Split rocks CfC; Meloto quits Gawad Kalinga

CHICAGO, IL — In a struggle often described in biblical terms, the Couples For Christ (CfC), one of the biggest Catholic lay organizations with membership in 160 countries, announced it has split into two, with the larger segment remaining as CfC. “It is with a heavy heart that I relay to you the Joint Statement of Frank Padilla and the CfC International Council declaring the split," Ricky Cuenca, CfC USA Country Coordinator, said in a letter obtained by Philippine News. This developed as Cuenca urged dissenters “to stop all these negative emails, accusations and personal attacks on certain leaders and all other conduct unworthy of Christian leaders." “Like Joshua, today we crossed the river Jordan under the continuing guidance of the Lord," Cuenca told the members of CfC. “Just like most of you, I had agonized and struggled with the conflict within CfC." Until the release of the letter dated August 16, the internal dissension was kept under wraps and discussed in hushed tones by members of the CfC, including in the Chicago area. Under the leadership of Padilla, the splinter group will be known as Restoration Movement. It is also referred to as the Easter Group. Padilla is one of the founding members of CfC, established in the Philippines in 1981. After 26 years of service, he resigned last February as member of the seven-man CfC International Council, the governing body of the entire organization. He reportedly quit in protest of the CfC concentrating much of its resources on Gawad Kalinga (GK). Padilla also questioned the legitimacy of the newly elected council, before officially leaving CfC last August 1. Here in the U.S., Cuenca quickly re-aligned the CfC-USA Council, replacing those loyal to Padilla, who until his resignation was overseeing the entire North America region. Joe Duran was named national director. In Chicago, Cuenca named Norman Canete to represent the Midwest in the CfC-USA Council. Canete will now face the task of keeping most of the members from further dissension, as erstwhile head Manny Hermano sided with Padilla in the dispute. Cuenca himself admitted that he agonized in his decision to stay with CfC. “Just like many of you, I had suffered in pain and agony, seeking hope for reconciliation," he said. “My direct, actual and personal experiences with both sides before, during and after the elections in Manila have also led me to this decision." Two Kingdoms In his response to the announcement, Vincent Pineda, a member of CfC with his wife Tess, sounded resigned to the break-up. “As in the Old Testament, the house of Israel was divided into the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah; so is now with Couples For Christ," Pineda said. “Who among us is with the House of Israel or the House of Judah doesn’t matter. Though the House of Israel was divided, both Kingdoms remained people of God - - brothers and sisters to one another." Cracks in the CfC leadership first surfaced when Padilla, along with two other CfC council members resigned in February. The resignation left four council members to administer the CfC until the June 22 election. According to sources within the CfC-USA, before his resignation, Padilla and his allies questioned CfC’s emphasis on GK, which is accused of working with “anti-life corporations" as well as other religious groups such as the Mormons. Padilla’s group reportedly viewed it as a distraction to the goal of CFC to recruit more members. One email message circulating in different CfC online groups asked: “Are we building God’s Kingdom (GK) villages? [Or] are we building instead altars for foreign gods of some GK partners: wives of Solomon? (Anti Life Corporations?)" In response, British national and GK volunteer Dylan Wilk wrote: “Compared to what some say about GK not bringing people to Christ, the areas where we see great numbers of people being evangelized to CfC are actually in the GK communities themselves." “If you visit any GK site, you will most likely see row after row of houses, most of which have CfC stickers on the doors. So far I have not seen that in any subdivision," said Wilk, a millionaire businessman who donated his millions to GK. He is based in the Philippines and is married to the daughter of former GK head, Tony Meloto. Meloto himself resigned as GK head in an apparent move to diffuse tension within CfC. “Our CfC members and leaders have been living in their subdivisions for many years but have not succeeded in the massive evangelization of their neighbors that GK has done in the sites," Wilk pointed out. As one of the “seven pillars," GK is under the supervision of CfC. GK promotes “discipleship of Christ" by helping the poor and providing them livelihood and decent shelter. The program has earned international recognition, as well as accolades for Meloto, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award and the 2007 Person of the Year by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. However, GK also earned scorn as it was accused of overshadowing the work of CfC. Throughout the whole saga, Meloto remained silent, even as Wilk continues to emphasize that it is through GK that “people see the Gospel being lived out that they join CfC." “It is not the house, if you listen to the testimony of almost any beneficiary, they will tell you that what changed them was the great love shown by their CfC caretaker team on a daily basis," Wilk wrote. “If every CfC member did this, we would already have seen GK777 be fulfilled and 100,000s of new members in CFC. That would be the power of we - God working through us as a Christian community." Final breakup Meanwhile, internal strife continued to brew even as the June 22 election of the CfC International Council in Manila was concluded. At issue, Padilla’s group wanted the remaining four members of the council not to seek re-election. It insisted the four were “part of the conflict," and have “lost their moral ascendancy to govern…being unable to resolve things in the Lord." Padilla’s group stood firm that the newly elected council, which counts as it members the original four, “does not have the mandate to govern." It added that because of the council’s “disrespect to the bishops," the CfC risks official Church recognition, including from the Vatican. “The Council does not have the blessings of the Church, and so does not have the blessings of God," the statement “in behalf of Frank Padilla," said. “In fact, the Council is the prime cause of our present difficulty with the Church hierarchy. The Council has endangered our relationship with our shepherds, and has threatened our very mission for Christ." The dispute eventually led to the breakup, when Padilla’s Restoration Movement formally announced separation from CfC in his July 30 and August 1 letters. Meanwhile, as head of the U.S. delegation, Cuenca said the development “gives a clear mandate for Couples for Christ USA to move on." “Although saddened by the Joint Statement of the split and its impact on the community, it may on the other hand be the best solution for greater transformation of the two groups, as a house divided will also have difficulty moving forward," he said. Cuenca also defended the seven-man international council saying they “are capable leaders, honed in the CfC culture and values. True to the leadings of the Holy Spirit, they are united, of one heart and of one mind." He urged the members to “remain and stay within Couples For Christ." “Amidst the apparent confusion, do not worry. For while there is a universe of truths, with each side taking its own slice or portion of the truth, God knows the whole truth," he said. - Philippine News