Bullying

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle delivered a very powerful homily during the first day of the nine-day dawn Masses leading up to Christmas. His main message was against bullying and abuse of power. While saying that he was merely reading from biblical text, he nevertheless emphasized that it was as if the words were written only the day before.

Tagle did not say to whom his message against bullying and abuse of power was directed, but as the words of a Bob Dylan song clearly tells us, "you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." Of course the cardinal had none other than the president in his crosshairs.

I fully agree with everything the cardinal said. Bullying and abuse of power should have no place in modern civilized societies. And it was correct for him to use the pulpit to deliver his message, which is how it ought to be. That way, it is in keeping with his calling and authority. There is no way anyone can argue against his right to say what he said.

By keeping to the pulpit instead of taking to the media and making a performance before the cameras, Tagle not only kept to his sphere of expertise and authority, he also made his message more powerful and compelling. If he was taking aim at Rodrigo Duterte, he got him where it hurts and could not complain.

For unlike other bishops and priests who love to take shots at Duterte by calling for press conferences or issuing press releases, Tagle deprived Duterte of any chance to accuse him of politicking or playing into the hands of his political enemies and critics. Duterte cannot accuse anyone of anything for doing his job in the place he is supposed to do it.

If Duterte realizes this, I doubt very much if he will fire back at the cardinal, the way he often does at priests and bishops who cannot seem to make the distinction between priesthood and politics. Of course Duterte is an unpredictable s.o.b. But if I were him, I would let the Tagle tirade pass. For one thing, Tagle is absolutely right. For another, he named no one.

If it is any consolation, Duterte can pretend Tagle was talking of somebody else. And it is perfectly possible that Tagle was actually talking about somebody else, although I find that extremely hard to believe. That he did not name names opened up that possibility.

Indeed, quite interestingly, Tagle might as well have been directing his fire at his fellow bishops and priests. Many of these men of the cloth are in fact among the most unforgiving bullies and relentless abusers of power, using their positions of supposed moral and spiritual ascendancy to harangue political leaders, especially those they do not like.