A Protestant Church bishop said Catholic Church leaders should also be blamed for the Philippines’ reputation as among the most corrupt countries and must offer their resignation if they continue to insist that President Macapagal-Arroyo step down from office. Bishop Pedro Maglaya of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines said some Catholic Church leaders have called for the resignation of Ms Arroyo but they have themselves to blame for failing to teach humility to their flock, who count her among them.
“I should not tell Gloria to resign. I should resign. I failed,” Maglaya said, in reaction to a recent news conference held by leaders of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
Maglaya discussed his views on Tuesday before an International Peace Conference organized here by supporters of the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon.
The peace conference, which was attended by various church ministries and local officials, shared conflict resolution techniques to help local leaders pursue their respective peace advocacies in the countryside.
Maglaya is vice president of the International Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace, which has formed a Philippine inter-faith council.
He said the nine major religions of the world must come together because of a United
The bishop told conference participants that they must teach humility to end most conflicts and to “make the Philippines go back to her decency as a nation.”
Maglaya gave particular attention to the country’s standing in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index of the watchdog Transparency International.
In the 2007 report, the Philippines ranked 141st of the 180 countries surveyed.
Maglaya said he shared the frustration voiced by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz in a recent meeting about the state of the country.
“Whose fault was this? Was it God’s fault? Is it the Church who failed?” he asked.
The bishop said most church hierarchies end with their respective clergymen, leaving a huge mass base of followers.
He said this means Church leaders are also accountable.
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(Source: INQ)