Priest to peers: Don’t be used vs Duterte

AN OFFICIAL of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has warned Church leaders against allowing themselves to be used by people who may want to overthrow the incoming Duterte administration through “undemocratic” means.

“In carrying out her prophetic vocation, the Church should avoid working with any elements of society that may seek to oust the [incoming] administration through extralegal or undemocratic means,” Fr. Amado Picardal, executive secretary of the Committee on Basic Ecclesial Communities of the CBCP, said.

In a post on CBCPNews, the official news service of the CBCP, Picardal, a vocal critic of Duterte over his alleged human rights violations, added: “Thus, the Church should not support but should reject any coup attempts by the military or an armed power grab by any group, whether from the right or the left.”

The Redemptorist priest has never minced words when assailing the tough-talking Davao mayor over his alleged involvement in alleged summary executions of suspected criminals in his city.

As one of those who had documented the Davao killings, the clergyman said he was worried Duterte would stay true to his word to stamp out crime by all means necessary.

This means, he said, multiplying death squads all over the country.

Picardal said a coup d’état could be among the “worst-case scenarios” if Duterte carries out what he promised he would.

“The Church will be vigilant against any efforts to impose antidemocratic and autocratic forms of governance,” he said.

But despite Duterte’s attacks on the Church, calling its officials hypocrites, Picardal said they would continue to engage the government in a “vigilant collaboration.”

He said the Church was urging its leaders and the faithful to work for the common good, such as in the fight against corruption, for poverty alleviation, environment protection and the peace process, among other things.

As this developed, in Davao City, Ateneo de Davao University’s president told Inquirer.net that Duterte’s propoor stance and preference for the death penalty was not something that could be reconciled.

Fr. Joel Tabora said that while he supported the incoming administration’s propoor thrust, Duterte’s insistence on reviving the death penalty was a seeming contradiction.

“I think President Duterte really wants to go after crime. He wants people to respect the law,” Tabora said during an interview in his office. “As of now he is convinced that getting people to respect the law could be done with the death penalty.”

“The Church has over and over again insisted that the death penalty is not the answer. And I think the Church and a Catholic university, like this one, will try to convince him that this is not the answer,” he added.

Tabora pointed out that Duterte would have to deal with Congress, which is tasked with passing laws.

“Congress will decide on the basis of Congress’ perception of the common good,” he said.

“The Church, I think, will make its stance and say that in so many cases the death penalty has been antipoor because it normally kills not the rich but the poor. And sometimes erroneously. Many times because they cannot get legal assistance,” he said.