Bishops tell youth: Be discerning of mass action

Even if Cebu Archibishop Jose Palma, the outgoing head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), has already expressed support for the Edsa rally against the pork barrel this week, an official of the Church body advised the youth to still be discerning before participating in the event.

“We don’t want to be taken advantaged of by gatherings that are being organized without our leaders, especially the bishops and priests giving us the word that it’s okay for the people to participate and join these activities,” said Fr. Conegundo Garganta, executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission.

On Wednesday, Palma said the 120-strong Church body was “in solidarity” with the mass gathering dubbed “Edsa Tayo” and all the other succeeding protest actions against the pork barrel system.

Conviction

While Palma said the bishops were not among the event’s organizers, the people can “manifest their own conviction” and may decide to join the gathering that will yet again call for the complete abolition of the graft-tainted Priority Development Assistance Fund, commonly known as the pork barrel.

Palma had also disclosed that he cannot attend the Edsa Tayo rally as he would have to attend to Archbishop Piero Marini, the president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, who will be visiting Cebu also next week.

Garganta said Friday that the Church did not want to “step into the freedom of our people [but] we also want them to discern and look at the circumstances.”

“The laity should also do their [assignment] because they are on the ground so much just like the bishops and priests on the field. It seems all of us have an equal share of the responsibility to discern this invitation or encouragement to be involved in these gatherings,” he added.

The Edsa Tayo rally planned on Sept. 11 at the Edsa Shrine was apparently an offshoot of the Million People March on Aug. 26 at Rizal Park in Manila. But netizens behind the first anti-pork mass gathering distanced themselves from the upcoming movement.