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PASTORAL COMPANION

AN T O N IO J. L E D E S MA ,
THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2009
SJ

Pastoral Guidelines and Core Values in NFP C AG A Y A N D E O R O
C IT Y , MIS A MIS
Promotion OR I EN T A L ,

By Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, S.J. P HIL IP P IN E S

This blog is being maintained by
NATURAL Family Planning has paradoxically been described as the Media Office of the Catholic
the “second best kept secret” of the Catholic Church (after its Bishops' Conference of the
Social Teachings). In contrast to government programs that offer a Philippines through CBCPWorld.
value-neutral approach to all methods of family planning, the
V IEW M Y C O M PL ET E P R O F IL E
Catholic Church has consistently articulated its moral principles in
advocating for Responsible Parenthood and Natural Family
Planning. Based on actual results, however, NFP has remained the BLOG ARCHIVE
untried option. According to the latest surveys, less than one
▼ 2009 (6)
percent of Filipino couples are adopting modern NFP methods!
On the other hand, the pastoral experience of many priests and
▼ 04/26 - 05/03 (1)
family life workers indicate that a growing number of couples Pastoral Guidelines and Core
Values in NFP Promoti...
today have three felt needs: (1) They want to plan their families in
terms of family size and spacing of births; (2) They prefer natural ►  02/15 - 02/22 (2)
family planning, if they are given adequate information on fertility
►  01/18 - 01/25 (2)
awareness and NFP methods; and (3) They want to choose among
NFP methods according to their own circumstances and ►  01/04 - 01/11 (1)
preference. It is in this light that church communities, as well as ►  2008 (5)
government entities, are challenged to promote all recognized ►  2007 (13)
natural family planning methods today. ►  2006 (9)
Before discussing the various NFP methods, however it would be
►  2005 (3)
good to examine the core values that underpin the Church’s
advocacy for natural family planning—values that touch on the
sacredness of human life, marriage, and the family. Four pastoral LINKS
guidelines for All-NFP provide the framework for the local church’s
Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro
values formation and the parameters for critical engagement with
Cagayan de Oro City
government and other groups.
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the
Philippines
I. We are Pro-Life
We uphold the dignity of human life from the moment of CBCP Monitor
CBCPNews Service

http://archbishopledesma.blogspot.com/ 8/10/2009


conception. We condemn abortion which is also proscribed by the CBCPWorld
Philippine Constitution. All-NFP is a proactive program that helps Impact Magazine
prevent the tragedy of unwanted pregnancies and recourse to Searsolin
abortion. It also provides an alternative to contraceptive methods Vatican
that are considered as abortifacients.
Youth Pinoy
The dignity of human life is directly linked to the dignity of the
human person.

SLIDESHOW
1) The human person is created in the image of God. “God created
man in his image, in the divine image he created him; male and
female he created them” (Gen 1:27). The biblical perspective
states that man and woman have the same dignity and are of equal
value.
God’s creative act takes place from the moment of
conception: “You created every part of me; you put me together in
my mother’s womb. When my bones were being formed, when I
was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there – you saw
me before I was born” (Psalm 139: 13,15,16).
CBCP NEWS SERVICE
2) The human person is created by God in unity of body and soul.
Aquino family overwhelmed by
The spiritual faculties of reason and free will are linked with all
popular support
the bodily and sense faculties. The spiritual and immortal soul is
the principle of unity of the human being, whereby it exists as a UST ends Week of Prayer for Priests
with a challenge
person.
Man is an embodied spirit. “It is because of its spiritual soul that IPs hold “Hulagway sa among
the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and Kinabuhi” exhibit; emphasizes on
struggles, aspirations
matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union
forms a single nature” (CCC, 365). Bishop hits Arroyo’s lavish dinner in
3) The human person is open to transcendence: he is open to the US

infinite and to all created beings. Through his spiritual faculties of DOJ: Church-State partnership
intellect and will, the human person reaches out to know the truth needed in solving crimes
and to love and choose the good and the beautiful.

NEWS LINKS
Despite his limitation in attaining his finite ends in this life, man
tends towards total truth and the absolute good—i.e., union with Pinoys abroad to hold Mass, festival
God, or the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and for Cory
the Life. What Christian philosophers call the Summum Bonum or GMA news.tv
the Beatific Vision is premised on the promise of the resurrection An article on the Catholic Bishops'
and eternal life. Pope John Paul II sums this up: “Human life is Conference of the Philippines
precious because it is a gift of God—and when God gives life, it is (CBCP) website

forever.” (www.cbcpnews.com) said the
mass is scheduled at 12:30 am
4) The human person is endowed with a moral conscience that
Friday (Manila ...
enables him to recognize the truth concerning good and evil. Man’s



exercise of freedom and responsibility implies a reference to the Related Articles »
natural moral law, of an objective and universal character, which
Palace: Just simple dinner
is the foundation for all rights and duties. “Living a moral life
Inquirer.net
bears witness to the dignity of the person” (CCC, 1706). ... it is a total and brazen disregard
The dignity of the moral conscience as man’s “most secret core of what we are experiencing right
and sanctuary” enables the person to acknowledge that inner law now during this crisis,” Iñiguez said
which is fulfilled in the love of God and of one’s neighbor (GS, 16). in remarks posted on the CBCP
Love of neighbor, in the language of the modern world, can be news website. ...
interpreted in terms of promoting and defending human rights. Fig.
Thousands Bid Farewell to Cory at
2 locates the context of human rights and duties, understood as
Funeral
access to the means that enable a person to attain his natural and
Voxbikol.com - Herald of Truth and
supernatural ends. In this light, human rights can be understood as
Justice
moral claims, and duties as moral responsibilities.
The remains of Mrs Aquino was
5) The human person is essentially a social and relational being. buried beside her husband, Ninoy,
He is a being—with others in the world. He is a person among other at the Manila Memorial Park in
persons, among equals—in the family, in the small community or in Paranaque after an around 8-hour
the larger society. funeral procession. (cbcpnews)
He is also a being-through-others in the world. He is born from the
Papal envoy arrives, lauds Cory for
union of parents and grows up within the widening circle of
contribution to democracy
relatives, teachers, and friends. He too is a being-for-others in the
GMA news.tv
world, available in service to others, capable of loving others and
... around the world to deliver a
being loved in return. He is called to enter into communion with message," he said in an article
others, and to forge bonds of solidarity for the common good. posted on the Catholic Bishops'
In the web of relationships that surround him, the person learns to Conference of the Philippines
interact “horizontally” with other persons and society at large. He website (www.cbcpnews.com). ...
also deepens his “vertical” relationships with God as his Creator
powered by
and Father as well as with the world of nature.
In the process, he also relates to himself as a self-project with an
immensity of possibilities. He remains a subject, an “I” capable of VIDEO BAR
self-understanding and self-determination. In this sense, as a
center of consciousness and freedom, he exists as a unique and
unrepeatable being (CSDC, 131).
6) The Christian view of the human person balances the mystery of
sin with the universality of salvation in Jesus Christ.
The tragedy of original sin as well as personal and social sin has
brought about the consequences of alienation of man from God,
from his true self, from other persons, and from the world around
him.
Indeed, “Christian realism sees the abysses of sin, but in the light
of hope, greater than any evil, given by Jesus Christ’s act of
redemption, in which sin and death are destroyed” (CSDC, 121). In
this light, man is a being-unto-death-and-beyond, ultimately a



being-unto-God. Life becomes a pilgrimage and death a graduation
to eternal life.

II. We are for Responsible Parenthood
This is our goal: to enable parents to be aware of their rights as powered by

well as their duties in the procreation and education of their
children. Planning one’s family in order to adequately care for
every child that comes into the world is a responsibility that should
not be taken lightly by parents. THE 2ND NATIONAL RURAL
CONGRESS
Pope Paul VI’s encyclical letter on the regulation of birth,
Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life), describes responsible parenthood The year 2007 is the fortieth
in terms of the parents’ deliberate decision in planning the size of anniversary of the National Rural
the family: Congress of 1967. It was at this
In relation to physical, economic, psychological and social Congress that the participants,
conditions, responsible parenthood is exercised, either by the most of them diocesan and parish

deliberate and generous decision to raise a numerous family, or by social action workers, came to the
crucial conclusion that the Church
the decision, made for grave motives and with due respect for the
must go to the barrios. The reason
moral law, to avoid for the time being, or even for an
was the heavy realization that the
indeterminate period, a new birth (HV, 10).
rural parts of the country were the
most neglected by both the
The Second Plenary Council of the Catholic Bishops of the
government's development
Philippines explicitates further this meaning of responsible
programs and the Church's pastoral
parenthood: care.
Christian parents must exercise responsible parenthood. While
nurturing a generous attitude towards bringing new human life into To commemorate that crucial
the world, they should strive to beget only those children whom event in our life as a Church--and
they can raise up in a truly human and Christian way. Towards this to make us meet in true Gospel
end, they need to plan their families according to the moral norms fidelity our present social concerns-
taught by the Church (PCP II, 583). -we propose that we revive the
memory of that Congress by holding
Planning one’s family highlights the central value of the family in one again this year.
human society. In particular, we can reflect on the role of the
Christian family in the modern world, in terms of four tasks But this time our farmers must do
elaborated in Familiaris Consortio, Pope John Paul II’s apostolic that speaking by themselves, the
exhortation: discerning, the proposing of their
own ideas, the planning of how we
1) Forming a community of persons. As an “intimate community of
must as a people come together to
life and love” (GS, 48), the family reflects and is “a real sharing in
work for the common good of the
God’s love for humanity” (FC, 17). It is based on the indissolubility
country and of ourselves. Doing so,
of marriage and conjugal communion. It fosters the dignity and
they will be effectively asserting
vocation of all the persons in the family – husband and wife,
the dignity that for so long has
children, relatives. It underlines the equal dignity of women with
been denied them. And the rest of
men, the rights of children, as well as care for the elderly. Indeed,
us, participating with them in their



this communion of persons makes the family “a school of deeper reflections and deliberations, we
humanity” (GS, 52). will be honoring their inborn
2) Serving life. The fundamental task of the family is to serve life – dignity as children of the same
i.e., “transmitting by procreation the divine image from person to Father in Heaven.
person” (FC, 28). Fecundity is seen as the fruit and the sign of
conjugal love. The Church stands for life and stresses that “love
FOLLOWERS
between husband and wife must be fully human, exclusive and
open to new life” (HV, 11).
Follow
Educating children in the essential values of human life is an with Google Friend Connect
integral part of serving life. These values include a sense of true Followers (2)
justice, of true love, and of service to others. Parents are “the
first and foremost educators of their children,” while the family
itself is “the first and fundamental school of social living” (FC, 36-
37). Education for chastity as well as education in the religious
faith of the parents, are other essential values that must be Already a member?Sign in
respected and supported by the state.
3) Participating in the development of society. As the “first and
vital cell of society,” and the “first school of the social virtues,”
the family is “by nature and vocation open to other families and to
society” (FC, 42). Hence, the family also plays a social and
political role. Its members in their various capacities are called to
contribute to the development of the wider community. Christian
families should strive to live out the values of truth, freedom,
justice and love—the pillars for building peace on earth, envisioned
in Pope John XXIII’s Pacem in Terris.
4) Sharing in the life and mission of the Church. The family is seen
as the “domestic church” (FC, 49). In this light, it partakes in the
threefold role of Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest and King. The
family is seen as (a) a believing and evangelizing community, (b) a
community in dialogue with God, and (c) a community at the
service of man (FC, 50).
Christian marriage itself is seen as a “profession of faith” and it is
this journey of faith that continues throughout the life cycle of the
family. The Christian family educates the children for life that
enables them to discover the image of God in every brother and
sister.
In sum, responsible parenthood gives birth to a Christian family
that is a community of love and is at the threefold service of
nurturing life, developing society, and continuing the mission of
the Church.

III. We are for Natural Family Planning



If responsible parenthood is the goal for married couples, natural
family planning is the means deemed morally acceptable by the
Church. Pope John Paul II underlines “the difference, both
anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to
the rhythm of the cycle” (FC, 32). It is in this light that we can
discuss the nature of natural family planning and ten reasons for its
adoption.
a) What is Natural Family Planning?
Natural family planning is an approach for regulating births by
identifying the fertile and infertile periods of a woman’s cycle. As
an educational process and a way of life, there are four elements:
It involves the observation of a naturally occurring body sign or
signs
• in order to identify the woman’s fertile and infertile periods.
• It involves the timing of intercourse
• to avoid or achieve pregnancy.
In contrast to artificial contraceptives, NFP means No DIDO − i.e.,
no Drugs, Injections, Devices, or Operations at any time. It also
means no withdrawal.

b) Why Natural Family Planning?
1. Normal intercourse is preserved. Couples can plan the size of
their families and space births the natural way. They do not resort
to artificial means.
2. NFP is morally acceptable to people of all religions and cultures.
It does not separate the love-giving and life-giving dimensions of
the marriage act. The unitive and procreative ends of marriage are
kept whole.
3. There are no inherent health risks in NFP methods. No pills,
drugs, injections, devices or operations are used. A healthy body
does not need this kind of “medical” treatment.
4. Modern NFP methods are effective and reliable. They are based
on scientific studies and are time-tested. Simplified methods are
easy to learn. Some NFP methods may be combined to reinforce
each other.
5. There is no cost involved once the method has been learned.
Couples are empowered not to rely on health centers, donor
agencies, or drugstores. NFP is pro-poor, and not for profit of
outside companies.
6. NFP becomes sustainable from generation to generation.
Mothers can readily pass on the practice of NFP to their daughters.
7. NFP involves a joint decision by the couple. Neither partner



feels being used by the other. It is an ideal way of exercising
shared parenthood. A “contraceptive mentality” is avoided.
8. NFP engenders sexual discipline for the spouses through periodic
abstinence. The practice of NFP manifests a conscious familiarity
with the natural rhythm of the human body, mutual caring
between the spouses, and the development of self-control that is
carried over in the upbringing of the children.
9. Couples who use NFP seldom or never resort to abortion. They
manifest an innate respect for human life. They welcome every
child as a gift from God – even in the eventuality of an unexpected
pregnancy.
10. Couples who use NFP seldom or never end up in separation or
divorce. NFP enhances communication between spouses and
promotes a wholesome family life.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes the nature and
rationale of NFP:
Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based
on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in
conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods
respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between
them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom (CCC,
2370).

IV. We are for enabling couples to make an Informed and Morally
Responsible Choice, according to the dictates of a Right
Conscience “The education of an authentic freedom” constitutes
our fourth pastoral guideline. Within the context of a pluralistic
society, the government’s focus is to refrain from coercion and to
provide information on all family planning methods that it deems
necessary for couples to make an informed choice. On the other
hand, the Church’s focus should be to provide information on all
NFP methods and to help couples form a right conscience so that
they are able to make not only an informed but also a morally
responsible choice.
Three kinds of freedom are implied in this pastoral guideline.
There is first the ontological freedom of every human person,
endowed with reason and free will. Innate in his human dignity is
the person’s freedom to choose good or evil—even to say “no” to
his Creator, or to go against his very nature by doing what would
be considered inhuman acts.
From the societal perspective, governments promote the civic and
political freedoms of their citizens by safeguarding the exercise of



their rights and duties within the bounds of public order. Thus the
freedoms of speech, of assembly, of religion, of economic
enterprise, of responsible parenthood itself, etc. are hallmarks of
a democratic society. A dictatorial government, on the other hand,
suppresses by superior force the basic freedoms of its citizens.
A third kind of freedom is what we call authentic freedom—i.e.,
the freedom to do what ought to be done. “Man’s dignity,”
according to the Vatican II Council Fathers, “demands that he act
according to a knowing and free choice that is personally
motivated and prompted from within…” (GS, 17). This inner
prompting is what we mean by conscience which calls man to
acknowledge the natural moral law given by God.
“For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God,” cite the Council
Fathers. “His dignity lies in observing this law, and by it he will be
judged… By conscience in a wonderful way, that law is made
known…” (GS, 16). Thus the individual assumes personal
responsibility for all his human acts that are knowingly and
willingly done, heeding the dictates of his conscience.
However, conscience itself needs to be formed and guided by the
objective norms of moral conduct. Ignorance or sinful habits pose
as obstacles to the formation of a right conscience. It is in this
light that values formation is an integral part of our All-NFP
program − to enable parents as well as their children to acquire “a
truly responsible freedom” (FC, 21).
This includes providing information on all scientifically-based NFP
methods as a pastoral imperative. Corollary to this would be
presenting the positive motivations for NFP and its integral
attractiveness, instead of simply attacking the agencies promoting
contraceptives. “Proclamation is always more important than
denunciation,” notes Pope John Paul II, “and the latter cannot
ignore the former, which gives it true solidity and the force of
higher motivation” (SRS, 41).
In summary, these four pastoral guidelines provide the core values
for our All-NFP ministry. Couples, indeed, have to consider several
crucial factors: the good of their children already born or yet to
come, their own situation at the material and spiritual level, and
the over-all good of their family, of society, and of the Church. “It
is the married couple themselves,” note the Council Fathers, “who
must in the last analysis arrive at these judgments before God”
(GS, 50).
For its part, the local church can carry out its servant role by
reaching out to as many couples as possible with the good news of



various natural family planning methods today that are proven to
be safe, reliable, practicable and adaptable to the various
circumstances of family life. Instead of resorting to condemnation
or confrontation, we find that for concerned couples, authentic
values can best be formed with charity, compassion, and the
formation of conscience.

References:

CCC - Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II, 1994.
CSDC - Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church,
Pontifical Council for
Justice and Peace, 2004.
FC - Familiaris Consortio (The Role of the Christian Family in the
Modern World), Pope John Paul II, 1981.
GS - Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the
Modern World),
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, 1965.
HV - Humanae Vitae (Of Human life), Pope Paul VI, 1968.
PCP II - Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, Catholic Bishops’
Conference
of the Philippines, 1991.
SRS - Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (The Social Concern of the Church),
Pope John
Paul II, 1987.

PO S T ED B Y AN T O N IO J. L ED ES M A, S J AT 5 : 1 4 P M 1 COMMENTS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2009

Bishops’ Consensus on NFP and SDM
LAST January 21, 2009, at the end of the bishops’ seminar on
peace- building at Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila, Archbishop
Angel Lagdameo, CBCP President, convened a dialogue meeting on
Natural Family Planning and the Standard Days Method. The
dialogue was opened to all the bishops. Twenty-nine bishops
attended or roughly half of all those who had just finished the
peace-building seminar. These included Archbishop Lagdameo and
bishop members of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life.
Bishop Gabriel Reyes of the Commission on the Laity facilitated the



dialogue.

The dialogue group first listened to the impressions of bishops
whose dioceses were already including SDM in their NFP program –
i.e., Cagayan de Oro, Ipil, Isabela (Basilan), Jolo, Digos, and
Cotabato. In general, the bishops did not find anything
objectionable with SDM being included as an added option in the
local church’s NFP program, except that there may be need for
more training and monitoring.

The group then listened to objections and reservations brought up
against SDM as an NFP method – e.g., that it was not natural and
appeared too mechanical with the use of beads; that the
information on the internet included the use of back-up
contraceptives; that it was as ineffective as the old calendar
rhythm method. The third part of the dialogue consisted of a
general discussion and clarifications that led towards the
formulation of the consensus statement.

At the CBCP Plenary Assembly three days later on Jan. 24, the
consensus statement was included in the report of Archbishop
Paciano Aniceto, ECFL Chairman. The consensus statement was
drafted and read by Bishop Reyes. This was distributed to all the
bishops. The full statement reads:

According to the Analytical Index of CBCP Pronouncements (87th
Bishops’ Plenary Assembly, July 2003, page 25), “The Body gave an
affirmative indication on the issue whether or not the Standard
Days Method (SDM) without any of the contraceptive component
and without collaboration with government could be used by a
diocese in its program of Natural Family Planning.”

This decision or ruling has never been abrogated.

Basing themselves on this CBCP decision, the bishops during the
above-mentioned dialogue, agreed on the following:

1) The Standard Days Method, provided it is not mixed with
contraceptives, is a natural family planning method and is
consistent with the moral teaching of the Catholic Church. The
bishop should inform the priest or lay faithful who thinks otherwise
and should stop him from spreading his error.



2) It belongs to the bishop to decide whether his diocese will
promote or not the SDM, in accordance with his pastoral
discernment.

3) The bishop may not prohibit any couple in his diocese from using
SDM as their method of natural family planning.

The bishops strongly reminded themselves of the saying:

“In necessariis, unitas; in dubiis, libertas; in omnibus, caritas.”

After some discussion on the floor of the plenary assembly, this
consensus statement was affirmed and left unchanged by the body.
This is now part of the minutes of the CBCP Plenary Assembly.

As I review the consensus statement, three salient points can be
noted:

1) Recalling their earlier consensus vote in July 2003, the bishops
merely
explicitated their view that SDM in itself, without mixing with
contraceptives, is
consistent with the moral teaching of the Church.

2) The statement asserts the responsibility of each bishop to
decide whether or
not to include SDM in his diocese’s pastoral program at the present
time.

3) On the other hand, it also asserts the right of any couple to
adopt SDM as an
NFP method in any diocese.

Pope John XXIII’s statement aptly describes the spirit of the
bishops’ dialogue and consensus statement: “In whatever is
necessary, unity; in whatever is doubtful, liberty; in everything,
charity.”

PO S T ED B Y AN T O N IO J. L ED ES M A, S J AT 1 2 : 1 1 P M 0 COMMENTS



Bishops’ Consensus on NFP and SDM
LAST January 21, 2009, at the end of the bishops’ seminar on
peace- building at Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila, Archbishop
Angel Lagdameo, CBCP President, convened a dialogue meeting on
Natural Family Planning and the Standard Days Method. The
dialogue was opened to all the bishops. Twenty-nine bishops
attended or roughly half of all those who had just finished the
peace-building seminar. These included Archbishop Lagdameo and
bishop members of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life.
Bishop Gabriel Reyes of the Commission on the Laity facilitated the
dialogue.

The dialogue group first listened to the impressions of bishops
whose dioceses were already including SDM in their NFP program –
i.e., Cagayan de Oro, Ipil, Isabela (Basilan), Jolo, Digos, and
Cotabato. In general, the bishops did not find anything
objectionable with SDM being included as an added option in the
local church’s NFP program, except that there may be need for
more training and monitoring.

The group then listened to objections and reservations brought up
against SDM as an NFP method – e.g., that it was not natural and
appeared too mechanical with the use of beads; that the
information on the internet included the use of back-up
contraceptives; that it was as ineffective as the old calendar
rhythm method. The third part of the dialogue consisted of a
general discussion and clarifications that led towards the
formulation of the consensus statement.

At the CBCP Plenary Assembly three days later on Jan. 24, the
consensus statement was included in the report of Archbishop
Paciano Aniceto, ECFL Chairman. The consensus statement was
drafted and read by Bishop Reyes. This was distributed to all the
bishops. The full statement reads:

According to the Analytical Index of CBCP Pronouncements (87th
Bishops’ Plenary Assembly, July 2003, page 25), “The Body gave an
affirmative indication on the issue whether or not the Standard
Days Method (SDM) without any of the contraceptive component
and without collaboration with government could be used by a
diocese in its program of Natural Family Planning.”



This decision or ruling has never been abrogated.

Basing themselves on this CBCP decision, the bishops during the
above-mentioned dialogue, agreed on the following:

1) The Standard Days Method, provided it is not mixed with
contraceptives, is a natural family planning method and is
consistent with the moral teaching of the Catholic Church. The
bishop should inform the priest or lay faithful who thinks otherwise
and should stop him from spreading his error.

2) It belongs to the bishop to decide whether his diocese will
promote or not the SDM, in accordance with his pastoral
discernment.

3) The bishop may not prohibit any couple in his diocese from using
SDM as their method of natural family planning.

The bishops strongly reminded themselves of the saying:

“In necessariis, unitas; in dubiis, libertas; in omnibus, caritas.”

After some discussion on the floor of the plenary assembly, this
consensus statement was affirmed and left unchanged by the body.
This is now part of the minutes of the CBCP Plenary Assembly.

As I review the consensus statement, three salient points can be
noted:

1) Recalling their earlier consensus vote in July 2003, the bishops
merely
explicitated their view that SDM in itself, without mixing with
contraceptives, is
consistent with the moral teaching of the Church.

2) The statement asserts the responsibility of each bishop to
decide whether or
not to include SDM in his diocese’s pastoral program at the present
time.

3) On the other hand, it also asserts the right of any couple to



adopt SDM as an
NFP method in any diocese.

Pope John XXIII’s statement aptly describes the spirit of the
bishops’ dialogue and consensus statement: “In whatever is
necessary, unity; in whatever is doubtful, liberty; in everything,
charity.”

PO S T ED B Y AN T O N IO J. L ED ES M A, S J AT 1 2 : 1 1 P M 0 COMMENTS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2009

Catechetics and the NNCDP
DURING the clergy meeting on January 12 in Cagayan de Oro, we
discussed the summary of the Catechetical Review and Strategic
Planning started by a core group earlier. We then recommended
that the process of reviewing and planning our catechetical
program should be continued and brought down to the parish level.

In this regard, each priest/deacon received a copy of the New
National Catechetical Directory for the Philippines 2007. We
suggested that the district priests discuss the contents of this book
during their monthly meeting over the next six months. They could
discuss one chapter at a time—e.g., for one hour, like a BEC
session. The priests could take turns in facilitating the discussion.
A written summary would be presented at the next clergy meeting
for consolidation with the other reports.

There were five reasons why we invited everyone to read and
reflect on the NNCDP together.

1. This is a concrete follow-up of our Archdiocesan Pastoral
Assembly held last December 12-13. The Second Plenary Council of
the Philippines (1991) considered catechesis as the most
fundamental area of renewal. The National Pastoral Consultation
on Church Renewal (2001) affirmed this by making “Integral Faith
Formation”—through catechesis—as the first of its nine pastoral
priorities.

2. The NNCDP incorporates and integrates all our ad intra
ministries—i.e., Catechetics, BEC formation, Liturgy, Bible
Apostolate, Family Life, Youth, etc. It also points out their



intimate relationship with our ad extra ministries—i.e., the social
apostolate and works of charity.

3. Parish priests are the primary “educators in the faith” and “the
key source for the parish catechetical ministry” (NNCDP, nos. 441-
442). Without the support of the parish priest, the catechetical
program in the parish will be hobbled and may become moribund.

4. Concretely, the NNCDP gives us a comprehensive framework for
evaluating our current catechetical program – as we approach the
end of the school year, and prepare for the coming school year.

5. For the individual priest, the NNCDP can serve as a pastorally-
oriented synthesis of our theology courses in the seminary. For
instance, the threefold pattern of Christian Faith indicated in No.
213—in terms of Creed, Code, and Cult; or Jesus as the Truth, the
Way, and the Life—can give us a manner of envisioning the
interconnection among our various parish ministries.

To start off the discussions on Chapter One of the NNCDP at their
next district meeting, three guide questions were proposed to the
priests:

1. What are the expressions of religiosity (devotions) in your parish
today?

2. What are the core values behind these expressions of religiosity
(devotions)?

3. How do you include these core values in your catechesis?

They were of course free to focus on other matters of relevance to
your local communities. In due time, members of the catechetical
core group would be suggesting guide questions for the other
chapters. We proposed that this collective effort at catechetical
renewal would be our way of starting off the next 75 years of the
archdiocese after our jubilee celebrations last year.

PO S T ED B Y AN T O N IO J. L ED ES M A, S J AT 1 0 : 5 9 A M 0 COMMENTS

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2009



A pastoral call for environmental protection
To our brothers and sisters in the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro:

During this period of calamity I would first like to express my
solidarity and prayers for all those families who have been
displaced by the sudden floods. These first occurred on January 3
with the swelling of the Cagayan de Oro river. Then on January 11
until now flash floods have taken place more extensively
throughout various parts of the city and several municipalities in
Misamis Oriental.

As of the latest reports more than 75,000 persons have been
displaced and 44 barangays in the city have been affected.

In visiting some of the displaced families that have been forced to
seek shelter in chapels or formation centers of the church or
community centers in the barangays, I see the faces of children
with their mothers waiting patiently for some assistance.
On the other hand, I am also heartened to see many parish
communities mobilizing to distribute relief goods among those
displaced communities.

Many individuals, companies and organizations have also sent their
assistance in goods or in cash to the Bishop’s House or directly to
the parishes affected by the floods. These are indeed signs of
solidarity and brotherhood regardless of religious or cultural
differences.

Even as we attend to the immediate needs of displaced families,
we must not lose sight of the long term factors that have
aggravated the effects of natural calamities. Among these man-
made factors are:

• Continued logging operations in the upstream areas of the city;
these include the more remote areas of the city and watershed
areas in the ARMM region and Bukidnon

• Hydraulic flush mining that have caused the heavy siltation of
Iponan river and its tributaries

• Small scale and large scale mining in other upland areas of the



city

• Lack of solid waste management that has led to clogging of the
city’s drainage canals

• Similarly housing developments that have obstructed the natural
flow of water

These and many other factors have to be reviewed carefully by
public officials with the participation of civil society groups. The
church and other parish communities are ready to join and support
all these efforts for a safer, cleaner and brighter Cagayan de Oro
and surrounding areas.

PO S T ED B Y AN T O N IO J. L ED ES M A, S J AT 3 : 2 8 P M 0 COMMENTS

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