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Flock Divided Over CBCP Stand on Arroyo |
 February 28, 2008 The decision made by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines not to seek President Arroyo’s resignation drew mixed reactions from the religious community as some of clergymen disagreed with the resolution issued following the CBCP's emergency meeting Tuesday.
For Fr. Ino Cueto of Baclaran Church in Parañaque City, the CBCP’s recommendation to Malacañang to lead anti-corruption efforts lacked the necessary edge.
"Kulang sa talas nga… sana ay may kaunting pwersa o lakas yung panawagan (It wasn’t sharp enough… the call should have some force or strength),” said Cueto.
He added that while he respects the CBCP’s stand, he still believes that it is already time to act.
“‘Wag nating hayaang gawin tayong tanga ng mga sinungaling na ito. ‘Wag nating hayaan na tayo'y paglaruan ng mga magnanakaw (Let us not allow them to make a fool out of us. Let us not allow thieves to toy with us)," he said.
For La Salle Bro. Armin Luistro, CBCP’s stand has shown that even the bishops themselves are divided over the matter.
"Siguro among the bishops iba-iba sila. I think they are divided on that issue... hindi naman nila sinasabi na bawal para sa mga Katoliko na magtawag ng resignation," he said.
(Maybe the bishops have different opinions… but they're not prohibiting Catholics from calling the President’s resignation.)
Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, however, defended the CPCB’s decision. He cited that an ouster call “is beyond the competence of the bishops.”
“What we are providing would be the moral guidelines,” he said.
An inter-faith group composed of bishops from Christian and Orthodox churches echoed Ledesma’s sentiments.
The Heal the Nation Interfaith Council said that the possibility of replacing Mrs. Arroyo is still in question.
"Ano'ng mangyayari kung sakali magkaroon tayo ng revolution. Kung mawawala si GMA, she got only one year and a half, ano'ng gobyerno papalit dyan?” said Patriarch Florentino Teruel, the group’s spokesman.
(What will happen in case of a revolution? What kind of government will stand in place of GMA considering she's got only one year and a half?) Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=110592 |
