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VOLUME 19
NUMBER 21

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCPMONITOR.COM

October 12 - 25, 2015

CBCPMONITOR@CBCPWORLD.NET

Cardinal Tagle: political

will is key to Paris summit

Italian priest, PAO

chief and Maranao
princess bag local
peace awards
MINDANAO-based Fr. Sebastiano DAmbra, PIME,
led this years recipients of
the Pamana ng Kapayapaan
(Inheritance of Peace) awards
for his work in promoting
interreligious harmony and
peace in Southern Philippines.
The Italian priest was cited
for founding the Silsilah Dialogue Movement (SDM) in
Zamboanga City, an organization that is advocating for
peace and love of neighbor regardless of religion since 1984.
According to representatives
of religious groups, academic
communities, peace advocates
and civil society groups that

By Roy Lagarde

CARITAS Internationalis president Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila stressed

the need for political
will as global leaders
prepare to meet to sign
a new climate change
agreement.

Peace, A7

WHATS INSIDE
What saves us from
lonelines? Family! Pope
Francis says (A3)

Address of Pope Francis to

the First General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops
on the Family (B1)

POPE Francis talks with cardinals before the opening session of the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Oct. 5. In the picture are Cardinals Peter Erdo of
Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary, rapporteur general, Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila and Wilfred Napier of Durban, South Africa, who are among the four delegate presidents of the
Synod. CNS / PAUL HARING

Diverse synod groups united in

concern over gender ideology
VATICAN CITY, Oct 13, 2015, (CNA/
EWTN News)Despite the significant
differences among the 13 small groups
that are discussing the working document
at the Synod on the Family, the majority
are in agreement that gender ideology
poses a serious challenge for families in
the modern world.
Seven of the bishops working groups
which are divided by language mention gender ideology as one of their major
concerns and suggest that the synods
working document does not sufficiently
address the issue.
Gender theory or ideology is the idea
that ones gender is chosen and need not
correspond with ones biological sex.
Pope Francis has tackled the issue at
least once during his series of general
audiences dedicated to family.
I ask myself, if the so-called gender
theory is not, at the same time, an exSynod, A6

Vatican City - October 9, 2015. From left to right, Monsignor Joseph Kurtz, Monsignor Carlos Osoro Sierra,
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, and Fr. Federico Lombardi at a press briefing at the Holy See Press Office
during the Synod of Bishops on October 9, 2015. CNA

Rolando Del Torchio. PIME

A CATHOLIC bishop is asking

the faithful to pray for the safe
return of an Italian former priest
who was taken by gunmen in
Southern Philippines.
Police authorities said they have
already identified at least two of

the seven gunmen behind the abduction of Rolando Del Torchio, a

former missionary of the Vaticans
Pontifical Institute for Foreign
Missions (PIME).
Chief Insp. Ryan Hernandez of

Kidnapped, A6

Paris, A6

Filipinos back adopt-abishop initiative

AN increasing number of Filipino netizens have expressed support for the
Adopt A Bishop initiative, committing
themselves to pray that the Holy Spirit
keep guiding the synod prelates assigned
to them.
All bishops taking part in the synod
need the guidance of the Holy Spirit now
more than ever given the various issues
they have to tackle and resolve. As lay
faithful, the best help we can offer them is
our persistent prayers, shared Michelle de
los Nieves, a store owner from Olongapo
City, whose adopted bishop is the Jesuit
Franois-Xavier Dumortier, rector of the
Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
But even without a synod, she pointed
out all Catholics have a duty to pray for
their shepherds for them to always come
out with enlightened decisions and act in
keeping with the will of God.
[So] as members of the Church, we
have this task to pray for our bishops and to
pray for the Church, De los Nieves added.

Adopt, A6

Bishop asks prayers for Pinoys join Popes prayer

vs. human trafficking
kidnapped ex-priest
IN line with the Holy Fathers
intentions for October, some
Catholic Filipinos have decided
to include the end to human trafficking in their daily prayers, deploring how this crime disrespects
mans God-given dignity.
This activity should be stopped.
Humans are not for trade. It degrades us! It trespasses human
dignity and the sanctity of life. It
destroys what we are and who we
are. It makes us nothing special
anymore, no different from things
and animals which can be traded.
Let us always remember that we
are not just mere creatures. We
were made according to the image
of God, explained John Michael
Tuazon, an Accenture accountant and college instructor from
Meycauayan City, Bulacan, who

At the Paris summit in December, more than 190 countries will discuss a new treaty
aimed at curbing global warming.
The cardinal said that political commitment that goes
beyond rhetoric by government
and business leaders is the key
to Paris summit success.
Success would like first that
politicians, the heads of governments, that hopefully in
cooperation with business leaders, would have political will to
implement policies that would
mitigate the effects of climate
change, not just find words or
rhetoric, but the political will to
implement all of those things,
Tagle said.
And a way to effectively
do this is by laying down a
mechanism for reviewing and
monitoring on tackling climate
change.
The Manila archbishop made
the statement in an interview

converted to Catholicism.
For John Vincent Atanacio, a
Convergys employee from Antipolo City and founder of the
Marian group, Mediatrixs Cause:
Lay Devotees Initiative, praying
for the end of human trafficking
and similar atrocities is a duty of
every Christian.
Global concern
We really should pray for the
eradication of human trafficking.
This is truly a global concern and
a grave reality. Sadly, many people
become willing victims of it due
to poverty. They have nothing
else to offer but their own bodies,
either through sex or donating
organs, for a chance to earn.
He went on to denounce those
who take advantage of the misery
Trafficking, A7

Practice what you post, online

missionaries told

A VATICAN Radio official told

social media savvy Catholics to
practice what they post on social
media if only to become effective
online evangelizers.
Sean Patrick Lovett, Vatican
Radios director for English programming, said while social media

allows Catholics to be more open

about their faith, it also gives them
an escape from being more active
in that same faith.
Practice what you post, Lovett
said in his keynote address at the
4th Catholic Social Media SumMissionaries, A7

A2 WORLD NEWS

October 12 - 25 , 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

CBCP Monitor

Vatican Briefing Pope Francis leads synod in praying

Visit to Africa listed among popes upcoming events
Before the Vatican released a detailed schedule of Pope
Francis first trip to Africa, the office of papal liturgical
ceremonies included the Nov. 25-30 visit on its list of
upcoming papal events. The popes liturgical schedule,
released at the Vatican Oct. 12, includes mention of the
apostolic visit to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African
Republic at the end of November. (CNS)
Church, society must learn from families, pope says
at audience
Society and the church have much to learn from the family
and, in fact, the bond between the church and the family
is indissoluble, Pope Francis said. Families bring needed
values and a humanizing spirit to society and, when they
mirror Gods love for all, they teach the church how it
should relate to all people, including the imperfect,
the pope said Oct. 7 during his weekly general audience.
While the Catholic Church insists that governments and
the economy need families and have an obligation to give
them greater support, Pope Francis said, the church itself
recognizes that it, too, must have a family spirit. (CNS)
Hunger is a scandal, a sin in a world of plenty, pope says
Hunger is a true scandal that threatens the life and dignity of millions of people while tons of food go to waste,
Pope Francis said.We must face this injustice, this sin, the
pope told more than 7,000 volunteers and coordinators of
Italian food banks, along with representatives from food
banks in other countries. Pope Francis met the volunteers
and coordinators Oct. 3 in the Vatican at a meeting sponsored by the Italian Food Bank Foundation, which assists
the local food-distribution outlets and has a special focus
on encouraging large-scale food producers to donate their
excess or imperfect products to local food banks rather
than destroy the products. (CNS)
Vatican says popes meeting with Kentucky clerk is
not endorsement
Pope Francis meeting with Kim Davis, the county clerk
from Kentucky who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses, does not equate support for her position,
the Vatican spokesman said after discussing the issue personally with the pope. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi,
the spokesman, issued a statement Oct. 2 saying the pope
had met with several dozen persons who had been invited
by the nunciature to greet him in Washington and that
such brief greetings occur on all papal visits and are due
to the popes characteristic kindness and availability. Fr.
Lombardi made a distinction between the brief greetings
and more official meetings by saying, The only real audience granted by the pope at the nunciature was with one
of his former students and his family. (CNS)
Everyone has a guardian angel to protect, guide in life,
pope says
Everyone has a guardian angel who is advising and protecting each individual on earth, Pope Francis said at morning
Mass. Whenever people hear a little voice in their head,
Well, do this. That would be better. You mustnt do
this ... Listen! Dont turn against him because it is the
guardian angels voice, he said Oct. 2 during the Mass in
the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Marking the
days memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels, the popes
homily focused on these angels, saying they were like an
ambassador of God. (CNS)
Pope Francis establishes new dorm for Romes homeless men
Pope Francis and his brother Jesuits in Rome have converted an old travel agency building into a new homeless
shelter for men, just in time for the cold winter months.
The new dormitory is called Gift of Mercy, because
mercy is loves second name, Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, the Apostolic Almoner, told Vatican Radio.He
added that the initiative is a response to Pope Francis
call to the faithful to care for the poor and the homeless.
Earlier this year, Pope Francis established showers, bathrooms and a barber shop inside the Vatican to serve the
homeless population. (CNA)
Vatican aims for child protection norms to be customfitted per culture
When it comes to protection against abuse, guidelines
need to be implemented according to the customs of each
country if they are to be effective, said one official of the
Vaticans commission for the protection of minors, which
met in Rome over the weekend.The important thing
about guidelines is that theyve got to fit the country that
theyre in, and the culture that theyre in, said commission
member Bill Kilgallon, director of the National Office for
Professional Standards of the Catholic Church in New
Zealand.What we dont want to do is impose something
that we dont have the power to impose. But it wont work
if you try and impose something thats the same for everybody, he said. Guidelines are important, but the implementation of the guidelines is more important. (CNA)
To welcome a migrant is to welcome God himself, Pope says
In his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Francis recognized the challenges involved
with welcoming migrants, but stressed that despite the
difficulties they should always be accepted as brothers
and sisters.At the heart of the Gospel of mercy, the encounter and acceptance by others are intertwined with
the encounter and acceptance of God himself, the Pope
said in his message for the 2016 World Day of Migrants
and Refugees. Welcoming others means welcoming God
in person! he said, and addressed migrants and refugees
directly, telling them not to let themselves be robbed of
the hope and joy of life born of your experience of Gods
mercy, as manifested in the people you meet on your
journey!Pope Francis message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees was presented to journalists during
an Oct. 1 news conference in Rome. (CNA)

for peace in the Middle East

VATICAN CITY, Oct 9, 2015

Pope Francis offered one of the
synods daily moments of prayer
for peace in the Middle East, and
appealed the international community to put immediate interests
aside, and find solutions.
Dear Synod Fathers, dear brothers and sisters, in resuming this
morning the work of the General
Congregation, I invite you to dedicate the prayer of the Third Hour
to the intention of reconciliation
and peace in the Middle East, the
Pope said Oct. 9.
Francis prayer came as meetings with small groups closed and
general congregations began again
in the synod, which has reached its
5th day of discussion.
Every day, the synod fathers pray
together the Liturgy of the Hours,
which is a set of daily prayers that
priests and religious are obliged
to pray.
Many lay Catholics also pray
this liturgy, which incorporates
psalms, hymns and readings from
Scripture and the Church Fathers.
The days prayers are set according
to the Church calendar.
Opening the prayer, Pope Francis said that we are painfully
struck and we follow with great
concern what is happening in
Syria, in Iraq, in Jerusalem and
the West Bank, where violence
has escalated, claiming innocent
lives and fueling a humanitarian

Pope Francis bowed in prayer in St. Peters Basilica on September 2, 2015. LOSSERVATORE
ROMANO.

crisis of enormous proportions.

War, the Pope said, only brings
destruction and multiplies suffering, while hope and progress can
only come from peace.
Let us unite, therefore, in an
intense and confident prayer to the
Lord, a prayer that intends to be
an expression of solidarity at once
with (our) brother Patriarchs and
Bishops from those regions, who
are present here, as well as with their
priests and faithful, and to everyone
who lives there.
Francis also made a heartfelt
appeal to the international community, asking nations to find a way to
effectively help the concerned parties broaden their horizons beyond
the immediate interests and to use
international law and diplomacy to

resolve current conflicts.

He also offered prayers for areas
of the African continent that are
currently experiencing analogous
situations of conflict, and asked
Mary, Queen of Peace to intercede
for them.
Chaldean Patriarch Luis Raphael
Sako I of Iraq gave the homily during the prayer, focusing on the
importance of faith in the passage
from the days prayer, taken from
Rom 1:16-17.
The passage reads: I am not
ashamed of the gospel: it is the
power of God for salvation to
everyone who has faith, to the Jew
first and also to the Greek. For
in it the righteousness of God is
revealed through faith for faith; as
it is written, He who through faith

is righteous shall live.

Patriarch Sako said the text provides a true synthesis of both the
Gospel and what it means to be
a pastor, explaining that St. Pauls
desire to be with and accompany
the Christian community of Rome
is a special mission that involves his
entire life, heart and thought, but
its not a career.
St. Paul, he said, is someone who
feels invited by God. Through him
the Gospel is an act of worship; to
pray, to be in communion with
God, to love, obey and live and give
witness to the joy announced by the
Gospel every day.
The patriarch said that faith is a
fundamental condition in being
made children of God, since it is
faith that gives life meaning.
Faith is not a static fact, or a
speculation, but its an interior vision, a deep mystical relationship,
lived in the details of the difficulty
of daily life, he said, adding that
faith, like love, is a commitment
and must grow day after day in
the long path of life: from faith
to faith.
If love does not exceed justice,
the Gospel is empty, the patriarch continued. He closed by saying that in order to understand,
one must feel what the Christians
of Iraq have experienced, who
in one night last summer left
everything to remain faithful to
their faith. (CNA)

Religious leaders, scholars ask Obama to declare

ISIS violence a genocide
WASHINGTON D.C., Oct 7, 2015More
than 100 religious leaders, scholars, and human
rights advocates signed a letter Monday asking
President Obama to formally declare the killing
and displacement of Middle Eastern religious
minorities a genocide.
We humbly request that your office publicly
acknowledge and denounce the Islamic States
actions as genocide and act with all due haste
to ensure that this ongoing, abominable crime
is halted, prevented and punished and that the
religious freedom and human dignity of all
people currently suffering under the Islamic State
are allowed to flourish, the Oct. 5 letter stated.
The Islamic State known also as ISIS and
ISIL has waged a campaign of violence against
the religious minorities of the region, including
the Christian, Yezidi and Shia Muslim communities, the letter said. The list of grievances
includes displacement, forced conversion, kidnapping, rape and death.
The atrocities meet the United Nations definition of genocide, the letter claims.
ISIS has captured large parts of Syria and Iraq
in the last two years and has established a strict
caliphate, forcing the local religious minorities
under pain of death to leave their homes, convert
to Islam, or remain and pay a special tax.
They have consequently displaced myriads of
Christians, Yazidi and Shia Muslims, inflicting
countless atrocities upon those populations. In

the Nineveh Plain alone in Northern Iraq, over

100,000 Christians have been displaced from
their homes.
ISIS has also desecrated, looted, and destroyed
monasteries, shrines, and other ancient relics and
artifacts of the region.
The letter to President Obama was signed by
numerous religious and civic leaders, including
Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of
Columbus; Professor Robert Destro of the Catholic
University of Americas Columbus School of Law;
and Dr. Thomas Farr, director of the Religious
Freedom Project at Georgetown Universitys Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.
There are certain conditions that must be met
for genocide, according to the United Nations
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment
of Genocide.
There must be an intent to destroy, in whole
or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious
group. The actions in question can range from
murder to torture, kidnappings, prevention of
births, and withholding of critical resources like
food and water from a group of people.
A declaration of genocide also has international legal consequences. The offending parties
must be tried before an international court or by
a tribunal of the state where the alleged crimes
were committed. Parties declaring genocide
must also act to prevent further violence from
taking place.

A resolution calling the atrocities genocide

has already been introduced in the House by
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), weeks earlier. It
currently has 96 cosponsors.
Pope Francis, in his address before the United
Nations General Assembly on Sept. 25, pleaded
for the international community to protect endangered Middle Eastern religious minorities.
I must renew my repeated appeals regarding
to the painful situation of the entire Middle East,
North Africa and other African countries, where
Christians, together with other cultural or ethnic
groups, and even members of the majority religion
who have no desire to be caught up in hatred and
folly, have been forced to witness the destruction
of their places of worship, their cultural and
religious heritage, their houses and property, and
have faced the alternative either of fleeing or of
paying for their adhesion to good and to peace
by their own lives, or by enslavement, he said.
In a later interview with CNA, Professor Robert Destro remarked that the Holy Father, with
those words, used what is the legal definition
of genocide to describe the atrocities without
saying the actual word genocide.
Ultimately, the religious and ethnic minorities
face an existential crisis, and their communities are threatened with eventual non-existence
without swift moral leadership on behalf of the
administration and the international community, the letter concluded. (CNA)

Syrian bishop fears for kidnapped Christians, says ambiguous

US policy favors Islamic state
DAMASCUS, Oct. 9, 2015US
air strikes in Syria are windowdressing, and have little real effect
on the militias of the Islamic state
(IS), who are left free to act on the
ground. Instead the Russian attacks
in recent days have been effective,
forcing jihadists to fall back towards
the Iraqi desert. This is according to
Msgr. Jacques BehnanHindo, referring to testimonies of people living
in areas of conflict theater.
Moscows intervention has been
positivesaid the prelate who leads
the archieparchy Syrian Catholic
Hassak-Nisibisbecause they
are really targeting Daesh [Arabic
acronym for the IS, ed] and the
militia are beginning to flee. They
fled from the area in about 20 cars
in a hurry in the direction of Iraq,
leaving another 20 cars on site. A
sign of a real retreat.
The bishop of Hassak-Nisibi
lives under constant threat from
IS: I am less than three kilometers
from the town, he say, a month ago
their offensive was repelled and they
folded around the city. In the past
two weeks, thanks to the attacks of
the Russians, they began to retreat.
In contrast, Msgr. Hindo reserves
rather harsh words for the United
States, who are not bombing the
positions of jihadi militias but the
Syrian government.
Its not about being for or against
the government - he says - but people

never believed in Americas attacks.

Only the Kurds have really fought on
the ground, but to hold their ground
and it is not plausible that they can,
alone, solve the emergency. Besides
the United States, France, Britain
only speak of attacking the Daesh,
but do not speak of the Nusra Front
and other Islamist militias linked to
Al Qaeda. Indeed, there are extremist groups that have changed names
to rebuild credibility, and these are
not even mentioned. This is also a
big problem.
The prelate denounces Washingtons ambiguity seen in the Americans attitude during the seizure of
hundreds of Christians originating
in the villages of the valley of the
river Khabur. On the night of
Feb. 23, when Daesh attacked, the
American planes he says - flew
over the area for a long time without
intervening. Then for three days we
saw no more jets, leaving the field
open to the militants. This makes us
think that in some way have been
helped by the Americans and their
ambiguous attitude.
The Islamic State have released
a video (click here to see excerpts
released by the Lebanese OTV television and relayed by Aina) showing
the execution of three of the more
than 200 Assyrian Christians still in
the hands of the jihadist militants.
They have executed three - said
Msgr. Hindo - and they are prepar-

ing another three for an upcoming

execution. At first they demanded a
huge sum for the liberation, almost
120 thousand dollars for each of 203
people. They have rejected the proposal of a million for the release of all,
has now been made a new proposal
and we are waiting for an answer.
The prelate said that is difficult
to deal with the kidnappers, the
contacts are very short and do not
leave much room for maneuver. I
answer yes or no, he says, and then
act accordingly. Now the Assyrian
bishop, who was in Erbil [for the
election of the new patriarch] has returned, to continue negotiations and
follow the episode in first person.
In recent days have released an
elderly man of 89 was released to
break the news of the execution and
hand over the video that was shot
around 23 September, the Islamic
feast of the sacrifice. By analyzing
the videosaid Msgr. Hindowe
see that the sun was still strong,
while in the last 10 days it has
dropped in intensity. This suggests
plausible date of 23 as the time of
execution even if there are no references to the celebrations.
The story of Christians is also
associated with the tragedy experienced by the people of Deirez-Zor,
the town of 250 thousand inhabitants in eastern Syria, long besieged
by the militias of the Islamic state.
People are dying of hunger - says

the bishop they lack food and

medicine. Just think that today 50
kg of sugar costs as much as a car or
a house. People sell the car to buy it.
The IS has imposed a real blockade,
men, women, elderly and children
are starving. For this reason the
prelate appeals to the United States,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar asking them to
really do something to deal with
the emergency and rescue a civilian
population that is weary and tired.
Msgr. Hindo concludes with a
charge against Western governments, who he says are working for
Israels security and to divide Syria
and Iraq, so as to put their hands
on the riches of these countries. Its
not just oil, because off our coasts a
major natural gas field has recently
been discovered. And yethe
addsthe pipelines that Saudi
Arabia and Qatar expect to arrive
in the West are at stake. Damascus
did not accept the passage on its
territory, and this is the result .
It is a very complex issue, says
Msgr. Hindo, behind which there
is the economic problem; but for
the West t all boils down to religion,
the Sunnis and Shiites, Christians
and Muslims but in this war, the
Daesh and other groups hide only
economic interests and aim to divide the country against the will of
a people who for the most part are
united and want to remain united
. (AsiaNews)

CBCP Monitor

NEWS FEATURES A3

October 12 - 25 , 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

What saves us from loneliness?

Family! Pope Francis says
VATICAN, Oct. 7, 2015Family rescues us
from indifference and loneliness and teaches us
the essentials of life, Pope Francis saidadding that as the family of God, the Church has
the same role and must evaluate how to live
this out.
Like Saint Peter, the Church is called to be
a fisher of men, and so too needs a new type
of net. Families are this net, the Pope told
pilgrims gathered in St. Peters Square for his
Oct. 7 general audience.
Families, he said, free us from the sea of
loneliness and indifference, so that we can
all experience the freedom of being children
of God.
Pope Francis made his comments in his first
general audience after the Oct. 4 launch of the
Synod of Bishops, which is meeting for three
weeks to discuss the theme The vocation and
mission of the family in the Church and in the
contemporary world.
After recently concluding a series of catechesis
on the family as a lead-in to this years synod
gathering, Pope Francis explained that he would
start a new catechesis on the indissoluble relationship between the Church and the family,
with the good of all humanity in mind.
He began by drawing attention to the
synods theme, and said that the family today
requires our full attention and care, and the
Synod must respond to this demand.
When families journey along the way of the
Lord, they offer a fundamental witness to Gods
love, and they deserve the full commitment and
support of the Church, he said.
Francis stressed that its inside the family
that we learn and develop the bonds of fidelity,
sincerity, trust, cooperation and respect which
unite us, even when there are difficulties.
It is families who teach children how to
honor ones word, to respect others and to
understand ones limits, he said, adding that
they also give an irreplaceable attention to
members who are smallest, most vulnerable,
wounded and devastated in life.
But the Pope also noted that despite the

Duhok, Iraq - March 28, 2015. Refugees at the Sharia Al Haman Hope Refugee Camp
in Duhok, Iraq on March 28, 2015. CNA Duhok, Iraq - March 28, 2015. Refugees at the
Sharia Al Haman Hope Refugee Camp in Duhok, Iraq on March 28, 2015. CNA

Vatican City - August 19, 2015. A family at the general audience in Paul VI Audience Hall with Pope Francis on August
19, 2015. CNA

values families offer, they are frequently not

supported by the political and economic sectors of life, which seem to have lost the ability
to incorporate the virtues of family life into the
common life of society.
It is here, he said, that the Church is called
to live out her mission by first evaluating to
what extent she is living as the family of God.
For the Church, the family is like her
Magna Carta: the Church is and must be the
family of God, he said.
The Pope explained that this can be seen in
scripture when St. Paul says that those who
were once far off are no longer strangers or
guests, but rather fellow citizens of the saints
and the family of God.
Through the Church, Jesus again passes
among us to persuade us that God has not forgotten us, he said, adding that it is through the
family that the Church again goes out fishing
in order to prevent men from drowning in the
sea of loneliness and indifference.

Referring to how, after a night of catching

nothing, Peter cast his net out into the deep
waters at Jesus command, Francis prayed
that the Church herself would go out into
the deep with confidence that she will have
a good catch.
Pope Francis closed his audience by praying
that the Synod Fathers, inspired by the Holy
Spirit, encourage the Church to cast out her net
with confidence and faith in the Word of God.
He then greeted pilgrims present from various countries around the world, and asked that
those present continue to pray for the ongoing
Synod on the Family. He prayed that they
would always be witnesses to Gods love and
mercy in the world.
Afterward, Francis offered a special greeting
to a group of Iraqi refugees who were present
in the audience, and entrusted both pilgrims
and the work of the synod to the intercession
of Our Lady of the Rosary. (Elise Harris/CNA/
EWTN News)

Pope prays for victims of weekend blasts in Turkey

VATICAN, Oct. 11, 2015
Pope Francis expressed
his condolences Sunday
for those affected by attacks in Ankara during a
protest over the weekend
which has left at least 95
people dead.
Addressing the crowds
in St. Peters Square following the Angelus Oct. 11,
the Pope said he received
the news of Saturdays
attacks with great pain.
Pain for the many
killed. Pain for the wounded. Pain because the perpetrators attacked unarmed
persons who were protesting for peace.
While I pray for that
beloved country, I ask the
Lord to welcome the souls
of the departed, and to
comfort the suffering and
(their) families.
The Oct. 10 attack be-

lieved to have been perpetrated by two suicide bombers

struck a group of pro-Kurdish demonstrators and labor
activists who were holding
a rally near the capital citys
main train station, three
weeks ahead of an election,
according to Reuters.
Before reciting the Angelus with the faithful in
St. Peters Square, Pope
Francis reflected on the
Gospel reading of the day.
During his reflection, he
issued a challenge to all the
young people in the Square
as to whether they would
joyfully follow Christ, or
sadly walk away, like the
rich man depicted in Sundays readings.
Have you felt the gaze
of Jesus on you? the Pope
asked. How do you want
to respond? Would you prefer to leave this Square with

the joy that Jesus gives us,

or with the sadness of heart
which the world offers?
The Pope centered his
pre-Angelus address on the
days Gospel reading from
Mark, which recounts the
rich man, who is described
as young, asking Jesus
what he must do to inherit
eternal life.
Eternal life, the Pope
explains, does not refer
merely to the afterlife, but
to a life that is full, accomplished, without limits.
The rich man in the
Gospel says he has followed the commandments
which refer to love of one
another since his youth,
but recognizes that his
desire for fulness has not
been satisfied, the Roman
Pontiff said.
Christ responds by challenging the man to sell ev-

erything, give to the poor,

and follow him. However,
because his heart is divided by two masters: God
and money, the Pope said,
he is unable to respond to
this call, and sadly leaves.
As the Gospel recounts,
Christ says it is easier for
a camel to pass through
the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God. He adds
therefore that salvation is
impossible for man, but
not for God.
If we entrust ourselves to
the Lord, we can overcome
every obstacle that prevents
us from following him on
the journey of faith, the
Pope said. Entrust yourself
to the Lord. He gives us
strength. He gives us salvation. He accompanies us on
the journey.
Christ then promises that

those who leave behind

everything and follow him
will have eternal life, and
will receive a hundredfold.
In receiving this hundredfold, the Pope said:
we are deprived of goods
and receive in exchange
the delight of true good;
we are freed from the
slavery of things and gain
the freedom of service for
love; one renounces possession and receives the
joy of the gift.
The young man was
not won over by the gaze
of Jesus love, and therefore
was not able to change,
Pope Francis said. It is
only in welcoming the
Lords love with humble
gratitude that we are freed
from the seductions of
idols and the blindness
of our illusions. (CNA/
EWTN News)

Bishop to faithful: Use social media for social change

MANILA, Oct. 11, 2015Aside
from being a tool to spread the
Gospel, a Catholic bishop urged
the faithful to use social media in
fighting social ills.
In a country confronted with
many socio-cultural challenges,
San Pablo Bishop Buenaventura
Famadico said the new means of
communication, if used properly, can be a powerful tool for
change.
Say something
This is one key to change what
is wrong with our culture, Fama-

dico said in his homily during a

Sunday Mass for the ongoing 4th
Catholic Social Media Summit
(CSMSv4) at the San Pablo City
Hall Auditorium in Laguna.
In the age of modern technology, he said social media
is increasingly playing a critical role in terms of fostering
awareness, education, and
social change.
With more than 35 million
Filipinos on Facebook alone, he
said the potential of social media,
which he described as a gift from
God, cannot be ignored.

San Pablo Bishop Buenaventura Famadico

presides over Mass at the Catholic Social
Media Summit in San Pablo City Hall
Auditorium in Laguna, Oct. 11. DOMINIC
BARRIOS / CSMS TEAM

Saying what is right

When something is wrong,
you need to say its wrong. But its
not enough. You also need to say
what is right and spread it through
the means of social communication, Famadico said.
The bishop also lauded the participants of the CSMSv4 and for
using social media in their work of
evangelization and social advocacy.
This only means that you care
for our (Catholic) faith. You are
here not for anything else but to
use your skills to spread the Good
News, he said. (CBCP News)

Make your spouse your inspiration priest to couples

TACLOBAN City, Oct.
7, 2015Why is it the
couple found themselves
trapped in [the] mire of
unfulfilled vows? Is it not
the spouse [whos] supposed to be the source
of happiness and inspiration?
These were the questions raised by Fr. Wilson
Chu, co-parish priest of
the Sto. Nio Parish and
oeconomus of the Archdiocese of Palo, in his
reflection on last Sundays
Gospel.
He said the reason is
that spouses still focus on
themselves rather than on

For UK archbishop,
the plight of migrant
families strikes a chord

trying to be a source of
fulfillment and inspiration
to their husband or wife.
Ac c o rd i n g t o C h u ,
the deeper root is that
married couples often
take for granted their
responsibility to nurture
their relationship with
God every day and fail
to make Him the center
of their life.
Mortal enemies
Chu lamented: It is
very disheartening to see
a couple separate because
they feel they are not
meant for each other.
During their wedding

ceremony, they are so excited and happy because it

is their most awaited day,
the tying of the knot with
their [beloved], he added.
After few years, they do
not want to see each other
anymore to the extent
of treating each other as
mortal enemies, successively filing multiple cases
[against each other] before
the courts, thereby vexing
one another, he added.
Hundreds of cases are
indeed filed in various
Regional Trial Court salas
in the country designated
as Family Courts. These
courts hear and decide

cases for violations against

the Anti-Violence Against
Women and Children Law
of 2004 (RA 9262).
Incarceration
Some of these cases are
speedily terminated due
to settlements between the
wife or the legal guardian
of the children as complainant and the erring
spouse as defendant.
Some others end up in
the husbands incarceration during the pendency
of the case or as a consequence of non-compliance
of court orders such as
keeping a certain distance

from the complainants

or failure to provide the
agreed monthly support.
Chu jested, At the start
of their marriage, the husband would want to carry
his bride forever because
she is the love of his life,
but several years later, he
still wanted to carry her
not because of love anymore, but because the
priest told him to carry
his cross.
Chu asked, Why is
it that they become the
source of pain and headaches of one another?
(Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros / CBCP News)

VATICAN, Oct. 6, 2015As

Europe continues to face mass
migration from crisis zones, the
synod discussions cannot ignore
the weighty impact this crisis has
on families, said U.K. Cardinal
Vincent Nichols.
We should have the integrity
of the family foremost in our
minds, the cardinal told CNA,
speaking about the many families
who have become separated by the
migrant crisis.
He cited as an example the trials
of Middle Eastern migrants who
have family members in England.
They should be given the opportunity to reconnect with their
families, he said. These family
identities are important, and I
dont think thats being given
the attention that it could in the
response of European governments to this flow of people across
Europe.
Cardinal Nichols, Archbishop
of Westminster and representative of the Bishops of England
and Wales at the 2015 Synod on
the Family, has been outspoken
in his call for Britain to be more
welcoming of migrants.
The European commission has
stated that more than 500,000
mostly African and Middle Eastern migrants have entered the
European Union in 2015, in
an attempt to escape conflict
and poverty in their homelands.
Scores of other migrants have died
at sea en route to countries like
Greece and Italy.
Last month, the EU agreed
on a quota plan to disseminate
120,000 migrants across the
continent.
For European countries at the
moment, the migration of people
from the Middle East and from
parts of Africa is a very considerable challenge, Cardinal Nichols
said. Some of that is indeed to do
with poverty, refugee status, and
real desperation.
However, the cardinal noted
there are additional difficulties
faced by families who become
separated due to British immigration laws.
The British government has
some very strict rules, even for
British citizens, as to whether
they can bring their non-British
spouses into the country, he said.
There are aspects of British
government policy which mitigate
against the integrity of the family.
That is something that we would
want really to press, and have been
doing so for a while.
This years Synod on the Family, which runs from Oct. 4-25,
is the second and larger of two
such gatherings to take place in
the course of a year. Like its 2014
precursor, the focus of the 2015
Synod of Bishops will be the
family, this time with the theme:
The vocation and mission of the
family in the Church and the
modern world.
In his interview with CNA,
Cardinal Nichols touched on
several other concerns expected
to be discussed at the Synod on
the Family, such as the pastoral
care of divorced-and-remarried
persons, and of men and women
with same-sex attraction.
CNA: Last years synod gave
a lot of attention to the issue of
divorce and remarriageat least
in the media. What do you expect
the Synod to focus on this time
around?
No doubt the media will continue to focus on that issue. In
some ways, it is a very important
issue, because it affects a lot of
peoples lives, and because it is a
real challenge for the Church to
make it clear that there is a place

in the Church for everyone who

wishes to follow Christ, who
wants to be a disciple of Christ,
no matter the difficulties of those
circumstances or of their personal
experiences. So, its a challenge to
the pastoral care that the Church
offers. How do we best express
that care, how do we get better
at expressing the acceptance and
the mercy of God are some of the
basic themes of this Synod.
CNA: There are some concerns
with regard to how the Churchs
teaching might be affected by this
Synod with regards to divorce and
remarriage. Whats your response
to these concerns?
I was very taken by the answer
that Pope Francis gave on the airplane coming back from America
the other day when he was asked
if speeding up a process whereby
a marriage can be examined for its
validity was a way of introducing
Catholic divorce. He said no,
because this is not an administrative procedure. He went on
to say it is perfectly clear that
people who marry in the Church
with Christ in their hearts, with
freedom and understanding, that
it is a valid sacramental marriage
and then that is forever. That is
indissoluble. Thats that. There
is no change. That is not going
to change.
CNA: Since last years Synod on
the Family the situation of migration has exploded, in a way. How
would you like to see this issue
explored in the Synod? How can
the issue of migration for families
be addressed in a way that demonstrates a pastoral and Christian
solidarity, while maintaining a
certain degree of prudence from
a security standpoint?
Clearly, for European countries
at the moment, the migration
of people from the Middle East
and from parts of Africa is a very
considerable challenge. Some
of that is indeed to do with
poverty, refugee status, and real
desperation. We should have the
integrity of the family foremost in
our minds, frankly. For example,
we would want to argue that, if
there are family members already
for example in England, of
people who are at present caught
in refugee camps in Northern
Iraq or in Jordan, or in parts of
Syria, then they should be given
the opportunity to reconnect with
their families.
These family identities are important, and I dont think thats
being given the attention that it
could in the response of European
governments to this flow of people
across Europe.
Thats a particularly dramatic
thing at the moment. But, we
see it in many issues. People, for
example, who arrive in England,
maybe are present legally, work
very hard, but are still separated
from their families. The British
government has some very strict
rules, even for British citizens, as
to whether they can bring their
non-British spouses into the
country. So, there are aspects of
British government policy which
mitigate against the integrity of
the family. That is something that
we would want really to press, and
have been doing so for a while.
CNA: Another theme that is
expected to receive attention at
the Synod is the pastoral care of
persons with same-sex attraction.
There have been two conferences
on this theme this weekend: One
looking at a pastoral care from the
viewpoint of encouraging chastity,
and the other from a viewpoint
of supporting same-sex relationships. Are the Synod fathers
Plight, A7

A4 OPINION

October 12 - 25 , 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

THE premises of the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of

Bishops at the Vatican are teeming with people from the mediahundreds or so of them, mostly from giant news agencies from Europe and
North America. The Vatican or the Synod in particular has become
a very salable news beat comparable if not more with international
conferences. Some decades ago, this was not so. But when the Church
started talking about gender issues, marriage, and the family, tempests
started boiling.
Like most church observers throughout the world, the media is, of
course, expecting a killing like they did during the Extraordinary Synod
on the Family in October 2014 when discussions were torrid about
gay unions and giving communions to divorced or remarried. Nobody
knows for sure if multinational news organizations that have budgeted
a good fortune for their journalists and crew to cover a whole month of
the Synod in the Vatican are under the care of lobby groups and policy
organizations. But for sure at the end of the Synod they will not tuck-in
banner stories about the indissolubility of marriage or that homosexual
acts are intrinsically disorderedlike it is said in the Catechism of the
Catholic Church.
A few days ago, media reported that a letter critical of synodal process
allegedly signed by several Cardinals was being circulated among the
Synod participants. The Cardinals, however, denied the authenticity of
the letter. Moreover, from within the walls of the Synod there are reports
of a Shadow Council that reportedly have nuanced approached to
the instrumentum laboris which has been strongly criticized by small
groups among Synod participants.
Such things and more, of course, are bound to happen. But like Pope
Francis said at the opening, the Synod is not a congress or a parlour,
a parliament or senate, where people make deals and reach a consensus.
The Synod is rather an ecclesial expression, i.e., the Church that journeys
together to understand reality with the eyes of faith and with the heart of
God; it is the Church that questions herself with regard to her fidelity to
the deposit of faith, which does not represent for the Church a museum to
view, nor just something to safeguard, but is a living spring from which the
Church drinks, to satisfy the thirst of, and illuminate the deposit of life.
Pope Francis admonishes the synod participants that the Synod
will be able to be a space of action of the Holy Spirit only if we, the
participants, are clothed with apostolic courage, evangelical humility
and trusting prayer.
At the end of the day what will count will neither be the intelligent
theological excursions nor the tactical persuasion of influence groups
but the humble confidence in the workings of the Holy Spirit.

Climate as a common good

THE climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all. At
the global level, it is a complex system linked to many of the essential
conditions for human life. A very solid scientific consensus indicates that
we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system.
In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise
in the sea level and, it would appear, by an increase of extreme weather
events, even if a scientifically determinable cause cannot be assigned to
each particular phenomenon.
Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least
the human causes which produce or aggravate it. It is true that there are
other factors (such as volcanic activity, variations in the earths orbit and
axis, the solar cycle), yet a number of scientific studies indicate that most
global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of
greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides and others)
released mainly as a result of human activity. As these gases build up in
the atmosphere, they hamper the escape of heat produced by sunlight at
the earths surface. The problem is aggravated by a model of development
based on the intensive use of fossil fuels, which is at the heart of the worldwide energy system. Another determining factor has been an increase in
changed uses of the soil, principally deforestation for agricultural purposes.
Warming has effects on the carbon cycle. It creates a vicious circle which
aggravates the situation even more, affecting the availability of essential resources like drinking water, energy and agricultural production in warmer
regions, and leading to the extinction of part of the planets biodiversity.
The melting in the polar ice caps and in high altitude plains can lead to
the dangerous release of methane gas, while the decomposition of frozen
organic material can further increase the emission of carbon dioxide.
Things are made worse by the loss of tropical forests which would otherwise help to mitigate climate change. Carbon dioxide pollution increases
the acidification of the oceans and compromises the marine food chain.
If present trends continue, this century may well witness extraordinary
climate change and an unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with
serious consequences for all of us. A rise in the sea level, for example, can
create extremely serious situations, if we consider that a quarter of the
worlds population lives on the coast or nearby, and that the majority of
our megacities are situated in coastal areas.
25. Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods.
It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day.
Its worst impact will probably be felt by developing countries in coming
decades. Many of the poor live in areas particularly affected by phenomena
related to warming, and their means of subsistence are largely dependent
on natural reserves and ecosystemic services such as agriculture, fishing
and forestry. They have no other financial activities or resources which
can enable them to adapt to climate change or to face natural disasters,
and their access to social services and protection is very limited.
Laudato Si, #23-25

Monitor
CBCP

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Synod on the family

Living Mission
Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

Championing the Poor

and Downtrodden

Year of the Poor Reflections

POPE Francis, through his actions
and writings, provides exceedingly rich perspectives on how
Christians are to regard the poor.
In several passages in Evangelii
Gaudium, Francis reflects on
the special place of the poor in
Gods people (197). I want a
Church which is poor and for the
poor. They have much to teach
us. We need to let ourselves be
evangeliWithout the preferential
option for the poor, the proclamation of the Gospel, which is itself
the prime form of charity, risks being misunderstood or submerged
by the ocean of words which daily
engulfs us in todays society of
mass communications (199).
No one must say that they cannot be close to the poor because
their own lifestyle demands more
attention to other areas. None
of us can think we are exempt
from concern for the poor and
social justice. Spiritual conversion, the intensity of the love of
God and neighbor, zeal for justice
and peace, the Gospel meaning of
the poor and poverty, are required
of everyone (201).
Bakhita: Slave, Sister, and Saint.
Pope Francis takes his concern for

the poor beyond general principles;

he would have us look at concrete
individuals and situations to actualize our commitment. For example,
he has said: Human trafficking
is an open wound on the body of
contemporary society, a scourge
upon the body of Christ. It is a
crime against humanity (April
10, 2014). Thus, with the popes
support, for the first time in 2015,
the Church celebrated the International Day of Prayer and Awareness
against Human Trafficking; it is
to be an annual event, held on
February 8, the Feast of Josephine
Bakhita. Who is this African
woman, the saint of victims of
slavery and trafficked persons?
Josephine Bakhita (1868-1947),
born in Sudan, was kidnapped as a
child and sold five times as a slave.
Once, when she tried to escape
from the ownership of a Turkish
general, she was forced to endure
an extensive, painful tattooing.
As Bakhita narrates, the process
included cuts on my breasts and
some 60 cuts on the stomach and
another 40 on the right arm. It
is impossible to describe how I
felt, especially when salt was
mixed into the wounds. For some

Our political circus

hours I lay in a pool of blood, and

for a while I became unconscious.
Ultimately, Bakhita was sold to an
Italian consul in Khartoum, who
took her to Italy and entrusted her
to the Canossian Sisters in Venice.
Here, for the first time, the poor,
black, ignorant slaveher own
wordsreceived a dignified treatment; she was instructed in the
faith and baptized. She rejoiced
to know the God, who from my
infancy I knew in my heart without
knowing who he was. Even as a
slave, I never despaired, because I
felt in me a mysterious force which
sustained me.
Bakhita eventually became a Canossian sister. She was canonized by
Pope John Paul II on October 1,
2000. Pope Francis would assert
that povertyeven slaveryis no
bar to sanctity and service of others.
Dorothy Day: Champion of Social Justice. When Pope Francis
addressed the United States Congress on September 24, 2015, he
chose to highlight several Americans as models to follow. One was
the Servant of God, Dorothy Day.
Who is this woman and how does
she concretize Pope Francis vision
of serving the needy?

A social activist, Dorothy Day

(1897-1980) founded the Catholic
Worker movement, protested war,
supported labor strikes, and lived
in voluntary poverty. Presently,
her cause for sainthood is actively
being supported by the cardinal
archbishop of New York. We can
find much practical wisdom in
Days brilliant quotes.
What we would like to do is
change the worldmake it a
little simpler for people to feed,
clothe, and shelter themselves as
God intended them to do. And,
by fighting for better conditions,
by crying out unceasingly for the
rights of the workers, the poor, of
the destitutethe rights of the
worthy and the unworthy poor, in
other wordswe can, to a certain
extent, change the world.
I can only love God as much
as I love the person I love least.
We repeat, there is nothing we
can do but love, and, dear God,
please enlarge our hearts to love
each other, to love our neighbor,
to love our enemy as our friend.
If we love enough, we are going to
light a fire in the hearts of others.
Undoubtedly, Pope Francis would
wholeheartedly agree!

And Thats The Truth

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

WITH the Comelec premises reportedly looking like a plaza on a fiesta during the week of
politicians filing their Certificate of Candidacy
(COC), the air waves are sizzling with more
news and interviews related to the forthcoming
2016 elections.
With candidates of rather colorful public
images, character or background, the scene is
getting to look like a veritable circuswith
barkers, freak shows, and animals big and
small. Some candidates roar (like lions), some
come on heavy (like elephants), some inspire
fear (like snakes), some look cute (like talking
parrots), some are funny and amusing (like
monkeys)and all of them contribute to the
seasons entertainment.
A discerning voter without vested interests
would realize that much about the candidates

image is determined by how media portray

them, and since media seem unable to be a
hundred percent accurate, objective, and fair
about doing their job in spite of their best
intentions, voters must not depend solely on
what others say in choosing candidates to
vote for. Much of what is currently surfacing
in the political field can serve not only as directional arrows to guide our choice, but also
as indicators of our level of sophistication and
intelligence as an electorate, and maybe even of
who we are as a people. And so we try to look
beneath the surface and in the process come
to probe our psyche.
For instance, most candidates do not speak
meaningfully on issues. Even when hardpressed for comment on, say, the conflict
with China in the West Philippine Sea, or the

Candidly Speaking

Bangsamoro Basic Law, answers are generic

and noncommittal. Doing your own research
aided by Google wont yield anything along
this line. Does this silence mean candidates
are simply playing safe, or lack knowledge of
the given situation?
Most candidates tell stories instead of
discussing policies. Full of self-confidence,
they say theyre the man for the job but offer nothing solid about how theyre going
to do the job. Coached no doubt by their
publicists on the kind of image to project
in order to appeal to as many people as possible, candidates score high at porma but
almost zero on plataporma. If their avowed
desire to serve the people is true, shouldnt
they at least do their homework and let
And Thats The Truth, A6

Internet addiction

Fr. Roy Cimagala

THERES a new addiction in

the block. Its called internet
addiction. And its on the rise,
with frightening speed, especially
affecting young people, like kids,
students, and young professionals.
They are not of the type prone
to drugs or drinks. Rather their
addiction is like that of gambling.
A certain compulsion dominates
them and interferes in their daily
duties, wasting a lot of time and
energy, and sometimes, money in
the process.
They can look very decent and
normal, at least in appearance. But
we know we all have feet of clay.
It would be good if we are aware

of this clear and present danger,

and prepare ourselves accordingly.
Early warning signs may be deterioration of grades for students,
and negligence of some basic duties for the young professionals.
Students who have been good in
class suddenly turn south in class
performance. Thats because they
now find it hard to concentrate on
their studies.
They often interrupt their studies to answer the messages on
their cellphones, and often check
if there are new messages. They
upload photos, usually inane selfies, on social media everyday, and
comment on almost all of what

their friends post in the internet.

The kids are practically taken away
by the many games the internet
offers.
From there, things can worsen
as users end up visiting porn
websites, and by surfing aimlessly
often end up induced to do bad
things. Latent weaknesses that the
users are not aware of, suddenly
get activated, and if they do not
have the proper defenses, then
they get swallowed up.
In other words, they are caught
in some web of distractions quite
hard to extricate from, since many
sweet and irresistible rationalizations come to their mind to justify

their actuations.
The Internet offers its users
a certain sense of immediate
gratification in terms of accessibility, affordability, and anonymity.
When not properly motivated,
these users fall for the ease and
the false sense of dominion the
Internet offers.
We have to acknowledge this
social problem and do something
about it. This disturbing development should not suck us into fear
and cowardice. Bad things can
and should give rise to occasions
for us to grow more as a person,
as a family, as a community and
Candidly Speaking, A7

CBCP Monitor

OPINION A5

October 12 - 25 , 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

Synod of Bishops
on the Family

Duc In Altum
Atty. Aurora A. Santiago
THE Ordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family
started on October 5 and ends on October 25.
The theme is The Vocation and Mission of
the Family in the Church and the Modern
World. One of the 3 President delegates is
our very own, His Eminence Luis Antonio
Cardinal Tagle.
Pope Francis stated that the Synod is not a
convention or a parliament but an expression
of the church; it is the church that walks
together to read reality with the eyes of faith
and with the heart of God. He appealed for
the participants to have an evangelical humility whereby they empty themselves of their
own conventions and prejudices, listen to one
another, without judgments, finger pointing,
or a sense of superiority. They must be faithful to Church teaching, the deposit of faith,
which is not a museum to be visited or even
simply preserved, but is a living spring from
which the church drinks to quench the thirst
and enlighten people.
The Pope reiterated that the function of
the Synod is not to arrive at a consensus, nor
is it a place of negotiations, agreements or
compromises. Through the apostolic courage, evangelical humility, and trustful prayer,
may the Holy Spirit guide us, illuminate us
and cause us to put before our eyes with our
personal opinions, faith in God, the good of
the Church, and the salus animarum (salvation
of souls).
Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, chosen
by Pope Francis to introduce the discussion, outlined the questions the Synod
will be called to discuss. Looking at the
situation of families around the world,
he said, One of the primary challenges
is economic. Too many families do not
have food, shelter or employment. Young
people delay marriage and parenthood
because they do not have or think they do
not have the means to support a family.
Millions of families are torn apart by war
and migration.
He added there is a widespread distrust
of institutionsincluding of the Church,
the state and the institution of marriage. The

Catholic Church at every level must affirm the

missionary role of families, ensuring married
couples are part of marriage preparation programs, family support groups and outreach to
families in crisis emotionally or economically.
The first part of the Synod, titled Listening
to the challenges of the family, focuses mainly
on themes surrounding last years Synod.
Then, discussion will shift to the second part,
Discernment of the family vocation, before
culminating with the third, The mission of
the family today.
At the end of the three-week gathering, a
special 10-member global commission nominated by Pope Francis will draft the final Synod
report. Then, it will be voted on paragraph by
paragraph with a required majority of 2/3 vote
to be approved. However, the final approval of
the report depends on Pope Francis. Conclusions from the Synod discussion will then be
used by Pope Francis to draft his first PostSynodal Exhortation, which can be expected
in 2016.
***
The 4th Catholic Social Media Summit
(CSMSv4) was held in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The
theme Plugged In, is inspired by the homily of Pope Francis at the Manila Cathedral
in January where he reminded the Filipino
clergy and religious that the Gospel invites all
Christians to a life of honesty, integrity, and
concern for the common good, and Christian
communities of the need to create circles of
integrity, networks of solidarity which can
expand to embrace and transform society by
their prophetic witness.
The 1st Catholic Social Media Awards was
launched during the Summit, as established
by Youth Pinoy and the Areopagus Communications, Inc. The award aims to encourage
producers, directors, writers, actors, and others in the entertainment industry to come
out with more programs and content that are
not only entertaining, but are also steeped in
Christian values.
Among the recipients of the first Churchbased social media award for propagating
values were Alden Richards, Maine Mendoza,

The Bread of Life

P.O.G.I.

Pitik-Bulag
Fr. Wilfredo Samson, SJ

and Wally Bayola of AlDub Kalyeserye of the

noontime show Eat Bulaga, and its producer
TAPE Productions.
***
The Diocese of Kalookan Ministry on Family
and Life, headed by Rev. Fr. Jun Bartolome,
conducted the 2nd Family Eucharistic Congress with the theme The Filipino Family,
Missionary Disciples of the Eucharist.
Speakers were Msgr. Sabino Vengco Eucharist
as a Communion and Mission; Rev. Fr. Jerry
Orbos,SVD The Filipino Family, Missionary
Disciples of the Eucharist; and Dr. Antonio Torralba, PHD The Filipino Family, its Situation
and Challenges. Families gave testimonies.
The activitys highlight was the Concelebrated
Mass presided over by the Dioceses Apostolic
Administrator, Most Rev. Francisco de Leon,
and Bishop Emeritus Most Rev. Deogracias
Iiguez,Jr. and the Diocesan clergy.
***
Happy Fiesta to the parishioners of San
Ildefonso de Navotas and devotees of Nuestra
Seora dela Paz y Buen Viaje. The Feast Day
is celebrated every October 13. In this years
celebration, Pagoda or fluvial procession was
again held. Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles
was one of the Novena Mass celebrants while
Kalookan Diocese Bishop Emeritus Deogracias
Iiguez,Jr. was one of the Fiesta Mass celebrants together with parish priest Fr. Jerome
Cruz and Fr. Syl Mutia.
Every second Sunday of October, the Feast
Day of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary La
Naval de Manila is also celebrated. This years
theme was Inang Maria: Kalakbay sa Pagharap
sa Hamon ng Karalitaan at Kabanalan.
***
Happy Birthday to Fr. Gaudioso Gau
Sustento, Chancellor and Rector of San Roque
Cathedral, Diocese of Kalookan. Also greetings
to the October birthday celebrators in our family, my youngest brother, Roberto Santiago,
and his son, Patrick Robby, my nephew and
grandnephew, Michael Gerald Rosales and C-2
Rosales Castro, respectively. Happy Sacerdotal
Anniversary to Fr. Octavio Bartiana and Fr.
Martin Guarin!

(Presence Of God Inside)

Rev. Fr. Alan Gozo Bondoc, SVD

IT is obvious from my body figure

that I love eating. It is my simple
enjoyment to eat, besides I give joy
and smile to those who prepared
and served the food when I eat
a lot. As Andrew Zimmern of
Bizarre Foods would say it, If it
looks good, eat it.
We eat to live. However, eating
without balance nutrition could
lead to an unhealthy life which
may cause early death. We have
to know what we eat; every kind
of food we take in has an effect
on our body. The food affects
our health; it either weakens or
strengthens our body.
In Gospel from John 6:51-58,

Jesus is offering a different kind

of food for us. One that will
definitely strengthen and nourish
us not only our physical body but
our soul. He is giving us bread,
bread that gives life. Because the
bread He is referring to is Himself:
I am the living bread.
It would be an understatement
to say that this living bread, if we
choose to take and eat it, will have
a good effect on our soul. This
living bread will lead us to a holy
life. It will not cause us death but
will give us life eternal.
Jesus wants us to be one with
Him by taking His body. We become what we eat. Receiving the

Body of Jesus in the Communion

is making Him part of our selves.
It is in the Communion that we
are transformed and become Alter Cristus, meaning Another
Christ. Therefore, receiving the
Body of Christ gives us greater
responsibility because when we
become Another Christ, it only
means that we should act like Him
and we should emulate Him.
Taking the Body of Christ,
the Bread of Life allows Jesus to
increase in us, as we decrease in
ourselves. The Bread of Life signifies Jesus sacrificial love for us
because He gives Himself fully to
us in Holy Communion. Com-

By the Roadside

munion is a calling to be with

God. Remember we have a prayer
before Communion, Lord, I am
not worthy to receive You, but
only say the Word and I shall be
healed. Communion means an
invitation to those who have lost
their way. It means healing to
those who are wounded by sin. It
means transformation to become
holy just as God is holy.
In the Holy Communion we
do not receive mere bread but
Jesus Himself. When we take and
receive the Body of Jesus, we allow
Him to permeate us and come into
our lives, enter our hearts.
Let Jesus become your life.

Ten Things to Maintain

My Emotional Health
1. GARBAGE OUT - Some people have lots of emotional baggags
in their hearts. They are in pain, frustrated, wounded, and some
even hate their lives. And they dont like to see happy, peaceful,
and stable people. Misery loves company. And so, they will throw
their emotional baggage to us. Dont accept them. Dont be affected. They can hurt you, but dont allow them to destroy your
inner peace. Their garbage is not your garbage. Dont accept them.
2. PRAISES IN - Dont reject praises and good words from others. If people say good words and praises for you, humbly accept
them. Its not pride. These positive feedbacks are validations that
you are doing well. We need to love ourselves by accepting these
positive words. Just say, Thank you. Its my joy to serve others.
3. BREATH IN AND BREATH OUT - When your mind is
tensed, tired, and anxious, pause for a while, and do some breathing exercises. Close your eyes for a few seconds, breath out all your
negatives, and breath-in slowly the love of God floating in the air.
4. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS - When we are anxious, we
tend to forget our lifes blessings. Start counting your blessings.
There is wisdom in counting our graces, it reminds us that God
knows our needs. If God guides, He provides.
5. BE POSITIVELY HOPEFUL - Positive hopeful thoughts
generate a positive ambience to our hearts and minds. They
make our tense mind more relaxed. They disposed ourselves
to be more spontaneous, creative, and happy. Our minds
seem to shrink when we are so pessimistic. Remember,
positive attitude attracts positive opportunities and positive people. It disposes us to see the light and the good
road to take.
6. A DAILY DOSE OF POCKETS OF PRAYERS - A daily
minutes of silence and prayer will help us a lot. Pockets of
prayers are better than not praying at all. God loves to hear a
quick Hello, God and Lord, whats next? than wait for your
annual retreat when youre not busy anymore. Sad to say, we are
busy 365 days a year.
7. A TAP ON OTHERS SHOULDER - Its good to know that
doing something for others bring more blessings. We feel good
and blessed when caring becomes part of our habit. Our kindness
begets kindness from others.
8. REGULARLY TAKE YOUR BIBLE CAPSULES - Reciting
prayerfully our favourite Bible verses can create ripples in our
hearts. Prayerfully repeat them many times. Allow Gods Word
to touch your inner core. It is an antidote to our anxious mind
and weak spirit. Whats your favourite verse? What about this
one ... The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.
(Psalm 23:1)
9. MINIMIZE AND MAXIMIZE - Be good to yourself. Love
yourself. If you cannot love yourself, you cannot love others
genuinely. Minimize condemning and blaming yourself. Dont
be harsh to yourself. Be patient. Forgive yourself if you made a
mistake or failed. There is always a bad hair day. Instead, magnify
Gods unconditional love, patience, and understanding. Be good
to yourself, youre a good person.
10. DONT KEEP ROTTEN EGGS - Make sure you dont keep
in your hearts those feelings of resentment, anger, envy, and hate.
How to handle them? First, accept they are there. Then, slowly let
go of them. Cast out all these negative feelings from your system.
Beg the Holy Spirit to cleanse your

I still remember Yolanda

Rev. Eutiquio Euly Belizar,

Jr., SThD
TWO years after her catastrophic visit,
Super Typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda still
haunts me. I admit the trauma has somewhat diminished. The destruction she
unleashed is no longer easy to see and feel.
But there are things about her that, as an
old song once said, are pressed between
the pages of my mind. Some of them
are not so bad.
1. We pricked the conscience of the
First World.
How are the lethally suffocating pollution in Beijing and the thick Houston
oil mills smog linked to Super Typhoon
Yolanda? Maybe more than anyone is
prepared to admit. Multiply such similar
situations in the worlds two top pollutants (USA and China), for a start, with
those of other parts of Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the rest of the developed world
that emit incessantly greenhouse gases
which have triggered climate change that
has, according to a growing consensus,
given birth to Haiyan or Yolanda. Then
allow the sensation-driven world media
a ringside view of the unspeakable horrors it caused in Samar and Leyte. The
shock, dismay, horror, remorse or all of
them combined that First World citizens
have displayed may be a stronger prod
for their countries leaders to start truly
addressing and resolving climate change
down to its roots.
2. We identified effective leaders.
Visualize ill-equipped local leaders constantly going to and from the communities in danger zones, endlessly persuading,

cajoling, and even directly threatening

their constituents to avoid Yolandas deadly
wrath or face theirs (a mayor even spoke
of shooting some intractable residents,
saying that Yolanda will kill you anyway,
I might as well do the honor myself ),
getting results of zero casualty in the
process. Perhaps we should question the
unsavory means used for such an undeniably good end. But the point that must
not be waylaid is that political will is a
necessary tool in saving lives. A Catholic
priest, a pastor of a small parish (Manicani
Island) whose church was inundated close
to its ceilings by the super typhoon storm
surges, saved many lives by not allowing
anyone by force of his commanding voice
to leave the church. Had he given permission to anyone, it would have resulted
in instant deaths through the rampaging
waves flooding around the church building. Sometimes love of neighbor must take
on a tough face, voice or action; but it is
still love because it is directed to the good.
3. We discovered true friends from
beyond our shores and race.
Yolanda allowed many survivors in
Eastern Samar, Eastern, Central, and
Western Visayas that bore the brunt of
Yolandas 315 kph winds a view of human
generosity. Yolandas winds, as it were,
also unfurled a windfall of sympathy that
translated into an abundance of goods and
services, particularly from First World
countries. I remember listening to a group
of ordinary tricycle and pedicab drivers as
well as by-standers praising a Buddhist organization which handled five-hundred-

peso cash-for-work daily program that, in

turn, helped restore order, cleanliness, and
sanity as well as provided food and dignity
to its recipients. A Buddhist effort with a
truly Christian conscience, an observer
muttered. Survivors everywhere expressed
their gratitude to their foreign benefactors
in varied forms oral, written, musical or
choreographed as well as many other
ways. Yolanda occasioned a remarkable
display of human brotherhood.
4. Yolanda disposed our poor of their
frail houses for better ones.
The secretary of the Department of
Social Welfare and Services was clearly
partly joking when she commented that
the combined local and foreign assistance
to Yolanda survivors resulted in better
houses for the poor (for instance, former
nipa-built houses now had GI sheets for
roofing and more durable housing materials to support and complement it). In
fact, she was just being truthful. Despite
the trauma and the terrible losses in lives
and properties, many of our indigent folk
ended up with better residences. Indeed
a small consolation for such a mammoth
calamity, but a consolation nonetheless.
Better a consolation than none.
5. Government agencies learned better ways to inform and prepare us for
disasters.
PAG-ASA and disaster aid agencies in
government have obviously taken a few
cues from Yolanda in not taking for granted
the use of people-friendly ways to inform
the public and their better preparation for

future calamities. There are times when

they display signs of back-sliding to the old
ways, as when experts prefer to be technical
rather than helpful. But the extent of death
and destruction from Yolanda provides
more than enough push for both experts
and citizens to stay the course.
6. Who says nature cannot change the
landscape?
We were surveying the massive dismantling and twisting of coconut trees
and other forms of vegetation by Yolanda
in the area of Guiuan, Eastern Samar.
Suddenly a priest companion of our
group exclaimed, I never knew there
was a mountain that ran through the east
coast of Guiuan, my home town, until
now. Without saying it, he pinpointed
to a change of landscape, no thanks to
Yolandas wrath, that nevertheless uncovered a thing of beauty in the middle of
such terrible mayhem.
But the picture is not complete if we
miss the bad too.
1. There were just so many deaths and
so much destruction.
What could be worse companions of
Yolanda than its killer waves and killer
winds? Speculations that there might
be even as many as 18,000 or more human casualties in Tacloban City alone
do not reduce the tragedy of Yolanda
to physical deaths and physical transmogrification of peoples and places.
Peoples spirit and will to live have
also been ravaged. Recognizing this
truth should lead to better and more

effective ways to rehabilitate survivors

and their environs.
2. Some businessmen and servce-providers became instant predators.
Who would forget the long lines of tricycles and transport vehicles trying to buy
fuel and gas days after the super typhoons
rampaging visit? Who would have failed to
notice our local businessmen shamefacedly
cashing in on other peoples suffering by
jacking up prices of fuel, prime goods, and
services, clearly by tacit collective agreement or, shall I say, a conspiracy (to be
more accurate)? While the many suffered
so much need, a few economic vultures
could not even moderate their greed.
3. Some people in power gained political mileage out of tragedy.
Till now in my minds eye I can not
shelve the memory of horrified gasps
from members of my family residing
outside Eastern Samar who thought we
were dead because a political leader initially announced that Eastern Samar is
gone. Neither will I forget the inconsolable faces of fellow priests from Guiuan
who thought they might be officiating
the funerals of their parents and siblings
when they heard, from supposedly official
sources, that Guiuans casualties ran in the
thousands. Wrong unverified information nearly caused massive heart attacks
in many but obviously scored points and
political mileage for its author(s), falsely
giving the impression among outsiders of
an engaged leader.
By The Roadside / A7

A6 LOCAL NEWS

Group brings antihuman trafficking

campaign to Masbate
AN international anti-human
trafficking network extended last
week its campaign against exploitation of women to an island
province in the Bicol Region.
In an e-mail message, Sr. Adel
Abamo, SDS, Talitha Kum Philippines animator, said the network
is in the diocese of Masbate now
campaigning to end trafficking of
women in the province.
Citing Inter-Agency Council
Against Trafficking as a source,
Masbate ranks 5th among the 10
provinces in the country with the
most number of trafficking cases,
with Cebu at the top, she said.
Prostitution and poverty
Women from Masbate are trafficked to Cebu and other nearby
provinces for prostitution.
Victims are mostly college
students, ages 16 to 20-years old,
Abamo said. They are forced into
prostitution by poverty.
Some resort to prostitution to
pay their tuition fees, she said.
According to Abamo, Talitha Kum
can link the women to other partners
that espouse the same advocacy of
freeing them from prostitution.
According to the nun, the group
and its government, and non-

Sr. Adel Abamo, Talitha Kum Philippines

animator. ABAMOS FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

government organization partners

can provide them with employable
skill trainings.
Focus on Masbate
Everyone should be part of the
advocacy to prevent women from
getting trafficked, Abamo said.
Since the major root of prostitution is poverty, it should be
addressed by providing women
with employment and livelihood
projects, she said.
Masbate is the first of 10 dioceses in the country where Talitha
Kum will push its advocacy,
Abamo said. (Oliver Samson /
CBCP News)

Adopt, A1

Come, Holy Spirit

According to its official website, Adopt a Bishop is an independent joint initiative by the
Austria-based YOUTH 2000,
JAKOB, and the Institute for
Marriage and Family among other
supporting groups on behalf of the
family commission of the Austrian
Conference of Bishops.
Let us support our shepherds
with all our faith and help them
carry their burden, especially in
these days (Galatians 6,2). Praying
or fasting in this way, we may be
like Moses and his helpers, who
invoked strength and protection
for their warriors through their
prayers (Exodus 17, 8-15), part
of its information page reads.
We want to invoke the Holy
Spirit, just like the apostles did
together with Mary before Pentecost (Acts 1,14), so that the
bishops, fulfilled by Him, will be
able to realize Gods will, think
his thoughts, do his deeds and
speak his words. We wholeheartedly wish for Gods wonderful
and merciful plan to be put into
action through his bishops, it
adds.
Prayers for all
Convinced that all of them need
the Holy Spirit, the initiators wish
that not only popular bishops or
those from predominantly Catholic countries will be remembered
in prayer, but that everyone are
equally prayed for.
This means that every bishop
will be assigned randomly to as
much praying people as the others. In this way, we trust that every
praying person will get exactly
the right bishop to pray for and
the other way round; that every
bishop will receive exactly the
praying faithful that he needs,
they explain.
For Raymond B. Ramos, a
secondary school teacher from
Caloocan City, who adopted a
bishop Thursday, praying for
Church leaders is a must to ensure
good will triumph over evil.

Just like the rest of us, our bishops are in this battle between good
and evil. They are also humans
who have their own weaknesses.
This is where our prayers are most
needed, he explained.
Ramos has recently received
through his social media account
Cardinal scar Andrs Rodrguez
Maradiaga, SDB, president of
Honduras Episcopal Conference,
as his bishop.
Modern-day apostles
Meanwhile, Edward Era, founding chair of the non-government
organization (NGO) Filipino
Lifeline, turned emotional about
the initiative, especially since he
was assigned a bishop who shares
his advocacies: Antonio Bal of
Kundiawa, Papua New Guinea,
who also represents the Commission for Family Life.
Starting today, I will offer one
rosary for my bishop. I will ask
the Lord and the Blessed Mother
to guide him, he said.
While he commends praying
for ones personal intentions, Era
pointed out praying for bishops
must be made a habit in view of
the difficult tasks they carry as
modern-day apostles.
To adopt a bishop, visit: www.
adoptabishop.org/en.
The XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
on the Family (Synod 15) opened
on Oct. 4 and is set to run until
Oct. 25.
Themed The vocation and mission of the family in the Church
and in the contemporary world,
the ongoing gathering marks the
50th anniversary of the Synod of
Bishops, and aims to continue
the work of the III Extraordinary
General Assembly by reflect[ing]
further on the points discussed so
as to formulate appropriate pastoral guidelines for the pastoral
care of the person and the family
(Instrumentum Laboris, III Extraordinary General Assembly of
the Synod of Bishops). (Raymond
A. Sebastin / CBCP News)

Trafficking, A1

of their fellow humans, and who

continue to violate their dignity as
Gods children.
Meanwhile, religious educator
Br. Nestor Limqueco of Arellano
University and Santa Catalina
College pointed out that justice
and peace have always been an
urgent call of the Church in order
that each human person receives
the treatment he deserves as one
created in the image of God.
We should collaborate and
express solidarity with governments to protect every persons
welfare. Trafficking is a modern
and contemporary capital sin
against human dignity and worth.
Let us all be one with the Church
in promoting justice and peace,
and strive for the protection of
human dignity, the consecrated
layman stressed.

Gods image
Echoing Gen. 1:26-28, Tuazon
exhorted the faithful to stop this
inhumane deed, and to always uphold the gift of life and Creation,
of which humans are a part.
Part of the verse reads: So God
created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created
him; male and female He created
them.
Pope Francis universal prayer
petition is: That human trafficking, the modern form of slavery,
may be eradicated.
Moreover, his evangelization
intention is for the Mission in
Asia: That with a missionary
spirit the Christian communities
of Asia may announce the Gospel
to those who are still awaiting it.
(Raymond A. Sebastin / CBCP
News)

October 12 - 25 , 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

CBCP Monitor

US charity group raising funds

for Filipino street kids
A US-based charitable organization is hoping to bring health
services to more Filipino street
children and poor families.
The Barnabite Heart to Heart
Mission launched a fundraising
campaign on Sept. 19 to raise
US$100,000, or roughly Php
4.6 million, to set up and operate a mobile medical unit in the
Philippines.
The fundraising event for the
Make Sad Eyes Smile project was
attended by Cardinal Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle of Manila himself in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
The project is the brainchild of the
groups founder, Fr. Robert Kosek,
when he returned to Pennsylvania
from the Philippines in 2014.
The priest was working as rector of the Barnabite Seminary in
Marikina City when he realized
the immense poverty of the area
and started the House of Care
of Fr. Semeria, a school for poor
children.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle of Manila speaks during Make Sad Eyes Smile
fundraising event in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Sept. 19

Later on, the facility started providing food and medical services.
Make Sad Eyes Smile will

help the poor street children

in the Philippines by giving
them medical and dental care,

Kosek said.
And by doing that, we are
showing them Gods love and
helping them feel and live better,
he added.
According to him, they need to
raise a certain amount to obtain a
medical van, build its interior, equip
it and operate for the first year.
In his message, Tagle said the mobile clinic will help a lot in terms of
providing health services to people
who are forced into poverty.
We in the Philippines, especially the poor children we are
not the only ones who will benefit
from this project but the whole
humanity for I believe that every
act of love changes the whole
world, Tagle said.
The project also got the support
of Allentown Bishop John Barres,
saying that it is an opportunity for
the people of the diocese to raise
their consciousness of the people
of the Philippines. (R. Lagarde/
CBCPNews)

Bishop urges govt to aid farmers vs. El Nio

A CATHOLIC bishop called on the government to provide assistance to agricultural workers who would be affected by the prevailing El
Nino phenomenon.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo
said more attention should be given to agricultural workers who may lose their jobs due
to what could be the worst drought in two
decades.
The Trade Union of the Philippines (TUCP),
the countrys biggest labor group, said at least
one million workers in the agricultural sector
may possibly lose their jobs due to the effects
of El Nio.
Joblessness = poverty
It is unemployment that generates the pov-

erty that leads to hunger, Pabillo said. The

question now is what are the governments
mitigation plans?
He said while the Church is more than willing to help, the government must lead in the
efforts because it has the resources and the
technology.
The TUCP said it is more important now
than ever that efforts are focused on livelihood
development and strengthening communities
resilience by providing alternative and sustainable livelihood options.
We urge the government, from the national
down to the local government units, to include
in its mitigation plans those workers in the
agriculture sector who may be rendered jobless
due to the intense weather phenomenon, said

the countrys labor group.

Double whammy
These types of workers suffer a double
whammy because not only will they lose their
livelihood and income, they also suffer as
consumers, it added.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical,
and Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA) has earlier warned the public of
an intensified effect of the El Nio this year.
The dry spell, the state weather bureau
said, could affect as many as 79 provinces,
which will experience below normal amounts
of rainfall.
The weather phenomenon, it added, can
impact crops and also threatens water supply
in Metro Manila. (CBCP News)

And Thats The Truth, A5

the people know what to expect

should they win?
Surveys left and right are exploited and depicted by media
as reliable indicators of candidates future performance at the
polls. They are not presented
for what they truly arethe
voice of 1,000 or so voters out
of 53,000,000. Ultimately the
victims of such medias magni-

fication of surveys significance

are the poor and the majority of
us who are not aware that like
any human endeavor, surveys
can be manipulatedif the price
is right.
Its alarming to find out how
many political dynasties we
have, and that some of these dynasties include even extramarital
family members. Following tra-

dition and the ways of the world,

all of such dynasties belong to
the moneyed minority in our
society. The poor candidates
names are usually not found in
the roster of dynasties. What
does this imply, besides the
already known fact that more
often than not you need loads of
money to run for public office?
That only the multimillionaires

are capable of serving the public?

If cash is synonymous with clout
in the political arena, does it
follow that competent potential
candidates may never have a
crack at offices higher than that
of barangay captains? If the
existence of political dynasties
proves anything at all, it is that
power is addictive. And thats
the truth.

grassroots that will ultimately

bring about results.
So models of development
proposed by businesses, world
monetary organizations and
even by governments would be
critiqued by the people who
are affected by the models of
development. They should be
involved in proposing models
and monitoring them, he said.
Tagle is one of the first church
leaders in Asia to mobilize responses to Popes landmark encyclical on the care of creation.

temperatures within 1.5C of

pre-industrial levels.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines also
said earlier that voices from all
sectors must be heard in addressing climate change, citing
the countrys vulnerability to
environmental catastrophes.
The bishops said people must
work together to implement
efforts that could mitigate the
impact of climate change especially in disaster-prone areas.
Climate change has brought
about suffering for nations,
communities and peoples, said
CBCP president Archbishop
Socrates Villegas in a pastoral
statement. When they who
are in need cry out, it is not
an option to respond. It is an
obligation.
Advocacy of Church communities on behalf of the common good should influence
policy makers and translate
itself into community action as
well, he said.

Climate pilgrimage
On Sunday, Oct. 4, several
priests and nuns marched the
streets of Quezon City as they
call for climate justice along
with other faith and civil society
groups.
The eco-walk was also held
to celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, who is the patron
saint of ecology.
We want to show the Philippines and the entire world
how walking together can raise
awareness on the environmental
issues, Franciscan Bro. Angelo
Ace Cortez said.
Meanwhile, a group of Filipino environmental activists
embarked on a 60-day climate
pilgrimage from the Vatican to
Paris on Sept. 30.
Organized by major environment and faith organizations,
the Filipinos along with thousands of advocates from around
the world are expected to arrive
in Paris two days before the start
of the climate summit.

Paris, A1

with the National Catholic Reporter following Pope Francis

speech at the United Nations in
New York last Sept. 25.
Conversion of hearts, lifestyles
In the context of Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si,
he said that success means a
radical conversion of hearts
and lifestyles particularly in
the grassroots in order to avert
disaster brought about by industrialization.
Without the involvement
of the grassroots, I dont think
there will be real success, said
the cardinal from the typhoonravaged Philippines.
All of these things would
have to permeate the consciousness of peoples and change will
happen there and they will be
involved in reviewing economic
policies and political policies,
he added.
Aside from scientific findings
on what governments need to
do on climate change, Tagle
said it is also by reaching the

Signature drive
Last July, he started a signature campaign in the Philippines to collect half of the 20
million signatures on a global
petition to be delivered to world
leaders attending the Paris summit.
The Global Catholic Climate
Change Movement petition asks
world leaders to adopt a strong
and ambitious universal climate
treaty to keep global average

Synod, A1

pression of frustration and resignation, which

seeks to cancel out sexual difference because
it no longer knows how to confront it, the
Pope said April 15 of this year. Yes, we risk
taking a step backwards. The removal of
(sexual) difference in fact creates a problem,
not a solution.
The Holy Fathers concern is shared by bishops at the synod.
The small group known as French B noted
in its first report that a wide discussion within
our group focused on gender theory. In particular, it was underlined that gender theory has
the character of an ideology when it is spread,
or better imposed, by some international organizations.
The group referred to pressure exerted by
some international bodies, making financial
aid dependent on the adoption of regulations
based on gender ideology. This phenomenon
has been denounced by numerous African
prelates during the Synod.
However, concerns about gender ideology
were not limited to the prelates from Africa.

In Italy, bishops have been constantly fighting

over the past year against attempts to introduce
textbooks into the nations schools that present
gender theory as a fact.
It was no surprise, therefore, that the issue
was also raised in two Italian small groups.
For what concerns the anthropological
and cultural context, it seemed necessary
(that the synod text) would more widely
refer to the risks of gender ideology, as well
to the negative influence it has on scholastic
programs of many countries, said small
group Italian A.
Small group Italian B presented a specific
amendment on the issue, saying, The group
more clearly emphasized the ideological character of gender ideology, in order to lend families
a hand so that they can take back their original
right to educate children in a responsible dialogue with other educative agencies.
Meanwhile, the group English D lamented
that there were a number of elements missing
from the working document, including a serious reflection on gender ideology.

And the Spanish B group mentioned the

challenge of gender ideology among the ongoing anthropological changes, that are deeper
than what we can imagine.
Also delving into the issue was the group
French C, which underscored gender ideology as one of its top two concerns.
We are concerned by the uprise of a new
ideology that is often called gender ideology,
the group stressed.
It said that several gender theories have
been developed in sociology and philosophy,
with the attempt to analyze some human and
social phenomenon. But when these theories
are taken as an absolute, they tend to create
a unique thought that aims to sweep away
everything else.
While (these theories) try to impose a view
that denies the relation between sexual identity
and the sex of individuals as we are, they dissolve families, parenthood, human love in its
more noble and humanizing part, the group
concluded. (Andrea Gagliarducci / CNA/
EWTN News)

CBCP Monitor

DIOCESAN NEWS A7

October 12 - 25 , 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

Make your spouse your

inspiration priest to
couples

Fr. Wilson Chu SThD, a formator in the Archdiocese of Palo urges couples to remain a
source of happiness and inspiration to their spouses. EILEEN NAZARENO-BALLESTEROS

TACLOBAN City, Oct. 7,

2015Why is it the couple
found themselves trapped in [the]
mire of unfulfilled vows? Is it not
the spouse [whos] supposed to
be the source of happiness and
inspiration?
These were the questions raised
by Fr. Wilson Chu, co-parish
priest of the Sto. Nio Parish and
oeconomus of the Archdiocese
of Palo, in his reflection on last
Sundays Gospel.
He said the reason is that spouses still focus on themselves rather
than on trying to be a source of
fulfillment and inspiration to their
husband or wife.
According to Chu, the deeper
root is that married couples often
take for granted their responsibility to nurture their relationship
with God every day and fail to
make Him the center of their life.
Mortal enemies
Chu lamented: It is very disheartening to see a couple separate
because they feel they are not
meant for each other.
During their wedding ceremony, they are so excited and
happy because it is their most
awaited day, the tying of the knot
with their [beloved], he added.
After few years, they do not
want to see each other anymore to
the extent of treating each other as
mortal enemies, successively filing

multiple cases [against each other]

before the courts, thereby vexing
one another, he added.
Hundreds of cases are indeed
filed in various Regional Trial
Court salas in the country designated as Family Courts. These
courts hear and decide cases
for violations against the AntiViolence Against Women and
Children Law of 2004 (RA 9262).
Incarceration
Some of these cases are speedily terminated due to settlements
between the wife or the legal
guardian of the children as complainant and the erring spouse as
defendant.
Some others end up in the
husbands incarceration during
the pendency of the case or as a
consequence of non-compliance
of court orders such as keeping
a certain distance from the complainants or failure to provide the
agreed monthly support.
Chu jested, At the start of their
marriage, the husband would want
to carry his bride forever because
she is the love of his life, but
several years later, he still wanted
to carry her not because of love
anymore, but because the priest
told him to carry his cross.
Chu asked, Why is it that
they become the source of pain
and headaches of one another?
(Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros /
CBCP News)

Missionaries, A1

mit held at the San Pablo City

Hall Auditorium in Laguna on
Saturday.
More than just effective
Make sure that what you post
and how you use that medium
reflects what you believe in, he
said. Be good not just effective
but good. Be the best!
He went on by saying that social
media posts intended to evangelize
need to combine it with active
participation in the world.
If that happens, according to
him, many people will realize that
religion rocks.
Lovett was among the speakers
at the event attended by students,
teachers, priests, nuns, and members of youth ministry from dif-

ferent dioceses.
Constant dialogue
Now on its fourth version, the
summit, organized by Youth Pinoy,
continues to examine all aspects of
social media and explore more ways
to take advantage of available tools
for online evangelization.
Lovett went on to encourage
church people and the public in
general to embrace technology
particularly, social media to
connect with other people and
not to waste its potential.
He challenged Filipinos to be
good citizens, open to dialogue
and witness to a life of evangelization .
Its a constant dialogue that
brings us closer together, he said.
(R. Lagarde/CBCPNews)

Kidnapped, A1

the Zamboanga Del Norte Provincial Police Office said the suspects
were identified by some witnesses
from the police rouge gallery that
were shown to them.
Pending cases
He said based on the gallery, the
two suspects have pending cases
of kidnapping, murder, extortion,
and illegal possession of firearms.
Without giving names, Hernandez also said they have also identified the criminal group to which
the principal suspects belong.
Dipolog Bishop Severo Caermare said they are in coordination
with the authorities, as he lauded
the efforts done by the local government, police, and the military.
More importantly, I humbly
ask everyone to please pray and
collaborate for his safety and immediate release, Caermare said.
Ordained a priest in 1984,
he worked in Naples for a few
years and was then sent to the
Philippines in 1990 where he
was assigned as parochial vicar of
the Holy Cross Parish in Siocon,
Zamboanga del Norte.
As a missionary, he founded
the Farmers Training Cooperative
Center, a non-governmental organization that helped local farmers.
AFP, PNP units
Dispensed from the priesthood
in 1996, he chose to remain in

Dipolog and put up a restaurant

where he was abducted.
The PIME said Del Torchio
left the priesthood for personal
reasons. Some confreres described
him as a person of great sensitivity
and practical skills, intuitive and
resourceful.
Torchio was abducted on
Wednesday evening by still unidentified gunmen and was forced
into a waiting van by the gunmen who proceeded to the city
boulevard that is less than a
kilometer away, then escaped in a
pump boat towards an unknown
direction.
Hernandez believes the kidnappers have not yet fully left the
peninsula, noting that the waters
surrounding Zamboanga are still
rough, making it difficult for them
sail farther.
The police official added this
is aside from the fact that the
coastal areas are heavily guarded by
seaborne patrol being conducted
by the Maritime Group of the
Philippine National Police (PNP).
Hernandez added other PNP
and the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) units are also
patrolling the nearby Zamboanga
Peninsula coastline.
Our main effort and concentration is to run after the abductors and safely rescue the victim,
Hernandez said. (R. Lagarde with
reports from AHV / CBCPNews)

Jaro archdiocese to plant 150k trees

MANILA, Oct. 8, 2015A
Catholic archdiocese wants to
plant 150,000 trees in the province of Iloilo over the next year.
Early this year, the Archdiocese of Jaro has signed
an agreement with the Iloilo
provincial government which
requires soon-to-wed couples
to plant trees before they get
married.
In line with the archdioceses
350th anniversary on Nov. 17,

the church has set another

challenge in response to Pope
Francis environmental encyclical Laudato Si.
Jaro archdiocesan social action director Msgr. Meliton
Oso said the initial 5,000 saplings will be planted on Nov.
14 around Mt. Upaw in San
Dionisio town.
He said the trees will be
planted and nursed by residents in the area.

All parishes are encouraged

to do the same, in collaboration
with local government then
residents of the nearby barangay
would be given the opportunity
to harvest the fruit trees, Oso
told Radio Veritas.
Meanwhile, the local church
has also joined efforts in urging
nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by leading
a signature campaign in the
province.

We are pushing also the

signature campaign promoted
by Global Catholic Climate
Change Movement in time for
the conference in Paris, Oso
said.
He added they are also
facilitating lectures to give
the faithful a deeper understanding about the encyclical
as well as to create awareness
on environmental issues. (R.
Lagarde / CBCPNews)

Iloilo parish pledges 24/7 confessions for Mercy Jubilee

ILOILO CITY, Oct. 2, 2015 On the occasion of the feast day of St. Thrse of the
Child Jesus, a parish in Iloilo City launched its
program for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy
with the commitment to make the available the
Sacrament of Reconciliation 24 hours a day
and to intensify the corporal works of mercy.
At the end of the high Mass, Fr. Evaristo
Ablona, pastor of Sta. Teresita parish, announced before 50 concelebrating priests
and the rest the congregation that he and the
Parochial Vicar, Fr. Jose Andres Luis Gastala,
commit themselves, for the duration of the
Year of Mercy, to be available 24 hours a

day, seven days a week, to anyone who might

want to go to Confession.
Ablona also announced that the parish, as
part of its program for the Year of Mercy,
commits itself to promoting the corporal works
of mercy, particularly among three sectors: the
street children, the homeless, and the elderly.
In an interview with CBCP News, the parish
priest said they were inspired by Pope Francis Bull of Indiction Misericordiae Vultus
wherein the Holy Father said: The theme of
mercy needs to be proposed again and again
with new enthusiasm and renewed pastoral
action.

Sta. Teresita parish inaugurated the Year

of Mercy on Oct. 1, uniting itself to the
Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, convened by
Pope Francis, and running from Dec. 8, 2015
to Nov. 20, 2016.
As we celebrate the feast of St. Therese of
the Child Jesus, upon whom our parish is
entrusted, and in the context of the CBCPs
Year of the Poor, we now find ourselves on
the threshold of the Jubilee of Mercy, said
Ablona, explaining why the parishs declaration
of a Year of Mercy comes months ahead the
official start of the Jubilee Year on Dec. 8. (Fr.
Mickey Cardenas / CBCP News)

Franciscans commit to explain Laudato Si to wider audience

QUEZON City, October 7,
2015Accepting it as great challenge, the Order of Friars Minor
(OFM) in the Philippines has affirmed its commitment to explaining Laudato Si to a world that
expects much from the children
of Francis, the saint who inspired
the encyclical.
We cannot escape from the
peoples great expectations. This
should cause us a big shame if
we shun away from this challenge. I am afraid the world may
consider us false Franciscans,
worse than non-biodegradables,

unworthy of financial support

and attention, says Fr. Cielito
R. Almazan, OFM, Minister
Provincial of Franciscan Province of San Pedro Bautista, in a
letter issued Oct. 4, Feast of St.
Francis of Assisi.
He tells his fellow Franciscans
it is high time they share how
they and their communities are
trying to live out the ideals of
their founder.
Almazan also calls on his confreres to stand tall like St. Francis through what he refers to as a
bold and joyful Franciscan wit-

nessing in words and actions

and in their simple lifestyle in
the global community.
Now is kairos (time) to show
our worth, he stresses.
While he admits there may be
intellectuals who happen to know
more about the encyclical, Almazan
points out these people still cannot
help approaching them simply
because they are Franciscans.
They believe the Popes message is in our psyche. It is in our
DNA. The spirit of St. Francis
through our studies and formation has made a home in us,

the minister provincial explains.

According to him, Franciscans
tackle the song that gave Laudato
Si its name in their formation.
In our celebrations, we sing
the song Canticle of Brother
Sun, again and again, especially
in the Transitus. It is included in
our songbooks. In our Franciscan
studies, we take it in a more scientific way, Almazan notes.
Brothers and sisters, let us
begin again for until now we
have done very little, he adds.
(Raymond A. Sebastin / CBCP
News)

By The Roadside / A5

4. Wrong choice of words

resulted in horrible
wrongs.
In the days leading up
to Yolanda PAG-ASA
and other weather experts
started speaking of storm
surges to usher in or accompany the super typhoon. The trouble was,
people did not understand

them; neither were there

effective nor sufficient efforts to explain storm
surges such that people
could understand and appreciate the real dangers
to life and limb that they
brought. Many human
casualties and the considerable damage to properties that ensued could

have been averted had the

language and methods of
information-dissemination
been brought to the level
of the ordinary citizens.
5. Some assistance-givers
had hidden agenda.
Catholic leaders and
communities in various
instances registered their

protests, at times weakly,

at times forcefully, when
foreign aid to Yolanda
survivors were somehow
tied to the use of contraceptives and condom or
even the eventual openness
to abortion as a means to
population management.
Other foreign groups had
more subtle agenda, such

as the proselytizing of
Catholic survivors who
were enticed by way of
relief and rehabilitation as
well monetary assistance,
tying such assistance to
joining their indoctrination and worship sessions.
Cash-for-work became
cash-for-worship.

Candidly Speaking, A4

society. They can enrich our humanity.

We can resort to some immediate and stopgap measures, like regulating the use of the
Internet, using filters, monitoring, and supervising the Internet use, especially for the children.
It is said, for example, that if you do not see
your children in your own house, what you
only have to do is to turn off the Internet, and
they will come out. Of course, this and the
other measures can only do so much, since the
kids now are smart and can easily get around
these measures.
We should not stop simply in the level of
regulating, stopping, discouraging, and other
negative-leaning measures, even if they are
also indispensable. They are not meant to be
effective for long. We should face the challenge
of tackling this issue in a more positive and
long-term way.

And that means that especially for the children,

we have to learn how to motivate them properly,
giving them by word and example, precious lessons about order, prudence, temperance, sense
of purpose.
Its important that despite the usual tension
and conflicts, a cordial, friendly and intimate
relationship exists between them and the
parents, the teachers, and others with certain
authority. There should be an atmosphere of
openness, trust, and confidence in this relationship. When this is absent, we have a big
problem to solve.
For the older children, young professionals
and even adults, the challenge to face is how to
resolve the existential emptiness that is at the
bottom of this Internet addiction and other
forms of bondage.
It is this existential emptiness that makes

people vulnerable to be swallowed up by their

passions and other weaknesses that often are
hidden and sometimes masked by a faade of
some virtue.
Even those who are generally regarded as
good and holy people are not exempted
from this predicament. In fact, their case can
be trickier and harder to handle, since they can
easily hide this problem due to the many good
and impressive things they do and accomplish.
This existential emptiness is resolved when
one is genuinely connected with God who is
everything to us, our life, our wisdom, our
truth, our freedom, our love, etc. This happens when one truly prays, and becomes, in
St. Pauls words, a spiritual man, going beyond
sentimentalism, psychology, intellectualism,
professionalism, activism, etc.
Theres no other way to tackle this issue.

Plight, A3

listening to what is coming out

of these sorts of conversations?
I think the Synod fathersand
the vast majority are pastoral
bishops who are close to their
peoplelisten to their priests. We
in England have had consultations
with the priests precisely on this
question of pastoral care. I think
we are very aware of the situation
of people and the different opinions there are, but nevertheless in
this there are some fundamental
values and principles in the way

the disciples of Jesus want to live

and are asked to live which dont
change and they are to do with
marriage being between a man
and a woman and the place for
sexual intimacy being within
marriage. Everybody is on a
journey when it comes to their
sexual activity, their sexuality and
their sexual maturity, and I think
what is clear is that the ideals
are there, the call of the Gospel
is there whether for marriage or
for people who experience their

friendships and their deepest love

with somebody of the same sex.
The pathway is clear and it is the
task of the pastor to try and help
someone to walk on that pathway,
towards the invitation of Christ,
given out of love which will be
to entrust themselves to him in
their friendships and to deepen
those friendships so they really
do become a powerful presence
of Gods presence in their lives.
CNA: What will your contribution be to this Synod?

My hope would be, just as

after the Synod on evangelization the Holy Father published
a document called The Joy of
the Gospel, that at the end of
this process he might publish an
exaltation called The Joy of the
family. I think we have to have
a very positive view. (As) Pope
Francis said in Philadelphia, If we
take the stance that sees the family
as a problem, then were going to
set off on the wrong foot. (Ann
Schneible/CNA)

Peace, A1

conferred the award in celebration of the

United Nations International Day of Peace,
Fr. DAmbras initiative has brought various
groups in Mindanao, including the aboriginal
people, closer together because religious and
cultural differences have been addressed and
explained by the SDM.
The group also recognized the significant
role played by the SDM in peace negotiations
between the government and the Muslim rebel
groups.
I was informed that some friends shared
with you my book CALL TO A DREAM
and from that initial sharing you have found
more information about me and the Silsilah
Dialogue Movement, Fr. DAmbra said upon
accepting the award last October 1 at the Far
Eastern University.
Yes, I have a dream: the dream to share with

all I encounter in my life that we have to love

all, because we are part of the same human
family, people of different cultures and religions
but created by the same God who loves all of us.
I dream to inspire many to dream with
me and together to live and promote the
Culture of Dialogue, Path to Peace. For this
reason, it is my strong desire to remain with
you in the Philippines up to the end of my
life, he added.
Fr. DAmbra cited the Zamboanga siege in
2013, wherein the SDM promoted the slogan
Why violence? Why not peace? We are brothers and sisters!
This is the time when we have to build
bridges of peace and to find ways to harmonize the aspirations of the people. This is true
also for our situation in Mindanao. It is time
for both sides to meet in the middle and to

find pragmatic solutions guided by sincere

intentions, with the hope that along the way
we continue to share and to improve what is
needed for the common good, he stressed out.
Aside from Fr. DAmbra, Public Attorneys
Office (PAO) chief Dr. Persida Rueda-Acosta
was conferred the National Peace Award for
Public Service. Acosta was recognized for her
strong dedication to the public by restoring
peoples faith in the judicial systems.
Meanwhile, Bai Rohaniza Sumndad-Uzman,
a Maranao Princess, was recognized for establishing Teach Peace, Build Peace Movement,
with the mission to make every Filipino child
a peace-builder. She was lauded for promoting
peace and development in many parts of the
country through education, inter-faith, intercultural and inter-generational engagement.
(CBCPNews)

A8 PEOPLE, FACTS, AND PLACES

October 12 - 25 , 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

CBCP Monitor

Catholic communicators plug

in as one at CSMSv4.0
MORE than three hundred Catholic communicators from from the
countrys various dioceses plug
in as one at the fourth installment
of the Catholic Social Media Summit (CSMSv4.0) at the Santa Rosa
City Hall Auditorium, Santa Rosa
City, Laguna.
The two-day gathering of current and aspiring OMGsonline
missionaries of Godofficially
opened with a Holy Mass celebrated by Msgr. Pedro Quitorio
III, head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Media Office, with
priests from the host Diocese of
San Pablo concelebrating.
Santa Rosa City Mayor Arlene
Arcillas welcomed participants,
many of whom are at the event
representing their dioceses and
parishes youth and social communications ministries.
Delegates from all over
Among others, the arch/dioceses represented are: Conference
of Catholic Bishops of India
(CCBI), archdioceses of Nueva
Segovia, Palo and LingayenDagupan, and from the dioceses
of Paraaque, Antipolo, Cubao,
and San Pablo.
Sean Patrick Lovett, head of
Vatican Radio in Rome, gave

Fully-packed sessions
Ronalyn Regino of Areopagus
Communications tackled The
Power of Visuals.
Using as an example the photograph of Kurdi, the Syrian toddler
whose dead body raised an outrcy
around the world, she noted visuals have the power to shock.
But Regino added it is still up
to the person who was shocked
whether he will do something
about the intense emotion he felt
or not.

Catholic communicators plug in as one at the Catholic Social Media Summit (CSMSv4.0) being held at the Santa Rosa City Hall Auditorium, Santa Rosa City, Laguna, Oct. 11,
2015. DOMINIC BARRIOS

the keynote Connecting to the

Ultimate Power Source, where
he reminded delegates of their
responsibility as Catholic social
media enthusiasts and practitioners to post only what is good

and useful.
Make sure that who you are,
what you post reflect what you
believe, he said.
Day 1 of CSMSv4.0 had two
focuses, one about Content Man-

Filipino Laudato
Si now available
SINCE its release in June, Pope Francis
encyclical, Laudato Si, a document first
translated to eight languages, continues to
spark discussion.
Now, it has been translated into Filipino.
Published by Claretian Communications, the letter on the care of creation has
been translated by Filipino from Spanish
by Leo R. Ocampo.
The Tagalog version of the landmark
document was released during the recent
Manila International Book Fair.
Catholic bishops earlier called on Filipinos, Christians, and non-Christians alike,
to study and reflect on the various points
of the encyclical.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle said
while the document does not presume
to settle scientific questions, it offers a
pastoral analysis and appeal nurtured by
the Bible, Catholic social teachings, the
pronouncements of Popes, and a reading
of the current ecological conditions we
are facing.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP) has also committed to educate the faithful on environmental issues such as climate change.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas, CBCP

Vatican City - June 18, 2015. Copies of Laudato

Si at a press conference on Pope Francis newly
released encyclical Laudato Si in Paul VI Hall
on June 18, 2015. Laudato Si is taken from St.
Francis of Assisis medieval Italian prayer Canticle
of the Sun and Pope Francis addresses the
environment, climate change, abortion, embryonic
experimentation, and population control. CNA

President, pointed out that Laudato Si

teaches us that the core of the matter of
climate change is justice.
The Association of Major Religious
Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP)
has also vowed to promote a cause for
climate justice and to give formation on
the encyclical. (R. Lagarde / CBCPNews)

agement, and another dealing with

Crowd sourcing.
Ric Gindap of Design for Tomorrow discussed The Technology of Color and Typography,
stressing that a company or or-

ganization that wants to make a

name for itself must realize the
potential of branding.
The purpose of branding is to
differentiate, not to blend in, he
shared.

In his Cyberethics, Cyber Law

and Online Ethics, lawyer Rodel
Taton of the University of Santo
Tomas talked about ethical norms
social media users must observe.
For his part, Msgr. Pedro Quitorio shed light on what it means
to form an online faith society.
Focus 2 speakers were: Stacy
de Jesus and Rupert Ambil, both
from Rappler, who imparted their
knowledge of Content Creation
to Curation and Social Media
Role in Disaster Communications, respectively.
Meanwhile, Google Philippines
Jose Emmanuel Cellan had two
topics, Micromoments Online
and Creating Content on Youtube. (Raymond A. Sebastin /
CBCP News)

Bishop invites youth to Congress of Mercy

SAN Jos Bishop Roberto C. Mallari invites young Catholics, particularly those
involved in the catechetical and youth
ministries, to join the first International
YouCat Congress inspired by the Year of
Mercy on Nov. 5 to 7, 2015 at the Development Academy of the Philippines
Convention Center (DAPPC) in Tagaytay
City, Philippines.
We would like to cordially invite two
participants from your diocese, preferably a catechist and a youth minister, to
be part of this blessed event, says the
prelate in a letter addressed to the various
episcopal sees.
Promised Mercy
Mallari, who also chairs the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP)s Episcopal Commission on
Catechesis and Catholic Education
(ECCCE), and oversees YouCat Philippines, calls on young Filipinos to grab the
opportunity to mingle with their counterparts from other parts of the Philippines,
Asia-Pacific countries, and even Europe,
and learn from one another.
Guided by the words of the Blessed
Mother in her Magnificat: For He has
remembered His promise of Mercy [Luke
1:54] and in anticipation of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, this congress aims
to be a venue to discover Gods merciful
love for the youth and the YouCat as a tool
for evangelization, he explains.
In line with this, YouCat Congress organizers have recently decided to extend the
events registration period until Oct. 15.
CCC for youth
Youcat PH, short for Youth Catechism
of the Catholic Church-Philippines, is the
local arm of the worldwide Youcat based
in Germany.
This promotes the spread and the study
of the reader-friendly version of the more
intimidating Catechism of the Catholic
Church (CCC) which was first presented
to delegates of the World Youth Day
(WYD) 2011 in Madrid, Spain.
Youcat PH was formed in order to
undo the influence of secularism, hedonism, consumerism, and like -isms,
and to adapt the YouCat book to the
Philippine setting.
Among others, those who expected to
give talks at YouCat are: Manila Archbishop Lus Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle,
who is also a member of YouCat International Advisory Board on Remembering
and Retelling the Story of the Poor Christ

YouCat PH prelate-in-charge Bishop Roberto C. Mallari, chair of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP)s Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education (ECCCE) with director
Fr. Richard P. Lagos during the groundbreaking of the proposed YouCat Center in San Jos, Nueva Ecija
which intends to be a venue and resource center for education, formation and renewal for the young
faithful. YOUCAT PH

in Asia; Mariologist and author Msgr.

Sabino Vengco, The Role of Mary in the
New Evangelization; Msgr. Gerry Santos, CBCP-ECCCE executive secretary,
Youth and Catechesis: Echoing Gods
Promise and Mercy; Pasig Bishop Mylo
Hubert C. Vergara, chair of the Episcopal
Commission on Social Communications
(ECSC), Responses to the Challenges of
Catechesis in the Philippines and Asia
Let us look beyond the book. Let us
personify the book. More than a book,
Youcat is a person. I am Youcat. You
are Youcat. We are young catechists,
exclaimed Fr. Richard P. Lagos, YouCat

PH director, in an earlier report.

The priest went on to encourage youth
catechists to cultivate a spirituality of
communion that will enable all to become the light of the world.
Lagos, moreover, stressed the importance of collaboration to know,
share, meet and express the Gospel
more effectively with others, especially
fellow youth.
Let us work together as one, he added.
To register, interested parties may visit:
http://www.youcat.ph/?page_id=14, or
email secretariat@youcat.ph/ (Raymond
A. Sebastin / CBCP News)

Exhibit features clothing religious images

AN exhibition on the Filipino tradition of clothing
religious images opens on
Monday, Oct. 12 at the
Arzopispado de Manila in
Intramuros.
Pagdadamit runs indefinitely in the Museum of the
Manila archdiocese and can

be viewed from Monday to

Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm.
The director of the Archdiocesan Museum is Fr.
Albert Flores.
In a statement, organizers said the display features
some aspects of the practice
of pagdadamit in the archdi-

ocesea tradition practiced

in some communities for
more than 300 years now.
The tradition, they said, sees
the Filipinos deep religiosity
and artistic talent, the marriage
of spirituality and creativity.
Here, one discovers the
story and the people behind

those long gowns and gold

threads and silver crowns
and encounters the pagdadamit ng santo, the archdiocese said.
For inquiries on the exhibit please call the archdioceses museum at 524-5062.
(CBCP News)

CBCP Monitor

PASTORAL CONCERNS B1

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

Address of Pope Francis to the

First General Congregation of the
Synod of Bishops on the Family

CNA

Vatican City, October 5, 2015

Vatican City - October 7, 2015. Synod bishops at the Wednesday general audience in St. Peters Square on October 7, 2015.

DEAR Beatitudes, Eminences, Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters,

The Church takes up again today the
dialogue begun with the convocation of
the Extraordinary Synod on the Family
and certainly also much earlier to
evaluate and reflect together on the text
of the Instrumentum laboris, elaborated
from the Relatio Synodi and from the

regard to her fidelity to the deposit of

faith, which does not represent for the
Church a museum to view, nor just
something to safeguard, but is a living
spring from which the Church drinks,
to satisfy the thirst of, and illuminate
the deposit of life.
The Synod moves necessarily in the
heart of the Church and within the

Synod will be able to be a space of action of the Holy Spirit only if we, the
participants, are clothed with apostolic
courage, evangelical humility and confident prayer.
Apostolic courage that does not let
itself be frightened by the seductions of
the world, which tend to extinguished
in mens heart the light of truth, sub-

The Synod moves necessarily in the heart of the Church and

within the Holy People of God of which we are part in the
quality of pastors, that is, servants.
answers of the Episcopal Conferences
and the organism having the right.
As we know, the Synod is a walking
together with a spirit of collegiality and
synodality, adopting the parrhesia, the
pastoral and doctrinal zeal, the wisdom,
the frankness, and always putting before
our eyes the good of the Church, of
families and the supreme law, the salus
animarum (cf. Can. 1752).
I would like to recall that the Synod
is not a congress or a parlour, a
parliament nor senate, where people
make deals and reach a consensus. The
Synod is rather an ecclesial expression,
i.e., the Church that journeys together
to understand reality with the eyes of
faith and with the heart of God; it is
the Church that questions herself with

Holy People of God of which we are

part in the quality of pastors, that is,
servants.
Moreover, the Synod is a protected
space where the Church experiences
the action of the Holy Spirit. The
Spirit speaks in the Synod through
the language of all persons that allow
themselves to be guided by the God
that always surprises, by the God that
reveals to little ones what he hides from
the wise and the intelligent, by the God
that created the Law and the Sabbath
for man and not vice versa, by the God
that leaves the ninety nine sheep to seek
the sheep that was lost, by the God that
is always greater than our logic and our
calculations.
Let us remember, however, that the

stituting it with little and temporary

lights, and even less so in face of the
petrification of some hearts that despite good intentions distance people
from God, The apostolic courage to

and be filled with God. Humility that

leads to not pointing the finger at others
to judge them, but to stretch out our
hand to them to raise them up without
every feeling superior to them.
Confident prayer is the action of the
heart when it opens to God, when all
our moods are silenced to listen to the
soft voice of God, who speaks in silence.
Without listening to God, all our words
will only be words that do not satiate and are of no use. Without letting
ourselves be guided by the Spirit, all
our decisions will only be decorations,
which instead of exalting the Gospel
cover and hide it.
Dear Brothers, as I have said, the
Synod is not a parliament, where to
reach consensus or common agreement recourse it taken to negotiation,
to bargaining or to compromises, but
the only method of the Synod is that of

Magisterium, the good of the Church

and the salus animarum.
Finally, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to His Eminence Cardinal
Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of
the Synod; His Excellency Monsignor
Fabio Fabene, Under-Secretary; the
Relator His Eminence Cardinal Peter
Erdo and the Special Secretary, His
Excellency Monsignor Bruno Forte,
the delegate Presidents, the writers, the
Consultors, the translators and all those
that have worked with true fidelity and
total dedication to the Church: my
heartfelt thanks!
I also thank all of you, dear Synodal
Fathers, Fraternal Delegates, Auditors
and Advisers for your active and fruitful
participation.
I address special thanks to the journalists present at this moment and to those
who follow us from a distance. Thank

Confident prayer is the action of the heart when it opens to

God, when all our moods are silenced to listen to the soft
voice of God, who speaks in silence.
bring life and not make of our Christian
life a museum of memories (Homily at
Saint Marthas, April 28, 2015).
Evangelical humility that is able to
empty itself of its conventions and
prejudices to listen to Brother Bishops

opening to the Holy Spirit, with apostolic courage, with evangelical humility
and with confident prayer, so that it is
He that guides and illumines us and
puts before our eyes not our personal
opinions but faith in God, fidelity of the

you for your passionate participation

and for your admirable attention.
We begin our journey, invoking the
help of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary
and Saint Joseph! Thank you!

B2 PASTORAL CONCERNS

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

CBCP Monitor

Streamlining the processes for the

declaration of marriage nullity:
Understanding the Motu Proprio Mitis
Iudex Dominus Iesus (Part I)
WE decided to undertake a reform of
the processes for the declaration of nullity
of marriage and for this purpose we have
constituted a group of persons, eminent
for their competence in legal doctrine,
their pastoral prudence, and their forensic
experience. Under the guidance of the
his excellency the dean of the Roman
Rota, they have drafted a plan for reform,
upholding and keeping in first place the
indissolubility of marriage. Working
quickly, in a short period of time, this
group has provided a structure of reform,
which after thoughtful consideration
along with the assistance of other experts,
has provided a basis for this motu proprio.
With these words, Pope Francis summarizes the nature and purpose of his
latestand in the world of Canon Law,
quite earth-shakingmotu proprio, which
(at first glance and according to most
uninitiated) seems to totally inovate the
Churchs matrimonial law. The Popes
words at the end of the long introductory section (comprising about 30% of
the text) give reason for such perception:
Having duly considered the matter
we decree and define that in Book VII of
the Code of Canon Law, Part III, Title I,
Chapter 1, Cases to Declare the Nullity of
Marriage (cc.1671-1691), shall from the
8th day of December 2015 be replaced in
its entirety as follows:
A careful consideration of the text,
however, and especially of the supposedly
new canons to replace an entire Chapter
of the Code of Canon Law, shows that the
Roman Pontiff is anything but radically
innovating the Canonical Order. In fact,
except for one very clear innovation
doing away with the hitherto automatic
elevation of a positive sentence for nullity
of a marriage to an appellate courtthe
supposedly new canons are for the most
part simply a regrouping of already
existing canons, so as to maintain the
total number of canons comprising the
aforementioned Chapter of the Code
dealing with Cases to Declare the Nullity
of Marriage), and not upset the overall
scheme of the Code of Canon Law.
Nevertheless, it is an important innovation and the other supposed novelties are
important clarifications and emphases of
existing norms hitherto taken for granted.
To fully appreciate this landmark legislation, however, we need to again resort to
breaking up this commentary into several
parts, consoled by the fact that it shall
not take effect until the 8th of December
2015.
Hermeneutic Key to Mitis Iudex
Like most of Pope Francis magisterium, we need to identify certain hermeneutic keys to help us understand the
full import of the supposedly new norms.
The motu proprio itself states them in the
opening paragraphs as follows:
1. The Judicial Power of the Local Ordinary over their Particular Church.
The Gentle Judge, the Lord Jesus, Shepherd of our Souls, entrusted to the Apostle
Peter and his successors the power of the
keys to carry out the work of truth and

justice; this supreme and universal power of

binding and loosing here on earth affirms,
strengthens and vindicates that of the Pastors
of the particular Churches, in accordance
with which they have the sacred right and
duty before the Lord to judge their subjects.
[Par.1]
This opening paragraph, beginning
with the words that give name to the
motu proprio, underscores a fundamental
principle in the ecclesiastical order: the
concentration of powers in the Pastors.
Unlike the civil state, which follows
the principle of checks and balances by
separating the legislative, executive and
judicial powers in different branches of
the government, the Church practices

of the faith which is professed. [Par.2]

Contrary to the spin that the secular
pressand unfortunately even some
overzealous Catholicsmight have given
to the new legislation, Pope Francis has
neither softened nor much less derogated
Jesus Christs statement of the indissolubility of a valid marriage.
3. Salus animarum as the Suprema Lex.
This teaching was always done having as
a guide the supreme law of the salvation of
souls, since the church, as Blessed Paul VI,
wisely taught is a divine plan of the Trinity,
and therefore all its institutions, although
always capable of being improved, ought to
aim to transmit divine grace, and each, by

legal doctrine, their pastoral prudence, and

their forensic experience. Under the guidance of the his excellency the dean of the
Roman Rota, they have drafted a plan for
reform, upholding and keeping in first place
the indissolubility of marriage. Working
quickly, in a short period of time, this group
has provided a structure of reform, which
after thoughtful consideration along with
the assistance of other experts, has provided
a basis for this motu proprio. [Par.4]
Applied to the matter at handi.e.,
the truth of the indissolubility of a duly
constituted marriage and the mercy and
compassion for those couples the validity
of whose marriage has been impugned
and for whom such situation of uncer-

the enormous number of faithful who, while

wishing to act according to their consciences,
are too often separated from the legal structures of the Church due to physical or moral
distance; charity and mercy therefore require
that same Church, as a mother, to make
herself closer to her children who consider
themselves separated. [Par.5]
Sense of the Reform: This direction
was also indicated by the votes of the
majority of our brothers in the episcopate,
gathered in the recent extraordinary synod,
who implored more flexible and accessible
judicial processes. In full harmony with this
desire I have decided to introduce, by this
motu proprio, provisions that favor not the
nullity of marriage but rather the speed of

CNA

By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.

Vatican City - September 8, 2015. Briefing on Pope Francis new Motu Proprio on the reform of canonical procedure for marriage annulment at the Vatican Press Office on September 8, 2015.

the concentration of the sacred power

given by Christ to Peter and to the College of the Apostles. This is applicable
to the Local Ordinary, who is not only
the sole legislator and the chief executive
of the particular Church, but is also its
supreme judge.

its own function, ought continuously to favor

the good of Christs faithful, which is the essential purpose of the Church itself. [Par.3]
This is a well-known principle underpinning the juridic ordering and the corresponding pastoral action of the Church.
It is at the very core of Pope Francis
insistence on mercy and compassion, which

tainty should not be duly prolonged by

a lengthy judicial processthe previous
principles leads to the present reform of
the processes for the declaration of nullity
of marriage. The Pope further explains
the nature of this reform in the next two
paragraphs:
Motive for the Reform: It is thus the

Contrary to the spin that the secular pressand

unfortunately even some overzealous Catholicsmight have
given to the new legislation, Pope Francis has neither
softened nor much less derogated Jesus Christs statement
of the indissolubility of a valid marriage.
2. Indissolubility of Marriage.
In the course of the centuries the Church,
gaining an ever-clearer understanding of the
words of Christ, has more completely understood and explained the doctrine of the indissolubility of the sacred bond of marriage,
and has developed a system of matrimonial
consent and established a process more fitting
to the matter, that ecclesiastical discipline
might more and more conform to the truth

cannot be separatedhoweverfrom
the truth.
4. Reform of the Processes for the Declaration of Marriage Nullity.0
Aware of this reality, we decided to
undertake a reform of the processes for the
declaration of nullity of marriage and for
this purpose we have constituted a group
of persons, eminent for their competence in

concern for the salvation of souls that today

as yesterday remains the supreme goal of
the Churchs institutions, rules and law,
which impels the Bishop of Rome to offer to
the bishops this document of reform, inasmuch as they share with him the task of the
Church, namely the protection of the unity
of faith and discipline regarding marriage,
the cornerstone and origin of the Christian
family. The zeal to reform has been fueled by

the processes, along with the appropriate

simplicity, so that the heart of the faithful
who await clarification of their status is not
long oppressed by the darkness of doubt due
to the lengthy wait for a conclusion. [Par.6]
5. Judicial rather than Administrative
Process.
We have done so following the footsteps
of my predecessors, who desired cases for
the declaration of nullity of marriage to
be treated by a judicial rather than an administrative process, not because the nature
of the matter imposes this but because it
is demanded by the need to protect, to the
greatest extent possible, the truth of the sacred
bond; and this is precisely what is ensured by
the guarantees of the judicial order. [Par.7]
This is an important point to keep
in mind for the proper understanding
of the only other major innovation of
the present motu proprio, which is the
introduction of an expeditious process
by which the Local Ordinary himself
resolves a cause of marriage nullity. Even
in such a summary process, we are dealing
with a judicial process, albeit less rigorous
(hence more expeditive) than the normal
process employing either a tribunal or a
sole judge. (To be continued)

Indulgences at the Point of Death

(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and
dean of theology at the Regina
Apostolorum university, answers the following query:)
Q: It was always said that
a priest could impart an apostolic blessing on behalf of
the pope to one who is on the
point of death, thus granting
the plenary indulgence. Is
this correct? -- T.T., Galway,
Ireland.
A. Yes. This is explained
in the ritual for the pastoral
care of the sick and in the
Handbook of Indulgences.
First of all, let us say a word
on indulgences themselves.
According to the Catechism, No. 1471: The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are
closely linked to the effects
of the sacrament of penance.
An indulgence is a remission before God of the
temporal punishment due

to sins whose guilt has already

been forgiven, which the faithful
Christian who is duly disposed
gains under certain prescribed
conditions through the action of
the Church which, as the minister
of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury
of the satisfactions of Christ and
the saints [Indulgentiarum Doctrina,Norm 1].

No. 201 touches on viaticum

outside of Mass, which would be
the usual circumstance for this
blessing. The rubric states:
At the conclusion of the sacrament of penance or the penitential rite, the priest may give the
apostolic pardon for the dying,
using one of the following:
Through the holy mysteries of
our redemption, may almighty

of the Holy Spirit. R. Amen.

Should a priest be unavailable
to impart the papal blessing, the
Handbook of Indulgences, No.
28, offers another path. To wit:
Priests who minister the sacraments to the Christian faithful
who are in a life-and-death situation should not neglect to impart
to them the apostolic blessing,
with its attached indulgence. But

In such a situation the three

usual conditions required in order
to gain a plenary indulgence are
substituted for by the condition
provided they regularly prayed
in some way.
The Christian faithful can obtain the plenary indulgence mentioned here as death approaches (in articulo mortis)even
if they had already obtained

These papal blessings and indulgences were first granted to the

Crusaders or to pilgrims who died while traveling to obtain the
Holy Year Indulgence.
An indulgence is partial or
plenary according as it removes
either part or all of the temporal
punishment due to sin [ibid.,
Norm 2, see Norm 3]. Indulgences may be applied to the
living or the dead.
The ritual for the pastoral care
of the sick, in Nos. 195 and 201,
indicates the rite followed for
those approaching death.

God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life
to come. May he open to you the
gates of paradise and welcome
you to everlasting joy.
Or the following:
By the authority which the
Apostolic See has given me I grant
you a full pardon and the remission of all your sins in the name
of the Father, and of the Son and

if a priest cannot be present, holy

mother Church lovingly grants
such persons who are rightly
disposed a plenaryindulgenceto
be obtainedin articulo mortis,at
the approach of death, provided
they regularly prayed in some
way during their lifetime. The use
of a crucifix or a cross is recommended in obtaining this plenary
indulgence.

another plenary indulgence that

same day.
This grant, in No. 28, is taken
from the apostolic constitution Indulgentiarum Doctrina,Norm 18, issued by Pope Paul
VI on Jan. 1, 1967.
Unlike the sacrament of the
sick, the papal blessing at the
approach of death along with
its attendant indulgence may be

imparted only once during the

same illness. Should a person
recover it may be imparted
again at a new threat of imminent death.
These papal blessings and
indulgences were first granted
to the Crusaders or to pilgrims
who died while traveling
to obtain the Holy Year Indulgence. Pope Clement IV
(1265-1268) and Gregory
XI (1370-1378) extended it
to victims of the plague. The
grants became ever more frequent but were still limited in
time or reserved to bishops, so
that relatively few people were
favored by this grace. This led
Pope Benedict XIV (17401758) to issue the constitution Pia Mater in 1747 in
which he granted the faculty
to all bishops, along with the
possibility to subdelegate the
faculty to priests.

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES B3

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

The family: a home for the wounded heart

(Talk of Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle at the Keynote Session E of the World Meeting of Families in
Philadelphia, USA, September 24, 2p15

Wounded Hearts Wounded

Persons
All people are wounded. We
have all experienced being wounded. There are different types of
wounds, with different causes and
different results. But it is always
the PERSON that is wounded.
It is not just a part of my body or
my work or my bank book that is
scarred. It is my person, my core,
my heart that is hurting. Whatever
the nature of a personal wound, it
always affects the persons family
and consequently a persons social
relations.
All wounds hurt, but the more
painful and hurtful wounds are
those inflicted directly on our
family members. When a member
of our family is hurting, we are
similarly wounded. Experiencing
and accepting a persons hurt as
our common hurt is a sign that
we belong to one home. But most
hurtful are the wounds inflicted
on someone by his or her family
members. When siblings disown
each other over an inheritance, the
hurt runs deeper and longer. When
a parent or an elder relative sexually
assaults a child, a life is shattered, so
is a family. The sacredness of the
home is itself wounded. Unfortunately wounds are passed on to
next generations as a burdensome
legacy. But paradoxically, even if a
home is deeply wounded, it is still
the privileged place for comforting
and healing wounded hearts.
It is helpful to mention some
of the wounds that affect families
in our time: financial constraints,
unemployment, destitution, lack
of access to food, shelter and
employment, lack of education,
economic and political policies
unsupportive of families, failed
relationships, infidelity, sickness,
disabilities, social or cultural or
religious exclusion and discrimination, adoption, human trafficking,
child abuse, domestic violence,
abuse of women, prostitution, new
forms of human slavery, wars, conflicts, climatic calamities, forced
migration and displacement. It is
hard to imagine how badly bruised
some persons and families are.
Wounds make persons, families
and communities vulnerable to
manipulation, exploitation, and
break up. Wounds could also
render them vulnerable to evil and
sin. Interior division within the
heart of the person and external
familial or social conflicts cause
alienation, the condition of being
an outsider or unknown. I do not
belong to anyone. I do not even
know myself. This is the wound
of being home-less.
What is a home? You may have
a house but still be home-less. It
is better to turn to a description
rather than to a definition of a
home. We could be helped by a
song that became popular years
ago. It goes:
A chair is still a chair even when
theres no one sitting there.
But a chair is not a house and a
house is not a home
When theres no one there to
hold you tight
And no one there you could kiss
good night.
A room is still a room even when
theres nothing there but gloom.
But a room is not a house and
house is not a home
When the two of us are far apart
And one of us has a broken heart.
Now and then I call your name
and suddenly your face appears.

But its just a crazy game.

When it ends, it ends in tears.
Darling, have a heart, dont let
one mistake keep us apart.
Im not meant to live alone, turn
this house into a home.
When I climb the stairs and turn
the key
Oh please be there, still in love
with me.
A home is not a place. It is people giving each other the gift of a
loving, assuring and forgiving presence. It is the experience of being
received even when I am wounded
or because I am wounded. Then I
could say that I belong to someone
or to a family. I am home-less no
more. Home is where hope for new
life springs.
To show that the mission of
the family to be a home to the

the most helpless. These rulers care

only for themselves whereas Gods
loving gaze is focused on wounded
humanity and creation. For V.
Guibert, following some early
ecclesiastical writers, Jesus is the
Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 30-37)
who goes out of his way to care
for the suffering stranger. Jesus
ministry reveals the tenderness of
God and Gods reign.
Luke 15 illustrates what we have
been exploring so far. The three
parables convey Gods longing
for the lost sheep, coin, and son.
When the lost has been found,
there is great rejoicing. The feasting
at the end of each parable seems
to be exaggerated, quite disproportionate to the sheep, coin and
prodigal sons return. A sheep that
gets lost is most probably wounded
or sick. A coin is just a coin. A son
who squanders what his father has

Him we realize that the wounded

are not only recipients of healing
but could be agents of healing
when they live by communion in
the suffering of others. Wounds
are not tombs where we are to be
buried but tombs to rise from.
The Church as Home for the
Wounded Heart
From a rather lengthy reflection
on Jesus inauguration of Gods
Kingdom and healing, we turn to
the Church. By Church we mean
the Body of Christ that is present
in every local congregation like the
parish and the family called the
domestic Church or the Church
in the home. Being the Body
of Christ, the Church shares in
Jesus mission of healing through
solidarity and compassion. In I
Cor 12: 26 St. Paul says, If one
member suffers, all the members

sacrament let us consider some

paths that families and Church
communities could take in order
to provide a home to wounded
hearts.
Bernard Ugeux reminds us of
two important facts of the faith in
any action that the Church must
take if it desires to be a home for
the wounded: first, the initiative
for salvation always comes from
God who offers His grace to every person so that he/she may be
savedsecondly, the Christian understanding of maturing as healing
is always situated in community,
in the context of accompaniment,
without forgetting liturgical, ethical and other dimensions.
We are one community. All of us
are wounded. So there is no room
for self-righteous condemnation of
others. Rather awareness of ones
wounds leads to a recognition of

David Panlilio

MY task in this keynote address is

to offer a reflection on the family
being and becoming a home, a
refuge, a safe place for wounded
hearts. I do not intend to simply
describe the wounds that families
experience. It is also important to
explore the biblical, spiritual and
pastoral rationale underlying a
familys mission to the wounded.
In the first part of my presentation, I would reflect on the condition of being wounded and what
homes could offer to the wounded.
Then we will turn our gaze on
Jesus ministry and the place of
healing in it. The third part will be
devoted to a brief discussion on the
Church as home for the wounded
heart. In the final portion, I will
suggest some paths that a family
could take towards becoming a
home for the wounded.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle at the Keynote Session E of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, USA

wounded heart is not just motivated by fleeting and vague

emotions, we now turn to Jesus whose ministry included
the healing of various wounds.
Jesus Ministry and Healing
With the help of some scholars
we discover the depth of Jesus
caring and healing ministry within
his mission of proclaiming and
inaugurating Gods Kingdom.
Luciano Sandrin notes that
the healing of different kinds of
wounds is an integral element in
Jesus ministry. It is significant
that His preaching of the Kingdom
of God was also accompanied
by healing. In Matthew 9:35 it
is said, Jesus continued his tour
of all the towns and villages. He
taught in their synagogues, he proclaimed the good news of Gods
reign, and he cured every sickness
and disease. Jesus instructed the
Twelve to do the same in Mt 10:
7-8 As you go, make this announcement: The reign of God
is at hand! Cure the sick, raise the
dead, heal the leprous, and expel
demons. The good news of the
Reign of God is manifested in
healing, in caring for and assisting
people, in accompanying them, in
reconstituting relationships, and
in reconciling. When God rules,
persons are saved, honored and
served with care.
Robin Gill, reviewing the Synoptic accounts of various types of
healing in the ministry of Jesus
observes a general pattern: compassion (Jesus sees the distress
of someone suffering, is moved
interiorly, and seeks to provide a
remedy), care (Jesus feels revulsion towards the evil that befalls a
person and turns attentively to the
concern of the person), faith (the
wounded person trusts in Jesus as
a healer and eventually professes
belief in Him) and restraint (Jesus
commands silence on the person
healed and the witnesses. Jesus
heals with humility, calling attention to God and Gods reign, not
to himself ). Jesus healing seen
within the ambit of the Reign of
God is contrary to the ways of the
kingdoms of this world that amass
riches and power, promote ambition, domination, and pride and
in the process inflict wounds on

labored for is an ingrate. But why

does God crave for them? Why
does God leave the ninety-nine
healthy sheep, search the whole
house for a coin and run to meet
an ungrateful son? From a pragmatic point of view the lost are not
that valuable after all. They could
even pose a liability. There is one
reason for this extravagant display
of caring and mercy: the lost one
is MINE. My home is his proper
place. If it cannot come home by
itself, I will carry it back home.
The wounded, the lost and the
humiliated sinner has a home in
the Fathers house. In an eloquent
way the Blessed Mother lived these
parables as she stood by the cross
of Jesus. As religious and military
officials were ridiculing Jesus, as
friends were denying any connection with him, as disciples were
frantically running to save their
lives, Mary declared to the world,
He is my son. He is mine. With
me as his mother, he will never be
alone. He has a home. At the foot
of the cross of Jesus a new family, a
new home was born.
V. Guibert and Michael Marsch
offer an important insight. Jesus does not heal symptoms of
wounds. In his ministry he does
not heal by simply eliminating
suffering. He goes deeper than
that. He saves the wounded not
from vulnerability but in vulnerability. He restores the security of
belonging to the lonely and alienated by entering their loneliness
and alienation. By his incarnation,
Jesus embraces human vulnerability, accompanies us to death and
leads us to life. In his agony in the
garden (Mk 14: 32-42) Jesus was
in communion with all the distressed and confused. The author
of the letter to the Hebrews says,
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with
our weakness but one who was
tempted in every way we are yet
never sinnedSon though he was,
he learned obedience from what he
suffered and when perfected he became the source of eternal salvation
for all who obey him designated by
God as high priest according to the
order of Melchizedek (Hebrews
4:15-5:10). By Jesus wounds we
are healed. He carries our wounds
even in His resurrected body. In

suffer with it; if one member is

honored, all the members share
its joy. The holy Church is made
up of wounded members, bound
together in the Holy Spirit and sacred things (the Word of God and
sacraments) and also in common
need of Gods mercy.
The Church embodies Gods
redemptive mission. Joseph Hartzler , using the insights of Bernard
Lonergan, describes the redemptive mission of the Church as that
of becoming a community of
authentic persons in contrast to a
community of alienation. Authentic persons are those capable of selfsacrificing love, a love that heals
and forgives, an other-worldly
form of love. In this vision of
Gods redemptive mission, healing is not just a program but the
integrating core of the Churchs
mission.
Similar to Hartzlers insight is
that of Michael Marsch. He locates
the Churchs redemptive mission
to the teaching of Lumen Gentium
1 that the Church is a form of sacrament, a sign and instrument of
the intimate union between God
and humanity and human beings
among themselves. As sacrament,
the Church helps to heal wounds
that alienate persons from God
and one another by providing the
space or home of intimate communion. Aside from proclaiming
the healing Word, the Church also
ministers through the sacraments,
especially baptism, Eucharist, reconciliation and the anointing of
the sick, all of which are associated
with healing.
Another biblical image that captures the Churchs healing mission
through intimate union is found
in Mark 2: 1.12. The four friends
of the paralyzed person opened
up the roof over the place where
Jesus was in order to bring him
closer to Jesus. A Church, home
of intimate friendship carries the
wounded to Jesus. The Church
never gives up and should never
give up. In the words of Maria
Cataldo-Cunniff , the Church
opens doors and sometimes roofs.
Paths to Becoming a Home for
the Wounded
After considering Jesus and
the Church that is his Body and

the other as a brother or sister.

Compassionate understanding
replaces judgment. All of us need
healing.
Every wounded person, however must exercise responsibility
in treading the arduous path of
healing. While the family or community has the responsibility of
accompanying a wounded person,
it could and should not substitute
for personal responsibility.
Joseph Kelly proposes practices
for the Church as field hospital
for the wounded, an image used
by Pope Francis: 1) Keep in touch
with the Chief Physician. We need
to spend time with Jesus, contemplate him, and draw grace and
strength from him. 2) Recognize
our own wounds. Though painful
and humiliating, we must face our
own wounds if we wish to be compassionate to others. 3) We cannot
be afraid of the dark. Wounds are
rarely clean, they are bloody and
raw. Compassion for the wounded
demands readiness to see the dark
side of humanity. 4) We must
face the reality that the Church
is a field hospital. Accepting that
reality makes us open to creative
solutions, flexibility and agility in
our response. 5) See that our field
hospital is a place of hope. People
do not experience healing in an atmosphere of despair and bitterness.
Our hope is based on knowledge
of the past and firm faith in the
future. 6) Often we have no choice
but to imitate the friends of Job: be
with a person, hold a hand, and
wipe a brow or a tear in silence.
7) We must be convinced that the
ultimate source of healing is the
Eucharist. By imitating Christ in
embracing the heavy cross of the
human condition, we experience
resurrection with its peace and
freedom.
We end this section with a
wise reminder from Bernard
Ugeux: Discernment in the
Spirit is essential. A healing
sought at any price would deny
the normal cost of human
growth, and of affective and
spiritual maturing. Expressed
in Christian terms, it would be
to avoid the paschal mystery by
seeking refuge in the imaginary.
The risk is to seek to heal immediately and entirely. However

no one can avoid the cost of

suffering and the time necessary
for growth, or the experience
of wearing out of the body or
the inevitable destiny of death.
Conclusion
Dear friends, we could provide
the sense of family and home even
in the affairs of daily life. Remember to be courteous, sensitive and
loving for you do not know the
wound of the person before you.
A respectful and friendly encounter
could be a healing moment. Allow
me to share a personal experience.
I was in a summer youth camp
where I gave a talk. Afterward,
during the question and answer
portion, the first question I got
was, Will you sing for us? It was
definitely not related to the topic
of my talk. I said, Please give me
questions related to the talk and we
will see about singing later. After
a number of questions, sensible
this time, another boy said, When
will you sing for us? Since I had
not prepared anything, I chose a
song that everyone knew. I started
the song and asked them to join
in. Afterward, many of the young
people came up to me to kiss my
hand in good Filipino fashion,
to have a photograph and to ask
for autographs on their books
and T-shirts. This whole circus
raised questions in my mind like,
How do they perceive me? Am
I celebrity for them? Do they see
me as a bishop? The answer came
a year later at another youth camp.
A boy approached me and said,
The shirt that I asked you to sign
last year is still with me. I have not
washed it but every night I fold it
and put it under my pillow. I have
not seen my father in years. He
works in the Middle East. With
that shirt I know I have a father. I
belong to a family, a community.
We could build a home for a
wounded heart through a song and
an autograph on a T-shirt.
Let me close with a story from
a girl, a refugee who has been
separated from her family due to
war. We close this conference with
her words, her plea, her tears and
her hope.
A story from Burma: Not the
Only one Crying
I was born in the jungle. I was
lucky, my mother told me, lucky
that I was born when so many
around me died. I come from
Burma where thousands have perished in the war between Burmese
troops and opposition groups. I
was born in the jungle because
my parents fled their home to
avoid the fighting. When I was in
primary school, I had to leave my
home village and from that time
on, I would move from village to
village to attend school.
Until 1992, I visited my parents
and brothers and sisters, about
a year, but I have not seen them
since, as I have been unable to return home following the closure by
Burmese troops of all roads along
the Thai-Burma border.
So I must live by myself, stand
alone without my parents. I have
relatives who live around here but
I know I cannot get my parents
love and care whenever I want. I
cannot talk to them whenever I
want. When they are sick, I cannot
visit and look after them.
I realized how much I missed
my parents when I was sick. Life
as a refugee is so difficult. I badly
needed my parents to be with me
right there by my bed, but I could
not have them. I burst into tears, it
was so hard for me. I was unable to
see my parents because of the war.
Then I realized I was not the only
one crying and I felt consoled. I
know there are thousands of people
who are suffering like me. When
will there be peace in Burma?
When will the war be over? When
will the ethnic issues be solved?
After years of moving from
place to place, I finally settled in
the Karenni refugee camps. I was
asked to teach at the camp schools.
Before long, however I was selected
for an internship in the Philippines. During my time away, I
learnt more about human rights
and I am now working with JRS
in the field of education. We are
busy supporting Karenni schools
in a number of ways. I am happy
and can use my education to assist
my people in these difficult times.
(Source: http://rcam.org)

B4 PASTORAL CONCERNS

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

CBCP Monitor

Lord grant that I may see You clearly and love You
more dearly in the poor
Message for the 28th Prison Awareness Sunday
October 25, 2015
CHRIST brings light to those
who are in the dark. He listens
at the cry of those who call Him.
For Him, each and every soul is
very valuable regardless of color,
race or status in life. He does
not look at names and titles but
at human hearts. Till they meet
Him they are blind and all that
meet Him receive their sight.
In the gospel this Prison
Awareness Sunday, Jesus brought
light in the life of Bartimeus
when He made him see. As followers and faithful servant of our
Lord Jesus, we are also asked to
bring that same light wherever
there is darkness. There is darkness when there is no freedom,
when youre abandoned and
separated from your loved ones,
when you are suffering from
loneliness, condemnation and
injustices.
The CBCP-ECPPC wishes
to remind the faithful to follow
Jesus example of ministering to
Gods Anawim- the needy, the
weak and the poor specially the
members of the prison community. His Holiness Pope Francis has
demonstrated this in his papacy;
the first Jesuit pontiff who draws
attention to the plight of prisoners and their families. Wherever,
Pope Francis goes, he offers hope
to inmates telling them that confinement is not the same thing as
exclusion. Meeting with inmates
and their families, the pontiff implores us to remember prisoners,
who are part of his global mission
to tend to the poor, forgotten and
neglected.
Today, as we celebrate Prison
Awareness Sunday, the challenge

to bring this light to the prisoners. We invite you come and be

bread broken for other. Let us
give hope to them by visiting
them.
In this Eucharistic celebration let us ask God to give our
community the grace to see God
our father more clearly and love
Him more dearly in the poor
especially the prisoners.

Meeting with
inmates and
their families,
the pontiff
implores us
to remember
prisoners, who
are part of his
global mission
to tend to the
poor, forgotten
and neglected.
We urge the faithful to pray:
That the Church through its
faithfulness to the gospel values
may continue to bring the light
of Christ to the World that is in
darkness because of the proliferation of materialistic, consumerist and distorted values. Let us

pray
That the leaders of our nation
through their selfless and competent leadership may bring light
to a nation that is in darkness
because of corruption, poverty
and division. Let us pray
That the families and friends
of the prisoners through their
understanding, forgiveness and
love may bring light to those
in prison who are in darkness
because of loneliness and separation. Let us pray
That the members of the
custodial force and correctional
employees through their commitment to serve and help in the
rehabilitation of the prisoners
may bring light to our brothers
and sisters who are in darkness
because of unfreedom and slavery. Let us pray
That the prisoners may be a
source of the light of Christ to
each other as they work together
to build Christian communities
among themselves. Let us pray
That those who are actively
involved in prison ministry may
continue to bring light in the life
of the prisoners through their
steadfast commitment to serve
the prison society. Let us pray.
That we who are gathered in
this celebration together with
those who are already in prison
ministry may link our arms
together with Christ and help
build Christian communities in
the prison society. Let us pray...
+LEOPOLDO S. TUMULAK,
D.D.
Chairman, Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care

Update on the Prison Ministry

By Rodolfo D. Diamante
INSTITUTIONAL imprisonment is
not meant only to punish the offender.
It is also supposed to correct him/her,
that is, to prepare him/her to rejoin
society after serving sentence. It is
likewise meant to temporarily detain
an accused pending the resolution of
his/her case, if his/her alleged crime is
non-bailable, or if he/she cannot afford
the bail.
Correction as part of the criminal
justice system is both complex and crucial. It is essential to the maintenance
of peace and order in society and of the
human dignity of its straying members.
Unfortunately, correction is least seen
and known by the public. Society is
eager to recognize the duty of the state
to punish the offender, but reluctant to
see its equally important role to correct the offender, little realizing that
injustice and other societal factors contribute to the making of an offender.
The objective of transforming the
correctional process into an educating and humanizing experience for
offenders has been dampened by the
insufficient provision of the inmates
basic needs. The overcrowded conditions and the grossly deficient facilities

in national prisons and various jails give

rise to sub-human living and health
conditions of prisoners. This is aggravated by insufficient budget for the
basic needs of the prisoners. There are
also reports of incidents where the exercise of authority is abused to the extent
of degrading the dignity of prisoners
and detainees to include maltreatment,
sexual harassment, extortion, and other
inhumane treatment.
Moreover, the struggle for supremacy, in prison/detention cells often
results in inmates exploiting or abusing
other inmates and detainees for personal gains, further creating problems
and issues particularly in the use of
prison labor.
Furthermore, the appropriate provisions for youth offenders, women
offenders, elderly and mentally challenged in prisons and political prisoners
are inadequate for their protection.
As of April 2015, the population in
jails under the supervision of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology
reached 87, 380. About 85,211 are
detained prisoners and 2,169 are sentenced prisoners. Despite the passage
of the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act that
prevents the detention of minors in jails,
there are about 351 children in conflict
with the law under the BJMP custody

Our seven (7) national penitentiaries

under the Bureau of Corrections had
a total of 40,995 inmates. They are
distributed in these areas:
New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa
City where more than half of them are
confined - 22,635 that are distributed
in three different compounds:
Maximum Security Compound 14,209
Camp Sampaguita, inclusive of
Medium Security Compound - 5,942
Reception and Diagnostic Center
and Metro Jail and
Youth Rehabilitation Center 1,981
Minimum Security Compound
503
PMA 96
N B I - 21
Correctional Institute for Women
in Mandaluyong City- 2,387 and
in Tagum, with a population of
324 inmates.
Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in
Occidental Mindoro - 2,599
Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in
Palawan- 3,049
Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog,
Leyte - 1,819
San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm
in Zamboanga -1,534
Davao Prison and Penal Farm in

Davao del Norte- 6,531

Our 86 units of Volunteers In Prison
Service delivered the Integrated Pastoral
Program consisting of Formation, Worship, Service, Advocacy and Lobbying
for the Rehabilitation of the Members
of Prison Society in these jails/prisons.
In the Philippines, there are three
levels in our institutional approach to
correction. The first consists of the
national penitentiaries under the Bureau of Correction (BUCOR) of the
Department of Justice, for offenders
sentenced to more than three years
of imprisonment. The second level is
composed of the provincial jails under
the office of the governor and city and
district jails under the Bureau of Jail
Management and Penology (BJMP) of
the Department of Interior and Local
Government for offenders whose sentences are from seven months to three
years. Finally, at the third level are the
municipal jails under the BJMP, for
offenders sentenced to not more than
six months of imprisonment.
There are 81 provincial jails, 143 city
jails and 1491 municipal jails in the
country, with approximately 75,241
prisoners.
In addition to the traditional levels of
criminal and judicial institutions, there

are also military stockades under the

Armed Forces of the Philippines, detention centers - at the National Bureau of
Investigation, Bureau of Immigration
and Philippine National Police.
The CBCP-ECPPC in response to
the issues and concerns in jails and
prisons has formulated programs to
accomplish the following thrust:
Advocacy that entails the continuous
education and organization of individuals and groups for that will work
for a restorative justice paradigm in our
criminal justice system.
Lobbying that consists in working for
policies and procedures that protect the
dignity of the prisoners and advance
their human rights.
Publication, Documentation and
Information Dissemination that will
consists in gathering, organization,
safekeeping, and dissemination of
materials for the advancement of restorative justice.
Maintaining and Strengthening the
Linkages and Partnerships with groups,
agencies and organizations involve in
jails in prison locally and internationally.
Sustained Program for ECPPC Staff
and Volunteers towards the deepening
of their commitment and relationships
and team work.

The National Laity Week launched in Legazpi diocese

By Vic Lahoz
THE Celebration of the National Laity Week was launched
in Legazpi City (Albay) on September 27, 2015. The Diocesan
Council of the Laity of Legazpi
hosted the formal launching
at the Ibalong Centrum for
Recreation at Bitano, Legazpi
City. This week-long annual
event which ran up to October
3, 2015, was held all over the
Philippines with simultaneous
celebrations in different dioceses
and parishes nationwide to give
honor to our first two Filipino
Saints, Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro
Calungsod who were lay people
as a way to highlight the vocation
as mission of the Laity in the
Church and in the world.
This years theme is linked to
the Year of the Poor: Pamayanan ng mga Aba, Bayang
Pinagpala. The impressive opening event was well prepared and

participants flocked from the

Dioceses of Daet, Libmanan,
Sorsogon, Masbate and Virac
and participated in an event organized in cooperation with the
local government of Legazpi and
the Diocese of Legazpi.
On the day before the event, a
delegation of 13 officers and staff
from the Sangguniang Laiko ng
Pilipinas (Laiko) headed by Most
Rev. Jesse Mercado, Chairman
of the Episcopal Commission
on the Lay Apostolate (ECLA)
and National Spiritual Director of Laiko, and Dr. Amelita
Dayrit-Go, President of Laiko
graced the occasion and made
a courtesy call to Legazpi City
Mayor, the Honorable Noel E.
Rosal where a cordial exchange
of gratitude were made with
Mayo Rosal thanking Laiko for
having chosen Legazpi, which
he described as the City of Fun
and Adventure, as the venue
for the launching. The Laiko officers also thanked the honorable

mayor for his warm welcome

and cooperation with the local
Diocesan Council of the Laity
in organizing the event.
The courtesy call was followed
by a radio interview by DZGB
to Bp. Mercado and Dra. Go,
where they explained the rationale and objectives of the event.
The big day followed with a
Diocesan synchronized motorcade at 7am from three different
points namely; the 1st Vicariate Mayon Riviera, Lidong,
Sto. Domingo Albay; the 2nd
Vicariate Legazpi Blvd, DapDap,, Legazpi City; and the 3rd
Vicariate Camalig Parish. The
motorcades finally converged at
the site of the celebration at the
Ibalong Centrum for Recreation.
A well prepared half day program
started by Legazpi Diocesan
Council of the Laity President
Mr. Glenn Barcelon and followed by Legazpi City Mayor
Noel Rosal. The Opening Remarks by Dr. Amelita Dayrit-Go

had set the tone for the rest of the

day and Sally Pocamas, a Vicarial
Youth Coordinator of the 2nd
Vicariate did the Introduction of
the Keynote Speaker, Most. Rev.
Jesse E. Mercado, DD.
In his speech, Bp. Mercado
gave a background of the celebration and spoke on three points to
help live the theme of the Week of
Laity Celebration. The first point
is to approach with gratitude all
that we have realizing that not
only our possessions but our
talents and human experiences
are a gift from God. Second is
the realization and acknowledgement that they are given to us
with the purpose to use them for
responsibly in order to help us
grow in our love, service to God
to obtain our ultimate goal of
Salvation. For the third point, he
had urged everyone share all these
gifts to others as a way of going
out to others. By sharing what
we have to those in need, we are
able to live poverty that the laity

are called to do.

A committed response to
live the challenge presented by
Bishop Mercado was delivered
by Bonifacio Caa who was a
Diocesan Youth. The morning
Program ended with the Holy
Mass which was presided by
Most Rev. Joel Z. Baylon, D.D.,
Bishop of Legazpi, with Most.
Rev. Jesse. Mercado, D.D. as
concelebrant. Another characteristic of the event was the very
strong presence of the Youth in
every aspect from organization,
attendance and participation in
the program. It was visible proof
that the Youth played an active
role in the Laity.
In the afternoon, there was
a diocesan-wide clean up drive
for the Macabalo River that
was done in response to Pope
Francis encyclical, Laudato
Si. This was participated by the
City Mayor, Barangay Council
and Barangay Pastoral Councils
of Dap-Dap, Binanuahan 21

& 22, Buraguis, Cabangan 19

&20, Parish Pastoral Councils
of St. Raphael Parish, DZGBam radio, PBN Foundation,
City Government of Legazpi
represented by Mayor Noel
Rosal, OCENR, Rotary Club
of Legazpi, Embarcadero Land
Ventures, Inc. BFP, PNP, and
other cooperating agencies and
organizations. The day was
capped with the signing of
support for SAMACA (Save the
Macabalo Campaign).
The Closing of the Laity Week
was held at Pope Pius Center,
with Mrs. Grace Padilla, the keynote speaker talking on Laudato
Si. The affair was culminated
with the Mass presided by Bishop Mercado and concelebrated
by the clergy of Manila. It was
attended by the representatives from the different dioceses
and national lay organizations.
Incoming ECLA Chairman
Bishop Broderick Pabillo was
also present.

CBCP Monitor

STATEMENTS B5

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

Homily of Pope Francis at the Opening Mass of the

XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
Vatican Basilica
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 4 October 2015

Solitude
Adam, as we heard in the first reading, was
living in the Garden of Eden. He named all
the other creatures as a sign of his dominion,
his clear and undisputed power, over all of
them. Nonetheless, he felt alone, because
there was not found a helper fit for him
(Gen2:20). He was lonely.
The drama of solitude is experienced by
countless men and women in our own day.
I think of the elderly, abandoned even by
their loved ones and children; widows and
widowers; the many men and women left
by their spouses; all those who feel alone,
misunderstood and unheard; migrants and
refugees fleeing from war and persecution;
and those many young people who are
victims of the culture of consumerism, the
culture of waste, the throwaway culture.
Today we experience the paradox of a
globalized world filled with luxurious mansions and skyscrapers, but a lessening of
the warmth of homes and families; many
ambitious plans and projects, but little time
to enjoy them; many sophisticated means
of entertainment, but a deep and growing
interior emptiness; many pleasures, but few
loves; many liberties, but little freedom
The number of people who feel lonely keeps
growing, as does the number of those who
are caught up in selfishness, gloominess,
destructive violence and slavery to pleasure
and money.
Our experience today is, in some way,
like that of Adam: so much power and
at the same time so much loneliness and
vulnerability. The image of this is the family.
People are less and less serious about building a solid and fruitful relationship of love:
in sickness and in health, for better and for
worse, in good times and in bad. Love which
is lasting, faithful, conscientious, stable and
fruitful is increasingly looked down upon,
viewed as a quaint relic of the past. It would
seem that the most advanced societies are the
very ones which have the lowest birth-rates
and the highest percentages of abortion, divorce, suicide, and social and environmental
pollution.
Love between man and woman
In the first reading we also hear that God
was pained by Adams loneliness. He said:
It is not good that the man should be
alone; I will make him a helper fit for him
(Gen2:18). These words show that nothing
makes mans heart as happy as another heart
like his own, a heart which loves him and

CNA

THIS Sundays Scripture readings seem to

have been chosen precisely for this moment
of grace which the Church is experiencing:
the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of
Bishops on the family, which begins with
this Eucharistic celebration.
The readings centre on three themes:solitude, love between man and woman, and the
family.

Vatican City - October 9, 2015. Pope Francis walking out of the Paul VI Hall after Synod sessions during the Synod of Bishops on
October 9, 2015.

takes away his sense of being alone. These

words also show that God did not create us
to live in sorrow or to be alone. He made
men and women for happiness, to share
their journey with someone who complements them, to live the wondrous experience
of love: to love and to be loved, and to see
their love bear fruit in children, as the Psalm
proclaimed today says (cf.Ps128).
This is Gods dream for his beloved creation: to see it fulfilled in the loving union
between a man and a woman, rejoicing in
their shared journey, fruitful in their mutual
gift of self. It is the same plan which Jesus
presents in todays Gospel: From the beginning of creation, God made them male and
female. For this reason a man shall leave his
father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh. So they
are no longer two but one flesh (Mk10:6-8;
cf.Gen1:27; 2:24).
To a rhetorical questionprobably asked
as a trap to make him unpopular with the
crowd, which practiced divorce as an established and inviolable factJesus responds in

a straightforward and unexpected way. He

brings everything back to the beginning, to
the beginning of creation, to teach us that
God blesses human love, that it is he who
joins the hearts of two people who love one
another, he who joins them in unity and
indissolubility. This shows us that the goal
of conjugal life is not simply to live together
for life, but to love one another for life! In
this way Jesus re-establishes the order which
was present from the beginning.
Family
What therefore God has joined together,
let not man put asunder (Mk10:9). This
is an exhortation to believers to overcome
every form of individualism and legalism
which conceals a narrow self-centeredness
and a fear of accepting the true meaning
of the couple and of human sexuality in
Gods plan.
Indeed, only in the light of the folly of the
gratuitousness of Jesus paschal love will the
folly of the gratuitousness of an exclusive and
life-long conjugal love make sense.
For God, marriage is not some adolescent

utopia, but a dream without which his

creatures will be doomed to solitude! Indeed,
being afraid to accept this plan paralyzes the
human heart.
Paradoxically, people todaywho often
ridicule this plancontinue to be attracted
and fascinated by every authentic love, by
every steadfast love, by every fruitful love,
by every faithful and enduring love. We
see people chase after fleeting loves while
dreaming of true love; they chase after carnal
pleasures but desire total self-giving.
Now that we have fully tasted the
promises of unlimited freedom, we begin to
appreciate once again the old phrase: worldweariness. Forbidden pleasures lost their
attraction at the very moment they stopped
being forbidden. Even if they are pushed
to the extreme and endlessly renewed,
they prove dull, for they are finite realities,
whereas we thirst for the infinite (Joseph
Ratzinger,Auf Christus schauen. Einbung
in Glaube, Hoffnung, Liebe, Freiburg,
1989, p. 73).
In this extremely difficult social and mari-

tal context, the Church is called to carry out

her missionin fidelity, truth and love.
To carry out her mission in fidelityto her
Master as a voice crying out in the desert,
in defending faithful love and encouraging
the many families which live married life as
an experience which reveals of Gods love;
in defending the sacredness of life, of every
life; in defending the unity and indissolubility of the conjugal bond as a sign of Gods
grace and of the human persons ability to
love seriously.
The Church is called to carry out her
mission in truth, which is not changed by
passing fads or popular opinions. The truth
which protects individuals and humanity as a whole from the temptation of selfcentredness and from turning fruitful love
into sterile selfishness, faithful union into
temporary bonds. Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Love
becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an
arbitrary way. In a culture without truth,
this is the fatal risk facing love (Benedict
XVI,Caritas in Veritate, 3).
Andthe Church is called to carry out her
mission in charity,not pointing a finger in
judgment of others, but faithful to her
nature as a mother conscious of her duty
to seek out and care for hurting couples
with the balm of acceptance and mercy; to
be a field hospital with doors wide open
to whoever knocks in search of help and
support; even more, to reach out to others
with true love, to walk with our fellow men
and women who suffer, to include them and
guide them to the wellspring of salvation.
A Church which teaches and defends
fundamental values, while not forgetting
that the Sabbath was made for man, not
man for the Sabbath (Mk2:27); and that
Jesus also said: Those who are well have no
need of a physician, but those who are sick;
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners
(Mk2:17). A Church which teaches authentic love, which is capable of taking loneliness
away, without neglecting her mission to be
agood Samaritan to wounded humanity.
I remember when Saint John Paul II said:
Error and evil must always be condemned
and opposed; but the man who falls or who
errs must be understood and loved we
must love our time and help the man of our
time (John Paul II,Address to the Members
of Italian Catholic Action, 30 December
1978). The Church must search out these
persons, welcome and accompany them, for
a Church with closed doors betrays herself
and her mission, and, instead of being a
bridge, becomes a roadblock: For he who
sanctifies and those who are sanctified have
all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed
to call them brethren (Heb2:11).
In this spirit we ask the Lord to accompany us during the Synod and to guide his
Church, through the intercession of the
Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, her
most chaste spouse.

Message of Pope Francis for the World Mission Day 2015

DEAR Brothers and Sisters,
The World Mission Sunday 2015
takes place in the context of the Year
of Consecrated Life, which provides a
further stimulus for prayer and reflection.
For if every baptized person is called to
bear witness to the Lord Jesus by proclaiming the faith received as a gift, this
is especially so for each consecrated man
and woman. There is a clear connection
betweenconsecrated lifeandmission. The
desire to follow Jesus closely, which led to
the emergence of consecrated life in the
Church, responds to his call to take up
the cross and follow him, to imitate his
dedication to the Father and his service
and love, to lose our life so as to gain
it. Since Christs entire existence had a
missionary character, so too, all those
who follow him closely must possess this
missionary quality.
The missionary dimension, which
belongs to the very nature of the Church,
is alsointrinsic to all forms of consecrated
life, and cannot be neglected without detracting from and disfiguring its charism.
Being a missionary is not about proselytizing or mere strategy; mission is part of the
grammar of faith, something essential
for those who listen to the voice of the
Spirit who whispers Come and Go
forth. Those who follow Christ cannot
fail to be missionaries, for they know that
Jesus walks with them, speaks to them,
breathes with them. They sense Jesus alive
with them in the midst of the missionary
enterprise (Evangelii Gaudium, 266).
Mission is a passion for Jesus and at the
same time apassion for his people. When
we pray before Jesus crucified, we see the
depth of his love which gives us dignity
and sustains us. At the same time, we
realize that the love flowing from Jesus
pierced heart expands to embrace the
People of God and all humanity. We real-

ize once more that he wants to make use of us

to draw closer to his beloved people (cf.ibid.,
268) and all those who seek him with a sincere
heart. In Jesus command to go forth, we see
the scenarios and ever-present new challenges
of the Churchs evangelizing mission. All her
members are called to proclaim the Gospel
by their witness of life. In a particular way,
consecrated men and women are asked to
listen to the voice of the Spirit who calls them
to go to the peripheries, to those to whom the
Gospel has not yet been proclaimed.
The fiftieth anniversary of the Second
Vatican Councils DecreeAd Gentesis an invitation to all of us to reread this document and
to reflect on its contents. The Decree called for
apowerful missionary impulse in Institutes of
Consecrated Life. For contemplative communities, Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus,
Patroness of the Missions, appears in a new
light; she speaks with renewed eloquence and
inspires reflection upon the deep connection
between contemplative life and mission. For
many active religious communities, the missionary impulse which emerged from the
Council was met with an extraordinary openness to the missionad gentes, often accompanied by an openness to brothers and sisters
from the lands and cultures encountered in
evangelization, to the point that today one
can speak of a widespread interculturalism
in the consecrated life. Hence there is an
urgent need to reaffirm that the central ideal
of mission is Jesus Christ, and that this ideal
demands the total gift of oneself to the proclamation of the Gospel. On this point there can
be no compromise:those who by Gods grace
accept the mission, are called to live the mission. For them, the proclamation of Christ in
the many peripheries of the world becomes
their way of following him, one which more
than repays them for the many difficulties and
sacrifices they make. Any tendency to deviate
from this vocation, even if motivated by noble
reasons due to countless pastoral, ecclesial or

humanitarian needs, is not consistent with

the Lords call to be personally at the service of
the Gospel. InMissionary Institutes,formators are called to indicate clearly and frankly
this plan of life and action, and to discern
authentic missionary vocations. I appeal in
particular toyoung people, who are capable
of courageous witness and generous deeds,
even when these are countercultural:Do
not allow others to rob you of the ideal of a
true mission, of following Jesus through the
total gift of yourself. In the depths of your
conscience, ask yourself why you chose the
religious missionary life and take stock of your
readiness to accept it for what it is: a gift of
love at the service of the proclamation of the
Gospel. Remember that, even before being
necessary for those who have not yet heard it,
the proclamation of the Gospel is a necessity
for those who love the Master.
Today, the Churchs mission is faced by the
challenge of meeting the needs of all people
toreturn to their roots and to protect the
values of their respective cultures. This means
knowing and respecting other traditions and
philosophical systems, and realizing that all
peoples and cultures have the right to be
helped from within their own traditions to
enter into the mystery of Gods wisdom and
to accept the Gospel of Jesus, who is light and
transforming strength for all cultures.
Within this complex dynamic, we ask
ourselves: Who arethe first to whomthe
Gospel messagemust be proclaimed? The
answer, found so often throughout the Gospel, is clear: it is the poor, the little ones and
the sick, those who are often looked down
upon or forgotten, those who cannot repay
us (cf.Lk14:13-14). Evangelization directed
preferentially to the least among us is a sign
of the Kingdom that Jesus came to bring:
There is an inseparable bond between our
faith and the poor. May we never abandon
them (Evangelii Gaudium, 48). This must
be clear above all to those who embrace the

consecrated missionary life: by the vow of

poverty, they choose to follow Christ in his
preference for the poor, not ideologically, but
in the same way that he identified himself
with the poor: by living like them amid the
uncertainties of everyday life and renouncing
all claims to power, and in this way to become
brothers and sisters of the poor, bringing them
the witness of the joy of the Gospel and a sign
of Gods love.
Living as Christian witnesses and as signs
of the Fathers love among the poor and
underprivileged, consecrated persons are
called to promotethe presence of the lay
faithfulin the service of Churchs mission.
As the Second Vatican Council stated: The
laity should cooperate in the Churchs work
of evangelization; as witnesses and at the
same time as living instruments, they share
in her saving mission (Ad Gentes, 41).
Consecrated missionaries need to generously
welcome those who are willing to work with
them, even for a limited period of time, for
an experience in the field. They are brothers
and sisters who wantto share the missionary
vocation inherent in Baptism. The houses
and structures of the missions are natural
places to welcome them and to provide for
their human, spiritual and apostolic support.
TheChurchsInstitutes and Missionary
Congregationsare completely at the service of
those who do not know the Gospel of Jesus.
This means that they need to count on the
charisms and missionary commitment of
their consecrated members. But consecrated
men and women also need a structure of
service, an expression of the concern of the
Bishop of Rome, in order to ensurekoinonia,
for cooperation and synergy are an integral
part of the missionary witness. Jesus made
the unity of his disciples a condition so that
the world may believe (cf.Jn17:21). This
convergence is not the same as legalism or
institutionalism, much less a stifling of the
creativity of the Spirit, who inspires diversity.

It is about giving a greater fruitfulness to

the Gospel message and promoting that
unity of purpose which is also the fruit
of the Spirit.
The Missionary Societies of the Successor of Peter have auniversal apostolic horizon. This is why they also need themany
charisms of consecrated life, to address
the vast horizons of evangelization and
to be able to ensure adequate presence in
whatever lands they are sent.
Dear brothers and sisters, a true missionary is passionate for the Gospel. Saint
Paul said: Woe to me if I do not preach
the Gospel! (1 Cor9:16). The Gospel is
the source of joy, liberation and salvation
for all men and women. The Church
is aware of this gift, and therefore she
ceaselessly proclaims to everyone what
was from the beginning, what we have
heard, what we have seen with our eyes
(1 Jn1:1). The mission of the servants
of the Word bishops, priests, religious
and laity is to allow everyone, without
exception, to enter into a personal relationship with Christ. In the full range of
the Churchs missionary activity, all the
faithful are called to live their baptismal
commitment to the fullest, in accordance
with the personal situation of each. A
generous response to this universal vocation can be offered by consecrated men
and women through an intense life of
prayer and union with the Lord and his
redeeming sacrifice.
To Mary, Mother of the Church and
model of missionary outreach, I entrust
all men and women who, in every state
of life work to proclaim the Gospel,ad
gentesor in their own lands. To all missionaries of the Gospel I willingly impart
my Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 24 May 2015
Solemnity of Pentecost

B6 REFLECTIONS

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

CBCP Monitor

Called and eager to serve as Christ did

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mark 10:35-45 (B); World Mission Sunday, October 18, 2015
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

Jos de Madrazo

THERE was no doubt that the

Twelve were sincere in their desire to
follow Jesus. As Peter once pointed
out, they had put aside everything
to follow him. (See Mk 10:28.) Yet,
for quite a time, they all had failed
to understand that to follow Jesus
means to walk the thorny path of
self-renunciation and of generous
service to all, in imitation of their
Teacher.
Christs life can be described in
several ways. One of the simplest and
truest descriptions is SERVICE. The
whole of his life was a service. This
word includes everything that can be
said about him. His teaching was a
service enlightening the minds and
enkindling the hearts of his listeners.
His healings were a service to all those
afflicted by the devils possession and
by physical suffering or handicaps. His
self-offering on Calvary as a victim
of atonement and reconciliation was
his highest form of service benefiting
all mankind.
All the Apostles, after some initial
difficulties (see first part of todays
Gospel), guided by the Spirit, came to
understand this demanding assignment. They all served the Gospel and
their Lord even unto death, the martyrs death. Paul, the latecomer, made
himself all things to all men with a
devouring zeal for their salvation.
The Church, as the community of
disciples which continues the mission
of Jesus throughout the centuries,
must be characterized by the same
attitude of its Founder and the
Twelve: humble service to all; service

Just as every Christian is another Christ, so is every

Christian called to be another servantservant of God
and of all men, especially of ones neighbors.

unto death.
This leaves no room for unbecoming competitions with the powerful
of this world. Just as Christ exercised
his kingship through service, so must
the Church, as a saving institution,
exercise her God-given powers in a
spirit of humble service and selfless
stewardship. The Church is meant
to be the servant of all mankind.
She is called to serve all men through
her sacraments and prayer, through her
detachment from earthly possessions,
and through her commitment to the
promotion of superior values.
Such a fundamental orientation
and line of action must involve all
the members of the Church. It starts
from the Leaders and stretches out
to the youngest and weakest of her
members. Just as every Christian is
another Christ, so is every Christian
called to be another servantservant of God and of all men, especially
of ones neighbors.
In the measure that the Church as
a whole and every individual believer are faithful to their fundamental
vocation to serve in imitation of
Christ, they will be offering the most
eloquent witness to their faith. Their
presence and their life will be the most
precious gift to the worldhandog ng
mga Kristiyano sa mundo.
The missionary activity of the
Churchher effort to bring the Good
News of Christ to all peoplesis
one of the most precious services she
can render. Through this service, she
enables all human beings to know
Gods immense love for them and to
respond to that love through a life
lived according to the teaching and
example of Jesus Christ.

Jesus, the healer of all forms of blindness

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mark 10:46-52 (B)
Prison, Awareness Sunday, October 4, 2015

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

IF we close our eyes for just one
minute and attempt to move
around, we will immediately
experience the uncertainty and
helplessness of the blind. It is a
feeling of chilling darkness that
sips through our emotions and
grips even our minds. Blindness
is a terrible handicap which
cripples and mortifies those who
suffer from it.
No wonder that Bartimaeus kept
shouting Jesus, Son of David, have
pity on me! in spite of the bystanders attempts to silence him. (See
Mk 10:47-48.) Having heard about
the healing power of Jesus, Bartimaeus felt that Christs passing by
could be his chancethe chance
of his life to acquire his eyesight,
to see the shape and colors of the

innumerable things in nature; to

see the faces of people...
And Jesus did not let him down.
He who is the light of the world
(Jn 8:12), enveloped with his radiance the blind man from Jericho.

disciple. (See Mk 10:52.) And for

those who wanted to see, that was
yet another sign that the Kingdom
of God was at hand, present in, and
through, Jesus.
There is blindness and blindness.

mean in their lives. Deprived of

the light of faith, in most cases
through no fault of theirs, these
billions of brothers and sisters live
in the flickering twilight shed by
human philosophies and creeds,

Deprived of the light of faith, in most cases through

no fault of theirs, these billions of brothers and sisters live
in the flickering twilight shed by human philosophies
and creeds, or are enveloped in the darkness of
degrading superstitious beliefs.
The sight returned to Bartimaeus
eyes, as a wonderful reflection of
the splendor of faith which had
already flooded his heart. Thus,
Jericho lost a beggar and Christ
a c q u i re d a n e w, e n t h u s i a s t i c

The whole world, even today, is

like an immense Jericho in which
billions of spiritually blind people
stand by the wayside, most of
them unaware of what the light
of Christ is and what it could

or are enveloped in the darkness

of degrading superstitious beliefs.
Christ, the light for all nations
(Is 42:6), keeps coming to them in
the person of those who share with
their less privileged brothers and

sisters the splendor of a faith which

fills their life with meaning, worth,
and direction, Christ comes also
in the person of those minister to
inmates who are serving sentences
in prison, whether they are guilty
or are victims of a miscarriage of
justice. Those who have justly been
condemned need the light of Christ
to bring them to understand the
gravity of the wrong done, feel sorry
for it and make every effort to make
up for it. Those who have been
unfairly condemned need Christs
light to take courage from his example as an innocent Victim, and to
transform an unjust sentence into
an opportunity for spiritual growth.
They can even deepen their participation in the mystery of Christs
passion, and thereby contribute
more abundantly to the salvation of
others. Indeed, the light of Christ
is a blessing for all!

Bo Sanchez

SOULFOOD

Bishop Pat Alo

ENCOUNTERS

Mary and the Saints

Fra Bartolommeo

THOSE who keep on attacking the

Church regarding Mar y and the Saints
do no t s eem to und e r st a n d t h e r a t i ona le behi nd the reve re d ve n e r a t i on .
The honor rendered to Mary and
the Saints is first and always bec a u s e o f Je s u s a n d G o d . W h y ? T h i s

is because the honor we give them

is for their being servants of God,
carr ying the law of the Lord in their
hearts, and not for their own individual persons. Jesus himself dec l a r e d t h e i r b l e s s e d n e s s w h e n H e
s a i d , a l l u d i n g t o H i s o w n Mo t h e r a s
t h o r o u g h l y a t t e n t i v e t o t h e Fa t h e r s

will, Rather blessed are they who

hear the word of God and keep it
(Lk. 11:28).
Think about it, would we honor
Ma r y an d t he Sain t s if t he y we re n o t
somehow connected with God, as
f a i t h f u l s e r van t s o f t he Lo rd ? If t hat

Think about it,

would we honor Mary
and the Saints
if they were not
somehow connected
with God,
as faithful servants
of the Lord?
is so, whats all the useless fuss about?
Th e re is n o t hin g t o ar g u e ab o u t af t e r
all, and the call is there for us also to
consider ourselves Gods faithful servants. Noteworthy to remember is St.
T h o m a s Me r t o n w h o e xc l a i m e d b e f ore h is mar t y rd o m, I am t he k in gs
[loy al ] s e r van t , b u t Go ds f ir s t .

How Do You Measure

Your Wealth? You Will Be
Surprised

IM fully convinced Wealth

isnt money.
Wealth isnt the cars you drive
or the houses you own.
Wealth isnt your jewelry, the
stocks, bonds, or cash in your
bank.
I now believe that wealth is an
emotion.
Wealth is an inner feeling.
More precisely, wealth is an
outlook, an attitude, a belief.
And the most obvious measurement of wealth is gratitude.
I learned this lesson a long
time ago
Aling Dorings Point-Point
There was a time in my life
when I had very little money.
Most days, I couldnt afford to
eat in Jollibee.
So everyday, I went to this tiny
corner store called Point-Point.
In Tagalog, Turo-Turo.
Instead of a chair, it had a
rough wooden bench.
Instead of a table, it had a
linoleum-covered plywood.
Instead of air-conditioning, it
had this large sweaty lady named

Aling Doring who, with a native

abanico in her hand, fanned me
and swatted the army of flies
around me. She also provided
us great entertainmenttelling
us about Showbiz gossip from

Your Wealth
equals your
Gratitude. And
your Gratitude
equals your
Wealth.
Inday Badiday. (Okay, now you
know which century this took
place.)
Point-Point sold me a bottomless soup, a cup of rice, a few
strips of ampalaya, and 3 chunks
of adoboall for P10 only. That
was a long time ago. When I was
young and handsome. (Now, Im
just handsome.)
But every time I ate there, I

felt so happy. I felt like a king. I

felt so rich!
Imagine, I could eat! So many
people30% of the world
were starving.
So I enjoyed the yummy
food. I enjoyed Aling Dorings banter. I enjoyed the
jeepney drivers who ate
with metheir smells, their
burps, and their laughter. It
was absolutely lovely. And
I always thanked God for
everything.
Today, I have a little bit more
money. Most of my business
lunches are now done in five-star
hotels and restaurants. Ive been
upgraded.
But deep inside, nothing has
changed. I still feel like a king. I
still feel rich.
Oh yes, compared to my
billionaire financial mentors, I
own crumbs. But in my heart,
Im already a billionaire. (I hope
you are too.)
Remember this powerful
truth: Your Wealth equals your
Gratitude. And your Gratitude
equals your Wealth.

CBCP Monitor

SOCIAL CONCERNS B7

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

NASSA/Caritas Philippines firms up exit plan for Yolanda

Secretary Fr. Edwin Gariguez.
NASSA/Caritas Philippines,

Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), has put to good

years alone of the Yolanda recovery and rehabilitation program.

Fr. Alcris Badana (extreme left) oversees the construction of the two-storey evacuation center in Palo, which
is expected to be completed this year.

the humanitarian, advocacy and

development arm of the Catholic

use a total of 18.76 million

(P1.019 billion) in the first two

Palo evacuation center to be

completed this year

Caritas Palo will soon realize its dream of having its own
evacuation center as construction goes into full swing.
The two-storey building,
which has a total floor area
of 1,312 sq. m, could accommodate at least 600 persons.
The structure could withstand
a signal no. 4 storm, and was
built with high quality materials, and with a steel deck and
concrete slab.
The features of the structure
include a loading area and warehouse for relief goods, a prayer
room, and the office of Caritas
Palo.
According to Caritas Palo
Director Fr. Alcris Badana, they
are also looking at the possibility
of maximizing the buildings use
for livelihood and skills training
of the communities they serve.
The project, which is estimated to cost Php 15 million,
is already 70-percent complete
as of August. It is expected
to be finished before the year
ends.

NASSA/Caritas

social action arm of the Catholic

Church.
It also hopes to open dialogue between Diocesan Social
Action Centers (DSACs) and
Relief and Rehabilitation Units
(RRUs) and its partner communities, and negotiate with
Caritas Internationalis to build
better emergency preparedness,
especially in high-risk dioceses.
The exit agenda also include
the implementation of bilateral programs on livelihood and
sustainable agriculture, the enhancement of the DSAC/RRUs
leadership and management
capabilities, and the exit of technical advisors support by the
end of Year 2 implementation.
We needed to ensure that
this multi-million peso recovery and rehabilitation program
truly has served the marginalized communities. So that after
the program implementation,
we can definitely claim that we
have built and sustained resilient
communities, added NASSA/
Caritas Philippines Executive

NASSA/Caritas

SEVENTEEN months before

the end of the 3-year recovery
and rehabilitation program of
NASSA/ Caritas Philippines,
the national social action arm
now has started the discussions
to firm up its exit strategies in
Yolanda-affected dioceses.
During the 3rd Caritas Coordinating Commission for
Rehabilitation and Development
(Caritas-CCRD) Meeting last
Oct. 5 in Naga City, its Chairman and Convenor, Archbishop
Rolando J. Tria Tirona, OCD,
DD said, It is imperative to
properly coordinate and implement such plans to ensure that
projects are still sustained and
beneficiaries are not being left
out.
The exit agenda for the
#REACHPhilippines (Recovery
Assistance to Vulnerable Communities Affected by Typhoon
Haiyan in the Philippines) program proposes to strengthen
NASSA/Caritas Philippines institutional capacity as a national
faith-based organization and

3Ws Mapping. A map showing the areas where NASSA/Caritas Philippines and Caritas Internationalis Member Organizations. (CI MOs) are implementing various interventions for Typhoon Yolanda survivors.

A rainbow after the rain

A new house for Amalia

income as a farmer is not enough to support their

familys daily needs.
Before Typhoon Yolanda hit their province, she
would only earn a meager amount of P70 a day from
working as a labourer in a sugarcane farm. Since she
has no college degree to get a much higher paying
job, she thought a retail business of her own could
be her way out of poverty.
And alas! God must have heard her prayers. Because in the most unforeseen circumstance such as
Yolanda, she was chosen by the Relief and Rehabilitation Unit of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese

was wrong because God has better plans, Gallardo

said, tears flowing happily.
Now, Gallardo is already living the dream with
her family. She said their life has improved with her
new source of income allowing her to earn between
P400 and P600 every week. She added that they
could now also eat three times a day with the help
of the sari-sari store.
Soon, Gallardo is set to live another dream. That
is to finally see her eldest son, who is a scholar,
graduate from college next year. Yes, the farmer will
be having a teacher for a son!

I THOUGHT Typhoon Yolanda would be like

other typhoons, says 83-year-old Amalia Liboon.
But it was more like four typhoons in one.
Amalia, who lives in Barangay Tagubong on the
northern tip of the island of Iloilo in the Philippines, shudders as she remembers the roar of the wind: it
was deafening, she says, like the
revving of a bus engine amplified many times over.
With her roof about to be
blown away above her, Amalias
son urged her to take shelter
in their duck-house, which
he thought would be stronger
than her bamboo home.
I didnt want to go outside,
luckily, Amalia says. The
duck-house was the first thing
to be destroyed.
As the wind grew stronger,
it became obvious that their
home couldnt survive for long.
Amalia and her son grabbed
hold of whatever they could
carry in Amalias case, a Minnie Mouse bag stuffed full of the
first clothes she could find and
battled through the storm to
their neighbours house, which
was made of concrete. Even there, with the walls
shaking, she thought she was about to die.
I just prayed and prayed, she says. I couldnt
do anything, so I prayed for forgiveness. I thought
it would be my last breath, but praying helped me
to overcome the fear.
After about six hours, when the winds had died
down, she and her son returned to what was left

of their home.
It was completely destroyed, she says. Everything was soaked, and we didnt know where our
things had been blown away to. We couldnt even
find our pots and pans. I was very sad. I couldnt
stop crying.
She and her son set
about building a makeshift shelter out of the
remains of their house.
It was tiny, about three
foot high, and they had to
crawl on hands and knees
to get inside. Whenever
it rained, water came in
through the ceiling, so the
two of them were forced
to sleep under umbrellas.
I used to curse the
place, says Amalia. I was
very angry. I kept asking,
Why has God destroyed
my home?
Today, thanks to the
generosity of Catholics
around the world, Amalia lives in a brand new
house with a concrete
base, a galvanised iron
roof and white hardiflex
walls. NASSA (Caritas Philippines) built it, with
the support of local carpenters and expert architects
who added special features to ensure that it should
withstand future typhoons.
I am very happy about the new house, says
Amalia. It is very beautiful and very strong. Its
so solid that Im not nervous any more when a
typhoon comes.
NASSA/Caritas

of Cebu to receive P10, 000 worth of livelihood

assistance to start up her own sari-sari store business.
I really could not believe that I finally have
my own sari-sari store business. I thought when
Typhoon Yolanda came, I already lost everything. I

NASSA/Caritas

TYPHOON Yolanda survivor Laurencia Gallardo

of Bogo City in Cebu has proven that perhaps there
is a rainbow after the rain.
Gallardo has long been dreaming of owning a sarisari (convenience) store especially that her husbands

B8 ENTERTAINMENT
RELEASED as Papa Francisco:
The Pope Francis Story in the
Philippines, the film shifts from
past and present timelines as
Ana (Abascal), agnostic Spanish
journalist, reconstructs the highlights of Fr. Bergoglio (Grandinetti) life from his childhood
and his seminary life to the time
he was Cardinal of Argentina
until his election as Pope in
the 2013 Conclave. In short
and simple anecdotes, we see
young Bergoglios unwavering
desire to be a priest against his
mothers wishes and childhood
crushes, as well as his struggle to
fight the injustices of the Dirty
Wars. We are presented with his
simplicity and humility as well
as his endearing compassion for
the less fortunate. Through each
episode, Fr. Bergoglio imparts
wordscomforting for the sorrowful, sharp for the corrupt,
and inspiring for the faithful.
Annas story of becoming an
unwed mother and finding God
is told alongside Fr. Bergoglios
journey.
There are two thoughts of
critic schools for this Pope Francis movie. On the one hand,
it is simplistic and devoid of
cinematic techniques. It puts an
almost dry collection of tidbits
about the Pope, downplaying
the more controversial issues.
One might find the film unjustly diminishing the enigmatic
charisma of the real person the
world has loved. On the otherhand, yes it is simplistic but
effective enough because for a
personality whose life is already

an open book to the world, there

is no need to delve into the nitty
gritty anymore. The selection
of events in Fr. Bergoglios life
serves more to show the foundation for values he holds dear
and principles he stands for than
to dramatize them. That it is
devoid of artistic interpretation
and cinematic quality is true but

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

for a man who has opted a life

of simplicity and selflessness,
the melodramatic treatment of
mainstream cinema would not
have been appropriate.
Papa Francisco: The Pope
Francis Story resonates with
inspiration. Forgiveness and
compassion over judgement and

PAPA FRANCISCO:
THE POPE
FRANCIS STORY
Direction: Beda Docampo
Feijoo
Cast: Dario Grandinetti, Silvia
Abascal, Leticia Bredice,
Laur Novoa, Gabriel Gallichio, Alejandro Awada
Based on the Book: Pope Francis: Life and Revolution
Screenplay: Beda Docampo
Feijoo
Cinematography: Kiko de la
Rica
Editing: Cristina Pastor
Music: Federico Jusid
Producers: Pablo Bossi, Jos
Ibaez
Genre: Biographical drams
Location: Argentina/Vatican
Distributor: Pioneer Films
Technical assessment: Average
Moral Assessment: Wholesome
NTRCB rating: G
CINEMA rating: VA (Viewers of
all ages)

punishment. Simplicity and humility over pomp and extravagance. Love and brotherhood
over self and personal agenda.
Even if Pope Francis were not
a real person, the movie would
have still made an impact in its
messages. It presents a man of
the cloth
ready to
defend
the voiceless, the
desolate,
the victims of
violence.
The film
shows us
how faith
is not
practised
just in
the pulpits but
also in
the streets
and alleyways.
Moreo v e r ,
we see
a priest
who is
not just
behind
the altar
preaching
but inside the home loving, caring, sympathizing. Fr. Bergoglio
is a friend to everyone and the
embodiment of Gods mercy
and compassion on earth. And
all these have been presented in
the simple poignant anecdotes
that have been stripped of cinematic drama or hypocritical
preaching.

Interesting tidbits about

Papa Francisco, the movie
LAST January, Pope Francis, the leader of the worlds 1.2 billion Catholics, visited the country, and inspired us with his warm, sincere, and
jolly persona as he spoke of the gospel and Gods love for the world.
Keeping the light and love that Lolo Kiko left in the Philippines, the
movie entitled Papa Francisco: The Pope Francis Story further brings
the Pope closer to the nation as the movie takes us back to his younger
days in Argentina until the time he was elected as Pope. The movie,
also known in other territories as Francis: Pray For Me is based on the
book Pope Francis: Life and Revolution by Elisabetta Piqu, a close
friend of the Pope and a correspondent in Italy and the Vatican for La
Nacin, Argentinas main newspaper, since 1999.
Piques book has been hailed in Argentina as the most complete and
up-to-date portrait of the pope. The movie Papa Francisco: The Pope
Francis Story brings us far back in Buenos Aires when as a teenager,
Pope Francis quietly discovered his religious calling, little did he know
that this was the first step that would eventually lead him to the Vatican.
The movie then takes on the perspective of young Spanish journalist
Ana (played by Silva Abascal) who met Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Dario
Grandinetti taking on the titular role) at the papal conclave of 2005. It
is here that they started a friendship that would be imbued with the
same warmth, good mood and wisdom with which the future Pope will
astonish both believers and non-believers.
It is through Anas eyes that the audience will follow the long, hard
and touching story of Jorge Bergoglio. Father Jorge, as he has always
wished to be called, used his position as the archbishop of Buenos
Aires as a means to challenge the corruption and abuse of the government dictatorship. Ana was there to see his toughest battles when he
gave a voice to those who had none, the victims of prostitution, slavery
and drug trafficking within the many shanty towns. Their story comes
full circle at the conclave of 2013 when a Jesuit priest coming from
South America is elected on the fifth papal ballot as Pope. The son
of humble Italian immigrants, he chooses Francis as his Papal name
partly in honor of his Grandmother for she impressed upon him the
biblical values of Saint Francis of Assissi when he was a young boy.
The name Francis perfectly summarizes the life of Father Jorge. He is
a man who placed the Gospels message of helping the needy at the
heart of his pastoral work.
Award-winning writer-director and actors abound in Papa Francisco:
The Pope Francis Story - directed by Beda Docampo Feijoo who won
Best Screenplay in the Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards for
his work in the movie El Marido Perfecto in 1993 with Juan Bautista
Stagnaro with acclaimed actors Dario Grandinetti in the titular Pope
Francis role who won an International Emmy Award for Best Actor in
2012 and Silvia Abascal who was awarded Best Actress in Toulouse
Cinespana and Malaga Spanish Film Festivals.
Pioneer Films brings local audiences the story of the Pope who
fearlessly fought against poverty and corruption amidst overwhelming
odds in Papa Francisco: The Pope Francis Story.

CBCP Monitor

Buhay San Miguel

Brothers Matias

Lolo Kiko

Bladimer Usi

Buhay Parokya

Look for the images of Jesus Christ, Saint

Teresa of Avila and the Holy Dove.
(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

CBCP Monitor

C1

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

Love is Our Mission

CFC leaders from the United States and Canada, together with members of the International Council, were present at the World Meeting of Families 2015.

The World Meeting of Families took

place in Philadelphia at the packed Pennsylvannia Convention Center from September
22-25, 2015. The WMOF began a week-long
focus on the current situation of the Family
but also a celebration of it, in anticipation
and preparation for the arrival and visit of
Pope Francis from September 26-27. More
than 17,000 participants came from all over
the world, the largest number in its history.
Among these were Couples for Christ from
the USA and from other countries, including
the Philippines.

Love is our Mission: The Family Fully Alive, the theme

of the WMOF, emphasized the challenges and fulfillment
that come from living out our God-given design as humans:
fully loved by Him and in response, called to love our families
and communities. The exploration of the theme spanned
over four days, during which thought-provoking speakers
engaged the attendees in five keynote sessions and over 70
breakout sessions.
The distinguished speakers included Bishop Robert Barron
who opened the first morning with his intellect-filled session
on living as images of God. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
genuinely spoke from the heart on the family as a home for
the wounded heart on the third day. Other notable speakers
included Cardinal Robert Sarah, Professor Helen Alvare,
Dr. Scott Hahn , Dr. Juan Francisco de la Guardia Brin and
wife Gabriela de la Guardia Brin. Pastor Rick Warren and
Cardinal Sean Patrick OMalley tag-teamed the closing session of the WMOF.

Holy Mass was celebrated daily and beautifully. The Most

Reverent Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia and
one of the main spokespersons of WMOF activities, presided
at the first Mass preceded by a long procession of the worlds
bishops and clergy. So long in fact, that the choir re-sung
the entrance hymn (Sound the Bell of Holy Freedom, the
official hymn of WMOF) many times.
The conference also featured a three-day open exhibit of
booths and vendors. Some Catholic elite" like Christopher
West (Theology of the Body) and Jason Evert (Chastity Project) stationed themselves at their booth and made themselves
available for casual conversations with passers-by. Religious
congregations (Salesians, Oblates of Saint Joseph to name a
few) also did the same, sharing their charism, mission and
opportunities for vocation retreats.
The different companies sold religious articles from
wooden crosses, to holy statues and Spanish mantillas,
fromPopeful shirts and active wear to books. Some also
offered services, such as Catholic radio, language services,
theology of the body and marriage preparation courses. Some
of these were freely given, all of these priceless in value, as
they serve as resources that enable the work of all family
missionaries.
In sum, the World Meeting of Families reminded all of
the attendees of the urgency of the common mission of
bringing the love of Christ to the families. We pray now for
the guidance of the Holy Spirit as the Ordinary Assembly
Synod of Bishops continues the discussion on the vocation
and mission of the family from October 4-25.
The next World Meeting of Families is to be held in Dublin, Ireland, in 2018. Until then, may we remain in unity with
others and in love with Christ as we move forward in our
own mission - families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face
of the earth. (Ellish Maigue-Talacca, CFC-Youth FTPW)

One Pinoy Voice

Over a thousand people came
to support the Global Pinoy
Singing Idol (GPSI) USA finals
in Elgin, Illinois last Saturday,
October 10, 2015. For the past
four years, ANCOP Global
Foundation, Inc. and Couples

for Christ have been working

closely with ABS-CBN and
DZMM in staging the worldwide competition, which has
become not only a showcase
of Filipino talent but an avenue
ONE PINOY VOICE, C2

THE MISSION OF LOVE AT THE

WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES
LOVE IS OUR MISSION: THE FAMILY FULLY ALIVE
This was the theme for the recently concluded World Meeting
of Families held in Philadelphia last September 22-27, 2015.
Thousands of people came to the four-day congress featuring
well-known speakers, both Catholics and Christians, who
tackled the different issues about the families.
The WMOF Congress started with a morning Mass followed
by Keynote sessions. One of the keynote speakers was Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle who made the audience laugh, cry and fall
in love with his wit and grace as he discussed THE FAMILY: A
HOME FOR THE WOUNDED HEARTS. His session was
about learning practical ways to grow in love, including parWMOF, C2

The DZMM Global Pinoy Singing Idol, a partnership between ANCOP USA &
DZMM TeleRadyo, continues to highlight Filipino talent in the US.

CFC Joins Festival of Families

and Papal Visit
Over 1500 priests and religious, plus
hundreds of thousands of Catholic faithful, gathered for the Festival of Families
and the Solemn Pontifical Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at the Benjamin
Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. We
had the privilege to be present at this
momentous event and could not help but
reflect on the singular honor and blessing
of being able to witness a celebration of
family, community, and faith!
Our reflections were profound. Just by
being in that assembly of Gods people
got us to thinking that the family is
something so important, yet often times
people fail to care for something most
dear. Pope Francis put it best when he
said: But the most beautiful thing that
God did, was the family. God made
man, and he made woman- all that love
he made in creation, he bestowed it in
the family. Now more than ever, we are
affirmed that the family is a crucial part
of the development of our society.
Like our faith, the centrality of Jesus
is essential. In our society, Gods original
plan for the family too is crucial. When
the Pope said that: Jesus was sent into the
world through a family. God sent him amid
a family, he wants us to remember that
the family is beautiful. The family is like
a factory of hope; a factory of resurrection.
Let us look after the family. Let us protect
the family. Because its in the family that
our future is at play. This message allowed
us to really internalize one of the two-fold
mission of Couples of Christ: to Build the

Church of the Home.

Seeing and listening to Pope Francis
made us think about the ability of one man
to be able to inspire millions. Imagine if
each one of our leaders made the decision
to raise spirits, embrace a vision and carry
that out into reality, our world would be
such a different place! This made us realize
that it only takes one person to lead with
integrity and consistency in order for others to follow.
One of the most moving moments during the papal visit was when Pope Francis
put away his prepared speech at the Festival
of Families. He said, Once a child asked
meyou know that kids ask difficult
questionshe asked me: Father, what did
God do before creating the world? I assure
you, I found real difficulty in answering the
question. So I said what Im now going to
say to you: Before creating the world, God
loved. Because God is love.
The main message for the whole weekend was LOVE. We were created out of
love. We are meant to live in union with
others through love- through our relationships, through our community life, and
through our families. We should not be
afraid to love one another. All that love
leads us to Him. As people of God, we need
to realize that every day LOVE IS OUR
MISSION! The whole event was one huge
affirmation that our community was right
in having as our theme for this year Love
More. (Angelo Saludo and Khristine Joy
Florendo, CFC - Singles for Christ Full
Time Pastoral Workers, GTA)

C2

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

The following guidelines are from the Philippine Movement for Transformational Leadership
(PMTL), a coalition of Christian faith-based communities who have decided to come together
to do Gods work in the political field, and ensure that God-centered and competent servant
leaders get elected into office in 2016 and onward. Couples for Christ, mindful of the coalitions
noble mission, has chosen to be part of this group.
CFC has made clear that it will not endorse any single candidate. However, it will encourage
everyone to take a look at the groups criteria, the GabayKristo, as helpful guides for assessing
every single candidate and ensuring that he or she passes the strict criteria. CFC believes that
the criteria present a fair assessment of what we should all look for in the leaders we shall
soon choose to lead us.

CBCP Monitor

Pope Francis UN Address and its

relevance to ANCOP
Pope Francis, in his address on September
25 before the United Nations General Assembly,
reminded the faithful of the true meaning of global
poverty. His reminder is a useful guide to CFC
ANCOPs work for the poor.
The Holy Father said that in order to empower
men and women to escape extreme poverty, we
must allow them to be dignified agents of their
own destiny. This requires global and national
policy decisions to be driven not merely towards
the maximization of the economic benefit per se,
but rather towards the promotion of integral human
development and dignity.
In a post-papal visit assessment called in UN
language as Intervention, Archbishop Bernar-

dito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the

United Nations, submitted to the Second Committee of
the 70th Session of the General Assembly on October
8, 2015 afurther explanation that poverty is the lack
not only of material goods, but also of social, cultural
and spiritual resources and all those less tangible values
needed to lead a wholesome and dignified life as individuals and societies."
He continued: For this reason, lifting people out of
poverty does not just mean adequate food and water,
basic health care and decent work; it also means that
all enjoy the realization of their fundamental right to
education, to free speech, to religious freedom and
other fundamental human freedoms, (ANCOP USA
Communications)

WMOF, C1

Jun and Malou Clarito of CFC Canada show the delegates to the World Meeting of Families around the CFC booth.

ticipation in charity, prayer and

the spiritual discipline, scripture
and the liturgical and sacramental
life. His Excellency highlighted
his talk with lines from the song
A House is Not a Home, emphasizing the importance of love
and understanding within the
family. The following day, during
one of the breakout sessions, the
audience, in unified chanting,
asked Cardinal Tagle to sing A
House is not a Home which he
sang like a pro to the delight of
the audience.
The different breakout sessions
every day gave the delegates the
chance to choose which topic they
wanted. Topics ranged from challenges in rearing a child, intimacy

between husband and wife, care

for people with disabilities and the
elderly, the role of grandparents,
the loss of a spouse or child, the
effects of divorce as well as cruel
impact of immigration system on
families and children.
The CFC Toronto delegation
volunteered in one of the seven
sessions with the group called
HELPING HANDS in their meal
packing event to fight hunger. The
goal was to pack 200,000 nutritious meals over three days which
will be sent to Africa. The Toronto
group was able to pack 32,000
meal packs in less than two hours!
The WMOF Congress was
capped by the visit of His Holiness
Pope Francis, as he attended the

Festival of Families on September

26 and presided at the Papal Mass
on September 27, where more than
a million people from all points of
the world came to experience his
presence.
The Canadian delegations from
Toronto drove in convoy to witness this big event, not minding
the long train ride that they had to
take every day since the hotel was
one hour away from the venue.
And as they headed home, their
hearts were filled with renewed
spirit knowing that God has made
this event possible so that all will
cherish their families as they came
fully alive with His presence. (Malou Clarito, Fulltime Pastoral
Worker-CFC Toronto)

ONE PINOY VOICE, C1

Christian Governance in Simple Terms

Cong. Leni Robredo of the 3rd District of Camarines Sur sharedv about her late husband's Tsinelas Principles.

The STMA (ST. Thomas More and Associates),

one of the social development programs of CFC,
invited the honorable Ma. Leonor G. Robredo,
Representative of the 3rd District of Camarines
Sur, to speak on Issues on Good Governance for
its scheduled STMA Breakfast Forum last October
10, 2015 at the Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan
City. The invitation was extended to Rep. Robredo
several months before but because of her many
commitments to her home province, the date was
moved back several times.
Rep. Robredo arrived in the middle of a highly
Spirit-filled worship. As she explained in her
opening statement, she was so moved by the
worship that she was opting to do away with
her prepared speech. Instead she delivered an
extemporaneous presentation of what Christian
governance entailed, the principles of which were
ably demonstrated and lived by her late husband,
former DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo.
For the STMA members present, these principles
are what we too, as Christians, not necessarily as
public servants, need to demonstrate in our daily lives.
My husband served for a total of 19 years in Naga
before he became Secretary. And these simple tenets,
which we call his Tsinelas Principles, are what I and
our daughters hold on to now that he is no longer
with us, Robredo began.
Why Tsinelas Principles? For one, the late Mayor
of Naga was often seen in the streets of the city clad
in street clothes and, what else? Tsinelas! (Slippers)
When Jesse died, his friends got together and

created Jesses List, a roster of principles that they believe

would answer the question, How and where can we
find another Jesse?, Robredo shared.
Number one on the list is faith and family first.
For Jesse, quality time is also quantity time, Robredo shared of her late husband. She added, He was
also very devotional. He went to confession two or
three times a month, and whenever our daughters had
exams, he would excuse himself from meetings, go to
the restroom, and call me so we can pray the devotion
to the Infant Jesus of Prague together.
Other items in the list were:
2. No entitlement. Be uncomfortable with
perks.
3. Simple is beautiful.
4. Be resilient.
5. Cost-effectivity is key.
6. Every individual counts.
7. "Kayo muna bago kami, sila muna bago
tayo."
8. Engage, engage, engage.
9. Hanapin ang saysay.
10. Matino, mahusay, may puso.
In a way, Rep. Robredo honored the memory of her
late husband Jesse in her talk at the STMA Breakfast
Forum. Never mentioning her recent proclamation
of candidacy for the Vice-Presidency, ostensibly in
recognition of the fact that the invitation to her was
made way before this development, she chose to focus
on what makes one a good servant to others. It was a
perfect reminder for all to focus on those principles as
well as we serve Gods people. (A. Alvarez)

to raise valuable funds for the education of financially

disadvantaged youth in the Philippines. Although
ANCOP Illinois hosted the 2012 and 2013 GPSI
Regional Finals, this year is its first time to host the
USA finals.
The pre-show, hosted by events specialist and
cultural education advocate Rian Mari Francisco,
began with a message from Philippine Consul General to Chicago Honorable Generoso D.G. Calonge,
followed by special numbers by talented US-based
Filipinos. The main show, hosted by Global Pinoy
Singing Idol Director and DZMM anchor Ahwel Paz
and Chicago-based theater actress Christine Bunuan,
included an invocation led by CFC Regional Head
for North Central B Don Paras, a production number
featuring the US finalists and World Carazan Global
Pinoy Singing Idol winner Jing Wenghofer, a message
from DZMM's station manager Marah Capuyan, a
welcome speech by ANCOP USA President and CFC
USA National Director Eric Villanueva, and a message
from ANCOP USA Board Member and Executive
Director Roger Santos.
No less than the "Concert King of the Philippines"
Martin Nievera and TV actress Kaye Abad graced the
event as special guests, much to the delight of the
audience. The show was broadcast live on DZMM
630, via cable TV on Teleradyo, and online.
Eleven finalists from different parts of Illinois,
California, Delaware, Florida, South Carolina, Texas,
and Delaware competed for the chance to represent
the United States in the 2015 Global Pinoy Singing
Idol World Finals to be held in the Philippines. Aside
from their impressive singing talent, what was truly
amazing about the candidates is their shared desire to
be part of the noble cause of helping poor Filipinos
gain access to quality education. Each one of them
felt deeply honored to contribute to an endeavor that
will positively change the lives of deserving youth.
Two extremely gifted young ladies were named
Global Pinoy Singing Idol U.S. winners. Alodia
Alcala is a dual-student pursuing a nursing program
while completing her senior year in high school from
Florida. Her winning performance was a rendition of
"On My Own" from Les Miserables. South Carolinabased college student and model Shane Ericks sang
and played the guitar to "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia
Keys. Ericks has won a number of singing contests
and has appeared on the TV shows Your Carolina and
Carolina 62. Both are ecstatic to join the other Global
Pinoy Singing Idols from all over the world in Manila
in a few months.
The Global Pinoy Singing Idol 2015 US finals had
been in the works for a year. Exactly one year from
the event's staging, CFC-ANCOP Illinois Coordinator
Laurel Malibiran and wife Minnie reserved the Hem-

mens Cultural Center as venue. Armed with faith in

God's provision, strengthened by the encouragement
of their Couples for Christ Illinois family, and inspired
by ANCOP's hopeful scholars in the Philippines, the
Malibirans took on the challenge of being the lead
servants of the project.
When asked about their most significant insight
from the whole experience, the couple cited the
awesome way the Holy Spirit has worked in everyone involved in GPSI. Laurel shared, "Sometimes
we are not even aware that God through the Holy
Spirit is giving us everything we need as we serve.
We may be done with one area of service such
as an event like GPSI, but the Holy Spirit's gifts
implanted in us throughout the process remain in
us. When God develops these gifts in us through
a particular experience, He doesn't take them back.
These gifts are forever ours for God to continue to
hone and nurture."
Members of the National Council of Couples
for Christ USA flew in from different parts of
the country for the weekend to express their support. Numerous CFC USA chapters generously
contributed to the project, demonstrating true
community spirit. Of course, CFC Illinois was
in full force as production, marketing, logistics,
and finance volunteers. Pinky Santos headed the
production team; Efren and Lou Jose together
with Mon and Mia Pacheco spearheaded the
marketing efforts; Joel and Lourdes Mercurio
and Don and Gemma Paras directed the logistics
team; and Dany and Beth Dizon led the finance
and registration functions.
By God's grace, ABS-CBN DZMM continues to
make ANCOP Foundation its GPSI partner and
beneficiary. Other sponsors and donors include
DMI Medical Supplies, MX3, Generics Pharmacy,
Philusa Corp, Department of Health, St. Luke's
Medical Center, Isetann, Davis Paints, Cebuana
Lhuillier, Generika Drugstore, Gambacorta Law
Office, Skyline Furniture, Mark Tan, FAMBA,
Castle Honda, Nutraway/Carico, Ultra Care Home
Health, Dr. Emelita Marquez Wong, Dr. Leo G.
Pepa, Primerica, Creative Impressions Plus, Manila
Fiesta, Darlene Sales, Care for Life, One Philippines, Pinoy News Magazine, Via Times/CPRTV.
The success of the GPSI USA finals means more
ANCOP scholarships will be sustained. CFCANCOP Illinois currently supports 20 scholars
in the Philippines and continues to find ways to
steadily increase this number. In the pipeline are a
Valentine fundraiser, which the group held for two
previous years, and a major project with a special
partner in the Philippines come April or May 2016.
(Jane Marie Santos-Guinto)

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

Michael C. Ariola
IC Oversight

Zenaida A. Gimenez
Editor-in-Chief

Alma M. Alvarez
Associate Editor

Deomar P. Oliveria
Layout Artist

Evangeline C. Mecedilla
Circulation Staff

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation, Inc., with editorial offices at 156 20th Avenue, 1109 Cubao, Quezon City.
Editorial trunk line: (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23
Direct line : (+63 2) 709-4856
www.couplesforchristglobal.org
cfcglobalcommunications@gmail.com

facebook.com/CFC.Global.Mission

@CFChrist

CBCP Monitor

C3

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

AMOR VINCIT OMNIA

More than 250 men travelled to
Calgary, Alberta to participate in this years
National Mens Conference, put on by
Couples for Christ Servants of the Lord
(SOLD). The conference was entitled,
Amor Vincit Omnia which translates to
Love Conquers All. Truly, this weekend
was a demonstration of that. The two-day
event was not only well attended but it was
also yet another opportunity for the community to come together and Love More.
This was a monumental undertaking
for the National SOLD ministry as this
was the first time they were able to put

on a conference of this magnitude and

caliber. The conference featured inspiring speakers such as Canadas National
Director, Greg Parillas, ANCOP Canada
President Ricky Cuenca, Canada SOLD
National Head, Rosco Doromal and
CFC International Council member and
overseer for the Americas, Joe Yamamoto.
Suffice it to say, every man was touched
that weekend!
The brothers not only listened and
learned from the speakers, they were able
to share and support one another through
group discussions and processing as well.

They were also able to cultivate camaraderie by participating in minute-to-win-it

games, a friendly round of dodge ball, and
a night of laughter with their first-ever
Lip-sync Battle.
The weekend flew by faster than anticipated but in its wake, the SOLD brothers
are left waiting in joyful hope for what is
to come next year. Everyone was simply
grateful for Gods provisions and blessings
as the conference said goodbye to Calgary
and now look forward to next years Regional Mens Conferences in Montreal,
Winnipeg and Vancouver.

CFC SOLD took Canada by storm during the Canada National Men's Conference

Catholic Women Shine in The Colors of Love

The colors of love shone bright through 225 women
who attended the Catholic Womens Conference 5 (CWC5)
on Sunday, September 13, 2015 at the Church of Our Lady of
the Assumption, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. The
women discovered how to LOVE MORE through the inspiring
talks and testimonies that were the highlights of the conference.
As with every conference of Couples for Christ, each of the delegates came away from the conference with a heightened sense of
her relationship with Jesus. Aside from the talks and testimonies,
the delegates found the videos and creative numbers a redeeming
and joyful experience. Bishop Cornelius Sims opening remarks
reassured the women, Sharing the fruits of love and joy is sharing
fruits of the Holy Spirit.
The journey of harvesting the fruits of love and joy that day
began when the women had to answer the most difficult question
that Jesus asked Peter: Do you love me? Luisa Obida, the first
speaker, emphasized that authentic love means loving the Lord
with heart, soul, and strength, leading the delegates to ponder: If
God loved me before I was formed in my mothers womb, what
have I done to love him back?
Maria Magpusaos inspiring sharing made it clear that following
Jesus is not an easy choice. Magpusao shared how searching for
truth about God and learning to love Him more after her husband
passed away caused her to rise above her sorrow and allow God
to turn her mourning into glorious joy.
Selfless love is what Jesus is asking from every one of us,
explained Lynda Geraldez in the second session. She encouraged
everyone to change the way they love, in order to transcend human love into self-giving love, as exemplified by John the Baptist,
who said of Jesus, He must increase but I must decrease. She
added, Self-giving is to deny oneself, to take up Jesus cross and
follow Him.
Ammie Alano, in the third session, affirmed that Jesus was true
God yet true man. In His humanity, He chose to love more by
laying down His life for all. Truly, there was no greater love than
this. This session prompted the delegates to reflect if she was
capable of laying down her life for others.
Tootsie Lopez, in the fourth session titled, I Will Follow

You, emphasized that loving more is serving God wherever and

whenever help is needed without seeking any reward. The women
were challenged to go farther to bring the lost, the last and the
least to God as He calls everyone to feed His lambs, tend His
sheep and feed His sheep.
It was overwhelming to see the Couples for Christ - Handmaids
of the Lord (CFC-HOLD) encouraging ordinary women to do
extraordinary acts of love for the lost, the last and the least, turning lip-service into joyful service.
There can be no holding back when people are called to follow Jesus in feeding and tending the lambs and the sheep. Lerie
Villanueva shared her struggles in following Jesus amidst her
difficulties and trials, not the least of which was learning how to
forgive her unfaithful husband and sacrificing her own desires to
do Gods will for her life for His greater glory.
The last session was a reminder that any follower of Jesus will
always testify to love for as long as he or she lives. However, no
follower is exempted from facing struggles with herself and with
the devil. Nanette Ramos, the last speaker, shared the good news
that Jesus would rescue everyone from pride, fears, the sins of the
past, inertia and attachments that keep one from loving more.
Jesus Christs victory can conquer the devils four tactics: Deception, Division, Diversion and Discouragement.
Blanchie Renomeron testified how she was able to overcome
her struggles with Jesus by her side. And, with Mother Mary
and her guardian angel as her powerful allies, Jesus rescued her
from her past painful experiences and made her a faithful servant
leader. The transforming love of Jesus restored everything that
was good in her. That goodness painted her life with a burst
of colors pink for love that is sweet and thrilling, green for
love that hopes, blue for love that is loyal and sincere, yellow
for love that is expressed in service, purple for love that hurts
but endures, orange for love that is intense, red for passionate
love, white for love that is pure and gold for love that is made
perfect in heaven.
Indeed, every word of every story in CWC5 painted Love in
beautiful colors and allowed every woman present to Love More.
(Maria Theresa Pagaduan-Cordova, CFC-Brunei member)

Mission in the Land of the

Pyramids
September 18 was a significant date for
CFC-Egypt because of the Bible Congress.
This Bible Congress was so important
to CFC Egypt because the content was
centered on the family. The presence
and involvement of the clergy and lay
people from diverse communities at
the congress and the fact that CFC is
still establishing a foothold in Cairo,
presented a great opportunity for expanding CFC presence in this part of
the world.
The CFC mission team from UAE
and Philippines, headed by International Council member George Campos
and wife Cynthia, flew to Egypt and
stayed from September 15 to 27, 2015.
It was the third CFC mission trip to
Egypt this year.
The Bible Congress 2015, which was
held at St. Joseph Catholic Church in
Zamalek, Cairo is an annual event
which started in 2010. The congress
main title this year is Family Mission
in the Bible which coincided with the
Synod on the Families and the visit of
Pope Francis to Philadelphia, USA.
A variety of lectures by various
presenters from Catholic and other
denominational circles in different
languages provided a unique learning
experience. The first lecturer was for the
Italian speaking community, which discussed The Family Today, followed
by a session in Spanish, which tackled a
topic regarding, Honoring our Fathers
and Mothers. In the afternoon, it was
mostly talks for the English speaking
community although it started out
with a single discussion in French about
Instructions for the Family. Other
English language forums centered on
Being a Father and a Brother and a talk
on Interfaith Relationship and Families which culminated in a lecture and
practical teaching on Marriage, Divorce
and Annulment in the Bible entitled
When Love gets Broken.
The organizers of the Bible Congress,
headed by Fr. Alberto Sanchez and
host Fr. John Korir, Parish Priest of St.
Joseph Church, involved Couples for
Christ for the first time. Taking into
consideration the charism of the Family
Ministry of CFC, Fr. John requested
Joel Sarmiento and his wife, Lany,
CFC-Egypt Country Head, to provide
for a lecturer/resource person to discuss
Marriage, Divorce and Annulment in
the Bible
George and Cynthia Campos gave a
talk primarily primarily anchored on
the experiences they had in the Synod
of the Families in the Vatican last year.
Through his lecture, George was able to
expound on the subject as well as introduce CFC, its vision and mission and

the work it has been doing in the area

of Family Ministry in the global scene.
CFCs involvement in the Bible Congress was not restricted to the lectures
alone. Joel, the person in-charge of
coordination with the clergy together
with the CFC-Egypt team, were active
weeks prior to the event for the preparation and during the event itself. They
provided for the logistical and technical
requirements of the congress, i.e. the
audio-visual needs of the breakout sessions and final worship for the closing
ceremony in the main church. Support
for the Bible Congress 2015 was not
only confined to those who were in
Cairo. CFC-UAE; the CFC Global
Mission Center (GMC) from Manila
also extended a helping hand. Ramuel
and Beth Garcia, CFC North Africa
Regional Coordinator, provided much
needed support with their prayers and
approval to send a mission support
team to Cairo. Additional support
was provided by the CFC Middle East
Regional Mission Center (RMC) which
organized the SFC Mission Exchange
for the second time this year.
Joel led the vibrant closing worship,
ably aided by the SFC MEX 2 from
UAE, at the St. Joseph Main Church.
The SFC MEX 2 was composed of
Gibs Mariano and Melay Gomilla
(team leaders), and mission volunteers
Cecille Catapang (SFC Abu Dhabi),
and Chanel Bruce and Rhea Dinglasan
(SFC Jebel Ali, Dubai), who were also
in charge of documenting the event.
Father John Korir ended the Bible
Congress by thanking all the people
who contributed to the event. Afterwards, a joyful fellowship dinner was
hosted by the parish for all the attendees. The Bible Congress was truly
a blessing for Couples for Christ. The
relationship that was created with the
clergy assures the sustaining support
for the mission of CFC in Cairo, expanding its reach from Maadi to Zamalek and hopefully, by Gods grace in
other districts of Cairo and the whole
of Egypt.
After the Bible Congress, the team
continued with the preparation for the
Coptic Arabic CLP to be conducted in
October by giving Evangelization and
CLP training to the CLP team and
general membership. To wrap up the
weekend, three simultaneous Pastoral
Formation (PF) teachings were held
for the Handmaids of the Lord and
Singles for Christ with the Handmaids
Enrichment Retreat (HER), Knights
Tale (KT) and Princess Diaries (PD),
respectively at the Anafora Monastery.
(Roni & Malou Rasco, CFC Eg ypt
Country Coordinator)

CFC President George Campos speaking at the Bible Congress on their Synod experience last year.

CFC Agusan del Norte turns 24

CFC Agusan del Norte, grateful for 24 fruitful years, clockwise from top: CFC Agusan del Norte leaders
with IC members & elders from Manila; Bong Bautista leading the worship; CFC local leaders ready for
the boodle fight; retired Bishop Ite Jimenez inspiring the membership in his homily.

HOLD ICore member Lynda Geraldez (left) and Bishop Cornelius Sim were among the bearers of the Good News to the women of Brunei.

The 24th Provincial Anniversary celebration

of CFC Agusan del Norte in Butuan City
last October 4, 2015 started with city-wide
motorcade, followed by the morning worship, various games competition and contests, exhortation, and a sumptuous lunch
enjoyed by everyone. The anniversary Mass
with Bishop Ite Jimenez (retired) followed.
The presentations by the various sectors
and family ministries added to the festive
mood of the anniversary. CFC President
George Campos, in his anniversary message, encouraged all to love, and love more.

The weekend was a wonderful time to

gather & affirm friendship, strengthen CFC
family, and be in the company of brethren.
Around 4,000 people were there to experience the joyful celebration.
Earlier, in the evening of October 3,
a conference for all CFC leaders of the
province was held at the SMS Gym. The
conference highlighted inputs from Campos, and the personal testimonies of his
wife Cynthia, and the Banaynal couple,
Dodong & Inday, who are long-time leaders in the area.

C4

October 12 - 25, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 21

Couples for Christ and ANCOP USA Participate

in the World Meeting of Families

CFC International Council members Joe and Babylou Tale (extreme left) , Joe and Mila Yamamoto (second from right) and Jimmy and Lorna Ilagan (extreme
right) pose for a souvenir photo with Roger Santos of CFC USA and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadephia

Couples for Christ (CFC) encouraged all of its members

across the globe to participate in the once in a lifetime World
Meeting of Families, the highlight of which was the Papal visit,
from September 22 to 26, 2015. The response was positive as
the CFC International Council, together with CFC members
and their families from across the USA, Canada, Australia, Africa and the Philippines, came as WMOF delegates, volunteers
or simple attendees in the Papal Mass.
CFC attended the Papal Mass in Philadelphia and Madison
Square Garden in New York. Roger Santos, CFC New Jersey,
was invited by the Holy See to be present for the Papal Visit
to the UN on September 25, 2015.
Aside from physical contributions, CFC-USA put up a
booth to showcase the community mission and vision to
all delegates of WMOF. The booth was open during the
WMOF Congress from Tuesday, September 22 till Friday,
September 25.
CFC USA led in the preparations for the meeting. Their
pre-event work included setting up website registration to track

all CFC attendance; booth space registration; booth structure

rental; arranging alternative hotel sites for CFC members, hosting and transport arrangements; and handling the registration
of volunteers/
The CFC USA team headed RogerSantos as over-all coordinator and Alex Algarme as Regional WMF Coordinator.
Members included Ricky Coronel, South West B Region
Head, Norby Perin, Northeast-B Regional Head and Romy
Dacayanan, Northeast-A Regional Head.
CFC-Pennsylvania was given the task to serve during the
Mass of Archbishop Tagle for all Filipino delegates.
Through the booth display and participation, CFC-USA
had good exposure to all WMOF Congress attendees who
came from 150 countries, mostly members of the clergy and
leaders of different Catholic organizations.
CFC USAs active participation and proactively offering
of support at this event made it possible for the community
to recognize its strength and value in supporting the Church
in America and in fortifying its relationship with the clergy.

CBCP Monitor

The Challenge to Plug In to the

Ultimate Power Source
Catholic communicators from different dioceses, organizations and religious
congregations, including the delegates
from the various communication groups
of Couples for Christ, gathered at the
Sta. Rosa, Laguna City Hall Auditorium
for the fourth year of the Catholic Social
Media Summit (CSMS v4.0) last October
10-11, 2015.
The event officially opened with Holy
Mass celebrated by the head of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) Media Office, Msgr.
Pedro Quitorio III, concelebrated by the
priest-delegates in the event. The Hon.
Arlene Arcillas, Mayor of Santa Rosa City,
welcomed the participants by quoting
Pope Francis: Faith does not remove us
from the world, but draws us more deeply
into it. Each of us, in fact, has a special
role in preparing for the coming of Gods
kingdom in our world. The message was
also an affirmation of what Msgr. Quitorio
shared in his homily about social media as
a responsibility and as a powerful tool to
spread Gods message to the world.
The fourth wave of the summit, organized by Youth Pinoy, invited speakers to

talk about the five focus topics: Content

management, crowd sourcing, mobile
technology, online marketing and gaming.
Sean Patrick Lovett, Vatican Radios
director of English Language Section and
the summits keynote speaker, encouraged
the participants to be effective social communicators by using what they have and
by practicing what they post. He delivered
the talk in a creative way, including a brief
sketch of how talking to God on the phone
would be like. Lovett shared, Whenever
we talk to God, (we) are the ones who
hang up. He never hangs up the phone.
One of the core messages from the summit was also shared by Rommel Lopez,
Head of Marketing, Communications,
and PR of Knowledge Channel, Inc. He
emphasized that the purpose of media is to
inform, entertain and educate.
As OMGs or Online Missionaries of
God, the challenge posed to the participants was to use social media as a tool
to spread and communicate the Gospel
and to use technology to enhance each
persons spiritual walk as he or she plugs
in to God, the Ultimate Power Source.
(Yvonne Dolorosa)

Personal Testimony

CFC at the WORLD MEETING OF

FAMILIES: Some Thoughts
The first World Meeting of Families
(WMOF) was started by then Pope John
Paul II in Rome in 1994, the International Year of the Family, to strengthen
the sacred bonds of the family unit across
the globe. That very same objective is underscored all the more 21 years since that
time because its author is now venerated
as Pope St. John Paul the Great after his
canonization by the Holy See.
This year the World Meeting of Families celebrated the theme LOVE IS OUR
MISSION: The Family Fully Alive.
Pope Francis wrote to the 2015 World
Meeting of Families that: the mission of
the Christian family, today as yesterday, is
that of proclaiming to the world, by the
power of the Sacrament of Marriage, the
love of GOD. From this very proclamation a living family is born and built, one
which sets the hearth of love at the center
of its human and spiritual dynamism...
Following the pontiffs lead, a spring of
overflowing wisdom shared by a long list
of notables touched on a variety of topics
ranging from the Image of GOD, The
Family, Marian Themes, Parents as Pri-

CFC International and National Council

representatives, regional and local members, and guests from distant lands of the
Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya, Puerto
Rico, Sierra Leone, Canada, up to the far
reaches of North America and across the
globe indicative of our worldwide family.
Stimulating workshops that offered
varied applications in order to achieve
the central theme were conducted during
the remaining half of the day.
As a CFC, I enjoyed the blessing of
having been hosted by Alex and Enely
Algarme. They were a lovely couple
with two sons and five daughters. Alexs
parents live with them in a colonial house
in the prairie. They are the typical CFC
praying family who braved the long
queues, rushed for the train, walked for
miles, stood for hours on end to hear the
Papal Mass and participate in the Festival
of Families. I practically lived out the
congress during my brief stay with them.
Their family epitomized everything that
was talked about in the sessions.
All in all, the 2015 Apostolic Journey
of Pope Francis to the United States

they will receive the same Gospel daily

lived by them. And such a family becomes
evangelizers of many families. (Dr. Scott
Hahn)
On Family life The family is the
basic unit of society, it is the gateway to
the future. The family is challenged by
forces hostile to the Christian family. The
best defense to the threat on the family is
the Christian family. (St. JPII)

CFC Plugged in, clockwise from top: KCOM with Sean Patrick Lovett, Vatican Radios director of
English Language Section; Bishop Buenaventura Famadico of the Diocese of San Pablo celebrating
Mass; Rupert Ambil II, Executive Director of Move.PH talking about the importance of social media
during disasters.

The Son rises in Quebec

VISION

We are Families in the Holy Spirit

renewing the face of the earth. The
most beautiful thing God made so
the Bible tells us was the family. He
created man and woman. And he gave
them everything. He entrusted the world
to them: Grow, multiply, cultivate the
earth, make it bear fruit, let it grow.
All the love he put into that marvelous
creation, he entrusted to a family. (Pope
Francis)

MISSION

Our two-fold mission in response to

our vision is: Building the Church of
CFC Youth Canadaupholding the Church and sharing the joy of the Gospel in Quebec

The WMOF was indeed a blessing where CFC leaders were able to take home inspiration, wisdom, and new-found friends.

mary Catechist, Unity in Multicultural

Diversity, Sanctity of Marriage, Vocations; to Respect for Life, Social Justice,
Grandparents and Great grandparents,
Celibacy, New Evangelization; even
some dealing with Divorce, Separation
and Interfaith Marriages to name a few.
To be part of the World Meeting was
like entering into another dimension of
supercharged spirituality. Imagine four
days of high Mass presided by cardinals
and bishops and concelebrated by a retinue of even more cardinals, archbishops
and bishops. Gregorian hymns were sung
in Latin by a choir in full symphonic
range accompanied by a pipe organ bellowing harmonies of heavenly worship!
The Liturgy of the Word illustrated
through exhortative homilies that culminated in Holy Communion was the daily
starter. Then came the keynote speakers
totally grace-filled, inspiring, oftentimes
hilarious yet profound, life changing yet
subtle in approach. Fine cuisine over
hearty banter was the brand of fellowship
during lunch break. Everyone would
troop to the expo for the afternoon recess
where commerce intertwined with social
networking echoed from the booths.
The logbook at our CFC WMOF
exhibit booth read like a whos who of
Gods Joint Chiefs of Staff. On the list
were high-ranking princes of the church,

segueing from the World Meeting of

Families and commencing with the Festival of Families was a powerfully glorious
master plan that heralded the message of
LOVE IS OUR MISSION: The Family
Fully Alive not only in Philadelphia but
to the farthest corner of the globe. Dr.
Scott Hahn quipped Pope Francis is the
High Definition of Pope St. John Pauls
divine initiative.
The flurry of activities gradually shifted
from best to AMAZING! As I sat down
to gather my thoughts at post conference, I asked the LORD What is your
special message to me? The revelation
came clear as a bell. I was moved to draw
parallelisms between my being a CFC
member and correlating that with lessons
from the WMOF. I picked up quotes
and paraphrases that took shape into the
following affirmation:

CHARISM

Couples for Christ is blessed with the

charism of Evangelization Pope Paul
VI said, The family, like the Church,
ought to be a place where the Gospel is
transmitted, and from which the Gospel
radiates. A family that is conscious of
this mission have all the members evangelize, as we are evangelized. The parents
not only communicate the Gospel to
their children, but from their children;

the HOME. Pope Francis, in his last

encyclical, Laudato Si, urges us to care
for our common home, and to take care
of the gifts; to be protectors of the gifts.
He so often urges us to take care of each
other. Thats why were here, to build
a civilization of love; to be that field
hospital that makes present the merciful
love of Christ. (Dr. Scott Hahn) Even
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagles keynote
speech was entitled The Family: A Home
for the wounded heart.
On Building the Church of the POOR
Everyone struggles with painful situations such as loneliness, poverty, disability, illness and addiction and unemployment. In our families and churches, we
must walk with each other in love and
support, even carrying those with great
need. Social justice is the natural progression of family love. But what are the
links between love within a family and
the Christian imperative to follow the
example of the Good Samaritan? How is
this possible in a busy, distracted, expensive world? Part of the answer lies in an
ongoing examination of conscience and
continual conversion according to the
lived example of Jesus Christ. It also lies
in developing practical habits of living as
a man or woman for others. (Cardinal
Tagle/ Prof. Helen Alvare) (Ricky Coronel, CFC SoCal)

SHERBROOKE, QC- "May our souls be

revolutionized!" exclaimed Rolando Medina,
21, as he led the opening praise and worship
at CFC-Youth's July 17-19 Eastern North
American Conference held in Bishop's
University.
Medina, a CFC-Youth Chapter Head
from Montreal, was one of the more than
700 CFC-Youth delegates from all over
Eastern North America in attendance. A
fun-filled weekend of keynote sessions,
workshops, testimonies, competitions, praise
and worship, and daily Mass, the conference
rallied the delegates to be part of the 'Love
Revolution', the conference theme inspired
by the Scripture verse, John 21:15-17.
The 2015 Eastern North American Conference was one of several conferences conducted across the globe -- in Southern California (Western North America), Belgium
(Europe), the Philippines (International),
and across the Middle East -- within a span
of weeks from each other. Delegates did not
just meet new people and make new friends.
They met brothers and sisters who are from
different cities, even countries, yet are part
of the same global community, sharing the
same Catholic faith.
This was evangelization for the Web 2.0
generation or crowd- sourced evangelization.
Sharing one's faith is no longer just through
Bible Study nights; the conference suggested
many creative ways by which faith is communicated using the audience's own language.
The CFC-Youth production team extensively
used Snapchat, lnstagram, and other social
media platforms to not only broadcast the
event, but to provide content during and
after the conference - allowing those present
or away to fully share the experience. With
hashtags such as #LoveRevo2015 and #IMLove2015, delegates were encouraged to become themselves promoters and evangelizers,
by either reposting official content or making
and posting their own - a model intended to
be brought back to their local communities
so they can continue the Love Revolution.
Keynote sessions focused on opening
minds and hearts to empower the youth to
proclaim the Good News. No punches were
pulled as the speakers touched on topics
relevant to young lives today.
"None of us can ever dream beyond
what God has planned for us. Sometimes
we forget. Sometimes we lose sight of the
love and strength God gives us. Sometimes

we lose sight of the goodness of the Lord."

Lawrence Quintero, CFC-Youth International Coordinator, explained during the
first keynote session of the conference: 'The
Truth Exposed'.
The teenagers present shared about their
loneliness and love life, about struggling with
constantly wanting more from the world, and
about constantly seeking love and affection
from others. But all of them, after going
through the struggles, found one truth - the
only true necessity is God.
Nic Escalona; International Coordinator
for the CFC Kids for Christ Ministry, led
the second session entitled 'Declaration of
Dependence'. The highlight of the session
was the compelling sharing of a young
woman who detailed her struggles, since
the age of 16, to fit in and to find herself.
She grappled through anxiety and bulimia,
fought with emotional numbness, resorted
to self-mutilation, and relied on drugs, sex,
alcohol, and partying to maintain her euphoria to escape her reality. The session taught
that whether we are at the highest or lowest
point in our lives, Christ always chooses to
walk with us, as His love is constant.
The third and fourth keynotes were led by
Yvette Malicay (Chicago) and Kevin Muico
(Toronto), lay missionaries for the CFCYouth community. Both sessions were about
the response to God's invitation and His
love for us. As the weekend wound down,
the youth learned the necessity of coming
down from a mountain, leaving behind the
safety and the joy of each other's company,
to bring the Gospel to their communities
and neighborhoods.
The biggest revelation of the weekend was
the degree of talent young people have. The
conference featured a full-scale production:
staging, projection lights, sounds, dance
routines and bands filled the main venue
for sessions and worship concerts, coupled
with the coordination of all the other competitions and workshops. It seemed like a
professional event but this was run, led,
choreographed, and animated mostly by
high school and university students.
The weekend gave the youth a glimpse
of the Church of tomorrowa Church
that is alive and thriving. The 2016 CFCYouth National Conference will be hosted
by Toronto, Canada. (Brian Vidal &
Martin Angeles, in collaboration with
Ville Marie Online)