Jueteng donations to church leaders

Philippines
September 15, 2010 7:46pm CST
Reports have it that bishops/priests accept donations from jueteng lords to support their church projects. The question is: should church leaders accept such donations from jueteng lords?
1 response
• Philippines
16 Sep 10
I think that the church leaders should not accept because it will become an issue in the future. In moral sense, they should not accept because of the source on how the money was earned. If they will accept, it seems that the priests share the illegal gambling indirectly. Though they did not join but the fruits of the illegal work will be on them. The end must not justify the means. Though the priests have a plan to have a project which is good but they must not get its capital or means in a wrong way. The moment that they will accept the donations then that is also the time that the priests have a lot of debts to pay. That debt is not necessarily in the forms of money but as a depth of gratitude. Then, at the time that those lords of that game have something to request which is illegal, they will just allow them. If they will not, those lords will show to the public and with vulgarity to inform the public that those priests really shares the money they get out from the illegal game. This incident would lead to a series of controversies not only to those priests but in one way or another many will be affected such as the trust of the people to the leaders.