Catholic Church aiming politics as part of lay vocation
The importance of the role of lay people in the upcoming 2010 local and national elections should not be undermined as the strong Catholic Church is aiming politics to be a part of the vocation among the laity people. The Church's role in the Philippines politics has been recognized since the 1986 Edsa Revolution.
In his homily, Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Most Rev. Angel Lagdameo reminds the participants of the celebration on the call of the Vatican II for the rigorous participation of the lay people in achieving good governance. The call of Pope Benedict XVI for politics to be a big part of the lay vocation must continually be repeated, he said.
Lagdameo, who is also the Archbishop of Jaro, officiated a concelebrated mass at the St. Anne Parish in Molo, Monday last week during the opening of the 2008 National Laity Week celebration. Aside from the delegates themselves, parishioners also came to the mass. The archdiocese of Jaro was the host of the affair. St. Anne Parish is only one of the 91 parishes under the Archdiocese of Jaro.
The archdiocese of Jaro covers 91 parishes and more or less 35 lay and Marian organizations. Jaro is considered the religious capital of Western Visayas. The district celebrates its traditional fiesta of Nuestra de la Candelaria (Our Lady of Candle) every second day of February.
Lagdameo reiterates the Pope's affirmation on the role of the laity in the temporal order and especially in politics. It is a key for the evangelization of the society. The Pope affirmed the significant aspect of the laity mission in the "exercise of politics."
It is necessary to encourage the laity to live this important dimension of social charity with responsibility and dedication in order to promote justice, honesty and defense of true and authentic values such as the safeguarding of human life, marriage and the family, said Lagdameo.
The archbishop also exhorts the seven habits of highly effective people before the laity. The seven habits of highly effective people was taken from the book of Stephen Covey. The lay people must be proactive, begin with the end of mind, put things first, think win-win, seek first to understand then to be understood, synergize and sharpening the saw.
Lagdameo said "since, in our times new problems are arising and very serious errors are circulating which tend to undermine the foundations of the religion. The moral order and human society itself, this sacred synod earnestly exhorts the laity, each according to his own gifts of intelligence and learning and to be more diligent in doing what they can explain, defend and properly apply Christian principles to the problems of our era in accordance with the mind of the church."
In an interview, Lagdameo said this year's theme of the celebration is timely for Filipinos comes the 2010 local and national elections. The significance of the theme in the 2010 elections is more of preparing the laity people in coming up with better leaders in the future. A governance where there is honesty, integrity and transparency.
The celebration for this year's laity celebration anchored on the theme: "The Laity: Primary Agents of Change, Towards Honesty and Integrity for Good Governance." The gathering was attended by some 500 lay people, lay and Marian organizations, priests, different diocese and archdiocese in the country. The different dioceses that attended the gathering are Kabankalan, Bacolod, Antique, Capiz, Kalibo, San Carlos, Romblon, Tagbilaran, Malaybalay, Malolos, Pasig, Tuguegarao, Ilagan, Gumaca, Lipa and Lucena.
The Vicariate of Peter, commits to combat corruption through active participation through active involvement in anti-graft activities and movements. "In doing so, we aim to become a lighted candle in our midst."
They also commit to promote financial transparency in our parishes, organizations, associations and Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) and to teach families of Christian values.