On the day of President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address, the Archdiocese of Manila held a mass for the victims of extrajudicial killings in the wake of the president’s no-nonsense crusade to rid this country of the drug menace. It was a bold and laudable move to assert that all life is precious, no matter the person’s circumstance or station in life. That no matter if one’s actuations result in adding misery to individuals and families, there is still hope for rehabilitation (on Earth) and redemption (in the afterlife).
Unfortunately, this spike in extrajudicial killings is baffling, to say the least. There are whispers that some of these victims have been silenced as they could bring down and expose their protectors in the drug trade. Others think that some are taking advantage of the situation and are carrying out killings of their avowed enemies out of vengeance for an unresolved injustice.
Writ large, however, these killings beg the question: Why did we reach this stage that we had to bring in a tough-talking and no-nonsense president to address the issue head on? What have we been doing all along? What can the Roman Catholics — and Protestants — do in this situation?
Until and unless the Roman Catholic Church, the country’s largest Christian denomination, realizes that it too has a part to play to end not just this violence against life but also this menace, of what use is condemning these deaths amidst so much untold misery that drug addiction brings to families?
The church, therefore, should not just stop at preaching about the sanctity of life in the midst of these drug-related killings. It should not stop at merely condemning. It should also help find solutions to the problem.
The church must, at the outset, acknowledge that the drug menace is also a moral issue and therefore one that should not be left only for the government to solve.
How can we be Christians and turn a blind eye to, say, a family member, a relative or a neighbor who is into drugs? How long must we remain as Christians and allow this evil thing to happen in our midst and not do anything constructive?
The church must also do some soul searching as to why its own flock includes suspected drug lords, drug pushers and drug addicts. (These drug lords are even alleged to donate to churches and give money to the clergy.)
Just as it forcefully lambasts these extrajudicial killings, the church must, with equal force, loudly acknowledge that the drug trade is inherently evil and that it is a moral issue that every Christian should confront right at home — in their families and relatives who are either drug lords, drug pushers or drug addicts.
The ascendance of President Duterte means that the issue can no longer be just swept under the rug or whispered in low tones. Without doubt, the pulpit is a powerful tool to condemn violence, I agree, but it can also be as powerful when used to also address the drug menace head on. Every Christian must do his or her part, no matter how small, to end this menace.
As an institution, the church itself can establish venues for drug rehabilitation and drug counseling in many dioceses all over the country. Many priests, for example, are already actively involved in spiritual counseling at the small number of existing public and private rehabilitation centers for years now. I know of three of them who do this as part of their pastoral work here in Cebu.
The sudden increase in drug surrenderers means that the government’s capacity to reform and rehabilitate addicts has been breached. This has, at the same time, opened a window of opportunity for the church to not just voice out its vehement opposition to extrajudicial drug-related killings but also to do something about the drug menace.
The church should, therefore, do its share and help rehabilitate and redeem not just the souls of these addicts and pushers but also restore their physical condition, their moral worth and their future as well as those of their families.
It is laudable to condemn senseless deaths. But it is even more laudable to offer facilities that reach out to those who have lost their way and do something concrete to bring them back on the right path.