Voting Priests Into Office

Written on Saturday, July 19th, 2008 at 2:57 pm | by caffeine_sparks

There is something woefully wrong when old men who, by their chosen vocation, can never experience married life, engage in sexual intercourse and have children, are the first to galvanise the citizenry on issues of family planning and reproductive health.

Kristine Alave’s news article yesterday, entitled “Army of priests ordered to talk to 50 lawmakers” seems to mirror the battle raging in Congress these days. Alave writes the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines “has directed its army of priests to ‘reach out’ to lawmakers supportive of the reproductive health bills in Congress to pressure them into withdrawing their support for the measures.”

Now if that isn’t lobbying, I don’t know what is.

Should we start electing our parish priests? If they get a say on these matters - and if members of Congress - representatives of the People, must explain themselves to the Catholic hierarchy, and whose chances at re-election are threatened, then there should be some mechanism to make these purveyors of morality accountable as well.

So, who’s for electing our Catholic hierarchy?

In the meanwhile, Mary Racelis notes the absence of poor women’s voice with regard to the raging debate. These women, after all, bear the burden of lack of access to alternatives.


Of the 473,400 Filipino women per year estimated in 2000 to have undergone an abortion (about equally divided between induced and spontaneous), statistics from 1,658 hospitals revealed that 105,000 women wound up in hospital beds from complications, mainly hemorrhaging and infections. An estimated 12 percent, or 12,600, died. How many more never made it to a hospital but met the same fate, or continue to suffer lifelong disabilities, is anyone’s guess. Research on the subject is taboo in official Catholic circles and viciously attacked by militant “pro-life” groups. The conspiracy of silence triumphs again.

Although abortion is linked in the public mind to panicky, unmarried pregnant young women, it is actually married women with children who form the vast majority of those seeking it.

There are also shades of the class divide in Racelis’ article. A Catholic faithful, perhaps representative of the Pro-lifers, denies the statistics. A bold assertion to which women from the grassroots organisations retort “Totoo po iyon. Iyon po ang ginagawa ng mga babae sa amin kapag ayaw na nilang magkaanak.”

Racelis ends her article with a biting commentary. I agree 100%


The conspiracy of silence among Catholics becomes even more appalling because the Church of the Poor exhorts us to “listen to the voices of the poor.”

Although the face of poverty in the Philippines is clearly that of a woman, are Church leaders listening to the voices of poor women? Is the Church of Poor women enabling women to speak without condemnation about the fear of having another child she knows she cannot properly care for—and helping her do something about it?

Is the Church of Poor Men teaching Filipino males that marital rights do not include forced sex—and eventually another child—anytime they feel like it? Will both Church and government offer the meaningful and practical family planning solutions poor women and men seek?

Here is a copy of Representative Edcel Lagman’s bill on Reproductive Health. Although I myself see nothing wrong with legalising abortion, Lagman’s proposal is still quite conservative.

This bill continues to proscribe abortion which is a crime under the Revised Penal Code. However, when abortion is resorted to, despite the prohibition, there is a need to manage post-abortion complications in a humane and compassionate manner. The patient should not be suffered to die due to her desperation.

So what is the fuss all about Fathers?

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5 Responses to “Voting Priests Into Office”

  1. cvj on July 19th, 2008 4:43 pm

    The Catholic Church is always afraid of the slippery slope.

  2. Mandaragat on July 19th, 2008 7:27 pm

    Isipin sana ng mga congressman ang kapakanan ng nakararami at dapat naring mamulat ang simbahang katoliko, hindi dasal ang sagot sa maraming naghihirap na Pilipino.

    Ikakampanya ko sa buong mundo ang sinumang politiko na papabor sa pagkontrol ng popolasyon sa Pilipinas.

    We have been enslaved by “Padre Damaso” for so long. Enough is enough!!

  3. Kurt Van Tassel on July 20th, 2008 10:26 pm

    It is quite apparrent to outsiders that the Catholic Church and religion in general has always been part of the problem in the Philippines. Not part of the solution.

  4. cocoy on July 21st, 2008 9:24 pm

    The Church has what it calls “discernment”. In this matter, I fail to see the logic that instead of teaching the flock about taking responsibility for one’s family or one’s actions, the local church wastes time in “fighting laws” and minutia.

    take sex between two consenting adults. to me that’s nobody’s business but those two. if the Church, and Society done their part in making the idea that the man be a man and stand up for the woman and their unborn child if they ever procreate, wouldn’t that be better?

    Same goes for STDs, teenage pregnancies, etc.

    Give people all the information then let ‘em decide on their own what they think is best.

    two points:

    1) free will and all you know?

    2) arming people with the ability to think and decide and be responsible for consequences is so much better than saying, “this is wrong”.

  5. tomaquin retsy on July 23rd, 2008 7:58 pm

    The church should stop influencing the lives of the people. It is a concept of the person’s capacity to decide whatever which thing he or she must probably prefer. They must bear in mind that they are not the solution pertaining to the socio-economic problems of the country, Thus they are only entering into the scenario just to gain importance in the context of society as a visible institution…………
    Filipino People wake up!!!! Are you not enough tired during the spanish regime, where the Friars were responsible of “oppressions” in the whole archipelago due to the concept of “Union of the Church & the State”. Sana naman kasi separate na ang function ng church at saka estado, naway matuto ang simbahang katoliko rumispito sa Estado ng Republika ng Pilipinas!!!!!!!!
    RETsy

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