Catholic bishops divided on the BBL? Not unusual

SINCE 1975 when I became bishop we have always been divided on political and social issues. This has been so since the time of President Ferdinand E. Marcos until the presidency of Benigno Simeon Aquino III.

One reason among others is bishops have different ways of discerning the moral dimension of social and political issues. For our moral discernment and how we use it to guide the people in our respective dioceses we are responsible ONLY to the Pope — and to no other high-ranking prelate and/or conference. The serious problems of our people factor much in our individual personal discernment and decision.

We always respect each other’s final judgment.

But we are always united on faith and morals and on the teaching authority of the Church exercised by the Pope. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines have in the past issued several unanimously approved Joint Pastoral Statements on various issues like national elections, political education, anti-life bills in congress, etc.

My personal discernment aided by inputs from reputable lawyers and by personal contacts with former MILF officials, MNLF and ULAMA has led me to support the stand against the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). They are the mother documents of the BBL bill. Eleven provisions of these signed accords are unconstitutional. Making the bill into law would be morally unfair and dangerous to many Mindanaoan Christians, Muslims and Lumads.

With the increasing strong reactions against BBL it does not make sense to insist “giving peace a chance”. This slogan presumes everyone has the same idea on peace, and the chances of peace succeeding are assured (or controlled?).

In fact the reverse may be the correct thing to say; the pro-BBL people are the ones not giving peace a chance! In the words of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno the crisis arising from the brazen violations of the constitution “will tear the country apart”. So, who is not giving peace a chance?