No public money or property shall be appropriated, applied, paid, or employed, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, sectarian institution, or system of religion, or of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher, or dignitary as such, except when such priest, preacher, minister, or dignitary is assigned to the armed forces, or to any penal institution, or government orphanage or leprosarium.
I will leave the law angle to my friend, Connie who is an expert in the field and has written all about it, rather, superbly in her own blog.
Suffice it to say that the bishops justify their action contending that the donation is not really for them but for the benefit of their flock - to facilitate reaching the far-flung barrios, maybe. They also contend that the Pnoy government is just trying to get back at them for their hard stand on the RH bill. The former statement got me to reflect. I have yet to see a bishop do real missionary work. There have only been a couple of times that I have seen an actual bishop in my lifetime and I have been schooled in a Catholic school and still teach in one. And in all these times, it has been in a church and only upon the invitation of the parish or diocese where they say mass and/or give confirmation. This led me to be a skeptic of their justification.
Besides, why an SUV in the first place? To give them the high stature their office represent? But what about the vow of poverty and simplicity? Sometimes, I get to thinking and I get disappointed. Wag na ngang mag-isip ulit.
5 comments:
Haay, ang hirap mag-isip ng rason para sa isang institusyong matagal ko ng alam na kurap at immoral.
And I'm not talking about our government here.
Blogusvox Napakatagal nang institusyon yan. Ang mahirap e nadadawit yung mahuhusay at mababait no?
Hi Ka Rolly,
Musta na. Nabuhay ako after a long time of silence.
About this post, I can't help but comment that this is one of the reasons why I got out of "the institution". I guess not really out, but I was considered out, basically. My fundamentals have not changed - i.e. Trinity, Bible, Redemption through Christ, et. al.
But I believe that no one should be considered above others, specially in a congregation. Yes there are elders in faith but they are not holier than thou. As the Good Word has rightly put it - "for all have sinned". The Good Lord himself challenged us - "those who have not sinned let him cast the first stone".
Point is, in the Roman Catholic Christian community, there is so much emphasis on heirarchy to the point that the men on top are considered holier than others. Perhaps an aftermath of the 400 yrs. of Spanish rule where religion was used as one of the main weapons in making us submit to their authority.
This is still so evident to the present Pinas - e.g. CBCP. Still they medle with the government - what happened to the separation of the Church and State?
Now, don't get me wrong. I know that there are a lot of men in robes that are true to their vows and faith but there's also a lot of them who are using the Church much like the way some modern TV Evangelists are using the Word. And to these men - shame on them.
Kiwinoy Musta na? It's been a long time no? I hope that the bishops are not acting in a holier than thou context. The thing is they are leaders in an organization that has a hierarchy and they are acting on that principle. I think. As regards separation of church and state, they both respect each other naman without kowtowing and surrendering their principles.
Of course, not everyone is the same.
thanks for your comments.
Institusyon nating pinoy Di talaga mawala yan magbibigay ng something remembrance. - Ana
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