CBCP throws in its 2 cents on the brouhaha over Filipino death row drug mules in China

It was only a short time ago that members of the Roman Catholic Clergy of the Philippines implied that people who support the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill have no right to receive Holy Communion. Then in an outstanding display of inconsistency, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is now calling for a "storm of prayer" to be drummed up by Filipinos in support of three convicted drug mules in China who face the death sentence.

Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III chimed in as well, hinting that only in prayer will Filipinos find the light to guide their path to fulfilling their hopes and aspirations...

Catholic bishops on Friday said they are praying and hoping for a change of heart among Chinese officials that would allow the reprieve of three Filipinos facing execution for drug trafficking even as President Aquino called on all Filipinos from all religions to unite in prayer for their condemned countrymen.

“I call on all Filipinos, led by our religious leaders of all faiths to unite ourselves in prayer beginning today at sundown, at the pealing of the bell for the Angelus or during the most quiet and meditative times consistent with our respective faiths,” Mr. Aquino said in a statement read for him by deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte.

“All our prayers will soar to the heavens to touch the heart of God, the god who ‘will make a way when there seems to be no way,’” he said.

Denial of Holy Communion to supporters of the RH Bill and "a storm of prayers" to call for divine intervention on behalf of Filipino drug mules on death row in China. It seems the officers of the Roman Catholic Church have their priorities figured out, indeed.

Filipinos have always regarded themselves as "blessed" in the eyes of their Catholic God. This they attribute to the Philippines "special" place as the only predominantly Roman Catholic nation in Asia. Yet, while many Filipinos consider themselves religious, it seems unlikely that Filipinos fully grasp what it means to be spiritual.

Chances are, the average Filipino can describe how religious he or she is at a drop of a hat; in most cases, using a simple measure like how many times he/she goes to mass in a year. But measuring his/her own spirituality? For that matter, does the average Filipino know what it means to be spiritual?

Look around you. How much influence does the Catholic Church exert on Filipino lives outside of the spiritual arena? Of course, we're not a "Christianic" State, but we're by no means a "Knowledge" State either, much less a spiritual people. If you dig deep enough, you will observe these subtle influences on the very psyche of our people: our veneration of political leaders (rather than the attitude of expecting service from them, them being public servants), our attitudes towards sex and women in general, our penchant for self-righteousness, etc. In fact, our Edsa "revolutions" can be considered the modern versions of Crusades and jihads. They are blatant exercises in the use of methods to incite religious (as opposed to spiritual) fervor (which results in the alienation of other Filipino Christian sects) to create a mob psychology to move people to do "wonderous" miracles collectively.

Note that after Edsa I, Cardinal Sin was quick to stamp the seal of our Blessed Mother on the whole affair (to the point of building a huge icon in the middle of that historical site), in the process alienating other Filipinos of other faiths. An example of how the Church continues to assert its dogmatic domination of the Philippine nation.

The latest "statement" issued by the CBCP is just another page in the sad story of its on-going effort to secure its continued relevance in Philippine society.