CBCP Monitor Vol. 19 No. 23

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A2 CBCP MonitorNovember 9 - 22, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 23WORLD NEWS

Vatican BriefingChoirs, tailors, builders makepreparations for papal visit to Kenya

In this Oct. 22 photo, a tailor in Kangemi, outside Nairobi, Kenya, works on a vestment to be used by Pope Francis during his late-November trip to the country. CNS PHOTO/THOMAS MUKOYA, REUTERS

NAIROBI, Nov. 6, 2015 - Ke-nyans are working on nal prepa-rations for Pope Francis’ Nov.25-27 visit, his first stop on athree-nation visit to the continent.

Construction of the stage for thepapal Mass is almost complete. Forhis Nov. 26 open-air Mass at theUniversity of Nairobi, Pope Francis

will use the same altar used duringthe May 23 beatication of BlessedIrene Stefani, an Italian member ofthe Consolata Missionary Sisters

who cared for wounded and sicksoldiers in Kenya and anzaniaduring World War I.

Father Stephen Okello, papalvisit coordinator, also coordi-nated St. John Paul II’s 1995papal visit. He said church lead-ers picked the altar, “made byConsolata missionaries in Nyerimore than a hundred years ago,”because it was “a symbol that

the pope’s visit touches everyCatholic faithful in the countrydespite the fact that he will visitNairobi only.”

At the base of each side of thealtar are engravings, includingsymbols of the Eucharist, a birdfeeding its hatchlings, a dove,a sh and a lamb. Te altar in-cludes the inscription in Latin,“Redemisti Nos Domine Sanguine

uo,” meaning, “You saved usLord by your blood.”

Bishop Dominic Kimengichof Lodwar, head of the bishops’liturgy committee, said there was“great excitement over the coming

of the pope, and all Catholics arepreparing themselves to receivetheir leader in a special way by pre-paring themselves for the Mass.”

In coastal Kenya, along theIndian Ocean, various choirs werepreparing songs in Swahili. In

Westlands, a Nairobi suburb, theConsolata Shrine Choir practicesthree times a week.

Agnes Karambu a member ofthe Consolata Shrine Choir, was18 when St. John Paul visitedNairobi.

“I danced during the reception

of the pope in 1995; this time I amgoing to sing at the papal Mass,”she said. “I feel twice blessed to

witness and part icipa te in twopapal visits in my lifetime.”

Gregory Nanzia, the choirdirector, was in high spirits ashe led his choir during a recentrehearsals.

“For me, this is a special privi-lege, to be leading this choir atthis time, and participating at thepapal Mass will be a special bless-ing for me,” he said.

At St. Joseph the Worker Parish

in Kangemi, papal vestments arebeing prepared at a convent rightin the middle of the slum thathosts 20,000 Catholics in 30 smallChristian communities.

Jesuit Father Paschal Mwi jage,pastor of St. Joseph the Worker,said, “By visiting Kangemi, PopeFrancis will be giving us a lot ofhope and happiness.”

After vis itin g Nairo bi, PopeFrancis is scheduled to go toUganda Nov. 27 and visit Bangui,Central African Republic, Nov.29-30. (CNS)

Cardinal Tong calls on voters to rejectsame-sex marriageCHINA, Nov. 6, 2015 - Cardinal John ongHon of Hong Kong has called on Catholicvoters to reject same-sex marriages and supportpolitical candidates that uphold the core valuesof marriage and family in future elections.

In a statement released by the Hong KongDiocese on Nov. 6, Cardinal ong criticizedmodern social trends and liberal political move-ments advocating same-sex marriage “underthe guise of equality and the ght againstdiscrimination.”

If taken further by enacting a proposed ordi-nance banning sexual orientation discrimina-tion, such trends would turn the society upsidedown, he warned.

He urged the faithful to take into consid-eration the stance of each candidate and their

political parties with regard to the core valuesof marriage and the family, and the proposedsexual orientation discrimination ordinance, inan upcoming district council election on Nov.22 and elections in the future.

Cardinal ong said a recent “workshop onlovemaking techniques” held by a students’organization at a local university clearly dem-onstrated “the virtual propagation of sexualliberalization under the umbrella of academicfreedom.”

Te workshop reportedly included a dem-onstration by sex workers of the use of sex toysand erotic massage.

It is “a misguided culture” that has publiclyand pompously intruded on people’s lives andis directly affecting the next generation, the

cardinal said.It sees “the core values and key concepts of

marriage and of the family continually beingchallenged and misinterpreted,” he said.

Te bishop’s message comes ahead of a gaypride rally in the territory on Nov. 7 and a“Christian family” festival on Nov. 11.

It was the second time Cardinal ong hasspoken out against same-sex marriage in lessthan two months. He signed a pastoral letteropposing it on Sept. 21.

It is also believed to be the rst time thata local bishop has urged the faithful to votebased on a particular agenda, when in thepast bishops have only advised people to voteaccording to their conscience and churchprinciples. (UCAN)

Those who’ve stayed – what now for Christians in Syria and Iraq?ROME, Italy, Nov. 5, 2015- War in Iraq and Syria havetaken a heavy toll on the Chal-dean Christians of the MiddleEast. Now Chaldean bishopslike Archbishop Bashar Wardaof Erbil, Iraq are asking whatthey can do to help Christianrefugees survive and preservetheir faith in times of trouble.

“For me, my plan is howto help the Christian families

who dec ide d to stay, to stayand live with d ignity. Tat’s mybig concern, the whole plan,”

Archbishop Warda told CNAOct. 28.

“ o be honest, I cannot tellanyone to stay. Tere are hun-dreds of reasons which encour-age people to leave. Tere is noone reason to really urge andhelp them to stay. But we hopeand we have faith that this com-munity would stay, and, pleaseGod, be strengthened by theprayers that we’ve receiving,”he said.

Archbishop Warda was oneof the bishops at the ChaldeanCatholic bishops’ synod, whichtook place in Rome Oct. 24-29.

he Chaldean CatholicChurch’s patriarchal see isBabylon, based in present-dayBaghdad. he Church has apresence in Iran, Syria, Leba-non, urkey, Israel and Egypt,as well as in France and theU.S. Tere are over 400,000Chaldean Catholics aroundthe world, according to theCatholic Near East Welfare

Association .Violence in Iraq after the

2003 U.S. invasion and therise of the Islamic State group

in Iraq and Syria has resulted

in the targeted killings andexpulsions of many Christians.Te brutal conict has causedmillions of people, includ-ing hundreds of thousands ofChristians, to ee their homes.

Many have fled to Jordan,Lebanon and urkey, whileothers are displaced within theirhome countries. Displaced IraqiChaldeans have tended to moveto Erbil and Dohuk.

he pressures to emigrateabroad are enormous, the arch-bishop said. “ oday if you offera visa to all the refugees they

will take it,” he explained. “But we know that some of them would leave with tea rs.”

“Not everyone would like toleave, because during the time

when there was a poss ibility togo they preferred to stay.”

he Chaldean bishop inLebanon is “doing his best”to care for the refugees and toconvince them to stay in theMiddle East.

Iraqi Christians who remainin the Middle East would bemore likely to return to theirhomes in the Nineveh Plainsand Mosul, Archbishop Wardasaid. “But once they leave theMiddle East it would be the endof the story.”

Te Chaldean Church doesnot want to force families tostay, he noted. Rather, theChurch wants “just to be withthem, and even help them withthe material needs and spiritualand pastoral needs they want inthis difficult time.”

“Everything is changing, butstill, we would like to respondto the immediate needs of

the refugees, which is shelter,

health, education and othermaterial issues,” the archbishopsaid, pointing to the bishops’

work with diffe rent Catho licaid agencies.

he Chaldean bishops are working with displaced bishops,clergy, and religious sisters fromMosul to ensure spiritual andpastoral care for their ock.

Archbi shop Warda’s homecity of Erbil, in the Kurdistanregion of northern Iraq, is a saferegion, though it shares a 650mile-long border with territorycontrolled by the Islamic Stategroup.

“Te welcoming attitude ofthe Kurdish government was re-ally a big help which was givento the Christian refugees, and

Yazidis,” the archbishop said.“We have in Kurdistan some

1,800,000 refugees,” he added.Te diocese itself is hosting

10,300 Christian families wholeft Mosul and the NinevehPlain. But some 3,000 Chris-

tian families left since 2014.Te archbishop said it wouldbe “very hard” to go back toMosul. Even if it were to befreed from the Islamic State,“we need some time.”

“But to the Nineveh Plainsand its villages, yes, people

would real ly like to go backand rebuild life. It would bedifficult, it is not really be aneasy choice. Te commitmentand risk is high, especially whenyou have this kind of brokentrust between the communities,but I think the mission of theChurch and all Christians is tostay and build bridges. We’vedone it before, I think we will

be able to do it again.”

He said dialogue with theIslamic State is not possible be-cause “they would not imaginethemselves in any position ofdialogue.”

“We are infidels to them,”he said.

Rather, he suggested Chris-tians could engage with othervictims of the Islamic Stategroup and “try to build bridgesof peace and trust.”

At the Cha lde an bis hop s’synod, one group of bishopsfocused on the practical issuesfacing internally displaced per-sons and refugees. Tese issuesinclude knowing their location,their needs and priorities, waysto help, and how to contacthem.

Te archbishop said there hasbeen “an increase in the needs”of these people.

A second bishops’ group atthe synod focused on issuesrelated to culture and identity.Tese include questions such

as how to welcome the refu-gees and help them keep theiridentity, and also “the issue ofhomeland.”

Te Chaldean bishops’ synodalso discussed liturgical ques-tions. wo-thirds of the Chal-dean community is outside ofIraq. Second generation immi-grants speak English, French,German, or Swedish.

Tis creates liturgical issuesof language, translation, andofficial texts – issues which alsobear on morning and eveningprayer. Te Chaldean bishopstypically hold a synod everyyear. hey have decided todedicate a future synod to the

Chaldean liturgy. (CNA)

Pope: 'Deplorable' leak of private docs doesn’t dampenVatican reformOn Nov. 8, Pope Francis spoke out for the rst time on whathas been called the most recent “Vatileaks” scandal with thetheft of condential information by the Holy See, but offeredhis assurances that the reform process would move forward.Te stealing and publication of the documents was a “mistake,”and “a deplorable act that does not help,” the Pope said Nov. 8,explaining that he had called for the study connected with thecondential documents, with which he was well acquainted.Francis spoke to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square about the scan-dal in his post-Angelus comments, acknowledging that manyhave been “troubled” by the news of the scandal in recent days.Nonetheless, Francis offered his assurances that his reform wouldmove forward.(CNA)

Cardinal: Pope Francis to visit Mexico in FebruaryPope Francis will visit Mexico City in February 2016, CardinalNorberto Rivera announced on Sunday. “I have a piece of newsthat everyone already knows: the Holy Father comes to visit us,and he comes on the afternoon of Feb. 12. So from that day we

will receive him with much love,” the cardinal said. Te cardinalmade the announcement during Sunday Mass at Mexico City’scathedral Nov. 1, elevisa reports. He suggested that the date ofthe Pope’s arrival in Mexico was “very close” to Feb. 12. Te Vati-can has not yet made an official announcement of the trip.(CNA)

Pope: Every Christian must be prepared for martyrdomOn Oct. 30, Pope Francis reected on the life and death of BlessedOscar Romero, who was recognized as a martyr earlier this year,stressing that each Christian ought to be ready to give their life forthe faith. “A martyr is not born. It's a grace that the Lord allows,and that in a way concerns every baptized person,” Pope Francistold a group pilgrims from El Salvador Oct. 30. Bl. Oscar Romero

was Archbishop of San Salvador (the Salvadoran capital) from1977 until his March 24, 1980 martyrdom. Quoting a phrase ofBl. Romero, the Pope said that “We must be willing to die for ourfaith, even if the Lord does not give us this honor.” (CNA)

Pope Francis sets up foundation to boost Catholic educationObserving the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council'sdeclaration on Christian education, Pope Francis on Oct. 28established a foundation meant to promote Catholic education

worldwide. “I am grateful to the Congregation for Catholic Edu-cation for the initiatives organised for this 50th anniversary of thedeclaration Gravissimum educationis,” the Holy Father wrote inan Oct. 28 chirograph, a letter circulated in the Roman Curia.“I am likewise pleased to learn that the same Dicastery wishes toconstitute on this occasion a Foundation named Gravissimumeducationis, with the aim of pursuing 'scientic and culturalends, intended to promote Catholic education in the world',”he wrote, quoting the foundation's statutes. Te Pope's letterinstituted the Gravissimum educationis Foundation in VaticanCity, making it subject to canon law, Vatican City civil law, as

well as its own statutes.(CNA)

Excluding people isn't Christian – it leads to war, Pope saysPope Francis said that those who form private, exclusive groupsmimic the attitude of the Pharisees, leading to conict and d ivi-sion, whereas true Christians open the doors – with prudence– to everyone. “Tere are two paths in life: the path of exclusionof persons from our community and the path of inclusion,” thePope said Nov. 5 at daily Mass in the chapel of Vatican City’s St.Martha Guesthouse. While the path of exclusion might be small,it is “the root of all wars: all calamities, all wars, begin with anexclusion. One is excluded from the international community,but also from families, from friends. How many ghts thereare!” On the other hand, the path that brings us closer to Jesus“is quite another, it is contrary to the other: to include.”(CNA)

Pope advises new bishop to have mercy, patience, short homiliesOrdaining a Rome pastor and seminary spiritual director as anauxiliary bishop of Rome, Pope Francis pleaded with him to bemerciful and to give short, clear homilies. Ordaining Bishop

Angelo De Donatis, 61, Nov. 9 at the Basilica of St. John Lateran,Pope Francis reminded the new bishop of something he hadtold him earlier. "Let your words be simple so that everyone canunderstand. Don't give long homilies," the pope said. "Allow meto ask you to remember your dad and how very happy he was tohave found another parish in a town nearby where the Mass wascelebrated without a homily!” "Homilies should be the transmis-sion of God's grace. Simple, so that everyone can understandthem and everyone will want to become a better person," PopeFrancis told the new bishop. Te Mass was celebrated on the feastof the dedication of the basilica, which serves as the cathedral ofthe Diocese of Rome.(CNS)

Pope wants to visit Czestochowa, Auschwitz, Polishpresident saysPope Francis wants to visit the Marian shrine of Our Lady ofCzestochowa as well as the Auschwitz concentration camp whenhe travels to Poland next year, according to Polish President

Andrzej Duda. After meeting Pope Francis Nov. 9, Duda told journalists of the pope 's desire to visit the two historical site sduring his apostolic trip to the country in July for World YouthDay 2016. Te Polish president said that the pope also wishedto follow the footsteps of his predecessors and pray at the Aus-chwitz concentration camp where more than 1 million people,the majority of them Jewish, were systematically murdered bythe Nazis. (CNS)

Pope: Dignity of workers must never be compromisedTe dignity and rights of workers must never be compromised,not only with regard to fair wages and pension, but also in“their right to rest,” Pope Francis said. Te pope met Nov. 7in St. Peter’s Square with an estimated 23,000 members of theItalian National Social Security Institute, which oversees thegovernment’s disability and pension structure. Work and restare connected, Pope Francis said, and true rest comes when onehas “a secure job that gives dignity to you and your family.” Hepraised the institute’s work in defending worker’s rights based onthe natural and “transcendental dignity” of the human person

while acknowledging that their work is both an honor and aresponsibility.(CNS)


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A3CBCP Monitor November 9 - 22, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 23

Forgiveness in family has power to rebuild society, Pope saysVA ICAN, Nov. 4, 2015– Deliveringhis Wednesday general audience addressa little more than a week after the closeof the Synod on the Family, Pope Francisspoke on the role of forgiveness in helpingfamilies become a force for the bettermentof society.

“Te practice of forgiveness not onlypreserves families from division,” but

allows them to aid society in becoming“less evil and cruel,” the Pope said duringhis Nov. 4 weekly audience address in St.Peter’s Square.

“Christian families can do a greatdeal for today’s society, as well as for theChurch,” he said.

Te pontiff also spoke on the role of therecent Synod on the Family in “revivingour hope” in the family’s vocation andmission in the context of forgiveness.

Pope Francis reected on the recentlyconcluded Synod on the Family, describ-ing it as an “event of grace.”

his year’s Synod, which ran fromOct. 4-25, was the second and larger oftwo such gatherings to take place in thecourse of a year. Like its 2014 precursor,the focus of the 2015 Synod of Bishops

was the family, this time with the theme:“Te vocation and mission of the familyin the Church and the modern world.”

At the conclusion of the three-weekSynod, the Vatican released a nal docu-ment based on the gathering’s theme com-piled and voted upon by its participants.Pope Francis is expected to write an Ap-ostolic Exhortation on the theme of the

family based on this document.

While the Pope i s still reviewing thefinal document, he explained that he wanted it to be publicized so that thepublic could have a part in the fruit ofthe past two year’s work.

“I wanted the text to be published inorder that everyone might participate inthe work which he have seen undertakentogether for two years,” he said.

Meanwhile, while he is reviewing the

document, life continues to move forward, especially for families, he said.“You are continuously writing of the

beauty of the Gospel in the family in thepages of real life,” the Pope remarked.

“In a world which at times is barrenof life and love, you speak every day ofthe great gifts which are marriage andthe family.”

Pope Francis compared the family to

a gym in which “reciprocal forgiveness”is exercised.“No love can endure for long,” without

self-gift and forgiveness, he said, reectingon the “Our Father” prayer which callsus to forgive as we ourselves are forgiven.

“We cannot live without forgiveness –or, at least, we cannot live well, especiallyin the family.”

Forgiveness should be exercisedevery day, the Pope continued, saying

we m ust take into accoun t ou r fr agi l-ity and pride. He also warned againstallowing too much time to pass beforeforgiving; otherwise, it becomes moredifficult.

“Do not allow the day to end withoutsaying I’m sorry, without making peace

between husband and wife, betweenparents and children, between brotherand sister… between daughter-in-law andmother-in-law!”

In learning to forgive and ask forgive-ness, wounds are healed, marriage isstrengthened, and the family becomesfortied against our own acts of mean-ness, both small and great, the Pope said.

“Don’t nish the day at war, under-stand?”

Pope Francis offered his assurance tofamilies that, by walking in the path ofthe Beatitudes as recounted in Matthew’sGospel, and by learning to forgive and beforgiven, “everyone in the great family ofthe Church will develop the ability to give

witness to the renewing power of God’sforgiveness.”

For this reason, he expressed his desirefor families to rediscover the “treasure” ofreciprocal forgiveness during the Jubileeof Mercy.

“We pray that families may always bemore able to live and build concrete pathsof reconciliation, where no one feels aban-doned to the weight of his debts.”(AnnSchneible/CNA/EWTN News)

Vatican City - September 2, 2015. Pope Francis blesses a family in St. Peter’s Square during the Wednesday general audience on September 2, 2015. CNA

Vatican spokesmanconrms moneylaundering investigation

VA ICAN, Nov. 5, 2015– In-vestigations into money launder-ing, insider trading and marketmanipulation through a Vaticanoffice were launched after an initialreport was led by the VaticanFinancial Intelligence Authorityin February 2015, the Vaticanspokesman said.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombar-di, the spokesman, issued a state-ment Nov. 4 about the investiga-tions involving the Administrationof the Patrimony of the ApostolicSee. Te office, known by its Ital-ian acronym APSA, handles theVatican’s investment portfolio andits real estate holdings.

Te Vatican spokesman’s state-ment comes on the heels of areport by the British news agencyReuters that Giampietro Nattino,chairman of a private Italian bank,had accounts at APSA and usedthem for personal trades on theItalian stock market.

he Reuters article says in-vestigators looked at Nattino’sactivities between May 22, 2000,and March 29, 2011. Te inves-tigations revealed that the Italianbanker transferred more than 2million euros out of his APSA

account to a Swiss bank accountseveral days before stricter nan-cial regulations at the Vatican wentinto effect, Reuters reported.

Te report also states that theVatican Financial Intelligence

Authority passed its ndings onto Vatican City State judicialauthorities regarding Nattino’sactivities and recommended theVatican prosecutor, Gian PieroMilano, also investigate possibleinvolvement by some members ofthe APSA staff.

Although APSA in 2012 toldinvestigators from “Moneyval” —the Council of Europe’s Commit-tee of Experts on the Evaluation of

Anti-Money Laundering Measuresand the Financing of errorism —that the Vatican decided in 2001to phase out individual accounts,the Vatican’s internal investiga-tion revealed that accounts likeNattino’s were active until 2009.

Father Lombardi said the Vati-can prosecutor’s office requestedthe involvement of Italian andSwiss judicial authorities in theinvestigation “by requests sentthrough diplomatic channels on

Aug. 7, 2015.” (Junno ArochoEsteves/Catholic News Service)

Federico Lombardi at the Holy See Press Room in Vatican City for the Annual Report ofthe Authority of Financial Information (AIF) on the activities and supervision of nancialinformation for the prevention and combating of money laundering and terroristnancing. CNA

Faith, hope, love make Pinoys survivors – bishopCEBU City, Nov. 8, 2015 – What’s the secretto Pinoys’ signature “survivor smile”? It isnothing but faith, hope, and love, says a priest.

“Disasters bring out the best [in Filipi-nos] when in the rst place because there

was something in good in the m to begin wit h…Wh at makes it pos sib le for thebest to be brought out there is becausein our hearts there is already [somethinggood]: faith hope and caritas,” said Cebu

Auxi liar y Bisho p Denn is Villa rojo dur-ing his welcome address at the Commu-nity Managed Disaster Risk Reduction(CMDRR) Summit ongoing now at theHotel Elizabeth, Cebu City.

“[Tere is] the gift of God…the seedof God’s love in our hearts nurtured on adaily basis,” he added.

Caritas = loveVillarojo stressed ultimately it is faith

that has sustained Filipinos after weath-ering so many calamities and hardships.

He noted: “If we don’t have this faith,hope, and caritas, even if there’s no disas-ter, no matter how many disaster, no good

can come from our lives. No good cannotbe brought out because there is no goodin the rst place.”

According to the p relate , ex treme situ-ations can also force Filipinos to reveal adark side which was seen days after supe rtyphoon Yolanda struck many part of theVisayas.

Daily practice of faith, hope, love“Disaster do not always bring out the

best in people. Sometimes they bringout the worst… Sometimes they beginto loot department stores and houses,”he said.

o counter this, the prelate is quick to

note the importance of a daily pr actice ofbeing loving, hopeful, and full of faith inordinary life sans disasters.

Whil e stre ssing the practi cal side ofdisaster risk management, Villarojo also

mentioned the need to practice faith,hope, and love ever y day.“As we commemorate this disaster called

Yolanda, we take this opportunity to createa template for disaster risk management, atemplate for relief operations to be readyfor everything but again, we don’t waitfor disaster to strike, on a daily basis, weexercise faith hope, and charity,” he said.

Organized by CBCP National Secre-tariat for Social Action (CBCP NASSA)/Caritas Philippines, the CMDRR Summitis the rst event of its kin d gathering overa hundred representatives from CaritasInternationalis member organizations.(Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz / CBCP News)

PREX still brings ‘life-changing experiences’ to many – priest GUIGUIN O, Bulacan, Nov.9, 2015 – A priest has observedhow the Parish Renewal Experi-ence (PREX) continues to bringpowerful and moving experiencesof Jesus to the faithful, especiallythose far from the Church.

“PREX is actually not an orga-nization but a spiritual formationthat is considered as a new way oflife in seeing Christ in others. It’s arevival of one’s commitment as hestrengthens his sense of belonging-ness to his parish and his Catholicfaith,” said Fr. Abel Sampana, par-ish priest of Sta. Rita de Cascia.

Better understanding of ScriptureHe has observed how “life-

changing and moving each PREXseminar is to the faithful and mostof all, to the unchurched”.

Accord ing to Joven Joaqui n,Sta. Rita de Cascia parish’s PREXhead coordinator, the parish heldits 36th PREX seminar from Nov.6 to 8 at the Msgr. Andres Valerahall where more parishioners who

would want to “renew their faithin Jesus Christ” were able to par-ticipate in the three-day activityheld every two months.

“PREX enabled me to have a

better understanding of the Wordof God and allowed me to be ofservice to Him and His people.

After attending our PREX seminaryears ago, I was able to discover thegift God gave me and be an activelector and commentator of ourparish,” shared Gemma Almiñana,a lay volunteer.

Personal sharing“PREX is a humbling experi-

ence that lets you have a deeperencounter with the Lord,” saidEddie Anastacio and Ver Dimanlig

when asked about their impressionof PREX classes over the years.“We are overwhelmed with howparticipants would react everytime

we dec lare our exp eri ences ofGod’s love and miracles.”

Te said laymen were the semi-nar’s guest sharers who both comefrom San Pascual Baylon Parish in

Obando, Bulacan.“It is said that PREX is not an

organization, but it is good to beorganized – at the parish level,at the diocesan level and at thenational level,” noted Manny and

Abe l Gai te, Nationa l Associa-tion of Parish PREX Secretariats(NAPPS) president and currentnational chair couple in a docu-ment. (Myraine Carluen Poli-carpio / CBCP News)

PREX organizers and guests with their spiritual director, Fr. Abel Sampana (seated) during the second day of the seminar, Sta. Ritade Cascia Parish, Guiguinto, Bulacan, Nov. 7, 2015. CBCP NEWS

Public school teacher behind YouCat FilipinoQUEZON City, Nov. 4, 2015 – A socialstudies teacher from Krus na Ligas Na-tional High School who translated the

Youth Catechism (YouCat) into Filipinois hopeful that his simple contributionreaches as many young people as pos-sible now that the book is available in alanguage they easily understand.

“I notice that many of our youth carelittle about the details of their faith, ifat all. Tey get distracted by so manythings that have nothing to do withtheir salvation like V, gadgets, and…social media,” lamented MC KennethM. Baluyot in an interview.

Youth-friendly Te 28 year-old expressed assurance

that his “baby,” YouCat Filipino, is a su-

perior alternative in that it can do muchin terms of helping Catholic Filipinos,

especially the youth, understand theirfaith better. Accordi ng to him, the book an swers

527 questions young Catholics areeager to ask.

Baluyot went on to share that the twoyears he dedicated translating YouCat,in between fullling his teaching duties,

was a f ruit ful experi ence.“Not everyone is given the oppor-

tunity to get published,” he boasted,considering himself fortunate forhaving been picked by Claretian Com-munications Foundation through therecommendation of Fr. Jonathan A.Bitoy, CMF to do the work despite “hisunworthiness.”

Passion for catechesis

Baluyot also enjoys volunteering forMiriam Adult Education as a Christian

Living instructor.Before YouCat Filipino, he served asa creative consultant for newsletters inhis parish and barangay.

“Originally, my contract with Claret was only good for a year, and it onlyinvolved me translating the forewordPope Benedict XVI wrote for YouCat.But the need to consult with variouseditors to check the reliability of theconcepts being translated prolonged theperiod,” he added.

While general ly easy, Baluyo t admit -ted translating YouCat into the nationallanguage was not without its difficulties.

Challenges“As far as ordinary sentences were

concerned, I could translate them eas-

ily. But when a certain paragraph wasalready of a highly dogmatic, liturgical,

and even scientic nature, that’s when Ihad to ask my priest-friends for help,”he explained.

For Bible verses in YouCat, the pub-lic school teacher said he just had tolift directly off Claret’s own “Biblia ngSambayanang Pilipino.”

YouCat Filipino is now available atthe Claretian Bookstore at 8 MayumiSt., U.P. Village, Diliman, QC. Forinquiries, interested parties may contactat (02) 921-39-84 / 922-00-11 or e [email protected].

Participants of the 1st International YouCat Congress (Congress of Mercy)to be held from Nov. 5 to 7 at the De-velopment Academy of the PhilippinesConvention Center, agaytay City,Philippines will receive complimentary

copies of the book. (Raymond A. Se-bastián / CBCP News)

MC Kenneth M. Baluyot (right) with Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle (left).PHOTOFROM BALUYOT’S FACEBOOK ACCOUNT


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EDITORIAL

OGE HER with the patrimony of nature, there is also an historic,artistic and cultural patrimony which is likewise under threat. Tispatrimony is a part of the shared identity of each place and a foun-dation upon which to build a habitable city. It is not a matter oftearing down and building new cities, supposedly more respectfulof the environment yet not always more attractive to live in. Rather,there is a need to incorporate the history, culture and architectureof each place, thus preserving its original identity. Ecology, then,also involves protecting the cultural treasures of humanity in thebroadest sense. More specically, it calls for greater attention tolocal cultures when studying environmental problems, favouring adialogue between scientic-technical language and the language ofthe people. Culture is more than what we have inherited from thepast; it is also, and above all, a living, dynamic and participatorypresent reality, which cannot be excluded as we rethink the relation-ship between human beings and the environment.

A consumerist vision of human beings, encouraged by the mecha-nisms of today’s globalized economy, has a levelling effect on cultures,diminishing the immense variety which is the heritage of all human-ity. Attempts to resolve all problems through uniform regulations ortechnical interventions can lead to overlooking the complexities oflocal problems which demand the active participation of all membersof the community. New processes taking shape cannot always tinto frameworks imported from outside; they need to be based inthe local culture itself. As life and the world are dynamic realities,so our care for the world must also be exible and dynamic. Merelytechnical solutions run the risk of addressing symptoms and not themore serious underlying problems. Tere is a need to respect therights of peoples and cultures, and to appreciate that the develop-ment of a social group presupposes an historical process which takesplace within a cultural context and d emands the constant and activeinvolvement of local people from within their proper culture. Norcan the notion of the quality of life be imposed from without, forquality of life must be understood w ithin the world of symbols andcustoms proper to each human group.

Many intensive forms of environmental exploitation and degrada-tion not only exhaust the resources which provide local communities

with their liv elihood, but a lso und o the soc ial structure s which, fora long time, shaped cultural identity and their sense of the mean-ing of life and community. Te disappearance of a culture can be

just as serious, or even more serious, than the disappearance of aspecies of plant or animal. Te imposition of a dominant lifestylelinked to a single form of production can be just as harmful as thealtering of ecosystems.

In this sense, it is essential to show special care for indigenouscommunities and their cultural traditions. Tey are not merely oneminority among others, but should be the principal dialogue part-ners, especially when large projects affecting their land are proposed.For them, land is not a commodity but rather a gift from God andfrom their ancestors who rest there, a sacred space with which theyneed to interact if they are to maintain their identity and values.

When they remain on their land, they themse lves care for it best.Nevertheless, in various parts of the world, pressure is be ing put onthem to abandon their homelands to make room for agriculturalor mining projects which are undertaken without regard for thedegradation of nature and culture.

--Laudato Si , 2014

HE country has never seen so much pain and misery more than thosebrought about by super typhoon Yolanda, with the exception perhapsof the Japanese occupation and World War II. But two years after, themassive outpouring of assistance, philanthropy, and religious concernfor the survivors was unprecedented. On the other hand, governmentneglect, corruption, and political maneuvering was massive and un-precedented, too--made worse by cover-up and lies, as an ongoingpolitical ad of a presidential candidate would bear.

Archbishop John Du of the Archdiocese of Palo in Leyte continues tocall for justice. At the Mass during the second anniversary of typhoon

Yolanda he bewailed that “delaying delivery of (government) projectsdenies justice to our people...(and) if there is a pressing demand to actfor the common good of our people, your duty is not towards yourpolitical party or personal preferences or your very own family butalways give the priority to the people in need regardless of who we are.”

wo years of rehabilitation work and rebuilding of survivor com-munities were mostly the efforts of international and local aid-agencies,church groups, and various non-government organizations. Everybit of morsel and assistance were put to good use without having to

worry about bureaucracy and corruption which habitually characterizegovernment schemes that ironically characterizes “Daang Matuwid.”

Te National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA)/Caritas Philip-pines, which is just one of the many aid agencies of the Catholic Church,has worked so hard to respond to the need of rehabilitating typhoonvictim communities. “We do not just construct shelters. We build lives.

We come out with programs that covers everything from livelihood downto ecosystem recovery,” says NASSA exective secretary Fr. Edu Gariguez.In collaboration with Caritas agencies, he reports that about Php 3.29billion has already been used in rehabilitation during the last two years,benetting 955,000 typhoon survivors in the Visayas.

After two years of rehabilitation efforts, the words of Pope Franc isto the clergy and the religious at the Palo Cathedral last January stillreveberates even more meaningfully: “ oday, from this place whichhas known such profound suffering and human need, I ask that evenmore be done for the poor. Above all, I ask that the poor throughoutthis country be treated fairly—that their dignity be respected.”

Cultural ecology

Yolanda two years after

OPINION

Media today Fr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

MonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE CBCP

Pedro C. QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Nirva’ana E. DelacruzAssociate Editor

Roy Q. LagardeNews Editor

Kris BayosFeatures Editor

I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y B L A D I M E R U S I

Principle of participation

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

And That’s The TruthThe last two mites

Oscar V. Cruz, D.D. Views and Points

The CBCP Monitor is published fortnight ly by the AreopagusSocial Media for Asia, Inc. with editorial and business officesat Ground Flr., Holy Face of Jesus Center & Convent, 1111F. R. Hidalgo Street, Quiapo, Manila. Editorial: (632) 404-

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Marcelita DominguezComptroller

ON the occasion of the forthcoming local andnational elections that as a matter of coursebring about the presentation of candidates forelective public offices, the registration of votersand other related matters, it might be not onlyright and proper but also quite relevant to haveeven given a little look at the Social Doctrineof the Church pointing out the inherent sig-nicance and consequences of the“Principle

of Participation”in matters that have socialrelevance to the life and plight of the people.Considering his human dignity and ingenu-

ity, his social nature and disposition, his rightsand obligations, his personal perception andvision, his ethical and/or moral convictions -among other human particulars - it becomesnot only natural but even mandatory for manto participate in many and different, continu-ing or periodical social agenda for his own goodand welfare. And the primary reason for sucha “Participation” is precisely because man is notonly a member of society but also directly or

indirectly affected by decisions made for andabout the society he is a member of.

Let it be duly observed, however, that onething is when someone is by deceit and/or byforce deprived of his rightful participatoryintervention in socio-economic, cultural, andpolitical issues, directly or indirectly affectinghis present life and/or future lot. And quiteanother thing is when certain individuals

on their own and for whatever reason, refuseto participate in social issues as if society hasnothing to do with them and so too, they havenothing to do with society - both of whichstances are objectively wrong, considering thatthe “Principle of Participation”is both a rightand an obligation. Te truth of the matteris that the said “Principle” is in fact meant tosafeguard and promote the rightful concernsand just interests of the participants themselves.

Tus it is that when someone dares to claimthat he/she has nothing to do with society andsociety has nothing to do with him/her such

that participating in questions and issues af-fecting society are irrelevant as far as he/she isconcerned - this is not simply an expression ofindifference but a conrmation of ignorance.Te common saying that “No man is an island”has its basic and concrete references to such anindifference - if not the actual scorn of socialrealities which directly or indirectly affect manprecisely as a social being - something that is

both a reality and a profundity.Conclusion: Te calls made by differentgroups of people to abstain from participatingin the forthcoming elections for one reason oranother, may be well-intentioned but contraryto the said “Principle” . In the event howeverthat their “Participation” is in fact ignored orneutralized for one devious reason or another- such as due to cheating in the elections - this

would call for another “Participation”, viz.,moving for the ouster of the cheaters, theelected, and all those involved in thus violatingthe “Principle” .

HANKS to the wonders of the Internet, wenow have easy access to many things, amongthem, newspapers, and magazines. We don’t

have to subscribe to local and foreign papersto be able to read them. With this exposure, I ’m certain we are also

forming many views and opinions, and weslowly discern the various underpinnings,political, ideological, religious, and otherwise,that the media outts have.

I personally nd it very interesting to com-pare opinions, styles, approaches, and see howthey play out. Tere’s a thrill always in observ-ing the ashes of genius as different writersargue and often clash.

Also I want to sh, even if only tentatively,the different trends and biases the differentpapers can have. Tese considerations alwaysshed some light on things to make them moreunderstandable.

Almost automatic ally, seve ral categoriesemerge in the mind as I instinctively try to

sort out, classify, brand, and label the differ-ent positions. Among these categories are the

conservative/liberal, right/left, open-minded/close-minded, serious/commercialized.

With all these developments, we need to pay

more attention to what is fundamentally im-portant to those involved in the media. Whatis clear is that everyone in the media, just likeeverybody else, should realize very sharply ourneed for continuing formation.

Tis need cannot be set aside, much less,alienated. Tis is the lifeblood of our profes-sion, as it is in any other profession. Anyone

who marginalizes the need for formation in his work is doomed to stagnate, if not fail miserably.

And format ion should not just be somevague and generic term. It should strike us assomething urgent, and with many concreteelements that need to be attended to.

For example, people in media should knowhow to attain greater independence and gainbetter objectivity, how to adapt to a fast-changing world driven by technologies thatdevelop quite speedily these days, etc.

Tese are some concerns that need to belooked into if we in the media wish to really

serve the people and contribute to the com-mon good.

We have to be sensitive to subtle tricks, per-

sonal, social, and cultural, that can warp theintegrity of our profession. Tese tricks are aconstant threat. We cannot be naïve.

It would be good if we could have an inven-tory of biases and other conditionings that canaffect our work. Some of them are unavoidable,but at least if we are aware of them, we can dosomething about them.

We have to be wary that unless we simplycontent ourselves with catering only to theignorant and the impressionable, we need toimprove our competence to satisfy the legiti-mate expectations of a more demanding anddiscerning audience.

But before we start thinking of what newstyle and techniques to learn to attain this goal,

we have to remember one basic, indispens-able requirement, one that needs continuingrenewal and purication, given the condition

of our life and work.Candidly Speaking, A7

HE Gospel story of the poor widow donating all she had in thename of charity comes alive forme as I’m reminded of a womannamed Camille, in our day andage, who in her 70s did not hesi-tate to give her all “because I felt i t

was what God wanted me to do.” When Camille’s daughter-in-

law who was diagnosed to havestage four lung cancer decidedto go through chemotherapy shepledged her moral and nancialsupport when the doctor recom-mended six cycles of the treat-ment. Te doctor matter-of-factlytold her, “If she does not get any

treatment she’ll be good for threeto six months.” Camille had beenmade to believe she would spendabout 200,000 pesos on the pro-cedure—which according to thedoctor “could extend her life a fewmore months.”

Retired, Camille’s only income

comes from the rental of her houseand her small SSS pension (“whichis set aside for maintenance medi-cine”), but her needs are simple.Not at all rich but nancially in-dependent, she had been saving allthose years she was employed, liv-ing within her means, not havingeither debts or luxuries, spending

wisely while preparing for old age,the unexpected (illness) and theinevitable (her own funeral). Shehad life savings big enough to seeher through an emergency becauseshe did not want to be a burdenon those she would leave behind.

Hoping and believing that the

“few more months” the treatment would add to her daughter-in-law’s life meant “preparation time”for the latter and the whole family,Camille readily footed all the bills.“It’s the price of compassion,” she

would say. After the prescribed six cycles of

chemotherapy, Camille began tofeel the pinch because the bills hadrun up to a million—ve times she

was ready for. And yet she prayed“Lord, all I have comes from You,

You do with it then as you please.Ty will be done.” Te doctorrecommended another three cyclesof treatment.

Ten Camille, on her daughter-in-law’s eighth chemotherapycycle, Camille fell ill and hadto be hospitalized—at the sametime the former was being treated.Camille’s illness, although alarm-ing in its symptoms, was notlife-threatening, and she was sent

home after passing several tests,but was told by her cardiologistto “rest from being a caregiver.Otherwise you might go ahead ofyour patient.” Yet she continuedto provide for her “patient” believ-ing God still wanted her to, “untilthe jars were empty.”

Ten the pinch turned into agrip, like that of a strong handaround her neck, as her daughter-in-law’s bills kept coming fasterthan her credit card could recover.Camille’s faith was being tried.

When will the chemotherapy ses-sions stop, she would wonder. Hersavings had been drained, owinglike water through her fingers.Feeling worn out and powerless,Camille was not certain anymoreif the Lord still wanted her togo on giving. Whom would shelisten to: her cardiologist or herdaughter-in-law’s oncologist? Infact, she had asked me for a spiri-

tual director to help her discern.She asked, “What more does God want of me? I have given ou t oflove all that I had. What if I dietomorrow? Does God want myfamily to go into debt in order togive me a decent burial?” Now she

And That’s The Truth, A6


5/20

A5CBCP Monitor November 9 - 22, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 23

PRESIDEN Gloria Macapagal-Arroyosigned into law Republic Act No. 9369 on Jan.23, 2007 amending the election laws whichimprove the election process and adopt systemsinvolving automated election system to ensurethe secrecy and sanctity of the ballot and vot-ing, counting, consolidating, canvassing, andtransmission of election results and other elec-tion process in order that the electoral processshall be transparent and credible and the results

be fast, accurate, and reective of the genuine will of the people.Sec. 6 of R.A. 9369 enumerates the mini-

mum system or functional capabilities of AES while Sec. 7 provides that all electronictransmissions from one location to anothershall utilize secure communication channelsto guarantee the authentication and integrityof transmission.

As stated in the online petition of Facebook Account of Change.Org, there are still doubtsin the minds of the voting public about thelegitimacy, integrity, and credibility of the 2010and 2013 automated elections, “especiallythose involving agrant violations of R.A.9369 (Automated Elections Law) and relatedelection laws, and the outright removal and/oreffective dilution of the major security featuresof the SMAR MA IC PCOS machines.”

Tose major security features are, but notlimited to the following: (1) Ultra VioletDetectors (Sec. 7 and 13) – It is intended toprevent the use of fake ballots and the pre-loading of spurious votes into the CF cards;(2) Source Code Review (Section 7) – It isintended to insure the integrity and credibilityof the automated election system by subject-ing the source codes of the entire system toindependent review and forensic examination;(Source Code is dened by R.A. 9369 as thehuman readable instructions that dene what

the computer equipment will do.); (3) VoterVerication Paper Audit rail (Sec. 7) – Itintended to assure the voter that his votes hadbeen correctly read and counted by the votingmachine; and (4) Digital Signatures (Sec. 19and 20) – It is intended to authenticate alltransmitted election results and prevent thetransmission of fake election results via unau-thorized network intrusion or hacking.

Te online petition stated that counting

machines must provide each and every voterhis voter a receipt which shall be dropped inthe old yellow ballot boxes, which after thevotes closed, shall be turned over to the localrepresentatives of accredited citizens arms orthe organized group for manual count and sub-sequent verication with the automated countprior to the transmission of the election results.

It will be recalled that despite public ou tcryto install those security features in the lastelections, both former Comelec ChairmanSixto Brillantes and SMAR MA IC arro-gantly, haughtily, and repeatedly refused toact on these serious problems “despite clearand uncontroverted evidence and the lingof numerous complaints before the SupremeCourt, the Joint Congressional OversightCommittee on the AES, the Department of

Justice, the Ombudsman, and the PNP/CIDG

(Cyber Crime Unit) by different civil societygroups and personalities.”

We call on Come lec Chai rman Andr esBautista that under his watch, the COMELEC

will implement the installation of the securityfeatures in the PCOS machines and nallylisten to the voice of the people. Inaction onthe part of the citizenry will get us nowhere.

We only deserve the government that we have. We, the Filipino people, must all be vigilant,

while there is still time (exactly 6 months to2016 elections). Let us now act before i t is too

late. Let us use social media to barrage not onlythe Comelec but also the Executive, Legislative,and Judicial branches of government to respect,uphold, and protect our right of suffrage andthe sanctity of the ballot by providing us witha totally transparent and credible system ofcounting, transmission, and canvassing of ourvotes this coming 2016 elections.

***Erratum in my column last CBCP Monitor

issue: Te Episcopal Installation (not Ordina-tion) of Most Rev. Pablo Virgilio SiongcoDavid, D.D. as the new bishop of the Dioceseof Kalookan is on Jan. 2, 2016. Pope Francisappointed him Bishop of Kalookan on Oct.14, 2015.

***Te Diocesan Councils of the Laity and

National Lay Organization members of Sang-guniang Laiko ng Pilipinas (Laiko) electedthe 15 members of the Board of Directorsduring its 19th Biennial Convention at Sum-mit Circle Hotel at Cebu City. Te Boardthen elected among themselves the nationalofficers. Elected are Ms. Zenaida Capistrano(National President), Dr. Ma. Julieta Wasan(Executive Vice President), Engr. VictorinoLahoz (VP for Ecclesiastical Province of Ma-nila), Mr. Loreto Guinhawa (VP for Luzon),

Dr. Rene Josef Bullecer (VP for Visayas), Mr.Edgardo Malay (VP for Mindanao), Ms. Rosa-linda Basas (Secretary), Ms. Gertrudes Bautista( reasurer), Justice Maribel Liban (Auditor),Mr. Glenn Barcelon (PRO). Directors are Dr.Romeo Cruz, Ms. Amparo Lim, Mr. RaymondDaniel Cruz, Mr. Rouquel Ponte, and Mr.

Albert Loteyro. Dr. Amelita Dayrit-Go (Ex-Ocio Board Member). Teir 2 year-term ofoffice starts on Jan. 1, 2016 and ends on Dec.31, 2017.

OPINION

Atty. Aurora A. SantiagoDuc In Altum

Fr. Carmelo O. Diola

Spaces of Hope

Duc In Altum, A7

Fr. Francis Ongkingco

Whatever ALDUBbing Values

P.O.G.I.(Presence Of God Inside) Rev. Fr. Alan Gozo Bondoc, SVD

Be Vigilant While ThereIs Still Time

Our Journey Continues

The Eucharist

WE’VE done it again! Te Philip-pines has once more hit the g lobaltrending limelight as it becomes a‘ witter worldwide phenomenon’

with ALDUB! BBC called it “TeMost Popular Show You Have

Never Heard Of” because it’s morepopular in the Philippines thanany other part of the globe.

ALDUB, accord ing to BBC,smashingly dethroned Brazil’s2014 witter record for its victoryover Germany during the WorldCup. Te British channel contin-ued to analyze the elements thatmade this simple scripted snippetgo viral and now media-lucrative.

Personally, I believe what makesit a socio-cyber media successis the simplicity of the ‘quasi-scripted’ romantic sad-turned-into-a-happy affair. It is spiced

wi th the com mon ingre dien tof Filipino humor and slapstickthat is always welcomed as a brief

sought-for respite for the nerves ofour politically-socially and traffic jammed countrymen.

hen it mixes this ‘romanticcomedy’ with the sought-afterkilig effect (Literally: to tickle theemotions) that every human re-lationship naturally has. Finally,it sprinkles the entire concoction

with a very basic moral lesson: Get-ting into a Real Relationship 101.

Pretty much up to this point,one can say that the romanticvignette is an entertaining and agood vehicle to remind ourselves,--especially the youth--how certainvalues are important to considerif they wish their own future re-lationships to be meaningful and

lasting.However, as I thought more

about this, I started having mydoubts about the effectiveness ofhow the show effectively commu-nicates values and if its messageis really forged into rm convic-tions in the minds and hearts of

our youth.Te reection that follows is notan attempt to dishearten ALDUBfans the world over. Nor does itseek to discredit the good inten-tions of the producers behind theshow. Perhaps, my point is bet-ter understood in the followingscenario:

DAUGH ER: “Mom, I’m go-ing out with Alec.”

MO HER: “Okay dear, butremember no holding hands, nothis and that, blah, blah, blah.”

[Mother xes her daughter’s col-lar and hugs her]DAUGH ER:[Rolls eyes at her mom.] “Ugh,mom, you’re so conservative!

What makes you think we going

to do any of that.”MO HER: “Remember AL-DUB, honey! Just remindingyou.”

[Mom kisses her daughter onthe cheek]DAUGH ER: “Youdon’t have to worry, mom. Tanksto ALDUB, I know how to carryon with my relationship well!”

[Daughter hugs mom and leavesthe house]

Of course this is totally unreal!But in reality, how many par-ents or children would really use

ALDUB (or any show for thatmatter) as a moral reference toremind themselves and othersabout treasuring and transmittingvalues on courtship and marriage?

If at all, we may be witnessingsomething that we could call the

ALDUBBING of values.Dubbing refers to ‘the pro-

cess of voicing over the originallanguage with a local tongue’ sothat a foreign lm or song can beunderstood. Trough this course

something of the original messageand cultural nuances are lost in thetranslation.

In the case of ALDUB, we are witnessing an attempt to ‘makethe local culture’ understandand rediscover certain values (i.e.pertaining to love and courtship)that perhaps, have been ‘lost intradition’. But how much of this‘cultural dubbing’ is genuinelycapable of sending a lasting morallesson to viewers? Are fans, forexample, more inclined to livethese values that give meaningful,lasting, and fruitful relationships?

We are not attempting to over-analyze or dissect the simplicityand viral attractiveness of AL-

DUB. Let’s just take it for what itis, right? But I can’t help reading itas a symptom of traditions and in-stitutions that are no longer prop-erly functioning in our society andhow values are being neglected orclassied as morally and culturallyirrelevant for the ‘times’.

What are some things we canread off from the ALDUB phe-nomenon?

First, more and more the fam-ily’s role of nurturing and mod-eling virtues for its members isbeing substituted by media andother external mediums. hereis nothing really negative aboutthis, except that what is shownin movies or V will still be far

from reality unlike the virtues thatexemplary parents can teach and

leave as a legacy to their children.Second, values can be commu-

nicated through countless creativechannels. But one cannot risk‘losing the true essence’ of certainvalues through mediums like slap-

stick, comedy, and reality shows.Tere is a need to go beyond an‘entertaining scheme’ in order totransmit them.

Tese shallow attempts are asubtle revival of our very owninfamous Juan amad (John theBum). Te comical icon of lazinessin Juan was an attempt to arrestthe vice of sloth in the youth. Butin presenting him to be a ‘funny,happy-go-lucky and cool chap’, Ibelieve my generation had a morelasting memory of his ‘foolishness’instead of the more important les-son on diligence.

How, I ask, can a people stillmaturing in ‘good governance’and battling constant bouts with

‘historical dementia’ (i.e. stillremember which EDSA is real?)properly absorb and apply ‘values’

when these are ‘sugar-coated’ and‘comically’ transmitted? Undoubt-edly, through such ‘romantic snip-pets’ they may be aware of what isgood, but media cannot go so faras to teach them how to be good.

Finally, ALDUB is staged with-in another show, Eat Bulaga. Tishosting show often has hot, gy-rating, slut-wearing dancers whoconstantly come in and out ofthe stage and without fail steal thelimelight. With this, one wondershow long will the ‘faint glimmer ofromantic kilig’ lessons of ALBUDon decency, love and courtship

remain faintly lit in the hearts andminds of millions of viewers?

HE Eucharist is the source andsummit of our Christian life be-cause we encounter Jesus Himself.

In the Eucharist, we experiencethe healing power of Jesus. When

we are broken, it is in the Eucha-rist that He restores us. When weare damaged and discouraged be-cause of our past wounds, He liftsus up and gives us hope. When

we are emotionally-d rained andfall into anxieties and stress, Hells us with His assuring love andrenews us.

In the Eucharist, our soul issatised with both the Word andthe Body of Jesus that we receive.

When we feel hungry and thirsty,He gives His own Body and

Blood. When we are at a loss andare confused, He gives us enlight-enment and direction throughHis Word.

In the Eucharist, we are always welco med and accep ted by Je-sus. When we feel rejected and

wronged, He comforts us becausefor Him, everyone is welcome tocome. When we are tired, wearyand weak, He offers Himself to beour dwelling place and solace.Ourconstant contact with Jesus Christin the Eucharist will transform usfrom woundedness to healers andfrom hungerers to feeders.

My experience of the Eucharist

as a priest was all about becomingavailable for God to be His instru-

ment and becoming a channel ofHis power--”maging daluyan ngKanyang Kapangyarihan.” He

works His miracle through me bytransforming the bread and wineinto His Holy Body and Blood.

In the Eucharist, we witnessGod’s hands at work in us.

He is made real before our eyes.He draws us nearer to Him.He allows Himself to be seen

and touched.He wants us to be part of Him

and Himself to be in us. EveryEucharist I celebrate brings mean-ing to my life; it leads me to thefullness of life, and gives my life a

certain newness.Personally for me, the Eucharist

is more than just a celebration buta Presence that I encounter. It isnot a ritual to be read but a Rela-tionship to be nourished.

I remembered that it was in theEucharist that I heard for the rsttime God’s calling to me to be apriest. I was eight-years old then,but it is within the Eucharist thatmy priestly vocation story began.Te Eucharist became as thoughmy burning bush wherein Goddrew me closer to Him.

In the Eucharist we give our-selves to God and Jesus givesHimself to us.

Let us continue to offer our-

selves to God in the Eucharist thatHe may transform and bless us.

WHEN Pope Francis concluded the Synod of Bishops in the Familylast October 24, 2015, he had this to say:

“In effect, for the Church to conclude the Synod means to return toour true ‘journeying together’ in bringing to every part of the world, toevery diocese, to every community and every situation, the light of theGospel, the embrace of the Church and the support of God’s mercy!”

Tis “journeying together” is a key theme in the apostolate of PopeFrancis. Benedict XVI had used the term “pastoral accompaniment”.

Pastoral accompaniment is most crucial in the on-going formation ofpriests. If pastoral work is basically a journey of accompanying the laityand the family, we ought also to agree that priests themselves shouldalso be willing to be accompanied. We cannot give what we do nothave. But who accompanies priests?--their fellow priests and the laity.Pastoral accompaniment is a two-way street.

What good is a well-designed and even well-funded continuing-formation program if priests do not want to be accompanied? How do

we form a mindset open to pastoral accompaniment? o answer thisquestion, we rst need to identify facilitating and hindering factors inpromoting a mindset open to pastoral accompaniment.

***One facilitating factor is seminary formation work which emphasizes

responsible freedom. In this set-up the formator is no longer seen as a watchdog but rather a companion and the seminarian is held primarilyresponsible for his formation. Hence, there are regular dialogues betweenthe seminarian and his lay and/or priest companion, in addition todialogues with fellow seminarians and people in the parish.

Another plus factor would be parish realities that reect the largerenvironment. Due to a variety of factors the lay faithful are now lesspassive and more vocal and active, a recognition of their inherent dignity,especially among the Millennials.

In todays world, the faithful, notwithstandng those who continueto see the priest’s words as nal, no longer just accept what priests say

just because they are priests. Many of the faithful want and need to beconvinced. Tis facilitates pastoral accompaniment since companionsare meant to be subjects of their destinies, not passive objects of theclergy’s decision-making process. Modern means of communication,

which makes accessible so much information, add to this new reality. A third factor is the example of two recent Popes, Benedict XVI and

Francis. By stepping down from a position of power (Pope Benedict XVI) and by making himself (Pope Francis), in terms of his person andoffice, accessible to very ordinary people , these two Popes courageouslyand humbly show that the essence of power is service. Tose who thinkthat the essence of power is control would not be comfortable withpastoral accompaniment.

***One can argue that the same factors can also hinder. Tese factors may

be perceived as threats and their values not internalized. A seminarian who undergoes accompaniment in the seminary may just go throughthe motions and just pretend. While an accompaniment relationshipin the seminary can certainly help detect such cases, the system is notperfect and certain negative mindsets persist through time.

A second hindering factor is that upon ordination and subsequentassignment in a parish, the priest may feel the overwhelmed by thepastoral leadership position he is thrust into and develops, and merelyhangs on to, a coping mechanism that provides a line of least resistance.

After all, pastoral work requires certain knowledge, skills, and values. Ofcourse, seminary work is supposed to provide him with these qualitiesbut realities on the ground can be very disorienting and intimidating.Tis does not even mention our brokenness and the debilitating effectsof sin in our lives as well as our blinds spots and group biases.

Te priest then develops habits and ways that of proceeding not nec-essarily optimal for his new role. Ten, once established, these patternsof behavior become sacrosanct and should not be disturbed . Tis, uponcloser look, may actually be the best time to offer continuing formation.

At this point, too, there is a given formation program, i.e. the presenceand inuence of older priests. Whether the latter have also slid into acomfortable pattern of life that no longer is permeable to change or isstill open to contuinuing formation is something that inuences theyounger priest in his need for continuing formation.

A third hindering factor is the emphasis on the vocational whileoverlooking the professional dimension of the ordained priesthood.

While the vocational dimension is basic and certainly crucial, this alsodemands professional advancement so to respond more pe rfectly to ourvocation and to serve the faithful better.

Tat the professional dimension seems to be lacking is seen in diocesanset-ups which give little consideration to trainings and other professionaladvancements of priests in their assignments, particularly in parishes.I hope I am wrong in this. Hence, the system for assigning priests inparishes may take just a passing cognizance of matching personal gifts

and their development with parish needs.Is there room perhaps for a mechanism in the local church that looksat continuing professional advancement? Or should we just continueto rely on our being called and overlook that human means for self-development are also part of God’s plan?

***Tere are many moments when pastoral accompaniment happens in

the life of the priest vis-a-vis the laity. A privileged and recurring mo-ment is the preaching of the Gospel. As Presbyterorum Ordinis 11 putsit, “Te People of God are joined together primarily by the word of theliving God. And rightfully they expect this from their priests. Since noone can be saved who does not rst believe, priests, as co-workers withtheir bishops, have the primary duty of proclaiming the Gospel of Godto all...”

One can argue then that effective preaching is the key success indica-tor in the clergy’s role as pastoral companions.

Before this idea is dismissed as being too narrow, we ask our-selves, “Is it not true that when one preaches, many intercon-nected realities come to the fore?” In other words, preaching is

not an isolated reality but stands and falls with other realities inour lives. When one preaches, other aspects of life are involved:how we pray, how we deal with people, what we read and study,how we wrestle with the Biblical text, our priorities in life, how

we spend our time, etc .Ten when one gives a homily many realities outside of oneself are

likewise affected: parish life, parish programs, corporate worship, ashared vision, creating a common parish language, etc.

All these come together in that moment when we give a homily.In other words, the homily reveals our deepest selves and our mul-

tifaceted relationships. A homily is like an intellectual, emotional, andspiritual thermometer. One can say that homilies are symptomatic ofthe condition of our souls.

How much time and effort we give to preparing our homilies havebeen masterfully mentioned in Evangelii Gaudium, sections 145-159.I need to revisit it again and again if I am to become a better pastoralcompanion.

***“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with rmness in the

right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to nish the work weare in...” (Abraham Lincoln)


6/20

A6 CBCP MonitorNovember 9 - 22, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 23LOCAL NEWS

After Synod, PH bishops seekto reach grassroots

HE Catholic hierarchy wantsto reach out and listen more toCatholics’ views on family issues,gathering information from thegrass roots.

A bishop said they want to fol-low-up the three-week Synod with aconference to know the present needsand concerns of Filipino familiesso the Church could set up a morecomprehensive plan to address it.

Accord ing to Bishop Gilber tGarcera, chairman of the CBCPEpiscopal Commission on Familyand Life (ECFL), the challengenow is reinforcing the content ofthe Synod’s nal document.

“What is important now is for usto relay this to our people, reecton what really happened and nd

ways wherein, in our context andculture, we could respond to theseproblems,” Bishop Garcera said.

For this purpose alone, he saidthe ECFL is organizing a post-synodal conference to be held inBacolod in February next year.

Garcera was among the sevenFilipino delegates to the Synodthat discussed how the Church

can better serve families and thosein difficulty.

‘Healthy decentralization’ According to him, the confer-

ence is a way of heeding PopeFrancis’ call for “healthy decentral-ization” of power in the Church.

During a ceremony to mark the50th anniversary of the Synod ofBishops at the Vatican on Oct. 17,the Pope urged for a greater role ofthe laity and for bishops’ confer-ences to iron out certain problems.

“So one thing very importantis to relay this to our people forthem to reect and organize more

workshops so that we could comeup with a response,” Garcera said.

Research And to be tt er suppor t and

accompany families, the prelateemphasized the need for “researchand updated records” in the parishchurches.

He said among the vital infor-mation needed include statisticsand identifying unmarried cou-ples, model families, couples who

are separated, and even families with homosexuals.

“How can we help the familiesif you don’t have these basic data?”he asked.

Role of BECFor Archbishop Romulo Valles

of Davao who also joined theSynod, the family apostolate mustreach the parishes and the BasicEcclesial Communities (BEC).

“In Davao, we will make surethat there is a contact person onfamily and life in every BEC.Tis will be a lot of work but I’mconfident because we have thenetwork down to the grassroots,”said Valles, CBCP Vice President.

He added: “More things areneeded to be done and you cannot

just look at the family today the way you look at them years ago.”(Roy Lagarde / CBCPNews)

Bishop Gilbert Garcera, chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family andLife (ECFL).ROY LAGARDE

Church’s ‘Yolanda’ rehabilitation work ‘unique’ – priest A CA HOLIC priest takes pride in the factthat the Church is “second to none” when itcomes to helping Yolanda survivors get backon their feet.

“Our emergency response is like no other. We focus on the nine dioceses that had re-ceived the brunt of the typhoon … And wechoose the poorest of the poor. Tis is what wecall service,” said Fr. Edu Gariguez, executivesecretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Confer-ence of the Philippines (CBCP)’s NationalSecretariat for Social Action (NASSA)/CaritasPhilippines, in an interview at a “Yolanda”second-year commemoration exhibit in Cebu.

According to the priest, many non-govern-ment organizations (NGOs) pick only onearea they wish to help, lamenting that theytend to concentrate on relief work.

More than relief “But it should not stop there. Tey must

go beyond mere relief and push through earlyrecovery and eventual rehabilitation. Tis isthe more humane way of helping,” he stressed.

Gariguez pointed out that the CatholicChurch in the Philippines, through NASSA/Caritas Philippines and its sister organizations,has already reached at least 1.8 million people,or 20 percent of the total affected populationin the 9 provinces worst-hit by Yolanda.

“We do not just construct shelters. We

build lives. We come out with programs thatcovers everything from livelihood down toecosystem recovery,” he added.

hese Caritas Internationalis MemberOrganizations (CIMOs) are also carryingout Yolanda rehabilitation programs eitherdirectly or through bilateral programs withaffected dioceses.

Tese include:• Caritas UK (CAFOD)• Caritas Spain• Caritas Austria • Caritas USA (Catholic Relief Services)• Caritas Germany • Caritas Italiana • Caritas Switzerland• Caritas Czech• Caritas Netherlands (Cordaid)• Caritas Canada (Development & Peace)• Caritas Belgium• Caritas Luxembourg • CHARIS Singapore

Php 3.29 BGariguez went on to share that the total

funding cost for the overall Caritas responsenow amounts to Php 3.29 billion.

Meanwhile, NASSA/Caritas Philippines’ongoing three-year rehabilitation programfor typhoon survivors called #REACHPhilip-pines, in partnership with the nine Yolanda-

hit dioceses, zooms in on the provision ofdisaster-resilient homes, installation of waterand sanitation facilities, hygiene promotion,food security and livelihood assistance andtrainings, community-managed disaster riskreduction trainings, capacity building, com-munity organizing and ecosystem recovery.

“We don’t only give food, but houses. Wehave a livelihood component. We are onlyliving out the integral human development

which the Church teaches,” he added.

‘Most massive rehabilitation program’#REACHPhilippines is reportedly the

“most massive rehabilitation program” led bythe Philippine Catholic Church.

o date, it has beneted as many as 955,000people affected by Yolanda with fundsamounting to Php 1.22 billion.

A notable contribution of the beneciariesin the #REACHPhilippines program comesin the form of “sweat equity,” which plays animportant role in ensuring a stronger sense ofownership and accountability.

Moreover, transparent and honest spend-ing is being practiced in all levels from thenational down to the diocesan social actioncenters (DSACs) through regular nancialmonitoring, evaluation, and auditing frominternational auditing companies.(Raymond A. Sebastián / CBCP News)

feels very much like the widow inthe Bible who gave her last twomites, “but in my case, God hastaken my only luxury—securityin old age—my last two million.”

Reason will tell us that it makesno sense to give away the little wehave without thinking of our nextmeal. Something inside our head

will hiss: “Tat poor widow whogave away her last penny—she’shistory, she can’t do that today andsurvive!” In these hard times thesane thing to do would be to rstmake sure you have everythingyou want before giving to othersanything you no longer need—

whether they are outgrown clothesand toys, coins you drop into thecollection plate, or million-pesodonations to charity.

But as the poor widow’s storyshows, it is not the face value ofthe donation that matters, but the

well of love from which the dona-tion springs. Jesus says the widow’slast two copper coins are morevaluable than the big sums whichin reality are but loose changefor the rich givers, because theformer is given out of compassionfor the needier, while the latter is

donated to make the donor lookgood in people’s eyes. Conversely,then—if what matters is the lovefrom which we give—maybe evenour last two coins would be worthnothing if we give them in order to

win the community’s praise, whilethe millions we donate quietly andsoon forget about might becomemore pleasing to the Lord.

Plumbing the depths of thisstory (and that of Camille’s) mayyet lead us to another layer oftruth—it is not just about the sizeof or our gifts or the love that ac-companies it that God is openingour eyes to.

I believe God wants us to real-ize that our donations and loveare His, only passing through ourhands. As Camille says, “I couldnot have given if I did not rstreceive, and I could not shownmercy if I was not known mercy.”Our giving is our “Tank You” toour Giver and Lover. After wegive, God alone remains; it wouldbe sheer conceit to gloat over themerit of our donations—whetherthey be mites or millions. We give,and then must forget that we did.

And that’s the truth.

And That’s The Truth, A4

held at the Corcodia College inManila’s Paco district.

On the frontline of the pushfor the reform and developmentagenda is the Archdiocese ofManila-Commission on SocialServices and Development chairedby Fr. Enrico Martin Adoviso.

“We are gathered here not be-cause our task is nished in man-aging the Year of the Poor. We aregathered here because we want tonish poverty which kills humanlife.And it starts here in our 10point-reform agenda,” Adoviso said.

“We hope that the government will listen to the voice of the peo-ple, and we hope that the people

will support us as we lobby these

reform agenda,” he said.For his part, Fr. Luke Moortgat,

who heads of the archdiocese’sCommittee of the Year of the Poor,said the agenda is in response toPope Francis’ call to bring “loveand mercy” to all the people witha special attention for those whosuffer from injustice, disabilities,mental illness, other long-termdiseases, and rejection.

“We teach the poor the messageof Christ so that they will be lled

with hope and on their tu rn willevangelize others,” he said.

Te closing ceremonies of the Year of the Poor ende d with amedical mission and other servicesfor the poor. (CBCP News)

Reform, A1

families in bunkhouses are alreadycomplaining over the delay of theirtransfer to permanent shelters.

Hundreds more are needingassistance even for temporaryresettlement and livelihood.

Palo Mayor Remedios Loreto-Petilla said that among her admin-istration is giving priority on relo-cation including those who will beaffected by the road heightening

and tide embankment project,along the 27.3-kilometer shorelinefrom acloban to anauan.

She also assured of non-partisanhelp from the local governmentof Palo, one of the towns in theeast coast of Leyte province that

were hardly hit by the typhoon on

November 8, 2013. Archbishop Du appealed on the

business sector to shun “economicopportunism” which, according tohim, “is unethical way of makingprot especially in these criticaltimes of need.”

He warned, “ he Scripturescannot make this clear to us, itis God who executes justice forthe oppressed, who gives food to

the hungry, upholds orphans and widows, the brings the way of the wicked to ruin.”

He also challenged Yolanda sur-vivors who became beneciaries ofthe generosity of so many peopleadding, “we should also be gener-ous to one another especially those

who have nothing.”“Let us also extend and join our

hands, our efforts and be one forthe sake of our brothers and sisters

who have not really recovered,” Archbishop Du said.

Encouraging the people, hesaid, “Whenever you feel tired andsee that the road seems so long andendless, try to remember how far

we have already recovered.”

Archbishop Du also emphasizedthe need for every one to heed what Pope Francis stated in hisencyclical, Laudato Si.

“Never in our history that theentire world had been drawn onthe more concerted action andawareness regarding our respon-

sibility for humanity and God’screation,” he said.

He added, “Te prevalent cultof unlimited human power andtechnocratic paradigm for de-velopment is now properly chal-lenged.”

Du also expressed hope that thestakeholders in the society willconsider this in drafting the road-map to social and moral recovery

and for the future.acloban City and others townsin Leyte and Eastern Samar alsoheld activities on Sunday to markthe second year of the most devas-tating storm to hit the Philippines.(Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros/ CBCPNews)

Survivors, A1

through community-managed disaster riskreduction (CMDRR).

“ he impact of climate change-inducedhazards is global, and cuts across all sectors,regardless of gender, culture, economic or po-litical position, but it must be recognized thatthe impact is greatest on the poor, the most atrisk, and the marginalized,” participants of the

CMDRR Summit declare in a Nov. 7 manifesto.‘Cebu City Declaration’

Besides the Catholic Bishops’ Conferenceof the Philippines (CBCP)’s National Sec-retariat for Social Action (NASSA)/CaritasPhilippines, the conference held in Cebu fromNov. 6 to 7 was attended by representativesof various Caritas Internationalis Member-Organizations (CIMOs), Diocesan Social Ac-tion Centers (DSACs), government agencies,and “Yolanda”-affected communities.

Given their disadvantage, CMDRR del-egates stress in their “Cebu City Declaration”that a plan of action on climate and disasterrisks must use community-managed disasterrisk reduction as the strategy.

Tey also point out that climate and disasterrisks should be viewed as a development is-

sue, ensuring that adaptation, mitigation, anddisaster risk reduction measures are gender-

responsive, rooted in indigenous knowledgesystems, and considers the most vulnerable.

Empowering survivors“Building resilient communities is increas-

ing individual and community capacity tosurvive, bounce back, and transform thesystems and structures, empowering them to

have increased inuence in policy advocacyand actualization of plans to address the rootcauses of disaster risks. Further, it highlightscommunity-managed disaster risk assessment,analysis and implementation of disaster riskreduction measures as the centerpiece approachin realizing this,” they explain.

In line with these, NASSA/Caritas Philip-pines and fellow development actors claimtheir role in building on community’s voices,knowledge, and expertise to speed up local andsustainable disaster risk reduction measuresthrough systematic documentation, advocacy,action, and good practice.

As such, they vow to push for policies that will raise awareness and boost education andtraining programs on the causes, effects, andlong-term forecasting of climate and disas-ter risks, and to link resources that will ease

knowledge management and transfer, research,documentation, and capacity building.

Call for actionCMDRR delegates go on to recognize the

call for urgent action that considers properresources and processes that enable communi-ties for resilience building, funding environ-mentally-sound technologies, and supportingcommunity initiatives in the sustainable use ofnatural resources.

Tey further emphasize that climate changeadaptation and resilience strategies requirediversied approaches in social protection,livelihood and income generation, savingsand insurance, shelter, water and sanitation,and hygiene.

“Networking at all levels is essential.Communities must engage with govern-ments, media, and other stakeholders to

work toge ther to develop solu tion s. hereis a critical need for joint efforts. he roleof parish-based units such as the BasicEcclesial Communities (BECs) is likewiseessential in strengthening community orga-nizations,” they explain.

“All actors are stewards. Tey must be ac-countable and transparent in its initiatives andefforts in reducing climate and disaster risks,and the devastation it is causing on natural

environments,” they add. (Raymond A. Se-bastián / CBCP News)

Change, A1

vehicle of communitarian renewal,of change, even for people whorefuse to believe in God, and those

who mock the Catholic Church. We are all for them just the same,”he said.

Te prelate went on to tell theaudience that if they wanted to see

what being BEC is like they shouldlook no further than the people sit-ting next to them, saying each oneof them mirrors the Divine.

“If you cannot see God in yourneighbor, you can never see Himanywhere else. You have to seeHim rst within you … If youcannot nd the image of God inyour neighbor, it’s your problem,not your neighbor’s,” he explained.

Knowing God in oneself Accordin g to Vill egas , the re

is no point in wanting to shareGod to others if one has no priorrelationship with Him.

“If you do not know God, howcan you imitate God? If you do notknow God, how can you followGod?” the prelate asked.

However, Villegas stressed thatthe best place to nd BEC is in

the family.“Where can we find BEC? At home! Te family is the rstChurch. It is the picture of God’slove,” he exclaimed.

Moreover, he warned the faith-ful that when love is not discov-ered in the family, there is no hopein encountering it elsewhere.

Trinity = community Acco rdin g to Vil legas, BEC

originates in a God Who is Him-self a family, a community or“Communio” of Persons: Father,Son, and Holy Spirit.

“‘Communio’ is directed towards ‘missio’ [mission], solidaritytowards fellowship, unity towards

concern for all, one-ness towardsmutual responsibility,” he added.In conclusion, Villegas chal-

lenged BEC members to be a“Church of the Poor.”

“Every BEC should be a Churchof the Poor. It is not because theChurch has a duty to provide poorpeople free with food, shelter,and medicine. It means that theyare given a voice and are able toparticipate fully in the life of theChurch,” he said.

Noting that most of them areadults, the prelate urged assemblyparticipants to do their best to

woo the youth.“Young people may not always

listen to their elders, but they

watch them and learn from theirexample,” he said.

Furthermore, Villegas invitedthe delegates to try to reach outand win back fallen-away Catho-lics, former Catholics who nowprofess a different creed and those

who reject religion altogether.

Talks, motorcadeNearly 2,000 BEC members

from the country’s various arch/dioceses are in Manila from Nov.11 to 14 to celebrate the 50th

anniversary of the closing ofVatican II and to take part in theculminating activity for the “Yearof the Poor.”

Tis year’s 3rd CBCP-BEC As-sembly is hosted by the Archdioceseof Manila (RCAM) and its suf-fragan dioceses of Kalookan, No-valiches, Pasig, Cubao, Parañaque,Malolos, Antipolo, and Imus.

Besides Villegas, other prelatesexpected to g

CBCP Monitor Vol. 19 No. 23

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