The Clergy and Politics

The Clergy and Politics
Juny 15, 2006

Philippine Free Press

I GUESS the worst that an informed Catholic like President Arroyo can do is laying claim to a certain pronouncement by the Pope that to some extent is untrue. Just like other people, I doubt that Pope Benedict XVI ever said to Mrs. Arroyo that the clergy should not meddle in politics. The sad consequence of this is that if it is untrue, Mrs. Arroyo, a genuine Catholic, is inducing other Catholics to beleive what the Pope did say to her. An informed Catholic should not distort or falsify the teachings of the church, much less put words into the Pope's mouth for her political benefit. How wrongly Mrs. Arroyo interprets the Scriptures and the ethos of the Catholic Church.

It must be admitted that politics as a human activity cannot be denied religious and moral dimensions. Any political activity for that matter may lead to grace and sin. Politics cuts at the heart of humanness and it may foster or neglect human life. And so the clergy is on guard to promote and protect human life from politics that is not imbued with Gospel values and the teachings of the Catholic Church. Unfortunately for us Filipinos, politics has been a potent force that influence our life as a people and instead of using politics to foster national life, we frequently allow politics to destroy it. Politics can, however, become an instrument of salvation if and only if the ones who hold political power are sincere in promoting human life, vanquishing sin, destroying the structures of sin in society and truly defending the teachings of the church.

This explanation is oversimplified, but it drives the point that we should not speak bitterly about the role of the clergy in politics. It is awful that Mrs. Arroyo, who is a Catholic politician, seems to be disturbed about the role of the clergy in politics. It must be clear to all Catholic politicians that they cannot separate their public lives from their religion. They should think, speak, and behave in conformity with the teachings of the church and in true witnessing to the Gospel. Otherwise, they should search their souls and decide whether or not to remain Catholics.

Reginald B. Tamayo
member, Sangguniang Bayan, Aparri, Cagayan
20 Ballesteros Street
Aparri, Cagayan