WikiLeaks claim: Vatican urged Filipino bishops not to back 2005 coup
September 05, 2011
The Vatican urged Filipino bishops not to become actively involved in a bid to oust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2005, according to revelations in WikiLeaks cables.
The WikiLeaks reports—which consist of 3rd-hand information, contained in cables from American embassy personnel—suggest that the Vatican “did not support popular uprisings as a method to remove a government.” An official in the papal nuncio said that the late Cardinal Jaime Sin, who had encouraged the “people power” uprising that ousted Ferdinand Marcos from power in 1986, had been a “major obstacle” to Vatican diplomacy, according to one cable report.
Archbishop Oscar Cruz, the retired president of the Filipino bishops’ conference, said that the WikiLeaks reports were misleading. The bishops decided on their own to remain neutral regarding the removal of Macapagal-Arroyo, he said.
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