RE: Padre Damaso

Bathala
Date: Dec 13, 2007
Padre Damaso continuation

Padre Damaso's Allegiance is to the Catholic church, not to the people

There is a huge conflict of interest there: The Padre Damasos' allegiance is to the pope, not to the Filipino people.

They keep standing in the way of population control.

I don't think I need to expound on the need for government action on population control. It is the universal norm, the morality and
sense of which has been debated by all of humanity and has been accepted for half a century now. And it is clear that the need is
urgent, except to the imperious men who spread disinformation and convoluted moral arguments whenever an issue is against their
religion or their interests, insisting that the earth is the center of the universe, because in their dictatorial world, that is what their big
boss believes in, and it is their way up the Vatican ladder. It is also already all over the Filipino blogs and forums:

I must add, we must be the laughingstock of the world over this hoopla. And it is ironic, that that propaganda is making headway in
the land of Rizal, the Salman Rushdie of the Catholic clergy in his time.

Spain has long legalized divorce, but our little brown Roman soldiers keep obstructing same. Without their religious imposition on
everyone, men and women like Erap would have the choice of being a Larry King or an Elizabeth Taylor, respectively. Spain also
approved same-sex marriage a few years ago. All these people, they have as much right to have a legally recognized union as everyone
else.

And there's their participation in the obstruction and distortion of Filipino history to promote Catholicism. And their treatment of
women.

[And I'm not even going to talk about nazism, the crusades, the inquisition... where the popes and Catholic priests used governments
to promote their religion acquiescing to and/or committing genocide. [That's already taught in hisotry classes and are all over the
web.]

What I enumerated above, it is called intolerance. These are rules that should only be applied to Catholics and those shackled with
such beliefs by their religion.

Quite a large number of Filipinos are not Catholics and do not adhere to any religion. Just like Rizal. You have the Filipinos of other
faiths. You have the Filipinos who are only nominally Catholic. And you have the "independent" Catholics who do not approve of the
church's interference in State affairs.
The Padre Damasos vainly proclaim themselves the moral authority of the country

The Padre Damasos vainly proclaim themselves the moral authority of the country.

Not all Filipinos are Catholics and it is presumptuous for Padre Damaso to call himself the moral authority of the country.

As to the "high sense of morality" of Catholic priests, that is a joke. It is only in countries like the Philippines, where they are given
special treatment and their affairs protected by the government, that that perception persists. In the Australia, Ireland, USA and other
countries, where complaints against them are pursued vigilantly by the governments and covered thoroughly by the media, many have
been punished or jailed, including Filipino priests. Several parishes and archdioses in the U.S. also have had to file bankruptcies
overwhelmed by the number of complaints of abuse by priests and monetary damages awarded for same.

Investigations by attorneys and by media showed a clear pattern of cover up in accordance to the Vatican policy. They simply move
sex offenders from one parish to another. The situation was so outrageous and in gross disregard of the welfare of the victims that US
Congress passed a law directly in response to said policy, requiring priests to report criminal conduct to police and other civil
authorities immediately, under pain of penalty. (See BBC, CNN, US Govt report/surveys and videos below.)

Incensed by the number of abusers and victims, the nature of said offenses, the cover ups... Catholic priests are the object of ridicule
all over the world. And homosexual and pedophile priest joke sites have spontaneously sprung up all over the web through the years.

As it turned out, Padre Damaso was not unique. He is well known around the world. The Filipino Padre Damaso is no different. He is
just rich and has very powerful friends here and is able to cover up and contain scandalous incidents successfully. The public only
hears snippets of it from the press. Unlike political and other scandals, very little was covered by the media.

Remember that lady who accused Archbishop Teodoro Bacani of sexual harassment, she disappeared from the news just like that. And
the guy is back in action again preaching his brand of morality.

And there was the report of the investigation by the church of complaints against hundreds of Filipino priests for abuse. That was an
even bigger secret. There was never a public scrutiny or accounting of who the perpetrators were, what they did and the punishment
meted out to them. The exact number and ages of the victims, the number of priests, which parishes and dioceses were affected were
not even revealed All the information given were mere generalizations, the veracity of which cannot be checked.

So you can imagine the intimidation felt by victims to even come forward.

Also, based from reports overseas, the victims are often defenseless orphans and very poor kids, and these can easily be silenced
and/or paid off here.

These cases have ranged from malversation of parish funds and sexual harassment of male and female wards and parishioners, to
pedophilia. The Catholic church also has a reputation of covering up offenses and simply transferring sex offenders to another parish.
The secrecy in these sexual abuse investigations, especially the one involving sexual abuse by hundreds of Filipino priests - now, that
is corruption par excellence. Where the governments have pursued sexual abuse and harassment cases vigilantly and the media
covered them thoroughly, this is what was discovered to be happening in the veiled curtain of the church:

written reports: BBC: Catholic Church Policy

CNN summary report

Click to read an article re homosexual cliques and pedophiles in the Catholic clergy, and how the church deals with
it. (I just skimmed through this document and so I'm not sure how fair and impartial it is, but it seems written by a Catholic
priest who disapproves of what is going on in the clergy. I could be wrong though.)

In 2004, Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, chairman of the CBCP's Commission on Public Affairs, said in an interview that while active
homosexuality is not acceptable in the Catholic clergy, effeminate traits are.
The abuse incidents are all over the web. Click here to see a major abuse tracker.

[And there is their role in the cover up of Rizal's story. And I'm not even going to talk about nazism, the crusades, the inquisition...
where the popes and Catholic priests used governments to promote Catholicism, acquiescing to and/or commiting genocide and
calling many of these mass murderers saints/martyrs. That's already taught in history classes and are all over the web as well. (Click to

] There still
see Pope John Paul II's "apology" for the church's atrocities, including to Galileo [450 years after his death.
is no apology for the Catholic church's complicity in nazism to promote Catholicism.)]
Their sense of morality is highly questionable, to say the least.

Padre Damaso is very rich. He should pay taxes.

Given the abnormal sexual propensity of many Catholic priests and their secret society, orphans and poor kids should not even be
exposed to them.

Instead, they should pay taxes and let either the government, NGOs handle said affairs. But it should be open. They should not be left
to run the place by themselves, as they sweep offenses of their members under the rug.

And yes, they are one of the richest in the country, but do not pay any taxes. And that's another reason why they should not be
blocking the budget Congress is earmarking for population control. They had no contribution to the fund.

As to their social work, there is no public accounting for that.

Low income employees pay taxes. The Queen of England volunteered to pay taxes. It is hypocritical, or should I use the word
"immoral" as they like that word so much, for the church not to contribute their proportionate share.

Padre Damaso and Girls

And there is their problem with the female sex. Remember how all the bishops ganged up
on the lady who accused Bishop Teodoro Bacani of sexual harassment. And there's
Nicole. After Lance Corporal Daniel Smith was convicted, while the case is still on
appeal, they organized demonstrations, stating:

"Women should be taught that womanhood is precious and noble, so it is not right for them to be flaunting [their femaleness] around.
They should not make themselves appear cheap, practically inviting to be violated by men." -- Archbishop Oscar Cruz, Lingayen

Dagupan Archdiocese.

Nicole was "asking for it." -- Fr. James Reuter, S.J.

_________________________

MY RESPONSE

It is the most natural thing for boys and girls to be attracted to each other and to flirt with each other. It is the law of nature; god's
natural law. It is a gift and not a sin. And it most certainly is not asking to be raped.
The world of Padre Damaso is so unnatural and skewed that they cannot even comprehend girls and women as they are in the real
world, and look at woman only as either a Madonna (Virgin Mary) or Mary Magdalene. And since Nicole does not measure up to their
standards of the ideal woman, thus, she could only be a whore.

Consistent with that view, to Padre Damaso, woman is a creature either to be put up on a pedestal and adored, or despised. Woman is a
lot more complex than that. And personally, while I would not want to be despised, I certainly do not want to be adored that way. Like
some icon. The whole concept is so unnatural; it is frightening.

Padre Damaso also preaches that women are sinners because of their sexuality. It is a western concept of femaleness that is so alien,
that it would be laughable, were it not extremely offensive.

Why other females would put down another of their own and do the church's dirty protest work against Nicole is beyond me. They are
not the Judge nor were they privy to all the evidence. I can only surmise that these were dowdy insecure matrons who feel threatened
by young and pretty girls, as Nicole is. Or that they have long forgotten what it was like being a girl. Or maybe, they are/were
daughters of Padre Damaso, never allowed to be normal girls, who resent the girls who enjoy that freedom.

I attended one of their schools once, just to check it out. I usually like school but the summer I spent there I couldn't wait to be over.
[:'(] The intellectual atmosphere was oppressive due to Padre Damaso's dictatorial ways. They also have a religious police and all
those rules on how girls should behave dictated by old men with a lot of problems. And there's that creepy thing - a girl is not allowed
to be a girl, but it's OK for girls to hit on girls. Having gone to public schools all my life, I was completely flabbergasted. . . I've
never had to behave properly all my life except in that school... but guess what... it was only there that I constantly felt sexually
harassed... Unbelievable... With a majority of the professors, dirty old men, openly and publicly coming on to the female students,
and the girls responding as if it were normal. I suspect it has something to do with Padre Damaso's attitude towards females and
sexuality spilling on to everyone.
___________________________

And girls, beware: If Padre Damaso has his way, we will all have to be wearing those thingies that the nuns wear (cassock, burqa,
whatever).

Padre Damaso Incarnate

There is very little difference between the Spanish friars and the Padre Damasos in our midst. The Filipino Padre Damasos are just not
as powerful as the Spanish friars yet. But they are quite capable of behaving in the same manner given the chance. Already they
increasingly meddle in the affairs of the State.

These are arrogant men with attitudes and values of a different time where they reigned supreme. Vain and overbearing, they proclaim
themselves the moral authority of the country.

Not all Filipinos are Catholics. It is presumptuous and immoral for the Catholic church to speak for the Filipino and to impose its
brand of religious morality on everyone.

They are intolerant and undemocratic, anti-woman and un-Filipino.

Bathala
Date: Dec 13, 2007
Padre Damaso

If you are a Filipino Catholic, did you ever wonder why your grandfather or great grandfather or great-great grandfather did not go
back to the Catholic church long after the Spaniards left the country and why many of our great leaders and presidents are not Catholic
and did not adhere to any religion?

It is because the Philippines was subjugated by Spain using the Filipinos' trust in the goodness and "moral authority" of Catholic
priests. Then, you have Jose Rizal, and Andres Bonifacio and the other great Filipino heroes, who followed the example set by Rizal.
Rizal was executed not only because he fought for the freedom of Filipinos, he was also killed for his religious or spiritual beliefs. Or
rather, his non-belief. In his long exile in Europe, he had become a secular man. His capital crime and essential heresy was to deny the
supreme Catholic vanity of being the "one true faith."

Rizal believed that you can be a good and moral person without believing in a
specific supernatural deity or its purported representatives on earth. He also
believed in religious tolerance and democratic values, the antitheses of
Catholicism. That is why Rizal became a mason and why freemasonry is
condemned by the Catholic church.
Rizal knew that he was going to be excommunicated. Automatic excommunication is a fate decreed for all Catholics
becoming Masons since 1738 and reaffirmed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Phlippines (CBCP) in 1990.
Excommunication was a choice Rizal made.

Rizal also chose to die an apostate, excommunicated from the Catholic Church, rather than be a traitor to himself and the
future of humanity.

In 1912, Rizal's family rejected a petition from the Jesuits to rebury him in Luneta. Instead, that honor was accorded to the
Masons.

While he was not anti-Christian, he was clearly anti-Catholic clergy. The colonization of the Philippines was the
consequence of the Filipino's trust in the goodness and "high sense of morality" of religious men. And the life and works of
Rizal, it is a showcase of the evils of interference of the chuch in State affairs and theocracy.

Catholic priests interfere in the affairs of the state and preach intolerance, imposing their religion on everyone, then and
now. It is the nature of their institution, which is a dictatorship, with the pope and his inner circle dictating the rules. And a
bunch of mini-dictators implementing his policies as you go down the line. That's why you have the Padre Damasos
demanding that the President step down and the like.

Catholicism was the scourge of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines and remains a malaise in Philippine society, as it is
in Latin America. They impose their religious doctrines on everyone and hinder progress. Padre Damaso's citizenship is
immaterial. Rizal did not portray the Spanish civil officials in the Noli Me Tangere in the same way as he did Padre
Damaso. Rizal portrays Padre Damaso extremely worse than the Spanish civil government.

Padre Damaso is the caricature of the Catholic clergy. The social cancer. Like the friars, Filipino priests preach intolerance
under the guise of "morality," as if Catholic morals are superior to that of non-Catholics. And as if, as priests, they are
morally superior to all Catholics. Also, like the friars, they are anti-woman.

The true meaning of Rizal's life has been obscured by his enemies. The Catholic church did not want Filipinos to know that Rizal did
not believe in what it preached and that he renounced Catholicism.

The Catholic church had Rizal's writings in their possession. They suppressed and hid it for 100 years because it was
against the interest of the Catholic church. There are the expurgated versions of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
And the erroneous portrayal of Rizal clutching a rosary at execution in films and the like. It is the work and influence of the
Padre Damasos in our midst. Their allegiance is to the Catholic church and not the Filipino nor the truth.

Luckily, most of Rizal's written work (50 volumes!) had become available, since his birth centenary in 1961, despite
strident opposition from the Catholic Church. In this way, Rizal may still get the final word.

However, the most anti-Catholic of all were kept by the Jesuits for 100 years and was only released in 1998 by a Filipino
Jesuit at the Ateneo, Fr. Bonoan. It appears to be the damning evidence of heresy and apostasy that were used at Rizal's one
day trial on Dec. 26, 1896. It was what the Catholic church used as a weapon to murder Rizal, a collection of letters to his
Jesuit mentor at the Ateneo. He renounced Catholicism. That is why the Catholic clergy hid it for so long.

A nice Catholic boy could never have written the masterpieces that are the Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo.
They are scathingly anti-Catholic clergy books. One of the first ever written and the best. They are Rizal's gift to the
Filipino and to humanity. In his long exile in Europe, Rizal became a secular man and a citizen of the world. He saw the
intolerance that religion bred long before John Lennon wrote of relilgion as a barrier to world peace in his song Imagine.
He was the Salman Rushdie of the Catholic clergy of his time.
[Some portions of this section were taken from Rizalist and former UP Law Dean Jorge Bocobo's article Rizal's Apostasy was World
Ecumenism. Some of the analysis is his and some my own.]
________________________________

Rizal was not alone. Filipino masons include Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini,
Ladislao Diwa, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Juan Luna, Deodato Arellano, Graciano Lopez-
Jaena, H. Pardo de Tavera, and so many others in the Propaganda Movement and La Liga
Filipina.

Then you have Presidents Manuel Quezon, Manuel Roxas and Jose Laurel, Supreme
Court Justice Abraham Sarmiento, Chief Justice Puno And, yes, great great grandpa was a
revolutionary and a mason, and so are the boys in the family.

Many of the beautiful UP guys and gals have their own versions of it. Like many Filipino
intellectuals who know their history; we have very, very, very long memories and are
proud of it. And I'm sure it is alive as well in other educational and social institutions in
the country not dominated by Padre Damaso and his sisters.

And there are the other Filipinos of different faiths, including President Fidel Ramos,
who is not Catholic.

They keep the spirit of Rizal alive.

Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary.
It's them twisting it that ruinefs it for me. - John Lennon

Are we seeing the rebirth of Padre Damaso?

The Catholic church has been poking its nose more and more where it does not belong. The Subic Rape case is but one instance.
Among others, the church has stood in the way of population control programs and reform in marriage laws of the Philippines. Then,
there is the 1987 constitution of Fr. Joaquin Bernas, anachronistic even at inception.

Not since Padre Damaso have we seen such arrogant clergymen interfering in the affairs of the State, with the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) acting as if it were some kind of shadow government. Leading cloistered lives with limited
worldly experience, they are men least equipped to be playing politics. Their religious fanaticism skews their view of the real world.
There is also a huge conflict of interest there: their allegiance is to the Catholic church, not to the people. Their interference in
governmental concerns conflicts with and is inimical to the interests of the Filipino. Moreover, they forsake normal heterosexual
relationships, instead they commune in an exclusively male hierarchy and milieu where women are not considered equal. Such an
abnormal lifestyle encourages and/or promotes improper, as well as, deviant sexual behavior, and attracts men with a proclivity toward
same and men (emotionally, psychologically and sexually) developmentally-challenged, as the numerous cases (see below)
against the Catholic church indicate.

The Padre Damasos vainly proclaim themselves the moral authority of the country. They are not. While there are many Filipino
Catholics, the vast majority are only Catholics nominally. They observe and enjoy the pomp rituals, many of which have been mixed
with indigenous Filipino (pre-Hispanic) rituals, but do not follow the tenets of the church whenever it does not please them, and
especially when it is obviously wrong. And many have only a vague notion of the faith.
It is in Catholic schools were the faith is primarily inculcated and these are unaffordable to the huge mass of Filipinos. But even in
these Catholic bastions, many, like the typical Filipino, disapprove of the church's interference in State affairs. It is simply un-Filipino.

In any case, not all Filipinos are Catholics, and it is presumptuous and immoral for the Catholic church to impose its doctrines on
everyone.

Church interference in the affairs of the State is not only wrong, it is immoral, undemocratic and very un-Filipino.