Credits

Monday, March 31, 2008

Public Sinners Raise A Howl


Bishop Oscar Cruz steps up a notch. The feisty bishop declared that he will not be giving communion to public sinners. Yehey! The bishop finally nails the corrupt. Instead of communing with God, certain public officials would rather dance with the likes of Mike Velarde than with God. It's a slap on the faces of those who rob the country blind for six days a week and has the temerity to hear mass on Sunday. And these officials even receive communion.

The good bishop is right. That is why we have the sacrament of confession, we atone for our sins and welcome God in our hearts. But it seems that some of our leaders are so thick-faced that they would even openly receive communion. There is no such thing as benefit of the doubt in the eyes of the Lord. There simply is right and wrong. You cannot tell God that He should present His evidence to the courts as He surely knows the good or bad things we do.

Palace loudspeaker, Anthony Golez is also wrong in saying that God gives salvation to everybody. Those who repent and offers himself to be saved will be saved, those who continue to sin will never be saved and will forever be condemned. Communion is sacred. The host is considered as the body of Christ. You do not feed it to dogs and pigs. In the eyes of the Lord, there is no such thing as perception. His court is greater than Gloria's Supreme Court, her Ombudsman or her Dept. of (in)Justice. God cannot be bought with a thick envelope nor be blinded by juicy government posts. One cannot hide behind the laws of men as He will judge you by your acts.

Twenty-eight TONGressmen from southern Luzon raised a howl. Calling the bishop's statement the "height of ecclesiastical arrogance", they are calling on the CBCP to reprimand Bishop Cruz. If they do not get a favorable action from the CBCP, they threatened to elevate their call to the Vatican. Southern Luzon Alliance head Rep. Danilo Suarez of Quezon also said that Cruz violated the provision in the constitution on the separation of the church and state by mixing religion and politics. When morality and values are involved, separation is nonexistent. Nice try but I doubt if this move will get anywhere. (Maybe the jueteng lords will hear them out.)

The CBCP replied that they should give a specific crime that the bishop committed. Bishop Cruz said that it would be scandalous for a priest to give communion to a known sinner. When asked what he thought of Gloria Arroyo, he replied that he cannot consider her as a saint. GMA had been accused of lying, cheating and stealing. The bishop also said that he was misquoted and he never specifically called GMA a public sinner. I saw only portions of the said press conference and I really cannot say if Bishop Cruz called Gloria a public sinner. The TONGressmen said that Cruz is guilty of lying and that being a man of the cloth, he should not hastily condemn anyone.

I am glad Bishop Cruz has made this statement. It sends a strong signal to all corrupt officials. Confess and repent or maybe they should establish a church of their own. Laws of men are different from the laws of the church. Though both may contain the same "sins", church laws are not hindered by "technicalities" which our corrupt leaders use to get away with their crimes. The palace can cry foul all they want. Only the guilty raise hell when faced with sanctions from the Church.

The truth really hurts and that when faced with such statements, the GUILTY quickly react. I expected the bishop to be swarmed with criticisms from the allies of GMA. I was not surprised to see her paid hacks launch an attack on the bishop. The morally bereft representaTHIEVES should avoid going to Cruz's archdiocese and risk being denied the Sacrament of Communion or worst, turned away. Every bishop is autonomous and does not have to prove beyond reasonable doubt, the guilt of a sinner.

These officials should reexamine themselves and contemplate. If they can shield Gloria from impeachment, they cannot shield her from outright excommunication.

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