THOMASIANS must reach out to the marginalized to uphold human rights as it is inseparable from the Catholic faith, Faculty of Arts and Letters Regent Fr. George Phe Mang, O.P. said on Sept. 21 in a Mass coinciding with the 52nd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.
Since humans are made in the likeness of God, Phe Mang said that human rights are rooted in the nature of creation and not just a matter of politics.
“As Christians, the call to protect and uphold human rights is inseparable from our faith,” he said in his homily at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church.
“The right to life, freedom, dignity, and participation in society are not mere political concepts. They are rooted in every nature of creation,” he said.
Echoing the scriptures where Jesus reached out to Matthew the tax collector who was labeled a traitor and a sinner, the Arltets regent urged Thomasians to follow Jesus in going to the margins.
“This radical inclusion is a hallmark of Jesus’ ministry and a powerful commentary on the dignity of every human person, especially those who are marginalized, oppressed, or judged upon the standards of society.
“We must go to the margins. We must reach out to those who are forgotten. And we must defend the dignity of everyone.”
The Mass was followed by a candle-lighting ceremony to remember the victims of the dictatorial regime, which saw 3,257 deaths, 35,000 tortures, and 70,000 imprisonments, according to human rights group Amnesty International.
It culminated the UST Simbahayan Community Development Office’s Fr. Francisco de Vitoria, O.P. Human Rights Week.
De Vitoria was a 16th-century Spanish Dominican famous for his defense of the rights of indigenous peoples in the United States during the early years of Spanish colonization.
Dated Sept. 21, 1972, the Martial Law decree was announced by Marcos Sr. to the public on Sept. 23, 1972, when martial rule was already well underway and after the arrests of opposition politicians and dissidents.
