Church

MANILA — Following Pope Francis’ call for an end to life imprisonment, the prison ministry of the Philippine bishops agree that life term imprisonments should be replaced by prison sentences with indefinite terms.The CBCP Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (ECPPC) said life-long incarceration is an inhuman concept” and those sentenced to such terms should be eligible for parole.

COTABATO CITY - His eminence Orlando Cardinal Quevedo said government forces help securepriests, nuns and lay leaders in Jolo, Sulu against possible harassment and kidnapping by extremist Abu Sayyaf Group.Cardinal Quevedo was quoted by Zamboanga City-based journalists as saying the measures was a welcome development amid threats posed by the Abu Sayyaf.Describing it as precautionary measures, Cardinal Quevedo said it was aimed at preventing attacks on, including kidnapping, religious workers and lay people in Sulu.He said the movement ofreligious in Sulu are closely monitored by the militar

VATICAN CITY — The Filipino delegate-president described the spirit of the recently ended XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family (Synod 14) as one of listening.Talking to Canadian Catholic television Salt + Light on day 7 of the Synod, Manila Archbishop Luís Antonio G.

WE, Synod Fathers, gathered in Rome together with Pope Francis in the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, greetallfamilies of the different continents and in particularallwho follow Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We admire and are grateful for the daily witness which you offer us and the world with your fidelity, faith, hope, and love. Each of us, pastors of the Church, grew up in a family, and we come from a great variety of backgrounds and experiences.

Dear Eminences, Beatitudes, Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters, With a heart full of appreciation and gratitude I want to thank, along with you, the Lord who has accompanied and guided us in the past days, with the light of the Holy Spirit.

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Oct. 18 (PNA) -- The Catholic Church’s religious and lay leaders of 21 Archdioceses and Dioceses all over Mindanao and Sulu (MSPC) are set to hold the 15th Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Conference in this city.Msgr. David Alonzo said Saturday MSPC will be held next week from October 20-23 at the Centro Pastoral.

DAGUPAN City, Pangasinan —A Catholic prelate sees the need to correct the mistaken notion many have of God as a bringer of catastrophe, calamity and misfortune” perpetuated in part by the misuse” of the legal term act of God” (Latinand actus Dei). Lingayen In a statement released Friday, Oct. 17, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates B.

MAKATI CITY — In keeping with its mission of promoting and directing the liturgical life of the faithful, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)’s Episcopal Commission on Liturgy (ECL) is set to hold the Venerable Pope Paul VI Pastoral Conference I” on Oct. 17, Friday, 3and00 p.m.

TABUK, Kalinga -Despite constant pleas to respect their inherent rights as human beings and as Filipino citizens, a Catholic bishop laments it is still a long way to go for the various indigenous peoples (IPs) in the country as they fight for the treatment they deserve. Foremost among these challenges and difficulties is the non-recognition of their rights to ancestral domains and lands, culture and self-determination.

MANILA -Saying that reducing the impacts of climate change is everyone’s duty, Catholic bishops called on the communities to avoid the not in my backyard” mentality. Unfortunately, we, Filipinos, are content to say ‘not in my backyard!’ We keep our home and surroundings clean, even if it means dumping our waste in our neighborhood,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said in a pastoral exhortation.The bishops believe fighting climate change remains a huge challenge because many communities are not proactive about saving the planet.