(FILE) In this photo taken on September 2, 2020, a seminarian (R) wearing a face shield gives communion to Catholics during a Mass inside a church in Manila. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Wednesday said the government’s ban on religious gatherings, particularly the celebration of the Mass to curb the spread of COVID-19 is “unreasonable” and “not consistent.”
CBCP Public Affairs Committee executive secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano said the ban is inconsistent as baptisms, funeral Masses, and weddings are still allowed with attendance limited to only 10 persons.
He reasoned that these religious ceremonies could also be tagged as mass gatherings but the government is allowing these with a limit.
“‘Yung Misa naman pinag-uusapan dito, bakit totally wala? Kung halimbawa, limitahan sa 10 persons ‘yung Misa, so diba consistent sana na pwede,” he said in an interview over ABS CBN News Channel.
(Why should Masses be totally banned? If they are going to allow 10 persons in other religious ceremonies, they should have, for example, also allowed 10 persons for Masses.)
“’Yun nga lang pwede doon sa baptism, pwede sa wedding, pwede sa funeral Mass ‘yung 10 persons inside the church pero yung Mass itself, hindi pwede. Isn’t it unreasonable?” he added.
(Baptisms, weddings, funeral masses are allowed 10 persons inside the Church but why are Masses itself not allowed?)
The government should have consulted the Church first before implementing such rules to avoid confusion, Secillano said.
The IATF prohibited religious gatherings under the implementation of general community quarantine in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, and Cavite from March 22 to April 4.