Catholic Church warns 'family bill legislators': 'Dump it or else…'
Separation of the Church and the State? Not quite anymore. Catholic priests as lobbyists? That and more.
Such is now the scenario with the Catholic Church hierarchy now in seeming offensive and 'direct assault' on a number of the country's legislators.
With succeeding pronouncements cum news releases on the issue of pending "family bills" in Congress, the Catholic Church through its Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in a latest move matched its actions with a clear warning.
"Dump the 'death bills' pending in Congress, or the Catholic Church would mobilize Catholics not to vote for legislators who directly or indirectly support those bills," the CBCP in a news release yesterday said.
Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL) of the CBCP was quoted as the source of the CBCP warning.
"As the 2010 elections are getting nearer, politicians should not afford to disregard the Catholic Church's stand on the pro-life issues. Otherwise, the Catholic Church knows how to mobilize its members not to vote for anti-life politicians," Castro told CBCP news.
"Therefore, politicians and lawmakers who support anti-life bills should think twice before they pass those pending bills, he cautioned. CBCP is mobilizing and putting pressure on lawmakers to abandon "anti-life" bills, such as "An act providing for a National Policy on Reproductive Health and Responsible Parenthood and Population Development," the CBCP news release continued.
Earlier, Ozamiz Jesus Dosado issued a pastoral letter saying that politicians who push for abortion should not be allowed to receive Holy Communion.
Said pastoral letter was upheld by Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo.
"What Bishop Dosado said is based on Canon Law and we are all bound by it," Lagdameo said in an interview.
Lagdameo said there is no need for the CBCP to issue a collective statement on the issue because it is based on the laws of the Church which any bishop could exercise. In fact, he said he is also planning to issue a similar statement covering his diocese.
"It may sound very controversial but I feel that the bishop is only acting according to Canon Law," he said. "Bishop Dosado knows what he is saying because he is a Doctor of Theology."
But the prelate said refusing to give communion to those who support abortion is "a general principle which applies to all Christians and not just politicians."
He pointed out that abortion is among those considered as a "reserved sin."This means that absolution for this offense is reserve to the bishop who may delegate his authority to a limited extent to parish priests.
Lagdameo said those who support abortion even though not committing the act directly "become accessories who motivate the people to commit sin." These may include those who directly help commit abortion like medical practitioners or midwives.
Lagdameo cited three provisions of the Canon Law which supports Dosado's pastoral statement.
Canon Law 1398 states that: "A person who actually performs an abortion may (automatically) be excommunicated."
Another provision (1329.2) said that: "In the case of an (automatic) penalty of excommunication attached on an offense, accomplices, even though not mentioned in the or law or precept, incur the same penalty if, without their assistance, the crime would not have been committed..."
Refusing the giving of Holy Communion to an offender is based on Canon Law 915 which states that "Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion."
Meanwhile, Iloilo First District Representative Janette Loreto-Garin, principal author of one of the contested family bills, decried the turn of events.
"I am really saddened on the extreme reactions coming from the Catholic Church. And I appeal that we focus on the issue – it is not true that abortion is pushed nor even implied by the Reproductive Health Act. Again, this is all about safe motherhood, this is about quality life, this is about responsible parenthood, this is about choice for every woman and every Filipino family," Garin said in a TNT interview yesterday.
Asked whether she is ready to face up to the threat of the Catholic Church, Garin replied, "You know this could actually cost my reelection but so be it. Of course I am afraid of the Catholic Church's threat for I am just a mother, I am just a doctor, I am just a Catholic legislator. But this advocacy for Reproductive Health is worth it."