JPII in 1981: walking a tightrope

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo Before and during Pope John Paul II’s second visit to the Philippines in 1995, the Inquirer ran many articles on him. One of the pieces I had to write was about his first visit in 1981. Good thing I still had my 1981 notes! With JPII’s canonization (also Pope John XXIII’s) set on April 27, I visit the 1981 scenes once again through that article. Here is a much shorter version: Everything...

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Agnihotra for Earth's health

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo On April 9, Araw ng Kagitingan, I attended a workshop offered by kindred souls concerned about the healing of Earth and its inhabitants. But more than just being concerned about our wounded planet, these persons are preoccupied with the enrichment of our earthly dwelling and our own human lives. Accepting the invitation was easy because the workshop was to be held in a farm set up and tended...

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Fr. Suarez says last Mass on Easter before returning donated land to San Miguel

Philippine Daily Inquirer/FEATURE/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo   The “healing priest” Fr. Fernando Suarez will celebrate his last Mass at MonteMaria in Alfonso town, Cavite province, on Easter Sunday after his Mary Mother of the Poor Foundation (MMPF) decided to return the 33-hectare property donated to it by San Miguel Corp. (SMC).   Suarez is known in the Philippines and abroad for his gift of healing. Many people who have experienced or...

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Her womb and other Lenten thoughts

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/ by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo Former President Joseph Estrada, accused of plunder, had a problem with his knees and he was allowed to fly to Hong Kong for surgery. There were concerns about his not returning and facing the charges against him. But he did return, resumed house arrest in his Tanay rest house, was convicted, and was quickly pardoned by his successor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Toward the end of her 10-year presidency, Arroyo developed a life-threatening, potentially disabling condition involving her cervical...

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Healers

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo I write this in the wake of the five-part series in the Inquirer about Fr. Fernando Suarez, known as “the healing priest,” who was mercilessly bashed to smithereens by some critics while he was abroad based mainly on what they had observed or heard, and with no damning documentation presented. It was only in the last part of the series that the priest, probably jet-lagged when asked to react,...

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