By Willie Ng
BASED on her reading of the encyclical "Deus Caritas Est" given her by Pope Benedict XVI, President Arroyo has accused Msgr. Deogracias Iñiguez of violating church doctrine, if not also the constitutional provision on the separation of church and state when he filed his impeachment complaint against her.
Based on her interpretation, her spokesmen have fired off one barrage after another against priests who meddle in politics.
But priests like Iñiguez, Msgr. Oscar Cruz, Msgr. Antonio Tobias and several others contend that they have the duty to take action against cases of immoral conduct, dishonesty, corruption and other sins wherever such may occur, in and outside the church.
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The administration finds it painful because this is the first time in the history of the church that a bishop filed an impeachment complaint.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has called on the church authorities to sanction the bishop. Iñiguez agrees that his was a political act, but that the search for truth supersedes politics.
He finds support from Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. He said the Iñiguez initiative was "among the constitutional measures encouraged in the pastoral statement (issued in January)."
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Msgr. Quitorio noted that no bishop objected to Msgr. Iñiguez’ act.
Still, in the coming bishops’ conference’s regular meeting, Msgr. Iñiguez may be on the agenda.
In that secret conclave, one is sure that some prelates known to be pro-administration may question Msgr. Iñiguez’s decision to impeach, but in the end, the activist bishops, normally the more persuasive ones, will carry the day.
In the end, the administration’s shrill and persistent calls for sanctions notwithstanding, no schism threatens the brotherhood of bishops.
What to politicians constitutes meddling in politics is, to church leaders, their duty to right a wrong. The late Cardinal Jaime Sin made that crystal clear.
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