COMMENTARY

Cardinal Sin/Mother Teresa and gambling donations

In a report last Sunday, evidently culled from Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales’s pastoral letter, the 2004 statement on jueteng of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, and the statements of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin and the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the Philippine Daily Inquirer highlighted a controversy within the Catholic Church over donations from gambling sources.

Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila, stated in 2000 quoting St. John Bosco that “the devil … remains my enemy but I will use his resources to feed the poor” obviously to justify his acceptance of donations from the Philippine Gaming and Amusement Corp. (Pagcor) while condemning gambling.

Mother Teresa when asked if she was accepting donations from the Mafia said: “It is not the practice of the Church to ask donors where their donations come from. Our duty is to make sure all donations go to the poor.”
Cardinal Sin and Mother Teresa are known for their works for the poor, the latter having been awarded a Nobel Prize in recognition of her charitable works and nominated for sainthood immediately after her death. Could they have erred in their judgment?

No to Jueteng

In a statement in January 2004, the CBCP took “a stand against priests and prelates accepting donation from gambling lords and jueteng sources”. The statement was the answer to Cardinal Sin’s position for which the Church was criticized.

Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, CBCP spokesman explained, “If the jueteng lord comes up to the parish priest and gives money, the priest should not accept it because it is not an expression of Christian charity. In Christian charity, we not only look at where the donations would go but also where the donations came from.”

An unnamed CBCP official said: “Because to us, the end does not justify the means. The end may be to help the poor, but if the means is gambling, which is a vice, we cannot accept it.”

Last Sunday, Cardinal Rosales, in his pastoral letter, called on Filipinos to share their “time, talent and treasure” to help the poor in the spirit of Alay Kapwa. The Inquirer interpreted this as the Church’s “No Stand” against jueteng.

Two Principles

The CBCP now, in saying “No” to donations from jueteng and other gambling sources, is speaking for the Church based on the ethical principle, “The end does not justify the means.” It intends to correct the late Cardinal Sin’s position.

But Cardinal Sin in 2000 was understood to be speaking for the Church. Mother Teresa, if not speaking for the Church, spoke for her Congregation of Missionaries of Charity. Her statement did not stand in the way of her beatification on October 20, 2003.

Cardinal Sin and Mother Teresa stood on another ethical principle, the principle of double effect – the principle that justifies stealing by the hungry, killing in self defense, or taking life to justly save another life. Don’t ask where the money comes from to feed the poor. Why reject gambling or Mafia money and let the poor starve or die?
In the first principle, let the poor starve or die rather than accept jueteng or Pagcor money to feed them. However, the unnamed CBCP official said not all bishops priests abide by the 2004 statement.

There are still members of the clergy who continue to accept donations from jueteng lords. “Yes, it’s happening up to now,” he’s a hundred percent certain. Both principles are valid. They will continue dividing the bishops and priests.

("Comment" is Mr. Patricio P. Diaz' column for MindaViews, the opinion section of MindaNews. The Titus Brandsma Media Awards recently honored Mr. Diaz with a "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his "commitment to education and public information to Mindanawons as Journalist, Educator and Peace Advocate.")

-Mindanews