Statement of the Presidential Spokesperson on the conspiracy theory of Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos, June 10, 2011

Statement of Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda:

On the conspiracy theory of Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos

[Released on June 10, 2011]

Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos of Butuan displays the zeal of a Grand Inquisitor and not the Christian humility of a shepherd. Instead of pastoral concern, he seems ignorant of the virtues of charity, humility, and prudence and instead fires from the hip, armed with a fanciful imagination, and utterly without any effort to discern the truth: practically a conspirator in a cassock, which makes him anathema to responsible citizenship, the duty of every Filipino whether in the lay or clerical state.

He admits to being in the loop as far as people conspiring to unconstitutionally oust the President and told the media he is awaiting further details on these supposed plots. His contribution to the conspiracy of which he claims to be in the know, being his opinion that it should be “without bloodshed and without violence.” Bishop Pueblos deserves to be rebuked in the strongest terms for being a longstanding advocate of impunity, from the time he opposed attempts by the CBCP to discern the moral culpability of former President Arroyo for “Hello Garci,” and his more recent opposition to establishing a Truth Commission.

We suggest the bishop refers to the “Doctrinal Note on some questions regarding the participation of Catholics in political life,” issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: II (3) “It is not the Church’s task to set forth specific political solutions‚ and even less to propose a single solution as the acceptable one‚ to temporal questions that God has left to the free and responsible judgment of each person. It is, however, the Church’s right and duty to provide a moral judgment on temporal matters when this is required by faith or the moral law.”

This is a prelate who has substituted the proud record of his diocese—exemplified by Archbishop emeritus Morelos and his principled fight against martial law—for the partisan ramblings of a petty politician.