Rights advocates red-tagged, as was Jesus of Nazareth

THE "March for the Martyrs" was a spectacular event that saw thousands of Catholic students marching on Taft Avenue in Manila, carrying banners and placards, singing fervently the patriotic song "Ang Bayan," and demanding justice for students killed by anti-riot police of then-president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. when they staged a demonstration against injustice and corruption in 1972. That march was one of the great inspiring events that took place between 1969 and 1972 when the Catholic faith was expressed with a passion for justice and truth and by demanding government accountability on the streets and in Church sermons.

The Student Catholic Action movement embodied Catholic social teaching in action. The youth rallied to demand respect for the poor, justice for the downtrodden, freedom for political prisoners, and an end to graft and corruption. I was new to the Philippines then, and I was greatly inspired by that faith in action. The Catholic youth believed with all their hearts that they could bring about change, and they took to the streets to protest peacefully but loudly. The youth leaders took charge, and priests and nuns joined their marches. Their faith in the message of Jesus of Nazareth that called for social change, justice and equality for the poor and the downtrodden was seen as the main purpose and meaning of Christianity.