Dishonest

I've heard the CBCP's "reasonings" as to why it cannot support Arroyo's resignation or impeachment. I've heard their call since 2005 for "seeking the truth" on the Hello Garci issue. I've read the salient parts of their "pastoral letters."

And I find them dishonest. Their "search for truth" call reminds me of OJ Simpson's vow to "find the real killers" of his wife Nicole. They continue to resist condemning Arroyo even in the face of overwhelming evidence of criminality by this administration.

More on the CBCP's recent pastoral letter from Filomeno A. Sta. Ana:

The pastoral letter’s intended message was plain and
simple—don’t condemn Gloria Arroyo. Not only Gloria
but you and I, Jun Lozada, the nuns, the senators, the
journalists, and everyone else are all sinners. But because the bishops obfuscate, their plain message became convoluted.

While the bishops’ virus-infected message lulled some
mass goers to sleep, it contaminated the way others
wrote. For instance, the Philippine Daily Inquirer
editorial (20 March 2008) had a complex, if not vague,
comment on the bishops’ statement: “It takes a
theological tin ear or deliberate ignorance of the
Catholic Church’s social doctrine to mistake the
statement as an unqualified endorsement of the Arroyo
administration— but the latest letter may have only
succeeded in adding to the laity’s growing confusion.”

Anyway, the lesson here is that sometimes, serious and
substantive matters for religious occasions should be
written in a straightforward way. Or even in a funny
way. At least, a funny message can attract attention.

Read the whole thing.

Arroyo defenders like to praise the CBCP for giving nuanced, "complex" answers (via pastoral letters) dahil hindi raw "black and white" ang Arroyo issue dahil maraming gray areas ito.

but most of the times though, giving straightforward answers is more helpful and morally clarifying, and complexity can sometimes be used for deception.

i guess the bishops' pastoral letters are cleverly "complex" in that sense.

MORE: What DJB said:

the Catholic Bishops newfound dedication to searching for "the Truth" sounds more like an evasion of the Truth even if they already know exactly what it is.

The real reason why they don't want to see Arroyo out is because they don't want Noli or somebody from the Opposition (and i'm not talking about Roxas, Legarda or Villar) to take over. Not the BS in their pastoral letters. Remember when bishops like Capalla and Lagdameo kept asking back in 2006: who's the "credible alternative" to Arroyo.

From Conrad de quiros:

The CBCP has a number of recommendations, from electoral reform to poverty alleviation. But the moral imperative -- ferreting out the truth, discerning right and wrong -- is paramount. Does the relentless pursuit of truth apply to Arroyo’s legitimacy? “Of course,” says Lagdameo. But the people, he says, have to present “a credible alternative” to remove her. “We may not like the President, but what are the people offering? Who is a credible alternative?”

at basahin nyo ang reaction ni Conrad.