The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said pastoral statements issued by the Church are meant to guide the faithful and not to target or criticize politicians, as it clarified recent remarks on political developments, including the Senate leadership change and the impeachment proceedings involving the Vice President.
Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the CBCP-Public Affairs Office, said the Church’s statements aim to help the public understand situations it views as concerning in governance rather than to place officials in a negative light.
“Well, the Catholic Church did not release such statements to criticize politicians but to show the people that there are things happening that are no longer appropriate, that no longer suit the sense of decency and sense of morality [and] ethical sense,” he said in Filipino during a Radyo Pilipinas interview.
“So these are things that we also need to explain to the people… this is not a type of political statement. What the Church is doing is guiding the flock because it may be possible that the flock is confused,” he added.
Secillano also said the current political environment reflects partisan interests rather than public service-oriented governance.
“This is not politics to serve the nation or the citizens, it is being used to defend or support whoever they are affiliated with,” he said.
The clarification came after a strongly worded pastoral letter issued by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, a former CBCP president, who criticized the sudden change in Senate leadership, where Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano unseated Sen. Vicente Sotto III.
“It is obscene. It is unbelievable that men and women called ‘honorable’ could do such a brazen exercise of power,” Villegas said in the letter.
He further described the development in sharp terms, saying: “It is confusing. It is unbelievable. It is pathetic. It is disgusting. It is shameless. How did we reach this low level of public service?”
The CBCP has also recently issued a separate statement on the impeachment of the Vice President, calling on lawmakers to uphold constitutional duty and proceed with the trial.
The pastoral message, titled “Serve the Common Good in the Pursuit of Justice and Truth,” urged the Senate to act on the Articles of Impeachment transmitted by the House of Representatives.
The statement read: “The House of Representatives, heeding the overwhelming sentiment of the Filipino people and finding probable cause, has voted by far more than the requisite one-third of its membership to impeach the Vice President and, as directed by the Constitution, to forward the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial.”
It also appealed for the immediate conduct of proceedings: “We make this urgent appeal to not delay the trial and to convene the Senate as an impeachment court at the soonest possible time. To delay the trial is to delay justice for both the Filipino people and the Vice President.”
CBCP leaders also urged public vigilance and adherence to constitutional processes, saying citizens must ensure accountability and transparency in the proceedings.
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