Pedrito B. Placio, a former Roman Catholic seminarian

“I Found The Way, The Truth, And The Life”

By Pedrito B. Placio
A Former Roman Catholic Seminarian

Marihatag, Surigao Del Sur

I WAS BORN a Roman Catholic in Marihatag, Surigao del Sur on November 1943. I studied in a Catholic school, worked my way as a convent boy in Marihatag, studied in the seminary and finished my Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy at San Carlos seminary in Makati, Metro Manila in 1967; after which, I left the seminary and went to Jolo, Sulu to tend for myself.

Since the time I started using my reasoning powers, I had had doubts about my Catholic faith. If the Bible is the written word of God, why is it that the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church are so different and so contrary to what are taught in the Bible?

To cite just a few:

I was taught that Christ rose from the dead by His own power. The Bible teaches that Christ rose from the dead by the power of God (Acts 4:10; I Cor. 15:15; John 10:17-18; Acts 2:32).

I was taught that Peter the Apostle is the cornerstone of the Church of Christ. The Bible teaches that Christ is the cornerstone of the Church of Christ (Eph. 2:20-22; Acts 4:10-11; I Pet. 2:3-6).

I was taught that Christ is God whereas; the Bible teaches that Christ is man (I Tim. 2:5; I Jn. 4:2; Lk. 24:39; Jn. 20:17; Mk. 15:34).

I was taught that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God – all these three are one God. The Bible teaches that the Father alone is God (I Cor. 8:6; Jn. 17:1, 3; Is. 44:24).

I was taught to abstain from meat during Lent and that as a priest I must not marry. The Bible teaches that abstaining from meat and prohibition to marry are doctrines of devils (I Tim. 4:1, 3).

I was taught that infants must be baptized as early as possible. The Bible teaches that those to be baptized must be taught first, believe and repent before they can be baptized (Mk. 16:15-16; Rm. 6:3-4; Acts 2:38).

I was taught that the Bible is not the only basis of faith and salvation; instead, we should also follow tradition. The Bible teaches that the Holy Scripture is the sole basis of faith and salvation (II Tim. 3:15-17; Is. 34:16; I Cor. 4:6; Deut. 12:32).

 I was taught that the Pope is the highest Father of souls on earth, and that the priests are also father of souls. The Bible teaches not to call anyone father of souls because only God, the Father, is Father of our souls (Mt. 23:9; I Cor. 4:15; Ezek. 18:4; Job 12:9-10).

 I was taught that the priests, Mary and the Saints are mediators between God and men. The Bible teaches that Christ is the only mediator between God and men (I Jn. 2:1; I Tim. 2:5).

I was taught that Mary is without sin. The Bible teaches all have sinned (Rm. 5:12) except Christ (I Pt. 2:21-22).

I was taught to worship the image of saints and their relics. The Bible says image-worship is forbidden (Deut. 4:23; Ex. 20:3-5; Rm. 1:25, 28-32; II Cor. 6:16-18).

 I was taught that Peter was the first pope. The Bible teaches that Christ forbade the use of the word Pope (Father) for anyone except God the Father (Mt. 23:9; Ezek. 18:4; Heb. 12:9).

 I was taught that Peter is infallible in matters of faith and morals, and this includes canonization of saints. Events showed that Vatican removed some 200 saints from the list including St. Philomena, St. Christopher, St. George, St. Nicholas (Sta. Claus), and St. Valentine (Phil. Herald, March 24, 1964; Manila Times, May 10, 1969; Manila Times, May 14, 1969).

 I was taught to pray the Rosary. The Bible teaches that we should not pray by using vain repetitions (Mt. 6:7).

There are countless other teachings of the Catholic Church which obviously contradict the teachings of the Holy Bible. The Mass also is very confusing to me. There seems to be no logic in the entire proceeding. The situation of Mary is very confusing. The Bible teaches that she is the wife of Joseph (Lk. 1:27) but the Catholic teachings say that she is the daughter, spouse and mother of God (Glories & Virtues of Mary by Very Rev. J. Alberione, p. 143).

Although these things troubled me I remained a devout Catholic. But in 1967 I left the seminary. In 1981 somebody gave me copies of the Pasugo, and I got curious when I saw the name of Brother Beda Aboloc, my former colleague. I read his articles and got more curious. The moment came when it was I myself who sought for a minister to teach me, and I finally requested for an Iglesia Ni Cristo minister to enlighten me.  My astonishment was so great when that minister answered all my queries directly from the pages of the Bible without any moment of hesitation. I underwent all the Bible Study sessions and got baptized in Zamboanga City on July 25, 1981. I found peace and inner happiness but above all, I found the Truth, the Way, and the Life.

I didn’t care for what other people say because I firmly knew that I won’t be removed from the Way, the Truth, and the Life by any earthly misfortune. I won’t mention anymore those who helped me found Christ since they are already listed in the Book of Life. I hope that those who used to be so good to me when I was a Catholic will also find the true Christ and the true Church.

Editor’s Note: Brother Pedrito B. Placio is currently a contributing editor of the PASUGO. He was also a history and philosophy professor in the College of Evangelical ministry, and former Dean of College of Arts and Sciences of the New Era University.

Source: PASUGO/God’s Message, September-October 1983, pp.15-16.