MANILA, Philippines - The Catholic Church does not have the unified support of all its members when it comes to the issue of the Reproductive Health Bill, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) disclosed today.
Pampanga Archbishop Paciano Aniceto, chairman of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL), revealed that there are some priests who are pro-RH bill.
“Well, in the Church, there’s a space for dissent also… Even the 10 commandments, there are many who disobey it, right?” Aniceto said in an interview. “We leave it to their conscience. We respect that. But majority are not in favor. I think, in their own moral and theological discernment, we should respect them for that.”
He said these priests have maintained anonymity although some bishops are aware of their dissenting positions.
Aniceto believes that these priests are only misguided or are lacking sufficient knowledge about the provisions of the bill. - By Helen M. Flores (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)