AS CHURCH officials criticize priests who reportedly keep firearms for their own protection, a priest in the Archdiocese of Cebu says owning a gun can be helpful.
A competition shooter for many years, Fr. Marty (not his real name) said that for him, a pistol is not meant as a tool to harm others, but for use in a healthy and liberating sport that helps relieve stress.
Fr. Marty agreed to be interviewed by SunStar Cebu on the condition that he remained anonymous. He admitted that he is one of seven priests in Cebu who legally own firearms.
But while they own firearms, Fr. Marty said they don’t keep them for personal protection, but for competition purposes.
Fr. Marty said he is a competition shooter and has been in the sport since he was a young man.
“My father and uncle, who were both gun owners, influenced me to practice shooting. Nindot man gyod ni ang feeling kon maka-firing ka, makatabang siya og release og emotion (It’s a nice feeling to fire a gun, it helps release emotions),” Fr. Marty said.
His love for competition shooting followed him even during his days as a young priest.
Fr. Marty said that before, he would use his father’s old gun whenever he was in a firing range to practice his shooting.
But when he started joining competition shooting, Fr. Marty decided to buy his own gun.
He currently owns a STI .40 caliber pistol.
But despite being a licensed gun owner since his younger days, Fr. Marty has never told any of his fellow priests that he shoots for a hobby. He said he sought the permission of the late Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal before he decided to proceed with the sport.
“Nananghid gyod ko ato ni Cardinal. I told him nga wala koy intention nga mamusil og tawo but for competition and leisure only (I asked permission from Cardinal Vidal. I told him I don’t intend to use the gun to shoot people),” Fr. Marty said.
Even though he was mugged before, Fr. Marty never used his skills or his gun for self-defense. He urged his fellow priests not to buy guns just for their personal protection.
Fr. Marty believes threats from disgruntled parishioners are part of their work as priests.
“Whether we like or not, naa gyoy dili makauyon sa atong wali o sa atong pagdala sa parokya. Pero dili na rason nga magdala-dala ta og pusil kay ang threats sa kinabuhi part man na sa atong mission (There will always be parishioners who don’t like us because of our homilies or the way we handle the parish. But it’s not a reason to own a gun. Receiving threats is part of our mission),” Fr. Marty said.
Earlier this week, over 200 priests and pastors from different religious denominations requested the Philippine National Police (PNP) for permits to carry firearms outside residence.
The number of priests requesting for PTCFOR spiked following the murder of three priests since December. (JKV)