Risks in Inter-faith Dialogue

As a background to help in understanding the risks involved in the apostolate of interreligiouis and ecumenical dialogues, I consider it necessary to mention my areas of responsibilities as a bishop in Mindanao and as former chairman of the Commission on Interreligious Dialogue of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines(CBCP). I need also to mention my contacts with individuals and peace groups here and abroad.

For the last 39 years as bishop in Mindanao (17 years in Iligan and Marawi, 22 years here in Davao), I have been actively engaged in inter-faith dialogues and collaboration in the peace process and in the promotion of the culture of peace.

The main activities of my engagements were personal contacts with religious, political and indigenous leaders and groups, familiarizing myself with their ideas, plans and projects, and sharing with them the teaching and experiences of the Church on unity, peace, development and progress. I have played a role in the release of captives by the New Peoples Army (NPA) and the Kidnap-for-ransom Gang called Abussayaf.

I have talked personally with the leaders of the rebel movements like Jose Ma. Sison and Luis Jalandoni of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front(MNLF), Hadji Murad of the Moro Islamic Libebration Front ( MILF), and the high officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). Our past presidents,   Corazon C. Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph E. Estrada and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made possible my mobility and contacts from May 1986 to January 2010. I have no contact with the incumbent president Benigno Aquino 111.

I was bishop of Iligan diocese from May 1977 to August 1994. When Bishop Bienvenido S. Tudtud of the Prelature of Marawi died in a plane crash in Bagio, the Pope appointed me Apostolic Administrator there which helped me get to know Islam and the Muslims. This was from 1987 to 2001. In September 1992. President Fidel V. Ramos appointed me Vice chairman of the National Unification Commission (NUC) when he launched the so-called Peace Process. Archbishop Carmelo Morelos, then CBCP president, allowed me to accept the appointment. The NUC was commissioned to undertake a nationwide consultation on the roots of rebellion and engage the rebel groups in peace talks and negotiations. This helped me to meet leaders of the underground movements.

On suggestion of Preident Ramos I founded with Dr. Mahid M. Mutilan the Bishops-Ulama Conference which to him would be helpful somehow in the implementation of the coming peace agreement with the MNLF. This brought me also into contact with the mainline Protestant Churches which form the National Council of Churched on the Philippines (NCCP).

There were groups, Catholics and non-catholics, who looked with suspicion and malice at my activities. The visibly known groups were the ultra rightists within government, military, police and civic groups.. Among them were a group which wanted the Philippines to revert back as a colony or federal state of the United States, and the fanatical grouos called the Tadtad and Corazon Senor.

The invisible groups, and these were, and still are. the most subtle and dangerous anti-peace operatives, the gun runners and arms dealers. Their covert and secret operations are the foreigners connected with the multi-billion weapons industry. The peacemakers and peace advocates are a threat and menace to their business, and therefore must be eliminated.

Threats and attemps to my life in the next Shalom.