Ninety percent of Filipinos oppose any church involvement with the government's anti-communist task force, an online survey conducted by Caritas Philippines showed.
According to the Catholic Bishops of the Philippines' Facebook post on Thursday, Oct. 19, the Caritas survey showed there is "fear" of the Church being "cop-opted and used to legitimize" the alleged human rights violations of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
The respondents believe that by working in solidarity with the poor and other human rights groups, the church will have a stronger voice in dialogue with the government outside of the NTF-ELCAC.
“The Church should stay true to its mandate of standing up for the poor, the hungry, the oppressed, and the vulnerable,” the survey said.
Moreover, the respondents urged the church to continue to conduct dialogue with the communities and the government to establish an “inclusive and sustainable peace.”
“The church should craft creative ways to ‘popularize’ the call for synodality and Fratelli Tutti to reach a wider audience, especially children and the youth, using all social media accessible to them,” the survey added. (Erika Mariel Custodio Escover)