January 15, 1987

The truly tragic event which took place at Mendiola last Thursday afternoon has brought upon our people — throughout the country; but in the city of Manila above all — a sense of deep grief, a general mourning joined to a sense of loss — a sentiment that much that we have gained in the past months towards unifying our people in the pursuit of peace has been so swiftly and senselessly diminished. Out of the pain and hurt in which we all share, we must express our deep sorrow and regret, our repudiation of the violence which has brought death to so many and injury to dozens more, our reaching out to these victims and their loved ones in condolence and compassion.

Our sorrow at so great a tragedy should summon us, before the Lord, to prayer and reflection, to the effect to come to a calmness of spirit and clear-headedness which the seriousness of the situation demands. We must seek to go beyond the temptations of passionate polarization and hatred which can only deliver us into further conflict, violence and bloodshed.

We do not seek now to assign blame for the tragic happening. As the moment it is not possible to do this. An appropriate body of inquiry has been created, we believe in all good faith, and from this body we ask that a fair, adequate and speedy investigation be carried out without fear of favor, so that the demands of justice be met in all conscience.

What we seek here, rather, is to ask that this time of sorrow, for all of us, may be joined to a searching of our minds and hearts, to ask how such an explosion of violence could have happened, so that, please God, it may never happen again. To ask, as men of faith, what God is telling us and seeking from us, in the face of this sorrowful event, so that we might make his work on earth truly our own.

A profound sense of solidarity as a nation urges us — all those who sincerely seek what is best for our people, beyond our self-regarding interests — to join our minds and hearts, not only in our common grief, but in the determination to close ranks and resolve this crisis together, as brothers and sisters and friends. Every effort must be bent to prevent it from deepening our divisions and worsening our wounds, from turning us in bitterness against each other. Rather we want to face this tragedy together, help its surviving victims in a spirit of caring and compassion. Together we must ask what we may learn from it, and how we may rise from our grief and perhaps our bewilderment, to work together in the weeks to come, and ultimately towards the just and fraternal society from which such violence and fratricide shall be banished.

We must search our souls to find out and acknowledge what may be our own share in this tragedy, for in some true sense we are all involved. We must repent in all truth, at least for our long indifference which was no doubt also an element in the currents which led to this sad happening.

Without seeking to assess the motives of individuals, yet we can say that the lives lost were lost in great measure because the ages-long issues of land-reform have not yet been confronted and to the measure possible, resolved, by previous generations, and by ourselves. Through out our history, the issues of land have been the cause of so many uprisings. But perhaps we have not marshalled the sincerity and political will to confront this great concern and the manifold problems connected with it, with the determination and courage they call for. May the deaths of our brothers last week serve to compel us to face this task together, in a spirit of solidarity: all of us together, with the same spirit of oneness, peace-seeking and non-violence, which we brought to bear in “the revolution of EDSA.” We know all sectors of society must collaborate in this. Else not even the most carefully-researched and most conscientiously prepared policies and programs can be effectively carried out.

We ask our government, in the wake of this tragedy, to turn its urgent attention to the issues of land-reform and the concerns more closely related with it. We realize that what has been beyond the capacities of past governments, for so many decades (and perhaps centuries) cannot be adequately resolved in a few months. But realistic implementations of programs must begin, with all deliberate speed. Our present government, and our President, have given to so many of our peasants and farmers, the genuine hope that it is determined sincerely to seek authentic solutions and to move to decisive action. On this sincerity and readiness to act in this area, so much of its credibility depends. But we must say again that this task cannot be done by government alone. It is a challenge to solidarity on a truly national scale, and it will demand courage and sacrifice from all of us.

My beloved faithful in our Archdiocese of Manila:

In line with what we have said in this message, I ask that all of us begin by turning to prayer, penitence and self-examination before God. As your pastor I say with all possible insistence that we cannot build the peace we need without the help of God. No one, not one among us, should exempt himself from this demand, of prayer and penance.

I ask that we observe an octave of prayer, penance and fasting — beginning tomorrow, Monday 26 January, till Tuesday 2 February (Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord). With earnest supplication joined to self-denial, let us implore from God the gifts of reconciliation, justice and peace at this painful hour, in this difficult time. Let us beg that a spirit of calm may reign in our midst, that we may truly seek ways of justice without hatred, polarization and violence. That by God’s mercy we may together find the wisdom, courage, and love, to move forward together in the paths of peace.

Devotedly yours in Christ,

(Sgd.) + JAIME L. CARDINAL SIN, D.D.

Archbishop of Manila

Manila, January 25, 1987