The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Davao City has directed an Oratio Imperata or obligatory prayer on bended knees in its jurisdiction “as [a] voluntary act of penance and self-sacrifice” over the spate of unsolved killings of suspected illegal-drug offenders and other felons in this city. In Circular 4 Series of 2009 dated February 24, Archbishop Fernando Capalla of Davao directed “all parish priests, chaplains and pangulo sa liturhiya [heads of liturgy or prayer sessions]” to “oblige ourselves and everyone in the Archdiocese to recite this prayer personally and as a community during our daily and Sunday Masses.”
He said the “the most appropriate time for this is after Holy Communion, and recited on bended knees.”
The Oratio Imperata, which he said means “obligatory prayer,” “must be recited for a period of one year beginning Ash Wednesday, February 25.”
“In view of the unabated series of summary killings, we oblige ourselves and everyone in the Archdiocese to recite this prayer personally and as a community during our daily and Sunday Masses,” he said in an attached statement to the prepared prayer, to be recited in the churches and prayer sessions of the “Gagmay’ng Kristohanong Katilingban,” or Basic Christian Communities.
This is the second time for Capalla to issue a Church position on the summary killings, especially of persons suspected involved in the illegal drugs trade.
The first time was in 2001, when he issued a three-page pastoral letter on November 21 which reminded perpetrators of summary killings of suspected drug pushers and users “that there are laws of the state on crime and punishment and on the dispensation of justice through the courts and through the law-enforcement agencies.”
The reminder came owing to the prevalent suspicion that local government authorities either sponsored or tolerated the killings.
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(Source: GRNC)