ラメント主教の殺害について、日本聖公会首座主教の声明

フィリピン独立教会のラメント主教の殺害について、日本聖公会首座主教が声明を出しました。

Anglican Church in Japan’s Statement on the Brutal Killing of Bishop Alberto Ramento

The ANGLICAN CHURCH IN JAPAN (NSKK) condemns in the most vigorous terms the brutal murder of Bishop Alberto Ramento, 9th. Obispo Maximo of the Philippine Independent Church, in the same manner that we are outraged by the unabated political killings of civilians and human rights defenders under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.



Bishop Alberto Ramento, a known human rights defender and protector of the poor and the oppressed was stabbed dead on October 3 inside his rectory. He was co-chairperson of the Supreme Council of Bishops of the Philippine Independent Church (PIC) and the Ecumenical Bishops’ Forum (EBF), as well as founding convenor of the Movement of Concerned Citizens for Civil Liberties (MCCCL) at the time of his death.

While initial police investigation suggests robbery as motive of the killing, we share in the belief that such dastardly act has clear political intentions. The perpetrators did what they did to silence him being one of the most outspoken critic of political killings and the undeclared policy of repression under the Arroyo government. It could also be his relentless opposition to the campaign pushing for change in the provisions of the Philippine Constitution, and or his love for the poor, like when he stood by striking workers of Hacienda Luisita that caught him the ire of the powers-that-be. In our minds, only the powerful could be capable of doing such a heinous crime against a man of God, and a man of peace.

The NSKK extends its sympathies to the family of Bishop Ramento, members of his church and the community he served with utmost dedication and commitment. He is definitely a big loss to the ecumenical movement and to all the people who value truth, justice, freedom and human rights in the Philippines. We call on the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to make a swift and thorough investigation of the murder of Bishop Ramento, as well as other victims of extrajudicial killings and injustice in the Philippines, so that justice may be served.

As we mourn the death of a beloved member of our concordat after the Full Communion in 1961, may we find inspiration from his life and death even as we commit to stand firmly for what he believed in and fought for. Let his death find meaning in our continuing resolve to live-out the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ upon which Bishop Ramento wholeheartedly dedicated his life for.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　In Christ,

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The Most.Rev.Nathaniel M. Uematsu
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Primate
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The Anglican Church in Japan