The Truth Will Set You Free' (John 8:32) A Pastoral Letter of The Catholic Bishops' Conference of The Philippines (CBCP)

MATER DEI COLLEGE
Tubigon, Bohol
INSTI 104: MDCian as SERVANT LEADER

Lesson 4: Leadership and the Electorate
Intended Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
Understand the importance of electing good leaders in our country today
To take seriously our moral responsibility of exercising our right to vote
The Truth Will Set You Free’ (John 8:32)

A Pastoral Letter of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
May the peace of Jesus be ours, He who said:
If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32)
As we commemorate the EDSA People Power Revolution this February 25,
the day we reclaimed our freedom, we call upon you brothers and sisters,
whatever your political color or status in society.
We are aware of the complexity of things, especially in the area of politics, as
well as our different views. The present state of division among us due to
politics, is unfortunate. Yet, we hope all of us consider the common good as
foremost concern. Let us respect one another – not giving in to hatred and rash
judgments. Let us diligently seek the truth that we may do what is right and
avoid evil.
For many of us, “politics” is a distasteful word. Yet, Pope Francis invites us all
towards a renewed appreciation of politics as “a lofty vocation and one of the
highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good” (Fratelli
Tutti, #180). Can our world function without politics? He further asks (cf. FT
#176).
We have no ambition of appropriating for ourselves your distinct role as laity
in the just ordering of society, nor do we intend to usurp the role of the
government. We are here to provide moral and spiritual guidance, in accord
with our mission of proclaiming the truth from our faith.
The Truth at Stake
The elections are fast approaching, and we wish to remind you: “All citizens,
(therefore), should be mindful of the right and also the duty to use their free
vote to further the common good” (Gaudium et Spes, #75). But we are
appalled by the blatant and subtle distortion, manipulation, cover-up,
repression and abuse of the truth, like: historical revisionism – the distortion of
history or its denial; the proliferation of fake news and false stories;
disinformation – the seeding of false information and narratives in order to
influence the opinion of the people, to hide the truth, to malign and blackmail
people. There are troll farms which sow the virus of lies.
Let us examine ourselves. Perhaps we, too, sow the virus of lies, which spreads
wildly and numbs our consciences. This virus paralyzes our capacity to
recognize God, respect truth and goodness. Thus, we do not realize that there
is a “pandemic of lies,” especially in the social media. This is very serious.
In this letter, we favor none but the truth. We wish to warn you of the radical
distortions in the history of Martial Law and the EDSA People Power
Revolution.
In 1986, some of us were already members of the CBCP. We issued a “Post-
Election Statement,” dated February 13, 1986, regarding the systematic
disenfranchisement of voters, widespread and massive vote-buying, deliberate
tampering of election returns, intimidation, harassment, terrorism and murder.
In the same Statement we said: “a government that assumes or retains power
through fraudulent means has no moral basis.” Thus, we asked you to see, to
judge and to act, clearly not with violence, but through peaceful means. And
that was what happened.
The people – the NAMFREL, the Comelec computer Technicians, the Poll
Officials – registrars, teachers, government workers, millions of ordinary
voters together with priests and religious men and women, Radio Veritas and
press people acted peacefully. They were not able to take the blatant deception
and cheating. They, including Officials in the Batasan, the military, Comelec
Officials, followed their conscience. And the events led to EDSA. (cf. CBCP
Post-Election Statement, 1986)
We did not invent the historic event that happened in EDSA; it was a fruit of
love of neighbor and faith. With you, we were simply part of it. You and the
world witnessed the peaceful revolution, which was rightly called “People
Power.” The peaceful revolution was not an invention of one person, one party,
or one color. It was a triumph of the entire Filipino People.
Many of us, Bishops, were witnesses of the injustice and cruelty of Martial
Law. And up until now, the human rights abuses, the victims, the corruption,
the grave debt and economic downturn of the country due to dictatorship are
all well-documented. Again, we did not make these up. These are all written in
our history.
We are alarmed by this distortion of the truth of history and the attempt to
delete or destroy our collective memory through the seeding of lies and false
narratives. This is dangerous, for it poisons our collective consciousness and
destroys the moral foundations of our institutions.
Neglect of truth is detrimental for all of us, for the foundation of a good
society and responsible government is the truth. Shall we allow that our
children and the young be educated in lies? Can we afford to make lies become
the basis of our laws and their implementation? What happens to a family or a
society that is not founded on truth?
Dear Brothers and Sisters, let us stand up for truth. Remember: goodness
without truth is pretense. Service without truth is manipulation. There can be
no justice without truth. Even charity, without truth, is only sentimentalism. An
election or any process that is not based on truth is but a deception and cannot
be trusted.
Truth is intimately related to freedom (cf. John 8:32). Disrespect for truth is
disrespect for freedom. When we disregard truth, we disregard our obligation
to be accountable. Can we address corruption if there is no truth? We must be
ready to face the truth about ourselves.
The Politics of Truth, Goodness, Justice and Peace
Thus, and also in view of the coming elections, we call on you, Brothers and
Sisters – especially the Youth, to examine carefully what is happening in our
quest for a true and just society. Engage in dialogue and discernment. Listen to
your conscience. Be the ones to decide. We trust in your capacity to discern
what is true and good. We all seek the common good. And, in the light of the
Gospel of Jesus, let us follow the path of truth, goodness, justice and peace –
not the path of violence, vengeance or evil.
Let us not give up on our search and defense for truth – by way of reason and
faith, by common dialogue and discernment, prayer and action. Let us have
faith as we persevere in overcoming evil by goodness (Romans 12:21). May
truth unite us all.
It is our sincere prayer that we find the Truth, who is none other than Jesus –
the Way and the Life (cf. John 8:31). For “if God is with us, who can be
against us?” (Romans 8:31).
We ask for the prayers and protection of our Beloved Mother, Our Lady of
Peace. May God Almighty bless all our strivings that truth and the good
prevail, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
For the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines,
PABLO VIRGILIO S. DAVID, D.D.
Bishop of Kalookan
CBCP President
25 February 2022
Class Discussion: Get one sentence from this letter that touches you the most
and why? Cite a concrete example/scenario/event.
Thanks. GBU
Sr. Nette, aci

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MATER DEI COLLEGE

INSTI 104: MDCian as SERVANT LEADER

The Truth Will Set You Free’ (John 8:32)

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