Manila, Congress of Mercy: Respect for rights, not murders in the fight against drugs
From January 16 to 20 the Filippino capital will host the IV World Apostolic Congress of Mercy (Wacom). 4 thousand people to attend event including prelates, priests, religious and laity. Bishop of Balanga: Mercy is "defending life." Auxiliary of Manila: We cannot remain silent in the face of governmental count of victims.
Manila (AsiaNews / CBCP) – Respect for the basic human rights of each individual and strengthening the struggle for the defense of life, even for those who have committed errors, crimes or violence; these are people who, as far as possible, must be retrieved and restored to society, we must not commit extrajudicial killings according to a (presumed) rule of law. This is what Msgr. Ruperto Santos, Bishop of Balanga, capital of the province of Bataan, in the Central Luzon region, said as he presented the IV World Apostolic Congress on Mercy (WACOM IV), held in Manila (Philippines) 16 to 20 January 2017.
On the eve of the conference, the prelate stressed that WACOM will discuss not only "devotion to Divine Mercy", but also the situation in the host country that is going through a "human rights crisis." The reference, not too veiled, it is to the victims of the drug trafficking war launched by the government and by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Mercy is connected with life and life is connected with environment,” he said. “In general, it is always to love life, to live life and to defend life. It’s always focused on life.” “So there would be a message witnessing to focus on life. Life must be promoted, life must be preserved and life must be respected,” said Santos.
About 4 thousand people will participate in the coming days at the World Congress of Mercy, an event that is held every three years and brings together clergymen, intellectuals and ordinary faithful. Attendees in Manila will include bishops, priests, religious, nuns and baptized from across the world. Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyon (France), as a special envoy for the event.
The Philippine Church has presented the world meeting as an opportunity to make a "pilgrimage of mercy" that will take participants to a holy place each day. Born on Vatican initiative in 2008, the first ever WACOM meeting in Rome coincided with the third anniversary of the death of St. John Paul II.
For Bishop Santos, head of the Committee for Migrants of the Filipino bishops' conference, the global event will also ensure a "healing process" for the country, becoming "a source of hope for those who are considered to be the smallest, the lost, the last ".
Msgr. Broderick Pabillo, auxiliary bishop of Manila, also intervened. He stressed that the Church cannot remain silent and helpless in the face of the many victims of the governmental war against drug trafficking, which has now exceeded 6 thousand in five months. The Church warns the prelate, is close to their families, particularly the poor, who have lost their loved ones and who cannot rely on a fair trial.
"We cannot remain silent," said Msgr. Pabillo, because this is "another way to terrorize the people. Now the time has really come to be heard ", and he invited believers and people of good will to act against abuses of human rights, without waiting for the body count to increase. The prelate hopes that the country has learned from this experience and not repeat the same mistakes of the times of Fernando Marcos dictatorship, when it silently accepted 14 years of martial law in 1986 interrupted by the Rosary Revolution (Esda).
His call was echoed by Fr. Robert Reyes who said that the drug war has already claimed too many victims and now is to return to the country "peace and justice." " We will unite against those picking on the poor as being drug addicts. We will unite against those that are addicted to power. We will unite for life".
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21/09/2017 15:43
