CBCP | PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons
MANILA, Philippines — The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is urging Catholics to physically attend the Sunday Mass, saying the current COVID-19 pandemic situation “permit and oblige us to the normality of Christian life.”
CBCP president Bishop Pablo Virgilio David made the call in a circular to all the bishops and diocesan administrators released on Friday.
“We strongly encourage our faithful to return to the Sunday Eucharist with a purified heart, renewed amazement, and increased desire to meet the Lord, to be with him, to receive him and bring him to our brothers and sisters with the witness of a life full of faith, love and hope,” David said in the circular.
“With gratitude to God, the pandemic has weakened, and our official health experts have placed the country into more relaxed health protocols. This has made our people move freely and return to their normal life and business with ease, but still following some basic health protocols,” he added.
“These circumstances permit and oblige us to return to the normality of Christian life, which has the Church building as its home of the celebration of the liturgy, especially the Eucharist.”
David however reminded parishes to continue with the enforcement of basic health protocols against COVID-19 during Church activities.
“We make sure that our faithful are convinced that they are safe in our churches and venues for the liturgical celebrations,” he also said.
Several churches have temporarily suspended physical attendance due to the threat of COVID-19 pandemic since 2020.
Many churches have resorted to virtual celebration of Masses that is live streamed on Facebook and other social media websites.
Religious celebrations like the Traslacion of the Black Nazarene were cancelled for two consecutive years.
The positivity rate of COVID-19 in Metro Manila continues to dip, but many provinces are seeing an increase in their positivity rates, according to the latest data by independent pandemic monitor OCTA Research.