‘One bishop’s opinion does not a Church statement make’

Church leaders on Saturday urged the media to differentiate between the opinions of a bishop and the official statements of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

In a forum aimed at bridging perceived miscommunications between the Church and media held at the Ateneo de Manila University, Imus Cavite Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle stressed the difference between a bishop’s statement and that of the Church hierarchy, among other issues.

Tagle, chair of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Doctrine of the Faith, said there was “dynamic tension” existing between the Church and its leaders.

The forum was hosted by the Jesuits Communications Foundation Inc. in a bid to boost relations between the Church and the media following several  controversies.

Forum participants observed that with news reports that have put the Church in a bad light, there was a need to address what appeared to be a “breakdown of communication” between the two parties.

Tagle cited the purported “excommunication” of President Aquino amid the raging debate over the reproductive health bill and the controversial “Pajero 7 bishops,” who were erroneously reported to have received sport utility vehicles from the previous administration (They bought other types of vehicles, it was later clarified).

At the forum dubbed “Reporting on the Church: Dialogue Between Media and the Church,” Tagle stressed that the Catholic Church observes a “hierarchy of truth,” in which a bishop, as a teacher of faith must strive to know “what it is all about.” But this doesn’t stop bishops from forming opinions, he added.

“But we must distinguish between our opinion and the saving truth,” said  the prelate. He said there were many times that news reports carried statements of a bishop or a certain Church leader, which were taken as that of the CBCP, often causing confusion.

A bishop “is not equivalent to the CBCP,” the prelate said. The official spokesperson of the CBCP is its president and in his absence, only the media arm of the Church hierarchy could give official statements, Tagle explained. Jocelyn R. Uy