Bishops slam ‘culture of violence’ after Jolo cathedral bombing

Catholic bishops decried the "culture of violence" that they said have prevailed in the country, a day after the bombing of the cathedral in Jolo, which killed 20 people and wounded over 100 others.

At the same time, the bishops sought forgiveness from the people for their "collective silence" amid the "many disturbing issues" hounding the nation.

"For the past few months now, we have observed how the culture of violence has gradually prevailed in our land. The recent bombing of the cathedral of Jolo where scores of people were killed and several more were injured is a further evidence to the cycle of hate that is destroying the moral fabric of our country," the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said in a pastoral statement Monday.

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

According to Valles, the bishops have also been at the receiving end of "cruel words that pierce into the soul of the Catholic Church like sharp daggers."

"We have silently noted these painful instances with deep sorrow and prayed over them. We have taken our cue from Pope Francis who tells us that in some instances, '…the best response is silence and prayer',” he said.

Catholic bishops who have been vocal against President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs and some of his policies have to bear the brunt of the chief executive's unceasing verbal attacks.

In his past statements, Duterte had lambasted the Catholic Church over alleged corruption and abuses involving some of its members.  Last month, he told its leaders to clean up their ranks instead of meddling on how he runs the country.

Solemn duty to defend their flock

Valles said many people have warned the CBCP for being critical of the administration's fight against illegal drugs.

He said the Catholic Church was not against ridding the country of the drug menace.

"Like most other Filipinos we had high hopes that the government would truly flex some political will to be able to use the full force of the law in working against this terrible menace," he said.

"It was when we started hearing of mostly poor people being brutally murdered on mere suspicion of being small-time drug users and peddlers while the big-time smugglers and drug lords went scot-free, that we started wondering about the direction this 'drug war' was taking," he added.

The CBCP leader said the bishops have no intention of interfering with the state's affairs.

"But neither do we intend to abdicate our sacred mandate as shepherds to whom the Lord has entrusted his flock. We have a solemn duty to defend our flock, especially when they are attacked by wolves. We do not fight with arms. We fight only with the truth. Therefore, no amount of intimidation or even threat to our lives will make us give up our prophetic role, especially that of giving voice to the voiceless," Valles said.

Save the Children

As Congress appeared headed in passing the law to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 12 from the present 15 years old, the CBCP said children should be saved, not treated as criminals.

"There is no way we can call ourselves a civilized society if we hold children in conflict with the law criminally liable. Children who get involved in crimes, such as those who are used as runners by adult drug pushers, do not deserve to be treated as criminals; they are victims that need to be rescued," it said.

Valles said that most children in conlfict with the law come from very poor families and were born and raised in an environment of abuse.

"We beg our country’s legislators to give the bills they are drafting some serious rethinking and consider the greater harm that such a move can cause on the young people of our country. We commend the initiatives to improve the Bahay-Pag-asa shelters for the care of children in conflict with the law," he said.

Faith in the people

Valles said that while they respect the freedom of conscience and religion of other faiths and their freedom of expression, this should not include a license to insult other people's faith.

"We know that this cuts deeply into the souls of our people—especially the poor, because faith is the only thing they have to hold on to," he said.

Valles said the Catholic Church could have shortcomings, too, in its preaching and communicating its faith.  He added their preparation for the celebration of the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines could be a "perfect opportunity to embark on a renewed integral evangelization in word and witness." —LDF, GMA News