Cruz: Church still an institution to reckon with

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop emeritus Oscar Cruz on Friday dismissed President Rodrigo Duterte’s conjecture that the Catholic Church will become irrelevant in 30 years.

The former Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president pointed out that the Church has withstood 2,000 years of trials and is still an institution to reckon with.

“It’s 2,000 years old… Let us be a little more realistic,” he said when asked to comment on Mr. Duterte’s statement, which was delivered during the oath-taking of new appointees in Malacañang on Thursday.

In his speech, the President renewed his tirades against the Church, saying the institution will be passé in three decades because of its alleged abuses and flaws.

Mr. Duterte has strained his relationship with the members of the clergy, constantly attacking them for alleged corruption and sexual abuses.

The Church, on the other hand, has stood up to the extrajudicial killings under the government’s war against illegal drugs, as well as the plan to lower the age of criminal responsibility.

It has also remained steadfast in objecting the reinstatement of the death penalty for heinous crimes, and the implementation of the reproductive health law.

Cruz pointed out that although there may be sinful men in the Church, it was founded by the sinless Jesus Christ himself.

“That’s why if the Church per se were not really a true Church and was not founded by Christ, it should have been gone a long time ago. That the Church is still up and about up to this time is an argument that is beyond debate,” the prelate said.

He noted that the Church never claimed that men of the cloth were holy, since the Church began with Judas, one of the 12 apostles, turning out to be a traitor.

“One thing is very certain. While the churchmen may be sinful, the Church per se being founded by Christ is one holy Catholic apostolic,” Cruz said.