Bishops reminded: Endorsing bets will sow division, confusion

After some bishops made public “their personal choice" for president in the May elections, a senior Catholic bishop reminded them on Wednesday that being partisan could sow division and confusion among their flocks. The Church's duty is to help people discern which candidates to vote for, retired Bontoc-Lagawe Bishop Francisco Claver said. “We must be mindful of our influence and make sure we do not stifle people’s conscience, but that we educate it," he said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site. Real social change will come when people think for themselves and take the appropriate action, he said. “For when the people start acting in their own way and at their level against the many corrupt practices of Philippine politics, that is when the real social change takes place with the corresponding change of the values of the people," he said. Claver cited the CBCP's post-election statement in 1986 that branded as fraudulent the snap elections held that year, and declared Ferdinand Marcos’ continued rule as immoral. In that case, he said bishops merely urged people to discern and make their own actions according to their faith and moral principles. “This means only one thing: the exercise of ‘people power,’" said Claver. Claver's reminder came after Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo made a public disclosure of his preference for administration standard bearer Gilberto Teodoro Jr. Bagaforo clarified that Teodoro was only “a personal choice made public" and that he was not endorsing any candidate. For their part, Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra and Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles endorsed the presidential bid of John Carlos de los Reyes of Ang Kapatiran party. Others who followed suit for De los Reyes were Bishops Antonio Tobias of Novaliches, Bishop Antonio Palang of San Jose de Mindoro, Joseph Nacua of Ilagan, and retired Bishop Teodoro Bacani. - LBG, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV