Senator Bam Aquino lauded the initiative of the Catholic Church to lead calls to stop the alleged extrajudicial killings, saying it is “one big step” towards achieving the healing to the country.
“Natutuwa kami na nananawagan na ang Simbahan sa buong taumbayan na makiisa sa pagtigil ng mga patayang nangyayari [We are pleased that the church is urging the public to participate in the calls to stop the killings],” Aquino said after the “Lord Heal Our Land Sunday” Holy Mass at the EDSA Shrine.
“Bilang mga Kristiyano, at bilang Pilipino, sumasang-ayon kami sa panawagan ng Simbahan na itigil na ang patayan at simulan na ang paghilom ng ating bayan [As a Christian, and as a Filipino, we agree with the call of the Church to end the killings and start of the healing in our country]” Aquino added.
Aquino, a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown against illegal drugs, was also a member of the cause-oriented group ‘Tindig Pilipinas’ that calls for the government to commit on human rights, peace and rule of law.
Earlier, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Socrates Villegas said ending extrajudicial killing and fighting the “festering” culture of violence in the country is the only big step to achieve healing.
“Stopping the killings is only one big step. The journey of healing for the values of our nation turned upside down will be a long journey still,” Archbishop Villegas said in his homily.
“Hindi ito ang Pilipinas, at hindi ganito ang Pilipino. Ang inaawit natin ay ‘ang mamatay nang dahil sa ‘yo’, hindi ‘ang pumatay ng dahil sa ‘yo’ [This is not the Philippines. What we sing is ‘to die for you and not to kill for your sake’] , Villegas added.
Thousands of people from different walks of life attended the Holy Mass and joined the procession to the People Power Monument with the image of the Our Lady of Fatima.
The “Lord Heal Our Land Sunday” ushers in the start of a 33-day period of church activities for the continued healing of the nation, where the CBCP encouraged Filipinos to pray the Prayer of Saint John Paul II and the Holy Rosary for the country and for the souls of all those killed.
The 33-day period will end on December 8, in time for the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the Philippines.