On his address to the delegates of the CWS National Conference,
Archbishop Lagdameo summons the Church to side with the oppressed

“The Church must not stay in the sidelines in the fight for justice.”

From Pope Benedict XVI, the above quote was emphasized by outgoing CBCP President Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, D.D., in his keynote address to the delegates of the first plenary session of the Church People-Workers Solidarity National Conference in Cebu City.

Speaking before 800 church people and workers, Lagdameo recognized the extreme injustice and oppression experienced by the workers throughout history and averred a saying, “[i]f we are neutral in a situation of injustice, then we choose to side with the oppressors.”

Lagdameo’s message focused on the development of the Church’s social teachings which dates back to 1891 with Pope Leo XII’s Rerum Navarum, a seminal encyclical on Labor and Capital, up to Pope John Paul II’s Laborem Exercens published in 1981. The said encyclicals, which Lagdameo stressed must be lived out by the Church, underlines the modern Catholic principle of “preferential option for the poor,” and affirms the “primacy of labor over capital.”

“[These are the] Catholic Church’s best kept teachings [which are] rarely taught on pulpits and talked about in Church circles….[The Church must]  reclaim its tradition [for this is the] bench mark for the living out of our faith in this world,” Lagdameo furthered.

Sr. Emelina Villegas, ICM, Board President of labor NGO, Center for Trade Union and Human Rights, was pleased with the address. She said, “I am glad because the Archbishop presented the history of the encyclicals in a developmental manner – how the Church is adapting and responding to the changing issues that confront society. Although still reactive, the Church is somehow able to cope with our changing reality. With this, my hopes are renewed and I can see that concrete action will result from this [conference].”

“No room for neutrality”

Kilusang  Mayo Uno National Chairperson, Elmer Labog, agreed with the Archbishop’s message that the Church must not be neutral when there is injustice, “In these times when connivance between capitalists and the government is ever inflicting more suffering to workers and the poor, there is no room for neutrality [for the Church]. Because if the Church will be neutral, then the workers have no one else to run to and the Church might be more easily swayed by reactionary forces.”

Valid and just calls

Former Anakpawis Partylist Representative Joel Maglunsod who also attended the conference said that learning about the Church teachings on the value of labor and human work puts Anakpawis in a high moral ground to further their calls and legislative agenda for just remuneration, security of tenure, and protection of workers’ rights and freedoms. Maglunsod noted, “The teachings of the Church only validates that the proposed bills of Anakpawis are just and legitimate in the same way that these bills were aligned with International Covenants and the 1986 Constitution.”

Why only now?

Lagdameo noted why it took decades before the Church is actually talking and doing something about its encyclicals. He explained that the canons of the Church is continuously developing and changing as society change. And while the issue of work and labor appears to be a very important concern, there are also new issues confronting society which the Church still lack knowledge of and social teachings about. These concerns include the issue of women, ecology, and the Eurocentric framework of the Church.

For his part, Labog said that it is always better late than never and the move of the Church to reach out to the workers is still a welcome development. “We hope that this conference will result to concrete steps that will truly help the workers in organizing and forming unions. Forming church people-worker groups in economic zones in Mactan, Cavite, Mindanao and some parts of Central Luzon will be of utmost help as workers in these areas experience severe exploitation and oppression.###

Reference: Roxanne Omega Doron, Media Liaison CWS, cws.cebu@yahoo.com, churchpeople.workers.solidarity@gmail.com, 09217862022.

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