They may have agreed to undertake a joint information drive with the government on family planning, but Catholic bishops are not dropping their opposition or even declaring a Christmas truce against the reproductive health (RH) bill in Congress. In Negros Occidental, Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra ordered homilies against the RH bill delivered during the "Simbang Gabi" (Dawn Masses). Fr. Felix Pasquin, Bacolod Diocesan Commission on Social Communications head, said Navarra issued the instructions in Circular Letter 2010-015. "(Make the people aware that) together with them we have our common stand in the diocese: We object to the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill as a law," said a report posted on the news site Visayan Daily Star on Thursday. The Catholic Church hierarchy has been vocal against the RH bill which allows the use of artificial contraceptives. Navarra ordered the use of a booklet, “Homily Guide for Aguinaldo and Christmas Masses" from December 16 to January 2, 2011. In his circular, Navarra said human life in contemporary society "is under siege by all forces of evil and the culture of death." “Our firm belief as Catholic Christians is that God is the author and creator of life; that life begins at conception/fertilization; that life is sacred and must be respected from womb to tomb; that man and woman are mandated agents in the transmission of life; that any artificial means to prevent the transmission of life is against the law of nature (God’s will) and therefore immoral," he said. Navarra said for Catholics, any action that directly or indirectly destroys and kills life is against the Fifth Commandment and therefore is immoral. He said the orientation of the RH bill is towards:
the legalization of abortion; the use of abortifacients; the promotion of the use of artificial birth control; encouraging young people to have sex without worrying about pregnancy. The bishop said he considers the proposed law coercive because it violates true religious freedom that defends the truth based on Natural and Divine Law. He said it is against the Philippine Constitution, which mandates that the State shall protect the right of the unborn from conception which begins at fertilization. Navarra also said the bill also provided for the use of contraceptives that are hazardous and dangerous to the health and life of the mother. Worse, he said the proposed measure promotes the massive production of contraceptives and abortifacient drugs and gadgets. In Manila, Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines secretary general Msgr. Juanito Figura said the joint information drive will not influence what he called the "ongoing legislative process." “This will not influence or be biased to the ongoing legislative process," he said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site. On Wednesday, representatives of the CBCP met with government officials in Manila to discuss ways to address the population growth problem. Both sides agreed to carry out a joint information campaign on family planning. Figura said the plan includes the distribution of information materials on various methods of family planning. “We agreed that we will come up with information materials that will provide well-rounded information to our people about the concerns on responsible parenthood and reproductive health," he said. “We also agreed that the government will not use itself as an instrument to enforce or violate the conscience of the people about these issues," he added. Figura said Catholic Church leaders will continue talks with government officials and gather the opinion and sentiments of stakeholders. However, Figura said the information material from the joint effort will include warnings about the possible effects on the health of the people. “Information will state whether a particular method does not conform to the teachings of the church and its health risks," he said. “When we say full information it will both be the advantages as presented by the makers of the contraceptives and the disadvantages and the risks of taking those contraceptives," he added. Contentious issue The RH bill has been a contentious issue in the country because it pits two powerful sectors against each other: pro-life groups (such as Catholic and Muslim groups opposing the RH bill) and pro-choice groups (led by non-government organizations supporting the RH bill). The Catholic Church promotes only natural family planning and is opposed to the use of artificial birth control methods such as condoms and birth-control pills, saying these could lead to promiscuity and a rise in abortion cases. However, RH advocates say natural family planning methods have not proven to be as reliable as artificial means of birth control. – VVP, GMANews.TV 
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