BY GERARD NAVAL
MAY is traditionally the month for "Santacruzan,"
a procession honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary through flower
offerings to mark the end of the "Flores de Mayo."
But the Catholic Church is not happy,
particularly when the "Santacruzan" features gays.
Parading gays dressed as women disgraces the
devotion to the Virgin Mary, said Manila Archbishop Cardinal
Gaudencio Rosales.
"Iyan ang nakakasakit ng kalooban ng simbahan…
Hindi mga binibini ang pinalalakad. Aba’y nakakita ako na ang
pinapaparada ay ang mga bakla. Hindi ata tama iyon. Sa halip na
binibigyang papuri ang birheng Maria ay sinisiraan mo ang
debosyong yan," he said over Church-run Radio Veritas.
Rosales clarified he is not against members
of the gay sector society. What gets him, he said, is the
"insolent" act of degrading the procession.
"Ang prusisyon ay religious. Ang kayang gawin
ng barangay ay parade; hindi puwedeng tawagin na Santacruzan.
Mahal na Birhen naman ang kasama e. Naku, nakakapanghilakbot! I
don’t know how to put it… Insulto sa mahal na Birheng Maria," he
added.
He called on organizers to stick to the
traditional Santacruzan where the "sagalas" are women and the
focus is on the Virgin Mary.
Rosales said when he was a bishop, he refused to hold Mass in
a certain village where "gay processions" were being held.
