RETIRED Court of Appeals justice Gabriel Ingles has publicly questioned the Archdiocese of Cebu’s decision to assign Msgr. Roberto Alesna as chaplain of the San Pedro Calungsod Chapel, saying the move raises issues of timing, necessity and the proper use of pastoral assignments.
Ingles, in a letter to Archbishop Jose Palma dated Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, said he was responding to the Archdiocese’s July 11 communication, signed by Msgr. Renato Beltran Jr. on behalf of the archbishop.
The letter, which was also published in SunStar on Aug. 4, stated that Alesna’s appointment was prompted by the urgent need to complete the long-delayed Divine Mercy Center in Garing, Consolacion, his proven track record in fundraising and financial oversight and the lack of facilities at the Consolacion site, making the chapel a temporary base of operations for his team.
“Why is the Divine Mercy Center considered a matter of grave urgency only now?” Ingles asked, pointing out that years have passed since its groundbreaking “with little visible progress.”
He noted that the action coincides with Archbishop Palma’s “imminent retirement” and questioned why the task was given to “a just retired monsignor.”
He also asked if lay Catholics could handle the project “even better and without any compensation.”
While the Archdiocese emphasized that Alesna’s assignment was managerial and “not pastoral,” Ingles said chaplaincy, by definition, is a pastoral role.
“The chapel regularly administers sacraments such as Mass, confessions, baptisms and weddings. A full-time priest is required to serve the spiritual needs of its community,” he said.
“It is difficult to reconcile the idea that fundraising and financial coordination should justify taking over a pastoral post.”
Ingles also questioned why the San Pedro Calungsod Chapel was needed as a home base, saying the Archdiocese owns seminaries, convents and administrative offices that could serve as venues for planning.
“The Archbishop’s own boardroom would be a fitting and appropriate venue. Is it truly necessary to assign an entire chapel for what is essentially an office function?” he said.
He further pointed out that other retired priests, such as Msgr. Rommel Kintanar, continue to promote the Divine Mercy devotion without being assigned to a chaplaincy.
He also flagged what he called inconsistencies in limiting the appointment to three years if it is tied to the completion of the Consolacion project, asking whether it would end early if the work finishes ahead of schedule or be extended if it is delayed.
“Never should the end goal justify the means,” Ingles wrote.
He added in his final thoughts that never should a head of the Church undermine both the spirit of canon law and the trust of the clergy and faithful he has long served in order to accomplish the goal of building a big one in honor of the Divine Mercy.
Quoting Tagbilaran, Bohol Bishop Abet Uy, who has been appointed by Pope Francis to replace Palma, he added: “Sometimes, the greatest evil is not what is done, but what is allowed because good people remain silent.”
Ingles said his objections are rooted in his lifelong adherence to the commandments to love God and to love one’s neighbor principles that guided him as a Christian lay leader and during his years on the bench. / CAV