MANILA, March 12, 2015—Since Lent is a chance to examine one’s conscience with respect to the sin of stealing, Manila’s chief priest has appealed to the faithful anew to back the ongoing anti-corruption, anti-thievery drive “Huwag Kang Magnakaw” by wearing a statement shirt during the Visita Iglesia on Holy Thursday.
Manila Archbishop Luís Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle dons the "Huwag kang magnanakaw” shirt as part of an anti-corruption drive. (Photo: Fr. Atilano Fajardo)
Repent, believe
“May we call upon all of you to continue supporting our ongoing campaign ‘Huwag Kang Magnakaw’ as one expression of the call to repent and believe in the Gospel. The Lenten season provides us with the opportunity to examine ourselves individually and collectively in relation to the 7th Commandment,” Manila Archbishop Luís Antonio G, Cardinal Tagle shares in a circular.
The prelate invites Catholics to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation and join the traditional “Visita Iglesia” on Holy Thursday, during which he hopes to see “people walking hand in hand proclaiming God’s Mercy and Compassion.”
Quit stealing
“It is in this regard that we are calling on parishioners joining the annual ‘Visita Iglesia’ to wear the ‘Huwag Kang Magnakaw’ t-shirt as a symbol of rejecting the sin of stealing,” he explains.
According to Tagle, the advocacy is a continuing journey in uprooting the culture of stealing on all levels of society, and planting the “seed of honesty, integrity, and generosity” through which he hopes the stolen dignity of the Filipino people will be finally reclaimed.
Forgiveness
“Let us ask forgiveness for sins committed against the 7th Commandment and ask God to heal our land,” he added.
Meanwhile, Fr. Atilano Fajardo, Vincentian missionary and head of the Archdiocese of Manila (RCAM)’s Ministry of Public Affairs, told CBCP News in an earlier report that the Philippines has “practically become a country of thieves,” with almost everyone guilty of violating God’s 7th Commandment at some point: from the highest bureaucrat who dip their fingers in the taxpayers’ coffers, down to the grade-schooler who copies his classmate’s homework.
“Corruption is not the monopoly of politicians. Without us being aware of it, we’ve all been guilty of corruption … Children stealing coins from their parents’ pockets, students cheating during exams, etc.,” he says.
The shirts, sold at Php 150 each, are available at Adamson University, San Marcelino St., Ermita, Manila; Radyo Veritas, West Avenue, Quezon City; Caritas Manila, Pandacan, Manila; and in select parishes nationwide.
The public may also support the campaign by tuning in to the “Huwag Kang Magnanakaw” program aired over Radyo Veritas 846 every Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
For more updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Huwag-Kang-Magnakaw/940390972644341?fref=ts.
(Raymond A. Sebastián/CBCPNews)
