Palace hopes to revive RH talks with new CBCP leaders

Malacañang is hopeful that the election of new leaders of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will pave the way for the resumption of dialogue between the two parties regarding the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill. “We will have to see the new frame of mind of the new CBCP leadership. We have always been open to continuing the dialogue with them," said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte on Sunday. The CBCP pulled out from the talks last May due to what then-CBCP president Nereo Odchimar said was “prevailing circumstances where a healthy atmosphere for dialogue on the matter was wanting." On Saturday, the CBCP elected Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma as its president, with Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, former spiritual adviser of the late President Corazon Aquino, as vice president. The RH bill currently pending in Congress has drawn strong opposition from the Catholic Church and other religious groups. The Catholic Church accepts only natural methods of family planning while the RH bill promotes both natural and artificial methods of contraception. Valte said Malacañang does not have any rift with the Catholic Church despite the flak the bishops are getting for allegedly receiving sports utility vehicles as donations from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). She said the PCSO issue was raised by the Commission on Audit, which is a constitutionally independent body, and not by the Palace. “The rift is not true. We may have differing views on certain issues. We have no problem with them. We are not singling them out. We see no problem with the Church as an institution," Valte said. Valte said the CBCP’s release of Pope Benedict XVI’s message backing the bishops’ stand on the RH and divorce bills was “expected because those are really their stand on that particular matter." “We will not comment anymore on why they came out with it at this particular time," she added. The Pontiff’s letter addressed to Odchimar, which was signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, read: “He (Pope Benedict XVI) encourages the bishops in their efforts in defense of the value of each human life, of the sacredness of marriage, and of the family." - KBK, GMA News