|
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Carvajal: Well done?
By Orlando P. Carvajal
Did Pope Benedict XVI really say “well done” to President Arroyo after she handed him a copy of the law abolishing the death penalty? If he did, it must be one of those diplomatic gestures that say one thing and mean another.
For how can the Pope honestly say “well done” to the President when he must have known that death is being imposed daily with impunity by individuals who judge and kill political rivals, known criminals, journalists, and activists?
It is obvious that the abolition of the death penalty is for show, intended to get PGMA in the good graces of the Church, perhaps. It is definitely not because she is for respecting human life and for giving convicted criminals a chance at rehabilitation. If she were, she would have started by giving a chance to the victims of killings so rampant in this country today.
The lesser evil or the more “well done” thing would have been to retain the death penalty in our justice system but stop the killings done by unknown individuals. This is pure and simple anarchy and a dangerously big step backwards in our nation’s march towards higher levels of civilization.
When we order a steak in a restaurant and we want it well done we mean we do not want to see any blood on our steak. That’s how well done should mean also in the death penalty issue.
Well done should mean no more blood is being shed in this country from killings perpetrated by, so far, unknown individuals. I wonder how many unsolved killings there are in the country. We know that in Cebu there are more than a hundred kills by vigilantes that remain unsolved. And PGMA is definitely not doing anything about it.
But back to the Pope. Does he extend the same “well done” remark to his bishops for the way they are not speaking strongly enough against the killings?
Yes, they are against the death penalty imposed by the government. They are also vehemently against abortion, which is what amounts to a death penalty on an unborn child. This is, of course, easy for them to do.
But why do they find it so hard to speak out more clearly and less sporadically but more unceasingly, so to speak, against all the killings being done by vigilantes, the police, the military, the political and business personalities?
The Church should, in fact, more clearly and less ambiguously speak out against all the evils of present day society in the Philippines. They are the guardians of morality and should, therefore, come out with guns blazing, so to speak, against everything immoral in society whether in business, in politics, in the home or even in the church.
One can’t really tell anymore if the Pope really said “well done” to PGMA or this is just in the imagination of PGMA’ spin doctors. But we know better. She is not doing well and she is far from being well done.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 30, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
