Editorial: Mud begets mud

THERE'S an interesting development in Bacolod City where giant posters of Team Buhay and Team Patay hung in all churches as the Church's attack on those who supported the Reproductive Health Law. That is, the circulation through text messaging of a Team Tatay list, a list of priests who have begotten children despite of their vow of celibacy.

All that Bacolod Vicente Navarra could say is that the act, is very unchristian; in apparent presumption that all Filipinos are Christians.

But then, the Archdiocese and the archbishop should have seen that coming; except for their short-sightedness and desire to throw the first stone thus earning them a hail of stones and mud from everywhere.

That's all it takes, really. It's human nature.

We've been kids and we've been young before, and we know how pillow fights start. We also know how food fights start. Even those water fights in the beach or the pool. In all instances, all it takes is one aggressor to set off a fight and most of the time it's the one who started it all who is peppered by all.

The Catholic Church in Bacolod fired the first shot. There was silence at first, and so they shot more. From just the Cathedral, they put up the same giant posters in all other churches in sheer defiance of the regulations for sizes of campaign posters; and getting the Supreme Court at their side for that.

Now they appeal for understanding?

They will not get it; definitely not. For no one can ever talk to an angry mob.

What is left for them to do is take down those posters and return to their ministries; to preach the word of God without hatred, without rancor, and live the life Jesus Christ has demanded of them. But most of all, they have to make it a must for priests to leave the service once they've broken the vow of chastity because ordinary Catholics hold them in high regard for their celibacy. That is the only way they can truly lead their flock with full sincerity and expect the same sincerity to be returned. It's much like starting a pillow fight really.

Having seen how this kind of campaign can backfire, we just hope that dioceses in our part of the world will not do as the ill-advised archdiocese of Bacolod has.