National Consultation on Synodality: An Experience (Part 3 of 3)

DaDiTaMa Quarterly Meeting, Diocese of Tagum
September 19-20, 2022

DADITAMA
HIGHLIGHTED 16 POINTS
COMMON IN OTHER METROPOLITAN REPORTS
(Shadows Only)

1. BECs/GKKs: Factors Affecting Participation and Their Effects

SHADOWS!

• Poverty as a major obstacle to participation and distance is a also hindrance.
• Other factors that affect participations in the BEC’s such as, language, cultural diversity, lukewarm acceptance of those who are stigmatized in society, single parents, separated families, etc.
• Attitudes also affect participation in the BEC’s like, pride, greed, domination, intolerance, self-righteousness, lack of interest, closed-mindedness, etc.
• Also cited were situations when Church leaders do “not represent the voice of the people, such as in issues that have to do with corruptions, political dynasties, gambling, illegal fishing, etc.
• No proper channel or structure for the people, especially the poor and marginalized to be listened to.
• Lay leaders tend to imbibe the clericalistic way of handling authority in relation to the rest of the faithful.

2. On the Clergy

SHADOWS!

• There are also infidelities of priests to their vows that cause scandals in the Church.
• Extravagant way of living their life as priests.
• The attitude of “maintenance mentality.”
• Still, people are longing for good priests who do not only dispense the sacraments but act as companions of the faithful in their journey towards peace, justice, and social harmony.
• Many far-flung areas are neglected in their celebrations of the sacraments, particularly the Mass.
• Some people have never seen a bishop visiting their place.
• Church authorities should be more open to constructive criticism and must learn to do appreciative inquiry.
• Authority tends to rest solely on the priests and bishops.

3. On Parish and GKK Leaders

SHADOWS!

• There is a need to reorient the facilitators about their listening role.
• It gave Church workers the opportunity to raise their concerns regarding work overload, the inadequacy of operational resources, discrimination, health issues, retirement security, attitude problems, allowances, etc.
• Unclear policies regarding the arancel system for the celebration of the sacraments, funeral Mass, etc.
• In terms of temporal management, the laity expect the clergy and their leaders to be more transparent, especially in financial matters.
• Many parishes are demanding transparency especially from the Parish Finance Councils.
• They also expect stricter implementation of policies and guidelines, and express the need to eliminate ecclesiastical red tape (unnecessary bureaucracy in the Church).
• They question the implementation of the policies of the local Church such as the system of tithing and collection.
• In the area of political leaders, Church leaders engage with them only during elections and why such engagements always tend to be negative or confrontational/critical.
• They still dream of a Church that would welcome them despite “the dirt” that they get tainted with when they serve in the political realm.
• The Church is seen as authoritative and powerful.
• There are some lay leaders who tend to monopolize leadership positions and make succession very difficult for the younger generation of leaders.
• Church management is perceived to be fraught with irregularities and inconsistencies, and tends to be authority-centered, inefficient in the administering the temporal goods, and dismissive of the views and values of the marginalized poor.
• Decisions are hardly ever made based on collective discernment.
• The final decisions are usually made by the Church leaders, in particular by the bishops and priests, and that, in most instances, decision-making processes tend to favor the opinions and preferences of the affluent and powerful.
• Almost all matters having to do with life of the Church are characterized as top-down in their approach.
• There is a perceived lack of spiritual conversations.
• The common impression is that church administration does not give as much importance to prayer and communal discernment.

4. On GKK Members

SHADOWS!

• Some members were timid, or even afraid, or lacking in confidence to speak up because of their social status.
• Participation of men is sorely lacking.
• Openness took some time as members were not used to the opportunity that was given to them to speak.
• Members should “walk their talk.”

5. On Sacramental Life and the Celebration of the Word of God

SHADOWS!

• They felt the need to be enlightened and nourished spiritually and to find strength in facing challenges such as vices and conflicts, and making decisions.
• People have also become more used to online Masses and liturgies which also present many new opportunities and new methods of facilitating God-encounters in the community.
• Homilies of priests have received a lot of negative comments as well as some attitudes that hindered participation, like pulpit abuses like scolding people in public, criticizing parishioners, engaging in character assassination of fellow priests during homilies.
• There is a clamor to provide the sacraments with no charges.
• They hope to remove the perception that the sacraments are for sale and that only those who have money have chances of having the Eucharist celebrated in their places.
• Masses are held once a year only during their patronal fiesta.
• Members expressed the need for the clergy’s increased and visible presence in the parish, especially in remote areas.
• People desire that the priest stay after Mass and spend quality time with them.

6. On Going Mission

SHADOWS!

• There is a clamor for more meaningful, new and inculturated approaches in the Church’s evangelization efforts and not to be content with rituals and methods that have lost their relevance and attractiveness.
• Many do not have a clear understanding of the Christian mission, and in most cases, it is perceived as an ad-intra commitment only.
• Few volunteer catechists and pastoral workers who serve in the barangays (villages) and other remote areas.
• Some politicians asked that they be allowed to serve in ministries in their parishes.

7. On Families

SHADOWS!

• Politics and gossiping severely divide families.
• Effective collaboration mechanism for poverty reduction, ministry to dysfunctional families, caring for our common home, addressing moral disintegration are lacking.
• There are no comprehensive programs to address materialism, secularism, and consumerism.
• The Church should facilitate dialogue on the following: political issues such as election fraud and vote buying, human right violations, corruption in government, environmental issues, social issues such as broken marriages, gender identity, same-sex union, relativism, sex scandals, gambling (e.g., jueting), discrimination, cultural bias and stereotyping.
• The Church has to address the common perception that it is the Church of the rich, the influential and the powerful.

8. On Youth

SHADOWS!

• There is a perception of the young that the Church has become outdated and irrelevant.

9. On Nature and Care for our Common Home

SHADOWS!

• Environmental issues have to be considered as an important call of the time.

10. Other Faith Communities (ACLAIM, DCLAIM, etc.)

SHADOWS!

• Generally, there is dialogue but limited to those who are active in the various Church organizations, in particular, between the clergy and some lay leaders.
• This dialogue does not extend to the laity in general, to the poor, and the marginalized in particular.
• There is not much dialogue about the social and political issues between the priest and the laity.

11. Special Groups and Peripheries/Marginalized

SHADOWS!

• When the poor speak out or try to voice an opinion, they are simply ignored or set aside as unimportant.
• Many people feel that only the donors and benefactors have a voice or are entitled to speak out. There are many references about the Church focusing only on collections and contributions but failing to initiate and implement pastoral programs that include meaningful encounters and dialogues.
• Opportunities for dialogue with LGBTQ+, the poor, abandoned, those suffering from substance abuse, the youths, PDLs (People Deprived of Liberty), laborers, and other marginalized sectors are also inadequate.
• Some members of LGBTQ+ feel that they are not only abandoned but also highly misunderstood and condemned by the Church.
• There is also a confusing position of the Church on politics since some bishops and priests have remained non-partisan, while others have taken a more partisan political stance.
• They also expressed the need to make the Church into a safe space for abused women and children.
• They call upon the Church to help “unbox structures of society” that are not gender sensitive and continue to hinder their growth.

12. Voices of the Diocesan Clergy & 13. Voices of the Consecrated Life (Men and Women)

SHADOWS!

• The perceived politicking of the clergy especially in the recent elections gave rise to contrary feelings and opinions among those involved.
• They report about having authoritarian church leaders, and some who are involved in alcoholism, as well as others among them who are meddling in political affairs and supporting political candidates.
• Clericalism, elitism and unapproachability dominate the relationship between the laity and the clergy.

14. Inter-Religious Dialogue Partners

SHADOWS!

• Some Dioceses reported that there is a gross lack of dialogue.
• They reported that they were only listening to Church leaders, especially priests.
• There are many blocks that prevent authentic dialogue from happening: fear of being judged, feelings of unworthiness and low self-esteem rooted in the lack of understanding the Christian faith, bribery, as well as blind obedience to the authority.
• Other Christian denominations are seen as more aggressive because of their house-to-house preaching.
• They are perceived to be more Bible-centered, livelier in their praise and worship fellowships, closer to one another and more generous in giving tithes to their churches.
• Some of their pastors are more engaging and inspiring than our priests.
• Their goal to proselytize.
• The fundamentalist attitude of some Christian denominations is a hindrance to ecumenism and dialogue, and it sometimes leads to conflict, division, and misunderstanding, which happen even within families and clans, and among their members.
• However, many reported that these programs are active at the diocesan level but are not practiced at the parish level.

15. Ecumenical Dialogue Partners

SHADOWS!

• The faithful are not equipped to dialogue with other Christian denominations and other religions primarily due to lack of a deeper understanding of the Christian faith.
• Dialogue encounters are limited to the leaders and active members of the various Christian churches.
• Many Catholics, are not even aware of the presence of other religions and Christian traditions and that they are called to learn to relate with them.

16. Indigenous Peoples

SHADOWS!

• They see themselves as “objects of missionary help” but they are neglected in the area of evangelization.
• Ips are forced to sell land due to poverty.
• The Church’s inattention to the environment also indicates its lack of understanding on the plight of the indigenous peoples and their needs.
• Church and barangays should also speak about conflicts among tribes, between military and NPA, insurgency groups.
• More space for dialogue needs to happen with and among indigenous peoples throughout the country.
• There is little attention given to recognize their unique culture and identity.
• The uncritical confidence in government assistance like cash for work and other subsidies for the poor, the deceptions of “populist politics” and “partisan political learnings”, and the “ideological distortions of sinister groups” which sometime creep in to the systems of the Church, are factors that undermine the works for the mission for both settlers and IPs

(Rev. Fr. Edilberto R. Mahinay)