2 bishops endorse Ang Kapatiran party

Two bishops, including an archbishop who earlier said that the Catholic Church would not engage in partisan politics, have defied the Church’s non-partisan stance by openly endorsing the Ang Kapatiran (“The Brotherhood") party of presidential candidate JC delos Reyes. In an article posted on the website of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, together with Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra, said they are openly endorsing the candidacies of delos Reyes and his senatorial slate. “We will stand by our position. We really have to do something now and be sincere to what is happening in our country," Arguelles was quoted as saying. Three months ago, the Lipa prelate was also reported as saying that the Church would not endorse any particular candidate since that amounts to engaging in partisan politics. "I don't think we will endorse any person but we will endorse what he stands for. We need their platforms of government," Arguelles had said, as reported in a Vox Bikol news item dated November 19 last year. Navarra said by endorsing Ang Kapatiran he is standing for what is “right" and “necessary." “I guess it’s time for us to come out. It’s really a matter of conscience this time. That is what my conscience is telling me so I will stand for what I believe is right," Navarra said. Ang Kapatiran has been advocating platforms based on the Church's social doctrine, which includes the hardball stance of Delos Reyes against the Reproductive Health bill. The party’s public relations officer Rica Manalang said Delos Reyes felt “honored" by the bishops’ move. The CBCP leadership has yet to issue its reaction on the endorsement. But Canon law expert Archbishop Oscar Cruz said that while Arguelles and Navarra did not violate any Church law, “strictly speaking, it could be pastorally imprudent as of the moment." Meanwhile, Arguelles and Navarra have also resigned from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) because of their "bias" for Ang Kapatiran, a separate article on the CBCP website said. —JV, GMANews.TV