Archbishop Fernando Capalla, archbishop emeritus of Davao: a tribute

The passing away of Archbishop Nanding Capalla in Davao City on January 6 after a long lingering illness marks the end of a historic period of Mindanao Church history. That period began in 1971 with the first Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Conference, that momentous gathering of Mindanao Bishops, Clergy, Religious and Laity. Among the Bishops were Bishop Jesus Varela of Ozamis, Bishop Francisco Claver of Malaybalay, Bishop Jose Maria Querexeta of Basilan, Bishop Antonio Mabutas of Davao, Bishop Joseph Regan of Tagum, Bishop Gerard Mongeau of Cotabato, Bishop Carmelo Morelos of Butuan, and Bishop Charles Van den Ouwelant of Pagadian. For the Church in Mindanao, MSPC I was the beginning of a participatory Church, of laity empowerment, and of remarkable innovative pastoral initiatives.

Bishop Nanding became Auxiliary Bishop of Davao in 1975 and was near the beginning of MSPC. Like other Mindanao Bishops, he adopted the MSPC pastoral priority of building Basic Christian Communities (BCC), Gagmayng Kristohanon Katilingbang (GKK). BCC’s were a pastoral trademark of the Diocese of Tagum. The BCC’s, later called, Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC’s), anticipated what we now call “a synodal church,” a participatory church, whose members walk together towards the achieving of the church’s mission.

When Bp. Nanding became Bishop of Iligan, he made Inter-Religious Dialogue and Indigenous Peoples Apostolate his major pastoral programs. In 1992, together with Governor Mahid Mutilan of the Ulama League of the Philippines and Bishop Hilario Gomez of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, he founded the Bishops Ulama Forum (BUF). The name was later changed to Bishops Ulama Conference (BUC). This was the beginning of high level inter-religious dialogue in Mindanao.

It was not until I became Bishop in 1981 that I felt the impact of the MSPC work of Inter-Religious Dialogue and Indigenous Peoples Apostolate. Bp. Claver, Bp. Capalla, and I worked together to promote IRD with Muslims and Indigenous Peoples, the latter being the most marginalized and the poorest sector of Mindanao society. The Final Statements of the MSPC are replete with ideas on option for the poor and the deprived, the oppressed and marginalized. The Bishops of Mindanao shared the vision of a Church of the Poor at the 1991 Second Plenary Council of the Philippines. The Plenary Council eventually adopted it as its over-arching vision.

With the founding of the BUC, IRD became the centerpiece, pushed forward with constancy by Archbishop Capalla. His friendship with Muslim leaders of the Ulama League of the Philippines in Iligan, Marawi, and Davao, helped greatly. He advised me to express key ideas of IRD in BUC Final Statements, such as, mutual respect and understanding, appreciating differences of beliefs, accepting commonalities, developing convergent points such as the person of Mary or Maryam, faith that does justice, the contribution of various religious traditions to a just and lasting peace in Mindanao. These ideas were worked out in BUC discussions and workshops.

As the principal moderator of BUC general gatherings, Abp. Nanding skillfully guided the discussions, giving everyone the opportunity to make a contribution. The process was participatory, the result a consensus. The inter-religious gathering of leaders of different religious traditions was, indeed, an example of the participatory process. Because of this process, the environment in BUC meetings evolved from curiosity and lack of trust to one of mutual understanding and friendship.

Understandably, Abp. Nanding became well known as a wise practitioner of Inter-Religious Dialogue. He was elected Chairman of the CBCP Commission on Ecumenical Affairs and Inter-Religious Dialogue and, later, Chairman of its counterpart in the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences. More notably, he was a appointed a member of the Vatican Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue and served for many years.

Truly, Abp. Nanding’s contribution to the Mindanao Church is beyond worth. I believe it was he who coined the unforgettable quote: “At the heart of peace is peace in the heart.” (Cardinal Orlando B. Quevedo, OMI / CBCP News)

A version of this article was first published by CBCP News.