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Church in the WorldArroyo urged to heed voice of the poorPhilippines Vincent McKee - 8 December 2007The attempted coup put down last week by forces loyal to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has prompted calls for reform from within the Church. The Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, said that the President should "heed issues of justice and legitimate leadership espoused by the protesting groups". Repeating his call for Mrs Arroyo to address the "scourge of poverty", Cardinal Rosales insisted that she put "the restoration of civic unity before revenge". The attempted coup failed after a seven-hour stand-off at a hotel in Manila's Makati business quarter on 29 November. Among the 38 people arrested for alleged involvement in the plot were the country's former Vice-President, Teofista Guingona, two local Catholic bishops, Antonio Tobias of Novaliches and Xavier Julio Labayen of Infanta, and a priest known for his radical views, Fr Robert Reyes. The coup leaders, who included Brigadier-General Danilo Lim and Senator Antonio Trillanes, and most of their followers are still in military detention. As The Tablet went to press, both bishops and Mr Guingona were free on bail, but Fr Reyes remained in military custody. The aftermath also saw soldiers arrest 53 journalists, impose a curfew in Manila and adjoining provinces and detain more than 450 opposition activists. The US ambassador and Spanish Government praised this response while the British embassy did not comment. Fr Reyes appealed - from his prison cell - for support from his fellow Catholics. "If you want change, this is the time," he said. On Monday Mrs Arroyo set off on a three-nation tour of Europe and was due to meet the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, in London at the end of the week. This was the fifth attempted coup against Mrs Arroyo's Government since 2001 and the first time that Catholic bishops have taken such an active role. The 132-member bishops' conference is divided, with some bishops supportive of the Arroyo Government, some hostile and some avoiding taking sides. |
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