Looks like the culture of death is trying to make inroads into the Philippines.
WITH the Catholic Church’s position that the Ligtas Buntis campaign of the government is against their teachings, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal will advise health workers not only to stop accepting communion but the other sacraments as well.
Vidal, who believes the program promotes the “culture of death” by endorsing contraception, sterilization and abortifacients, said yesterday that the clergy will have to refuse giving the sacraments to those who will be part of the campaign.
“If somebody I know is willfully practicing this and forcing people, you should remember that it’s against the fifth commandment, and if he does that willfully, I would advise him or her not to receive the sacraments,” the prelate said in an interview at his residence.
The sacraments include confession, attending mass and receiving communion.
“It’s not excommunication but I will just advise you because you are putting yourself in a state of sin,” the cardinal said.
We then hear the typical reaction we are so use to in the U.S.
However, representatives of women’s groups said couples should be given a free hand to choose the methods they use to control their family size.
Be responsible
Teresita Fernandez, executive director of Lihok Pilipina Foundation, said that while they are “for life,” they are also for policies that are legal and do not advocate abortion.
Since most couples have a choice between the natural and artificial birth control methods, Fernandez said the role of the Catholic Church should now be proactive.
“The church should make the people understand that they should be responsible mentally, emotionally, physically and financially before they start a family. What they’re doing now is telling the people the do’s and don’t’s,” she also said.
You know that when they use the word proactive they are really saying don’t be proCREactive. I have seen more and more articles recently on the Philippines with snide remarks about the majority of them not using contraception and even suggesting that 30 percent of couples don’t know that sex can lead to babies. We continuously hear the drumbeat of how their increase in population is so deadly while they ignore the rest of the world aborting and contraception themselves into oblivion. I follow what goes on the Philippines fairly closely because my wife is a Filipino. The Philippines, a majority Catholic country, is still one of the only ones that doesn’t have divorce or legalized abortion. They also use to not have government provided contraception and I fear that will only lead to demand for first divorce and then legal abortion.
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But just imagine! The Philippines Catholic Bishops’ Conference organized a rally of tens of thousands over the issue that the North American bishops are trying to ignore to death. Can you imagine what it must be like to be Catholic in the P’s? To actually have the bishops on the Catholic side? Not to have to turn to the one or two Chaput’s or Burke’s who are willing to stick their heads up? I wonder what those Philippine bishops would have made of Lynch’s incomprehensible gibberish about Terri S.
I believe I read somewhere that ever since Chile allowed divorce a few months back, the Philippines is now the only country in the world that doesn’t have divorce. Sadly, people, if they have enough money for the plane, will get their divorce abroad.
No. Malta too. For the moment.
Thanks for the correction. The other thing to watch out for is increased promiscuity from condoms, which may open the floodgates to the spread of AIDS, which compared to Thailand, has had relatively little presence in the Philippines. But most likely the real reason AIDS rates are so low is the because there is much less sex tourism.
I read a local Philippine paper stating that the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines just refused a challenge to debate “family planning” by a local Congress-critter. They said it was akin to the “challenge of a street thug”. It may be true, but I wish they accepted. Imagine the repercussions if the Church had that guy beat..
“I wonder what those Philippine bishops would have made of Lynch’s incomprehensible gibberish about Terri S.”
They’d be baffled. This is a country that doesn’t believe in retirement homes, much less permanently “retiring” their family members. Terri’s case would be a no-brainer. Bishop Lynch would look like the addled old man that he is.