‘Progressive’ Catholic Bishop Claver dies at 81 in San Juan

A retired Catholic bishop, who was one of the strongest defenders of civil rights during the Marcos regime, died early Thursday morning at the Intensive Care Unit of the Cardinal Santos Memorial Medical Center in San Juan City.

The CBCP News, official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said Emeritus Bishop Francisco ‘Sisco’ Claver succumbed to pulmonary embolism at around 2:41 a.m. He was 81 years old.

Pulmonary embolism is a condition that occurs when one or more arteries in one’s lungs become blocked.

Medical professionals say in most cases, it is caused by blood clots that travel to the lungs from another part of the body and most commonly, from the legs.

Prior to his death, Claver was a columnist of the CBCP Monitor, the official newspaper of the CBCP that is issued fortnightly.

Lingayen-Dagupan Emeritus Archbishop Oscar Cruz recalled that when he was the CBCP president from 1995 to 1999, he would often seek Claver’s help in drafting pastoral statements.

Cruz said Claver’s wake will be at the Loyola House of Studies in Ateneo de Manila University.

Sources from the Catholic Church said his body was brought to Lagawe, Ifugao on July 3 for an overnight wake.

This morning today, he would be brought to Bontoc, Mountain Province where wakes would be held until July 6 in the morning.

In the afternoon, his body will be brought back to Novaliches where he would be buried on July 7 at the Sacred Heart Novitiate.

An article posted on the CBCP news site described Claver as "one of the strongest defenders of civil rights among the bishops at the height of strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos’ Martial Law."

Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo described Claver as a “Filipino prophet without peer, truest priest, innovative humble shepherd, a very dear friend."

"He is with Jesus whom he proclaimed with eloquent words, spoken and written, in all arena of human life. Who can take his place? My tears flow," Quevedo added.

Claver was born in Bontoc on Jan. 20, 1929 and became a Jesuit priest at age 32 on June 18, 1961.

At age 40, he was appointed Prelate of Malaybalay in Bukidnon province.

He chaired the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace from 1995 to 1999.
Claver was ordained Titular Bishop of Nationa on August 22, 1969 and became Bishop of Malaybalay in Nov. 15, 1982.

He resigned from his post in Bukidnon on Sept. 14, 1984.

At age 66, he was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Bontoc-Lagawe, his hometown, on Nov. 2, 1995 and retired after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 on April 15, 2004.

While in retirement, Claver was a columnist of the CBCP Monitor, the official newspaper of the CBCP. — LBG, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV

An excerpt from a blog post "Igorots during EDSA Uno" lifted from Igorotblogger.com said Claver is one of the “progressive voices in the Catholic Church.”

“During the Marcos dictatorship,” the excerpt said, “while some church leaders were still dancing with the dictator, Claver was criticizing the regime for its many abuses.

“But instead of mouthing off his criticisms and then simply sitting down, the Bishop is also a leading advocate of active non-violence as a strategy for effecting change.

“His commitment to active non-violence helped shape the Catholic Church’s response to Marcos’ electoral fraud and its call for peaceful strategies to challenge the dictator. A quote from the Institute of Church and Social Issues (ICSI):

“During the 1986 snap election, ICSI played a significant role in orienting the Philippine Bishops.

Bishop Francisco Claver, SJ, one of ICSI’s founding directors, drafted the Bishop’s “Post-Election Statement” which denounced the election as “unparalleled in fraudulence” and called on the people to peacefully compel the government to undo the wrong it had done – something which was accomplished in the popular revolt which drove Pres. Marcos from power.”

You can read a copy of the Post-Election Statement. It is a good read and a very good example of the Church speaking with a prophetic voice. One hopes that the Church at present would be just as prophetic given that the former head in Malacañang committed practically the same sin of subverting the people’s will but the Church has become wimpy and vacillating these days.”