Church will 'never surrender' - Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma

The Philippine Roman Catholic Church will "never surrender" even if President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III approves the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) Bill being debated in the Philippine Congress. This is according to Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.

The Roman Catholic Church of the Philippines is in the middle of an "all-out war" against the RH Bill and some of its officials had recently gone on record to incite acts of civil disobedience and tax boycotts in the event the bill is passed...

“Let [President Aquino] charge all of us bishops, priests, religious, all the faithful with sedition,” he said

“It is better to obey God rather than men and immoral laws,” added [Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes].

To that quaint threat, Palma now makes a reconciliatory statement that exhibits the astounding inconsistency and lack of coherence in the way the Catholic Church communicates with its flock...

Still, he said, in case the bill is approved, Palma underlined that the Church will urge its followers to “live according to their personal convictions and continue to respect the Government.”

Declared the Cebu archbishop, “We will continue to pay our taxes regardless of the bill’s outcome.”

Palma stressed that while churchgoers are given the freedom to discuss their belief and support the bill, they should consider it their sacred duty to take part in making decisions.

Every word the Roman Catholic Church issues on the matter of Philippine Reproductive Health contributes to the progressive erosion of its credibility as far as the liberal license it grants itself to comment on matters of the State.