Our church in the Philippines

[Benet]

I was looking for knowledgable comment. I had friends who are Christian missionaries working with street children in Manila and places near by. They are Anglican and NOT anti catholic. they experienced wonderful catholic mins caring for the poor with great kindness. But they also experience local priests labelling the poorest of the children “children of the devil” and they are only poor because of sin. Almost a Healy and wealth gospel. This big group of the poor excluded from Catholic Church which makes up around 80% of the population. This isn’t the charity I know from our church and I was looking for advice on what to do? Pray yes, but should I contact the bishops conference or something. I find it incredible that the bishops would not stamp this attitude out. It isn’t a single priest either. I know culture plays it’s part but this isn’t in the catechism. Genuine advice welcome

 

[manualman]

Something’s fishy. There is a LONG history in England of exaggerating and outright lying about cultural and religious problems in catholic countries while simultaneously whitewashing similar issues in WASPish countries. Historians call it the Black Legend (look it up). This is why Mary Tudor who executed a relative handful of protestant aristocrats is called Bloody Mary to this day while Elizabeth I whose reign is drenched with the blood of countless thousands of innocent and poor catholics is called "Good Queen Bess.

Some things change slowly, eh?. It’s especially dubious to me because what you describe more accurately describe the caste system more commonly associated with the Hindu religion. Catholicism has always confronted the caste system rigorously and uncompromisingly for its innate injustice and incompatibility with the gospel. I highly doubt it’s common among catholic priests in the Philippines.

I betcha a shiny nickel that at the root of this story is these missionaries overhearing a priest say something disparaging about a PARTICULAR group of juvenile delinquents (possibly based on actual bad experience with them) and then extrapolated it into a mythical over-arching attitude about the Philippine poor among priests there.

 

[Catholic1954]

I was looking for knowledgable comment. I had friends who are Christian missionaries working with street children in Manila and places near by. They are Anglican and NOT anti catholic. they experienced wonderful catholic mins caring for the poor with great kindness. But they also experience local priests labelling the poorest of the children “children of the devil” and they are only poor because of sin. Almost a Healy and wealth gospel. This big group of the poor excluded from Catholic Church which makes up around 80% of the population. This isn’t the charity I know from our church and I was looking for advice on what to do? Pray yes, but should I contact the bishops conference or something. I find it incredible that the bishops would not stamp this attitude out. It isn’t a single priest either. I know culture plays it’s part but this isn’t in the catechism. Genuine advice welcome

The Philippines is the most Catholic country in Asia; she does not pick and choose who is part of the Church and certainly does not exclude the poor, the whole country is very poor. I think your friend misunderstands, there are packs of children in Manila who are part of a criminal enterprise and the priests are referring to their ACTIONS of stealing, hustling and cheating, not the children themselves. Your friends are in the country to take Catholics away from the Catholic Church and statements back home, like the priests rejecting poor children because they are poor, goes a long way back home to justify them being there, no matter how well meaning they are. You should pray that foreign missionaries stay out the Philippines, that the country stays Catholic and the government continues to make progress to clean up the corruption, bring in more investment and the people can leave their poverty behind and become the shining star of the Pacific, like it should be.

 

[mdgspencer]

I live in the Philippines, and I don’t believe “local priests” said this. I never heard local priest here saying anything against the poor, nor do I think they would.

 

[nursemom6]

My daughter in law is from the Phillipines. Her Mother and Father still live there. I showed this post to my family members. My daughter on law spent many years helping the very poor and working with Catholics in her country before she married my son. Her words “simply not true”

 

[Jerurussia]

May Saint John Bosco deliver all our children to Christ’s merciful arms to join Him in Heaven. AMEN

PS Don’t forget Fr. Bosco worked with the toughest of the tough boys in Italy and had to be counseled by God not to hit 'em. May God grant us all patience, prayer and self-sacrificial love.

 

[masuwerte]

The Philippines is the most Catholic country in Asia; she does not pick and choose who is part of the Church and certainly does not exclude the poor, the whole country is very poor. I think your friend misunderstands, there are packs of children in Manila who are part of a criminal enterprise and the priests are referring to their ACTIONS of stealing, hustling and cheating, not the children themselves. Your friends are in the country to take Catholics away from the Catholic Church and statements back home, like the priests rejecting poor children because they are poor, goes a long way back home to justify them being there, no matter how well meaning they are. You should pray that foreign missionaries stay out the Philippines, that the country stays Catholic and the government continues to make progress to clean up the corruption, bring in more investment and the people can leave their poverty behind and become the shining star of the Pacific, like it should be.

The Philippines has never been 100% Catholic, and there has been an Episcopal Church presence there for a long time: www.episcopalchurch.org/page/episcopal-church-philippines

See also www.ifi.ph

We don’t really know the missionaries’ motives for being there, but if they’re not anti-Catholic like the OP said, the whole thing is probably just a misunderstanding.

My former parish used to have a ‘mission’ to the Philippines every year or two. Their purpose was to help provide basic medical care, not to convert Catholics. Just saying.