20 grounds for annulment

20 GROUNDS FOR MARRIAGE ANNULMENT ACCORDING TO CANON LAW (as posted by Lawrence Lanon)

By Clive Fernandes (2022 Aug 6) https://www.facebook.com/groups/2419255661497957/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=5243119619111533

“Annulment” is an unfortunate word that is sometimes used to refer to a Catholic “declaration of nullity.” Actually, nothing is made null through the process. Rather, a Church tribunal (a Catholic Church court) declares that a marriage thought to be valid according to Church law actually fell short of at least one of the essential elements required for a binding union.

For a Catholic marriage to be valid, it is required that:20 GROUNDS FOR MARRIAGE ANNULMENT ACCORDING TO CANON LAW

1 - the spouses are free to marry;

2 - they are capable of giving their consent to marry;

3 - they freely exchange their consent;

4 - in consenting to marry, they have the intention to marry for life, to be faithful to one another and be open to having and raising children;

5 - they intend the good of each other; and

6 - their consent is given in the presence of two witnesses and before a properly authorized Church minister.

Exceptions to the last requirement must be approved by Church authority.

There are very well defined canonical grounds for Marriage Annulment. Once these have been established marriage Annulment can proceed. It is important to understand the grounds for Marriage Annulment before making application, and if in doubt you should consult your local priest.

1 - Insufficient use of reason (Canon 1095, 10)

You or your spouse did not know what was happening during the marriage ceremony because of insanity, mental illness, or a lack of consciousness.

2 - Grave lack of discretionary judgment concerning essential matrimonial rights and duties (Canon 1095, 20)You or your spouse was affected by some serious circumstances or factors that made you unable to judge or evaluate either the decision to marry or the ability to create a true marital relationship.

3 - Psychic-natured incapacity to assume marital obligations (Canon 1095, 30)

You or your spouse, at the time of consent, was unable to fulfill the obligations of marriage because of a serious psychological disorder or other condition.

4 - Ignorance about the nature of marriage (Canon 1096, sec. 1)

You or your spouse did not know that marriage is a permanent relationship between a man and a woman ordered toward the procreation of offspring by means of some sexual cooperation.

5 - Error of person (Canon 1097, sec. 1) Reasons for Marriage Annulment

You or your spouse intended to marry a specific individual who was not the individual with whom marriage was celebrated. (For example, mail order brides; otherwise, this rarely occurs in the United States.)

6 - Error about a quality of a person (Canon 1097, sec. 2)

You or your spouse intended to marry someone who either possessed or did not possess a certain quality, e.g., social status, marital status, education, religious conviction, freedom from disease, or arrest record. That quality must have been directly and principally intended.

7 - Fraud (Canon 1098) Reasons for Marriage Annulment

You or your spouse was intentionally deceived about the presence or absence of a quality in the other. The reason for this deception was to obtain consent to marriage.

8 - Total willful exclusion of marriage (Canon 1101, sec. 2)

You or your spouse did not intend to contract marriage as the law of the Catholic Church understands marriage. Rather, the ceremony was observed solely as a means of obtaining something other than marriage itself, e.g., to obtain legal status in the country or to legitimize a child.

9 - Willful exclusion of children (Canon 1101, sec. 2)

You or your spouse married intending, either explicitly or implicitly, to deny the other’s right to sexual acts open to procreation.

10 - Willful exclusion of marital fidelity (Canon 1101, 12)

You or your spouse married intending, either explicitly or implicitly, not to remain faithful.

11 - Willful exclusion of marital permanence (Canon 1101, sec. 2)

You or your spouse married intending, either explicitly or implicitly, not to create a permanent relationship, retaining an option to divorce.

12 - Future condition (Canon 1102, sec. 2)

You or your spouse attached a future condition to your decision to marry, e.g., you will complete your education, your income will be at a certain level, you will remain in this area.

13 - Past condition (Canon 1102, sec. 2)R

You or your spouse attached a past condition so your decision to marry and that condition did not exist; e.g., I will marry you provided that you have never been married before, I will marry you provided that you have graduated from college.

14 - Present condition (Canon 1102, sec. 2)

You or your spouse attached a present condition to your decision to marry and that condition did not exist, e.g., I will marry you provided you don’t have any debt.

15 - Force (Canon 1103)

You or your spouse married because of an external physical or moral force that you could not resist.

16 - Fear (1103)

You or your spouse chose to marry because of fear that was grave and inescapable and was caused by an outside source.

17 - Error regarding marital unity that determined the will (1099)

You or your spouse married believing that marriage was not necessarily an exclusive relationship.

18 - Error regarding marital indissolubility that determined the will (Canon 1099)

You or your spouse married believing that civil law had the power to dissolve marriage and that remarriage was acceptable after civil divorce.

19 - Error regarding marital sacramental dignity that determined the will (Canon 1099)

You and your spouse married believing that marriage is not a religious or sacred relationship but merely a civil contract or arrangement.

20 - Lack of new consent during convalidation (Canons 1157,1160)

After your civil marriage, you and your spouse participated in a Catholic ceremony and you or your spouse believed that (1) you were already married, (2) the Catholic ceremony was merely a blessing, and (3) the consent given during. the Catholic ceremony had no real effect.

SOURCE

https://www.coolcatholics.org/20-grounds-for-marriage.../

tuwid vs kumportable

i was fortunate to have bought this simple wooden folding chair & table pair from a "japan-japan" antique store near the hosp (now closed after low sales during the pandemic)

I initially used it in my office in the hospital (when we were still in the 2nd floor of Bldg D) then, brought this to the condo rented by carol & after she backed out, to our home (where else but Montalban!:-).

with the many chairs I have brought home (monoblock [with & without backrest) & cushioned revolving office chair), this is the BEST that I & my eldest found to be most comfy.

(the seat is exactly like this. just add backrest)

as I sit in my ofc, I have just changed the monoblock (SHAPED TO THE CONTOURS OF OUR BUTTS) 

with the WOODEN FLAT SOLID rocking chair 

because it is ...

TAMA / TUWID vs "kumportable". in the end, the TAMA / TUWID turns out to be the most kumportable!

this affirms the zen teaching of my Japanese priest friend susumo san that a STRAIGHT back is more comfy than a SLOUCHING one because we follow the natural lining of the spinal chords & in effect exerts the least GRAVITATIONAL PULL. 

faith, hope, love, confident, & trust in 6 stories

 

source: tin's post 2022 aug 4

obey thy parents (JFK Jr's counter-witness)

 i read in the celebrity website (full of advertisements :-) that Jackie Kennedy (later, Onassis) had opposed John's dream / ambition to be a pilot since childhood due to her fear that she might lose him just like his father who was assassinated as US president. then, an uncle was also killed. (this was the reason, I read why Jackie decided to leave the US & married the Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis, i.e., to save her children from being murdered in the US)

when john had the chance to study flying a plane, he excitedly flew a 6-seater piper saratoga private plane at night without much experience.

the sad conclusion: death by plane crash at martha's vineyard, massachusetts -- including his beautiful wife, Carolyn bessette, married just 3 years ago -- at such a young age of 38.

investigators said the cause was "spatial disorientation"

corpus christi: eucharistic miracle & bl acutis :-)

 

how to be a modern saint (pope francis 2022)

 https://www.facebook.com/arquidiocesisdemexico.org/posts/pfbid0Tfi8qfw4yiqJ3jGYQtgyd62ad4fyBpJXVRUDRurd1aRk39cF3xJKgB5FxDhvWzSbl

POPE FRANCIS SAID:

"Think of a single mother who goes to church or parish, and says to the secretary: I WANT TO BAPTIZE MY SON, and the attendant says: "No, you can't, because you're not married..." "

Let's keep in mind that... This mom had the courage to continue with a pregnancy — and what is she finding? With a locked door!

And so, if we continue on this path and with this attitude, we are not doing the people, the People of God, right.

Jesus created the seven sacraments and with this kind of attitude we created an eighth: the sacrament of pastoral customs!.

“WHOEVER APPROACHES THE CHURCH MUST FIND OPEN DOORS AND NOT PRISONERS OF FAITH.”.

"We need saints without veil, without veil. We need saints jeans and sneakers.

We need saints to go to the movies, listen to music and hang out with friends.

We need saints who will put God first and stand out in University.

We need saints who find time to pray every day and who know how to fall in love with purity and chastity, or who consecrate their chastity.

We need modern saints, 21st century saints with spirituality embedded in our time.

We need saints who are committed to the poor and necessary social change.

We need saints who live in the world, who are sanctified in the world and who are not afraid to live in the world.

We need saints who drink coke and eat hot dogs, who are internet users, who listen to iPod.

We need saints who love the Eucharist and are not ashamed to have a beer or eat pizza on the weekend with friends.

We need saints who like cinema, theater, music, dance, sports.

We need sociable, open, normal, friends, cheerful, companions saints.

We need saints who are in the world and who know how to savor the pure and good things of the world, but without being worldly."

That has to be us!!!

on forgiveness by C. S. Lewis

"To be a Christian means to FORGIVE the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."

why catholic?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/207515033333874/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=1257377628347604

I AM CATHOLIC

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=547890766957361&set=gm.1257377628347604THOLIC

I am Catholic, not because of the Pope.

I am Catholic not because of the Cardinals.

I am Catholic not because of her priests, deacons or religious.

I am Catholic not because of her selfless missionaries.

I am Catholic not because of monks, nuns or her seminarians.

I am Catholic not because of her courageous lay faithfuls.

I am Catholic not because it is the longest institution ever in the history of humanity.

I am Catholic not because it is the number one altruistic charity institution ever in the history of mankind.

I am Catholic not because it is the Mother Church.

I am Catholic not because of her solemn music at her different liturgies.

I am Catholic not because of her wonderful histories in shaping mankind out of darkness into civilization.

I am Catholic not because of her colourful lectors, cantors, choirs, acolytes etc.

I am Catholic not because of her beautiful basilicas, churches, seminaries, hospitals, monasteries, schools, orphanages etc.

*Why then am I a Catholic?*

*"I am Catholic because it was the only Church truly founded by Jesus Christ our Blessed Lord* (any other church has human foundation).

*"I am Catholic because it is Apostolic, Universal, Catholic and Holy"*.

*"I am Catholic because it is guided by the learnt Magisterium through the Holy Scripture with the Holy Spirit"*.

*"I am Catholic because there is power in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary ,the Saints and the Angels of God"*.

*"I am Catholic because there is the Forgiveness of sins, the communion of saints, the resurrection of the dead and the life eternal"*...

Long Live the Catholic Church

my teleradyo guesting on "post-election stress" (2022 may 16)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90er6M0_b0I

my segment starts at 28:15 minutes of the episode & ends at 39:17 minutes

temporary defeat 2022 elections

11 May 2022 Post-election Reflection of Bishop Soc Villegas shared through facebook 

BUMALIK TAYO SA KINABUKASAN!

Sanay tayong matalo! Nagmukhang talo si Jesus nang ipako siya sa krus. Tukod langit sa kahihiyan. Nagimbal ang mga alagad. Nahiya. Nanlumo. Nagtago. Hindi nagkatotoo ang akala nilang mananalo sila. Parang tayo di ba?

Ano ang ginawa nila?

Yong ilan ay nagtago sa madilim at kandadong silid. Lito. Takot. Lupaypay at mugto ang mata. Parang yong ilan sa atin!

Yong dalawa ay nagtangkang maglakad pa-Emmaus. Ang Emmaus ay pasyalan. Libangan. Pampalimot sa problemang dala. Mula ngayon ayoko ng mangarap! Hindi na ako magmamahal para hindi masaktan!

Yong iba ay nagtangkang bumalik sa pangingisda. Ayaw na sa misyon. Ayaw na sa pangangaral at house to house. Ayaw na sa pagtulong at palugaw. Balik sa dating gawi. Buti pa dito, walang nasasaktan. Mabuti pang walang pakialaman!

Natalo ka? Natalo tayo? Damhin ang kirot at huwag magtapang-tapangan. Mas maraming aral na matutunan sa bubog ng pagkatalo kaysa sa medalya ng pananalo. Huwag pigilin ang luha.

Magtatago ka na lang sa kandadong kuwarto? Kalimutan na ang lahat at libangin ang sarili? Itapon na ang bagong pangarap na binuksan at mangisda na lang tulad ng dati?

Ano ang sabi ni Jesus? Huwag kayo sa dilim. Huwag bumitaw. Huwag kayo sa dagat. Kita kita tayo sa Galilea!

Galilea kung saan isinilang ang mga pangarap. Galilea kung saan pinagaling ang mga maysakit, nagpakain sa mga gutom, tumulong sa mga nasa laylayan, umalalay sa mga nakalimutan!

Nang sila ay natalo at nanlumo at humikbi at nanlupaypay, sabi ni Jesus ‘MAGKITA TAYO SA GALILEA!”

Galilea ang ating pinagsimulan. Galilea ang tagpuan ng mga nagmamahalan. Galilea ang sinilangan ng pangarap na kinabukasan.

Talo? Lupaypay? Pagod?

Bumalik tayo sa KINABUKASAN!

May kulay rosas na kinabukasan na pumukaw sa atin!

Huwag nating ipanakaw kahit kaninong mandarambong ang pangarap na umantig sa atin!

Kulay rosas ang kulay ng bagong laban! Bumalik tayo sa kinabukasang natikman! Hindi ako nanghihinayang! Walang nasayang!

--Father Soc

political involvement 2022 july 1

13 may 2022 feast of our lady of fatima

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8osMtzydXZk

leni-kiko post-election thanksgiving mass today at ateneo led by jesuit provincial superior fr jun viray, sj despite defeat in the polls

july 1, 2022 leni will launch the Angat Buhay NGO. "let us turn our grief into revolutionary courage" -- kiko pangilinan (VP candidate with leni robredo) said, recalling his activism days in UP

at this age of 59, for the first time I'm FIRED up to do something for this country! :-) 

why marcos jr in 2022?

 https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Philippine-elections/Marcos-wins-Philippine-presidential-election-in-a-landslide?n_cid=NARAN185&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=infeed&utm_campaign=IC_custom_audience&utm_content=FB_dynamic_ads_Biz&fbclid=IwAR06Rs3R89hu0oBmfU-KNHN9Ic0AyR942S6atAQ79S6sybUDLMO6du5QbOs

The Marcos family's revival, analysts said, is partly driven by the public frustration over lingering poverty and inequality, as well as the lack of political reforms under the administrations that came after the People Power revolution.

Meanwhile, a massive social media drive that denied atrocities during his father's military rule and painted the Marcos era as one of prosperity and prestige has appealed to voters who were not born yet during the dictatorship.

lessons from elections 2022

 

exception to clergy involvement in politics in canon law

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=5362378640479700&set=a.595423107175301

Canon Law of the Church forbids that clerics actively involve themselves in partisan politics. But there’s an exception to canon 287 §2:

UNLESS, “in the judgment of competent ecclesiastical authority, the protection of the rights of the Church or the promotion of the common good requires it.

=================================

CLERGY FOR THE MORAL CHOICE

1. Last week, the Clergy for the Moral Choice released its public statement – signed by more than 1,000 Filipino bishops and priests from all over the archipelago – and pledged their massive support for Leni Robredo.

2. They said that “of all the presidential candidates that could prevent the return of the family who caused us misery and pain, no one can surpass the potential of Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo.”

3. The following paragraph from the same public statement caught my attention:

4. “Our country is in danger of being ruled by those who made her suffer. The son and heir of his father, who ruled us for a long time… Are we gullible enough to believe their fake smiles, words, and promises?”

5. Presidential frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is slammed for standing tall on a name that resounds but who, observers say, cannot survive without his father’s shadows and without the aid of their ill-gotten wealth.

6. He is equally disparaged for lying about his Oxford graduate diploma and other credentials, and for using an army of trolls to discredit rivals and revise history.

7. Moreover, Marcos Jr. and Imelda Marcos wilfully refused to pay the estate tax of the Marcos Estate, which legal experts say can be charged criminally by the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Section 255 of the Philippine Tax Code.

8. In fact, Philippine Senate, acting on a filed resolution on April 3, 2022, called for a Senate investigation of the P203-billion estate tax liabilities of the Marcos family.

9. So, when a thousand moral leaders say that “our country is in danger of being ruled by those who made her suffer,” it is not an empty warning.

10. It’s no longer the question of whether or not the clergy can endorse a particular candidate, but the question of why the Catholic Church’s opposition to Marcos Jr is publicly manifested.

11. Until last week, hundreds of clergy from the Archdiocese of San Fernando, Tarlac, Bataan, Batangas, Bukidnon, Bicol and other dioceses have expressed their support for Leni Robredo.

12. Nearly all members of CEAP in the college and university levels led by Ateneo and La Salle did the same as other dioceses and universities are following suit.

13. The Council of the Laity of the Philippines called Laiko, the Couples for Christ international council, and more than 500 members of “Pari Madre Misyonero Para Kay Leni,” among others, have unprecedentedly expressed their preference for a political candidate.

14. Of course, Canon Law of the Church forbids that clerics actively involve themselves in partisan politics. But there’s an exception to canon 287 §2:

15. UNLESS, “in the judgment of competent ecclesiastical authority, the protection of the rights of the Church or the promotion of the common good requires it.”

16. Suddenly, for the “the promotion of the common good,” the Filipino bishops and priests have decided to be silent no more as publicly manifested their desire to perform their civic duty to actively participate in and evangelize politics.

17. Even the 18th Congress of the Senate of the Philippines, a government institution, has released a press statement on April 23, 2022, which says that “for first time in Philippine Catholic Church history, priests openly support candidates...”

18. Teddy Santiago of Laiko told UCA News the principal reason why is this happening. It’s because the forthcoming May 2022 elections are crucial, although “crucial is an understatement,” he said. “It is an emergency situation. It might be now or never,” he added.

19. The Catholic Church now owns what Edmund Burke said: “It’s enough for good men and women to do nothing for EVIL to spread!” and assumes the solemn duty to be the voice of the voiceless.

20. Therefore, the time to be silent when truth is vandalized and the prospect of “the return of the family who caused us misery and pain,” according to the Clergy for the Moral Choice, is over.

21. How strong is the Catholic Church in the Philippines? She has more than 120 active bishops, 10,470 priests, and 11,000 religious nuns and brothers and about 80 million lay Catholics.

22. Is it strength, enlightenment, wisdom, or credibility of the Church leaders of this predominantly Catholic nation, or lack of it that, after everything has been said and done, millions will make Marcos Jr the next President of the Philippines?

svd statement on elections 2022 may 9

 

who is fr danny pilario, cm, phd, std?

source: https://www.stjohns.edu/sites/default/files/2021-09/Short%20CV%20-%20for%20SJU%20SP%20REVISED.pdf

Rev. Daniel Franklin Pilario, C.M., Ph.D., S.T.D. 

Fr. Pilario is a member of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) in the Philippines. He is an Associate Professor and Dean of St. Vincent School of Theology at Adamson University in Quezon City, Philippines. He comes from the barangay of Hagdan in the municipality of Oslob in the province of Cebu in the Philippines. 

Fr. Pilario earned an undergraduate philosophy degree at Adamson University, a bachelor’s in theology at the University of Santo Tomas, and a master’s and doctoral degree at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. 

His book, Back to the Rough Grounds of Praxis: Exploring Theological Method with Pierre Bourdieu (Leuven, 2005), was awarded the Jan en Marie Huyse Prijs of the Leuven Academic Foundation as the best research in the humanities in 2003. 

He has also written After the End: Reflections of the Happy Theologian in and on the Rough Grounds (2014), and other monographs. He edited or coedited several anthologies. The most recent are The Ambivalence of Sacrifice (2013); Christian Orthodoxy (2014); Globalization and the Church of the Poor (2015); Philippine Local Churches after the Spanish Regime (2015); Faith in Action: Catholic Social Teaching on the Ground (2015); Second Plenary Council of the Philippines: Quo Vadis (2015); Theology and Power: International Perspectives 2016); Suffering and God (2016); Minorities (2017); Theology, Conflict and Peacebuilding (2018); Asian Christianities (2018); and Signs of Hope in Muslim-Christian Relations (2020). 

Fr. Pilario belongs to the editorial boards of philosophical and theological journals. Among them are Hapág: Interdisciplinary Journal of Theology; Sian Christian Review; Concilium: International Journal of Theology; Institute of Spirituality in Asia; PHAVISMINDA; and the International Journal of Philosophy and Theology. 

He has extensively published in national and international academic journals. His field of research covers fundamental theology, cultural theories and inculturation, liberation theology, theological anthropology, methods of theological research, political-social theory, theology and ecology, Catholic social teaching, and justice and human rights. Fr. Pilario is also a former President and founding member of DaKaTeo, the Catholic Theological Society of the Philippines. 

He is a professorial lecturer at universities and seminaries in the country, and regularly ministers at a garbage dumpsite parish in Payatas, Quezon City, on weekends. 

Rev. Daniel Franklin E. Pilario, C.M., Ph.D., S.T.D. 

St. Vincent School of Theology 

221 Tandang Sora Avenue Quezon City, Philipppines 

danielfranklinpilario@yahoo.com

personal vs structural sins

 WHY NOT SARA?

There are movements now that "drop" Bongbong Marcos and combine Sara’s candidacy with other Presidentiables in different places — Isko-Sara, Pacquiao-Sara and even Leni-Sara. I do not know where this is coming from. Maybe from local governments’ alliance with these candidates but also their loyalty to Duterte himself.

In this article, let me ask the question: why not Sara? The open answer is because she wants to “continue”, maybe perpetuate, the legacy of her father. In her campaigns she proclaims: “Yan po ang commitment namin, na ituloy ang mga programa kontra kriminalidad ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Duterte.” (Paranaque, March 12, 2022).

There might be a "hidden" answer but hard to speculate. Though it does not really take a genius to figure out why. Hindi naman tayo ipinanganak kahapon.

Because she does not join public debates, and because the UniTeam does not have concrete platforms on issues other than “unity”, we do not really know what "Duterte legacy" she (and they) want to preserve other than this "fight against criminality".

But let me count the ways.

1. EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS

We know that Duterte and his men have a pending case in the International Criminal Court. For sure, that is not a “yellow” narrative. To win the Vice-Presidency would give her some leg room and influence to protect the father from litigation. But whether Duterte has cases in the ICC or not, my journey with the mothers, widows and orphans of the War on Drug victims is enough reason that this administration has “killed” not only the addicts but the future of their families as well. One can never imagine the trauma and anger the killing did to young minds. One sharing a child said: “I want to be a police, because I want to kill the policeman who killed my father.”

We also know the killings did not stop with the addicts but also pursued the “communists”, the lumad, the dissenters and activists. If this is the criminality she is talking about, this is a well-funded program under NTF-ECLAC and legally supported by Anti-Terrorism Law. This legacy is not only an attack against human life and dignity. It is also a source of corruption that breeds violence. What kind of legacy is that?

“Thou shall not kill” is an absolute Christian command. Any enabler of a government who kills is not worthy of our vote.

2. CORRUPTION

“Give me 3-6 months” was the campaign refrain, an upbeat promise to rid the Philippines of corruption. More that 16 million cheered. He will not tolerate a corrupt official, “not even a whiff of corruption”. In his last SONA, he admitted: “You cannot stop corruption… it will always be there.” Let us just remind ourselves of this legacy which are from COA, an official government body: the PhilHealth scam (15B); 67.3 B “deficiencies” with the Department of Health, 41B of which went to the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM). Do you still remember Pharmally and the overpriced face masks and PPE’s from China? 583.5 B flagged by COA as “wasted funds on corruption and incompetence” in 2017 alone.

Where are Faeldon and Lapena today? What happened to the magnetic lifters in 2017? Do you still remember the “pastillas” scam? In 2020, the Philippines ranked 115th out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) done by Transparency International (TI). What kind of legacy is this?

“Thou shall not steal” is God’s command. Any candidate who plans to continue such legacy, who connive with plunderers in one party, and have no plans to prosecute the corrupt is not worthy of my vote.

3. ENVIRONMENTAL PLUNDER

Duterte began his term with environmental “dramatics”—the return of Canada waste illegally shipped to us and the Boracay “clean up”. He also banned casinos in the island—only to lift the same ban in April 2021. It is now open to 150-hectare resort of the Alliance Global Group.

In a dramatic move and to our delight, he chose the environmental advocate, Gina Lopez, to be the DENR Secretary in 2017. He also imposed moratorium on open-pit mining. He later sacked Gina and lifted the moratorium in the granting of new permits for mining companies. Gone are our hopes for sustainable ecology.

Another expensive drama is the Manila Bay dolomite beach. When typhoon Odette struck the Visayas, Alcoy (Cebu) from where the crushed dolomite were hauled, had big boulders came rushing down on houses in the plains. The delight to our eyes in Manila were paid for by the suffering of people somewhere else. There are still other environment issues that pose questions to the Duterte administration: the Kaliwa dam and the controversial Chinese capitalization, the Malampaya deals with Dennis Uy, and the coal plants program.

And there are many other issues too long to mention: the “build, build, build” program which according to NEDA, plans to complete mere 18 projects out of 122 proposed at the end of Duterte’s term (well, after so much credit grabbing, publicity and “bruhaha”); independent foreign policy (kuno) which is read as “friendship” with China; the drama of ABS-CBN, Rappler, and many others.

But what has this got to do with Sara, the daughter? My answer is the same as with Marcos Jr., the son.

Sins are not just personal sins, something which we individually commit. St. John Paul II talks of “social sins”, “structural sins”, sins found in societal structures. They “cry to heaven because they generate violence, disrupt peace and harmony.” They are started and perpetrated by persons; but they continue to corrupt and pollute society in the structures that these candidates and party vow to perpetuate and continue. They are conscious and willing "enablers" and promoters of the structures of evil.

So far, no one owned up to these facts and cases. Neither the father and his minions. Nor the daughter who has also no plans to call these people into account. Of course, how can she? Kailangan pa bang i-memorize yan?

These are enough reasons to say: she is not worthy of my vote! Maybe yours too.

Daniel Franklin Pilario, CM

Vincentian Center for Social Justice

St. John’s University – New York

cardinal tagle: the goodness of the human person amidst the ukranian war 2022 feb 24 ...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-03/ukraine-war-cardinal-tagle-caritas-interview.html?fbclid=IwAR1VS2MloGkm9e-PtJwEFputEx_eAfECeLDQKDYfNQEtLacXMvPD-nQmnrE

Cardinal Tagle on war in Ukraine: no weapon can kill hope

Interview with the president of Caritas Internationalis on the war in Ukraine, Europe’s great test of solidarity and the testimonies of humanity that give hope, even in a time marked by suffering and pain.

By Alessandro Gisotti

Under the bombs but working non-stop. This is how Caritas operators are bringing help to those in need in Ukraine devastated by the Russian military aggression. Despite the difficulties on the ground, Caritas Ukraine and Caritas-Spes Ukraine continue to serve the population. Since the beginning of the conflict, assistance has been provided to over 160 thousand people. It ranges from food distribution to the provision of housing, but also psychological assistance. Extraordinary is also the commitment of all the local Caritas offices of Europe, and in particular in those countries - such as Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary and Slovakia - which have received the largest number of refugees fleeing the war. We asked the President of Caritas Internationalis and Prefect of "Propaganda Fide", Luis Antonio Tagle, to dwell on this commitment in a world that is strangled by pandemics and conflicts and finds it difficult to look to the future with confidence.

Cardinal Tagle, for two years now humanity has been grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the war in Ukraine, unleashed by Russia and the fear - of many - of a new world conflict. Where to find hope in the face of a time that seems so distressing?

As Christians, we must trust that hope is always in God. In this season of Lent, the Church - through the Readings - invites us to renew our hope in Jesus Christ. And this hope means the triumph of love, of mercy. We now see concrete signs of this hope. No gun can kill hope, the goodness of the spirit in the human person. There are so many testimonies to this. The hope in Jesus Christ and His Resurrection is true and is seen precisely in the testimony of so many people.

Pope Francis at last Sunday's Angelus spoke of "an unacceptable military aggression." On 6 March he had said that this "is a war," not "a special military operation." You are a Filipino, not a European, what emotions does a war in the heart of Europe arouse in you?

First of all, sadness. I feel sad seeing the images, hearing the news and being close to this place where there is war. I feel sad and also a bit confused because humanity has not learned the lessons of history! After so much war and destruction, we remain so hard at heart! When I listen to the stories of my parents who lived through World War II, I can't imagine - not even imagine! - the poverty, the suffering they endured. That generation continues to carry the wounds of war in their bodies as well, and they still have a wounded state of mind. When, when will we learn? Those are my feelings. We truly hope that we will learn from the lessons of history.

Caritas Internationalis was born 70 years ago to address the humanitarian needs that emerged from World War II. Today, what is the biggest challenge for the Caritas network with respect to the conflict in Ukraine?

It seems to me that the biggest challenge of the Caritas family network is what is precisely inscribed in its mission. The mission to always remind the world that every conflict, every disaster has a human face. Caritas' response is always humanitarian. For example, the war in Ukraine and conflicts in other countries of the world are generally presented as political, military conflicts but people are forgotten! With our mission, Caritas reminds the world that war is not a military, political issue, but it is, first of all, a human issue.

The Ukrainian people are giving an incredible testimony of courage, while its neighboring countries - in particular, we think of Poland, Romania - are offering a testimony of exceptional solidarity. What lesson can we learn, we who are "near" but still far from this war in Ukraine?

We must be grateful for the witness of the people in Ukraine and in neighboring countries and even of those further away who are sending aid and offering assistance. The lesson for me is this: in the desert of violence, the human person has the capacity to be good. The lesson for me is that even in a bad situation like war, a better humanity can emerge. But there is a challenge: the formation of the heart, of the mind. Conflicts, how do they begin? In the heart, in the decision of people. The lesson lies in the way families form their children in the values of respect for others, of listening, of compassion, of choosing a path of justice, of dialogue instead of revenge, of violence.

Is there a story, an image from this war - we are hearing about and seeing so many - that has struck you in a particular way, that somewhat represents the pain but also the strength, the goodness of people?

It is difficult to choose, but - perhaps as a Christian and as a bishop - the images that struck me most are those of people praying. This faith of the mothers kneeling before the Sacrament. Prayer, the network of prayer that unites humanity, for me, is a sign of hope despite the war. The Lord is with us. the Lord loves his family.