People morn the loss of Leover Miranda, 39, a victim of a drug-related killing, during a funeral in Manila, Philippines, Aug. 20. Manila Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle called the problem of drugs a "humanitarian concern that affects all of us." (CNS photo/Romeo Ranoco, Reuters)

‘Blood flowing on sidewalks’: 2 Philippine prelates criticize drug war

1059 0

MANILA, Philippines (CNS) — Two prominent Philippine bishops criticized the government’s war on drugs after a week in which more than 80 people were reportedly killed in stepped-up efforts to end drug use.

In a pastoral letter read at Masses Aug. 20, Manila Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle called the problem of drugs a “humanitarian concern that affects all of us.”

“The illegal drug problem should not be reduced to a political or criminal issue,” he said.

The cardinal proposed a “multisector dialogue” hosted by the archdiocese in the nation’s capital to address illegal drugs. He said the “menace of illegal drugs” was real and destructive, calling it a complex issue. He enjoined government agencies, schools, faith groups, law enforcement, families of those killed as well as addicts and pushers and others to come together and seek solutions to the problem.

Since he took office in June last year, President Rodrigo Duterte vowed to rid the country of crime with a threat to kill drug addicts and dealers. He also urged the public to go after criminals. Human rights groups put the number of dead in police operations as well as unexplained killings at more than 7,000. This summer, local news outlets have reported 10,000 killed so far.

A U.S. State Department report shows the Philippines Dangerous Drugs Board found in 2015 that 1.6 percent of the 100 million population was made up of addicts.

On Aug. 16, Duterte lauded the killing of 32 drug suspects in one day in Bulacan province just north of Manila. He said killing 32 per day would maybe “reduce what ails” the Philippines.

Cardinal Tagle said, “We knock on the consciences of those who kill even the helpless, especially those who cover their faces with bonnets, to stop wasting human lives.”

Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, president of the Philippine bishops’ conference, announced Aug. 19 that church bells in his archdiocese would toll every night for 15 minutes straight to remember those killed in the fight against drugs. He said the bells would ring from Aug. 22 through Nov. 27 so that people would stop being complicit by their silence and support of the president, whose popularity rating remains around 80 percent.

In his letter read during weekend Masses Aug. 19-20, Archbishop Villegas said something had gone wrong in a country where the public has not been “horrified by the sound of gunfire and the sight of blood flowing on the sidewalks.”

Related Post

The Youngs of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., are the Knights of Columbus Family of the Year at the Baltimore Convention Center. Members of the family, honored Aug. 8, are from left, Christopher, 17; Mary, 9; Ryan, the father; Grace, 12; Elizabeth, the mother; Justice, 8; and Trinity, 15. The family also includes Faith, 2, and Xavier, 5 months. (CNS photo/courtesy Knights of Columbus)

God’s ‘persistent’ voice spurs Knights Family of the Year to serve others

Posted by - August 11, 2018 0
BALTIMORE (CNS) — A little more than two decades after they met at an ice cream social on the second…
Bishop Paul Tighe, adjunct secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture, speaks at the conference, "The Common Good in the Digital Age," at the Vatican Sept. 26, 2019. The Vatican-sponsored conference brought together Silicon Valley CEOs and technology specialists to discuss ethical issues faced in the digital age. (CNS photo/Robert Duncan)

Digital barbarism? Vatican summit highlights dangers in tech revolution

Posted by - October 5, 2019 0
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Robots making human workers obsolete and artificially intelligent computers wreaking havoc on democratic debates are just…