Some bishops see pro-RH foes behind Cebu priest’s case

Some Catholic prelates believe that the issues raised against  Msgr. Cristobal Garcia are being used by their enemies to discredit the Church and may also have something to do with its stand on the reproductive health (RH) bill.

“The enemies are using that particular case in Cebu to discredit the Church,” said Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, a member of the Permanent Council of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Garcia, who has a huge collection of religious icons made of ivory, has been linked by the National Geographic to the illegal ivory trade.

He has also been suspended and stripped of all his positions in the Archdiocese of Cebu on orders of the Vatican while the Holy See investigates the child abuse case that stemmed from accusations that he molested altar boys more than 20 years ago in the United States.

“The great majority of Catholic priests are good,” Bastes said, adding that the “smear campaign” may have something to do with their continued opposition to the RH bill.

But Bastes said there was a need for bishops to be discreet in receiving applicants to their diocese.

“We must not receive just anyone who applies. I, for one, am very strict in admitting my own seminarians for ordination. In the priesthood, quality, not quantity, counts,” he said.

Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, former vice chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, identified the Aquino administration as the one behind efforts to discredit the Church.

“This is related to Church’s championing life against RH bill. The present government desires to weaken all institutions that defend our country from being oppressed by foreign powers. But I know they will not succeed,” Arguelles said.