Peace vs mayhem

Peace vs mayhem | Daily Tribune

The Catholic Church has been placed in an awkward position by its members who support the effort to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.

Several priests and nuns, including one who had jogged his way to protest prominence, were among the signatories to the complaint which the public equated to a tacit approval by the Church leadership.

The clerics inked the first complaint as part of the yellow mob that included representatives of the civil socialites, coup plot stragglers, and remnants of the almost disintegrated Liberal Party.

A second plea was filed by the Communist Party of the Philippines fronts in the House of Representatives and their allies.

The radicals are now routing the articles of impeachment in a rehash of the railroaded process that snagged ousted former President Joseph Estrada.

The members of the clergy proclaim that they are the disciples of Jesus Christ who stand for peace while being part of the rabble-rousing group.

These false prophets should learn the way of other denominations which are the agents of harmony.

The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), in response to the simmering political temperature, plans to hold rallies not to disrupt but to affirm its stand against impeachment.

In a report on INC-run network Net25 Thursday, a representative of the religious group stated that the impeachment complaint against the country's second highest official is not a priority as there are more important issues that need to be addressed.

"The INC is for peace. We do not want conflict arising from any side. As early as now, locales of the Iglesia have organized big gatherings. This is to show our support for President Bongbong Marcos Jr.'s 'no to impeachment' opinion," the INC member said.

The President earlier said he does not support calls for the impeachment of Duterte, adding that such a move would not help the Filipino people.

Contrary to the participants of the divisive political move, a top prelate indicated that the Catholic Church's position in the leadership rift is for prayer and sobriety.

Cardinal Jose Advincula, archbishop of Manila, expressed his concern that growing political tensions were diverting attention from the needs of the most vulnerable, especially the victims of the recent typhoons.

His sober assessment diverged from that of his belligerent counterparts in the mob.

Advincula sought prayers for the nation's leaders "so that sobriety may prevail in our land and political issues and personal interests may not divide the nation."

"It is our prayer that they may have the humility to listen to each other with respect and act together for the sake of the country," Advincula said.

The cardinal also appealed to the leaders of different sectors of society, including the officials seduced by the temporal realm of politics, to work toward preventing the escalation of political and personal conflicts.

"Let us all pray for forgiveness and reconciliation, never doubting God's grace and love for His people," he said.

The Church, nonetheless, must guide its shepherds since many continue to engage in political battle and allow themselves to be used for partisan objectives.

At the Quadcomm inquisition, a priest was the source of several testimonies on the extrajudicial killings in the war on drugs.

Filipinos take pride in the Philippines being a bastion of Catholicism in Asia, with 80 percent of the population practicing the religion brought to the country by a Western conqueror.

Lately, however, the defection to alternate Christian beliefs and other faiths has increased because of the practice of some church members to dabble in politics on the pretext of being one with the sentiments of their parishioners.

Also, whenever a strange character is introduced by the yellow mob as a supposed whistleblower, it is almost certain that the person will emerge from a monastery or a convent.

Filipino Catholics are crying for divine guidance in their increasingly difficult lives which the men of the cloth should respond to instead of using the pulpit to intrude into the dirty world of politics.