A touching message
from Msgr. Rivas

The arrival of hundreds of youthful pilgrims from Neo-Catechumenal communities of Cebu and Negros Oriental yesterday was considered a timely reminder to the faithful of the Diocese on the thrust of the Diamond Jubilee of the Bacolod Church .

The vicar general of the diocese, Rivas reminded the faithful who thronged the San Sebastian cathedral Saturday evening of the message of Christ – the Church of the poor.

Which simply means that we must share of ourselves and what we have with those who have virtually nothing. And he said the Church can never become the pilgrim church unless we are conscious and implement our lives according to that self-giving doctrine of the Savior.

The pilgrims had a more fruitful reception at the Kabankalan diocese. There, Bishop P. Buzon joined their popular mission at the Kabankalan plaza and later asked the Neo-Catechumenal leaders from Bakyas of Bacolod to initiate as soon as possible the evangelization in the Kabankalan Diocese.

The youthful pilgrims conducted a popular mission at the plaza. That simple means sharing their experiences with the Lord who had touched their lives and what He had done for them.

The pilgrims stayed overnight in Kabankalan and proceeded Saturday to Hinigaran where they conducted another popular mission. They took their lunch at Paradiso. Later, they proceeded to San Enrique town and to Bacolod .

At the Bacolod Cathedral, they were joined by the members of the Neo communities of Bakyas, Bata, Hua Ming, Airport, Montevista, and Granada .

Local catechumens families took care of the pilgrims who took the fast craft for Iloilo yesterday morning. There they called on Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, himself a former chaplain of the San Nicolas Community in Cebu where he was then auxiliary bishop of the diocese.

Once more the youth pilgrims conducted the popular mission in the city's malls. It was all the same – their message was how God touched their lives and His message of love and concern for them.

As elsewhere where these same popular missions had been conducted, these youthful evangelizers touched the hearts of listeners.

Thank God for netting these Catholic youngsters in His net of Evangelizers. One begins to wonder whether they are doing more to heal the wounds of a country divided into warring political camps, with even violent attempts for ouster of the country's leaders – all in name of saving the country from perdition.

***

No doubt about it. Senator Antonio Trillanes did try to use the presence of mediamen to avoid the bloody assault by the police in the Manila Peninsula incident Thursday.

But the thing that bothers me was the claim by Police chief Avelino Razon that they were investigating the alleged complicity of some members of media to shield Trillanes and to enable members of the Magdalo group to escape from the hotel.

I know some of the part-time columnists. They are not professional mediamen. And, of course, they were mixed with the media crowd. The danger is that their identification as part of the conspiracy will harm mediamen who were there simply to cover the event as it unfolded.

That's why I suspect that the administration is notching up a bit the suppression of Press Freedom. An indication of a possible state policy.*

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