DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 14 January) — Davao Archbishop Emeritus, Fernando ‘Nanding’ Capalla, DD passed on beyond the veil of stars early Saturday, January 6, 2024.
Archbishop Nanding was an outstanding witness of the gospel, lived out and contextualized in the everyday life of Mindanawons. His gentleness and humility inspired a lot of young people of my generation to dream, commit, and pursue peace and inter-religious dialogue both as a vocation and as a profession.
When the Final Peace Agreement was signed between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MILF) in 1996, it was welcomed with utmost ambivalence, if not cynicism, by most Catholic Bishops, who had meager grasp of the Mindanao problem.
Bishop Nanding, together with Dr. Mahid Mutilan of the Ulama League of the Philippines, and Bishop Hilario Gomez of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) found it compelling to form and convene the Bishops-Ulama Forum (BUF) to engage the religious leaders at that time to rally the much needed support for the newly-signed Final Peace Agreement.
As a dialogue space, it functioned as the widest and most respected inter-religious dialogue platform of the day, discussing burning Mindanao challenges which cut across issues of peace, development, security, and governance. His contribution in creating social infrastructures and spaces, with the intent of building a credible peace constituency for the GPH-MNLF and GPH-MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) peace tables, cannot be overstated.
In 2003 to 2005, he served as the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). He rose from the ranks of the Roman Catholic hierarchy and had glowing stints at the Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue and the Episcopal Commission on Ecumenical Affairs.
His immense work was never left unnoticed both by government and private institutions. In many capacities, he served as chair of the Office of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) based in Hong Kong (2009–2011). His government service spanned three administrations. Under President Fidel Ramos, he was appointed in 1992 as vice-chair of the National Unification Commission; under President Joseph Estrada, he was tapped to sit as member of the National Peace Commission, and lastly as adviser to the Presidential Council on Values Formation (PCVF) under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
His experience and work for peace and reconciliation earned him the following awards: San Lorenzo Ruiz National Peace Award, Aurora Aragon Award for Peace Advocacy and Peacebuilding, Distinguished Peace Advocate Award from Ateneo de Manila University, Doctor of Humanities (Honoris Causa) from Ateneo de Davao University, Peace Champion in Mindanao by United Nations Development and Peace Commission, and Doctor of Humanities (Honoris Causa) from the University of the Immaculate Conception, Davao City.
Consecrated as bishop in 1975 by Archbishop Bruno Torpigliani, Archbishop Nanding had a profound grasp of a Church document entitled, ‘Justice in the World by the Synod of Catholic Bishops’, released four years before his installation as Bishop.
“Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, or, in other words, of the Church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.”
This moral edict in the document always inspired his prophetic mission as he spoke truth to power when it was most unpopular and at times dangerous, bringing to the fore the same issues of justice, dignity, and human rights, championed vigorously by one of his pastors in Davao, Redemptorist priest, Fr. Amado ‘Picx’ Picardal, CSsR. I was a fresh graduate then in 2001 when his Pastoral Letter, “Thou Shall Not Kill,” was released in response to the unabated killings back in the day.
In 2009, his Pastoral Letter on entitled: ‘Prophetic Lifestyle: A Lenten Reflection’ echoed loudly in all of the churches of the Archdiocese as parishioners prayed it on bended knees as an ‘Oratio Imperata’.
One can see through his purity of heart, clarity of thought, magnanimity of spirit as a pastor and civic leader in the lines of his 2009 Pastoral Letter which reads:
“Heavenly Father, our city is wounded in its soul. Our people’s wounds are deep and wide. These wounds are the hatred and dislike of drug addicts and drug pushers, the senseless disregard of due process of law, the violent killing of mere suspects, the rash taking of the law into one’s hands, the lustful greed in the hooded killers on motor bike, the baseless claim that there are no witnesses, the inhuman disrespect for life of the unborn from womb to tomb, and the unjust socio-political system that tolerates all these to happen.
“Lord, on bended knees, we too confess that our souls and spirit are wounded by our anger and desire for revenge. Yes, we are angry because our loud protests and public outcry have fallen on deaf ears. Our souls are nourishing irresponsible suspicions and rash judgments on the real perpetrators of the crimes. We are wounded by our disunity and hopelessness which imprison our hearts and weaken our willpower. Most of all, Heavenly Father, our souls are wounded by our stark ignorance that we too are responsible for the existence and perpetuation of the systems that promote, condone and abet these social wounds in the soul and spirit of our people. For all these, Lord, we are deeply sorry and beg your mercy and forgiveness.
“God of power and mercy, since our collective efforts at peaceful protests have proven fruitless, we come to you for help. Yes, Lord, we come to ask for healing. Heal our souls and spirits of all the violent animosities that weaken our society and life. Give us light, give us strength, give us courage to believe and to trust in you. Make us realize that in each of us from every walk of life there is an inherent and inborn goodness. You planted this goodness and it is not and cannot be erased by our sin and crime. This is our reason for hope.
“For this reason, Heavenly Father, we beg you to give us your healing touch. Touch the hardened hearts of criminals, drug addicts, drug pushers, drug lords, law enforcers, and the hearts of us all. Open them to the healing power of your love and compassion. Give the grace of courage to the eyewitnesses of crimes. Awaken in us all a collective consciousness and support which are urgently needed by the witnesses and the grieving families of victims. Convert us to you and to one another. Reconcile us to you and to one another through sincere repentance and mutual forgiveness. For without forgiveness, there is no future for our city.
“In this penitential season of Lent – and even beyond – give us courage and strength to make reparation for all our sins and crimes by means of voluntary acts of penance and self-sacrifice symbolized by your cross. We believe that when these are offered together with your own sacrifice on the cross, they can save us, heal us, and restore us to your friendship (“by his wounds we have been healed” 1 Peter 2:24). Make us overcome the evil in the system by the power of goodness in us all who are within the system, the goodness that is rooted in you alone.
“We make this humble prayer together with the Blessed Virgin, our Mother, so that as one united family in the bond of love, we may all experience the soothing joy of your presence and the healing balm of your love, you who live and reign with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.”
His bishop’s coat of arms bears the motto, ‘sanctitate et justitia’ (in holiness and justice), sums up the existential theme of his life and struggles against violence and injustice.
Truly, violence and injustice hits hardest when it hits home.
I vividly remember in 2014, the day after he received news of his brother’s assassination. We were about to start a summit at the Ateneo de Davao. The bishop, was one of our reactors at the forum. He arrived unsually late and crestfallen. No one bothered to ask why. Throughout the event, he was mostly pensive. After the forum, he apologized for having us all wait for him. He then shared how his brother, Romeo Capalla, was gunned down in front of the public market of Oton, Iloilo. Romeo was former chair of the Board of Directors of the Panay Fair Trade Center (PFTC). He was 66. The forum was poignantly for the 16th year signing anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Law (CARHRIL).
Yes, our generation collectively saw in him a shining spiritual and moral shepherd, who was selfless, grounded, and generous in spirit, in all sense.
As a peace negotiator, he impressed upon powerholders that it is reductionistic to equate peace only with the signing of a peace pact. In one of my Security Sector Transformation Engagements where he was present, together with other UCCP and other Protestant Bishops and pastors, he eloquently pointed out what we may be missing in ‘peace pact-centric approaches” to peace. Following the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition, peace, for him, is the restoration of all brokenness; the restitution of all things; the recovery and reconstruction of human dignity-the face God in humanity.
As peacemaker, he wielded since the 1990s the Bishops-Ulama Forum (now Bishops-Ulama Conference) as a locus to gather government officials, religious leaders, civil society, the academe, and the communities to articulate the core principles which define Mindanao peacemaking.
Countless testimonies abound how Mindanaoans were deeply touched by Bishop Nanding’s thorough commitment to social justice, the common good, and respect for the sanctity of human life. His tandem with Mindanao prophets, the late Mother Assumpta David of the RVM and the late Fr. Eliseo ‘Jun’ Mercado, OMI will always be remembered with fondness and respect. They were prophetic Mindanawons who courageously yearned and pushed for bold ideas ahead of their time, even at risk of blistering criticisms and vilification.
Who will ever forget how Philippine Daily Inquirer writer, Conrado de Quiros punched his staccato against Bishop Nanding on PDI’s opinion section, with no let up, almost totally knocking him down to iredeemable disgrace. Yet, he countenanced them all in dignified silence and humility. His brother bishops, a handful of priests, and even parishioners disagreed with his positions on salient national and local issues, but one thing which cannot be accused of Bishop Nanding is his deep love for God, our country, and Mindanao.
In 2012, having pastored and sheared many sheep, he retired quietly at ‘Casa Emerita’ in Catalunan Grande.
Bishop Nanding inarguably lived a full life, one with depth and meaning. His death, however, allows us to reflect our finitude and the promise of eternity for a life truly lived ‘pro Deo et patria’ (for God and country).
Few months ago, on a wheelchair, I bumped into him at the airport as he was slated to fly to Manila for his routine check-up. I will never forget that brief but meaningful encounter with him. I held his hand and then hugged him. In my significant peace and security policy engagements with the security sector, Bishop Nanding was my constant seatmate. At the height of the 2017 Marawi Siege, we were invited to do oversight work for the Martial Law Implementation in Mindanao, ensuring that the civil liberties are respected and upheld. He was mostly silent during security briefings, but each time he shared his policy insights and advise, the powerful men and women in uniform were all ears. He was a voice of wisdom, borne out of robust experience of engaging Mindanao as an imagined community of Migrant Christian Settlers, Lumads, and the Bangsamoro.
Personally, if there’s any consolation to this sad news of his passing on, it is the reassurance that he will now be reunited with Mindanao’s father of inter-religious dialogue, Bishop Bienvenido ‘Bapa Benny’ Tudtud, his bosom friend, the social democratic leader and Jesuit Provincial, Fr. Romeo ‘Archie’ Intengan, SJ, his former student and fellow inter-religious dialogue champion, Fr. Chito Soganub, and his fallen brother Romeo, in the company of the saints in heaven.
Archbishop Nanding is a prophet of peace and dialogue par excellance for and of Mindanao! The legacy he left is deeply embodied and embedded in communities, institutions, and above all, in our consciousness. He will be terribly missed by many peace advocates and workers of the Lord’s Vineyard. With his passing, one can only pray that we will have more Bishop Nandings in our contemporary time.
Tomorrow, January 15, we commit Bishop Nanding to his final resting place, trusting that the torch he held so high enough so others can see the light of peace, is passed on.
Dili namo kalimtan ang imong pagtudlo na labaw sa tanan mao ang panaghigalaay.
Salamat sa imong kaayo ug pagmahal kanamo ug sa Mindanao, Nyor Nanding.
Malinawong paglawig sa Kinabuhing Dayon!
(Hadji Balajadia is Assistant Professor with 20 years of teaching experience at the Psychology Deparment of the Ateneo de Davao University. She teaches social psychology, Filipino psychology, and Sex, Gender, and Society. Currently, she is a member of the Social Psychology Division of the Psychological Association of the Philippines and Secretary of the Philippine Sociological Society. Her research and policy advocacies are on peace, dialogue, and security).
