MANILA (CWNews.com/Fides)

    Violence by Muslim terrorists in the southern Philippines has struck Mindanao again with 21 civilians being killed.

    On Sunday, an estimated 100 armed men, members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) according to the military, attacked a village, forced the 21 Christian farmers inside a mosque, and shot them.

    "The bishops' conference condemns the massacre of these innocent civilians, as it has consistently strongly condemned all violent acts as a consequence of war, regardless of the perpetrators or the victims," said Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, president of the bishops' conference, in a statement issued Tuesday. "The taking of human life, and the inflicting of injury and suffering on anyone, whether Muslim or Christian, whether as an act of aggression or revenge, can never be justified."

    "Violence begets violence, war begets war. The call for jihad (holy war) as retaliation, as well as the killings as an act of revenge for government troops' taking of Camp Abubakar [a MILF base] as reported, are the unfortunate consequences of the pursuit of war. It is now clear that the war, as many of us have feared, is entering a new and uncertain stage, protracted and more damaging, with no definable fronts," said the archbishop.

    The bishops saw the killings of civilians as the tragic reality of continuing war and they reiterated their conviction that the Mindanao problem is not religious in nature and the conflict is between government troops and the MILF forces.

    The times are critical, said the bishops. They also reiterated their appeal for peace which has gone unheeded. "In the spirit of the Jubilee Year, we must seek to live out the call for repentance and forgiveness. And we must unite our efforts and prayers for peace."

    Archbishop Quevedo urged all the bishops nationwide to "lead the faithful in their respective ecclesiastical jurisdiction in an Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on August 5, the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, with the wish to obtain peace for our nation, through the intercession of Mary, whom both Muslims and Christians revere."

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