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Filipino activist priest takes up life as a hermit

There are times for public protests, there are also times to bend your knees, Father Amado Picardal says
Filipino activist priest takes up life as a hermit

Redemptorist priest Amado Picardal takes off for his last cross-country ride in Manila on March 14 before he retired in solitude as a hermit. (Photo by Vincent Go)

Published: April 27, 2018 05:50 AM GMT

A Filipino Redemptorist priest known for his activism and criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to live a life of solitude as a hermit.

Father Amado Picardal, known as the "cycling priest" for riding his bike across the country to protest drug-related killings, said it is time for him to be silent.   

At 64 years old, the priest said he is already at the "pre-departure area" of life, so he wanted to take care of himself in solitude.

"It's not for everyone but I like it," he told ucanews.com in an interview before he left for the mountains of a central Philippine province.

"There is always a period in one's life when you're active, very vocal, then there is a time to be contemplative. They are connected," said the priest.

He said he would live the rest of his life in prayer and by fasting.

When asked how he could turn his back on the ills of society that he criticized in the past, Father Picardal said: "It's not always about what I can do but what He can do."

He said that a life of prayer can contribute to the transformation of society, "especially when you realize you're up against evil forces."

The priest said Filipinos should spend more time in silent prayer because the country needs a "spiritual detox."

"There are times for public protests, there are also times to bend your knees," said Father Picardal, also known as Father Pix to his friends.

The priest, who used to serve as head of the Basic Ecclesial Communities body of the Philippine bishops' conference, said the church has to do more "if we want to renew our society."

First, many members of the clergy are lacking in fulfilling their duties as servants of the Gospel, especially in denouncing evil in society, said the priest.

"Be more, do not only focus on saying Masses," he said, adding that many "think too much on the externals."

He said church leaders and the faithful don't exert too much on "internal transformation."

"The same people who attend religious processions and the Holy Mass are the same ones who support the killings ... This is the problem with our split Christianity," said Father Picardal.

Father Amado Picardal, CSsR, is sent off by fellow activist priest Robert Reyes, also known as the running priest, for the Redemptorist priest's last cross-country ride before he retired to live as a hermit. (Photo by Vincent Go)

 

Celebrating priesthood

Father Picardal was ordained a priest on April 24, 1981, and for the past 37 years he has lived his priestly life in various capacities as a pastor, missionary, teacher and community organizer.

He is also known as a human rights activist, an advocate for the environment, a musician, scuba diver, mountaineer and a blogger, among others.

"I experience priesthood in all dimensions," said the priest, who hails from the southern Philippine city of Iligan.

Born in 1954, Father Picardal is the eldest of eight children. He entered the seminary when he was 14 years old and studied philosophy at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City. 

His student years were marred by the declaration of martial law in 1972 and, like many other activists during that time, the future priest was arrested, jailed and tortured for months.

He finished his education in 1975 and later lived and worked with slum dwellers in Cebu. He joined the Redemptorist congregation in 1977 and was ordained a priest four years later.

His work among poor communities opened his eyes to the threats of illegal logging. He strongly campaigned for a total logging ban in the province of Bukidnon.

In 1995, he finished his doctoral studies in theology in Rome, and for the next 15 years Father Picardal led a life of "peace advocacy and dialogue."

While teaching at a seminary in Davao City, he saw first hand the atrocities committed under the administration of then mayor Duterte.

The priest launched his first protest bike ride around the country to bring attention to these killings. He has since covered 12,000 kilometers of riding, walking and running barefoot across the Philippines. 

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