Church shares blame for violent hostage crisis — priest

The Catholic Church may have to share the blame for the violent outcome of Monday's hostage crisis in Manila where eight tourists from Hong Kong were killed , a Catholic priest admitted Tuesday. Fr. Samuel Canilang, director of Institute for Consecrated Life in Asia, said the Church failed to instill basic human and Christian values. "The Church has failed, although it is trying its best, to cope with the situation of poverty and helplessness that led to desperation," Canilang said in an article posted on the Union of Catholic Asian News website. Such failure to inculcate “basic human and Christian values" extended even among Church members, he said. On Monday, dismissed policeman Rolando Mendoza took several Hong Kong tourists hostage for 11 hours inside a bus in Manila. He was killed in a police assault. Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. lamented the growing number of hostage-taking incidents in the country. "This kind of violence is a little bit alarming," said Iñiguez, head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Public Affairs Committee. Armando Ducat Jr., a former hostage-taker, said he understood Mendoza’s motivations. In 2007, Ducat and a companion, armed with a grenade and Uzi rifle, seized 26 day-care children and four teachers. They were demanding free education for children and housing for poor families in Manila’s Tondo district slum. Ducat said he understood Mendoza’s frustration in not having his grievances addressed. He added he did not regret his actions. HK Christians pray for victims In Hong Kong, meanwhile, Christians and fellow citizens offered prayers to victims of the Manila hostage drama, the UCAN said. UCAN also reported more than 220,000 Facebook users have supported a call for prayers and paid tribute to the victims. Some Christians also appealed to "love the sinner and hate the sin" in response to some Internet postings attacking Filipinos. Jackie Hung Ling-yu of the diocesan Justice and Peace Commission said she was concerned about growing anger against Filipinos in the wake of a travel warning for the country. While condemning the violence, Hung said the incident showed the "incompetence and brutality" of the Philippine police. "We can see how life is unworthy in this country. How can the Filipinos rely on these police to protect their lives and properties?" asked Hung, who has participated in a fact-finding mission on extrajudicial killings in the Philippines in 2007. The United Filipinos in Hong Kong, a non-government organization for migrant workers, has called for a thorough investigation. "The question of whether the crisis could have handled better and faster should be resolved. All actions taken by negotiators and police operatives must be examined to the last detail," it said in a statement. - KBK, GMANews.TV