Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, who succeeded Cardinal Sin as Manila archbishop in 2003, set up a housing ministry and appointed Father Atilano Fajardo as coordinator. The Vincentian priest is among Church representatives who sit on the interagency committees for urban-poor development projects.
“Networking” with government agencies is part of the Church’s answer to the need for land, buildings and services to the poor, Father Fajardo told UCA News at Vincentian-run Adamson University in Manila on Oct. 7.
In his view, the ministry should “go beyond advocacy,” and its role in government housing committees is to ensure state policies and procedures are humane and free from “vested interests” of government officials and bodies.
The government has no standard policy on housing, he said, so he tries to make sure that terms for relocation are “reasonable.” This can be achieved, he continued, with faith in the basic goodness of all people, including politicians, and “tapping that goodness.”
He tries to get the government and people to dialogue, because “once they talk, solutions can come.”
Tags: Adamson University (Philippines), Advocacy, Congregation of the Mission, Fajardo, Homelessness
Good Work Father. Indeed, advocacy goes beyond words and lip-service. It should translate into charity and service.
Government work is to deliver services to its people. WE help them facilitate these services and engaged with them critically so that efficient and effective social services could be delivered on time.
More Power
We are happy to know that the Vincentians are actively engaging with govenrment specially for the housing of the homeless. Indeed, the church can really help a lot in advocating a more dignified life for the poor.
Truly, priest can do a lot in advocating good gevernance. Instead of fighting in the sreets, I think that it is now time to dialogue and deliver. All stakeholders have to be involved in development. Pointing fingers towards each other has already been proven weak in advocating change, it is time we try networking and sharing of resources. The church has the moral power, we need to influence corruption. The church has the spiritual guidance, we need to direct stakeholders for the common good.
I see the need of a shift in mindset especially in the Philippines. I have worked there as a missionary for almost 10 years during the Marcos regime. It is right that the situations now and then are totally different. So networking and shared leadership with the community regarding their own issues can take the place of mass protest, and housing advocacy can be a jump off start for concerted responsibility for security of tenure.
Though the church and state are two different institutions, both serve but one end – the PEOPLE. What is best for the common good is the rule that bridges the gap between them.
Can we have more priests engaging critically with government for the sake of the people especially the poor? This would be a new approach in training priests an brothers.
Is this the way St. Vincent of France did it?
Those of you who are engaged in this conversation might reflection on this link
http://www.ucanews.com/2008/11/03/ngos-urge-governments-to-step-up-action-to-protect-migrant-workers/
It concerns the work of the NGO’s urging governements to act on behalf of migrants and includes the role of the Daughters of Charity.