My point: The Philippine Church can look at the visit as a papal favor, or as a sign of Pope Francis’ special consideration for the third largest Catholic country in the world. The pastor is simply visiting with his people. But the journey to the Philippines is also significant in terms of Church dynamics. The Philippine Church helps populate the pews of Europe, fills the sacristies of the United States, sends missionaries to parts of Asia, runs schools of higher theology at home. While public perception of the Catholic bishops as a conference suffered in the last years of the Arroyo administration, and the battle lines over the Reproductive Health Law hardened during the Aquino presidency, the life of the Church in the Philippines cannot in fact be reduced to political positions alone. There is so much more to Catholic life in the Philippines.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 01:35:56 +0000
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