Philippine Bishops’ Secular Neutrality Betrays Christ’s Social Kingship
The Catholic News Agency portal reports on Philippine bishops urging military leaders to maintain “stability” and “democratic principles” amid corruption allegations against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David calls for allegations to be resolved through “proper judicial authorities” while warning against “political exploitation.” Cardinal Jose Advincula instructs soldiers to honor their “oath to the flag” rather than individuals, while Archbishop Socrates Villegas condemns “military adventurism” as contrary to “justice and dialogue.” Bishop Elias Ayuban Jr. delivers a letter supporting military leaders in defending “democratic institutions.”
Naturalism Masquerading as Prudence
The bishops’ statements constitute a total evacuation of supernatural responsibility. Their exclusive focus on procedural legality (“rule of law,” “constitutional processes”) while avoiding moral judgment on corruption reveals adherence to the condemned proposition that “the Church ought to be separated from the State” (Pius IX, Syllabus of Errors, Error 55). Nowhere do these prelates recall that civil rulers govern under Dei permissu (by God’s permission), nor do they warn that unjust regimes lose legitimacy when violating divine law. Their silence perpetuates the modernist lie that political authority derives from popular consent rather than God (“Auctoritas, non veritas facit legem” – “Authority, not truth, makes law” being the exact inversion of Catholic teaching).
Sacralization of Democratic Idolatry
By urging loyalty to “democratic institutions” and “constitutional processes” without reference to Christ’s Kingship, these bishops enact the heresy condemned by Pius XI: “The rebellion of individuals and states against the authority of Christ has produced deplorable consequences” (Quas Primas, 1925). The Armed Forces are instructed to serve abstract “democratic principles” rather than recognize their duty to resist leaders who violate natural law – a direct contradiction of St. Thomas Aquinas’ teaching that “human law has the nature of law only insofar as it proceeds according to right reason… and thus it is manifest that it flows from the eternal law” (Summa Theologica I-II Q.93 A.3).
Episcopal Cowardice in the Face of Scandal
Cardinal David’s demand for evidence before addressing corruption allegations ignores the Church’s duty to condemn public scandal regardless of judicial process. St. Alphonsus Liguori teaches: “When the sin is public, the priest must make a public admonition” (Theologia Moralis VI.2). By reducing the scandal of alleged embezzlement ($1.69 billion) to a matter of “proper judicial authorities,” the bishops implicitly endorse the Masonic separation of morality from governance. Their statements lack any call for repentance, restitution, or the resignations demanded by justice – a betrayal of prophetic witness reminiscent of Caiphas’ political pragmatism (John 11:50).
Military Neutrality as Complicity
Archbishop Villegas’ condemnation of “military adventurism” while ignoring soldiers’ duty to resist tyranny constitutes moral disarmament. St. Augustine’s City of God (Book XIX) establishes that temporal peace exists only when ordered toward eternal peace through Christ. The bishops’ insistence that soldiers remain “nonpartisan” amid grave corruption allegations transforms the military into tools of oppression – precisely the error condemned by Pius XII: “A conception of the State which makes the rising generations belong to it entirely, without any exception… is contrary to the natural rights of the human person” (Summi Pontificatus, 1939).
The Missing Social Reign of Christ
The most damning omission is the complete absence of Regnum Christi (Christ’s Kingship) in their appeals. Not one bishop references the Philippine Constitution’s Preamble (“imploring the aid of Almighty God”), nor do they invoke Pius XI’s teaching that “nations will be happy and prosperous only when they accept Christ’s law” (Quas Primas). Their reduction of “spiritual response” to private conscience examination (Cardinal Advincula) while avoiding demands for public restitution and moral reform exposes their conciliar formation – where faith becomes interior sentiment rather than the foundation of social order.
Canonical Consequences of Silence
These bishops violate Canon 1325 §2 of the 1917 Code (still binding): “Ecclesiastics must preach the Gospel doctrine in its integrity and proclaim the divine law in its entirety.” Their refusal to declare corruption incompatible with Catholic governance constitutes scandal through omission (Canon 2200). By urging blind submission to potentially criminal authorities, they enact the “false mercy” condemned by Pius XII: “The first duty of charity does not lie in the toleration of false ideas… but in the prudence by which we are able to free men from error” (Ci Riesce, 1953). The military deserves shepherds who proclaim Bellarmine’s axiom: “It is lawful to resist the prince who destroys religion” (De Romano Pontifice II.29), not chaplains to tyranny.
Source:
Philippine bishops urge military not to destabilize the Marcos government (catholicnewsagency.com)
Date: 19.11.2025