- NIDA A. BUENAFE
Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon said the Diocese of Bacolod is undergoing a renewal in its presbyterium, or among its priests, and it is adopting safeguarding guidelines for minors and vulnerable adults, which he admits “has certainly shaken us and radically affected the status of some of our brothers”.
In his Easter Message, released through the official Facebook Page of the diocese, ADSUM Diocese of Bacolod, Buzon said that the general reshuffling of assignments of the priests that was announced April 6 on Chrism Mass at the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City, was an opportunity not only to re-organize the diocese, but more importantly, to renew its presbyterium.
“The journey `ad intra’ is an inner journey into ourselves personally as priests, and communally as a presbyterium. It is essentially an invitation to conversion. We cannot lead our people on their journey to God if we ourselves do not know the way to him and are disconnected from him,” Buzon said.
He also shared that after their recent annual retreat, they conducted a three-day Pastoral and Financial Assessment Conference, and they succeeded in putting in place a financial system and a digitalization program for the diocese.
Buzon said that the decision to implement the standard living allowance (SLA) among priests was a total surprise for him since the SLA had long been mandated by the Second Diocesan Synod in 2004 was never implemented since then.
“The decision to implement the SLA is a concrete manifestation that the spirituality of stewardship and the sacramental brotherhood have finally taken root in our presbyterium. It marks a shift from the past culture of clericalism (ang pari ay hari), entitlement, individualism, and turfism to a culture of stewardship, responsibility, accountability, and transparency,” the Bacolod bishop said.
On the Safeguarding Program of the diocese, Buzon said that it is the diocese’s way of caring for the Lord’s flock, particularly the weak and vulnerable, and that the Protocol for the Protection of Minors is now well in place in the diocese down to the parochial level.
“We see this as a painful and necessary step towards the purification and renewal of our presbyterium. The protocol is about creating a safe self, a safe ministry, and a safe community in the Church. Thank God, this conversion has helped us move from a culture of silence, denial, cover-up, and impunity to a culture of care, accountability, justice, and compassion,” Buzon said.
He stressed that the outcome of the recent synodal presbyterial journey in the diocese is so overwhelming that to call it a “little easter” would be an understatement.
“It is a conversion clearly manifested in our deeper commitment to the spirituality of stewardship and to our sacramental brotherhood,” Buzon said./NAB
