CBCP: Pray for the murderers, the blasphemers

DIALOGUE IN MALACAÑANG The Archbishop of Davao, Romulo Valles, has a dialogue in Malacañang with President Duterte, who has agreed to refrain from making statements about the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic bishops on Monday called for a day of prayer and three days of fasting for people who had blasphemed God and murdered others before a dialogue with President Rodrigo Duterte, who called God "stupid".

The President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the Philippines (CBCP), Romulo Valles, urged the faithful to always strive to be "peacemakers"

a pastoral exhortation that dealt with the President's fulminations against the Church, the murders of priests and the abuse of the clergy. "On July 16, 2018, on the feast of the Virgin of Mount Carmel … let us spend a day of prayer and penance, invoking the mercy and justice of God over those who have blasphemed the Holy Name of God, those who slander and bear false witness and those who commit murder or justify murder as a means of fighting crime in our country, "said the Archbishop of Davao, not to mention the names.

Valles then invited the faithful to three others

The Dialogue of Valles-Duterte

The head of the CBCP sat down later with the president in Malacañang to repair the divisions between the Church and the Government

. At a 30-minute dialogue, the President agreed not to make statements about the Church

"The President agreed to a moratorium on statements about the Church after the meeting" said presidential spokesman Harry Roque. in the predominantly Catholic country after calling God "stupid" in a disjointed speech of June 22 that at one point was aimed at the biblical story of creation.

The dialogue had been planned for a long time following repeated attacks by the President against the Church. abuses by priests, but in an apparent response to criticism of the clergy against the brutal repression of drugs by the administration.

St. Paul's Letter Cited

In their exhortation, the bishops invoked the letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians to respond to those who "consider the Christian faith as nonsense" and "blasphemy of God as stupid."

The stupidity of God is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength, "Valles said in the document read on national television by Caloocanian bishop Pablo Virgilio David , vice-president of the CBCP

. The abusive statements of those in authority should find wisdom in the exhortation of Jesus "to offer the other cheek," "bless those who curse you" and "pray for those who mistreat you," said the president of the CBCP

. urging the faithful to "strive constantly to be peacemakers in these troubled times."

"In these times of darkness, where there is so much hatred and violence, where the murder has become almost daily, when people are so accustomed to exchanging insults and hurtful words [on] that we urge the faithful to remain steadfast in our common calling and mission to work actively for peace. " he says

.

The President of the CBCP also stated that there was nothing new about the killing of priests for "testifying of Christ" and being "ridiculed and persecuted".

"Do not be afraid! Did not our Master say, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but can not kill the soul." Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy at one and the same time the body and the soul in Gehenna. "

The sufferings of Church leaders, however, pale in comparison with the sufferings of the poor, especially the slum dwellers are gathered for strolling to the Outside their homes, drug addicts labeled as "non-human", drug suspects killed in cold blood, indigenous peoples forced to leave their homes to avoid being caught in the crossfire, said Valles. sakit ng kalingkingan y ramdam ng buong katawan "(The pain of a body part is felt by the whole body.) Alas, this is not always true! There is no way to feel each other when some parts of the body are numb by sheer indifference, "he said.

No Plot of Destabilization [19659002] The CBCP says to be responsible for abuses Valles said the church was not there to destabilize the government and would give respect to officials who defended "fundamental spiritual and moral principles."

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