This may sound heretical to some of my feminist and Catholic friends, but I suspect the Catholic Church in the Philippines is a closet feminist. If one is to remain both Catholic and feminist, one must learn to see, in the closet door, the cracks that let in the light.…
Leave a CommentAuthor: Eleanor R. Dionisio
THE BEST Valentine’s Day gift I ever got was from a bunch of celibate men with crosses hanging from their necks. It was Feb. 14, 1986. The elections held seven days prior, upon which many had naively fixed hopes for an end to the dictatorship, were being stolen before the…
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Pity poor John the Baptist, patron saint of Quiapo Church, ever upstaged by the cousin whose swarthy image his church has hosted for 249 years. On no other day is he more forgotten than on Jan. 9, when the Black Nazarene draws millions into a rowdy procession, the traslación, that…
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The constant newsfeed on mass and social media makes us vicarious victims of terror. Swamped by a spate of news-borne violence, I recently reached for a lifeline from a buoyant era of the Catholic Church: a document titled “Joy and Hope.” “Gaudium et Spes” (GS) was issued by the Second…
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The Fast Food Theory of Homosexuality is a thesis popular among credulous segments of the Filipino population. Like most urban legends and conspiracy theories, it is built on at least one fact: that livestock and poultry used in fast foods are often fattened by feeding or injection with female hormones.…
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The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are deciding where to go on vacation. The choice is made; the Holy Spirit gushes: “Rome! I have never been there!” Secure Roman Catholics can enjoy the joke and still trust that the Holy Spirit has been to Rome. But even to those who…
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A popular “presidentiable” is reported to have said the only crime he ever committed was rape, and his victim had thanked him for it. That charming anecdote, told by a fan of his, was meant to exemplify his endearing sense of humor—also at play, supposedly, when he admitted ties to death…
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Almost 51 years since his canonization was first proposed, the pope dearest to my heart, John XXIII, born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, is now a saint. It has been long enough. I confess I have looked upon John Paul II’s rapid rise to sainthood with some pique. John XXIII would chide…
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Just for a change, people need to hear about a priest who isn’t screaming about contraception, divorce, and same-sex marriage. That’s what I told Father Jack. It may have been the only reason he agreed to let me write this piece for his 70th anniversary as a Jesuit. Father Jack…
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Duterte The Profane and the sacredness of life
Prolife advocates have been awfully quiet lately. Quieter, anyway, than in the 2013 elections. In 2013, Christian prolife groups nationwide declared war on candidates who supported the Reproductive Health (RH) Law. Their focus on the law as a litmus test for a Christian vote might have left little room for…