Church non-partisan but firm with stand on poll issues: prelate

MANILA – An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Monday said the Church remains non-partisan in the May 9 polls but will stand firm in its position on various issues affecting the electorate.

“The CBCP Social Action Network remains non-partisan because that is the mandate we have received from the entirety of the CBCP. We do not endorse candidates but that does not mean that we are neutral on our burning issues such as issues on social justice, human rights, on ecology, we have a bias in what is right and according to the social teachings of the church,” Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, chair of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace, said in an interview with Radio Veritas.

Bagaforo said the endorsement of Sangguniang Layko ng Pilipinas (SLP) of presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo was the decision of the group of laity and does not reflect the position of the CBCP.

The Kidapawan prelate, however, respects the SLP’s endorsement because it is their right as Christians to actively participate in the election.

He said as a legal and independent council, the group is free to choose a candidate to support in the upcoming elections but this does not mean the church's adherence to partisan politics.

"As a non-government organization or NGO (non-government organization) they have their own position but I do not want to emphasize that that is not the official position of the CBCP," the Catholic prelate added.

On the other hand, CBCP vice president Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara reminded priests and other servants of the Church to remain calm in political matters and preserve their identity as disciples of the Church.

He said it is the right of every citizen in the country including priests and nuns to choose their candidates, but as disciples of the Church, everyone also needs to protect their identity as a member servant of the church.

“You can express your preference, you can say which candidate...maybe if you persuade others, you can do it unassumingly with prudence. It’s much better that way,” he said in a separate interview.

Vergara believed that the open endorsement of a priest and bishop to his supported candidate goes beyond or crossing borders.

"Because if you will do it publicly you are crossing borders, that we do not know the consequences. What will a priest or a bishop compromise or even a nun, when he or she is outspoken and perhaps uses a pulpit to campaign for somebody during this elections what will be at stake?” the Pasig prelate added.

Vergara said it is important for clerics to always consider the mission and advocacy of the Church which may be compromised due to endorsement or open campaigning for a candidate. (PNA)