N. Ecija bishop: Resisting killings is Christian obligation
Bishop Sofronio Bancud of the Diocese of Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecjia. PHOTO FROM CABANATUAN DIOCESE’S FACEBOOK PAGE
MANILA— A Catholic bishop deplored the murder of a 14-year-old boy and called on the faithful to stand firm against the spate of killings in the country as a matter of Christian obligation.
Bishop Sofronio Bancud of Cabanatuan joined the call for justice for Reynaldo de Guzman who was found dead with 30 stab wounds in Gapan, Nueva Ecija, over a hundred kilometers away from where he was last spotted.
The boy’s body was found in a creek on Sept. 5, almost three weeks after he went missing with his companion, Carlo Angelo Arnaiz, 19, who was killed by Caloocan cops in an alleged shoot-out in Navotas City on Aug. 18.
The prelate said the killing of De Guzman and other minors suspected of drug peddling should serve as a wake-up call and spur the faithful to resist summary executions.
“Apathy over the killings in our society means our consent of these violence,” Bancud said in a statement.
“We have the responsibility to stand firm against the evils and violence happening in our society, especially extrajudicial killings and summary executions,” he said.
The bishop then called for “Christian discernment” as the government’s war on drugs claimed thousands of lives,, including children.
“Let’s stand for what can truly help bring development into our society,” he said. “And let us reject all forms of violence that destroy the path to peace and order in our country.”
Bancud then called on the faithful to pray for the victims and their families, as well the law enforcers to take “the path to love and peace” when doing their duties. CBCPNews
