Archbishop Rosales calls for poll discernment in pastoral letter

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales on Sunday issued another pastoral letter telling priests, community leaders and the public to organize groups evaluating candidates in the upcoming polls. "The discernment groups should study the candidates’ characteristics, track record, and public and private lives. All these should be studied carefully, with a prayer for discernment," Rosales told Church-run Radyo Veritas in Filipino. He added that every vote should be a choice of conscience and not influenced by money or threats. "The resulting choice must be accompanied by prayer. In the process and at the end of the discernment, prayer should always accompany the choice of person for leadership," Rosales said. Last week, Rosales and bishops from the Manila Metropolitan Ecclesiastical province issued their first pastoral letter giving Catholics the criteria for the ideal leader. (See: Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, other bishops issue pastoral letter on elections) The two reminders came in the wake of the Catholic Church’s criticism of Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral after her department distributed free condoms last Valentine’s Day to raise awareness on the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, which had demanded Cabral’s resignation, claimed contraceptives promote promiscuity. But Cabral has stood her ground, refusing to leave her post. The bishops have also criticized the Reproductive Health bill, which promotes the use of either natural or artificial family planning methods. The measure is still pending in Congress. Presidential aspirants like Senators Manuel Villar Jr., Richard Gordon and Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Eddie Villanueva have yet to issue a clear stand on family planning. (See: Presidential bets weigh in on RH bill) The CBCP has warned candidates supporting the bill about losing votes from the Catholic population. — SMD/NPA, GMANews.TV