Cardinal Orlando Quevedo. AP FILE PHOTO
As clashes continue in Marawi City, Cotabato Archbishop Orlando on Wednesday slammed terrorism as a “demonic ideology” that destroys friendships between Christians and Muslims.
“The friendship of Muslims, Christians, and indigenous peoples in Mindanao, a friendship shown in the streets and markets, in offices and schools, is being destroyed by a terrorist ideology, that asserts the morality of killing another in the name of God. This is a demonic ideology,” said Quevedo during his homily during the canonical coronation of Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu at the Our Lady of Aranzazu Shrine, San Mateo, Rizal.
“The true believers in Islam have condemned this ideology, and this violence of terrorism is creating the greatest of fear and anxiety in Mindanao,” he added.
He asked the faithful to respond to the appeal of Our Lady of Aranzazu to provide “loving service” to those who need help, especially “divided and broken family, homeless street children, evacuees in Marawi, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and Maguindanao as well as the young people who are traumatized by violence and those who are suffering from the conflict.”
Asked about updates on Fr. Chito Suganob, who was taken hostage along with several others by the Maute group, Quevedo said: “We pray for the best, that Father Chito and his companions who are church personnel may be freed, and other Christians there may be freed.”
Quevedo said he personally knows Suganob.
“He is a member of our group called the Friends of Peace. And he speaks fluent Maranao. Very friendly to all the people there, Muslims and Christians alike. Of course, the ordinary Muslim is very different from the Maute terrorists,” the prelate said.
“His work stands out because of his own personal behavior and relationship, personal relationship, with leaders of Islam, with imams and ustadz, and that he participates in conversations regarding the peace and order and so on and so forth, with civil society and the city government,” he added.
Meanwhile, Marawi Bishop Edwin Dela Peña, when asked if there were efforts on the part of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to get Suganob and his companions released, said: “Nothing, I don’t think they’re in a position to negotiate with terrorists. It’s now in the hands of the military.”
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