MANILA, Philippines – Catholic bishops and priests gathered on Friday, November 29, to launch a new movement for good governance that aims to foster dialogue without clergymen projecting they are morally superior.
The launch of the Clergy for Good Governance movement was attended by three Catholic bishops, one bishop-elect, and around a dozen priests at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, the seat of the Diocese of Cubao, in Quezon City.
The Clergy for Good Governance is a group of Catholic priests calling for good governance, electoral reforms, an end to political dynasties, and a fight against disinformation. It is an offshoot of the 1,200-strong Clergy for the Moral Choice that endorsed Leni Robredo, the closest rival of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in the 2022 presidential election.
“We will not sit on our high chair. We will go down and immerse ourselves with the people,” said Novaliches Bishop Roberto Gaa in his homily during the 10 am launching Mass.
Gaa said the group “will enter into circles of conversation,” getting to know the desires, questions, and fears of ordinary people. “We will not start with our own assumptions but we will start with a conversation.”
Gaa said the movement takes its cue from Pope Francis, who is pushing for “synodality” in the Catholic Chuch.
Derived from the Greek term syn–hodos, which means “walking together,” synodality refers to a more consultative, dialogical way of proceeding that is pushed by Francis. Quoting the pontiff, synodality is “to smell like the sheep, to be with the sheep.”
“We will get off our chairs, our ‘thrones,’ and appeal to people, talk to people,” the Novaliches bishop said.
The good governance movement said at least 12 bishops and 211 priests have joined them as of Friday.
Their membership is but a small fraction of more than 10,000 Catholic priests in this predominantly Catholic country. The organizers, however, remain hopeful about the impact they will make.
“Jesus needed only 12 apostles. We are now more than 12. And I’m confident that it is also God’s mission for us, for the Church, to speak up,” Gaa said.
The bishops at Friday’s launch were Gaa, Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Antonio Tobias, and Diocese of Cubao apostolic administrator Bishop Honesto Ongtioco. Joining them, too, was Cubao Bishop-elect Elias Ayuban Jr., who is set to be ordained and installed as Ongtioco’s successor on Tuesday, December 3.
Other prominent figures include activist priests Father Robert Reyes and Father Flavie Villanueva.
In a press statement, the Clergy for Good Governance said, “We cannot be silent, and we refuse to be silenced when our brothers and sisters suffer and we see our society come down and fall apart.”
The bishops and priests added, “We believe that God has called us to be stewards, prophets, and pastors of the Church — the people of God. We stand for what is right, for what is true, and for what promotes the common good.” – Rappler.com