THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has urged all Church institutions in the country to immediately return donations that come from so-called “morally compromised sources.”
In a letter released by the Archdiocese of Manila, CBCP–Episcopal Commission on the Doctrine of the Faith (ECDF) Chairman Bishop Jose Rojas said that if it is later discovered that funds came from wrongdoing, corruption, or injustice, the Church has a moral obligation to take appropriate corrective action, including promptly returning the donation to the rightful owners or victims, if identifiable.
“This is to prevent the public from thinking that the Church condones or supports wrongdoing. The principle is that the moral weight of the obligation to return donations of this kind depends heavily on the recipient’s knowledge and intent. Ignorance of wrongdoing does lessen culpability but does not remove the obligation to act once knowledge is gained,” Rojas said.
The prelate’s recommendation comes amid issues surrounding alleged anomalous flood control projects.
“To safeguard her moral standing, the Church needs to respond in a manner that clearly distances itself from any retrospective association with the unjust or sinful source of a benefit she has appropriated,” Rojas said.
In cases where returning donations obtained from ill-gotten sources directly to the original victims or rightful owners is impossible or impractical, Rojas said redirecting the funds to causes of justice or charity is the proper option.
“By so doing, the Church is able to address or remediate the harm caused by the wrongdoing,” he said.
Rojas added that another option for the Church is to support restitution or reparation efforts, such as contributing to organizations or funds dedicated to compensating victims or repairing damages caused by the original wrongdoing.
“The principle is that when return is legally or practically impossible, redirecting prevents the Church from benefiting unjustly or perpetuating scandal. It is a way of making amends and expressing contrition and solidarity with victims. It helps restore the moral order, in keeping with the requirement of justice that what was lost or harmed,” Rojas said.
Regarding immovable assets obtained with the help of questionable donations that cannot be returned, Rojas said the continued possession or ownership of such assets by the Church may be justified if they are redirected for public use or other reparative or restorative purposes, such as public benefit programs, education, health, and anti-corruption education.
“It is impractical, for instance, for a Church edifice to be demolished simply because the funds used to build it came from the donor’s wrongdoing or misdeed. In this instance, a public explanation that the donation was received in good faith is in order, and gratitude is redirected instead to the rightful anonymous donors — the taxpayers,” he said.
The CBCP official said any corrective action undertaken must be accompanied by a public apology for having benefited from a morally compromised donation.
“By such reparative act, the Church aligns herself with the victims of that injustice. She acknowledges that accepting tainted wealth, even unknowingly, may perpetuate harm or mask suffering,” Rojas said.
The ECDF issued the letter after the CBCP received requests for guidance on the “matter of moral and pastoral concern regarding donations to the Church” from those involved in alleged irregularities in government flood control projects.
The CBCP was asked whether to accept or decline donations when the source is morally doubtful, and how to responsibly deal with infrastructure projects already completed using funds later found to be linked to corruption or irregularities. (Anton Banal / SunStar Philippines)