Politics in the Church

A Catholic magazine that is published in Kuala Lumpur is very specific.  It says it dwells on the topic of Church politics, and not on Church and politics.

The latter is about — if we may use the terminologies of the Catholic Church — the relationship between the Church and the state, the critical collaboration that the Church affords the government, the exercise of the Church’s prophetic and diaconal role in the society, or the participation of the Church in politics (meant in broad terms).  The Church is never freed from scenarios of its ordained leaders taking on partisan political positions — like Fr. Ed Panlilio, who is elected governor of Pampanga in the Philippines, and Bishop Fernando Lugo who’s now the president of Paraguay.  But, of course, these political involvements of Church leaders are being critically looked upon by the Church leadership.  For, as the Church’s teachings make clear, the Church would not delve on partisan politicking.

Thus, in the Philippines we knew of the Catholic Church being quite vocal in its criticism against the sitting president of the Republic.  The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued its strongest indictment against the government, calling it morally bankcrupt.  A year ago, when the Sumilao farmers marched from Bukidnon to Manila, particularly the Archdiocese of Manila extended valuable help.  The cardinal of Manila personally lobbied for them before Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and lodged an appeal on the farmers’ behalf to San Miguel Corporation that legally owned the vast acre of land which they petition to be parceled out among them.  The dioceses in Antique and Iloilo are arguing against the coal-powered electric plant in their locale; and the dioceses in the island of Mindoro, Sorsogon, Marinduque, etc. are advocating against large-scale mining.  The archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan is advocating against gambling in the Philippines (which puts him in opposite fulcrum against the government, which operates legal and illegal gambling joints).  Over and above all these, the Philippine Catholic Church is very well known for its very organized and vocal opposition to any government initiatives to promote responsible sexual health and its Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCR-RV) during national and local campaign and election periods.

The preceding is Church AND politics.

Now, politicking in the Church is understandable insofar as the Church remains a human institution.  Church politics is about the jockeying over positions and the bickering between and among the Church’s leaders. Church politicking happens in all the level of the Church: from Vatican, regions, dioceses, religious congregations, parishes, down to the base ecclesial communities.