Pastoral Statement from the Archbishop

On May 1, 2003, I received a text message from our CBCP Legal Office which says:

"LATE NEXT WEEK IS THE EXECUTIVE MEETING (puro congressmen lang) EXTREMELY DANGEROUS - THEY DECIDE AMONG THEMSELVES - NONE OF US CAN ENTER - PRAY AND CONVINCE OUR CONGRESSMEN TO BE PRESENT AND VOTE VS HB4110. This is our LAST HOPE. Mga OBISPO .... GISING IN JESUS' NAME WE PRAY."

HB4110, aside from other things would desecrate the sanctity of life in many ways the most consequential of which is its destruction in the beginning stages of it.

Politicians who call themselves 'Catholic' or even Christians in general cannot in good conscience vote for it.

We cannot allow a person who doesn't promote the sanctity of human life to appear that he or she was all for the reproductive help of mothers and thus, so they say, help their children when he or she is killing the unborn--the most defenseless of al'

People need to understand that you cannot call yourself a Catholic in good standing and at the same time publicly hold views that are contradictory to the Catholic faith.

One cannot use the argument that women should retain the right to decide to kill their own children by aborting them, under the guise of making their own decisions about their bodies in the guise of reproductive health.

We do not own our bodies. We are not proprietors. We are stewards--stewards of a sacred trust. We all must decide how to care for our bodies. But abortion entails another body, that of the infant.

The prohibition of God and of the law of nature is abundantly clear: "Thou shalt not kill."

As your bishop, I have to say clearly that anyone--politician or otherwise--who thinks and publicly proclaims it is acceptable for a Catholic to be pro-abortion is in very great error, puts his or her soul at risk, and is not in good standing with the Church.

Such a person should have the integrity to acknowledge this and choose of his own volition to abstain from receiving Holy Communion until he has a change of heart.

We have to practice our faith. If one publicly holds positions contrary to our faith in such a serious area, then one needs to examine oneself in relation to teaching of the Church and draw the necessary conclusions and take the necessary action.

It goes back to 1 Cor 11,27-29: if you are in disharmony with the Church in whatever way, then you should recognize that you may be eating and drinking judgment upon yourself, and take the necessary steps.

If such a one ignores an invitation to abstain voluntarily from the Eucharist, he should be denied the Sacrament--for the good of his soul and the welfare of the Church.

One cannot be "personally opposed" to abortion, yet support its legal protection and even probably its public funding on the ground that they must not impose "private" religious judgments on their fellow citizens.

The status of the child in the womb as a human being is not a matter of revealed religious dogma; it is a plain fact of human embryology and developmental biology.

The obligation of the politicians to protect the child against deliberate homicide follows from the principle that every member of the human family, irrespective of age, size, location, stage of development, or condition of dependency, is entitled to equality under the law.

Many Catholic politicians abroad and here have unconsciously seized upon the misguided idea that religion is a purely private matter to justify their support for abortion and other moral evils.

How can the Church help Catholic politicians in their task of being faithful to moral principles? The first responsibility is with the laity. In the domain of politics, and especially as voters, Catholic citizens should resolve to withhold their support from politicians who fail in their obligation to afford to all --including the child in the womb-- the equal protection of the laws.

We must miss no opportunity personally to stress the truth, powerfully reaffirmed recently by the Holy See, that support for legal abortion and its public funding is incompatible with Catholic faith.

We must remind politicians, especially the Catholic ones, of the need to give priority to the cause of justice for the unborn and other vulnerable persons, simply because they cannot protect themselves.

I privately spoke to our representative in the southern area of Misamis Occidental, and I am happy that she answered favorably. She said she would vote against HB4110.

(Signed) Archbishop Jesús Dosado, C.M.

Friday, May 2, 2003