PHILIPPINES: Crisis in state and church

Bienvenido Macario from the Philippines says: "Canada, Australia and European Union have closed indefinitely their Manila Embassies. There seems to be zero or no credibility in the Arroyo government's program, if it has one. Younger priests, nuns, seminarians and novices should stage a coup d' église against the old guard to save what is left of the Roman Catholic Church's credibility. If these young priests fail to act in the next few weeks or 2 1/2 months, the whole Catholic hierarchy will lose all its power and influence. These priests will have no flock to speak of. I estimate that on the average the Catholic Church will lose 2/3 of its power and influence the world over. I base this on the fact that in England, of the three (3) biggest seminaries, two (2) have closed down, since nobody is enrolling to become priests".

RH: The Catholic Church has been suffering a recruitment crisis for some time even in Spain and a corresponding loss of parishioners. In Mexico the Church is using the Virgin de Guadalupe, whose feast will be celebrated this Thursday, December 12,. to establish her cult as an essential part of "la mexicanidad", Mexicanity. Replicas of the painting displayed in her shrine in Mexico City are being distributed to churches in the US where there is a significant Mexican population, and at services. At the old cathedral of San Fernando in San Antonio, the vast new cathedrals in Los Angeles, and elsewhere, ceremonies are held at which Indians dressed in colorful costumes dance before her picture. How authentic all this is I do not know, but it makes good Hollywood-style pageantry. Whether it will strengthen the position of the Church remains to be seen.

Ronald Hilton - 12/10/02