Bishop of the poor
About 30,000 people accompanied Bishop Antonio Fortich to his final resting place in San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City on July 16.
They led the bishop�s remains on a procession at the city plaza at around 9 a.m. Among those who attended were various militant organizations led by Bayan Muna.
At around 9:30 a.m., the mass began in which a tribute by Pope John Paul II to the man endearingly called the Bishop of the Poor was read. The Catholic church leader paid tribute to �the diligent leadership of Fortich as the Bishop of the Diocese of Bacolod and his active concern for the dignity and rights of the poor.�
Before the day of his burial, Bishop Fortich also received tributes from various revolutionary leaders and organizations.
On July 4, he was honored by former NDF spokesperson Frank Fernandez. As proof of Bishop Fortich�s greatness even during the dark period of martial law, said Fernandez, he did not surrender his principles in the face of pressure from Marcos and his local henchman Roberto Benedicto. Under the bishop�s leadership, church people continued to link arms with revolutionaries and progressive forces until the downfall of the fascist regime.
On July 15, Communist Party of the Philippines spokesman Gregorio �Ka Roger� Rosal hailed Bishop Fortich, citing the bishop�s militant upholding of civil liberties and his participation in the people�s struggles against fascism and feudal exploitation.
�He intensely detested and condemned the unjust condition of a society divided, on the one hand, into a few who composed the ruling classes who indulged in their excessive wealth derived merely from greedy exploitation and plunder and, on the other hand, the greater number who suffered severe hunger, were in abject slavery and oppressed,� said Ka Roger.
Ka Luis Jalandoni and Ka Coni Ledesma of the National Democratic Front also issued a statement of sincere condolence on July 10 over the passing of Bishop Fortich. �For all of us and for generations to come who will carry forward Monsignor Fortich�s high ideals of social justice, genuine land reform, enduring peace based on justice and his commitment to uphold the dignity and freedom of the struggling people, we will feel his presence, his strength and his enduring inspiration.�
The revolutionary Christians for National Liberation (CNL) also offered a tribute to the departed bishop on July 13. To the CNL, the exemplary life of Bishop Fortich was a timeless inspiration and a challenge for all Christians to embrace the cause of the oppressed and exploited classes.
�In the face of brutal state fascism, feudal oppression and imperialist domination in Negros and the whole country, his life as a revolutionary Christian who faithfully prayed, spoke and acted for the fundamental rights and interests of the poor is a precious contribution for the advancement of the people�s revolutionary struggle,� added the CNL.
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