Duterte’s puppet in the Lower House, Speaker Alvarez, attacks the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for the latter’s official collective statement against Duterte’s deadly and cruel war on drugs. Note that it has so far killed more than 7,000 drug “suspects” since July 1 last year (less than seven months). The whole world has condemned it for being grossly violative of international human rights laws.
Alvarez says, “Sinners they are, the Catholic church has no moral ascendancy to judge what is right and wrong…They are simply a bunch of Shameless Hypocrites!”.
Read my earlier post below wherein I digested the CBCP statement. Decide for yourself if the said pastoral statement of the CBCP is “sinful, hypocritical, shameless, and wrong” as Alvarez and the whole Duterte camp malign it to be.
Filipino Catholics should not allow satanic leaders in the Philippines, like Duterte, Alvarez, et al, to destroy their democratic system and their Church. As the only Christian country in Asia, the Philippines should do its best to fight for the sanctity of the Gospel and to protect its annointed modern-day apostles. As the first republic in Asia, the Philippines should fight for its Constitution which enshrines democracy, republicanism and freedom for its people.
Excerpts from the statement of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued on February 5, 2017 and signed by CBCP president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas. The statement denounces the "reign of terror" in poor communities as President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs kills more than 7,000 drug “suspects”.
(1) "We, your bishops, are deeply concerned due to many deaths and killings in the campaign against prohibited drugs."
(2) "An additional cause of concern is the reign of terror in many places of the poor. Many are killed not because of drugs. Those who kill them are not brought to account."
(3) "An even greater cause of concern is the indifference of many to this kind of wrong. It is considered as normal, and, even worse, something that (according to them) needs to be done."
(4) Villegas then enumerated 7 teachings that support their stance:
1. "The life of every person comes from God"
2. "The opportunity to change is never lost in every person"
3. "To destroy one's own life and the life of another, is a grave sin and does evil to society"
4. "Every person has a right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty"
5. "Any action that harms another (seriously) is a grave sin"
6. "The deep root of the drug problem and criminality is the poverty of the majority, the destruction of the family, and corruption in society"
7. "To consent to and to keep silent in front of evil is to be an accomplice to it"
(5) "We in the Church will continue to speak against evil even as we acknowledge and repent [for] our own shortcomings. We will do this even if it will bring persecution upon us because we are all brothers and sisters responsible for each other."
(6) The Catholic Church "will help drug addicts" and it "stands in solidarity" with the victims”.
(7) "Let us not allow fear to reign and keep us silent."
