Villegas to CBCP: Serve with ‘open hands,’ not ‘clenched fists’

Archbishop Socrates Villegas (File photo by ALEXIS CORPUZ / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Despite the hurtful words hurled its way, the Catholic Church must continue to serve and reach out to its flock – not with clenched fists, but open hands.

This was the reminder of Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas in his opening message during the plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines at the Pope Piux XII Center in Manila on Saturday. It was his last address to CBCP president.

Villegas said the value of “bukas na palad,” or open hands, was among the most valuable lessons he learned in his four-year stint.

“Closed fists do not love. They hurt. Closed fists do not touch, they strike and injure. Closed fists and prayer do not match. Open hands in orante (in prayer) belong to our Christian tradition,” he said.

He stressed: “We have no tradition of closed fists for our mission is to imitate the crucified hands that remain open to forgive.”

The value of reaching out with open hands is needed even more as the Church braves the slander and ridicule hurled by the “mockers of the Church.”

Without mentioning who the “mockers” were, Villegas pointed out that members of the clergy “have been labeled as a bunch of hypocrites” and “calumniated and slandered.”

“We have been cursed and ridiculed,” he said. “But you our shepherds have chosen to fly high when the mockers of the Church chose to go so low.”

During the plenary assembly, the CBCP elected Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao as its new president.

READ: Davao prelate who asked Duterte to stop cussing is new CBCP head

So far, 85 bishops attended the opening of the plenary assembly. Of the 85 bishops 74 are active, five are diocesan administrators, and six are retired,

In his speech, Villegas shared the lessons he learned as CBCP president, counting the virtues of reaching out with open hands, “bukas palad” or generosity, and “lakas ng loob” or courage in the face of adversity.

“It is not only courage but fortitude,” he said. “Courage can kill and steal but lakas ng loob is life giving and constructive. It is fortitude in the face of adversities”.

It was during his leadership that the CBCP faced catastrophes, such the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Bohol province and Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

The Church was also at odds with the Aquino administration over efforts to pass the reproductive health law, a measure seen as helping curb the country’s population boom.

In January 2015, the CBCP welcomed Pope Francis for his visit and also played host to the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu the following year.

When President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office last year, it took the CBCP a few more months before it came out with its united stand against extra-judicial killings amid the government’s war against drugs.

“There were many lessons that I learned which I will always keep as treasures of my heart,” Villegas said.

“I know that the values of an open hands, fortitude and listening will be same pastoral tools that we will use to serve and guide the flock of God,” he added.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis expressed his “prayerful solidarity” with the members of the CBCP as they gathered to discuss various social and Church concerns.

In a message relayed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, the Pontiff said he hoped that the plenary assembly would “bear spiritual fruit and that you yourselves may grow in deeper faith, hope and charity.”

“In this way, together with your priests, you will encourage all young Filipinos to become ‘joyful messengers of challenging proposals and guardians of the goodness and beauty which shine forth in a life of fidelity to the Gospel,” he said. /atm