EDITORIAL - Keeping one's hands to one's self

When controversial stories about the Iglesia ni Cristo started circulating last week, the interest of people in and out of the religious sect was naturally aroused. The INC is a close-knit organization that reputedly holds vast political clout because of its ability to command votes. So when stories emerge regarding the ties that bind within the church, the public naturally sits up to watch and listen.

But the public can only sit and wait for developments as they emerge. There is no such thing as expecting the INC to feel obliged to churn out deadline-beating updates. Even the government cannot impose itself on the INC unless some crime has been committed. But as has turned out so far, everything appears to be an internal matter within the INC. The public can lap up only what the INC is willing to feed it.

It therefore came as a big surprise, and in fact a big disappointment, to hear that the Roman Catholic Church, through the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, issue an appeal to the government to step into the INC controversy. There is nothing wrong with the appeal itself. That it was probably made with the best of intentions makes the appeal even less rough around the edges.

But it is still rough around the edges. The correctness of the appeal and the sincerity with which it was made does not detract from the fact that it was not for the CBCP to make it. Before the CBCP made the appeal, there had not been a shortage of similar appeals for the government to step in. The media was already all abuzz with government functionaries commenting on the propriety or wisdom of their offices taking a look into the INC affair.

In other words, the CBCP appeal did not add anything to the picture. It did not make any intended government action that may have been already under consideration any more crucial, relevant or imperative. The CBCP appeal was a useless exercise, especially considering the circumstances already obtaining at the time it was made.

If the CBCP appeal amounted to anything at all, it only placed the Roman Catholic Church in an awkward position. Indeed, some have called it outright meddling. The Roman Catholic Church itself has had its share of controversies. But in none of those controversies have we heard of any other religious sect, the INC included, parting a lip or lifting a finger to intrude, intervene, and otherwise meddle.

Prudence is not contrary to religion and it might do the Catholic bishops well to learn some of prudence's eternal benefits. Ecclesiastes might be a very good place to start learning lessons about there always being a time for everything, like a time to speak up and a time to be still. The bishops, of course, need not be reminded about these things, in which case they still need to be reminded about keeping to one's side of the road, and stones away from glasshouses.