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Archbishop Villegas exits as CBCP president

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Erik Tenedero, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/12/01/soc-villegas-2017.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas. File</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA - After four years at the helm of the country&#x27;s dominant church, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas has ended his term as president of the Catholic Bishops&#x27; Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Villegas, an outspoken critic of drug-related killings under government&#x27;s anti-narcotics campaign, is succeeded by <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/08/17/davao-archbishop-is-new-cbcp-president">Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles</a>, whose term officially began Friday.In a report on Church-run Radio Veritas, Villegas expressed confidence with the new leadership of the official organization of the episcopacy in the Philippines.&quot;Ang pagiging officer ng CBCP ay hindi nakasalalay sa experience,&quot; the prelate said. &quot;Ito ay nakasalalay sa awa ng Diyos, at alam na alam ko na ‘yung Espiritu Santo na ibinigay sa kanila nang sila ay maging Obispo, ‘yun din ang Espiritu Santo na gagabay sa kanilang paglilingkod sa CBCP.&quot;[Being an officer of the CBCP is not based on experience. It is based on God&#x27;s mercy, and I know that the Holy Spirit given to them when they became bishops will be the same spirit that will guide them in serving in the CBCP.]Villegas was first elected as CBCP president in 2013, becoming the 19th bishop to hold the position, and was re-elected in 2015 for his second and final term. Prior to being a bishop, Villegas served as long-time secretary of the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, one of the key figures of the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986, which toppled the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, a regime marked by human rights abuses and corruption. During his four-year term, the CBCP oversaw two major Catholic events held in the Philippines: the apostolic visit of Pope Francis in 2015, which was attended by a <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/01/18/15/pope-attracts-world-record-crowd-luneta-mass">record-breaking</a> six million people, and the <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/v2/02/02/16/in-photos-51st-international-eucharistic-congress-in-cebu">International Eucharistic Congress</a> held in Cebu in 2016. <div>VILLEGAS AND POLITICS</div>Villegas&#x27; term marked the continuous presence of the influential Catholic Church in the public eye, as he has been vocal in expressing the Church&#x27;s views on social and political issues. His election to the leadership of the CBCP happened a year after former president Benigno Aquino III signed the controversial Reproductive Health Law, which the Catholic Church in the Philippines had opposed for years. Months before his term as CBCP president officially started, Villegas issued a pastoral letter where he called on Catholic voters to reject candidates who supported the RH Law. The Philippines during that time was in the middle of the campaign period for midterm elections. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/04/13/13/shun-pro-choice-candidates-pinoy-catholics-told">READ: Shun pro-choice candidates, Pinoy Catholics told </a></li></ul>It was widely seen as an attack on Aquino&#x27;s allies who pushed for the passage of the measure. Villegas was a known friend of the Aquino family. Amid issues surrounding Aquino&#x27;s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), the archbishop dared the then president to prove his &quot;daang matuwid&quot; (straight path) policy by sacking cabinet secretaries who were being linked to several irregularities.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/07/05/14/cbcp-tells-pnoy-let-go-corrupt">READ: CBCP tells PNoy: Let go of the corrupt </a></li></ul>Under President Rodrigo Duterte, the relationship between the Church and government turned even more sour. Villegas released a series of pastoral documents condemning the Duterte administration&#x27;s bloody war on drugs. The prelate also led a march on EDSA last November against alleged cases of extrajudicial killings. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/12/17/cbcp-in-the-name-of-god-stop-the-killings">READ: CBCP: &#x27;In the name of God, stop the killings!&#x27; </a></li></ul>As the government continuously denied being behind the killings, Duterte responded with sharp retorts, calling the Catholic Church as the most hypocritical institution. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/05/22/16/duterte-calls-catholic-church-most-hypocritical-institution">READ: Duterte calls Catholic Church &#x27;most hypocritical institution&#x27; </a></li></ul>

MANILA - After four years at the helm of the country's dominant church, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas has ended his term as president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

MANILA - After four years at the helm of the country's dominant church, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas has ended his term as president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Archbishop Villegas exits as CBCP president

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Archbishop Villegas exits as CBCP president

Erik Tenedero,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 01, 2017 08:24 PM PHT

|

Updated December 02, 2017 02:51 AM PHT

Read More:

CBCP

Socrates Villegas

Romulo Valles

Rodrigo Duterte

Catholic Church

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