An artist puts a penis on a poster of Jesus and on a symbol of the Christian cross. A priest puts a penis inside the mouth and vagina of a 17-year-old girl. Which is more offensive? Which is more deserving of a Christian’s disgust and damnation?
When conservative Catholics learned of Mideo Cruz’s juxtaposition of Jesuses and phalluses in an art gallery in the Cultural Center of the Philippines, they were furious. They wanted heads to roll — at least Mideo’s — and heads to resign — whoever was in charge of displaying Mideo’s blasphemy.
They wrote and sent hate mail, hate text, and even death threats, harassing anyone who had the slightest thing to do with Mideo’s sacrilege. They created Facebook groups and pages to express their hate for Mideo and to get others to hate him just as much. They condemned artist and artwork, saying these were not artist and artwork, even lecturing experts on what it means to be both. They vandalized Mideo’s “artwork” and called the violence justified. They called for a Senate investigation and even a national Day of Penance, showing how the entire country should be angry at and sorry for what Mideo did to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
But Mideo never really hurt anyone — Jesus least of all — with his work. The degree of hurt brought about by offense is debatable, but one thing is clear: he did not hurt anyone physically.
Compare that to what was done to a girl who was hurt so badly she now has to hide behind a fake name. “Leah” filed charges of rape, acts of lasciviousness, and child abuse against Fr. Raul Cabonce of St. Anne Parish in Tubay, Agusan del Norte.
If we’re to believe Leah, Fr. Cabonce forcefully molested her on several occasions, groping her private parts despite her protestations. Fr. Cabonce forced Leah to perform oral sex at least twice. He did this so violently that he made her gums bleed. The sexual harassment and assault eventually escalated to rape.
Talking about an experience like this would be difficult for anybody, but Fr. Cabonce made sure it would be torture for Leah. He threatened to curse Leah and her family if she told anyone. He also made sure Leah saw the guns in his room whenever he sexually assaulted her. Spiritual and physical blackmail.
For what he’s allegedly done, all that Fr. Cabonce got was a transfer to a different diocese, far away from his former servant and sexual object, safe and comfy in a Bishop’s palace.
How did conservative Catholics react to the news of Fr. Cabonce and Leah? What was the reaction of those who so furiously condemned Mideo and the CCP board? Did they send hate mail and death threats? Did they create Facebook groups and pages? Did they doubt Fr. Cabonce’s priesthood or question the authority of those who decided he could be one? Did they ask anyone to resign? Did they commit violence and call it justified? Did they call for a Senate investigation, Day of Penance, or even a public apology?
Mideo Cruz put phallic symbols on a symbol of Jesus and a symbol of his cross. None of the symbols refused. None of the symbols got hurt. Fr. Cabonce forced his actual penis into a living 17-year-old girl’s actual mouth. He eventually forced his actual penis into her actual vagina. In both instances, the girl refused. In both instances, the girl got hurt.
Which is more offensive? Which is more deserving of a Christian’s disgust and damnation?
image by frisno
[…] http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/49021/priest-accused-of-rape-relieved-of-duties http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/50413/turnover-priest-in-rape-case-butuan-bishop… https://filipinofreethinkers.org/2011/08/30/on-dicks-and-double-standards-misp… […]
I wonder why those conservative Roman Catholics didn't realize this.
Just curious: if bishop bacani finds same-sex marriages as "kadiri", I wonder what his views are on gay priests or pedo-priests, of which they have plenty?
bishop bacani: is that a trick question?
Nothing angers me more omg.
Both are offensive. Both deserve Christian disgust and damnation. Let God be the judge. Do not look for the “graver” offense.
By all means, be disgusted, upset, and be willing to "damn" the art piece to hellfire. You're well within your rights under our democracy.
What you aren't allowed to do is to censor Mideo just because it offends you sensibilities.
"Let God be the judge."
You say this, and yet his people claim to speak for him. Ano ba talaga. Hanggang spokesman nalang ang diyos mo?
Spoliarium all over again.
In the wake of the Catholic Church's silence on that priest's rape of the girl, it would be only characteristic and natural for every Catholic church in the country to sport a gigantic phallus jutting out of its facade…the more effectively it arouses rabid ultraconservative mobs, the better. (Maybe that's what the obelisk in St. Peter's is really for.) If it can't be done physically on the buildings themselves, can some digital artist here or elsewhere create a web catalogue of every major Philippine church with a dick growing out of its face?
These butthurt Katolibans are so gung-ho about DEFENDING (of all things they can do) their "G"od who's supposed to be capable of unleashing it's wrath in the form of a mass genocide to it's own creation who've become evil cuz even if "H"e's supposed to be perfect and omniscient, "H"e didn't foresee that they will be evil. Hurr…
Blasphemy is a "victim-less" crime. Sexual abuse, among the countless other crimes done to people is NOT.
Oh lard! Jesus was so abused, they put up pages in pissed off retaliation but they are never this rabid when it comes to issues like sexual abuse done by the clergy. In fact, I often encounter people in FB groups who say that the reports were all propaganda to smear mud on their church. The hypocrisy never ends.
They would have earned the respect of unbelievers if they are much more concerned with giving TRUE justice to the victims and removing bad apples in their religious institution instead of preserving their damned reputation.
Well, the bishops wont have time to castigate one of their own. They are busy molesting their altar boys.
This will (unfortunately) not be the only case of raping Catholic priests in the R of P. Had this in the US of A, then Ireland and even in Germany the first case first apologized as exception then showed to be 100 victims in this single Catholic boarding school alone and it started an avalanche which included a pedophile altar boy raping priest (Peter Hullerman) from a very secular part of Germany (city of Essen), so the priest was therefore transferred to much more safer location in Catholic Bavaria archdiocese Munich, where the archbishop decided not to defrock him, but to assigned priest Hullermann to a post within his archdiocese which included frequent contacts to children.
The name of the archbishop was Joseph Ratzinger.
Well, the page for haters of Mideo Cruz in facebook (on the time of this writing) had only less than 2000 likes while the page of Mideo himself has 7828 likes…
Sen. Soto? what's your take on this?
oh, the latter, definitely. it's simply beyond nauseating.
Amen, Amen
Good article! Simple and precise. 🙂
I’m not much alarmed about what this priest did as much what those who fervently claim to be faithful did not do. This highlights once more the ironic acts (and non actions) of those who have arrogated for themselves the authority to bless and condemn, according to the will of their so called god. All the more reason for the rational Filipino to deduce the this theistic folly is man-made in nature.
This is a step backward in our attempt at progress and nation building. Institutionalized and organized religion, when given the helm of the nation, will sail us to the doldrums – where the weather is erratic with stagnant calms and violent storms.
This is whats been bothering me about the heads of the Catholic church. The heads of the Catholic church still tries to protect this priest by keeping the whole issue secret. It's sickening…
I agree with your points.. the bishops and priests leading the catholic church in the Philippines are living in the middle ages.. they are all hypocrites.. but what's more disgusting is that many Filipino catholics believe and follow them.. so daft!!!