EWTN News portal reports that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has urged the Senate to proceed with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, calling for “righteousness and justice” and the “common good.” Archbishop Gilbert Garcera, president of the CBCP, stated: “We appeal to the members of the Senate to abide by what the Constitution directs: to proceed with the trial and to decide the case against the Vice President by summoning witnesses, hearing testimony, and voting according to the evidence and, above all, the demands of righteousness and justice.” The bishops also called on Filipinos to “fulfill our civic duties and responsibilities by ensuring a fair and credible trial” and to “remain vigilant in monitoring the proceedings.” This statement, while cloaked in the language of civic responsibility, reveals the profound theological bankruptcy of the post-conciliar hierarchy, which has reduced the Church’s mission to that of a mere NGO advocating for secular political processes, utterly silent on the supernatural realities of sin, grace, and the ultimate judgment of God.
The Church as Political Lobbyist: A Betrayal of Her Divine Mandate
The statement by the CBCP is a textbook example of the post-conciliar Church’s descent into naturalistic humanism, a direct fruit of the Second Vatican Council’s Dignitatis Humanae and Gaudium et Spes, which effectively dethroned Christ the King from His public reign and enthroned “human dignity” and “dialogue” as the new gods. The bishops’ appeal to “the Constitution,” “the rule of law,” and “the common good” as the ultimate arbiters of justice is a stark abandonment of the Church’s divine mandate to preach the Gospel, administer the sacraments, and guide souls to eternal salvation. Where is the call to repentance? Where is the warning about the state of grace? Where is the recognition that true justice can only be found in the laws of God, not in the flawed constructs of man?
Pope Pius XI, in his encyclical Quas Primas, unequivocally declared: “The state is happy not by one means, and man by another; for the state is nothing else than a harmonious association of men.” He further emphasized that “rulers of states therefore not refuse public veneration and obedience to the reigning Christ, but let them fulfill this duty themselves and with their people, if they wish to maintain their authority inviolate and contribute to the increase of their homeland’s happiness.” The Philippine bishops, by contrast, act as if the Church’s primary role is to ensure the smooth functioning of secular political machinery, rather than to remind rulers and citizens alike of their duties to God and the eternal consequences of their actions.
Silence on the Supernatural: The Gravest Omission
The most damning aspect of the CBCP’s statement is its utter silence on the supernatural. The allegations against Vice President Duterte—misuse of funds, bribery, and even threats of murder—are grave sins that endanger her soul and the souls of those she influences. Yet, the bishops’ statement contains no mention of sin, no call to repentance, no warning about the Last Judgment, and no exhortation to seek reconciliation with God through the sacraments. This is not merely an omission; it is a denial of the Church’s very reason for existence.
The Syllabus of Errors of Pope Pius IX condemned the proposition that “the civil government, even when in the hands of an infidel sovereign, has a right to an indirect negative power over religious affairs” (Proposition 41) and that “the Church has not the power of using force, nor has she any temporal power, direct or indirect” (Proposition 24). The Philippine bishops, by focusing solely on the secular legal process, implicitly accept the modernist separation of Church and State, relegating the Church to the private sphere and denying her authority to speak on matters of public morality with the full weight of divine law.
The Cult of “Civic Duty” Over Spiritual Duty
The bishops’ call for Filipinos to “fulfill our civic duties and responsibilities” and to “remain vigilant in monitoring the proceedings” is a chilling substitution of spiritual vigilance with political activism. The faithful are urged to watch the impeachment trial, not to pray for the conversion of sinners or to examine their own consciences. This is the religion of man, not the religion of God.
St. Pius X, in Lamentabili Sane Exitu, condemned the proposition that “the Church is an enemy of the progress of natural and theological sciences” (Proposition 57) and that “truth changes with man, because it develops with him, in him, and through him” (Proposition 58). The Philippine bishops, by embracing the secular political process as the primary means of achieving justice, have implicitly accepted the modernist notion that truth and justice are evolving concepts, rather than immutable realities revealed by God.
The “Common Good” Without God: A Hollow Phrase
The bishops’ repeated invocation of “the common good” is meaningless without reference to God and His laws. The true common good is the salvation of souls, not the smooth functioning of political institutions. Pope Leo XIII, in his encyclical Immortale Dei, taught that “the Almighty, therefore, has given the charge of the human race to two powers, the ecclesiastical and the civil, the one being set over divine, and the other over human, each supreme in its own kind, and each fixed within limits which are defined by its own nature and special object.” The Philippine bishops, by failing to assert the supremacy of the spiritual power and the ultimate authority of Christ the King, have reduced the Church to a mere advisory body to the state.
Conclusion: The Neo-Church’s Political Captivity
The CBCP’s statement on the Duterte impeachment trial is a clear manifestation of the neo-church’s captivity to the spirit of the age. By focusing exclusively on secular political processes and remaining silent on the supernatural realities of sin, grace, and judgment, the bishops have betrayed their sacred office and led the faithful astray. The Church’s mission is not to ensure the smooth functioning of political machinery, but to preach the Gospel, administer the sacraments, and guide souls to eternal salvation. Until the Philippine bishops—and the entire post-conciliar hierarchy—return to this divine mandate, they will continue to be instruments of the Antichrist, leading the faithful away from Christ and toward the worship of man and his institutions.
Source:
Philippine bishops press Senate to begin Duterte impeachment trial (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 15.05.2026