UCA News
Contribute

Philippine bishops pledge to prioritize poor

Catholic faithful say the prelates are still far from achieving a Church of the poor
Catholic bishops from the Philippines seen at the National Synodal Consultation held in Tagaytay City, Cavite province, south of Manila, on July 4-7

Catholic bishops from the Philippines seen at the National Synodal Consultation held in Tagaytay City, Cavite province, south of Manila, on July 4-7. (Photo courtesy Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines)

Published: July 12, 2022 10:30 AM GMT
Updated: December 29, 2022 10:39 AM GMT

Catholic bishops in the Philippines have vowed to accelerate evangelization by being with the poor and reaching out to all sections of society but lay Catholics remain skeptical in the absence of a concrete plan of action.

“We open doors for us all to go out and set forth once again for mission – to seek out those who are far, different, excluded; to encounter, listen and dialogue with our brothers and sisters of different denominations and faith; to explore possibilities for positive engagement in the areas of ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, politics and social media,” said the bishops in a statement on July 11.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines released their reflection on the National Synodal Consultation with the lay people held from July 4 to 7 in Tagaytay City in the Cavite province, south of Manila.

The synodal consultation is in preparation for Pope Francis’ synod of bishops at the Vatican in Rome in 2023.

The prelates said the meeting made them look for, listen to and call to love not only those within but outside the Catholic Church.

“It brought us joy to see the persevering faith of our people; the dedication of our ministers, the increasing dialogue of action within and with others,” the statement said.

Although there were success stories, the prelates also saw challenges such as the Church's relationship with the poor.

“It caused us sadness seeing we are yet far from our dream of a Church of the poor, and hearing the yearnings and groans of those distant from the Church. We saw gaps and closed doors in our work of evangelization,” they added.

Some Catholics, however, felt that the bishops’ statement seemingly lacked concrete details on how Catholic leaders could be with the poor, especially those victimized by graft and corruption.

Several parishioners thought there was nothing new in the statement except the prelates’ efforts to meet with several lay organizations, which they said did not represent the poorest of the poor.

“Yes, it makes any Catholic happy to know that our bishops have realized that they are yet far from their dream of being a Church of the poor. But the bigger question is what are they going to do about it?” Manila parishioner Gerry Balbuena told UCA News.

Balbuena said reading the statement sounded like the Catholic hierarchy in the Philippines wanted to change the world without offering a concrete step to help those who are poor.

“Obviously, they cannot do everything that they had written. No Catholic can. What we need to hear are concrete and reasonable plans, especially with the kind of government leaders that we have now,” Balbuena added.

An anti-Marcos group said Catholic bishops should not be afraid to be labeled “partisan” or as “meddling with politics” if it concerns the fight for human rights and for clean government.

“Many of Marcos, Jr.’s trolls attacked our bishops for being partisan when they said that supporters of the Marcos family were engaged in historical revisionism. We hope our bishops could come up with statements on how to defend the truth and to shun corruption in government,” Pasig parishioner Godofredo Habaen told UCA News.

Help UCA News to be independent
Dear reader,
Lent is the season during which catechumens make their final preparations to be welcomed into the Church.
Each year during Lent, UCA News presents the stories of people who will join the Church in proclaiming that Jesus Christ is their Lord. The stories of how women and men who will be baptized came to believe in Christ are inspirations for all of us as we prepare to celebrate the Church's chief feast.
Help us with your donations to bring such stories of faith that make a difference in the Church and society.
A small contribution of US$5 will support us continue our mission…
William J. Grimm
Publisher
UCA News
Asian Bishops
Latest News
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia