No separation of church and state when expressing opinion, says CBCP exec

There is no separation of church and state when it comes to expressing one's opinion, an official of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said on Thursday.

Father Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the CBCP-Permanent Committee on Public Affairs, made the remark on GMA News TV's Balitanghali a few days after the bishops released a pastoral statement in which they apologized for their "collective silence" amid President Rodrigo Duterte's tirades against the Catholic church.

"'Yung pagpapahayag ng opinyon, there is no separation between the church and state. Anybody who is a Filipino can offer opinions," Secillano said.

He said that on "practical plane", the separation of the two institutions meant government officials could not administer religious sacraments while priests were not allowed to legislate laws.

Secillano said church leaders could not be silenced by the constitutional provision when discussing pressing issues and concerns in society.

He said priests had to fulfill duty of putting the word of God into action.

"How do we apply the Word of God? Hindi namin pwedeng sabihin na bawal pumatay pero nangyayari sa lipunan may patayan, eh wala kaming pakialam," Secillano said.

Secillano said Jesus Christ did not remain silent on oppression and injustices he witnessed.

The separation of Church and State was indicated in Article II, Section 6 of the 1987 Constitution.

"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," the bishops' pastoral statement read.

"Forgive us for the length of time that it took us to find our collective voice. As bishops, we have no intention of interfering in the conduct of State affairs. But neither do we intend to abdicate our sacred mandate as shepherds to whom the Lord has entrusted his flock," it added. —Dona Magsino/NB, GMA News