The MCE Centre for the Philippines' Church with a Workshop on Transparency and Accountability
The Markets, Culture and Ethics (MCE) Research Centre of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross organized the three-day workshop "Transparency and Accountability in the Philippines' Catholic Church" , designed to equip Filipino diocesan bishops and their financial administrators with the necessary tools to ensure integrity and accountability in the management of Church resources.
The program, which will take place in Santa Rosa, Philippines, from January 21 to 23, is aimed at Filipino diocesan bishops and financial administrators (economes). It will feature a series of lectures, activities, and professional development sessions to provide participants with practical strategies to enhance transparency, safeguard the Church’s spiritual leadership, and ensure accountability in resource management.
“Mutual trust and shared responsibility are fundamental for a Church that seeks to fully live out the values of transparency and accountability,” said Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), at the opening of the workshop.
The initiative, which precedes the 129th Plenary Assembly of the CBCP to be held from January 25 to 27 in the same venue, was carried out in collaboration with the CBCP, Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic School in Muntinlupa City, Philippines, the John A. Ryan Institute at the University of St. Thomas (USA), and St. Mary’s University in London. Its aim is to provide bishops and diocesan financial administrators with practical tools and strategies to promote transparency in the Church’s activities.
“Transparency is not merely a functional necessity or a response to external pressures, but a reflection of the Church’s identity as the Body of Christ”, explains Monsignor Martin Schlag, Director of the MCE Research Centre. “The Church desires to be holy, and this holiness is expressed in her willingness to walk in the light, to be accountable, and to ensure that her structures and actions align with her mission of sanctification. Transparency, therefore, is not an end in itself but a means of manifesting the holiness to which the Church is called”.
Richard Solomon, Chief Financial Officer at St. Mary's University, Twickenham (London), spoke on the topic of finance, and underscored the importance of liquidity, profitability, and capital adequacy. "If finance becomes a problem, you lose control of the church. Think of your church organization as an airplane: liquidity is the fuel—without it, you won't even get off the ground. Capital adequacy represents the infrastructure—the airplane itself; if it's not solid and well-maintained, you risk a catastrophic failure. Finally, profitability is the efficiency of your flight—if the cost of flying exceeds your revenue, you won't sustain the journey for long. These three elements are the essential gauges on your dashboard, and failing to monitor them carefully is, in my view, the hallmark of an irresponsible leader".
The workshop is part of the MCE Research Centre’s efforts to support the Church in addressing modern challenges, promoting its mission of integrity and accountability in society. It builds upon and develops the reflections initiated during the international workshop held on these topics in June 2024 in Rome. On that occasion, over thirty Church leaders, including one cardinal, seven archbishops, eleven bishops, as well as several financial administrators, gathered to discuss transparency and accountability in Church governance. The success of the initiative led to the scheduling of a second edition of the workshop in Rome, planned for July 2025.
Press Review:
- CBCP head calls for more Church transparency, accountability
- Bishops meet to discuss transparency, accountability in Church
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