“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied graces.” (1 Pet.4:10)

Dear People of God,

We mark this year the 500th year of the coming to our shores of the Christian Faith.  Our commemoration of the event is an acknowledgment of this immense gift to our people and our land.  We did not only receive the Faith, but also allowed it to take root and grow in our Filipino culture throughout these years.  With this gift of Faith, we have become God’s people, partakers of “divine mysteries” (1 Cor 4:1).  We are grateful to God for this immeasurable gift.

We are not, however, the ultimate owners of this special gift.   We are ‘stewards’ -‘katiwala’ (tinugyanan, katalek) of God’s gifts. ‘Is there anything that we did not receive as gift?’ (Cf. 1 Cor. 4:7).  Each gift we receive is meant to be shared to one another.  And so, ‘we are gifted to give’; we must share the Faith.

Every gift is a responsibility. We recognize every gift, nurture it, generously share it with others, and gratefully return it with increase to the Lord. This is the meaning of the Spirituality of Stewardship.

After five centuries of striving to live the Christian Faith more fully, we heighten consciousness of our identity as stewards.  We are stewards of life, talent, time and material resources. These gifts are given to us for service, that we may become channels of God’s Providence to one another. The Holy Scriptures remind us: “as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace”        (1 Peter 4:10).   We are certainly blessed not only when we receive, but especially when we give.

God calls us to serve one another more generously, especially our poor brothers and sisters. The Lord Jesus made his own the prophecy of Isaiah, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor” (Lk. 4:18). We, then, take the banner of preferential love for the poor.  On this, Pope Francis tells us: “Our preferential option for the poor must mainly translate into a privileged and preferential religious care” (Evangelii Gaudium #200).

In this spirit, we re-affirm the mandate given us by the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II) in 1991, namely: “tithing,  after a good pastoral catechesis, shall be introduced with the end in view of the gradual abolition of the Arancel System” (PCP II Decree #118).

The ‘arancel’, which is the fixed amount asked for services given in our churches, can be a hindrance for the poor to receive God’s grace and blessings. Let us do our best, then, to remove obstacles to genuine service, especially to the poor.  For in the end, ‘each of us will give an account of ourselves to God’ (Romans 14:12).  And we heed the Lord Jesus’ instruction to his disciples as he sent them on mission:  “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give” (Mt. 10:8).

Therefore, we, as Church in the Philippines, once more commit ourselves to the gradual abolition of the arancel system. This is a concrete step in renewing ourselves in the practice of stewardship, praying that others may see us truly “as good stewards of God’s varied graces” (1 Pet. 4:10).

We commit ourselves to education, formation and catechesis in the Spirituality of Stewardship for our clergy, religious and laity in our dioceses, parishes, communities and families, in view of adopting a concrete stewardship program in our dioceses to replace the arancel system as soon as possible.  In view of this, we will also put up a service arm that will concretely assist the dioceses that are having a difficulty in implementing this program. We envision local churches, parishes and BECs (Basic Ecclesial Communities) sustained by a generous sharing of resources, where those who have none are not left out of spiritual and material care, where stewardship is a way of life.  This is a true image of the Church.

Brothers and sisters, we are all part of this endeavor for we all belong to the Church, the one family of God.  We all share responsibility for the Church.  Thus, we encourage all the baptized to regularly, wholeheartedly and generously contribute to the Church so that we can fulfill our common mission of spreading the Good News, of serving humanity and caring for the whole of creation.  For ‘the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it’ (Psalm 24:1).

Let us not be afraid to give freely and cheerfully, even in times of crisis and difficulty like the Covid-19 pandemic that we are presently experiencing. Let us sustain the spirit of generosity that has spontaneously overflowed during this pandemic and has kept our communities in operation. We will look back with amazement and gratitude at these times, wondering how we got by even at the height of the lockdowns that we thought would seriously challenge the sustainability of our parishes. 

St. Paul reminds us:   “God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8).  May we not waver in our trust in God, for He never fails to provide for our needs.  In all things, let God be our priority.  Did not the Lord Jesus himself assure us: “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides?” (Mt. 6:33).

For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines:

+ ROMULO G. VALLES, D.D.
Archbishop of Davao
CBCP President
28 January 2021

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

The question of the use of vaccines, in general, is often at the center of controversy in the forum of public opinion. In recent months, this Congregation has received several requests for guidance regarding the use of vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19, which, in the course of research and production, employed cell lines drawn from tissue obtained from two abortions that occurred in the last century. At the same time, diverse and sometimes conflicting pronouncements in the mass media by bishops, Catholic associations, and experts have raised questions about the morality of the use of these vaccines.

There is already an important pronouncement of the Pontifical Academy for Life on this issue, entitled “Moral reflections on vaccines prepared from cells derived from aborted human fetuses” (5 June 2005). Further, this Congregation expressed itself on the matter with the Instruction Dignitas Personae (September 8, 2008, cf. nn. 34 and 35). In 2017, the Pontifical Academy for Life returned to the topic with a Note. These documents already offer some general directive criteria.

Since the first vaccines against Covid-19 are already available for distribution and administration in various countries, this Congregation desires to offer some indications for clarification of this matter. We do not intend to judge the safety and efficacy of these vaccines, although ethically relevant and necessary, as this evaluation is the responsibility of biomedical researchers and drug agencies. Here, our objective is only to consider the moral aspects of the use of the vaccines against Covid-19 that have been developed from cell lines derived from tissues obtained from two fetuses that were not spontaneously aborted.

1. As the Instruction Dignitas Personae states, in cases where cells from aborted fetuses are employed to create cell lines for use in scientific research, “there exist differing degrees of responsibility”[1] of cooperation in evil. For example,“in organizations where cell lines of illicit origin are being utilized, the responsibility of those who make the decision to use them is not the same as that of those who have no voice in such a decision”.[2]

2. In this sense, when ethically irreproachable Covid-19 vaccines are not available (e.g. in countries where vaccines without ethical problems are not made available to physicians and patients, or where their distribution is more difficult due to special storage and transport conditions, or when various types of vaccines are distributed in the same country but health authorities do not allow citizens to choose the vaccine with which to be inoculated) it is morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process.

3. The fundamental reason for considering the use of these vaccines morally licit is that the kind of cooperation in evil (passive material cooperation) in the procured abortion from which these cell lines originate is, on the part of those making use of the resulting vaccines, remote. The moral duty to avoid such passive material cooperation is not obligatory if there is a grave danger, such as the otherwise uncontainable spread of a serious pathological agent[3]–in this case, the pandemic spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19. It must therefore be considered that, in such a case, all vaccinations recognized as clinically safe and effective can be used in good conscience with the certain knowledge that the use of such vaccines does not constitute formal cooperation with the abortion from which the cells used in production of the vaccines derive. It should be emphasized, however, that the morally licit use of these types of vaccines, in the particular conditions that make it so, does not in itself constitute a legitimation, even indirect, of the practice of abortion, and necessarily assumes the opposition to this practice by those who make use of these vaccines.

4. In fact, the licit use of such vaccines does not and should not in any way imply that there is a moral endorsement of the use of cell lines proceeding from aborted fetuses.[4] Both pharmaceutical companies and governmental health agencies are therefore encouraged to produce, approve, distribute and offer ethically acceptable vaccines that do not create problems of conscience for either health care providers or the people to be vaccinated.

5. At the same time, practical reason makes evident that vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary. In any case, from the ethical point of view, the morality of vaccination depends not only on the duty to protect one’s own health, but also on the duty to pursue the common good. In the absence of other means to stop or even prevent the epidemic, the common good may recommend vaccination, especially to protect the weakest and most exposed. Those who, however, for reasons of conscience, refuse vaccines produced with cell lines from aborted fetuses, must do their utmost to avoid, by other prophylactic means and appropriate behavior, becoming vehicles for the transmission of the infectious agent. In particular, they must avoid any risk to the health of those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons, and who are the most vulnerable.

6. Finally, there is also a moral imperative for the pharmaceutical industry, governments and international organizations to ensure that vaccines, which are effective and safe from a medical point of view, as well as ethically acceptable, are also accessible to the poorest countries in a manner that is not costly for them. The lack of access to vaccines, otherwise, would become another sign of discrimination and injustice that condemns poor countries to continue living in health, economic and social poverty.[5]

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2 February 2021

When they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make known to them the statutes and instructions of God. (Exodus 18:16)

As oral arguments on the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020 begin in the Supreme Court, we pray that sound judgment founded on our nation’s values and Constitutional protections of democracy, civil liberties, and the respect for human life and rights will guide the court.  We firmly believe that the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is a repressive law fashioned around an ambiguous definition of “terrorism.” Not only will the Anti-Terrorism Council be emboldened with broad powers that impinge on those reserved for other branches and offices of government, but implementation of this law will be ripe for militarism and abuses of human rights.  With concern for democracy and the protection of human life, we pray that the Supreme Court will be able to discern the dangers and pitfalls of this legislation.  We urge them to uphold democracy and civil liberties, by striking down the repressive and ambiguous law.

The perverse and rampant pursuit of red-tagging witch-hunts in recent months demonstrate clearly the pernicious character of unchecked labelling of persons.  Coupled with a severe weakening of protections of civil liberties under the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020, democratic space, freedom of speech and association, and other human rights will be under threat. Even more, the very lives and liberty of those who express dissent or stand to assert the rights of the people will be placed in peril. Those in power have already demonstrated their desire for overreach and broad discretion in going after so-called “enemies of the state” or “terrorism.” Their folly in attacking church people, artists, members of the academe, development workers, and even former government officials lays bare great danger in undermining the checks-and-balances and due process under the law.  The Supreme Court is especially placed to judge these dangers and assure that civil liberties are safeguarded and democratic rights upheld.

As Church leaders, we will continue to speak out for the welfare of the people.  The valiant and competent lawyers serving as our counsels will unmask and set straight the grave dangers of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 in today’s oral arguments.

As Church leaders, we vehemently oppose the law on the following grounds:

1.  An overly broad and amorphous usage of the term terrorism, which will surely be utilized by state forces for attacks on dissent and curtailment of human rights and civil liberties.

2.  A weakening of the judicial system and the constitutionally enshrined function to check-and-balance the actions of other branches of government, including state forces under the administrative branch.

3.  Allowances for surveillance, wire-tapping, and invasion of privacy without any evidence of any alleged suspect’s wrongdoing.4.  Arrests and holding of persons without warrants or charges, duly and speedily processed through the courts.

5.  A removal of financial penalties to be awarded to persons detained under false pretense, thus increasing the likelihood of gross impunity to be committed by state forces.

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Pope Francis General Audience

Library of the Apostolic Palace
Wednesday, 27 January 2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Good morning!

Today I would like to focus on the prayer we can do beginning with a Bible passage. The words of Sacred Scripture were not written to remain imprisoned on papyrus, parchment or paper, but to be received by a person who prays, making them blossom in his or her heart. The Word of God goes to the heart. The Catechism affirms that: “prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture” — the Bible cannot be read like a novel — “so that a dialogue takes place between God and man” (n. 2653). This is where prayer leads you, because it is a dialogue with God. That Bible verse was written for me too, centuries and centuries ago, to bring me a word of God. It was written for each of us. This experience happens to all believers: a passage from Scripture, heard many times already, unexpectedly speaks to me one day, and enlightens a situation that I am living. But it is necessary that I be present on that day for that appointment with the Word. That I be there, listening to the Word. Every day God passes and sows a seed in the soil of our lives. We do not know whether today he will find dry ground, brambles, or good soil that will make that seed grow (cf. Mk 4: 3-9). That they become for us the living Word of God depends on us, on our prayer, on the open heart with which we approach the Scriptures. God passes continually through Scripture. And here I return to what I said last week, to what Saint Augustine said: “I am afraid of God when he passes”. Why is he afraid? That he will not listen to him. That he will not realize that he is the Lord.

Through prayer a new incarnation of the Word takes place. And we are the “tabernacles” where the words of God seek to be welcomed and preserved, so that they may visit the world. This is why we must approach the Bible without ulterior motives, without exploiting it. The believer does not turn to the Holy Scriptures to support his or her own philosophical and moral view, but because he or she hopes for an encounter; the believer knows that those words were written in the Holy Spirit, and that therefore they should be welcomed and understood in that same Spirit, so that the encounter can occur.

It bothers me a little when I hear Christians who recite verses from the Bible like parrots. “Oh, yes… Oh, the Lord says… He wants this…”. But did you encounter the Lord, with that verse? It is not only a question of memory: it is a question of the memory of the heart, which opens you to the encounter with the Lord. And that word, that verse, leads you to the encounter with the Lord.

Thus, we read the Scriptures so that they may “read us”. And it is a grace to be able to recognize oneself in this passage or that character, in this or that situation. The Bible was not written for a generic humanity, but for us, for me, for you, for men and women in flesh and blood, men and women who have a name and a surname, like me, like you. And when the Word of God, infused with the Holy Spirit, is received with an open heart, it does not leave things as they were before: never. Something changes. And this is the grace and the power of the Word of God.

Christian tradition is rich in experiences and reflections on prayer with the Sacred Scripture. In particular, the method of “Lectio divina” was established; it originated in monastic circles, but is now also practised by Christians who frequent their parishes. It is first of all a matter of reading the biblical passage attentively: even more, I would say with “obedience” to the text, to understand what it means in and of itself. One then enters into dialogue with Scripture, so that those words become a cause for meditation and prayer: while remaining faithful to the text, I begin to ask myself what it “says to me”. This is a delicate step: we must not slip into subjective interpretations, but rather become part of the living Tradition, which unites each of us to Sacred Scripture. The last step of Lectio divina is contemplation. Words and thoughts here give way to love, as between lovers for whom sometimes it is enough to just look at each other in silence. The biblical text remains, but like a mirror, like an icon to be contemplated. And in this way, there is dialogue.

Through prayer, the Word of God comes to abide in us and we abide in it. The Word inspires good intentions and sustains action; it gives us strength and serenity, and even when it challenges us, it gives us peace. On “bad” and confusing days, it guarantees to the heart a core of confidence and of love that protects it from the attacks of the evil one.

In this way the Word of God is made flesh — allow me to use this expression: made flesh — in those who receive it in prayer. The intuition emerges in some ancient texts that Christians identify so completely with the Word that, even if all the Bibles in the world were to be burned, its “mould” could still be saved through the imprint it left on the life of the saints. This is a beautiful expression.

Christian life is at the same time a work of obedience and of creativity. Good Christians must be obedient, but they must be creative. Obedient, because they listen to the Word of God; creative, because they have the Holy Spirit within who drives them to be so, to lead them forward. At the end of one of his discourses addressed in the form of parables, Jesus makes this comparison: “Every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure” — the heart — “what is new and what is old” (Mt 13:52). The Holy Scriptures are an inexhaustible treasure. May the Lord grant us all to draw ever more from them, though prayer. Thank you.

Special Greetings

I cordially greet the English-speaking faithful. May the Holy Spirit lead us to appreciate more deeply the light that Sacred Scripture shines upon our daily lives. Upon you and your families I invoke the joy and peace of the Lord. God bless you!

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(Revised January 2021)

Merciful and compassionate Father,
we come to you in our need to seek your protection against the COVID 19 virus that has disturbed and even claimed lives.

We ask you now to look upon us with love and by your healing hand,
dispel the fear of sickness and death, restore our hope, and strengthen our faith.

We pray that you guide the people tasked to find cures for this disease
and to stem its transmission.

We thank you for the vaccines developed made possible by your guiding hands. Bless our efforts to use these vaccines to end the pandemic in our country.

We pray for our health workers that they may minister to the sick
with competence and compassion. Grant them health in mind and body,
strength in their commitment, protection from the disease.

We pray for those afflicted. May they be restored to health.
Protect those who care for them. Grant eternal rest to those who have died.

Give us the grace in these trying times to work for the good of all
and to help those in need. May our concern and compassion for each other
see us through this crisis and lead us to conversion and holiness.

Grant all these through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

We fly to Your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our petition in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

Our Lady, health of the sick, pray for us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
St. Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.
San Roque, pray for us.
San Lorenzo Ruiz, pray for us
San Pedro Calungsod, pray for us.