ANOMALY This afternoon, I experienced once again, after a long time, how magical and moving it feels to raise hands in unison with the fiercest of the faithful, thousands and thousands and thousands of mostly Cebuano pilgrims, praying, weeping, surrendering before the Holy Child, through centuries of devotion in the cradle of Christianity in all of Asia. I want to say that over and over again. That Cebu, this humble place is the cradle of Christianity in all of Asia. Why so? Because Imperial Manila and the minions of Catholic priests there, including a young Cardinal that I find hard to connect with, these supposed leaders up north, in that secondary city of the olden times, they seem to overlook the symbolic role and meaning of Cebu in the Christian world. We have been told that the Pope is dropping by the Philippines to sympathize, empathize and be with the victims of Yolanda. So why in the name of St. Peter is he going to Manila? To stop work and classes there for at least 3 days? To declare practically all of the tiny Philippine airspace a no-fly zone when devotees are supposed to be flying into Cebu for this tradition of traditions? Why go to Manila and mess it up some more when that city cannot even contain its own self? Good Lord, unless Manila can put itself to order, no nothing should ever be held there. No conferences, conventions, state visits or in this case, no pastoral visit! No nothing! More and more I do not see the wisdom of my Church. Why the man who is supposed to be its supreme mortal leader the Pope, why is he causing division among the Churchs fiercest devotees to choose between honoring the Sto Nino in Cebu or honoring him the Pope in Manila, at the exact time of the Sto.Ninos sacred annual feast and without any Christiam holiday of any kind whatsoever in Manila. In effect, though may not be the intention, this Pope has incidentally or accidentally elevated himself as somebody more important to come to for those who choose to go to him, his mortal highness. Either the Vatican is being Vatican. Or the Manila priests, especially that young Cardinal, so insensitive, failing to shout out to the Vatican something so basic and fundamental to the fabric of Catholicism in the Philippines, the feast of the oldest religious relic in Asia in the cradle of Christianity in Asia. Or Cebus priests, especially that not so young Archbishop, so meek and silent and tolerant of this anomaly, not raising a hoot not for themselves but for the millions and millions of pilgrims of the Sto.Nino de Cebu. And then I ask again, why is this Pope unwittingly drawing the Sto.Ninos flock to him in an infinitely insignificant place like Manila, instead of him drawing himself to Cebu at the precise time of the feast of the Holy Child, the symbol of Christianity in Asia? I may sound like I am trivializing the whole thing. But I am not. It is Manila that is trivializing Cebu again. And somehow somebodys got to call a spade a spade. There is too much hypocrisy and politics even in Church. And just the other day, one devotee died because of an insanely fanatic and violent devotion that Manila priests have encouraged through the years in that place called Quiapo. So much so that I say, this Papal Visit, sorry I think it is a gross anomaly. The last pope who visited, Pope John Paul II, my eternal patron and guide, I cried looking at him on our tiny TV screen then. He was in Manila for the World Youth Day. And that time, Manila had something significant to host and celebrate. That is why I was one with the nation for that. But this one, this new Pope is supposed to be here to grieve with the victims of Yolanda, and clearly not to dine with Baal in a state visit in Manila. So pray tell me why he is spending 4 or 5 days in Manila aber? When the victims died and thrive in Leyte, Samar, Cebu, Bohol and Iloilo aber? Wa na jud mapili aning kalibutana. A video I took this afternoon of Cebus faith, minus the pope. Hair-raising...
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 19:15:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015