Vidal clarifies "persona non grata" issue

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal clarified he did not declare foreign writer Bryan Christy a persona non grata saying he is certain that only the government can declare such.

Vidal said he’s not the proper person to do so and was surprised that it was attributed to him.

“I was not the one. It should be the government or anybody else. I cannot do that. It was suggested to me. Would you say that he is? I ended not saying yes to the suggestion. I said I’m not the person to say that,” Vidal said.

“It’s not proper for me to say that. That’s precisely what happened to Msgr. Cris. Somebody was narrating to him how things are being done. And then when it was published, it appeared was the one doing it. We didn’t know that there was such a hidden agenda,” Vidal added.

Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Cebu City chapter President Atty. Earl Bonachita, said that “persona non grata” is a diplomatic term which simply means that a person is unwelcome to a particular country. He said that such declaration is done by the government through an act of Congress.

Bonachita said that “If the person is declared unwelcome to a country, it should be congress that will declare not the clergy,” he said.

Bonachita, however, said that the term is now being used in a looser sense and has now become a matter of “expression.”

The other day, upon learning that he was declared “persona non grata” by Vidal, Christy posted on his blog with the title “My First ‘Persona non Grata’ (at least from a Cardinal).”

The writer, in his blog, said “No word yet how Cardinal Vidal would treat Monsignor Cristobal Garcia, the alleged pedophile and ivory aficionado featured in Blood Ivory whom Vidal promoted to Monsignor and made a leader in an archdiocese of 4 million Catholics.”

Vidal denied Christy’s allegations since he was only asked.

He also confirmed that he will not send a letter to the National Geographic. “I do not like to do something. I just remain quiet. I just say why things has been said or written like that,” Vidal said.

Vidal said that the Church was greatly affected by the incident.

“Syempre naman sumama loob ko (Of course, I feel bad…) because it has affected the Church. As far as some people are saying it’s really an attack on the Church especially now that we are fighting against RH Bill,” Vidal said.

“Maybe the writer has no intention on that one. But the problem is the effect,” Vidal added.

Meanwhile, Vidal was saddened about the allegations thrown at Msgr. Garcia.

“I’m very much saddened why something about him came. What’s the connection with ivory? That portion about his life, that was even 20 years ago. What’s the connection with that?” said Vidal.

 “I would like to clarify that he was not expelled. On the other hand, when he came here to Cebu, because he comes from Cebu, I was then the archbishop. I was called a kind bishop who accepts then, but then we have a ruling in the CBCP that any applicant cleric from anywhere should be given years of observation,” said Vidal.

Vidal entrusted Garcia to Archbishop Salvador, a canon lawyer and the latter recommended that Garcia could be incardinated into the archdiocese. Salvador prepared the necessary documents which Vidal later submitted to the Holy See.

 Vidal confirmed that he was able to talk to Garcia and that the latter is very sickly now.

“I was able to talk with him (Garcia). Just to console him, I said I will try to see and investigate the documents that we have in the chancery,” he said.

 “When I visited him, he was still going to the hospital. With his situation, of course, his sugar would go up. Na-stress sya. He’s really sick. I don’t know what will happen to him. I hope he will not get a heart attack,” Vidal added.

Vidal was just surprised how a documentation like that came, when 20 years ago they have already done everything to make him a regular clergy of Cebu.

In their talk, Vidal said that Garcia was surprised about the publication. — (FREEMAN)