05/21/2010, 00.00
PHILIPPINES
Send to a friend

Filipino bishops express support for Aquino but criticise his pro-abortion stance

The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines expressed his organisation’s readiness to work with the new administration, but stresses that life is not negotiable. The president-elect instead backs a birth control bill.
Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Filipino bishops are ready to work with the new administration to build a “just society”, but as President-elect Benigno Aquino prepares for his inauguration, they have criticised his support for the Reproductive Health bill.

“We will collaborate in those things which are good for the welfare of the people,” said Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).  “At the same time, we will also be critical in matters which we would perceive to be detrimental to the common good.”

Son of the late former President of the Philippines, Cory Aquino, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino won the recent presidential election with 43 per cent of the vote.

He got the support of voters, especially Catholic voters, by stressing the need to fight corruption and poverty and implement radical changes, after years of bad government under outgoing President Arroyo. His support for the Reproductive Health bill has however undermined his credibility.

Under proposed birth control legislation, which is backed by the United Nations as a way to fight poverty, contraceptive methods and voluntary sterilisation would become widely available.

For Bishop Nereo Odchimar, the position of the Church on the matter is unambiguous. For years, it has opposed the bill and prevented its adoption. Instead, it has insisted on the need for policies that favour life and human development in accordance with the Gospel.

Catholic bishops, he said, “have to lobby once again to make our position clear that we are for human life; the respect and preservation of human life is non-negotiable.”

TAGs
Send to a friend
Printable version
CLOSE X
See also
No to contraceptives for birth control, says Archbishop Cruz
15/09/2004
Catholic music to promote dialogue in Ambon, the city of sectarian violence
17/10/2018 13:29
Filipino bishops deny Aquino excommunication, but promise battle on abortion law
01/10/2010
Manila, former president Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino dies at 61
24/06/2021 09:15
Filipino bishops call for education and development, not contraceptives
08/08/2008


Newsletter

Subscribe to Asia News updates or change your preferences

Subscribe now
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”