Our pollies publicly calling some Pinoy Catholic bishops and their stand on the populationand reproductive health bill as "stupid" is a refreshing piece of news.
The country's body politic is growing up and becoming mature. The country will have to debate issues on an informed platform without the threat of sanction if we are to face serious environmental problems head on.
The politicians save for the incumbent Malacanang tenant have finally realized that there isn't a Catholic vote in this country.
That the bishops have to resort to denial of Holy Communion instead of intelligent debate shows how ill equipped they are to respond to these challenges. Benedict XVI would not renounce any of Church's teachings (I support that!) but wouldn't just deny communion to anyone on mere perception and hype alone. That's why Benedict gave communion to an American politician at Mass in Washington DC. Catholic conservatives claimed that this politician was "anti-life". We just have to leave it to that politician and his God when he meets him face to face. Benedict left it at that.
The Philippines is not a Catholic country. It is a multireligious nation that respects freedom of worship as a fundamental right. If the bishops want to kill the bill, then it should catechize its flock properly and let their consciences be informed enough when they cast their ballots. Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr is dead on target when he said that politicians are interested only in votes and not the Magisterium.
Threats of interdict won't do any good at all. Informed debate is what can give us a consensus.
The Pinoy electorate has learned to dump illusion peddling movie stars at the ballot box. Now it has come to a point of maturity when it can now dump ministers of religion at the same box.
The country's body politic is growing up and becoming mature. The country will have to debate issues on an informed platform without the threat of sanction if we are to face serious environmental problems head on.
The politicians save for the incumbent Malacanang tenant have finally realized that there isn't a Catholic vote in this country.
That the bishops have to resort to denial of Holy Communion instead of intelligent debate shows how ill equipped they are to respond to these challenges. Benedict XVI would not renounce any of Church's teachings (I support that!) but wouldn't just deny communion to anyone on mere perception and hype alone. That's why Benedict gave communion to an American politician at Mass in Washington DC. Catholic conservatives claimed that this politician was "anti-life". We just have to leave it to that politician and his God when he meets him face to face. Benedict left it at that.
The Philippines is not a Catholic country. It is a multireligious nation that respects freedom of worship as a fundamental right. If the bishops want to kill the bill, then it should catechize its flock properly and let their consciences be informed enough when they cast their ballots. Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr is dead on target when he said that politicians are interested only in votes and not the Magisterium.
Threats of interdict won't do any good at all. Informed debate is what can give us a consensus.
The Pinoy electorate has learned to dump illusion peddling movie stars at the ballot box. Now it has come to a point of maturity when it can now dump ministers of religion at the same box.
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