- CHERYL G. CRUZ
The upcoming local and national elections and the crafting of a pastoral statement will be among the top agenda items when Catholic bishops gather online in plenary assembly this week.
Msgr. Bernardo Pantin, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said the meeting will bring speakers from a range of sectors to discuss election issues.
“The discussion aims to gather points and ideas that can be included in the statement,” Pantin said in a CBCP statement, adding that the initial plan is to release the document by early February.
The virtual meeting will be presided over by Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, who assumed the CBCP presidency last month.
David will be assisted by Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara of Pasig, the CBCP’s new vice president.
This will be the third time that the plenary assembly will be held online because of mass gathering restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pantin added that the bishops will also discuss and come up with strategies to strengthen environment and climate actions.
Discussions on the topic will be led by the Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace, also known as Caritas Philippines.
The plenary assembly, which is the highest decision-making body of the country’s Catholic Church leaders, meets in regular session twice a year in January and July. The bishops’ permanent council acts on decisions on behalf of the CBCP when the plenary is not in session.
Currently, the CBCP is composed of 86 active bishops, two priest administrators, and 41 honorary members who are retired bishops.
Meanwhile, as the May election approaches, Christian leaders called on voters to stand against the “powers of darkness” that seek to hold the nation in their grip.
The call was part of a statement issued for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022 by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and the CBCP.
Signed by NCCP general secretary Bishop Reuel Norman Marigza and Archbishop Angelito Lampon of the CBCP Commission on Ecumenical Affairs, they urged the electorate to insist upon “servant leadership” from those seeking their votes.
“With elections only months away, we must all take courage to work together, honoring life and God’s creation,” the bishops said.
“In these trying times, we must also guard against the powers of darkness that will seek to defraud, deceive, and destroy God’s intended goodness for the Filipino people,” they added.
In Christian unity, they said that Christian’s prophetic voice and firm stand for Christ-like conduct and life-affirming principles “will enable us to join with other Filipinos in discerning who should lead the country”.
“As a community that evangelizes through active participation in the democratic process, we can lead by example, reflecting Christ’s love and joining in a journey toward our desired future, where justice, righteousness, and peace will take root and God’s Shalom will flourish among us,” they added.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international Christian ecumenical observance annually between Jan. 18 and Jan. 25.
The bishops stressed the importance of this year’s observance, and invited the faithful to “unite in solidarity with the most vulnerable among us. The Filipino people are in need of accompaniment and aid in these difficult times,” they said. | NND
