BishopAccountability.org
	Espinoza: Assault on Integrity of Judiciary By Elias L. Espinoza Sun.Star December 15, 2011 http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/opinion/2011/12/15/espinoza-assault-integrity-judiciary-195894 President Noynoy Aquino’s attack on Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona is also an assault on the integrity of the judiciary. The President calling the Supreme Court a “den of corruption” puts the entire judiciary down. On Monday, the House of Representatives voted to send to the Senate the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Corona for betrayal of trust, corruption and culpable violation of the Constitution. House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, in reaction, said: “The derogation of our democratic institutions is almost complete with the emasculation of the House of Representatives, the violation of civil liberties, the impairment of the rule of law, and now, the destruction of the Supreme Court and the judiciary.” Admittedly, it is difficult to delineate the person from the institution he represents. In the case of Chief Justice Corona, who was impeached in tsunami fashion, the judiciary was also under siege when his impartiality was questioned. If the President lost trust in the Supreme Court, which is the last bulwark of democracy, could the simple Juan de la Cruz still have faith in the judiciary, especially when some magistrates were tagged as hoodlums in robes? But there are deep political undertones in the impeachment of Chief Justice Corona. The chief justice may be biased for the Arroyos but this is not all. The impeachment of Corona may have something to do with the Hacienda Luisita issue. *** It looks like it is going to be a sad and embarrassing yearend for the Catholic Church and its hierarchy. The Catholic Church, the guardian of morality of its flock, is in the public eye again after two of its priests were accused of committing immoral acts. Parishioners and some acolytes accused the two priests of sexual misconduct. The first priest was caught having sex with women at the back of the church while the other was accused of sexually abusing a male acolyte. This is not the first time that victims of abuse by priests made public their complaint. This is unlike decades ago when parishioners revered the priests and their abuses (if there were any) were never heard of. Time has changed a lot. Victims no longer keep to themselves the sexual abuse or any other form of maltreatment that priests may have perpetrated on them. Media also helped changed the mindset of the people. It is not for us to judge the two priests for their wrongdoing. But from the account of the complainants, these priests have apparently gone astray. Or, bluntly said, they are the few bad eggs in the basket. This is a big challenge for Archbishop Jose Palma. In Ricardo Cardinal Vidal’s time, the erring priests were merely relieved of their duties and sent to a rehab center. Perhaps, Archbishop Palma is following the cardinal’s action. In fact, the erring priest is now on rehab. The accusations against the priests come at the wrong time. The acts of the erring priests have caused some Catholics to leave and join other religious beliefs. Human as they are, though, the temptation of the flesh must have been too much to resist. But can the vow of celibacy in the Roman Catholic Church be blamed why some priests go off the right path? Contact: elespinoza53@yahoo.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.