Bacolod bishop strips school of Catholic status

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon stripped a school here of its Catholic status following a dispute over the property on which the iconic Queen of Peace Parish Church stands.

The church is located within the premises of St John’s Institute (SJI), also known as Hua Ming.

There’s an ongoing controversy about the ownership of the property on which the church stands, but after a series of negotiations to resolve the rift, the Diocese of Bacolod and Hua Ming agreed to pursue a peaceful disengagement of relationship that will end on May 31.

With the departure of the ministry from the institution, Buzon declared that SJI is no longer a Catholic school.

He stressed that the church building will become a private structure where the school can no longer hold Masses and other sacraments.

The Bishop said that Hua Ming has always been a Catholic school because of the presence of the priests there and the evangelizing arm of the parish. 

“In Canon Law, the final determiner of a Catholic school is the recognition of the church and the bishop…Now, with the parish out and the priests in Hua Ming out, its status as a Catholic school is removed,” Buzon stressed.

What makes a school Catholic is precisely recognition by the bishop that the institution is a Catholic school, he added.

“We never intend to leave Hua Ming. We are being sent out,” Buzon said.

Request for Mass

He said the school has to follow protocol if they want to hold Masses for its students as there are no priests anymore at Hua Ming.

“So, if there is a request for Mass, they may be allowed to have Mass for the school, but not inside the school. Definitely, not inside the church because that is already closed. If they want, they go to the parish. This is for an indefinite period of time. The purpose of this is something pedagogical because we do not want this structure of the church to be used as a political tool, to be used by others so that there is still a semblance of a Chinese-Apostolate school,” he said.

Parish will continue

Buzon said the parish will continue, however, sans the structure.

He said they already assured the parishioners that the community will “remain intact” and that the programs and scholarships will continue.

“Nothing changes, it’s just that we are out of the structure,” he added.

He said they are still trying to “explore” the possibilities of where they can transfer the parish.

Asked what will happen to SJI’s curriculum on religious studies, Buzon said that the school can still invite priests for the spiritual formation of students.

“It’s the status that is gone. But there are extrinsic and intrinsic elements of a Catholic school in Canon Law. Its status which is the recognition of the church through the bishop is what makes it a Catholic school and not just a non-sectarian school. But intrinsically, Catholic faith can still be practiced. I can mention some private schools here that are not Catholic but have good spiritual formation,” he pointed out.

Also, Buzon said that weddings and christenings that were booked in the parish church after May 31 will be cancelled.

Seeking Vatican’s help

SJI officials said they will raise the issue before the Vatican, as the act of Buzon was “unbecoming of a bishop.”

School officials led by Benjamin Lopue Jr, chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT), expressed their dismay over Buzon’s decision.

Lopue said that the decision of the diocese to pull out the ministry and to declare SJI as no longer a Catholic school “shocked” them, adding that it is “unfair” and “un-Catholic.”

BOT member Andre Palanca slammed Buzon, claiming that the Bishop is using “religious blackmail” and seemed to be “very vindictive” toward the school.

SJI officials said the church will still be a place of worship sans the Mass.

BOT president Cesar Villanueva said SJI will be a lay Catholic school, adding that the institution will continue to teach Christian Living Education to its students.

They stressed that the separation of the school from the church will not affect its curriculum as SJI has academic freedom.

Effect on enrollment

The school officials admitted that the development would have a “short-term impact” on the enrollment for this incoming school year.

They said some parents are planning to pull out their children from the school, though they have yet to know how many will transfer as the enrollment has yet to start.

The school officials assured the community that they will “double efforts” to make SJI a “better Catholic school.”

Stop partisan conflict

In a statement, the school said: “Contrary to a peaceful disengagement both parties agreed to, the pronouncements of the Bishop will trigger not peace, but more anger, hurt, and persecution of an institution that has, for the past 60 years, helped in the evangelization of the Filipino Chinese community and drew thousands of them into the embrace of the Roman Catholic faith.”

It added that the action of the Diocese will further erode the chance of peace and healing in an already wounded community.

“But despite the vilification, we continue to humbly submit to the Bishop’s decision even if this will strip our school of the status of being a Chinese Catholic school, depriving and denying our students and school community the experiential life we have had as Catholics as administered and taught to us by our Founding Fathers for more than half a century,” the statement said.

The statement added that this was a civil issue and was never doctrinal, and had nothing to do with faith.

“We urge the Bishop to stop engaging in partisan conflict and live up to his spiritual obligation to reach out and be the spiritual leader of his flock,” the statement added. – Rappler.com