Bishops to gather in Manila for 125th plenary assembly

Catholic bishops from across the country will gather in Manila this weekend for their 125th plenary assembly.

The Jan. 28-30 gathering will bring together the members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines for in-person meetings for the second time since the pandemic struck in early 2020.

The CBCP is currently composed of 88 active bishops, two diocesan priestadministrators, and 38 honorary members who are retired bishops.

Msgr. Bernardo Pantin, CBCP Secretary General, said the meeting at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center involves discussion on a broad range of topics affecting the faithful in the country.

Other topics on the agenda, he said, include:

 the updated Ratio Nationalis, a program for the formation of candidates for the priesthood

 the Praedicate Evangelium and its implications to the local conferences

 and the proposal for a Permanent Diaconate in the Philippines

THE ordination of the firstever blind Catholic priest in Kenya will help show people that “disability is not inability,” the archbishop of Nyeri has said.

In a message shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, Archbishop Anthony Muheria of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri reflected on the Jan. 14 ordination to the priesthood of Father Michael Mithamo King’ori, who lost his sight while serving as a deacon.

“This new priest, Father Michael, will help us to appreciate, in a very new way, the capacity, the ‘enabledness,’ of people who may have a deficiency of ability because of [their] situations,” Muheria said in the Jan. 15 message a day after presiding over the priestly ordination of the Kenyan priest.

The archbishop added that the priestly ordination of Mithamo King’ori “is a reason for great joy because in spite of his limitation, in spite of the hurdles he has had to go through, he has come out to give evidence and testimony that disability is not a hindrance to answer[ing] God’s call, that disability is not inability.”

The Kenyan Catholic archbishop said the priestly ordination of the first-ever blind Catholic priest in Kenya “is a

Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan and current CBCP President will preside over the meeting. He will be assisted by the vice president, Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara.

The gathering typically includes an address by the CBCP President and by the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines.

Decisions taken over by the plenary assembly represent the highest instance of authority within the CBCP, which meets in regular session twice a year in January and in July.

Msgr. Pantin also said the plenary assembly will be preceded by a threeday bishops’ seminar on the episcopal conference and its commissions and offices.

“The seminar is being held so that there will be a levelling of the idea about the nature and functions of the episcopal conference, especially among the new and old bishops,” he said. CBCP News

First-ever blind Catholic priest in Kenya is ordained

great wake-up call” for everybody to give opportunities to people living with disabilities.

“Many people who may not have the abilities, the normal abilities that we value, are very gifted in so many other ways that make them still very effective in the ministry, in evangelization, and in fulfilling the call that they have received. Of course, it is ours to ensure that they are well prepared,” he said.

Father Mithamo King’ori was ordained to the priesthood alongside five other deacons during Mass at St. John Bosco Kiamuiru Primary School grounds in which the archbishop emeritus of Nyeri, Peter Kairu, members of the clergy ministering in the archdiocese, women and men religious, and laity participated.

In his Jan. 15 audio message, Archbishop Muheria said the historic priestly ordination in the East African nation “is a moment to also embrace that disabilities are gifts that God gives so that those people can develop new other gifts and enrich our society.”

“When Our Lord walked on the streets of Jerusalem, Galilee, Nazareth, where he spoke to the crowds, he always had a special eye for those in need,” he explained.

In Filipino, when somebody receives an unexpected blessing, we say “Maswerte ka Mare, may natanggap kang ayuda.” Or we say “Mapalad ka dahil mabait ang mga anak mo.” We may apply the terms “mapalad” or “maswerte” to future blessings such as the coming of government aid to build a school or a health center in the locality. The English word “blessed” such as what is used in the Beatitudes can be rendered in Filipino as “Maswerte, mapalad, or pinagpala.” It refers to an improved state of affairs considered as blessings. We have to read the Beatitudes with this as a background.

The member of Opus Dei who started his episcopal ministry in January 2004 as the bishop of Kenya’s Embu Diocese said he finds it regrettable that a section of persons living with disabilities are discriminated against.

“Many of our children in those places, in schools, are not given the dignity due to them. Toilets are badly done, the caretakers are few, the teachers sent there are very few; they can’t handle them,” Muheria said, adding that there are many hurdles limiting the supervision of special schools and institutions.

Families of children living with disabilities have been forgotten, yet they require social and financial support, he lamented.

“We in the Church, you in the parish, at least take this challenge. At least let us visit the homes of families with disabilities, and the schools of children with disabilities regularly to help, not just to give food, but to help improve infrastructure, to walk with them, to clean, to give them new shades,” Muheria said.

He continued: “Let us pay more attention to the people with disabilities, then indeed we will see the face of Christ in them. Reach out to those in marginalized areas in ways that

The Blessed Ones

Reflections

Rev. Fr. Antonio P. Pueyo, DCC tonypoy_dcc0@yahoo.com you can; don’t pass by. Let us be there because Christ calls us to reach out to our brothers and sisters.”

In an interview with Kenya Television Network (KTN) News posted on YouTube Jan. 16, Father Mithamo King’ori traced his priestly vocation to the grace of God and expressed his gratitude to Archbishop Muheria for giving him the hope he needed to remain focused on his dream vocation.

“I can’t forget Archbishop Anthony Muheria, who has really journeyed with me,” he told KTN News shortly after presiding over his first Mass on Jan. 15. He added in reference to his local ordinary: “He has really encouraged me; at those times when I became sick and fell down as if my vocation, my life, [had] come to an end, he didn’t leave me. He held me very well with his fatherly love that I still remember, words of encouragement, and he even dared to give me work to do because he believed that I had something that I could offer.”

“I am dedicating everything to God himself because I believe in giving God the best. He is the one who has given me the best I have to give, the P11

The Beatitudes are a series of “Blessed are…” statements. First the Blessed Ones are those who because of their lowly status in life are chosen to receive blessings. They are fortunate, “Mapalad sila.” The poor, the hungry, the thirsty, those who mourn and even the persecuted are blessed because better state of affairs are coming with the coming of the Kingdom. Blessed also are those who spread God’s blessings: the compassionate, the merciful, the peacemakers, and those who are clean of heart. They are the sowers of the Kingdom. They sow the seed of God’s kingdom of peace, justice, love. and care. They are blessed because they are chosen to be agents of God’s blessings.

Instead of interpreting the Beatitudes as encouraging passivity, it should encourage proactivity. It should not be interpreted to mean, “Blessed are you poor, remain poor and you will go to heaven.”

The poor are blessed because with the help of the merciful, the peacemaker, and the compassionate they will find well-being. Also, by realizing their human dignity and discovering the power they possess within they become partners in their own liberation. The poor, the meek, the hungry, and the persecuted are the majority and they have the power of numbers to participate in the determination of their own destiny – if only they are united. This is where community building is important. When people are united as communities then they can obtain and share more blessings.

By understanding the Beatitudes this way, church workers may discover another dimension of mission among the lowly and the underprivileged. From being recipients of aid and relief, communities can move another step upwards to rehabilitation and self-sufficiency. There are many successful examples of communities taking responsibility for their own improvement and sharing their experience with others such as the Grameen banking experience of Bangladesh and the Antigonish cooperative movement in Canada. I am sure there are also successful selfhelp community movements in the Philippines. I know of a local group of poor farmers who started their own farming cooperative with twelve members. They were poor but they gathered their resources as capital to lend to one another for their farming needs. The cooperative grew and their capital reached more than a million and they eventually became legally recognized. From a lending cooperative they are now into production and marketing of their special product of coconut virgin oil. Blessed are those who share their blessings.

Daily Scripture Readings

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mon

Zephaniah 2.3; 3.12-13; 1 Corinthians 1.26-31; Matthew 5.1-12

Readings: no. 323, p. 146

1st Reading: Hebrews 11.32-40

Gospel: Mark 5.1-20

Readings: no. 324, p. 149 or no. 523, p. 634

1st Reading: Hebrews 12.1-4

Gospel: Mark 5.21-43

Readings: no. 325, p. 152

1st Reading: Hebrews 12.4-7, 11-15

Gospel: Mark 6.1-6

Readings: no. 524, p. 635; BG, p. 40

1st Reading: Malachi 3.1-4 or Hebrews 2.10-11, 13b-18++

Gospel: Luke 2.22-40

Readings: no. 327, p. 156

1st Reading: Hebrews 13.1-8

Gospel: Mark 6.14-29

Readings: no. 328, p. 159

1st Reading: Hebrews 13.15-17, 20-21

Gospel: Mark 6.30-34

Areviewof our history shows that the most influential foreigners who stepped into our shores are the Chinese, not the Spaniards or the Americans. It may be due to the overpopulation experienced in mainland China; which pushed many of its residents to neighboring countries like the Philippines. This push factor is responsible for the development of Singapore, and Taiwan (although the latter was due to the rise of communism.) This diaspora seem to exist until the present. We have Chinese immigrants even before the second world war, who remained settled in the Philippines even after the war. Do you wonder why there are so many Filipinos with Chinese blood? Even Jose Rizal is known to be a “mestizo”.

Those who came earlier figured prominently in our economic life. They were the traders who even crossed to Indonesia and Malaysia to sell their wares from China. Ask the old Chinese residents of Cotabato City, Dulawan, and Buluan. They are proud to say that their economic activities reach as far as Sabah and Indonesia, with Cotabato City as the center of trade (not Zamboanga as many believed).

Few dabbled in politics but those who did, like Datu Piang, left a permanent imprint in our region. Datu Piang, who married into royalty of Dulawan, sired a number of professionals who are now holding strategic positions in the region. Mike Mastura’s mother is surnamed Ong, who comes from Upi. I personally married a “mestizo” from Dulawan, and am often asked if I am related to this or that resident whom I haven’t even met. Apparently, the family name chosen by many were adopted from their “sponsors”, or their place of origin in China.

Unfortunately, the advent of modern roads changed the course of trading in the region. The river ports had to give way to the road vehicles, thus the decline in the use of the Rio Grande (Pulangi) as the main mode of transport. At present, due to the need to upgrade the roads that were often subjected to flooding, the transport hub has shifted to Midsayap, especially with the improvement of the bridge spanning Midsayap and Datu Piang.

Lately, the policy of the government allowing workers from China to be employed in our POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) or more known as casinos, have become controversial since many claims that allowing Chinese workers are displacing Filipino employees. The POGOs were allowed in the first place to provide more employment to Filipinos, and due to some loopholes in the policy the migration of Chinese workers have increased. This is now being looked into by the government, while the investigation is moving slowly due to diplomatic problems (remember the pastillas issue?). Hopefully, this controversy will be solved soon. There were some problems before of the entry of “Hongkong Boys” when China took over Hongkong and Macao from the British, but the problem is too small compared to the POGO controversy.

Being involved closely in the Chinese issue, I for one wish that the government can solve the present controversies swiftly, and with less stepping on human rights. As Sen. Villar said, it is difficult to put in “exemptions” in any policy because it will surely invite corruption in government. MC

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has reportedly told investors during the recent 2023 World Economic Forum annual meet in Davos, Switzerland that initiatives are being undertaken to ensure the country’s continued recovery and making it more conducive for business.

Marcos reportedly said the country’s economy is projected to grow by around 7.0 percent in 2023 and that “strong macroeconomic fundamentals, fiscal discipline, structural reforms and liberalization of key sectors instituted over the years have enabled us to withstand the negative shocks caused by the pandemic and succeeding economic downturns and map a route toward a strong recovery.”

The Philippine president, apparently mindful of current economic realities hounding the Filipino people, noted rising inflation in recent months and said there is a “need to ensure that sufficient welfare measures are in place to cushion the impact of elevated inflationary pressures, especially towards the most affected and vulnerable sectors.” is published every Saturday by the Mindanao Cross Publishers, Inc., Sinsuat cor Quezon Avenues, Cotabato City. Tel Nos. (064) 4217161 and E-mail Address: mindanao.cross@gmail.com | mincross101@yahoo.com.ph

More recently, Marcos was quoted as saying “That’s the problem that makes me unable to sleep — this inflation. That’s what I lose sleep every night over is how to bring down inflation.” He said he is determined to bring it down staring the first quarter of this year.

That is definitely something that majority of Filipinos expect him and his government to do – ease the burdens resulting from increased inflation which has skyrocketed to 8.1 percent in December 2022 from 8 percent in November. This December 2022 inflation was the highest since November 2008 and was more than twice as high as the 3.1 percent recorded in December 2021.

Inflationary pressure on the cost of food and other basic commodities is presumably one of the reasons why the number of Filipino families who rate themselves poor rose to 51%, about 12.9 million, in the fourth quarter of 2022 as shown by the national Social Weather Survey on Self-Rated Poverty conducted in December 2022.

The same survey showed that around 11.8% of Filipino families, three million families, had nothing to eat at least once in the past three months. This was slightly higher than both the 11.3% hunger rate in October 2022 and 11.6% in June 2022. This latest survey showed that hunger rate was highest in Mindanao at 12.7%, followed by Visayas at 12.0%, Metro Manila at 11.7%, and Balance Luzon at 11.3%.

IN 2018, the Philippine registered a poverty threshold of 16.1 percent, while in the Autonomous Region in Muslim, the poverty threshold which is also known as poverty, line was pegged at 56.6 percent in 2018.

Data on poverty threshold or poverty line is released every three years, based on the prior period of a three-year economic performance of a country or region.

In 2021, the poverty line in the whole country leaped back at -61.75 percent to 42.10 percent from 16.1 percent during the previous three years. On the other hand, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) performs better than the national level with a poverty threshold reduced at 76.67 percent from 56.6 percent in 2018 to 13.2 percent in 2021.