Villegas on clergy, religious, consecrated persons.

By Leslie Ann Aquino

Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas on Wednesday asked the clergy, religious and consecrated persons to accompany those who suffer and thirst for justice.

The former head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said this during the Confessio Pecacatti and Penitential Walk at the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City.

"The gesture of walking is a motion of accompaniment. We want to accompany those who have killed. We want to accompany those who have been killed. We accompany those who suffer," said Villegas.

He said even those who caused us suffering should also be accompanied saying to accompany is another way of "loving."

"We need to accompany because Jesus also accompanied us all these years," Villegas said.

But, he said to accompany doesnt mean playing blind to the wrongs of those we accompany and even our own wrongs.

"To accompany is not to be blind to the shortcomings of those we accompany. To accompany means to be confrontational...to accompany means to challenge our brothers and sisters, ourselves that there is something wrong," said Villegas.

"It is not seeing no evil, hearing no evil, speakingno evil. If we have to hurt those who have to be hurt, let us be ready to hurt. But it is not coming from self-righteousness it is coming from an invitation to...conversion. It is a challenge to conversion...so that we can have a change of heart," he added.

The Lingayen Dagupan prelate, however, said that true accompaniment also recognizes our own need to be accompanied.

"But my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we do our task of accompanying those who suffer, of accompanying those who are confused, of accompanying those who thirst for justice, we must not forget our own need to be accompanied ourselves," he said.

Archbishop Villegas said that's why the gathering was very significant as it celebrates our reconciliation with God and with one another as we walk together in penance and medidate on the Way of the Cross.

"Our gathering this afternoon is intended to offer us a means for healing ourselves, of our transgressions," he said.

The activity was organized by the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP), in celebration of the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons.

The CONFESSIO PECCATI was followed by the Penitential Walk and Stations of the Cross towards San Pedro Bautista Church with each station highlighting the various concerns in the country, in the world, the peripheries where consecrated persons need to be present today.

The Penitential Rite is modelled to a similar rite initiated by Pope John Paul II in year 2000 for the sins committed against the poor and marginalized, against the dignity of human life, against the church, against our common home, against the country and society, against our communities and against our vows.

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Archbishop Socrates Villegas (Credits: Ali Vicoy | Manila Bulletin file photo)