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The creation and consolidation of BECs throughout the southern island of Mindanao by missionaries were major pastoral thrusts later adopted by the Local Church. These ecclesial communities have been instrumental in the evangelization of indigenous peoples and in recognizing their rights to ancestral lands.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines declared 2017 as the Year of the Parish as communion of communities. Clergy and lay faithful have been committed to making the parish truly a communion of communities, forming and revitalizing BECs so that they become agents of communion, participation and mission.
We are often asked, “To which parish do you belong?” But what about if we are asked, “How is your parish?” In the Year of the Parish, it is fitting to reflect on how our parish should be. To guide us, we begin by reflecting on the three c’s: compassion, communion and collaboration.
As the bloody campaign against illegal drugs and crime continues under the present administration, the Church in the Philippines is addressing the mounting mortality by establishing community-based drug rehabilitation programs as a form of compassionate care and systematic intervention in order to reduce those who are being killed.
While some biblical texts and the traditional teaching of the Church endorse capital punishment as a deterrent and safeguard of the common good, contemporary Church pronouncements emphasize the dignity of the offender as a child of God and oppose death penalty.
The Catholic Church believes in the sanctity and intrinsic value of human life based on the belief that life is a gift from God. For this reason, life is sacred and must be protected. The Church is concerned with the life of every person, especially those who are weak and vulnerable.
Constant flooding happening in major cities, like Davao and Manila, is due to sea level rising above average. The phenomenon intensifies storm surges resulting in more intense typhoons. Coastal areas bear the brunt of these adverse factors caused by climate change.
Being one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, the Philippines signed the Paris Agreement and has been implementing climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. But the country’s response will only work if it puts communities at the center by empowering them.
Global warming is already producing destructive effects that disproportionately afflict poor people around the world, threatening their very lives. However, we must also keep in mind that, as the earth’s temperatures continue to rise, everyone in the world will eventually be threatened.
Women religious in different parts of the world are bringing the issue of human trafficking to the attention of lawmakers and government officials. National networks of Sisters and lay people welcome survivors of trafficking, helping them to be reintegrated in society.
