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Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Bishops reject Arroyo impeachment
MANILA -- They still want to know the truth but, for now, the country's influential Roman Catholic bishops refused to join President Arroyo's opponents in backing a new impeachment bid against her.
The church, which has rarely been shy about influencing Philippine politics, has treaded carefully into the yearlong turmoil surrounding vote-rigging and corruption allegations against the President.
In a statement after a two-day retreat, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said it respected "the position of individuals or groups that wish to continue using the impeachment process to arrive at the truth."
At the same time, it said that, "in the light of previous circumstances, we are not inclined at the present moment to favor the impeachment process as a means for establishing the truth."
The statement reflected the bishops' position last year, when Arroyo's allies in the House of Representatives cited a technicality to throw out a bid to impeach her and the clergy refused to join calls for her ouster but also urged her not to ignore them.
The bishops said the impeachment process and the mind-set of both sides must be guided only by genuine concern for the common good.
Otherwise, the new impeachment effort will "once again serve as an unproductive political exercise, dismaying every citizen and deepening citizens' negative perception of politicians, left, right and center," they said.
The bishops also urged reform of the fraud-tainted Commission on Elections, saying that calls for "resignation or even prosecution of a number of the commissioners should not be lightly brushed aside. The electoral process, including counting of votes, needs to be reformed and modernized before the next elections."
Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, the president of the conference, said earlier that the gathering would discuss the latest papal encyclical in which Pope Benedict XVI delineates the role of the church in politics.
Lagdameo has repeatedly said the principle should not be used to restrict the church from politics "when moral and Gospel values are at stake."
The bishops reiterated their opposition to a petition campaign endorsed by Arroyo for a "people's initiative" to change the Constitution, saying the action was "open to manipulation by groups with self-serving interests."
"We reiterate what we said in January: Elections in 2007 must not be cancelled. While we agree that certain aspects of the Constitution need amendments and revisions, we do not support any hasty efforts to change this fundamental law of the land without the widespread discussion and participation that such changes require," said Lagdameo.
They also condemned a series of unsolved killings targeting left-wing activists and attempts to secularize family values.
The latter was apparently in response to recent government moves to introduce sex education in schools.
Vatican representative and Archbishop Fernando Filoni, who attended the CBCP plenary assembly, supported Lagdameo saying that apart from educating the faithful, it is also important that they teach their priests on the significance of the consultation being done by the nunciature.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, for his part, said Malacañang welcomes "and ponders with humility and sincere appreciation the moral counsels" from the CBCP as their statement "offers many points of agreement and shared objectives between the government and church."
CBCP member and Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, who filed one of four impeachment complaints against the President, said he is satisfied with the decision of the CBCP.
Some administration officials last month criticized Iñiguez when he co-signed one of four fresh impeachment bids against her, amid calls for the church to stay clear of politics.
But Iñiguez's colleagues stood by him, and the bishops said in a statement last month that they respected his personal opinion and rejected suggestions that they sanction him.
Arroyo's top aide, Michael Defensor, said the bishops' main interest should be to address morality and spirituality.
"The CBCP has already stated that the church does not meddle in government and political affairs," he said last week.
But the bishops countered that the church "cannot ignore the corrupting effects of injustice and sin," and said it was their duty "to renounce wherever sin is present."
A source from the CBCP said that last Sunday night, Malacañang invited some bishops to a dinner "apparently to influence the possible outcome of the pastoral statement."
The source said the Palace invited the bishops to a dinner twice, with the first taking place before the CBCP's official retreat last week.
Lagdameo confirmed that there was indeed a dinner but he was not one of those bishops who attended the gathering.
"While I know Malacañang had invited some bishops to a dinner, I truly do not know what they discussed," he said.
But Lagdameo and CBCP vice president and Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma see nothing wrong in meeting up with allies of President Arroyo even if they were discussing political issues. (AP/MSN, JMR of Sunnex)
(July 11, 2006 issue)
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