Pope lauds PHL bishops’ efforts vs contraception, corruption

Pope Benedict XVI has encouraged Filipino bishops to sustain their fight against corruption and attempts to promote contraception in the Philippines even as he praised them for their efforts on these matters. The Pope relayed the message to Filipino bishops during an audience at the end of their “ad limina" visit to Rome last Monday. “I commend the Church in the Philippines for seeking to play its part in support of human life from conception until natural death, and in defense of the integrity of marriage and the family," the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) quoted the Pope as saying in an article posted on the Manila Archdiocese website Wednesday night. He lauded them for promoting truths about the human person and about society "which arise not only from divine revelation but also from the natural law, an order which is accessible to human reason and thus provides a basis for dialogue and deeper discernment on the part of all people of good will." The Pope also noted with appreciation the Church’s work to abolish the death penalty in the Philippines. “In these areas you are promoting truths about the human person and about society which arise not only from divine revelation but also from the natural law, an order which is accessible to human reason and thus provides a basis for dialogue and deeper discernment on the part of all people of good will," he added. Philippine Catholic Church leaders are at loggerheads with supporters of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill pending in Congress. The RH bill allows artificial contraception in a bid to slow down the country’s population growth. According to the CBCP, the bishops noted that the Church is not against population control if the sanctity of human life is protected. Instead, they recommended that government funding on contraceptives be directed towards anti-poverty, anti-hunger, and educational projects. The CBCP has endorsed natural family planning as one such birth control method. Corruption Pope Benedict XVI also stressed the commitment to economic and social concerns, especially for the poorest and the weakest in society. He lamented that many Filipinos remain without employment, adequate education or basic services. "And so your prophetic statements and your charitable action on behalf of the poor continue to be greatly appreciated," he told the Filipino bishops. "In addition to this effort, you are rightly concerned that there be an on-going commitment to the struggle against corruption, since the growth of a just and sustainable economy will only come about when there is a clear and consistent application of the rule of law throughout the land," he added. Promoting just, social order The Pope cited generations of zealous Filipino clergymen, religious and laity who have promoted an ever more just social order. He also said it is not surprising that such work touches upon issues relevant to the political sphere. "This is not surprising, since the political community and the Church, while rightly distinct, are nevertheless both at the service of the integral development of every human being and of society as a whole. For her part, the Church contributes most toward the building of a just and charitable social order when, 'by preaching the truths of the Gospel, and bringing to bear on all fields of human endeavor the light of her doctrine and of a Christian witness, she respects and fosters the political freedom and responsibility of citizens,'" he said. Also, he said the Church’s prophetic office demands that she be free "to preach the faith, to teach her social doctrine ... and also to pass moral judgments in those matters which regard public order whenever the fundamental human rights of a person or the salvation of souls requires it." Social communications, media Pope Benedict XVI said the Church must always find her proper voice through social communications and the media. "The task set before the whole Catholic community is to convey a hope-filled vision of faith and virtue so that Filipinos may find encouragement and guidance on their path to a full life in Christ. A unified and positive voice needs to be presented to the public in forms of media both old and new, so that the Gospel message may have an ever more powerful impact on the people of the nation," he said. "It is important that the Catholic laity proficient in social communications take their proper place in proposing the Christian message in a convincing and attractive way. If the Gospel of Christ is to be a leaven in Filipino society, then the entire Catholic community must be attentive to the force of the truth proclaimed with love," he added. - KBK, GMANews.TV