The Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines appealed to Catholics to “resist the shadow of fear cast over the nation” following government allegations that several Church leaders conspired to oust President Rodrigo Duterte.
It called on people to resist the government’s “lies, violence and betrayal,” at a gathering attended by hundreds of priests, women religious and lay people in Manila on 6th August, ucanews.com reported.
“This is a time for all Christians to display vigilance and resist injustice. We are calling on everyone to stand together and hold the government accountable for acts of wickedness, the violence and for selling out our sovereignty,” said Fr Angel Cortez, the association’s executive secretary.
The “use of false information and the filing of trumped-up charges” against Catholic bishops, priests, and a religious brother “is a desperate move to hinder the Church from conducting its mission for the poor,” he said.
Philippine authorities have filed sedition, cyber libel, libel, and obstruction of justice charges against 36 people including an archbishop three bishops, three priests and a religious brother, all of whom have criticised the government’s anti-narcotics campaign that has led to thousands of deaths.
The charges stem from the release of a video early this year that linked Duterte and his family to the illegal drug trade.
Picture: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his State of the Nation Address at the Philippine Congress in Manila on 22nd July 2019. The Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines appealed to Catholics to “resist the shadow of fear cast over the nation” following government allegations that several Church leaders conspired to oust Duterte. (CNS photo/Eloisa Lopez, Reuters).
