A CATHOLIC priest called the recent attack of the Maute terrorist rebels against the church in Marawi City group as "desecration" to the Catholic faith after they destroyed the religious statues and torched down the church amid the crisis.
Former Davao Archbishop Emeritus Fernando Capalla, in Friday's Hermes Club press forum at Waterfront Insular Hotel, slammed the terrorist group who pledged alliance with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) in their recent attack on the Catholic Church in Maraw City.
"It was a desecration. According to Marawi Bishop Edwin del Pe¤a, it is demonic, only devil can do that to give brutal disrespect to something that we consider holy," Capalla said, pertaining to the video that circulated in social media showing how the notorious rebel group smashed the sacred images of the church and setting St. Mary's Cathedral in Marawi City on fire.
He added that he prayed for the fast resolution of the armed conflict, making the armed group accountable for their action. "I can only pray that those perpetrators will be brought to justice because it is not only against religion but also it is against human rights, the human rights to worship," he said.
Capalla urged the Ulama in Marawi to encourage and influence the terrorists to stop their brutal action which is contrary to the Islam teachings and ideology.
"We are asking our fellow Ulama to help in convincing these people that what they are doing is not Islam, it is not authentic Islam. It is extremist fundamentalism which most Muslim around the world, the good Muslims are also condemning," he said.
When sought for his reaction on the video showing also posted online where one of the terrorist hostages Father Chito Suganob appealed to the government to halt military offensives and surgical airstrikes in Marawi City, Capalla said that possibly, the priest was only pressured by the rebels to make such statement.
"I talked to Bishop dela Peña, the Bishop of Marawi and he said that when he saw the video of Father Chito begging for concern from the President, he felt that Father Chito was under duress when he was saying that and he almost cried begging the President to do that," he said.
Suganob was kidnapped on May 24, a day after Maute rebels launched attacks against government troops along with the parish secretary, two working students, and at least 10 other parishioners. He only hopes for the safety of the hostages and the ongoing conflict will not cause more violence. (JCR)