Should bishops be calling people to the streets against reproductive health bill or to just pray quietly?

Question

just like praying against the corruption of the president and her government.

Answer 1

They should all stay in the monastery and keep quite.

Answer 2

Bishops should not get themselves involved in politics. Their duties are in the churches not outside them.

Answer 3

yeah, they just sit and pray for the government, not getting involved in this dirty politics, it's not just right.

Answer 4

The Church is the one who I think is irresponsible.  Why dont they go out int he street and educate the people.  Afterall, the church leaders themselves cannot discipline their priest.  One good example is how Archbishop Aniceto of Pampanga tries to hide what is happening to some of his priest under him.  Take for example F. Mariano  he already has 4 children. Do you see what i mean? Fr. Chris Cadiang? And many others who now have wives and children.

Answer 5

The normal thing to do is to keep Church and politics separate.  Sadly enough, in the Philippines this is not the case and it probably never will be as we are dealing with a very religious country where people are still convinced that what the Church tells them is "pure Scripture" regardless of the negative results this may often times have on people's lives. e.g. "No family planning required" "Have as many children as God is willing to give you!">>> results  : overpopulation, poverty, huge rate of infatile deaths and growing illiteracy.

The government has the Church in its pocket (on many issues anyway) and uses it to rally the Filipinos to its causes. That's why, nowadays, more and more Filipinos are uneducated or badly schooled : the more ignorant we keep the masses, the less reaction the government will get from them!

On the other hand, when something really bad is brewing, it is the Church that takes matters in its own hands by rallying the population and calling on rebellion.... praying & singing rebellion which is typical to The Philippines.

What the Philipinos need from the Church is not praying but  

A)proactive action taking to fight the rampant corruption and

"unhealthy" bills

B) proactive action in the education/schooling and health information sectors so as to make the people aware of what really is going on and ensure that they can take up the fight in a efficient manner.

Praying doesn't cut it. Actions do!...It just depends on the subject :

A) If it touches the private lives of the people (e.g.contraception, family planning, etc..) the Church should just sit back and pray silently because, at the end of the day, it is neither the Church nor its representatives who are going to feed and educate the little ones born in poor families. Let the people manage their own private lives without any interfering from the Church.

B) If it touches the public domain (e.g. free education, health facilities), then the Church should take action to ensure that EVERYBODY is entitled to the basics and help the people.

If the government is corrupt and has no money to spend on improving the people's conditions, then the Church should tap into its own HUGE coffers to help them out. But, it is the "Do as I say, not as I do" philosophy at work again.

Sadly enough, we do not live in a perfect world nor a perfect society.

Answer 6

This not being disrespectful to the Catholic Church, but I think Catholic Bishops should just pray, I believe in family planning but  it seems that we Filipinos don`t know how to control, and look at the poor, they are the ones who have so many children, the government should educate them well enough about reproductive health, just to sum it up

Answer 7

maybe those in power in the church here in the Philippines should read the answers to this questions to see reality

Answer 8

Put it this way: Pinoys rally to the streets for issues like corruption, and gas prices. The issue of the Reproductive Health bill is about saving lives--of those born and unborn. As shepherds, it is their duty to "ring the bell" and "awaken" their flock whenever threat from wolves exists.

We need to understand the Catholic stand : Why Pills Cause Early Abortion

Here's a way to learn more why we should defend our Catholic faith's stand against the Reproductive Health Bill.

The Church is against the bill because, among other things, the Reproductive Health Bill will allow abortion. How? The Catholic Church has always taught that "Life begins at conception" that is, upon the union of the sperm and the egg.

Population Control groups are now insisting now that "life begins at implantation." This gives them the excuse to destroy the fertilized egg (3-5day old fetus/baby) before implantation which is what most contraceptive pills do. Some 15 years ago, oral contraceptive pills had 400 mcg. of ethinyl estradiol to prevent ovulation (ovary's production of a mature ovum) but caused nausea and headaches, which made it unpopular. They reduced ethinyl estradiol to less than 10% (30 mcg), to make it more popular. Oral contraceptive pills today have reduced contents of ethinyl estradiol, which allows ovulation (production of a mature egg and the union of the sperm with the egg). BUT why won't you get pregnant? Oral contraceptives now have an added chemical, levonorgestrel, that prevents implantation of the fertilized egg ( 3-5day old fetus/baby). This causes early abortion.

Answer 9

the CBCP and the BLCP can do anything they want - pray, rally, lobby, whatever.   all those against the repro health bill can join them.

but to mandate (under penalty of sin) the people of the phils. to take to the streets and crash the bill is like blackmail.

Answer 10

Not to be disrespectful to the church but the church has nothing to do with the decisions of a married couple as to how they'll go about their family planning and what methods they want to use - the church should just keep quiet about it and not meddle with it. Spiritual blackmail only works if they themselves were spotlessly clean. Maybe they should cater to the thousands of street kids and then tell the people to have babies like rabbits.