Church in Philippines mourns Cory Aquino

August 03, 2009

Church leaders have lavished praise on Corazon Aquino, the former president the Philippines who died of colon cancer on August 1 at the age of 76. Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales of Manila arranged for the beloved leader of the "people power" revolution to lie in state in the city's cathedral: a privilege previously reserved exclusively for a deceased Archbishop of Manila.

Strongly supported by the late Cardinal Jaime Sin, Aquino had assumed political leadership of the Philippines in the peaceful revolution that ended the dictatorship of Fernand Marcos in 1986. Her death prompted thousands of supporters to display the yellow ribbons that were once the symbol of her political movement. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a 10-day period of national mourning.

Pope Benedict XVI sent a message of condolence to Cardinal Rosales, in which he praised Aquino as "a woman of deep an unwavering faith." He recalled her “courageous commitment to the freedom of the Filipino people, her firm rejection of violence and intolerance, and her contribution to the rebuilding of a just and cohesive political order in her beloved homeland.”

 

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Further information:

• Catholic Church breaks protocol for Aquino (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• Filipinos Mourn Aquino, ‘People Power’ President (New York Times)
• Pope sends condolence to Aquino family (The Philippine Star)
• Cory Aquino, the first woman president in Asia and symbol of democracy, dies (AsiaNews)
• Ex-Philippines president Aquino dies (AP)