CBCP exec warns Church vs endorsing bets, issues 10 guidelines to voters

A senior Catholic bishop over the weekend warned Church officials against endorsing candidates for the coming elections, stressing the Church will end up a loser if they do. Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop and Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines vice president Socrates Villegas said bishops, priests and laity can guide voters but not endorse bets, lest they reduce religion to a political party. "When the Church ENDORSES CANDIDATES in political elections she always ends up a LOSER. The endorsed candidate may win in the votes but the Church never wins with him. In endorsing candidates, the Bride of Christ the Church tarnishes her spiritual mission with the stain of the mundane," Villegas said in a pastoral letter for Sunday, posted on the CBCP news site Saturday afternoon. "The Church must guide and not dictate," he added. Villegas is a protege of the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, who played a major role in two EDSA uprisings that ousted sitting presidents in 1986 and 2001. His call came as Catholic groups were set to bare a list of senatorial candidates they will support. The White Vote Movement is to announce its "pro-life and pro-family" candidates in Parañaque City at 5 p.m. Earlier, El Shaddai leader Mariano "Mike" Velarde said they may endorse up to 10 senatorial bets due to their stand against the Reproductive Health Law, divorce and same-sex marriage. “We will be issuing our own sample ballot so that our faithful will be properly guided who to vote,” he said. On the other hand, Villegas reminded voters against selling their votes, lest they make themselves "a cousin of Judas," one of the Apostles who betrayed Jesus. "If you sell your vote, you sell something sacred; you make yourself a cousin of Judas...," he said. Church may end up loser Even if the endorsed candidate wins, he said religion may have been reduced to a political party and used for political gain while the Church's "spiritual mission has been compromised." "We will be lonesome widows after the elections for marrying partisan politics during the campaign," he added. Also, he said the Church must "refuse to play with the fire of political power, or it risks burning herself." He said the Church should not be perceived as winning or losing an election because it "must be beyond such." Paraphrasing Christ in the Garden of Agony, Villegas said "those who live by the sword will die by the sword (and) RELIGIONS THAT WALTZ WITH POLITICS WILL DIE BY POLITICS." Keep polls peaceful, honest Villegas said the Church's duty is to guide voters and candidates on what to do during the electoral process. He said the Church will win if elections are peaceful and honest, and when polls are morally credible and the losers and winners stay civil and courteous. "When every vote is cast from CONSCIENCE and not from convenience, the Church has truly become the formator of conscience and has shown herself as a mother and teacher faithful and obedient to her Master and Lord. Candidates and voters are children of the Church. Candidates against one another are brothers and sisters in God," he said. Villegas pointed out that:

Villegas urged voters to "vote like Jesus," giving them guidelines so they could see how Jesus would have voted. "We submit these guidelines to you and plead with you to bring them to prayer. If Jesus would vote, for whom would he vote? Vote like Jesus. If you cannot find Jesus from among the candidates just make sure you do not make Judas or Barabbas win," he said. He also gave voters 10 guidelines in who not to vote for: Church contribution: silence In the meantime, Villegas said the role of bishops, priests and laity may best contribute to the elections by praying that God guide every voter and candidate. "If we cease to be a praying people and lose our link to God, our humanly inspired decisions can only lead to the loss of our soul as a nation. Prayer is the most important untapped resource in nation building often ignored and even ridiculed. The Church must restore the confidence of our citizenry in prayer," he said. He also said the Church can also contribute a reverential silence in the forum of public discussion, saying silence is the language of God. Villegas said they must regain their vision to be a contemplative Church and "refuse the temptation to be popular and attractive." "The silence of contemplation is the only antidote to the insane and ridiculous campaign strategies that we watch. The silence of contemplation is the cure to the disgusting, unreal and chaotic flavor of the election period. The Church can be a prophetic sign of the mystical silence of God in the midst of the cacophony of mud throwing and name calling in campaign platforms," he said. He also said the Church is the conscience of society and it must remain so. "The beatitudes need to be re-proposed. The Ten Commandments need to be re-injected into the lifeblood of our national conscience. The Catholic social teachings about the promotion of the common good, the challenge of solidarity, the spirituality of stewardship and similar teachings must be taught more vigorously and passionately. The best time to teach these gospel lessons is now as we choose our civil leaders," he said. Also, he said the Church must be a mother and teacher of voters and candidates, including those from opposing political parties. "As mother she loves all and refuses no one. As a teacher, she rebukes with love; she corrects with mercy; she guides firmly always celebrating what is right and beautiful among her opposing children. She must be an example of humility in the midst of arrogance. She must be a reminder of the presence of the divine among us," he said. — LBG, GMA News