Metro bishops to issue pastoral letter on ZTE

MANILA, Philippines - Metro Manila bishops are set to issue a pastoral statement in connection with the controversial ZTE scandal. Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco said Wednesday that Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales met with the bishops in the metropolis recently to plan for a “follow-up" statement to the February 26 pastoral letter of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) rejecting calls for Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation. In an interview on Church-run Radio Veritas, Bishop Ongtioco said the follow-up statement was drafted last Monday and aimed to promote a “morally founded nation." “May pastoral statement na ipalalabas ang Metro Manila bishops and ecclesiastical province na binubo ng 12 dioceses kasama dito ang military vicariate," said Ongtioco. The “follow-up pastoral letter intends to enhance the CBCP statement last February 26. “So, ito ay para mapalalim o mapalawak at tungo sa ating pagsasama-samang pagsisikap para mai-buo ang isang bansang maipagmamalaki natin at matibay ang pundasyon," Ongtioco said. “Ang ating hangarin,isang bansang makadiyos, hindi lamang binuo ng tao dahil kapag ito ay binuo lamang ng tao ay hindi magtatagal (Our aim is to establish a God-loving nation that is lasting and not a country that is solely composed of people that would end soon)," added Ongtioco. The statement will be read on Palm Sunday in all the parishes in Metro Manila. Aside from uniting the country, Ongtioco said one major interest of these follow-up pastoral statement is to eradicate the rampant corruption in government. “Its a very important occasion for us na ipalabas ito dahil ito ay pananawagan para sa lahat," said Bishop Ongtioco. Moreover, he added that the statement will further give due course to certain issues in the country. Besides Ongtioco and Cardinal Rosales, other bishops that attended the meeting are Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez, Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias, Paranaque Bishop Jesse Mercado, Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes, Pasig Bishop Francisco San Diego and Manila Auxiliary Bishop Bernardino Cortez. - GMANews.TV