987to 1994.

Mandela remembered namesand faces and always gave us ahearty welcome, he said.

I came to realize that if he hadmet someone he had no trouble

remembering their names orwhere they were from. To him,people mattered because of whothey were, not the position theyheld, he said. Thats what Ireally treasure about the man.

Negotiations between Man-dela and South Africas apart-

heid regime began in 1989 whilehe was still imprisoned. Thelate Archbishop Denis Hurley

of Durban told Catholic NewsService at the time that he wasastonished to hear that thenotoriously intransigent formerPresident P.W. Botha had ap-proached Mandela to discussnegotiating an end to the armedstruggle against apartheid.

The negotiations were fraughtwith difculties, and Mandelafrequently called on the coun-trys church leaders to help over-come the deadlocks, CardinalNapier said.

When there was a problem,Mandela would say exactly howhe saw the problem, he said,noting that the South Africanleader was a direct man and itwas easy to engage with him.

Mandelas humility and self-deprecating sense of humorwere other qualities CardinalNapier said he valued.

In February 2001, when Car-dinal Napier was inducted intothe College of Cardinals by PopeJohn Paul II, Mandela was inMozambique.

He tracked me down to St.Peters to congratulate me. Hesaid, Archbishop Napier, howwonderful that youve been pro-moted to this esteemed positionand you still have time for all ofus back home. I called him Mr.Mandela and he said, No, itsMadiba. He wished me luck andasked me to pass on his greetingsto everyone there.

Mandela, who was born in

1918 into the Xhosa-speakingThembu people in a village inSouth Africas Eastern Capeprovince, was often called by hisclan name Madiba.

Cardinal Napier recalled a1991 meeting at retired AnglicanArchbishop Desmond Tutus

On July 18, 2007, his 89thbirthday, Mandela formed TheElders, a council that aims to

tackle global problems.In honor of Mandelas birth-

day in 2011, U.S. PresidentBarack Obama called the SouthAfrican leader a beacon for theglobal community and for allwho work for democracy, justiceand reconciliation.

Two years earlier, the U.S.and 192 other U.N. memberstates created Nelson MandelaInternational Day to honor theAfrican leader through acts ofcommunity service.

Every July 18, people aroundthe world take up Mande-las call for citizens to takeresponsibility to change theworld into a better place bydonating 67 minutes of theirtimeone minute for each yearof Mandelas struggle againstwhite-minority ruleto help-ing others.

The parishioners of ReginaMundi Church in Soweto areamong thousands of SouthAfricans who have heeded thecall, said Oblate Father Bene-dict Mahlangu, a priest at theparish.

On July 18, 2011, members ofthe Catholic Womens Leaguewere at the church at 6 a.m. toprepare a special meal for un-employed and homeless peoplein and around Soweto, FatherMahlangu said, recalling thatMandela came to a service at thechurch to celebrate his birthdayin 2010.

The church, the largest inSoweto, served as a refuge foranti-apartheid activists for de-cades. Bullet holes in the ceilingand the broken marble altarhave been preserved and serveas reminders of the apartheidera. (CNS)

Asian bishops encourage biblically-based apostolatesPATTAYA, Thailand, Dec. 6, 2013TheFederation of Asian Bishops Conferencesis hosting a seminar on biblical apostolatesand the new evangelization this weekend,drawing clerics, religious, and laity fromacross the continent.

The main crux is to reawaken the mis-sionary challenge of the Word, Fr. JacobTheckanath, executive director of the bishopsconference, told CNA, explaining Crossingthe Borders: Renewed Biblical Apostolate,being held Dec. 5-7 in the Thai city of Pattaya,located 90 miles southeast of Bangkok.

The seminar marks the release of Pope

Francis apostolic exhortation Evangeliigaudium, on the new evangelization; Fr.Alberto Rossa, an Argentine missionary,has supplied copies of the document to theparticipants.

The group aims to draw on both Pope

Francis text and Verbum Domini, Bene-dict XVIs apostolic exhortation on the Wordof God in the Churchs life and mission, toamplify the role of the biblical apostolate.

The seminar was also inspired by themessage of the Federation of Asian Bishops

Conferences tenth plenary assembly, pub-lished in December 2012, on renewed evan-gelizers for the new evangelization in Asia.

Drawing people from 19 countries acrossAsia and Oceania, the seminar aims to helpparticipants produce more effective biblicalapostolates, using lectio divina and integrat-ing missionary zeal for the new evangeliza-tion into all forms of biblical and pastoralministry, Fr. Theckanath explained.

The Christian community should not beintroverted with their use of the Bible, butrather carry and integrate the Gospel into allwalks of life, he stressed.

Fr. Theckanath was encouraged by thetremendous representation of the laity,making up half of the participants in theseminar, calling it a positive sign of theinterest and hunger for the Word of God.(CNA)

Asian bishops' federation's 2013 biblical seminarin Thailand.

Over 10,000 youth to send birthday card to Pope FrancisSTEUBENVILLE, Ohio, Dec. 6,2013More than 10,000 youngpeople have signed a giantbirthday card for Pope Francis,offering their prayers and well-wishes for the Holy Fathers77th birthday on Dec. 17.

We wanted to give the Popea gift he would truly appreciate;something he would be proudof, said Mark Nelson, founder

of Catholic to the Max, theOhio-based arts and gifts outletcompany behind the initiative.

The 4-foot-tall card consistsof a tri-fold plaque featuring animage and prayer of one of theHoly Fathers favorite Mariandevotions, Mary, Un-doer ofKnots. After collecting bothphysical and digital signatures,Catholic to the Max intends tosend the card to the Pope laterthis month.

Nelson said that the idea to

give the Holy Father gifts ofprayer and service came fromthe Popes rst Urbi et orbi,

when he asked that the faithfulpray for him before he impartedhis blessing.

From day one, he has askedall of us to pray for him andto serve the poor. This is ourresponse, Nelson said.

The card traveled to theNational Catholic Youth Con-ference in Indianapolis lastmonth and acquired signatures

from more than 10,000 youngpeople.Now that the card is back in

Steubenville, Ohio, it has beengathering signatures at localCatholic parishes and Francis-can University.

A website has also been cre-ated to allow even more youthto digitally sign the card,which will be sent in time toreach the Holy Father for hisbirthday.

Well-wishers can choose from

different spiritual gifts or worksof mercy to give the Pontiff onhis birthday, such as visiting

the Blessed Sacrament,praying the Rosary orserving the poor.

Those wishing tosign the card can doso until Dec. 9, whenthe pages containingphysical and digitalsignatures will be or-ganized and boundtogether with the Mar-

ian image and sent tothe Holy Father.To learn more about Catholic

to the Maxs project, visit pope-francisbirthdaycard.com.(CNA)

www.catholicnews.com

AntonionGonsalves/CNA

Priest lauds Pope's commitment to protection of

children

The founder of a new center aiding victims of abuse and theirfamilies praised the courageous actions of Pope Francisin facing the issue, stressing also the importance of helpingvictims to heal. Discussing a new commission authorized by

Pope Francis which seeks to increase efforts preventing theabuse of minors, Father Fortunato Di Noto stated that thecommission is a proof of the Pope's commitment to preventabuses and take care of the victims. Fr. Di Noto is originallyfrom Sicily, and is the founder of the new Meter House inRome, which ofcially opened Dec. 9 and offers psychological,spiritual and legal assistance to both victims of abuse, as wellas their families. (CNA)

Pope says caring for sick brings 'the smile of God'

Pope Francis released his message for the World Day of the SickDec. 7, emphasizing the important role of hope both for thosewho suffer and for their caregivers. When we come together,with tenderness, with those who have need of care, we carrythe hope and the smile of God in contradiction to the world,said the Popes message. Because of Jesus suffering, death, andresurrection, Pope Francis explained, we are placed in thisworld before the mystery of Gods love for us, which lls uswith hope and courage: hope, because in the design of Godslove even the night of suffering opens to the Easter light; andcourage, to confront every adversity in his company, united

to Him. (CNA)

Vatican fnance group signs agreement with German

counterpart

The Vatican's nancial watchdog, the Financial InformationAuthority, has signed a memorandum of understanding withits German counterpart, the Federal Criminal Police Ofce.Ren Bruelhart, director of the Financial Information Author-ity, stressed in a Dec. 4 press release this memorandumstrengthens the FIA's international reach and further integratesthe Holy See and the Vatican City State with a coordinatedglobal effort to ght money laundering and the nancingof terrorism. Bruelhart added that the signing underlinesour fruitful relationship, and will further facilitate our jointefforts. (CNA)

On Marian feast, Pope Francis prays for holiness

On a day dedicated to celebrating the Mother of God, PopeFrancis made a special trip in Rome to pray before a tradi-tional statue of Mary. Enkindle in all of us a renewed desire

for holiness: may our words glow with the splendor of truth,may our works resound with the song of charity, may purityand chastity live in our bodies and in our hearts, may ourlives express the presence of all the beauty of the gospel, heprayed on Dec. 8. Pope Francis had crossed the city to Piazzadi Spagna, where on the top of a tall ancient Roman columnstands a statue of the Virgin Mary under the title of Our Ladyof the Immaculate Conception. (CNA)

Pope, with Egyptian Catholic leader, prays for Middle

East Christians

Concelebrating Mass with the leader of Egypt's Coptic Catho-lics, Pope Francis prayed for the safety and religious liberty ofChristians in the Middle East. "Let real guarantees of religiousliberty be given to all, together with the rights of Christians tolive peacefully in the places where they were born, in the nativecountry they love as citizens of more than 2,000 years, in orderthat they might contribute as always to the good of all," thepope said Dec. 9 during morning Mass in the Vatican guest -house, where he lives. Pope Francis concelebrated the Masswith Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sedrak of Alexandria, Egypt,who had come to make his traditional gesture of "ecclesiasticalcommunion" with the Holy See, following his appointment inJanuary by Pope Benedict XVI. (CNS)

In conversations with parishioners, pope reveals he

once was a bouncer

In addition to having worked sweeping oors and runningtests in a chemical laboratory as a teenager, Pope Francis re-vealed he also used to work as a bouncer. No longer kickingtroublemakers out of clubs, he has discovered the secret tobringing people back, this time, into the church, according tothe Vatican newspaper, LOsservatore Romano, Dec. 2. Thepope spent four hours at a parish visit of the church of SanCirillo Alessandrino in a working-class neighborhood on theoutskirts of Rome Dec. 1. He chatted informally with a largenumber of parishioners before and after celebrating Mass.He told one group that when he was young, he worked asa bouncer, and that his work later in life, teaching literatureand psychology, taught him how to get people back into thechurch. (CNS)

Pope tells theologians 'sense of the faithful' is not

majority opinion

Pope Francis said the church must pay attention to the 'senseof the faithful' ('sensus delium') when exercising its teachingauthority, but never confuse that sense with popular opinionon matters of faith. The pope made his comments Dec. 6, in anaddress to members of the International Theological Commis-sion, a Vatican advisory body. "By the gift of the Holy Spirit, themembers of the church possess the 'sense of the faith,'" he said."It is a question of a kind of 'spiritual instinct,' which permitsus to 'think with the church' and discern what is consistentwith the apostolic faith and the spirit of the Gospel." (CNS)

Red February: Pope to hold meeting with cardinals,

create new ones

In late February, Pope Francis will be seeing red and a lot ofit as he meets with the College of Cardinals and creates newmembers. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokes-man, told reporters Dec. 5 that the international Council of

Cardinals advising the pope on the reform of the Roman Curiaand church governance decided to extend by a day their nextmeeting. It will be Feb. 17-19. The spokesman also announcedthat Pope Francis would hold a consistory or consultation withthe entire College of Cardinals Feb. 20-21 at the Vatican.(CNS)

Cape Town ofce, where churchleaders and liberation movementleaders were introducing them-selves to each other.

I could see Mandela quiteclearly from where I was seated,and when the Methodist bishopsturn came to introduce himselfMandela said, Thats my bish-op. Hes the only political leaderIve known whos ... allowed him-self to be dened in terms of hisfaith, not just in terms of politicalallegiance, the cardinal said.

After serving one term inofce, Mandela became a high-profile ambassador for SouthAfrica and helped with peacenegotiations in other Africancountries.

Mandela was diagnosed withprostate cancer in 2001 and,three years later, at the age of85, retired from public life. Hemade rare public appearancesafter that, but helped to secureSouth Africas right to host the2010 FIFA World Cup soccertournament.

On his 80th birthday, he mar-ried Graca Machel, the widow

of the former president of Mo-zambique.After his official retirement,

his public appearances wereprimarily connected with thework of the Mandela Foun-dation, a charitable fund hefounded.

Catholic leaders recall Mandelas complicated legacyWASHINGTON D.C.,Dec. 7, 2013Churchleaders in the UnitedStates offered prayers forthe late Nelson Mandela,remembering both hiscourageous anti-apart-heid leadership and hispromotion of one of theworlds most liberal abor-tion laws.

Cardinal Timothy M.Dolan, Archbishop ofNew York, called Mande-la a hero to the world.

His bravery in defend-ing human rights againstthe great evil of apartheidmade him a symbol ofcourage and dignity, aswell as an inspiration topeople everywhere.

He noted that Bl. JohnPaul II, in his visit to SouthAfrica, called Mandelaa silent and sufferingwitness of his peoplesyearning for true libera-tion. The Pope had saidMandela had to shoulder

the burden of inspiringand challenging everyoneto succeed in the task ofnational reconciliation

and reconstruction.Carolyn Woo, presi-

dent of Catholic ReliefServices, said the U.S.-based international reliefagency mourns Man-delas passing, callinghim a champion in thestruggle for justice andequality for all.

His life inspires allof us to re-dedicate our-selves to helping the op-pressed nd their voiceand their way to livesof meaning and dignity.His personal exampleof forgiveness and non-violence will challengeus to work for peace andreconciliation even in themidst of deep conict.

Mandela, who servedas South Africas presi-dent from 1994 to 1999,died Dec. 5 at the age of95 of a lung infection.The former prisoner wonworld recognition foropposing the oppressive

racial segregation of theSouth African govern-ments apartheid policy.

Mandela had been a

campaigner against apart-heid since 1952, when heorganized protests acrossSouth Africa against thepolicy. He was arrestedon treason charges in1956, and acquitted aftera ve-year trial. He thensecretly sought help fromother African nations andin England.

After the South Africangovernment banned theparty in 1960, the move-ment against apartheidbecame an armed strug-gle led by Mandela. In1962 he was sentenced tove years in jail for incit-ing a strike and for leav-ing the country withouta passport. Additionalcharges of sabotage andconspiracy to overthrowthe government in 1964led to a sentence of 27years behind bars.

Mandelas then-wifeWinnie and other cam-paigners worked to end

apartheid and secure hisfreedom, helping trans-form him into an iconof human rights. He

was released in 1990. In1993, he won the NobelPeace Prize with whiteSouth African presidentF. W. De Klerk, who alsoworked to end apartheid.

Political violence killedover 4,000 people aheadof the countrys rst post-apartheid elections in

1994, when South Af-ricas black populationvoted overwhelminglyfor Mandela. Upon hiselection as president,Mandela worked to helpreconcile white and blackSouth Africans.

However, pro-life ad-vocates also noted a darkside to Mandelas legacy,observing the key rolehe played in pushing forabortion in the country.

In 1996, Mandelasigned into law the Choiceon Termination of Preg-nancy Bill, which permitsabortion on demand,John Smeat on, direc tor

of Society for the Protec-tion of Unborn Children,noted in a Dec. 6 post.

He warned against the

temptation to becomeswept away by person-ality cults, saying thatCatholics must standup to public gures withanti-life and anti-familyrecords, to defend thesefundamental and founda-tional rights.

Mandela signed the 1996Choice on Termination ofPregnancy Bill, which theNew York Times said atthe time replace(d) oneof the worlds toughestabortion laws with one ofthe most liberal. The lawgranted state-financedabortion on demand up tothe 12th week; abortion ondemand to the 20th week;and abortion for seriousmedical reasons untilbirth.

The Guttmacher In-stitute, a pro-abortiongroup, wrote in 2000 thatin South Africa, the lib-eralization of abortion be-came possible only after

the 1994 elections whichmade Mandela presidentand ended apartheid.(CNA)

CatholictotheMax


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A4 Vol. 17 No. 25December 9 - 30, 2013

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

Opinion

Pedro C. QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Pinky Barrientos, FSPAssociate Editor

Roy Q. LagardeNews Editor

Kris BayosFeatures Editor

The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the CBCP Communica-tions Development Foundation, Inc., with editorial and business ofces

at 470 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila. P.O. Box 3601, 1076 MCPO.Editorial: (063) 404-2182. Business: (063)404-1612.; ISSN 1908-2940

Ronalyn R. ReginoLayout Artist

Gloria FernandoMarketing Supervisor

Ernani M. RamosCirculation Manager

Marcelita DominguezComptroller

[email protected]

IllustrationbyBrothersMatias

UP to now we have been envisioning what the Church in thePhilippines should be. While we must acknowledge the manywonderful contributions of the Church to the life of its members andto Philippine society, we have nevertheless pointed to avenues ofrenewal within the Church itself. The Church is not and will neverbe on this earth the perfect bride whom Christ presents to himself,in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that shemight be hold and without blemish. (Eph 5:27). Clasping sinnersto here bosom, at once holy and always in need of purication,(she) follows constantly the path of penance and renewal, (LumenGentium, 8), a path that she must walk on her paschal pilgrimage.

Ours is an imperfect Church living amidst and ministering to a veryimperfect society. The Church makes her own the aspirations ofthis society for development, justice, reconciliation and peace, itsaspiration for God who alone can fulll the longings of the humanheart. She wants to continue accompanying the people of this land ontheir journey towards ideals to which Jesus Christ alone holds the key.

In order to be renewed as a Church, we must leave behind many waysof thinking, speaking and acting which no longer effectively serve andperhaps even obstruct our evangelizing mission. This will mean anunsettling pain, a disengagement from what is cherished but is nowobsolete or obstructive, a dying to what is sinful, that we may come tonewness of life. And even when we do our very best in delity to ourLord, the Church is bound to meet with opposition and even persecution.Both in our internal renewal therefore, and in our service to society, theLords community of disciples in the Philippines is destined to sharein His passion and death so that she may also share in his risen life.

And so, The Church, like a stranger in a foreign land, presses forwardamid the persecutions of the world and the consolations of God. (St.Augustine, Civitas Dei) announcing the cross and death of the Lorduntil he comes. But by the power of the risen Lord she is given strengthto overcome, in patience and in love, her sorrows and her difculties,both those that are from within and those that are from without, so thatshe may reveal in the world, faithfully, however darkly, the mysteryof her Lord until, in the consummation, it shall be manifested in fulllight. (Lumen Gentium, 8). (PCP-II Acts of the Council Nos. 141-144)

Acts and Decrees of the Second Plenary Council of thePhilippines, 1991

THE super typhoon Yolanda was a tale of extreme misery. Forseveral days people looked stunned with barely any food or drinkthey could scamper from wherever. Bodies of thousands were leftin the streets or underneath debris, especially in the city of Taclobanand the neighboring towns, at least during the rst six days or so.There were stories of looting in malls, groceries and even in thehouses of fellow victims. Opportunists in distant towns that werenot as severely hit by the super typhoon jacked up prices of basiccommodities and fuel to 300%.

Hundreds of thousands of coconut trees that most people dependedon for livelihood were felled like matchsticks. Hundreds of houseseven those built of better materials were toppled. Infrastructures,especially those built by corrupt leaders were reduced to twisted steelsand bared to reveal substandard materials. Churches and rectorieswere either unroofed or reduced to rubbles like the heritage church inthe parish of the Immaculate Conception in Guiuan, Eastern Samar.Several coastal barangays or villages, such as those in Hernani,Eastern Samar, disappeared from the map. To varying degrees, thisscenario is true in southern part of Samar, the central areas of Leyte,the northern tip of Cebu, the northern towns of Panay and Palawan.

Super typhoon Yolanda battered the Visayas that was still reeling fromthe effects of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, with a 350 kilometer perhour howling winds. But it was the Typhoon surge that claimedthousands of lives. It was a simple term used by weather forecastersbut was alien to the ears of most Filipinos. People thought that it

was just some rising of the tides not a tsunami-like waves of highseawater that swelled as high as 16 feet or so. With the loss of lives,property and livelihood, the total breakdown of communications,power and land travel made the situation even worse.

The president of the Philippines who went on national TV on the eveof the super typhoon, assuring the country of its super preparednessseemed to have buckled down. It was only on the 6th day after thetyphoon that the national government seemed to have been able toorganize itself, though poorly. The president, the secretaries of localgovernments, social welfare and defense were present yes, but mostlyon the screens of national TV ironically blaming the ineptness of thelocal government and announcing that relief was coming. Governmentrelief goods, indeed came but meager compared with the heavy reliefoperations of foreign governments, global humanitarian agencies(most prominently the International Red Cross, UN, CRS, CaritasGermany and many more) and private Fi lipino groups in the countryand abroad that responded immediately to the crisis by sendingtruckloads after truckloads of relief goods. After days of just talkingon TV, the government was accused of incompetence and insensitivity.

But super typhoon Yolanda was a tale, too, of victory of the humanspirit. Behind the rst blush of desperation were the resilience andthe heroism of many of the survivors themselves. A young priest,for instance, from the town of Guiuan in Eastern Samar, the rstlandfall of Yolanda, motor biked for three days just to reach Manilaand told the world how this remote town was ravaged by the supertyphoon. There is a bagful more of stories to tell and so much faiththat refused to be dampened by the super typhoon.

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

Candidly Speaking / A5

The Churchs paschal pilgrimage

A victory of the human spirit

Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

Living MissionYear of Faith Reflections

Continuing Our Year ofFaith Journey

THE Churchs Year of Faith hasformally concluded, yet we mustalways renew our commitmentto continue our faith-journey.

The pastoral letter of CardinalLuis A. Tagle written for the Yearof Faith offers genuinely helpfulinsights for us as pilgrims infaith.

The Cardinal wrote: In ourtime, the Second Vatican Councilis the great moment of renewalin faith. Blessed John XXIII de-sired that through the Councilthe Church will become greaterin spiritual riches, she willlook to the future without fear.

In a span of fty years afterVatican II, the world has seendramatic changes. But we alsobelieve that the contemporaryworld expresses its searchfor God in ways that the Churchmust also discover.

Thus, as an enduring fruit of

the Year of Faith, we are con-tinually challenged to listen tothe deep cries and aspirationsof the people and societies of

our time [when our nation hasexperienced so many naturalcalamities] so that we can pro-claim Jesus Christ to them withnew methods, new expressionsand new fervor. True faith de-mands continual listening andmission.

We can also recall that SaintJame s in his let ter for cefullynotes that without good worksfaith is quite dead (2:16). In asimilar fashion Pope Francis inhis message for World MissionDay 2013 demonstrated thatgenuine faith is necessarily amissionary faith.

The pope noted: Faith isGods precious gift that onecannot keep to oneself. If wewant to keep it only to ourselves,

we will become isolated, sterileand sick Christians. Mis-sionary outreach is a clear signof the maturity of an ecclesial

community.Pope Francis afrmed: TheSecond Vatican Council empha-sized in a special way how themissionary task, that of broad-ening the boundaries of faith,belongs to every baptized personand all Christian communities.Mission is not a secondaryaspect of Christian life, but itsessential aspect.

For Pope Francis, an activemissionary commitment is notmerely a programmatic dimen-sion in Christian life, but it is alsoa paradigmatic dimension thataffects all aspects of Christianlife. Pope Francis powerfulwords challenge the depth of ourmissionary faith.

We can further recall that Pope

Benedict XVI had outlined thepurpose of this special year; itwas to give fresh impetus tothe mission of the whole Church

to lead human beings out of thewilderness in which they oftennd themselves to the place oflife, friendship with Christ thatgives us life in fullness.

Benedict XVI added that theyear was to be a moment ofgrace and commitment to a morecomplete conversion to God, tostrengthen our faith in Him andproclaim Him with joy to thepeople of our time. This con-version is compared to openingthe door of faith (Acts 14:27).

The door faith must alwaysremain open. As Catholics,we are called to walk in faith,to deepen our friendship withChrist and our relationship withthe Church. Undoubtedly, everyyear must be a year of faith!

Our daily patchwork

EVERYDAY we have to dealwith all sorts of things, a verita-ble hodgepodge, a patchwork ofmatters that often are incongru-ous to each other. This can leadus to confusion, to bewildermentand then to things like skepti-cism, cynicism, indifference andthe like.

If we want to survive, then weshould feel the responsibility ofblending this mix with meaningand beauty, with a sense of pur-pose and direction. In that way,our daily patchwork becomesa living thing, not just a dead,inert mess that we are forcedto handle. It becomes organic.Thats our daily challenge.

Aside from the basic varietyin our life, like the spiritual andthe material, the natural and thesupernatural, the sacred and the

mundane, the temporal and theeternal, we have to deal nowwith the endless ner nuances

that this diversity produces.There are things that we like

and dont like, things that welove and we hate, developmentsthat are pleasant and unpleasant.There are successes and failures,moments that are prosaic andalso sublime, times when we gointo an intellectual mode as wellas into a manual mode.

We handle both absolute dog-mas and relative opinions, oldand traditional customs as wellas new and innovative practicesand trends. We have our highsand lows in our emotional andpsychological life.

Then we deal with all kindsof people. There are the good,saintly ones, and the openlydevious, full of calculations andschemes. You have the rich andthe poor, the simple and the

sophisticated, the quick-wittedand the dimwit.We just have to learn how to

be sport and exible before allthese possibilities, and versatileas well, so we can be all thingsto all men, as St. Paul oncetold us. We need to be open inour attitude, and condent andcompetent so as not to get lost aswell as to know how to integratethem together into one meaning-ful whole.

The ideal to reach is to be ableto reect Gods joy at the end ofeach day of the creation story,where it is said that God sawthat it was good. In fact, on theseventh day of creation, he rest-ed and entered into communionwith his creation. That is how weought to feel and do at the end ofour day and of our life.

We, of course, can only do thisif we are with God. And thatsprecisely the main point we want

to make here. We have to workon our unity and identicationof God, whose image and like-

ness we are, whose children wealso are. We cannot and shouldnot be left alone, left to our owndevices. We need God.

Insofar as God is concerned,he is always with us. He inter-venes in our life. His presencein us is never passive even ifwe are not aware of him. If wehave faith, then we will realizethis truth and would be led tocorrespond to his designs for us.

Gods intervention in our lifehad led him to send his son tous, the son becoming man him-self through the mystery of theincarnation. Its good that wego through what the Catechismteaches us about the signicanceof the incarnation so we wouldknow how God and us can livetogether and can be united.

Point 521 says: Christ enables

us to live in him all that he him-self lived, and he lives it in us.

Praying for priests

IN a few days we will begin the dawn Massesor simbang gabi; our priests can use moreprayers from the faithful during this seasonwhen their days become more hectic thanusual.

Indeed, as we have heard some of ourpriests lament, between dawn and nightMasses, there is hardly any time left for deepreection in order to prepare edifying homi-lies to feed the Lords sheep. So, in gratitudeto God and in fulllment of a Christiansduty we share their burden by praying and

offering sacrices for them.Since the earliest days of Christianity, thepeople of God have always been praying forpriests. Acts 12:2-5 says, He put Peter inprison, assigning four squads of four soldierseach to guard him in turn All the timePeter was under guard the Church of Godprayed for him unremittingly. In Thessalo-nians 5:25, Paul concludes his inspired letterthus, Pray for us, my brothers. The rst

pope (Peter) needed prayers then; the pres-ent pope needs prayers now. The Apostleto the Gentiles (Paul) asked for prayers; sodo priests and religious now, whether in themetropolis or in mission lands.

The priests with us in the most denselypopulated regions where distractions andtemptations abound, need our prayersin-tensied prayers. This call to prayer mightseem to some a mere spurt of piety, but truthto tell, its arising from my remembrance ofcertain homilies at some of the simbang gabi

Masses I have heard over the years. Sad tosay, ill prepared (albeit well-intentioned)homilieswould make these Holy Massessound more like entertainment than wor-ship.

With all due respect, I say that it is notpoor time management that results in me-diocre homilies or robs the priest of the vitalmoments for silent prayer. These are butsymptoms; the real malady may be a fading

sense of the Eucharists importance in thepriests ministry.

Once, I happened to be sharing a mealwith a priest and a handful of laypersons.Shortly before the scheduled Mass, one ofus said, Father, wed better get going; Massstarts in 10 minutes. The priest, grinningwhile emptying the wine bottle into someguests half-nished glasses, said, Relax.Youre not going to be late. Mass will notstart without me. Silence followed; welaypersons exchanged meaningful glances.

Mass will not start without meutteredwith impunity, as if the Mass were all aboutthe priest. I heard this line again from twoother priests on separate occasions (oneduring simbang gabi season), that I beganto wonder if this was a standard joke amongpriests. If its a joke, its certainly far moredamaging than any off colored one.

St. Teresa of Avila, the rst woman DoctorAnd Thats The Truth / A6

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

and thats the truth


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A5Vol. 17 No. 25December 9 - 30, 2013

CBCP Monitor Opinion

By The Roadside / A7

Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, SThD

Along The WayDisaster relief and rehabilitation

The role of affected BECs

FOR the last three years, three typhoonshave devastated parts of Mindanao and theVisayas. Typhoon Yolanda was the latest andmost destructive. Thousands have lost their

lives and many more lost their houses andmeans of livelihood. Among those affectedwere Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs).Relief operations continue and the work ofrehabilitation is just starting. The responsecoming various parts of the country andfrom all over the world has been overwhelm-ing. There were dioceses, parishes and BECsin Luzon and in Mindanao that also sentaid. The spirit of generosity and bayanihanis very evident.

The question is what is the role of thevictims and survivors? What is the role ofthe affected communitiesespecially BECs?

The members of affected communities arenot just helpless victims or passive recipientsof aid. They can actively participate in theimmediate relief efforts and long-term reha-bilitation. This is not easy or even possiblewhere BECs are weak or non-existent. Where

there are BECs that are highly developed andremain intact during disasters, they are ableto help in the initial damage assessment andin the orderly distribution of aid. This wasthe case in Cagayan de Oro after TyphoonSendong and in Davao Oriental after Ty-phoon Pablo.

This was also the case in some BECs inSamar in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda.Some BECs in San Antonio, Basey workedhand in hand with the barangay ofcialsand relief teams in damage assessment, datagathering and relief operations.

Besides assisting in relief efforts, theseBECs also respond to the psychological-spiritual needs of their members. What thesurvivors need are not just food, shelter andclothing. Besides psychological rst-aid orstress debrieng, they also need spiritualsolace and inner healing at a time of shockand grief when their faith is shaken.

Masses are celebrated and bible-reectionsare held in the affected areas and in evacu-ation centers, which are very helpful. Theseare opportunities for them to share theirstories and strengthen each others faith.

The BECs have an important role in therecovery and rehabilitation of the affectedareas. The reconstruction of houses andchapels are opportunities to build up andstrengthen communities. BECs can grow in

these new communities. A good exampleof this is the new housing project in Iliganthat emerged after typhoon Sendong and inDavao Oriental and Compostela Valley afterTyphoon Pablo.

In the rehabilitation phase, the BECs canactively participate in the consultation, plan-

ning and implementation of housing andlivelihood projects. They can also monitorhow aid from government, private entitiesand foreign nations are being spent. This can

be a deterrent to corruption.The role of BECs is best summed up in

report of the Daughters of Charity Assess-ment team in San Antonio, Samar:

A strong sense of mutual support and concernpervades. The structures of the Basic EcclesialCommunities in terms of zones and clustershave gone a long way in making more tolerablean already intolerable situation. This confrmsthat in moments of extreme need and disaster,the bond of relationship and the structures ofgovernance in the BECs provide a solid groundnot only for faith but also for mutual support,relief and rehabilitation.

With the climate change, it is realistic to ex-pect more disasters like typhoons Sendong,Pablo and Yolanda in the future. There is aneed to come up with protocols on how toprepare communitiesincluding BECstoeffectively respond to these disasters. Thiswill also require that BECs be developedand strengthened.

The initiative and support of the bishop,parish priests, diocesan social action center,BEC practitioners and leaders is vital inmobilizing BECs to actively participate indisaster relief and rehabilitation.

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

Duc in AltumHow is Christmas for

typhoon Yolanda victims?

WE already knew the vast de-structions wrought by supertyphoon Yolanda. We learnedof about the thousands of peoplewho were killed, now more than

5,600 casualties. We saw thecatastrophic damage on houses,churches, schools, governmentbuildings, electric posts and allstructures that meet the eye oftyphoon Yolanda.

Despite all these, the survi-vors are very grateful for thehelp extended by kind heartedpeople not only from fellowFilipinos but also from all overthe world. Their faith in Godis not destroyed; Yolanda is astrong typhoon but their Faith isstronger which Yolanda cannotdestroy.

In solidarity with Yolandavictims, Christmas parties werecancelled by almost everyone.How can we go partying whenwe do not even know how our

brothers and sisters in Yolandastricken areas will celebrateChristmas. Some of them arestill mourning and searching fortheir dead, thinking how theycan construct again their houseswashed out and destroyed byYolanda.

However, do not let the dev-astations wrought by TyphoonYolanda prevent us from re-membering and celebrating thebirth of Jesus Christ. Christmaswill always be here, like ourbirthdays will always be here forus to celebrate. In solidarity withour brothers and sisters who aresuffering because of Yolanda, letus avoid the bonggang bonggang(very lavish) Christmas Parties.We can have the celebration ofthe Holy Eucharist, remember inour prayer the Yolanda victimsand casualties, our country andthe Filipinos. Let us just havesimple lunch or dinner. No

need for exchange gifts, rafes,programs.

***In behalf of the Ofcers and

Board of Directors of Sangguni-

ang Laiko ng Pilipinas (Laiko),this columnist as the NationalPresident thank all those whodonated money and relief goods(old clothes, towels, pillow cases,blankets and footwears) for thevictims of typhoon Yolanda. TheLaiko Board decided to endorseall the relief goods through Rev.Fr. Anton C.T. Pascual, Presidentof Radio Veritas and ExecutiveDirector of Caritas Manila forthe joint project of Radio Veritasand Caritas Manila. The moneywill be donated to the most dev-astated Archdiocese of Palo inLeyte (which includes TaclobanCity, Ormoc City, the town ofPalo and several parishes), theDiocese of Borongan in EasternSamar (which includes Guiuan,

Hernani and 16 more heav-ily damaged parishes), and thediocese of Calbayog in Samar(which includes Basey and 3more parishes); and the Dioceseof Naval in Biliran. The otherbeneciary is the Apostolic Vi-cariate of Taytay, Palawan whereCoron and Culion are equallydevastated.

There are many things thatwe cannot understand but withour Father in Heaven and ourMother Mary, whose Feast ofthe Immaculate Concepcion weare celebrating this month, weknow we can hurdle all theseproblems; there is still hope.

***The Year of the Laity (YOL)

started on December 1, the FirstSunday of Advent. The themeof the celebration is Calledto be Saints Sent Forth asHeroes. The CBCP tasked theEpiscopal Commission on the

Laity (ECLA), chaired by MostRev. Jesse Mercado, Bishop ofParaaque, to spearhead thecelebration.

The celebration has three dif-

ferent components: Formation,Celebration and Legacy. Twosacraments will be highlightedin the YOL celebration, Baptismand Conrmation.

Formation is undertakenthrough partnership with theCBCP Episcopal Commission onCatechesis and Catholic Educa-tion (ECCCE). Seminars are con-ducted nationwide. Participantswill cascade the modules in theirrespective Archdioceses/Dio-ceses and Organizations. Dueto typhoon Yolanda, formationin Visayas will be held in Cebuin January 2014.

Celebration will be highlight-ed in the Jubilee Months of theLaity for the following sectors:December 2013 - Non-Practicing

Catholics; for 2014: January- Young Professionals; Febru-ary - Broken Families; March- Homeless and Jobless; April Homebound; May - Farmers,sher folks and labourers; June -Addicted Friends; July - Govern-ment Employees; August - CivicOrganizations; September - Pub-lic School Teachers; October-Indigenous Peoples; November- Lay Saints & Catholic FilipinoHeroes.

Legacy will be the result of theactivities after the Year of the La-ity, the undertaking should havebeen institutionalized even afterthe celebration.

As the CBCP arm, Laiko isassigned as the YOL GeneralSecretariat to coordinate thedifferent activities involving dif-ferent Episcopal Commissions.Rev. Fr. Rico Ayo, Secretary ofBishop Mercado heads the Gen-eral Secretariat.

Bishop Mercado already metwith the Executive Secretariesof different Episcopal Com-missions and requested theirfull support and cooperation

by aligning their activities withthose of the YOL. The EpiscopalCommissions are: ECLA, ECCE,Health Care (ECHC), IndigenousPeoples (ECIP), Prison PastoralCare (EPPPC), Youth (ECY),Family and Life (ECFL), PastoralCare for Migrants and ItinerantPeoples (ECMI), Social Action,Just ice and Peace (ECS A-JP ),Ofce on Women.

The call of the time, I chooseto be brave! is to be courageous,to the point of taking the risk inproclaiming and witnessing theFaith, helping the members ofthe community without expect-ing anything in return, and notbeing afraid to be identied asChristians. To know more aboutthe Year of the Laity activities,

you may visit the website atwww.choosetobebrave.org.

***Happy Birthday to Most Rev.

Deogracias Iiguez, Jr., D.D.,Bishop Emeritus of the Dioceseof Kalookan, on December 10and Happy 50th SacerdotalAnniversary on December 23.May our good Lord continue togive you good health and moreanniversaries to celebrate. Godbless Bishop Deo.

***Happy Birthday to Loida

Santuyo, Fr. Larry Frias, Fr.Ofero Balana; Happy SacerdotalAnniversary to the Fr. RomyTuazon, Fr. Dennis Salise, Fr.Nestor Estanislao, Fr. Larry Friasand Fr. Patrick Hiwatig of the

Diocese of Kalookan.***

Wishing everyone a BlessedChristmas and a Prosperous andPeaceful New Year!

Christmas afterYolanda

THE wrath as seen in the aftermath of Hai-yan a.k.a. Yolanda are still all over EasternSamar and Eastern Visayas as a whole. Butthe media myopia simply gazes at Taclobanand Leyte. I do not mind this at all exceptwhen it gets in the way of reaching all vic-tims in Eastern Samar as well as the wholeEastern, Central and Western Visayas, thatneed help till this very second. I personallydo not relish the inghting among our po-litical leaders, although it would help a lotif the national government stops making upexcuses and simply makes up for its unde-niable failures at timely, steady, organizedand continuing response to the victims,considering their real needs and problems,among others.

On my first trip to Manila A.Y. (AfterYolanda) I must admit to having gonethrough an I.T.P.D. (Increased Trauma PostDisaster) syndrome (pardon my having justcoined the term) as I was seeing again andagain the ravaged coconut trees (our mainsource of livelihood in Eastern Samar), at-tened houses, damaged crops and propertiesfrom the safe comfort of a van bringing me toTacloban airport. I thought of how the killer

Yolanda winds and waves have somewhatspared the greater part of my parish (onlythe shoreline houses, cottages and structures

were brought down at) and not the likesof Balangkayan, Hernani, Matarinao, Gi-porlos, Balangiga, Lawaan and many othertowns and barangays in my province alone.I looked at the people along the roads andbyways. There was a heroic effort to return tonormalcy, except that the effort was alwaysmet by the abnormal everyday scenery ofdevastation. Till now I marvel at our peoplessurvival skills and endurance that can onlybe explained by both past experiences withextra strong typhoons and an undeniablefaith in God. For instance, anyone who hasseen the extent of Yolandas damage in plac-es such as Balangkayan, Hernani, Guiuan,Giporlos and Lawaan would be in awe thatonly more than 200 hundred casualties areofcially recorded not only in these placesbut in the whole Eastern Samar as well.

It should make us pause that artists,singers and other celebrities, local and in-ternational, are among the rst to feel forand with the victims, no matter their race,religion, gender or orientation. But thepublicity and media mileage they gener-ate should not make us turn a blind eye onmany other local and international groups

who, out of sheer human compassion, cometo the aid of victims and the Filipino nationas well. Sometimes I wonder if God allows

disasters to happen to wake humankind upto their fellow humans, which is not to saythat we do not regret their human toll inlives lost and untold suffering caused. Onthe other hand, who would deny that crisesborn of disasters have a way of making hu-man beings look beyond the color of theirskin and the other biases of their minds andhearts to our common and basic identity asmembers of a big, big human family? Doesthis not in itself raise the question of whyit should take disasters of great magnitudefor us humans to realize the fundamentaltruth of our human brotherhood and to stopwars and self-destructive rivalries born ofhegemonic ambitions? Is not the Yolandacataclysm ironic in that a disaster sidelinedthe poisoned relations among nations, whichin themselves are a sure recipe to mutuallyassured destruction among us?

It was so obvious there are gaps in thedisaster responses by various groups. Someplaces, such as Guiuan or Tacloban, aregiven an avalanche of attention and carewhile other places, with less media pres-ence hounding their post disaster lives,are left to their own devices. I know for a

fact that the Diocese of Borongan and, to acertain extent, the provincial government

Fr. Carmelo O. Diola

Spaces of Hope

The Dilaab

Cyrene MissionTHE sheer destruction and unimaginable scope of relief andrebuilding needs in the aftermath of the recent earthquake andtyphoon that visited our country demands a coming togetherof various individuals, groups, sectors, and regions.

When disasters visit they wreck havoc and disrupt lives.They also open up fresh opportunities to change mindsets,rearrange our ways of doing things and of working with oneanother and of building a new Philippines.

But we have choices to make for such shared suffering caneither bring out the best or the worst in us. Fear and panic isa contagion but so is faith, hope and love. Shall our sufferingsmake us a better people, creating more networks of care andcompassionmaking us more humanor shall they makeus less human?

Our unbending spirit and faith, in the words of one mediapersonality, teaches the whole world how to live. The sponta-neous and organized relief efforts of individuals, families, andgroups in the country and from the international communityis a feast of hope! Humanitys heart beats as one as we reachout to victims. Yet, in truth, is it not our own hope that isignited when we do so? And when foreigners show concernand pour massive help does it not somehow also reect theworlds appreciation for the work of our OFWs and migrantFilipinos? All these bring out the best in all of us.

The worst are not those who scavenged for food for survival,not even the looters, though this is unacceptable behavior.The worst are those who take advantage of peoples suffer-ings, from leaders who initiate the blaming game to somebusinessmen who hoard and speculate. The worst are thosewho exploit peoples misery for political advancement andwho bring political colors in the relief effort. The worst arethose who may already be thinking of schemes to siphon offresources intended for victims.

How about government workers who hinder the outpour-ing of compassion by ordinary citizens and groups by theirunwelcoming stance brought about by the spirit of turng,compliance-only mentality, bureaucratic red tape that makesthem inexible and even covetous of goods intended for oth-ers, and an NIH (not invented here) mentality thinking they

have a monopoly of goodness and competence? All these showin faces and action that do not inspire hope.We need to change our mindsets and ways of doing things.

We need to move fast in creating new, life-giving cycles. Let usnot waste our suffering as we work towards a new heavensand new earth (Revelation 21:1).

***One of the most impressive images I have of Yolanda relief

work are those of workers from different nations congregat-ing at the Mactan Airforce base with planes of all sizes andshapes. The crumpled uniforms of medical personnel of theIsraeli military reminded me that they are not only a superbghting force but a generous humanitarian presence.

Yet we should not forget the beautiful acts of solidarity bylocal churches in the aftermath of the Yolanda super typhoon.

Maasin Diocese, translating the funds channeled throughNASSA into relief goods, was the rst to respond when se -curity concerns were still uppermost in the minds of reliefworkers. Southern Leyte became a corridor of hope for arelief convoy.

The Archdiocese of CDO followed shortly with medical per-

sonnel and relief volunteers. A convoy from Pagadian Diocese,led by no less than its local ordinary, Bishop Manny Cabajar,brought with them construction materials and carpenters. Thelatter are now xing the Archbishop's residence, seminariesand other key facilities that serve as relief centers. The diocesesof Tagum and Apayao have also contributed key personnelfor the effort while an Iligan team will adopt a parish.

In time for Advent and Christmas, the Archdiocese ofSan Fernando, Pampanga has sent 80 Christmas lanternsfor parishes with Among Ed, during the turnover, sharinghis experiences as social-action director during the Pinatubocrisis. Carpentry and other tools from the same church arealso on the way.

Other local churches are making their silent contributions.Even individual parish priests from outside the local churchare making their presence felt among their fellow priests in thePalo seminary and chancery complex. By such acts of concretesolidarity, they are helping key helpers help the needy.

***Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered

service to the community (Deus Caritas Est 20). Pope Bene-

dict XVI had afrmed a reality that was in the Church rightfrom the start: All who believed...sold their possessions andgoods and distributed them to all, as any had need (Acts22:44-45). Pope Benedict continued: Within the communityof believers there can never be room for a poverty that deniesanyone what is needed for a dignied life. Organized charityis also crucial if our Church-initiated efforts towards victimsof Yolanda are to be fruitful.

All these efforts are rooted in what Pope Francis recentlyreminded the Church: What counts above all else is faithworking through love (Gal 5:6). Works of love directed toones neighbour are the most perfect external manifestationof the interior grace of the Spirit...Thomas (Aquinas) thusexplains that, as far as external works are concerned, mercyis the greatest of all the virtues... (Evangelii Gaudium). Yes,the greatest is love!

Can you help start the command center for the relief workof the Archdiocese of Palo? Archbishop John Du asked myteam eight days after Yolanda struck. We said Yes after aquick discernment. Soon we found ourselves provide three

Cs: companions, connectors, and co-discerners.It has been a plunge into the deep and we are eternally grate-ful to God and the local ordinary, priests, and faithful of Palo.

By his incarnation, he, the Son ofGod, has in a certain way unitedhimself with each man. We arecalled only to become one withhim, for he enables us as themembers of his Body to share inwhat he lived for us in his eshas our model.

In short, Christ shows us theway of how to deal with what-ever we experience in life, whichhe identies with.

We need to be aware of this

truth of our faith and start toact and behave accordingly. Weneed to deal with Christ person-

ally through prayer, receptionof the sacraments, continuingstudy of our faith, etc.

This is how we can put life andpurpose, order and harmony,meaning and beauty into ourdaily patchwork.

We need to spread this GoodNews and reassure everyone ofits veracity as evidenced in thelives of saints through the ages.Our times, more complicated,subtle and challenging, need

modern saints who know howto cope with the growing patch-works we need to deal everyday.

Candidly Speaking / A4

Rev. Eutiquio Euly B. Belizar, Jr., SThD

By the Roadside


6/20


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A7Vol. 17 No. 25December 9 - 30, 2013

CBCP Monitor

Diocesan News

are trying hard to address these gaps.But their resources are understandablyvery limited. Thankfully, some local andinternational aggrupations, throughwhom we feel the compassionate handof Mother Church, like Caritas Manila,Gawad Kalinga of CFC, Catholic Re-lief Services, truckloads of relief andservice personnel from other diocesesof the country, Caritas Germany etc.,have been on hand to provide us muchneeded help. Again, the brotherhood ofhumanity is something we in Churchproclaim as not only a matter of beliefbut also of practice.

This Christmas there should not bea grand celebration in Eastern Samar.But this Christmas will be laden with alot more meaning and spirituality. Wecertainly will feel the poverty, vulner-ability and lowliness of the baby Jesus

in the manger. We will go through sameinsecurity and deprivations we so lov-ingly gaze upon in the Holy Family. It

should be our hope and prayer that thesame blessed emptiness wake us upto the grandeur of Gods humble butunfailing love.

In a place called Brgy Bagtong, nearSalcedo, Eastern Samar, I saw a vastheartbreaking scene of coconut treeseither blown down, cut up or twisted inall shapes and directions like candles inthe Super Typhoon winds. But, to mysurprise, a farmer was in the same area.He was planting camote and camotengkahoy that had now covered almost ahectare of fresh vegetation against abackdrop of wanton devastation. That,I believe, sums up the Eastern Samarspirit. A spirit that runs in our bloodup to and beyond Christmas, as we pre-pare with St. Joseph to stand by MamaMary, ready to extend all the care wecan, on her way to giving birth to him

who brings not only cheer but the giftof Gods heavenly kingdom even in theimpoverished hovels of the earth.

By The Roadside / A5

Church wants coco processing plant operation stoppedSORSOGON CityAlarmed byanother string of sh poisoning,the Catholic Church voiced outanew its stand to stop the op-erations of a coconut processingplant here, which is assumed tohave polluted shponds lining

the river that opens its mouth inSorsogon Bay.

According to Diocesan MediaRelation officer-in-charge Fr.Bong Imperial, the earliest oc-currence of sh-kill took placeduring Peter Paul PhilippinesCorporations plant initial runfor several months in 2012.

Within the period spanningmore than half a year, the com-pany has operated withoutpermits.

All the requirements set bylaw were virtually ignored, ac-cording to Fr. Imperial. Moreprominently, residents of baran-gay Cabid-an and shpond own-ers, who suffer the most from theplants water waste, were not

properly consulted.The devastation to environ-

ment and livelihood promptedthe Church to bind with fish-farmers and residents in an effortto have the plant closed, he said.The Environment Management

Bureau (EMB) Region V foundout poison in the efuence.In response to complaints and

protests, and having establishedthat the company has no basis todo business, Mayor Sally A. Leeordered it in August this yearto temporarily stop its opera-tions and to close the plant forviolating local ordinances andapplicable national laws.

She stated that the companymay resume operations after itswaste water treatment facilitiespassed the Department of Envi-ronment and Natural Resources(DENR) standard, after the EMBissued waste water dischargepermit and permit to operate,and after building and business

permits were secured from thecity government.

The company in effect fast-tracked its compliance with thepapers, prompting Lee to issuepermit to temporarily operate,almost a month from the date of

closure, while the result of thetest on waste water facilities ispending, Fr. Imperial said.

Unfortunately, another seriesof sh-kill happened within thethree-month period to tempo-rarily operate, the priest said.The direct impact was felt bythe river and shponds that aretapping it for water. Residentsconsume and sell sh caught inthe river.

As a result, a monitoringteam was formed, in whichthe Church is part, Fr. Imperialsaid. The group closely trackson the impact of wastewateron environment and requiresthe company to rehabilitate theriver, and pay for the damages

incurred by fish growers andresidents.

They have been telling themedia that the issue was re-solved, he said. But the prob-lem continues. They are operat-ing and throwing in the river.

Only a few days ago, anotherseries of sh-kill in the river andsh-farmers ats were noted bythe monitoring team and resi-dents, Fr. Imperial said.

The company, procuring ma-ture whole coconuts for desiccat-ed coconut meat and juice, mayalso exacerbate the displacementof farm workers who eke out aliving in copra (toasted coconutmeat) production, he said.

Producing copra out of a thou-sand pieces of coconut may taketwo to three days. Selling huskedwhole coconut as much will costonly a day, which means lessfarmhands needed.

The number of helpers en-gaged in copra production may

considerably decrease, Fr. Impe-rial said. Agrarian reform willfail as landlords may concentratelands in their hands while farm-ers are running to the cities tolook for work.

The province has 50, 000

farmers dependent on coconut,Philippine Coconut Author-ity (PCA) Sorsogon ofcer-in-charge Lourdes Matizano said.

Peter Paul Philippines, payingoutsourced workers from locallabor agencies 25 cents a piece ofwhole coconut processed, spillsout the countrys largest volumeof the coco water export.

In the January-October periodlast year, 15,296,470 liters of cocowater was dispatched to theUnited States, Australia, andEuropean countries, includingformer Soviet states, which ac-counted for $15,958,664 freighton board (FOB), the PCA mainofce statistics said.

Local food and beverages

companies like San Miguel Cor-poration and Asia Brewery areclients of Peter Paul Philippines,Fr. Imperial said. The quench-ers that they produce capitalizelargely on coconut water.

Peter Paul Company origi-

nated in Connecticut, USA in1919. The Peter Paul PhilippineCorporation was establishedin Candelaria, Quezon on June29, 1946. In 1962, majority of itsinterest was sold to local stake-holders.

At this time, the monitoringteam, notably the Church, ispressing the EMB to disclose theresult of the water waste study,if it has conducted any, Fr. Impe-rial said.

He also questioned the issu-ance of permit by the city gov-ernment to temporarily operatewhile the issue on effluence,which was initially found out tobe laden with toxic substances,is still pending. (Oliver Samson)

Tagle leads Palo diamond jubilee celebrationPALO, LeyteManila ArchbishopLuis Antonio Cardinal Tagle led thecelebration of the culminating Mass ofthe Archdiocese of Palos 75th jubileeanniversary in the midst of destructioncaused by typhoon Yolanda.

Because we need to pray, we need togather, we need to give thanks. After all,with or without Yolanda, the Archdio-cese of Palo is a diamond; and diamondsare forever, Tagle said.

Tagle was grateful that the archdio-cese decided to pursue the closing cel-ebration of the jubilee in spite of whathad happened.

In spite of the pains and the suffer-ings because of the great loss broughtabout by the typhoon, we have to cel-ebrate our being Church. Perhaps thisis the only thing left for us to celebratethat we are still gathered by the HolySpirit, that the Word of God is still beingpreached; and that the Holy Euchariststill feeds us, he said.

The cardinal emphasized that theChurch still lives here in the archdiocese.

Buildings may collapse and eldsmay be attened, but the Church will

continue thriving, our Church willnever be destroyed, Tagle declared.

Since November 8, the people in theregion have been inspiring all peoplein the world.

In your hidden and silent ways,through your tears, through the laugh-ter and the jokes of the young people,you have inspired the whole nation; infact, the whole world. You inspired usto rediscover what being human is allabout, you have inspired us to redis-cover what faith is all about, you haveinspired us to love once again, to thinkof others, to be brave, to smile and tohope, he said.

The cardinal assured the clergy ofPalo that the Archdiocese of Manila isin communion with Palo and all priestsare willing to assist them.

He also extended the assurance andthe love of Pope Francis to the peopleof the region who have touched theinternational community where thePope also feels the pains and sufferingsof the people.

Do not be afraid in asking Godwhy? all these things happened. Per-

haps, this is the right prayer during thiskind of calamities. Maybe this will at-tract our Father in heaven to look at us.We may not have the answer, but withHis eyes looking at us, we are assuredthat He is with us, that He has never leftus, the cardinal furthered.

Collections on Nov. 24 Mass in theVatican was made for the Philippines.On 1st Sunday of Advent, mass collec-tions in all parishes in Italy will be givento the Philippines.

According to Fr. Amadeo Alvero, thearchdiocesan spokesperson, in spite ofwhat Leyteos are experiencing rightnow, the cathedral was full of attendeesand the support of bishops in the regionis visible.

Concelebrating with Tagle were PaloArchbishop John Du, Cebu ArchbishopJose Palma, Naval Bishop Filom enoBactol, Maasin Bishop Precioso Cantil-las, Calbayog Bishop Isabelo Abarquez,Catarman Bishop Emmanuel Tranceand Catarman Bishop-Emeritus AngelHobayan, Borongan Bishop CrispinVarquez, and visiting priests fromdioceses in the region.(Jandel Posion)

Taclobanons undergo emotional rst aidTACLOBAN CityMore than 70people attended a seminar on PostTrauma Stress and Psycho-SpiritualIntervention on December 3 at the Sto.Nio Church in Tacloban City, to helpfellow survivors overcome their trauma.

Organized by the Archdiocese of PaloPastoral Disaster Response through itsCommittee on Psycho-Spiritual Inter-vention headed by Fr. Manuel Baybay,the half-day seminar was given by clini-cal psychologist Dr. Leo Deux Fils DelaCruz, author of the book EmotionalFirst Aid Kit: Psycho-spiritual Model.

Fr. Amadeo Alvero, the archdiocesanspokesperson said attendees were indi-viduals willing to commit their selves,time and talent for service in times ofpost calamity scenario where people arevery much in need of Psycho-Spiritualintervention for a better healing.

It was inspiring and surely will behelpful for us here in the archdioceseand the victims of super typhoonYolanda in the region. It made us awareof the nature of stress and how it affectsthe many aspects of our lives, Alveroadded. (Jandel Posion)

Diocesan youth day highlights faith, hope

BIAN, Laguna Faith and hope were the focus of the Diocesan YouthDay in the Diocese of San Pablo in Laguna last Nov. 30 at the St. MichaelsCollege. Themed Faith Endures, A Glimpse of Hope, the pre-NationalYouth Day activity gathered around 1,500 young people in the diocese.Fr. Alex Pontilla, assistant diocesan youth director talked about faithendures where he emphasized the importance of faith in everyday life,citing daily experiences as something divine. The stability of our faithis measured on our experiences and trials we overcome, Pontilla added.(CBCPNews)

Antipolo holds preparatory session for diocesan youth day

TANAY, RizalMore than 600 young people from different parishes andyouth groups in the Diocese of Antipolo gathered for a preparatory sessionfor the upcoming 15th Diocesan Youth Day on December 27-29. ThemedGo and Make Disciples of all Nations (Mt. 28:19), the program included apilgrim walk for participants from the Church going to Sampaloc Elemen-tary School for the overnight vigil held Nov. 30 until Dec. 1 at the St. Jude

Thaddeus Parish in Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal, wherein participants took partin workshops, plenary talk, youth vigil and sharing on the reection ofthe theme. Sr. Eppie Brasil, OP, of the Dominican Sisters of Regina Rosariiencouraged the young people of the diocese to allow themselves be led bythe power of Gods love. (Jandel Posion)

Imitate Christ, priest challenges seminarians

DAVAO CityA Catholic priest challenged seminarians to be imita-tors of Christ during the 6th General Assembly of Davao DiocesanSeminarians at St. Francis Xavier Pre-College Seminary in Davao City,last October 29. All of us want to imitate Christ, but it is concretizedin different ways. Young people consciously and unconsciously tendto imitate, said Fr. Russell Bantiles, the resource speaker during theassembly. Msgr. Edgar Labagala, in his homily, emphasized that like amustard seed, we also start in small beginning. Virtues and vices alsostart in a repetitive act of doing little things. As a pilgrim in this world,let us pray for each other, Labagala added Aside from the talk and mass,indoor and outdoor games were played by during the assembly. Theactivity is held every semestral break aimed to foster camaraderie andunity among seminarians from pre-college to theology. (Sem. Ritzchild

John Car iaga/YPNews)

Praise, worship concert for victims of Bohol quake held in Cebu

CEBU City A praise and worship concert was held last Nov. 30 in CebuCity to raise funds for quake victims and restoration of churches in Boholthat were devastated by the 7.2 magnitude temblor. Organized by FUEL orthe Family of United and Empowered Leaders, the 8th district of the Com-mission on Youth of the Archdiocese of Cebu, the concert was endorsedby Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and held at the Pope John XXIII. ThemedRefuel your Faith: Go and make Disciples of all Nations, the event mir -rored the Catholic Churchs celebration of the Year of Faith and the recent2013 World Youth Day celebration in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event wasa culminating activity of the Year of Faith and anniversary celebration of theNational Thanksgiving Mass for San Pedro Calungsod. The Cebu DiocesanYouth Coordinating Council also launched ofcially the 29th Local WorldYouth Day celebration this coming 2014.(Jandel Posion)

Briefng

Theology seminarians gather for biennial assembly in CebuCEBU CityThe Theologyseminarians in the Visayasgathered for their biennialassembly at the SeminarioMayor de San Carlos (SMSC)in Cebu last October 21-25.

Participants were theologyseminarians of the SanctaMaria Mater et Regina Semi-narium (SMMRS) of theArchdiocese of Capiz, alongwith their formators andrector, Rev. Msgr. Jerry Pam-posa, P.C., the seminarians ofSt. Joseph Regional Seminary(SJRS) of the Archdiocese ofJaro with their rector, Rev.Fr. Midyphil Billones, S.T.D.and the seminarians of St.John the Evangeli st Schoolof Theology (SJEST) of theArchdiocese of Palo, withtheir Rector Rev. Fr. JaimeOscar Florencio.

The biennial event servesas an excellent occasion fortheology seminarians to

gather and form bonds offriendship and fraternity,which will be useful in theirfuture ministry as priests intheir respective archdioceses.

The gathering also func-tioned as an avenue for theseminarians to be exposedto the diverse cultures of theVisayas region.

Themed For We Walk byFaith, not by Sight (2 Cor.5:7), the 9th GTSV beganwith a Holy Mass celebratedby Most Rev. Julito Cortes,Bishop-elect of Dumaguete.

Participants were ofciallywelcomed in the evening of

October 21 with a dinner andformal ceremony includingthe unveiling of the ofcial9th GTSV logo.

On October 22, seminar-ians were given a conferencetitled The Future Ministerin the Philippine Socio-Po-litical Milieu, by Rev. Fr.Ramon D. Echica, S.T.D.,

Ph.D., Dean of Studies ofSMSC.

A workshop facilitated byRev. Fr. Jesper John D. Pe-tralba, Ed.D., Ph.D., D.P.A.,followed in the afternoon.

During the workshop,the seminarians discussed

among themselves their im-pressions on the presentstate of the local Church ofthe Visayas and the role,which they may come to playin the future as ministers.

Some seminarians fromeach seminary were alsoasked to share their thoughtsto the plenum on sundry

topics such as the Lifestyleof Priests, Self-Criticismin the Church, the role ofthe Internet and the SocialMedia in Evangelization,among others.

On Oct. 23, a sports fes-tival was held while on thefollowing day, participantspaid a cultural visit to thehistorical sites of Cebu.

Nightly cultural presenta-tions were also hosted bymany organizations and in-stitutions of the archdiocese.Each participating seminaryalso held a cultural presenta-tion on the evening of Oct. 24.

The 9th GTSV ended witha Solemn Mass celebrated bythe rector of the host semi-nary, Rev. Msgr. VicenteRey M. Penagunda, P.C.along with the rectors of theother seminaries and priest-formators.

After the Mass, the GTSV

Cross and hosting taskfor the 10th GTSV in 2015was formally turned overto the St. Joseph RegionalSeminary, Jaro.

Bishop Gerardo Alminaza,D.D., Chairman of the CBCPEpiscopal Commission onSeminaries, graced the event.(CBCPNews)

The biennial event is an opportunity for seminarians to strengthentheir fraternity and to learn from one another in view of their futureministry in the priesthood.

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economic landscapes, the bishops urgedthe faithful to unite in groups whichthrough prayer, discernment and con-certed action will renew the social andpolitical fabric of our country.

Individual goodness is not sufcientanymore. The good individual will onlybe swallowed up by the evil system.While individual witness is important,

it is in unity that good Christian peoplewill get their strength and attain vic-tory, they said.

Greatness of dignityDespite the seeming disconnection

between the faith and action of many,the CBCP lauded the faith exhibited byFilipinos, especially when faced withdevastating calamities.

The rst and most important truthabout you Filipino Catholic laity is not

poverty but the greatness of your dig-nity. This dignity derives from Godsunmerited choice of you to belong toGods holy people, it said.

The devastation that typhoon Yolan-da brought upon our brothers andsisters in Samar and Leyte has createdsurges of pain and anguish all over ourland and even beyond our shores. The

typhoon left us dazed and lost, gropingin the dark for answers and explana-tion, the bishops said, describing thesituation of the Catholic laity as theparadox of poverty and abundance.

Need for integral faithThe 120-strong collegial body stressed

the role of the laity to transform theworld and bring Christs kingdom intoit by penetrating the different straits ofsociety where they participate.

Your own specic task, and the spe-cial responsibility given to you by theLord is to nd your own sancticationin the world, and to sanctify the worldand transform it so that this worldbecomes more and more Gods world,Gods kingdom, where his will is doneas it is in heaven, they said.

The bishops also noted the impor-

tance of living ones faith, stressing thatit is only through an integral faiththat systemic concerns hounding thecountry may be resolved.

We urge you to promote a con-tinuing education towards maturityof faith among our people, startingwith our Christian families. Buteven more importantly, we ask youto make your faith bear on your dayto day decisions and activities, thebishops noted.

Laity / A1

importance to be in step withthe major directions PopeFrancis has set in his firstapostolic letter, EvangeliiGaudium.

Villegas, who assumed

ofce together with DavaoArchbishop Romulo Vallesas vice president, also named

the dissemination, studyand implementation of themind of Pope Francis forthe Church as expressedin Evangelii Gaudium, as aCBCP priority.

It is a heartwarming med-itation by the Pope. It must betranslated to life, he added.

Released last November 26,Evangelii Gaudium or The Joyof the Gospel, is a 48,000-worddocument that Catholic lead-ers and thinkers are calling theblueprint for evangelization

in the 21st century.The current set of offi-cers, which also includes

Palo Archbishop John Du asCBCP treasurer; Fr. MarvinMejia as secretary generaland Msgr. Bernardo Pantinas assistant secretary generaland assistant treasurer, will

hold ofce until November30, 2015. (Nirvaana EllaDelacruz)

Rehab / A1


8/20

Vol. 17 No. 25December 9 - 30, 2013

CBCP Monitor

A8 People, Facts & Places

Religious sector rallies membersto help debrief typhoon survivors

WITH thousands of typhoonevacuees temporarily relocatedin different tent cities withinMetro Manila, the religious sec-tor is mobilizing its members toassist and debrief survivors asthey cope with their pain andloss.

Around 300 members of menand women religious congrega-tions and lay people attended awhole-day lecture on Psycho-logical First Aid, Debriefing,Counselling and Coaching at theSt. Joseph College Auditoriumon Nov. 30.

The lecture was a joint proj-ect of the National Secretariatfor Social Action (NASSA) andAssociation of Major ReligiousSuperiors of the Philippines

(AMRSP) to train volunteersfrom the religious sector of postdisaster interventions to helpthose who have been affected bytyphoon Yolanda.

Harriet Hormillosa, founder-president of Reintegration, Careand Wholeness Foundation, Inc.(RCW) gave the talk with herteam of counselors.

Noting that many Religiouspriests and nuns have alreadybeen assisting survivors since

the day they arrived in Manila,AMRSP volunteer coordinator,Fr. Javey Savines, SDB said thePsychological First Aid training(PFA) is an additional tool thatcan be utilized in the volunteerwork they are doing.

So if you are already a mar-shall, and you are in contactwith the victims of the calamity,you can practice what we havelearned today on the individualbasis, he told participants.

He urged religious commu-nities to send members to par-ticipate actively in the process ofhelping survivors come to termswith their traumatic experience.

He noted that communitiescan commit to lend confreres,sisters or even priests, to be

actively part of the churchshelping team for the devastatedparishes and dioceses in coordi-nation with CBCP-NASSA andRCW foundation for a period ofat least 2 to 3 months.

Actually, there are alreadysome congregations that volun-teered their confreres to NASSA,and now they have already beensent to devastated areas. Theyare already there in the devastat-ed areas, like Ormoc, Tacloban,

and there are also priests there,Savines said.

He noted that the dev-astated areas are in need ofvolunteer priests to do pastoralministry because most of the par-ish priests there are also victimsof calamity and cannot fulfilleffectively their role as pastors.

So, there are many ways andlevels where we can commitourselves, whether personallyor as a religious community oras a religious congregation,Savines added.

Thousands of evacuees havefled Tacloban and Ormoc forManila and other cities sinceNov. 16. Those who have no rela-tives in Manila are staying in atent city in Pasay City, in public

health centers and religious insti-tutions that have adopted them.

We are really looking formore religious commu

Documents

CBCP Monitor Vol. 17 No. 25