FINDING ANSWERS
The elevation of Pablo Virgilio David to the rank of cardinal is certainly appropriate for a towering figure whose legacy of courage ought to inspire admiration and pride among the Filipino faithful.
In the rich tapestry of Catholicism, his name now shines brightly as he was among the 21 new cardinals from around the world installed by Pope Francis last Dec. 7 during the consistory in St. Peter’s Basilica.
What sets Cardinal David apart is his courage to speak truth to power, even at great personal risk. He shall always be remembered for being the most prominent critic of extrajudicial killings that plagued the country.
Despite facing death threats and vilification, he stood firm, offering sanctuary to victims and their families while challenging the culture of impunity that pervaded starting in 2016, and in which an overwhelming majority of victims were the poor and powerless.
As bishop of Kalookan, he led one of the country’s most densely populated and impoverished dioceses. When it was at the epicenter of the drug war, he remained steadfast, embodying the role of a shepherd who protects his flock, and what it really means to serve both God and humanity.
In January 2017, I wrote a column titled “Can local clergy do more to combat the drug menace?” It was six months into the most violent drug war and then President Rodrigo Duterte’s response to criticisms from Church leaders was to ridicule them.
His oft-repeated tirades were as harsh as ever and it made devout Catholics cringe. He implied they were detached from the flock. “Daldal kayo nang daldal diyan eh (You keep on talking)… with all the pageantry and ceremony, pa-gold-gold pa kayo ng mga chalice diyan (with gold chalices). Eh samantalang ‘yung nakikinig sa inyo mga walang kain (while those listening are hungry), he said.
Mr. Duterte also lamented the apparent lack of concrete support from them as he blurted: “Kayong mga pari, mga obispo, ang gaganda ng suot ninyo, mga kotse. Meron ba kayong isang bahay lang maski limang kwarto para rehab? (You priests, bishops, you have nice clothes, cars. Do you have a house even with only five rooms for rehab?) His fury also focused not only on inaction but on seemingly uninspired sermons and ineffective preaching.
I felt then that the situation was worrisome not only because there was no stopping the tirades, but because many Filipinos believed in Mr. Duterte and, consequently, the Church could be losing support among its flock.
Here’s what I wrote: “If the Church wants to arrest its slide toward obsolescence and retain the reverence it ought to have, it has to regain support among the people. To do that, credibility is essential.
“And one way to be credible, as I’ve said before, is to be doing something effective too. Mere public condemnations of killings and appeals to uphold human rights and rule of law do not resonate among the people. The Church must think out of the box to come up with ideas and actually implement workable programs that address the drug problem in all fronts especially rehabilitation and prevention.
“Until the Church comes up with more effective action programs and not what might be viewed by critics as mere lip service, many worry it will be unable to gain public support for its stand on human rights and, worse, remain inconsequential as it continues to earn the ire of a combative President Duterte.”
Thus, it was good news to learn that then Bishop David had put up drug rehab programs in his diocese, including mission stations like the “Dambana ng Paghilom (Shrine of Healing)” to provide for the spiritual and physical needs of the poor, the powerless, the oppressed.
Cardinal David’s life and work can be so inspiring for those of us longing for the Kingdom of God. Every time we pray to our heavenly Father – in the words Christ himself taught us in the Lord’s Prayer – we ask God: “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.”
“The Church’s mission is not about promoting a religion! It has rather to do with bringing about the Kingdom of God. And this Kingdom of God, we don’t build it ourselves. It is too arrogant of us to even think that it is our project. It is God’s project. We are mere participants in it,” he said in his homily during the Holy Mass he held last Saturday, a day after he arrived from Rome.
Cardinal David’s pastoral mission inspires people to embrace the message of the encyclical of Pope John Paul II called Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (The Social Concerns of the Church) which calls on everyone to “reflect and actively commit themselves to promoting the true development of peoples,” even going beyond religion in asking everyone to take responsibility for the integral development of all and “ensuring a more human life for their fellow human beings, whether or not they are inspired by a religious faith.”
The legacy of Cardinal David’s courage and action also inspires a renewed commitment to the values he embodies. In him, Filipinos see a leader who truly mirrors Christ’s love and courage, an enduring legacy for generations to come. ([email protected])