Bishops renew ‘civil disobedience’ threat vs RH bill

After scheduling protest marches and caravans, Catholic bishops are readying another weapon against the Reproductive Health (RH) bill: civil disobedience. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said at least two bishops have urged the people to rise up in "civil disobedience" if the RH bill becomes a law. “We will have a civil disobedience. Those laws that are immoral, we will tell the people not to obey," Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes said in an interview on Church-run Radio Veritas. Bastes said the bishops will be not be cowed by any penalties under the law, saying it is their duty to promote morality. “We bishops, are willing to be imprisoned, together with our priests, and protest the immoral things there (RH bill). To be firm with our teachings, let them imprison us," said Bastes. Excerpts of the interview were posted on Thursday on the CBCP news site. Lipa (Batangas) Archbishop Ramon Arguelles added they have no choice but to resort to such action but stressed that the civil disobedience must be peaceful. He added the civil disobedience should not meant to topple the government but rather a move to reject the RH bill. "Let’s make it clear that we are not against any person. We are not against the government. We are not subversives," Arguelles said. "We are just saying what is right! We are going to proclaim whatever it is," he added. Last Monday, the CBCP released a new pastoral letter calling on the people to oppose the RH bill and act against its passage. The CBCP had likened the bill to a form of moral corruption. Bishops in Laguna and Negros bared plans to hold caravans and rallies against the passage of the RH bill. Pro-life activists will hold a rally in Bacolod City in Negros Occidental on February 22 to express their opposition to the reproductive health (RH) bill. Meanwhile, Church officials in Laguna bared plans to hold a province-wide pro-life march dubbed "A Walk for Life" on March 26. The Citizens Alliance for the Protection of Human Life (CAPHL) will also hold a province-wide caravan after the rally, the news site Visayan Daily Star reported on Wednesday. The Catholic Church is against the RH bill as it promotes artificial contraceptives. The Church only accepts natural family planning methods. – VVP, GMANews.TV