THE PHILIPPINE CHURCH AND POLITICS: A CALL FOR CONSISTENCY
Keywords:
Catholic Social Teaching, Democracy, Human Rights, Partisan Politics, Philippines, Reproductive Health Bill, SexualityAbstract
The leadership of the Philippine Church uses a dual approach to political engagement. When speaking on social justice issues in the public sphere, the bishops engage the government using modes of discourse consistent with Catholic social teaching principles. However, when speaking out on national issues related to human sexuality and family life, church leaders use a coercive approach. They insist on imposing Catholic teachings on the general population and engage in partisan politics in violation of Church teaching. The inconsistency of the bishops’ dual approach to politics has led to the diminishment of their moral authority and prophetic voice in Philippine society. Unless church leaders adopt a consistent approach to political engagement that recognizes the plurality of faiths in Philippine society and respects the freedom of conscience of all citizens, they will lose their credibility as moral guides in the social and political lives of Filipinos.
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Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life, 24 November 2002, #571.
Eleanor R. Dionisio, “Catholic Partisanship in the 2013 Elections: ‘Churchifying’ Democracy or Democratizing the Church?,” Philippine Sociological Review 62 (2014) 11-40.
Eric Marcelo O. Genilo, “Church Power and the Reproductive Health Debate in the Philippines,” in Doing Asian Theological Ethics in a Cross-Cultural and Interreligious Context, Yiu Sing Lucas Chan, James F. Keenan, and Shaji George Kochuthara, ed., Bangalore: Dharmaram Publications, 2016, 1044-1055.
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Youngblood, “President Ramos,” 11.
Aloysius Lopez Cartagenas, Becoming a Leaven of Society, Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 2014, 56.
Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 25 December 2005, #28, #29.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Standing Up for the Gospel of Life, 2008, http://cbcponline.net/standing-up-for-the-gospel-of-life/, accessed 20 September 2020.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Statement on Civic Responsibility, 9 July 1970 in Pedro Quitorio, comp. and ed., Pastoral Letters, 1945-1995, Manila: Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, 1996, 330.
CBCP, “Securing our Moral Heritage: Towards a Moral Society,” 24 July 2020, http://cbcponline.net/ securing-our-moral-heritage-towards-a-moral-society/, accessed mon 6 October 2020.
CBCP, For I find no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies – oracle of the Lord God (Ezekiel 18:32), 30 January 2017, accessed on 20 September 2020, http://cbcponline.net/for-i-find-no-pleasure-in-the-death-of-anyone-who-dies-oracle-of-the-lord-god-ezekiel-1832/
CBCP, Freedom to Choose Candidates, 13 March 2007.
CBCP, Joint Pastoral Letter of the Catholic Hierarchy of the Philippines on the Visit of the Holy Father, 22 September 1970 in Francisco, “People of God, People of the Nation,” 333.
CBCP, Moral Ethical Dimensions of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform, http://cbcponline.net/moral-ethical-dimensions-of-the-comprehensive-agrarian-reform/, accessed on 20 September 2020.
CBCP, Pastoral Exhortation on Philippine Politics, 16 September 1998.
CBCP, Post-Election Statement, 13 February 1986, accessed on 21 September 2020, http://cbcponline.net/post-election-statement/
CBCP, Proclaim Life… In Season and Out of Season, 22 July 2011, http://cbcponline.net/proclaim-life-in-season-and-out-of-season/, accessed on 20 September 2020.
CBCP, What Is Happening to Our Beautiful Land?, 29 January 1988, accessed 21 September 2020, http://cbcponline.net/what-is-happening-to-our-beautiful-land/
CBCP, Your Brother’s Blood Cries out to Me from the Ground! (Gen 4:10): On the Killing of Voiceless and Defenseless Lumads, http://cbcponline.net/your-brothers-blood-cries-out-to-me-from-the-ground-gen410/, accessed on 20 September 2020.
Charles Curran, “Catholic Social and Sexual teaching: A Methodological Comparison,” Theology Today (January 1988) 425-440.
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life, 24 November 2002, #571.
Eleanor R. Dionisio, “Catholic Partisanship in the 2013 Elections: ‘Churchifying’ Democracy or Democratizing the Church?,” Philippine Sociological Review 62 (2014) 11-40.
Eric Marcelo O. Genilo, “Church Power and the Reproductive Health Debate in the Philippines,” in Doing Asian Theological Ethics in a Cross-Cultural and Interreligious Context, Yiu Sing Lucas Chan, James F. Keenan, and Shaji George Kochuthara, ed., Bangalore: Dharmaram Publications, 2016, 1044-1055.
Eric Marcelo O. Genilo, “Crossing the Line: Church Use of Political Threats Against Pro-RH Bill Legislators,” in Hapag 7, 1 (2010) 63-77.
Eric Marcelo O. Genilo, “Epilogue: The Church of PCP II After the RH Bill Debate,” in The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines: Quo Vadis? Agnes Brazal et al., ed., Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2015, 177.
Esperanza Cabral, “Reproductive Health Law in the Philippines,” Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies 28, 1 (May 2013), https://asean-endocrinejournal.org/index.php /JAFES/article/ view/48/471, accessed on 1 October 2020.
Francisco, “People of God, People of the Nation,” 356.
GMA News Online, “CBCP Chief: No Threat of Excommunication vs Aquino,” https://www.gmanetwork. com/ news/news/nation/202368/cbcp-chief-no-threat-of-excommunication-vs-aquino/story/, accessed 1 October 2020.
Jamaine Punzalan, “Duterte Calls Catholic Church “most hypocritical institution,” https://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/05/22/16/duterte-calls-catholic-church-most-hypocritical-institution, accessed on 2 October 2020.
John XXIII, Mater et Magistra, 1961, #236.
Jose Mario C. Francisco, “People of God, People of the Nation: Official Catholic Discourse on Nation and Nationalism,” Philippine Studies 62, 3-4 (2014) 341-375.
Paterno R. Esmaquel II, “Duterte vs the Church: Do the Times Call for a Catholic Vote?” https://www.rappler.com/ newsbreak/in-depth/duterte-vs-church-do-times-call-catholic-vote, accessed on 2 October 2020.
PCPII, Acts and Decrees, # 362-363.
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 2 April 2004, #169.
Raymund Jose G. Quilop, “Religion and Politics in the Philippines,” in The Politics of Religion in South and Southeast Asia, Ishtiaq Ahmed, ed., Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2011, 163.
Robert L. Youngblood, “President Ramos, the Church, and Population Policy in the Philippines,” Asian Affairs 25, 1 (1998) 3-4.
Second Plenary Council of the Philippines [PCPII], Acts and Decrees, #358.
SunStar Manila, “CBCP Official Pushes for ‘Catholic Vote,’” https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/ 1794795/Manila/Local-News/CBCP-official-pushes-for-Catholic-vote, accessed on 2 October 2020.
Synod of Bishops, Justice in the World, 1971, #40.
Ted Regencia, “Philippines’ Duterte: ‘Kill those useless bishops,’” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/ 2018/12/05/philippines-duterte-kill-those-useless-bishops/, accessed on 2 October 2020.
Youngblood, “President Ramos,” 11.
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Published
2020-12-01
How to Cite
Genilo, E. M. O. . (2020). THE PHILIPPINE CHURCH AND POLITICS: A CALL FOR CONSISTENCY. Asian Horizons, 14(4), 874–886. Retrieved from https://dvkjournals.in/index.php/ah/article/view/3623
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