Morality politics: Drug use and the Catholic Church in the Philippines

Jayeel Cornelio,Gideon Lasco

doi:10.1515/opth-2020-0112

Abstract

AbstractThis article traces the trajectory of the Catholic Church’s discourses on drug use in the Philippines since the first time a statement was made in the 1970s. By drawing on official statements by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), it argues that shifts in emphasis have taken place through the years: the destruction of the youth, attack on human dignity, and then social moral decay. Collectively, they emanate from an institutional concern for peace and order. But they also reflect the moral panic around drug use that has been around for decades, which, on several occasions, Filipino politicians, including President Duterte, have mobilized as a populist trope. In this way, the article historicizes the Catholic Church’s official statements and frames them in terms of morality politics through which values and corresponding behavior are defined by an influential institution on behalf of society whose morality it deems is in decline. The article ends by reflecting on the recent statements by the CBCP that invoke compassion and redemption.

Highlights

In its wake, more than 5,000 have been killed in Duterte’s war on drugs in the Philippines.1 Police operations, which supposedly involve only the arrest and rehabilitation of drug users, have left many killed in their own homes
The article historicizes the Catholic Church’s official statements and frames them in terms of morality politics through which values and corresponding behavior are defined by an influential institution on behalf of society whose morality it deems is in decline
While our study suggests that the Catholic Church has been partly responsible for framing drug use in the Philippines as a perilous moral issue, more recent developments demonstrate that it is capable of reorienting the drug discourse in ways that recognize dignity by rejecting the hardline stance of the state.37 ‒ Second, we show how religious entities are moral entrepreneurs deeply involved in demarcating the line between good forces and the evil opponents in relation to drug use

Summary

Introduction

More than 5,000 have been killed in Duterte’s war on drugs in the Philippines. Police operations, which supposedly involve only the arrest and rehabilitation of drug users, have left many killed in their own homes. By drawing on official statements by the CBCP, this article argues that shifts in emphasis have taken place through the years: the destruction of the youth, attack on human dignity, and social moral decay They emanate from an institutional concern for peace and order. They reflect the moral panic around drug use that has been around for decades, which, on several occasions, Filipino politicians, including President Duterte, have mobilized as a populist trope In this way, the article historicizes the Catholic Church’s official statements and frames them in terms of morality politics through which values and corresponding behavior are defined by an influential institution on behalf of society whose morality it deems is in decline. We relate them to contemporary developments by relying on news articles about drugs, drug-related laws, and policy formulations

Drug use and morality politics

Catholic discourses on drug use in the Philippines

Morality politics and the Catholic Church

Findings

Conclusion: toward compassion and redemption