Archbishop Capalla tells people to rely on Cross of Jesus to fight corruption
Poor and rich believers can show the government how to "make sacrifices for the people".
Manila (AsiaNews) The crucified Jesus is the perfect example of personal sacrifice. It should inspire Filipinos to adopt greater "fiscal discipline" if they want to overcome the economic crisis gripping the country, this according to Mgr Fernando Capalla, Archbishop of Davao and President of the Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.
"The crisis can be economic or political, but the worst one is moral. When the moral backbone fails the government, the Church or even the entire country can be affected". For the Archbishop "living beyond our means translates into all forms of abuse, misuse [. . .] and worse, violence".
The Church's many appeals concerning the economy and political life "have gone unheeded", Archbishop Capalla said.
In the past, the Archbishop said, the media did "report on political corruption and immorality. And many did respond by taking to the streets in protest but this did not change attitudes nor sharpen the conscience of the people". "The solution," he added, "is not mine, but [comes] from a poor man from Nazareth who said: 'Change society by changing the hearts of the people'." The solution then is the example set by what happened on the Cross. Jesus on the Cross is "the" example of personal sacrifice".
For this reason, the Archbishop urged Filipinos to "solve our fiscal crisis by adopting a fiscal discipline inspired by the Cross of Christ". For the same reason, he launched an appeal Offering to the government, offering to the Filipinos to raise funds. Each Filipino, he believes, should contribute a peso (US$ 1=P 56) to reduce the country's fiscal crisis. This said, "what counts is not the money, but the message," Archbishop Capalla stressed, "a message that tells that we can bear the suffering as the Cross taught us". For the "funds raised will not eliminate the national debt but they might make the government more sensitive to the problem".
The Archbishop went on to argue that if corruption must necessarily be condemned doing so does not exclude forgiveness. "Many officials have stolen public funds which belonged to the people, but in every person, there is always something good. For this reason, I believe that corrupt people also need our help."
In Davao, the response has not lagged. Ordinary people but also merchants and clergymen have heeded the appeal. "This won't be the solution but it will encourage people to do their part. Drops of water may be small but they eventually break the rock," the Archbishop said.
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25/05/2005
