Church Should Share Blame for Corruption

PROTESTANT BISHOP:
Church should share blame for corruption

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines—A Protestant Church bishop said on Tuesday Catholic Church leaders should also be blamed for the Philippines’ reputation as among the most corrupt countries and must offer their resignation if they would continue to insist that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo step down from office.

Bishop Pedro Maglaya of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines said some Catholic Church leaders failed to teach humility to their flock, who included President Arroyo.

“I should not tell Gloria to resign. I should resign. I failed,” Maglaya said, in reaction to a recent news conference held by leaders of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

Maglaya discussed his views on Tuesday before an International Peace Conference organized here by supporters of the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon.

The peace conference, which was attended by various church ministries and local officials, shared conflict resolution techniques to help local leaders pursue their respective peace advocacies in the countryside.

Maglaya is vice president of the International Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace, which has formed a Philippine inter-faith council.

He said the nine major religions of the world must come together because of a United Nations report that placed religion as a key issue behind 80 to 85 percent of all world conflicts.

The bishop told conference participants that they must teach humility to end most conflicts and to “make the Philippines go back to her decency as a nation.”

Maglaya gave particular attention to the country’s standing in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index of the watchdog Transparency International.

In the 2007 report, the Philippines ranked 141st of the 180 countries surveyed.

Maglaya said he shared the frustration voiced by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz in a recent meeting about the state of the country.

“Whose fault was this? Was it God’s fault? Is it the Church who failed?” he asked.

The bishop said most church hierarchies end with their respective clergymen, leaving a huge mass base of followers.

He said this meant Church leaders were also accountable.

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“Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye.” (Matt. 7:1-5)