For some time we have been asked to put in Misyon a section on Questions which our readers would like raised. We are not too sure how appropriate our suitable this is so please let us know if these questions have been of any help to you. We are calling this article To Search is To Find because we do not have the answers to every question – but the very asking of the question is the beginning of the answer.
Misyon to China
Sometimes you have articles on priest going to China. I thought China was not open to missionaries.
Answer: China is not a present open to missionaries in the traditional sense. You cannot preach the Gospel there publicly by word of mouth. But China does allow Christians to wok there and is quite content of them to preach the Gospel by their lives. Indeed it is the most effective way to preach the Gospel though a much more difficult way. That is one of the ways the Church developed in the early times; look at these Christians, see how they love one another!
Father Shay Cullen
Fr. who runs the Olongapo Center for abused Children was recently accused himself of child abuse. What happen to the case?
Answer: Fr. Shay was completely cleared by the courts and by the Philippines government as he had also been cleared of many earlier cases which did not reach the papers as this case did. These cases were engineered by a group of pedophiles who resented the fact that Fr. Shay and his team had gone after hem in the courts for abusing children. Fr Shay has won International awards for his work with children. You should visit his PREDA Center at Kalaklan in Olongapo.
OFWs and OCWs
You often cover the lives of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and overseas contract workers (OCWs) but each time you give a different figure for the number.
Answer: You are very observant and you are correct. The truth is no one knows the real number of Filipinos working abroad and we quote the figures from different government departments. Some departments give figures as high as seven million. Others around five million. One source of the discrepancy is that all OFWs are on contract and therefore cannot be called OCWs. We cover there stories in the hope that they will become missionaries and help bring the good news of His love. Indeed that is what they are doing all over the world.
Priests with problems
I have been told of two priests in our diocese who have a bad reputation with women and yet both are very high profile when it come to various demonstrations in the diocese. All the diocese is talking about them.
Answer: Priests are human beings with all the frailty of human beings but at is no reason to tolerate them abusing their position and talking advantage of young women. You must report this immediately to the diocesan bishop but make sure first hat you are not just depending on hearsay. It is the bishop’s obligation to help these priests to a change of heart and to help those they have abused. We should also help them. But changing parish or diocese is no the answer.
Born Again
You seem to have articles telling us to be ecumenical and open to other religion but the Born Again in our diocese use our ecumenical spirit to take advantage and gain converts. For example, we are invited to prayer meetings. But that leads on to attacks on the Virgin Mary and the Holy Father.
Answer: Sadly what you say is true, Filipino courtesy and the desire for interpersonal relationship push us to say yes to these people when at times we should be frank and ask some sharp question before joining such groups. But the Catholic Church is committed to being ecumenical especially with the Orthodox churches which hold most of our beliefs.
The Bible
Our teacher says that the early Church did not have the Bible. Is that true?
Answer: Yes, if one means the complete Bible. The early Church - the communities which group around the apostles after Resurrection – and the communities which descended from them had access to the Old Testament. But the Gospel s and letters were not yet written. And that was so right up to the third generation of Christians when the Gospel were finally set down. So the early Church depended on the word of their pastors and the memory of their fellow Christians to have access to the words of Jesus.
Misyon in Schools
Why don’t you send Misyon to schools? It could be used as a religious textbook
Answer: Many schools are taking Misyon already and have it as part of the curriculum. We also give a free teacher’s guide to those schools. If you are interested write to Fr. Donal O’Hanlon, St. Columban’s, 1857 Singalong. Tel. No. (02) 523-6238
Medjugorje Apparitions
Where does the Church stand on the claim of miracles at Medjugorje, Yugoslavia? Has the Holy See issued an official and final decision an official and final decision on the alleged apparitions there?
Answer: The Holy See does not usually issue decisions on reported apparitions. That responsibility belongs to the bishop in the region where the alleged appearances have taken place. In 1991, the Yugoslavian Bishop’s Conference declared by a vote of 19 to 1: On the basis of inquiries conducted up to the present time, one cannot affirm that we are dealing her with supernatural apparitions or revelations.”