One Bishop Blogging, Four Bishops Blogging!

Hat Tip to Leon Kilat of the Cybercafe Experiments for pointing me to the blog of Bishop OSCAR V. CRUZ, prelate of Lingayen, Pangasinan.

The good bishop, (who is best known nowadays for a determined crusade against the illegal numbers game jueteng that played an important role in the development of Gloriagate), blasts away at the Violence of the dispersal of last Friday's procession and prayer rally led by former Vice President Teofisto Guingona:

The Administration just committed a double violence: violence against people having a peaceful assembly and violence against the constitution regarding respect for human rights. It was not enough to stop or disperse the people’s assembly. They were subjected to the indignity and ridicule being the helpless targets of water cannons—inspite of all prayers and pleadings. The event and the sight were very familiar during the martial law regime.
The result was predictable: it was the Administration that became all wet and shamed. Those who were accosted and violated, made their point, delivered the message, won the night. At the end of the day, the mighty bowed down to the lowly. Lesson: what is wrong will ultimately submit to what is right.

Them's fighting words, Father! Bishop Cruz links to a large and growing body of churchmen and women writing and publishing for the Web, as part of the blogging phenomenon, which is really getting going now in the Philippines (old hands would say for some time now). Visit his site to catch a glimpse of this part of the Philippine blogosphere. It's gonna be big folks especially since the Catholic Bishops Conference has told every Bishop to get blogging as a means of keeping in touch with the flock.

And they may claim not to be divided, surely a truth in some metaphysical sense, but there is certainly a diversity in opinion. Here for example is the Perspective of Bishop Orlando Quevedo:

"Do the bishops endorse People Power?

No, the bishops do not encourage people power. Archbishop Capalla commended that People Power is the people’s prerogative. But he neither encouraged nor endorsed it as the proper course of action in the present circumstances. His comment was simply a statement of fact. But the perspective of the Bishops’ statement is that further attempts to “induce” people power would simple worsen the economic situation."

Emphasis in the above quotation is mine, and no, folks this isn't Ricardo Saludo speaking, it's Bishop Quevedo.

Now, here is a third example of the Bishops Blogging from the CBCP website, but I'm gonna need help with The Meaning of this bit of prose from Bishop Jose Mangurian, DD:

Somehow, someday we have to ascent without descending, departing without arriving, without our luggage, without our schedule notebook for we are swift up by an apocalyptic calesa into the spaceless, timeless NOW.

But I found a gem in the weblog of Bishop Leonardo Medroso. It is this Open Letter for the Return of the Bells of Balangiga, a letter to the US President from Bishop Medroso of Borongan and the Parish Priest of Balangiga, Fr. Saturnino Obzunar: Here's part of their letter:

On behalf of the Parish of Balangiga and the Diocese of Borongan, we would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the Wyoming Veterans’ Commission who recently voted 7 to 4 to return our church bells.

We are aware that a lot of deep thinking and thoughtful efforts have gone into this decision based on the research provided to all of us by Ms Jean Wall, the daughter of Private Gamlin, a soldier who saw action in Balangiga and the Balangiga Research Group. We also praise the Commission most effusively for their courage and generosity and for being the epitome of America’s Ambassadors of goodwill.

These bells are valued significantly not only for their place in history that binds both Filipinos and Americans, but also for the opportunity they present in fostering much stronger ties, enhancing, that is, a lasting goodwill between the two countries, the Philippines and the United States.

But go read it all at the weblog of Bishop Medroso!