Your gift counts double until 5/31: $31,335 to go in our Easter Campaign. Please help now!

Philippine radio station erred on threat of 'excommunication' for President Aquino

CWN - October 05, 2010

A Catholic radio station in the Philippines has admitted that it improperly transcribed an interview with the president of the country’s episcopal conference, creating the impression that the bishop was threatening the excommunication of President Benigno Aquino.

Radio Veritas apologized for a serious transcription error in an interview with Bishop Nereo Odchimar, who was speaking about the possibility that the Filipino bishops might take disciplinary action because of his support for an aggressive family-planning program.

Questioned whether excommunication might be considered, Bishop Odchimar answered: “That is a possibility. I don’t see right now that it is a proximate possibility.” The transcription of the interview provided by Radio Veritas to news outlets omitted the crucial words “I don’t see,” thereby giving readers the understanding that the bishop felt excommunication was likely. Bishop Odchimar later issued a clarification, stressing that excommunication was only a theoretical possibility at the moment.

[A September 30 CWN headline story on Bishop Odchimar's statement, which was based on later reports of the bishop's actual words, was essentially accurate, saying that excommunication was a possibility that was not currently under discussion.]

Additional sources for this story
Some links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus:

Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation will help us reach five million Truth-seeking readers worldwide this year. Thank you!

Easter Campaign:
Progress toward our Spring 2013 goal ($31,335 to go):
$80,000.00 $48,664.70
39% 61%
Sound Off! CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

Show 1 Comments? (Hidden)Hide Comments
  • Posted by: dover beachcomber - Oct. 06, 2010 12:26 PM ET USA

    So another "Catholic" politician in open public defiance of major Church teachings gets less of a frown from the bishops than the average parishioner who doesn't renew his annual pledge...

Catholic World News Email Newsletter
Donate to Support this Site: Your contribution will be put to good work.
Tour the CatholicCulture.org Site
Shop Amazon to Raise Money for Catholic Culture

Recent Catholic Commentary

Learning from the sick, and from the death of a child May 17
The case for change in Irish abortion law: based on a framework of falsehood May 17
The Smell of the Sheep May 16
Too many missing funds: Catholic institutions need tighter financial controls May 16
What capitalists should learn from the Pope's critique May 16

Top Catholic News

Most Important Stories of the Last 30 Days
Pope strongly supports call for reform in religious life CWN - May 8