Philippine government accused of trying to silence the Church
QUEZON CITY (SE): Philippine religious leaders have warned that the Philippine government is trying to silence Church people who are critical of the administration the president, Rodrigo Duterte, according to a report from UCAN.
Speaking before a media briefing on April 26, Redemptorist Father Oliver Castor, said the government has been trying "to stop the Church's work with the poor."
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Father Oliver Castor
Sister Patricia Fox
trying to silence the Church
Australian sister released after visa row
MANILA (Agencies): Sister Patricia Fox, the superior of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion in the Philippines, was released on April 17, a day after she was detained by the Bureau of Immigration for allegedly violating the conditions of her stay in the country, UCAN reported on April 18.
The 71-year-old Australian missionary, who has been working in the Philippines for the past 27 years, was let go after her lawyers presented her passport and other immigration documents showing she had a valid missionary visa.
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Philippine Bureau of Immigration
Duterte's apology too late
HONG KONG (SE): The president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, who was in Hong Kong for the second time in 10 months, apologised to the Chinese people on April 12 for the Manila bus hijack hostage tragedy in 2010 in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed during the botched rescue attempt.
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Hong Kong visit
Philippine chief justice stands up to Duterte
MANILA (UCAN): "We are not destined for slavery but to freedom. What is evil, we denounce; what is good, we affirm," Maria Lourdes Sereno, the chief justice of the Philippines said amid moves to impeach her from the Supreme Court.
She accused the country's president, Rodrigo Duterte, of orchestrating her ouster and preventing her from testifying in an impeachment trial.
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Maria Lourdes Sereno
Church leaders in the Philippines welcome rebooting of peace talks
MANILA (UCAN): The president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, said at the beginning of April that he was giving the government and rebel peace panels "a timeline of two months" to resume the talks that bogged down last year.
He claimed that it was the rebel National Democratic Front of the Philippines that had been pressing for the resumption of negotiations.
Talks broke down in November after Duterte accused the rebels of attacking government installations especially in the provinces.
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Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform
Philippine bishops back call to resume peace talks
MANILA (UCAN): Catholic and Protestant bishops in the Philippines have backed calls from Congress for the government to resume peace negotiations with communist rebels.
Prior to Holy Week, 61 members of the Lower House of Congress signed a resolution calling on the president, Rodrigo Duterte, to resume peace talks with the rebel National Democratic Front.
The resolution urged the president to complete the government's comprehensive agreements on social, economic and political reforms with the rebels.
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Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez
Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches
Don't use violence or spill blood but share life say Philippine bishops
MANILA (UCAN): "Today, many follow the 'kings' who use violence, arms and intimidation, but are without any understanding and oneness with the weak," Luis Cardinal Tagle, the archbishop of Manila, said during Passion Sunday celebrations to start Holy Week in the Philippines.
In his homily during an early-morning Mass for the blessing of the palms, the cardinal poured scorn on leaders who are "full of cockiness and devoid of humility."
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Archbishop Luis Tagle
Philippine bishops
Duterte tries to duck from International Criminal Court
MANILA (Agencies): Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manila, said that the commitment of the Philippines to human rights in the international community cannot just be set aside by the president alone, CBCPNews reported on March 15.
Commenting on the move by the Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, to withdraw the country from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the bishop said, "This shows that there is basis for the investigation on him. They are afraid of accountabilities. Duterte should be investigated."
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Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo
Bishop Ruperto Santos
United Nations special rapporteurs
Move to impeach Philippine chief justice a politcal expedience
MANILA (UCAN): "This is very sad," said Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manila, the Philippines, when a congressional committee voted to impeach the country's Maria Lourdes Sereno, the country's first female chief justice, who is also an outspoken critic of the president, Rodrigo Duterte.
"Filipinos are no fools. We know what is right and what is false," the bishop said.
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Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manila
Philippines first female chief justice
Intimidation and killing will not stop drug problem bishop says
Manila (UCAN): Speaking during a 25th anniversary Mass for the group, Singles for Christ, on February 18, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, of Kalookan, the Philippines, lamented that many people agree that drug "addicts are not human."
He told the gathering of around 7,000 young people, "My heart bleeds when there are Catholics who agree that criminals cannot be reformed, that they deserve to die and be exterminated if we are to have a peaceful Philippine society."
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Bishop Pablo Virgilio David