CLERGY FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE (CGG)
We believe God has called us to be stewards, prophets, and pastors of the Church – the people of God. Compelled by Christ’s love (2 Corinthians 5:14) and the Church’s preferential option for the poor, we stand for truth, justice, and the common good. Thus, we have united to form the CLERGY FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE (CGG).
1. The Historical Moment: 1925
The Feast of Christ the King was first declared by Pope Pius XI in 1925 through the encyclical Quas Primas.
The context was urgent and frightening:
A world losing its moral compass
After the destruction of World War I, nations were rebuilding but trust in leaders and institutions was collapsing.
Dictatorships and political strongmen were rising in Italy, Germany, and across Europe.
Secularism was advancing fast many were saying “God has no place in public life anymore.”
Democratic systems were weakening; propaganda and lies were becoming political weapons.
Corruption, nationalism, and violent political movements were gaining control of public imagination.
Pope Pius XI saw that the greatest threat was the dethronement of Christ in the hearts of leaders and nations, leading to:
social disorder
injustice
the worship of power
the distortion of truth
Thus, the feast was proclaimed to remind the world:
No nation survives when it crowns power, money, or rulers instead of truth, justice, and God.
2. 100 YEARS LATER – THE PARALLEL WITH THE PHILIPPINES (2025)
The Philippines in 2025 stands shockingly close to the same crisis that moved the Church in 1925.
A. The rise of political dynasties and strongmen
Just as Europe faced dictatorships a century ago, the Philippines today faces:
concentration of political power in a handful of families
the erosion of checks and balances
normalization of corruption as “political strategy”
B. Truth under attack
In 1925, propaganda was the weapon of dictators.
Today, disinformation networks shape public opinion more than facts or conscience.
Lies are rewarded. Truth-tellers are discredited.
This is exactly the world Quas Primas warned against.
C. Secularism and the loss of moral leadership
Just as many nations abandoned Christian moral principles in the 1920s, the Philippines today battles:
moral numbness
“normalizing” corruption
deep political polarization
leaders invoking God while violating Gospel values
D. Social disorder caused by injustice
In 1925, Pope Pius XI wrote that when Christ does not reign, society collapses.
In the Philippines today:
poverty and hunger rise
public funds are captured by the powerful
institutions are weakened
accountability is avoided
the people’s dignity is trampled
It is the exact social decay the feast was created to confront.
3. Why the Centenary (2025) Is Not Just an Anniversary – It Is a Warning
The message of 1925 was urgent.
The message of 2025 is even more urgent.
Because history has repeated itself.
The Feast of Christ the King is a call to resistance against rulers who:
exploit the poor
manipulate truth
weaponize power
act as if they are above the law
forget that authority is for service, not domination
Christ the King is the anti-tyrant.
His kingship is a rebuke to every form of abusive rule –
then, in 1925, and now, in the Philippines.
4. What the Centenary Means for the Philippines Today
This 100-year mark asks Filipinos:
Whom do we crown as “king”?
Power or truth?
Greed or justice?
Dynasties or the dignity of the people?
Pope Pius XI declared the feast to remind nations that:
Society is only just when leaders serve, not dominate.
A nation is only peaceful when truth is honored, not silenced.
A people are only free when God, not power, is sovereign.
This is the moral crossroads we face today – exactly as the world faced in 1925.