Amazing, says priest of people’s expression of devotion to Calungsod

The people’s expression of faith and fervor of their devotion to the new Filipino saint was truly astounding, noted a Church official.

                     

The fervent devotion shown by the faithful during the “Duaw Nasud” was truly a religious experience, said Fr. Marvin Mejia, assistant secretary general of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

As the pilgrim statue of St. Pedro Calungsod visited dioceses across the country, people welcomed the image with much fervor and devotion, Mejia said.

He said people were really happy that St. Pedro Calungsod came to visit their place.

“There’s joy in their faces, the expression of faith, sense of veneration to Pedro Calungsod, really expressed through gestures, through wiping of handkerchiefs, waving of flags, the desire to touch the statue,” he said.

Mejia accompanied the pilgrim image during the Duaw Nasud to the Visayas and Mindanao.

The priest expressed amazement on the people’s expression of devotion towards the young Filipino saint.

“People are lining along the route, waving flags or branches as a sign of welcome, opening their arms in welcome; saying prayers while the motorcade was passing along – whatever time it was whether it’s night, people were there with torches, people are assembled in the cathedral, in hundreds or in some instances, thousands,” he said.

The Duaw Nasud first visited 18 dioceses in the Capital Region, Southern and Northern Luzon and Bicol provinces before it proceeded to visit another 18 dioceses in Visayas and Mindanao.

Mejia noted a greater number of young people among those who welcomed the statue during the Duaw Nasud.

When asked about the effect of the teen saint on young people, the priest said, “Pedro could be a patron to the young, and I think that it is natural now that the young people especially catholic youth may be embracing him as one of his own.”

But he emphasized the need for a continuing catechesis and formation among the faithful, saying that veneration and devotion are good but they are not enough.

“This popular expression of faith should be deepened through catechesis and formation to lead the faithful to worship Christ,” he said, adding that he sees it as a “challenge to the Church especially in this year faith.”

Mejia happily noted that their objective of having introduced Pedro Calungsod through the Duaw Nasud has paid off.

“I think Pedro Calungsod is now a household name, even the young kids, even in Mindanao. I think he is now known, thanks also to the media, but the Duaw Nasud was really on the ground,” he said.

The “Duaw” was first launched in the archdiocese of Cebu in 2000 after the beatification of Calungsod to introduce the Blessed to the Cebuanos.

Mejia proposed the same idea on a nationwide scale to generate awareness and drum up devotion to the new Filipino saint.

The priest said they also printed hundred thousands of prayer cards to establish the cult to the saint.

Mejia also stated that some of the places visited during the Duaw Nasud pointed to some historical elements that can be associated with Pedro Calungsod.

He cited the visits to Pampanga, Cavite, and other places in the Visayas that claimed links with Calungsod.

“For example there was a companion from Pampanga so we went to Pampanga, in Intramuros where Diego San Vitores and his companions were jailed, and the wharf in Cavite, so we went to Cavite, then some places in the Visayas in Molo where Pedro Calungsod was welcomed home as one of their own.”

St.Pedro’s image visited key cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao from October 26 until November 26.

From its last stop in Talibon, the image arrived in Cebu and proceeded by motorcade to St. Pedro Calungsod Shrine. Shortly after, it was brought by motorcade to the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the first Triduum Mass.

On November 28, the image was brought by motorcade to the Metropolitan Cathedral for the second day of the Triduum Masses.

St. Pedro’s image on Thursday was brought by motorcade from the Cathedral to the newly built Chapel of St. Pedro Calungsod at the South Road Properties.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma consecrated the newly-built chapel during a Mass at 3 p.m. today with Cebu Archbishop-emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and other bishops and clergy concelebrating. (CBCPNews)

Pope highlights Church’s universality at consistory

Focusing on the catholicity of the Church as his theme, Pope Benedict XVI created six new Cardinals during a consistory held at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, November 24.

Through the words “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church” which they professed during the consistory the new cardinals proclaimed their solemn fidelity to the one Church founded by Jesus Christ.

“Only by professing and preserving this rule of truth intact can we be authentic disciples of the Lord,” the pope said in his homily.

Pope Benedict on November 24, eve of the Solemnity of Christ the King, bestowed the red hat and ring on six new cardinals, all of them non-Europeans.

As observers noted, the non-inclusion of Europeans among the new set of cardinals has leveled somewhat the playing field in the College of Cardinals increasing the number of non-European cardinal-electors to 58.

The creation of six new cardinals raised the number of cardinal-electors, those eligible to vote in a conclave to choose the successor of Pope Benedict to 120, of this, 62 are Europeans.

The six new “Princes of the Church” come from North and South America, Africa and Asia and represents both the Latin rite and the rite of Eastern Orthodox churches: Archbishop James M. Harvey, Prefect of the Papal Household; His Beatitude, Bechara Boutros Raï, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch in Lebanon; His Beatitude, Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum in India and head of the Syro-Malankara Church; Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria; Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogotá, Colombia; and Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila in the Philippines.

Stressing that the Church is not of a single group but embraces the whole of humanity, the “universality of the Church,” the pope said, “flows from the universality of God’s unique plan of salvation for the world.”

He said it is “within the context and the perspective of the Church’s universality” that the College of Cardinals is situated: “it presents a variety of faces, because it expressed the face of the universal Church.”

“In this Consistory, I want to highlight in particular the fact that the Church is the Church of all peoples, and so she speaks in the various cultures of the different continents. She is the Church of Pentecost: amid the polyphony of the various voices, she raises a single harmonious song to the living God,” the pope said.

With their elevation to cardinals, the new princes of the church were given titular churches in Rome to indicate their bond and intimate link to the See of Peter.

The pope said the rite “expresses the supreme value of fidelity”, thus reminding the new cardinals of the significance of the consistory in the Church.

The Cardinals during consistory are given a ring to symbolize unity, and a red biretta to signify their willingness to die for Christ and His Church.

Kneeling before the pope to be bestowed with the red biretta and the ring, each new cardinal proclaimed the words, which, according to the pope have profound spiritual and ecclesial significance: “I promise and I swear, from now on and for as long as I live, to remain faithful to Christ and his Gospel, constantly obedient to the Holy Apostolic Roman Church.”

The red biretta, said the pope, is a reminder that “you must be ready to conduct yourselves with fortitude, even to the shedding of your blood, for the increase of the Christian faith, for the peace and well-being of the people of God.”

The pope also consigned each cardinal with a ring “accompanied by the admonition”: “Know that your love for the Church is strengthened by your love for the Prince of the Apostles.”

As the pope’s closest advisers, among the main duties of the Cardinals is to call a conclave to elect a new pope when the papacy becomes vacant. (CBCPNews)

Cardinal Tagle receives red hat

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle received the red hat and ring, symbols of his membership in the College of Cardinals from Pope Benedict XVI during a solemn consistory held St. Peter’s Basilica on November 24.

The consistory which elevated six cardinals, including Tagle, reflected the universality of the Catholic Church because of the varied locations where the new cardinals came from.

In his homily during the consistory, the pope highlighted the catholicity of the Church, situating “within the context and the perspective of the Church’s unity and universality” the College of Cardinals as it “presents a variety of faces, because it expresses the face of the universal Church.

“In this Consistory, I want to highlight in particular the fact that the Church is the Church of all peoples, and so she speaks in the various cultures of the different continents.She is the Church of Pentecost: amid the polyphony of the various voices, she raises a single harmonious song to the living God,” the pope said.

The six new Cardinals hailed from six different countries in North America, Latin America, Africa and Asia: Archbishop James M. Harvey, Prefect of the Papal Household; His Beatitude, Bechara Boutros Raï, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch in Lebanon; His Beatitude, Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum in India and head of the Syro-Malankara Church; Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria; Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogotá, Colombia; and Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila in the Philippines.

Fidelity

The three-cornered hat bestowed on the cardinal is a symbol of a cardinal’s readiness |to lay down his life for the gospel, at the same time signifying his rank in the Church that qualifies him to elect a pope. A Cardinal is also called a “Prince of the Church.”

Reminding the new cardinals of their fidelity to the Church, the pope said “today’s rite expresses the supreme value of fidelity. Indeed, the oath that you are about to take, venerable brothers, contains words filled with profound spiritual and ecclesial significance: “I promise and I swear, from now on and for as long as I live, to remain faithful to Christ and his Gospel, constantly obedient to the Holy Apostolic Roman Church”. And when you receive the red biretta, you will be reminded that it means “you must be ready to conduct yourselves with fortitude, even to the shedding of your blood, for the increase of the Christian faith, for the peace and well-being of the people of God”. Whereas the consignment of the ring is accompanied by the admonition: “Know that your love for the Church is strengthened by your love for the Prince of the Apostles”.

The new cardinals will also be assigned a “titular church” in Rome, formally making them members of the diocesan clergy of Rome.

The pope said “the titles and deaconries of the churches of Rome will remind you of the bond that joins you, as members by a very special title, to this Church of Rome, which presides in universal charity. Particularly through the work you do for the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, you will be my valued co-workers, first and foremost in my apostolic ministry for the fullness of catholicity, as Pastor of the whole flock of Christ and prime guarantor of its doctrine, discipline and morals.”

Tears

Tagle couldn’t hold back his tears when the pope bestowed on him the red biretta and the cardinal ring. Later, in an interview with romereports.com, Tagle said: “I cry easily, and I guess when you are before a great mystery that you know is beyond you, a calling, a grace, a mission, then, you know, you  tremble, but at the same time you’re happy.”

At 55, Tagle is the second youngest cardinal of the Catholic Church after Archbishop Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal of India, who is 53 years old.

He is the seventh Filipino cardinal following Rufino Cardinal Santos, Julio Cardinal Rosales, Jaime L. Cardinal Sin, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Jose Cardinal Sanchez and Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales.

Today’s consistory brought the number of cardinal electors to 120― those under 80 years of age who are eligible to vote to elect a new pontiff.

Tagle was installed Archbishop of Manila on December 12, 2011 succeeding Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales. He was the bishop of Imus since December 12, 2001.

Born in Manila on June 21, 1957, Tagle took his Philosophy and Theology at the Ateneo De Manila University’s San Jose Major Seminary.

He was ordained to the priesthood on February 27, 1982, at the age of 25.

From 1985 to 1992, he was sent for further studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. where he earned his Doctorate in Sacred Theology.

Since 1997, Tagle has been a member of the International Theological Commission of the Vatican. In 1998, he was as an expert at the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Asia that took place in Rome.

During the recent synod on New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Faith, the pope appointed him vice president of the Synod’s Commission for the Message. (CBCPNews)

Local folks reject SMC’s coal plant, mining projects in Malita

Tagakaulos perform a dance during a celebration.

Residents of a local community in Malita, Davao del Sur have called on local government officials to protect their welfare against threats of development aggression pushed by a giant conglomerate.

Local communities in Malita are strongly opposing the entry of Global Power Corporation and Legenda Mines, both subsidiaries of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), in their areas.

SMC Global Power Corporation plans to build a 600MW coal-fired power plant in Culaman, Malita, Davao del Sur allegedly for the benefit of the local community, while Legenda Mines plans to do a mining exploration, and eventually operations on the area.

Local folks oppose the move asserting the coal plant and large-scale mining would only “bring more harm than good to the people and environment of Malita.”

In a petition letter signed by Malita Tagakaulo Mission (MATAMIS) of the Diocese of Digos, it declared “that coal energy and large scale mining threaten our hopes for a sustainable future for our children.”

“It is unacceptable that we be made to suffer the harmful effects of a coal-fired power plant in our municipality with the knowledge that environmentally friendly solutions in the form of clean renewable energy are widely available and readily deployable,” part of the petition read.

To cool down its boilers, a 600MW coal plant would need 30,000 drums of fresh water per day or 10,950,000 drums per year.

Drawing such large amount of water everyday would deplete the freshwater supply of the Malita river and compete with the community’s water consumption, the group said.

It also added that the waste water used from cooling the boilers and dumped into the sea would cause irreparable damage to the coastal and marine life along Davao gulf.

Green coal or clean coal technology presented by SMC is highly deceptive, the group furthered, as coal produces large quantities of cancer causing agents and emits heavy metals like mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium that can cause severe or permanent damages to body’s vital organs.

  

The communities also asserted, the primary goal of the SMC proposed power plant is not to provide energy to Malita but to other entities that are in need of huge power supply like mining companies.

Mining operations on ancestral lands

Legenda Mines, Inc., a sister company of Global Power Corporation is set to conduct mining explorations covering eight barangays in Malita that are home to Tagakaulo people.

The petitioners said large scale mining will displace the Tagakaulo communities of Malita, destroy their way of life, and bring irreversible damage to the environment.

They called on the government to do its duty to protect the rights of the local communities to live in a “balanced and healthful ecology” in their ancestral lands, ensuring their economic, social and cultural well being.

“It is unacceptable that the Tagakaulo are deceived into giving up the rights to their lands by the very same government agencies mandated to protect them all in the name of development,” the group said.

Some members of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and LGU officials have acted as go-betweens to get the free and prior informed consent (FPIC) from the communities.

The group deplored the “anomalous” manner the FPIC was obtained in one barangay, saying it “may be indicative of the probable irregularity with which government agencies had conducted consultations in all the barangays targeted by the project proponent.”

It said the local government must prioritize and support green and pro-people investments, instead of pursuing investments that have the potential to harm society, peace and order, and the environment.

“We demand that the provincial government of Davao del Sur and the municipal government of Malita take immediate action to truly protect the well-being of our communities by immediately cancelling the coal-fired power plant and mining projects of SMC Global Power Corporation and Legenda Mines,” the group declared. (CBCPNews)

Still No to amended RH Bill

In an apparent move to get the approval of the Catholic Church for the passage of the controversial reproductive health bill, Congress has amended some of the most contentious provisions of the measure to soften its anti-life stance.

But Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes, in a statement said, despite amendments the Church remains firm in its stand against the measure because of provisions which it considers inimical to life.

“Our aim in [opposing] HB 4244 is to protect not only the good of Catholics but the good of all, Catholics and non-Catholics,” he stressed.

Reyes is the chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

“Despite some good amendments, this latest version remains harmful because of the bad provisions that are still there,” Reyes said.

The latest version of House Bill 4244, the bishop pointed out, has not veered from its promotion of artificial methods of birth control, of which the Church is very much against.  

“In fact, the promotion of contraception is a constitutive or an essential part of this latest version [of the bill],” he said.

The Catholic Church has always promoted the use of natural methods for family planning as against the use of artificial contraception which it considers “intrinsically wrong”.

Amended paragraph

Among those amended in the controversial bill is the third paragraph of Section 2—Declaration of Policy―which promotes universal access to reproductive health care services, methods and devices.

The latest version prohibits “reproductive health care services, methods, devices and supplies” which prevent the implantation of a fertilized ovum. 

But Reyes said that although “it limits the giving of ‘free reproductive health care, services, and supplies to the poor and marginalized,’ this does not make the bill acceptable because it is wrong to promote contraception and give free contraceptives whether to the rich or the poor.”

He also said that contraception, as history has shown, brings “physical and moral harm in its train.”   

“We remain steadfast in our position: the poor does not stand to gain anything from contraceptive use.  Poverty cannot be solved—neither fully nor partially—by contraceptive use and its promotion,” Reyes stressed. (CBCPNews)