The Hypocrisy of the Philippine Catholic Church

A Philippine archbishop declared in public he won't give communion to Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA). This archbishop must have thought that the Philippine leader is nothing but the most wicked sinner on earth. Why should the President be refused from receiving communion. Didn't Jesus Christ Himself tell the hypocrites "he who is without sin (sinless) may cast the first stone"? What about the hundreds of untold cases of priests molesting young boys behind the altar? If GMA were a priestess, should she deny these priests communion, too? Reality check, please.

Jose Rodel Clapano of The Philippine Star reported:

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz vowed yesterday not to give holy communion to President Arroyo, members of her family, and other known "sinners" in the country.

Cruz told the Newsmakers Forum held every Wednesday at the Crowne Plaza in Mandaluyong City that he will encourage the Catholic Church leadership, specifically the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), not to allow any publicly known sinners like Mrs. Arroyo and members of the First Family to receive communion.

"A publicly known sinner and a good number of them receiving communion in public, I think it is a scandal. I would not give communion to people whom I know as a public sinner. No," Cruz said when asked if he will give communion to the Arroyos.

Cruz said it pains him very much to see Mrs. Arroyo and the other publicly known sinners ostensibly going to Church every time the Arroyo government is being dragged in controversy, and receiving communion in public.

Ship for the Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP)

The National Youth Commission (NYC) announces the opening of application for this year's Ship for the Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP).

NYC Commissioner Benjie Oliva, said SSEAYP is an annual cultural youth exchange program sponsored by the cabinet office of Japan and participated in by 340 participants consisting 40 people from Japan and 300 from ten ASEAN member countries (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam ).

The delegates will live together on board a luxury cruise ship named Nippon Maru for about 50 days and visit the participating countries. Activities on board include discussions, cultural introductions, sports, recreation, club activities, etc. The activities in the countries visited include exchange with the local youth, home stay, visit to various facilities and volunteer activities.

The program started in 1974 based on a joint statement issued in the same year by Japan and Southeast Asian countries. In addition, Brunei Darussalam joined in 1985, Vit Nam in 1996, Lao and Myanmar in 1998 and Cambodia in 2000, Oliva added.

In the Philippines, the program is carried out by the National Youth Commission. NYC in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Tourism and Civil Service Commission served as the selection panel in choosing the 28 youth delegation in the country.

Interested SSEAYP applicants must have the following qualifications, to wit; must be Filipino citizen, single, must be between 18-30 years old as of April 1, 2008, of good moral character, physically and mentally fit to travel, must be residing, working or studying in the region to be represented for at least two (2) years immediately preceding from the date of application, preferably a first time international traveler and or must not have been a grantee or recipient of any NYC funded international travel or Japanese Government grant, strong background on Philippine history, geography and culture and the arts, knowledgeable of the current issues in the Philippines, Japan and ASEAN countries, must have serve the youth sector as active officer or member of a youth or youth serving organizations for at least two (2) years immediately preceding from the date of application, must be willing to be an NYC volunteer and must be willing to take a leave of absence from school or work and complete all trainings and activities before, during and after the program.

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