By JOEY NACALABAN
Correspondent .
THE vicar general of the Roman Catholic archdiocese here yesterday rejected moves to arm priests.
“Our weapon is the truth,” said Monsignor Perseus Cabunoc who is also the rector of the St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral.
Cabunoc said the proposal doesn’t figure in the Church’s position on martyrdom, and “if the price of bringing the gospel or a truth to the people is death, so be it.”
Monsignor Rey Monsanto, Eco Church parish priest, said the canon law doesn’t allow priests to possess weapons such as guns.
Besides, he said, guns won’t guarantee safety.
Monsanto cited an adage: “Whoever lives by the sword, dies by the sword.”
He said the Roman Catholic Church is an advocate of a gunless society, and respect for life.
The Iglesia Felipina Indepiendente (IFI) shares the Roman Catholic position.
IFI Bishop Felixberto Calang said there is no need for religious leaders to carry guns because “their protection is God.”
“If you truly believe in God, then there is no need to possess guns. We have to commit ourselves to what we believe in,” Calang said.
He said the Christian view is that a priest or a minister should be thankful to God if he is killed in the line of duty, citing the biblical account of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Calang said the early apostles suffered persecution and even death because they preached the gospel.
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