Joker Arroyo: Is Sereno now infallible like the Pope?

Senator Joker Arroyo hopes Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno will not mistake “God’s will” for infallibility.

A born-again Christian, the 52-year-old Sereno in her first flag ceremony on Monday in the Supreme Court with half of the 14 magistrates in attendance invoked divine intervention in her appointment by President Aquino to replace ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“After the Chief Justice expressed her belief that she was anointed by the Good Lord as chief magistrate, I hope she would not think she has now the infallibility in her judicial opinions,” Arroyo said, tongue-in-cheek.

Arroyo, who voted against Corona’s conviction during his impeachment trial in the Senate, said the newly appointed Chief Justice might mistake her so-called divinely inspired appointment as authority to speak, like the Pope, ex cathedra “because she has angelical status, she crowned herself … the anointee of God!”

“When the Pope talks of matters about faith and morals, you cannot challenge that.  She was anointed by God! Isn’t that what she said?”

Trying to look serious, Arroyo recalled Sereno’s statement at the flag-raising ceremony and quoted newspaper accounts of the Chief Justice saying “she is there because of God’s will, not Malacañang’s will or the President’s.”

“Can you imagine that? When we talk about ex cathedra, that means infallibility, I hope (Sereno)  doesn’t think that way because that’s not good.  That doesn’t allow for dissent,” he warned.

Sereno, whose appointment broke the seniority rule in the tradition-minded third branch of government, also asked colleagues to shun intrigues.

Originally posted: 8:53 pm | Tuesday, September 4th, 2012