By Cheryll D. Fiel
davaotoday.com
DAVAO CITY — As President Gloria Arroyo met with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican today, several members of the religious sector in this city were busy preparing for a prayer rally tomorrow, Tuesday, to demand justice for the victims of the continuing killings, particularly of church workers.
The Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR), the ecumenical political organization, organized the activity, which will be held tomorrow at 2:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon at the Centennial Park, in front of the San Pedro Church.
PCPR has likewise extended its invitation to professionals, the media, nongovernment organization workers, human rights advocates and members of progressive organizations.
“The church mourns for the loss of our co-workers together with many of our Filipino people with genuine conviction who struggle for truth, justice, peace, integrity of creation and good governance,” said the invitation letter signed by PCPR secretary-general the Reverend Ariel Baladjay.
It added that the PCPR is “alarmed by the rising tyranny prevailing in the country which curtails civil liberties in the name of national security.”
It further said that under Arroyo’s regime, 690 leaders and members of progressive organizations, human rights advocates and media practitioners have been summarily executed.
“The church people are not spared from this brazen act of repression,” Baladjay said. “The foundation of our society is being torn apart by these dissolute acts against principled and legitimate dissent,” it said.
The PCPR is composed of bishops, priests, nuns, brothers, pastors, deacons and deaconesses, seminarians, religious and lay workers in the church as well as church-based and church-related institutions from various religious denominations. (Cheryll D. Fiel/davaotoday.com)
Religion
