The Catholic Church bastion of Moral Values in the society corrupted of Sin and Impurities.
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In today’s Philippine Daily Inquirer (October 5, 2010), columnist Conrado de Quiros lauded protester Carlos Celdran’s act of desecrating Manila Cathedral and disrupting the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as “brilliant.” De Quiros went on to “canonize” Celdran for having “done this country the not inconsiderable service of drawing its attention to the real problem, which is not just reproductive health but the health of the country itself.”
The issue is no longer about reproductive health but the proper limit of protest and dissent. To De Quiros, it is alright to violate the law as long as you are able to dramatize your protest against the Church and its prelate. It is perfectly justifiable for you to disrupt the liturgical services of a religion and bring your protest inside the confines of its sacred temple as long as that religion is the Catholic Church.
Journalists, like De Quiros, are known to be jealous of their rights. But when it comes to the Catholic Church’s right not to be molested or disrupted in its religious services, De Quiros would hear none of that. This is hypocrisy and double standard in the highest order.
To follow de Quiroz’ logic to the extreme, the terrorists who attacked the Twin Tower on September 11, 2001 were justified in doing so. Those terrorists were exercising their freedom of expression anyway. Like Celdran, they wanted to effectively send their message across. To be consistent, De Quiroz should praise those terrorists to high heavens for jolting the US to its senses.
It is clear that to De Quiroz, the end justifies the means. He sanctions taking the law into your own hands. He approves of lawlessness and commission of a crime as long as it is directed to “unaccountable” prelates.
Another columnist who lambasts the Church and its leaders at every opportunity is Rina Jimenez David. For David, “the arrest and incarceration of Celdran speaks of the lingering vestiges of Church power and influence in this country.” David forgot that Celdran violated the law and he was arrested by elements of the police in flagrante delicto. Celdran committed a crime, plain and simple, for which her was arrested and detained. The “lingering vestiges of power and influence” of the Church has nothing to do with it. By deploring the arrest and incarceration of Celdran, David clearly wants impunity for the criminal acts of her pro-RH Bill champion. She condones violation of the law as long as it is directed against the Catholic Church.
It is obvious by now that we can express our opinion, dissent and protest, even lawlessly, as long as our position agrees with the views of opinionated newspaper columnists like Conrado De Quiros and Karina Jimenez-David. If we do so, we would be reaping commendations from these columnists. But if the Catholic Church and Catholics loyal to the Church’s magisterium voice their opposition to birth control, they will be branded as ignorant and superstitious who abysmally fail to read the “signs” of the times. De Quiroz and David would want us to keep our mouth shut because we are infringing on the separation of Church and State.
Freedom in this country is only for those who approve of RH Bill. Crime is condoned so long as you protest against the Catholic Church. This is now what the rule of law means.
Atty. Marwil N. Llasos
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Ms. Rina David's column "Friars and Bishops
ReplyDeleteMr. Editor,
In Ms Rina David-Jimenez's column item (PDI 10/5) on "Friars and Bishops", she says the arrest and detention of Carlos Celdran for the disruption of a religious ceremonies inside the Manila Cathedral "speaks of lingering vestiges of Church power and influence." She stated that the Church has "effectively lost ground in the arena of public opinion"
First, as a lay Catholic, I am deeply offended and resent the rude act of Mr. Celdran as an assault of our Christian faith in the hallow ground of the Cathedral. No, Ms David, Celdran did not embarss the bishops there, it was he who made a fool of himself and should be the one embarassed for his disregard to the sensibility of others. I join the more decent part of our people in denouncing his arrogant act.
For his disruption of a religious proceeding, he infringed on our penal laws punishing such acts that insults one's faith regardless of religious affiliation.
His arrest and detention are fully justified as simply the natural course in the regular enforcement of the law, having committed an offense, in flagrante. If he were arrested a day or two later, that would be unwarranted and illegal.
There is therefore entirely no basis to say or suspect that such normal recourse to the ordinary processes of the law in Celdran's case entailed the exercise of "lingering vestiges" of the "power and influence of the Church". Such a reckless statement without any factual foundation betrays one's malice and repugnance
towards the Church and the faith it represents - Catholicism.
That the Church "has effectively lost the ground in the arena of public opinion" is a perception spawned by a massive dose of Catholic-bashing nowadays, particularly fostered in the media to secularize the public square. The overwhelming majority of the Filipinos remain faithful to the Church.
Thank you.
Atty. George C. Dee
Couples for Christ-Foundation for Family and Life
Laguna District
I support Atty. Llasos' points. I am offended by Celdran's action. I am afraid that in the future all practicing homosexuals will attack our churches, demanding for same sex marriage.
ReplyDeleteIn the Name of Jesus Christ, that will never happen!
ReplyDeleteAMEN, BRO. IAN.
ReplyDeleteMiss Celdran este, Carlos Celdran whoever he was, is barking at the wrong tree.
ReplyDeleteHe is barking at Padre Damaso who is the symbol of the friars during the Spanish epoch, and we know that they no longer exist in our country today.
Our Roman Catholic clergy now are descendants of GOMBURZA, Padre Gomez, Padre Burgos at Padre Zamora who were enemy and killed by the friars(Padre Damaso).
Ang kalaban ni Celdran ay ang mga Friars na matagal nang wala sa Pilipinas, nasabi ko ito dahil na rin sa hawak-hawak niyang placard na may nakasulat na Padre damaso(symbolizing the Friars).
Ibig sabihin, he is against Padre damaso, the Friars and not the Bishops and priests of the Catholic church, pero bakit sa mga obispo at pari natin siya nagpapakita ng pagiging lunatic niya. He is indeed barking at the wrong tree.He is out of his mind.
Matthew 25: 31-46 and Matthew 13: 24-29 this is now the time that the sheep and the goats, the good wheat and the weeds will be properly identified by their words and actions. They will shout on mountain tops (media) whose side they are and who is their Lord and Master according to their works. Anna Guico
ReplyDeletehistorian na mangmang sa kasaysayan si Mr. Celdran. tsk tsk tsk
ReplyDeleteWHEN A RIGHT BECOMES WRONG
ReplyDeleteby Philip Beley, Defensores Fidei Foundation
The stunt of celebrity tour guide, Carlos Celdran, during the Ecumenical Conference and Eucharistic Celebration at the Manila Cathedral has solicited both boos and whistles from sectors of Philippine society. Some have elevated Celdran to hero status for being brave enough to challenge the leaders of the Catholic Church. Some have labelled him as a buffoon.
I will not delve into the issue of the RH Bill here. Rather I will share my thoughts on the incident that occurred last week. Carlos Celdran has all the right to voice out his opinion on the controversial RH Bill issue. He has all the right to show his disagreement with the position of the Church hierarchy. The Church, too, has the right to have an ecumenical conference and a Eucharistic celebration in peace.
Stepping back, we can see that in asserting his right, Carlos Celdran violated the rights of others. He disturbed what is a peaceful conference and sacred celebration by going upfront and thrusting his protest poster in the faces of the church leaders seated in the pews.
While being led out of the cathedral, Carlos Celdran shouted invectives at the audience.
Civilized and democratic society dictates that the rights of all should be respected. The Philippine constitution guarantees this principle. In the exercise of one's rights, a person has to be mindful of the rights of others. This is the responsible way to exercise a right. There is something terribly wrong when a person violates the rights of others in the process of exercising his rights.
What bothers me is when people fail to see this principle. What bothers me is when people think that it is okay or even laudable that in exercising one's right, the rights of other people are violated or trampled upon.
A person who violates the rights of others and does not see anything wrong doing so is so full of pride and is very much into himself. He has no place in civilized society. There is something wrong when people have this kind of mindset. This is an attitude that only breeds chaos and anarchy.
We need to remember that in the exercise of one's right, there is an attendant responsibility. And this is to ensure that the rights of others are not violated. I am greatly saddened when people have lost the Christian ideal of love for others. How can we proclaim to love God, if we cannot love others? After all, loving others includes respecting the rights of others.
Bro Romy I would like to correct you on this point you raised:
ReplyDelete"Our Roman Catholic clergy now are descendants of GOMBURZA, Padre Gomez, Padre Burgos at Padre Zamora who were enemy and killed by the friars(Padre Damaso)."
GOMBURZA was killed by Spanish Civil Authorities and not by Damaso or any Spanish cleric at that. This is misleading. Because when the three priests were about to be garroted, the civil authorities wanted them stripped of their cassocks to which the Archbishop of Manila, Gregorio Meliton Martinez, vehemently opposed. They were executed fully garbed! The bells of the Manila Cathedral and parish churches all around the archdiocese tolled when the death of the priests reached the Arzobispado.
Think about this...
If the Spanish friars were so evil as depicted by Rizal and as purported by anti-Catholic perverts like De Quiros, David, Celdran et al...
WHY IS THE PHILIPPINES STILL PREDOMINANTLY CATHOLIC?
THANK YOU BRO. MARS. DUE TO SO MUCH CONCERN I FAILED TO NOTICE THAT ONE.
ReplyDeleteAKALA KO SI BRO. MARS. THANK YOU SO PINOY CATHOLIC.
ReplyDeleteExcellent points by Atty. Marwil Llasos. Thank you Fr. Abe for posting this.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, a right ends when the right of others is abused.
ReplyDeleteCeldran doesnt deserve any place and attention for what he or she have done.Much more with DeQuiroz and David for honoring this dishonorable act of celdran.
ReplyDeleteBro Romy
ReplyDeleteThank you Pinoy Catholic, I was thinking of of Rizal's writing "El Felbusterismo" about the atrocities of the Friars (Peninsulares)during that time. Honestly, i was carried with my emotion.
I was also thinking that the church and state are one during the spanish regime in our country, that is why, i jumped into the conclusion that the civil authorities responsible for the death of Gumburza are just the pliant tool of the friars.
If these were not true then i stand corrected.
VERY GOOD, BRO. ROMY. YOU HAVE SHOWN US AN EXAMPLE OF A TRUE SON OF THE CHURCH. OPEN TO TRUTH AND DO NOT EASILY BELIEVE THE SLOGANS HURLED BY THE ENEMIES.
ReplyDeleteThe GOMBURZA were garroted during a Masonic regime. The Catholic Church had no hand in their execution. In fact, history will attest, that the church bells tolled in protest while the three priests were being executed. What is the eloquent proof that the GOMBURZA died not as enemies of the Church? Answer: They were no DEFROCKED. They died wearing their priestly garb. Had they been considered erejes or filibusteros as others now erroneously assumed, the three Filipino priests should have been defrocked based on the provisions of canon law. They died with their priestly dignity intact.
ReplyDeleteyang si david at si de quiros, yang ang modernong "Caiaphas" ng ating henerasyon... MGA SULSULERO!
ReplyDelete