Lipa Archbishop Garcera, priests contract COVID-19 – CBCP

Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera  CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/CBCP website

LUCENA CITY – Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera and other priests in the Archdiocese of Lipa, Batangas have tested positive for COVID-19, CBCP News, the official news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reported Sunday, March 21.

“Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa was infected with Covid-19, making him the tenth Filipino prelate to contract the disease,” according to information released by CBCP News on its website Sunday afternoon.

The CBCP, citing Garcera, said that aside from the archbishop, some of his priests also tested positive after undergoing swab tests.

The report did not reveal how many more priests from the archdiocese were infected by COVID-19.

The CBCP said Garcera and the other infected prelates “are in a health-managed condition.”

“While necessary medical treatment continues, I must admit that the battle against Covid-19 is far from over,” the report, quoting Garcera, said.

Garcera thanked the faithful for their well-wishes and asked them to continue praying for their healing and for an end to the pandemic.

Prayers were also asked for the recovery of Fr. Anton Pascual of Caritas Manila and some personnel of the archdiocese’s social action arm who also contracted COVID-19, the CBCP said.

Pascual is currently admitted at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, while the others are under quarantine.

/MUF