CBCP | PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons
MANILA, Philippines — The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is calling for a three-day “intense prayer” for an orderly and clean May 9 polls.
CBCP President Pablo Virgilio David released Friday a circular urging all archbishops and bishops in the country to stage prayers on May 8, 9, and 10 to “beg the Holy Spirit to drive away the evil spirits” that may cause derailment of the lawful conduct of the elections this year.
David directed the clergy to keep the churches open and the Blessed Sacrament exposed for adoration and encouraged the faithful to take turns in keeping vigil before the Blessed Sacrament, and repeatedly pray the Holy Rosary, along with the Litany of Our Lady of Loreto, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Oratio Imperata for the Elections.
“In our solidarity in prayer, we beg the Holy Spirit to drive away the evil spirits that influence desperate candidates and their supporters to engage in vote-buying, fraudulent practices, threats, intimidations, and acts of violence,” David said.
The CBCP head also urged the faithful to pray “that those among our faithful who have consciously and openly opted to support particular candidates may do so with no other motive than to allow the conscience-guided, genuine and sovereign will of our people to be truly reflected in the result of these elections.”
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