The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) head on Friday urged the Filipino people to shed the mistaken notion of God as a bringer of “catastrophe, calamity, and misfortune” and the inordinate use of the “act of God” legalese. In a statement, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said the formulaic phrase commonly used in insurance contracts, and in law and jurisprudence “conveys the thought that God is the cause of human misery and tragedy.” The prelate said it should be replaced with felicitous expressions already available like fortuitous event, natural calamities, force majeure and other catch-all terms.“A landslide, for example, that not only impedes travel but can bring about the tragic loss of life is usually referred to in commercial and legal documents as an “act of God,” Villegas said. Although the CBCP president admitted God as the “universal cause” in everything, he expressed disapproval over the use of “act of God” for tragic events, which warped the image of an all-loving God.