A Tribute To Bishop Fortich at Diocese of Bacolod, Philippines, Bacolod City, Philippines 6100 PH - A Priest’s Bishop

Fr. Niall O'Brien, Columban Priest with Bishop Fortich

Pope mourns death of Fortich, GMA calls him pillar of peace BY CARLA GOMEZ Thousands of Negrenses showed up despite the blistering heat to bid farewell to Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich, who was lauded by Pope John Paul II, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and other church leaders for his work for the poor at a requiem mass at the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City yesterday. To the thousands of people whose lives he had touched, the 89-year-old prelate who died July 2, was not just a pastor of his flock, he was a father and a friend. Many shed tears during the procession around the public plaza that started at 9 a.m., at the one and half hour long requiem mass, and as they filed past his coffin from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. when his body was finally placed in a tomb at the right side of the Cathedral's altar. Only about 1,500 were allowed in the Cathedral for the mass as security was raised because of the presence of the President, but the church was opened to the public to get a last glimpse of Fortich after the mass ended at 11 a.m. POPE SADDENED A message from Pope John Paul II read for him by Fr. Walter Irbi of the Apostolic Nunciature said the Holy Father was saddened to learn of the death of Fortich. The Pope recalled "with gratitude Fortich's zealous Episcopal ministry in the Diocese of Bacolod and his lively concern for the dignity and rights of the poor." "To all who mourn the late Bishop in the hope of Resurrection, the Holy Father cordially imparts his Apostolic blessing as a pledge of consolation and strength in the Lord," the Pope said in his message sent by Cardinal Angel Sodano, Secretary of State of the Vatican. Archbishop Antonio Franco, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, also said in his message read by Irbi, "Let his dedicated life and all his pastoral endeavors continue to be a source of inspiration and reflection for the mission of the Church for renewal and for the poor". PILLAR OF HOPE President Arroyo, who spoke in Ilonggo at the mass, said all of us have personal memories of Fortich who was a pillar of peace and source of hope in times of crisis faced by the nation. Even in his old age, Fortich paved the way for the establishment of the Cantomanyog Peace Zone in Kabankalan City, which has become a model for those who dream of peace based on justice, she said. "Here is an Apostle of God who followed in His steps, serving the poorest of the poor. Let us emulate his example," she said. We all love you Bishop Fortich, she said. CONTINUE HIS WORK Fortich in his lifetime was "Good News" for a Church struggling to show she is a "Church of justice and peace, a Church of the Poor" and we will honor him best when we choose to continue his work, Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said in his homily at the requiem mass. "Fortich brought the Church down from its floating pedestal, to the heart of the struggling masses," Lagdameo said. Fortich's memory will live on when the clergy go on serving the poor passionately, when people from all walks of life, never relinquish the quest for peace and justice, and when the poor feel the Church struggles at their side, Lagdameo said. For Fortich, the heart of his conviction was not just social justice and peace, Lagdameo said. "It was the deep consciousness that this is the heart of God. A God who hears the cry of the poor, a God who cries and suffers and struggles with the poor, a heart whose identity is to serve the less fortunate and marginalized and oppressed," he said. Fortich lived a life wherein when people were displaced, he traveled even on horseback to reach them, when there was inequality, he brokered dialogs between the landowners and the sacadas, when there was poverty, he helped set up programs for the poor, when there was violence, he assisted in setting up peace zones, and when there was suppression of rights, he became the voice of the oppressed, he said. "Bishop Fortich is another emphatic proof that, paradoxically, it may seem there is indeed holiness in the Church of sinners," he said. Fortich name is chiseled in the hearts of every bishop and priest burning with love for the poor, in the laity moved by his humble and selfless dedication, in babies of sacadas who saw hope in his presence, and, above all, in the heart of God whose face he has seen, loved and served in the poor, Lagdameo also said. HE WILL INSPIRE US Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra, in his message, said "it is our fervent hope that our fond memories of him as Man of God, a true shepherd of his flock with a special love for the poor, will continue to inspire us, to challenge us even to the point of disturbing us". "The life of Bishop Fortich has taught us there is still a lot and more to be done in terms of Church renewal and social transformation," Navarra said. Members of Fortich's family were present at the funeral mass but his only sister, Caridad, was unable to come as she is confined at a hospital in Dumaguete City. 20,000 PEOPLE About 20,000 people from all walks of life joined a procession in the morning and filed past the coffin of Fortich at the Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod, Msgr. Victorino Rivas, Vicar General of the Diocese of Bacolod, said. For the procession, the coffin was placed in a glass carriage with the Knights of Columbus as the honor guard. The slow march around the plaza to the beat of a band playing a dirge was followed by 16 bishops and archbishops and about 300 priests. The crowd at the plaza, estimated by the police at 7,000, many of whom were students, carried placards that said "Fortich: Man of God, Bishop of the Poor." Present at the mass were Education Secretary Edilberto de Jesus, Teresita Deles - National Anti Poverty Commission chair, Secretary Rafael Coscolluela - presidential adviser on cooperatives, Reps. Apolinario Lozada, Satur Ocampo, Liza Masa, and Monico Puentevella, Gov. Joseph Marañon who led the Negros Occidental officials, and Bacolod Mayor Luzviminda Valdez and other city officials.*CPG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So well loved was Fortich by priests that his successor, retired Bishop Camilo Gregorio, found himself scrambling to fill a giant’s shoes. “He was always there for us,” Rivas said. “He would scold us if we did wrong but he would always go to the mat for a priest in trouble.” At that time there was little talk of sexual abuse. Almost immediately after taking over Fortich’s post, Gregorio drove off the evacuees that had taken shelter at the Domus Dei. Irate, the rural folk marched to the remodeled Bishop’s Palace, where the new bishop had taken to holding exclusive cultural affairs. They set up camp with the help of priests. Landowners came to Gregorio’s rescue, manhandled a few of the priests, and started a war of attrition between the new bishop and priests weaned on Fortich’s activist ways. Gregorio would later retire. Rivas said it was not the bishop’s fault that a number of Negros’ best and brightest priests and nuns joined the communist movement. The times merely called a few to a higher struggle, he explained. The list of Negros’ rebel religious is illustrious: Luis Jalandoni and Connie Ledesma came from landed clans. Frank Fernandez, alleged head of the regional party committee, was a top scholar and being groomed for higher posts, as were Vicente Pellobello and Alan Abadesco. Other rebels from the Church ranks were Ben Escrupulo–who has since returned to the clergy–and Norma Muger, his wife in the underground movement; and Sol Fuentespina and Carlos Alones. Fernandez and the Jalandoni couple are with the mainstream communist movement; Fuentespina is with the rejectionist faction. Alones is still involved with the legal labor movement. “He was an inspiration,” said Fr. Greg Patino. “At that time, the Church marched to a different drum beat.” Perhaps not, but as Lakas Rep. Apolinario Lozada Jr. of the Fifth District, Negros Occidental, said, “Fortich broke down the walls between the rich and the poor–or tried his best to do that.”

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