Resist ideological colonization

Pope Francis has chosen his Philippine visit as the occasion for making major policy pronouncements. Some of his messages, such as the admonition to government officials to fight corruption,  has been  articulated in his 288- paragraph Apostolic Exhortations issued last November 2013.

His message on Families, which he delivered yesterday at the Mall of Asia, included the reaffirmation of traditional Catholic values such as “the family that prays together stays together.” His entire speech seemed to be a preparation for the Synod on Families which will be held later this year.

The one message that I have not read in his Apostolic Exhortations and which was particularly intriguing to me was the Pope’s appeal to resist what he called “Ideological Colonization.” He also compared this to “Political Colonization.”

I suppose theologians and political pundits will have their own interpretations of what the Pope said and the underlying message behind the use of this term. Together with this message, the Pope asked the Filipino people to resist the siren call of materialism and the “ culture of the ephemeral.”

The term “ephemeral” means “lasting for a brief time; short lived: transitory.” Obviously the Pope is warning us that the rewards of materialism is transitory and will last only for a brief time. But he is also telling us that the values being imposed on us through “Ideological Colonization” is ephemeral because it is predominantly a culture of Materialism. But what exactly is this Ideological Colonization all about?

If he likens it to Political Colonization, then there can only be one meaning. The Philippines and Argentina, the Pope’s native land, were once colonies of Western powers. In the case of the Philippines, this country was a Spanish colony for 400 years. Magellan visited the islands in 1521. The Spaniards founded Intramuros in 1571. Then it was again conquered by the Americans and became an American colony for almost 40 years before becoming independent.

In Argentina, the native Indians roamed the Pampas until the Spaniards arrived in 1515 led by Juan Diaz de Solis. Nearly all the Indians were killed by the late 19th century. The colonists won independence from Spain in 1816. In the decades after 1880, there was large scale Italian, German and Spanish immigration looking for a better life. The  ancestors of Pope Francis were migrants from Italy who went to Argentina in search of a better life. This is the same story of the Filipino migrants leaving for the United States, Australia and Europe.

But now the world is seeing a different type of colonization. This is ideological or cultural colonization. The Western world may not be imposing its political will on the rest of the world but it is, in a more subtle way, imposing its ideological values of materialism and the redefinition of the meaning of the family on the rest of the world.

Marriage as  a sacred institution is now being redefined as simply a contract between two individuals. Abortion is now considered as a right of women. Children as an integral part of a family and gifts from God is now the subject of scientific research on the possibilities of having designer babies.

Cardinal Tagle pointed out that African bishops had complained that foreign aid from Western countries had conditions attached to the aid programs that ran counter to their moral and religious values.

But it is not only the Catholic Church where we see the moral division between Western countries and those from Asia, Africa and Latin America. These are the continents which were once political colonies of the Western world. These are the continents that Pope Francis is warning could become the ideological or cultural colonies of modern Western civilization.

In the Anglican community, British and American bishops have insisted on “reforms” that are being opposed by their colleagues in Africa and  Asia. For example, Western bishops have now insisted on the appointment of gay bishops. The Afro-Asian dioceses have traditionally relied on financial assistance from the ricer Western dioceses. These Third World dioceses are now confronted with the dilemma of upholding their moral values at the cost of losing financial assistance from the West.

Pope Francis, the first Pope to come from the Third World of Africa, Asia and Latin America understands the dangers of modern Western moral values to the spiritual health of the Church. Take a look at what is happening to the Catholic Church in Europe. Mass attendance has drastically gone down. Churches and even some cathedrals, are being closed because they are unable to attract any parishioners.

There are now so many stories of churches in Europe being turned into museums, schools, gymnasiums and even a skating rink. In contrast, here in the Philippines, there is an urgent need for more churches to be built.

In the United States, the Catholic Church continues to grow primarily because of immigrants from Mexico and other South American countries. In California, the Filipino community has become a core constituency in many parishes.

One very clear and basic difference between the Western world and countries like the Philippines is the concept of family. Westerners call it an “extended family system.” But to Filipinos, there is no family extension because grandparents, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces and cousins are considered simply as family.

The future of the Catholic Church is in Asia and the Philippines will certainly be the center for the evangelization of this continent. This message has been articulated by past Popes and major Catholic leaders. It has even been said that the Philippines will be the New Jerusalem.

Perhaps this will be the greatest effect of the Papal visit to our country. Instead of asking what will be the benefits to our country, the real message is to remind the Filipino people to be the center of evangelization and to be the example for the rest of Asia and even the world.

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Reminding the clergy to be poor

“Only by becoming poor ourselves, by stripping away our complacency, will we able to identify wth the least of our brothers and sisters.” Pope Francs reminded the clergy to live a life of poverty. Man of the members of the clergy have forgotten that they have taken the vow of poverty.

Several bishops and priests have been named as beneficiaries of large donations from Janet Lim Napoles,  the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind. Former Sandiganbayan Justice Ong, who was removed due to corruption, admitted that he was given special treatment at the Black Nazarene procession. This was made possible by Janet Lim Napoles who was able to dispense these special favors through her close relationship with the parish priest of the Quiapo church.

But this is not a new phenomenon among Filipino members of the clergy. Bishops and priests have been accused of receiving donations from the Marcoses and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The attitude of many of our Church leaders seem to be that they do not care about the source of donations even if it is the result of corruption, tax evasion or unjust wages .

Perhaps the members of the Philippine clergy should be subjected to lifestyle checks to determine who are those who are really paying heed to the message of Pope Francis that only by being poor can the clergy truly empathize with the poor and be truly committed to helping the poor.

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