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Saturday, November 12, 2005
Santander residents air gripes to Vidal’s rep
Chruch investigations are often confidential. But this did not stop at least 15 Santander parishioners from expressing their complaints against their parish priest Jovencio Rabusa.
The parishioners aired their grievances to Fr. Raul Go, whom Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal sent to the southern Cebu town Thursday to investigate a complaint against Rabusa.
Parishioner Anita Cadao had written to Vidal that Rabusa denied her 81-year-old father a burial at the Santander Catholic Cemetery. Rabusa also allegedly denied the old man his last confession and the sacrament of the anointing of the sick.
The reason was that her father Nicolas Bigno and mother Procopia had stopped joining the basic ecclesiastical community (BEC), Cadao said.
Follow policies
Rabusa, for his part, said he only asked Cadao and her family to follow policies observed in a selda (a small unit in a BEC).
One of the policies was to seek clearance from selda unit heads first.
When Go was in town Thursday afternoon, he was surprised to know he had been called to a gathering of parishioners with complaints against Rabusa.
Go refused to talk about what the residents told him, as church investigations are “strictly confidential.” He said the matter is administrative in nature and people involved should not be treated like crime suspects.
“I was surprised that when I went to visit the town, the people there were already gathered. But because they are important, I listened to them. But this is not how our investigation is done,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
Go said Vidal asked him to go to Santander to validate Cadao’s complaint by talking to those involved in the issue.
Respect priest
“But we have to respect nga luoy pud ang pari (Rabusa) if we discuss the investigation, considering that the group that I talked to is not entirely reflective of the sentiment of the whole community,” Go said.
Go said he followed the Canon Law in the investigation. After listening to Rabusa and the parishioners involved, Go will submit a written report to the Cardinal. It is then up to Vidal to decide on the matter.
Go said Rabusa is open to the investigation and is will accept whatever Vidal’s decision is. He is also willing to reconcile with the parishioners.
“This case is more of an issue of a lapse in procedure. There may be things that would have to be changed if need be,” Go said.
Neighboring towns
Earlier reports said the Catholic cemetery also doesn’t accommodate burials of non-Catholics, Catholics with live-in partners or those married in civil rites. Their families have to go to the neighboring towns of Samboan and Oslob for the burial.
It was also reported that burial in Santander’s Catholic cemetery costs P6,500, which could be too much for a small town like Santander.
This year, Mayor Wilson Wenceslao put up a P4-million public cemetery. (JGA)
(November 12, 2005 issue)
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