RSSThe bishop of Jolo, who has been strongly criticized by local Muslims, has urged lay Catholics to take the lead in the Church´s social apostolate.
Oblates of Mary Immaculate Bishop Angelito Lampon, addressing the Feb. 22 assembly of Jolo vicariate, said Muslim suspicion against him and the local Church is among the “challenges” the Church must address. He urged the 47 Religious and lay Church workers present to develop lay leadership to fulfill the Church´s mission of total human development without stirring up fears among Muslims.
Jolo vicariate, based in the provincial capital of Sulu, serves Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. Both archipelagic provinces belong to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Catholics comprise only 2 percent of the more than 1.1 million predominantly Muslim people in the area covered by the vicariate.
Some local Muslim leaders have accused Bishop Lampon and the local Church of failing to involve local ulama (Islamic scholars) and other leaders in organizing the general assembly of the Bishops-Ulama Conference (BUC), held last November in Jolo. BUC was established in 1996 for the two religions to work toward peace and development in Mindanao.
In a Dec. 19 letter to the president of the Catholic Bishops´ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), 24 Muslim political, religious and civic leaders claimed Bishop Lampon and Jolo vicariate “betrayed us through their sly means.” They also cited the Church´s use of an indigenous Tausug title to celebrate the feast of the vicariate´s patron, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in 2006. They accused the Church of using “deception” to get Muslims to attend the feast.
Signatories wrote that they are from Jama´a Lupah Sug, a group of Muslim religious leaders, Islamic school teachers and other professionals, as well as youth and student volunteers, and civic organizations.
The January CBCP plenary in Manila discussed the letter and listened to Bishop Lampon´s explanation. The CBCP, which has no authority to appoint or retire bishops, referred the complaint to the BUC, which also received a similar complaint shortly after its November assembly.
Addressing the Jolo assembly at Our Lady of Mount. Carmel Cathedral here, Bishop Lampon urged laypeople to take initiative in Church action and cited Basic Ecclesial Communities and the parish pastoral council as venues for such action. He also said he is searching for a layperson to head the vicariate´s pastoral planning office and announced he had delegated Church worker Celina Unding to represent him in the BUC.
Bishop Lampon also said supporting migrant sea and coastal dwellers in the area and illegal migrant workers deported from Malaysia is another challenge for the local Church.
Other challenges he discussed include better use of two Church radio stations to “deepen the spirituality of stewardship on ecological concerns,” such as stopping sea pollution and use of dynamite in fishing.
Finally, “I challenge you to seek ways to deepen the understanding of the Mindanao peace process,” he said, asserting that interreligious dialogue is the responsibility of all Church members.
Later speaking privately, Bishop Lampon said the Church has no intention to convert Muslims. Rather, he stressed the Church must collaborate with local communities to address poor governance, lack of basic social services, high illiteracy and poverty. If not, he warned, the peace and order situation will continue to deteriorate, and kidnappings for ransom, human right abuses and armed conflicts will increase.
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