Bishop deplores Red-tagging of Church, aid groups

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo on Tuesday deplored the inclusion of at least 50 organizations, including several Church groups, in the government’s list of alleged “communist front organizations.” “If their intelligence indicates that a person or a group is engaged in illegal activities, then bring them to court,” said Pabillo in a post on CBCPNews, the official news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). “Faith-based institutions and humanitarian and development organizations should be encouraged and supported,” he said. Among those on the list are Caritas Australia, Caritas Austria, Caritas Belgium, Caritas Switzerland, the Diocesan Social Action Center of Kalibo, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, Save the Children Foundation, Bread for the World, Oxfam International, Swedish Red Cross and Mercy Relief. —TINA G. SANTOS