Is there a war between the Roman Catholic Church and Duterte supporters? For that matter, is there a war between the Church and the Philippines’ trendy Church of Atheism? Perhaps. In fact the war between any Philippine Government and the Church has been raging for some time — specifically in efforts to curb the galloping humanity-crushing population growth the Philippines has long been renowned for. As for so-called “atheists” and the Church, that’s been a fashion statement for some time and will likely go on.
So, really, it’s business as usual. There is nothing new about the Church’s sudden interest in the bloody business of applying a bit of state-sanctioned violence to efforts to control the trafficking of illegal drugs. That the “war on drugs” is a bloody business is shocking to disente Filipinos is what is really shocking, in fact. This is, after all, Hollywood-crazy Philippines. Movies about drug gangsters and the cops that fight them have been amongst the most violent in the industry.
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Buckets of blood, and gore by the shovelful, splattering all over the silver screen have, for years, delighted cinema audiences. From The French Connection to The God Father franchise, then Scarface, comes a cinematic tradition that has inspired not just up-and-coming film makers but real-life political heroes as well. Notions of how drug wars are waged easily jump from the screen onto the reality of the Philippines much the same way that the gunslinging on-screen personas of Lito Lapid, the Revillas of Cavite, and the late Fernando Poe Jr consistently converted votes on vast scales in Philippine elections held over the last several decades.
According to the Inquirer Editor, the Philippines’ bishops have “found their voice” following a “pastoral letter” they issued denouncing the mounting casualties as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte wages his was on drugs. Utter hypocrisy, of course. But this hypocrisy is but a mere symptom sitting on a foundation of ingrained hypocrisy manifested in the way some hipster Filipinos express “shock” over the bloodshed. These are, after all, the sorts of folk who are comfier quoting verse from a Coppola classic than sitting still through a Catholic mass without once sneaking a peak at their Facebook or Twitter timelines in between “peace-be-with-yous”.
Let us, of course, be reminded that at its core, the Roman Catholic Church is a product of succesful campaigns to conquer and massacre the Enemy over the centuries. Of all institutions, it should be the most cluey about what it takes to get things done on a macro scale. Empires as vast as that of the Roman Catholic Church are not won and maintained by being polite to one’s subjects. Indeed, Catholics are ruled by the Church under a blanket of fear, guilt, and the prospect of eternal damnation. Faith is exacted of the Church’s flock not by saying “please” but by threats of infinite incineration coming from no less than the Almighty Himself.
The real war here is between ordinary folks and that One Percent of every society that the Roman Catholic Church itself is a part of. The only way this Real War can be won is for ordinary schmoes to get better at thinking, stop embracing sacred dogma as “bible truth”, and desist from acting like an ignoramous star-struck lot.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Every war is bloody. So every (foot) soldier and – so called/alleged elite soldiers (SAF44) must consider the fact that they will return in a body bag. So, deal with that.
I notice that The Roman Catholic Church, which is a massive world wide organization, is very vocal about the deaths in the Philippines war on drugs. As a Christian, I am also concerned. The fact is that most of the deaths are happening to people who are somewhat involved in killing or damaging the brains of people who COULD be an asset to Philippines. These pushers and users are actually criminals. Why then, if the Church is so worried about Human rights, instaed of trying to protect the Humanm Rights of people involved in drugs, why don’t they speak out as vociferously about their colleagues who have raped or molested thousands of pure, innocent children within their Parishes, instead of trying to cover up for them, as has happened so many times?
Bec the money keeps pouring in even after the rape and molestation. But when you are dead, you cant donate money any more to the church. Or maybe with bitcoins in heaven?
However, the local CBCP thinks prosecution paedophilia among clergy is strictly a “white people” and “secular Western” thing because no Filipino clergy got the clink for diddling an altar boy
on death penalty: why not let the pilipinos decide in a referendum? death penalty or not?
The Catholic Church needs to get its own house in order, especially regarding child rape by clergy and their stupid policy of advocating more and more poor children who can never get a full meal.
This Catholic nun was my high school English and History teacher and here is what she has to say to Republican “pro-life politicians in America. She tells the Church much the same thing. http://samuel-warde.com/2015/07/catholic-nun-explains-pro-life/
Organized Religions are businesses. The government should tax them…Imagine, how much money, the members contribute…because, they believe, that contributing to these churches, will save them from being incinerated in Hell forever !
Drug dealing and trafficking are lethal businesses. Criminals and bad characters are in the business; ready to kill to protect their drug turf. We have to be Realistic on this matter…
In Mexico, Columbia, etc…which are mostly Roman Catholic country. The Church cannot do anything about the Drug murders and killings. Their Bishops did not even care to send a “Pastoral Letter” to their Presidents. Because, they know, it is useless !
It is better for these churches to help in the rehabilitation of these addicts; than blaming the government of the killings in the drug trade…Drug dealers and drug traffickers will kill and murder; with or without the Bishop Villegas Pastoral Letter…
I believe Organized Religions are now obsolete, in this Age of Information Technology !
Well, forget about that pastoral letter coming from the Roman Catholic Church in our country in which it’s an utterly sucks. Here’s one an open letter to our president coming from the former Colombian president CÉSAR GAVIRIA and he feared that his war on drugs in his country before during his presidency around the early 90s will “doomed” repeat itself to our own war on drugs of today. This one really reflects on this topic made by benign0 & quite coincidence. And I don’t know if what will President Duterte gonna react on this one but for sure he will with an F word just like what he made a reaction to the pastoral letter coming from CBCP & we’ll wait for that one.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/opinion/president-duterte-is-repeating-my-mistakes.html?_r=0&referer=https://www.google.com.ph/
President Duterte had now replied to the former Colombian president CÉSAR GAVIRIA about his comments on the war on drugs in our country & I knew this will gonna happen, he’d just ignore his advice & calling him an “Idiot”. Welcome to the Bleeding Hearts Club, Mr. Gaviria, but after that, he’d even mentioned another controversial racist comment and this time the African-Americans or Black Americans will be insulted on this one. Donald Sterling, you’re not alone:
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/02/08/1670271/duterte-calls-colombian-ex-president-idiot
Roman Catholic Church beliefs are conclusions reached by Failipinos in the Failippines who are lazy to think for themselves.
Haven’t read the article, as the title caught my attention first.
Of course drug wars are always bloody, they always trample at every notion of civics and legality to get shit done, or so that’s what its proponents think — with enough lead you can put the drug problem out of its misery (and maybe bring the nation to a sobriety sanctified by the deaths of how many thousands now?).
Only these bloodythirsty types never dare ask themselves: to hell with the death and subjugation of what we say are the unclean, does it work? Is it actually effective? Is there actually one example — one country — where one can unequivocally say it won the war, for the rest of the world to see, without the usual deleterious effects associated with all the furious bloodsplattering?
@Pallacertus: the title is misleading. It’s pointing out that the CCP has achieved the ultimate dictatorship: one in which the subjugated manufacture their own chains, clamp on their own manacles, and point guns at their own heads. The CCP has transcended the use of brute force to get what it wants. It’s had several centuries worth of practice. Perhaps Duterte still has a trick or two to learn from them?