Vatican announces appointment of new papal nuncio to Phl

THE Vatican announced on Tuesday the appointment of Italian Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto as
the new Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines.

CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP), reported that Archbishop Pinto would replace Archbishop Edward Joseph
Adams, who has been transferred to Greece.

Pinto’s appointment was officially announced in Rome on May 10 at noon.

Pinto was born on May 26, 1952 and was ordained as a priest on April 1, 1978. He is a native of
Bari, Italy.

The 58-year-old prelate holds a doctorate in Canon Law and is fluent in four languages – French,
English and Spanish aside from his native Italian.

Archbishop Pinto will be the 16th in the line of apostolic delegates and apostolic nuncios to the
Philippines. (PIA)

CBCP admits some priests support RH bill

DESPITE the staunch opposition of the Catholic Church to the Reproductive Health (RH) bill,
there are some priests who support it, a bishop disclosed on Sunday.

“Well, in the Church, there’s a space for dissent also… Even the 10 commandments, there
are many who disobey it, right?” said Pampanga Archbishop Paciano Aniceto, chairman of
the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Family and
Life, in an interview.

He said these priests have not openly voiced their support for the bill but bishops are aware
of their positions.

“We leave it to their conscience. We respect that. But majority are not in favor. I think, in their
own moral and theological discernment, we should respect them for that,” Aniceto said.

He said these priests are misguided or lack sufficient knowledge about the provisions of the
bill.

The CBCP, the strongest opponent of the bill, is not in favor of provisions in the bill promoting
the use of artificial contraceptives.

The Catholic Church only supports the use of natural family planning methods.

Responsible Parenthood aprub sa CBCP

GIPASABUT sa Mala¬cañang sa ikaduhang higayon ngadto sa Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) ang Responsible Parenthood nga giduso ni Presidente Benigno Aquino III.

Matud pa ni Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, gipasabut sa gobyerno sa tinugyanan sa CBCP ang pagduso ni Presidente Aquino sa Responsible Parenthood isip usa sa prayoridad niini sa Kongreso.

Si Sec. Lacierda niingon nga nagkasinabut ang tinugyanan sa gobyerno ug CBCP nga manghatag og impormasyon sa magtiayon kalabut sa family planning.

Dugang pa ni Lacierda, angay nga himuong klaro nga gawasnon ang magtiayon nga mopili sa gusto nilang pamaagi sa family planning ug dili ipugos ang artificial nga pamaagi sama sa condom ug pills.

Tumong usab sa gidusong Responsible Parenthood nga mapakunhod ang kakabus nga kahimtang sa nasud.

Gikatakdang plan¬tsahon usab sa sunod nga pulong sa sunod buwan ang mga probisyon sa gidusong balaud aron mahimong madawat og hangupon kini sa tanan. (ecbPIABohol)

CBCP to Aquino: State stand on RH bill in SONA

A Catholic Church official urged President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to state publicly his position on the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill in his first State of the Nation Address on July 26.

Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Commission on Family and Life, said on Thursday Aquino should lay down his plan regarding family planning.

“His next years at the helm of the government would show if he believes our populace is an asset or liability … Our appeal to him is prioritize good governance and poverty would be solved,” Castro said in an article posted on the CBCP news site.

Earlier, Philippine bishops urged Aquino to reject current policies that promote artificial contraception to control the country’s growing population.

CBCP President Nereo Odchimar said the government must protect the sanctity of life by putting an end to contraceptive mentality.

Odchimar said the bishops hope the new administration will not pursue programs that promote the use of contraceptives such as condoms and pills.

Aquino has been known to be in favor of the reproductive health bill, saying he wants contraceptives to be available in government health centers, the CBCP noted. (PIA-Bohol)

Catholic Church to move US priest over sex scandal

Manila,Philippines –Leaders of the Catholic Church have decided to relocate an American priest after having found out that he was convicted of sexual misconduct when he was a seminarian in Detroit,Michigan in 1988.

Father Joseph Skelton is to be moved from his ministry in Central Tagbilaran city, to a still undisclosed place, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference said Monday.

“The CBCP will issue an official statement on the matter within the next few days,” a spokesman for the conference who did not want to be named, told the AFP.

The website story on the website said the bishops only found out in November that Skelton was convicted of sexual misconduct when he was a seminarian in Detroit, Michigan, in 1988.

“Had I known of his conviction, I would not have ordained him,” the website quoted Tagbilaran’s former bishop, Leopoldo Tumulak, as saying.

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