Cebu Archdiocese warns people against hoax solicitations

CEBU CITY –– The Archdiocese of Cebu has issued a statement warning people against a hoax message using the name of Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma to solicit funds on behalf of the prelate.

Monsignor Joseph Tan, the spokesperson of the archdiocese, said the local church was not asking donations for the creation of a tabernacle.

“Please circulate that Archbishop Palma is not asking donations for a tabernacle. This is a hoax circulating on social media. Thank you,” said Tan in a message sent to the media on Thursday evening.

Tan said the archdiocese does not ask and would never solicit funds from different institutions without the prior knowledge, formal consent, and definite authorization from the archbishop himself.

He said the hoax is similar to that of messages circulating that a certain Fr. Alan Albert Lagura was seeking donations for despedida gifts for Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who has been named by Pope Francis as the prefect for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, a top post in the Vatican.

Last October 2019, another hoax email reportedly asked around P70,000 from recipients, saying  Archbishop Palma needed financial help for an emergency in Ukraine. The fraudster is using the email [email protected].

The archdiocese said these hoaxes were meant to get money from people under the names of the prelates.

The Archdiocese of Cebu urged the public not to believe in these messages and report them to the Archbishop’s Palace if they received one.

Tan said people could report such incidents to their office at the Archbishop’s Palace in Cebu City or call them at (032) 253-3382 / 254-0951./lzb