CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – A Catholic priest who gained popularity with his “healing masses” is threatening to file charges in court if the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will not act on a letter he sent the body.
In a press conference Friday at the Hotel Gracelane here, Fr. Fernando Suarez said he wrote a letter to the CBCP asking for finality on the allegations against him. He was accompanied by the Spirit of Love-Angeles City Chapter led by its presiding elder Architect Nestor Mangio.
“Nakatangap uli ako ng sulat galling pa mismo sa CBCP president last week. Noted lahat, puru noted lang, hindi ko na alam ang gagawin ko (I received a letter coming from the CBCP president himself last week. All noted, all was noted, I don’t know what I’ll do now),” said an obviously exasperated Suarez.
He said he was told by Bishop Antonio Tobias of Novaliches that he was already acquitted of whatever case filed against him but he has an issue with the bishops and they want to dialogue with him.
“Tapos ako mag request sa sulat kung pwede ba yung dialogue? Ito pala ang gusto niyo dahil may issue ako sa mga bishop kaya hindi ako pag misa-misahen. Alam mo ang pinadala? Bank account. Mag-donate ka na lang sabi nila. Papaano ako magdo-donate hindi ito ang usapan natin (Then I requested in a letter if we can dialogue since this is what you want because I have an issue with some of the bishops and they don’t want me to say Mass. Do you know what they sent me, a bank account, I was told to just donate, but I told them how can I donate since this is not what we talked about),” he said.
“I have all the letters. I have all the correspondence. Isang libro na nga yan e (It’s one book already),” he added.
“Sina-psywar nila ako. Bina-ban nila kami kung saan-saan tapos lahat ng mga ito through their words huwag niyo yang iimbitahin (They use psywar campaign against me. They ban me everywhere then all of this through their words, don’t invite him),” he lamented.
“Ang sabi nila humingi ka ng permit kasi yung naawa ako sa mga lay. Ang nahingi naman po sa akin ng request ay mga taong may sakit (They advised me to ask for a permit because I pity the lay. The one that ask for a request are people that are sick),” he said.
Rome sojourn
Fr. Suarez said he went to Rome to verify if indeed a case was filed against him there since, “they (bishops) don’t answer my queries.”
“So, what I did, I went to Rome. Kase ginagamit nila ang Rome. May kaso daw ako sa Rome ay alam ko naman na ang pinapadala ng sulat nila sa akin, common sense, fake dahil kalian ang kanilang address ay mali, Vatican City, Italy, Europe (Because they use Rome against me. I was told I have a case in Rome when I knew that the letter they sent, common sense, was fake because the address was wrong, Vatican City, Italy, Europe),” he narrated.
“How could Rome make a mistake in writing their address?” he asked. “And how can Rome commit a mistake under the dates they put 2015 when what we are talking about is 2018?”
“So, I was given a chance to go to the Vatican” he said, adding that he verified if there was indeed a complaint against him but there was none.
He said he was told upon his return to the Philippines, Archbishop Oscar Cruz has already resigned. Suarez said Cruz came up with a press release that he is dying and he cannot be seen except with Archbishop Soc Villegas.
“It’s like a conspiracy they are creating a mafia,” he cried. “This is very sad, the bishop themselves know how to fake a signature.”
“Obispo pa mismo kaya nilang mag fake ng signature. Kaya nilang mag forge ng documents para lang I suppress kase gusto nila ako i-torture, psychological torture and gusto nila I keep on receiving harassment forcing me dahil may kaso daw ako,” Suarez said.
He said two months ago he received a text message informing him that he was already acquitted. But he said there was a request. The bishops told him where to charge the expenses they incurred on him.
“Ako ay nagbiro na lang o singilin nyo si Pope,” he said, claiming that he has all the text messages and told them that he will double the amount.
Suarez said he sent his secretary to them so that it will finally bring finality to the issues because it was torturing him.
However, Suarez said Bishop Tobias told him that the real concern is the issues he had with the bishops. Suarez said that was the reason he wrote a letter to the CBCP last month appealing his case.
In response, he said, the CBCP wrote noting everything he said.
In February 2008, then Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz banned Suarez from holding healing Masses in his diocese in Pangasinan province, citing the Catholic Church’s Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, which requires a local bishop’s permission for Church-related activities conducted by those who do not belong to the diocese.
Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros also barred Suarez from his diocese as well as San Fernando Archbishop Florentino “Dong” Lavarias.
Published reports quoted Cruz as saying that too many questions had hounded Suarez’s “miraculous healing,” particularly on the claims of raising people from the dead. He said only Jesus Christ could raise people from the dead.
Meanwhile, a Catholic priest who requested anonymity for lack of authority to speak in behalf of the Church said the problem with Fr. Suarez is his disobedience to his superiors in Ottawa, Canada where he was ordained.
He said Suarez must have been confused when he interpreted the intentions of the bishop as asking for donations when all they wanted was an accounting of donations that he got.
Suarez must have also been confused whether the money was for stipend or donation since a lot of people are donating because he has the gift of healing, he said.
