CBCP to public: Don’t buy shirts, goods with ‘misleading’ papal messages

Screengrab from https://store.abs-cbn.com/products

MANILA, Philippines—With less than a month before the visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines warned the public against buying shirts with “misleading” papal messages.

CBCP President Archbishop Socrates Villegas said in a statement Monday that the public should beware of shirts and merchandise with fake statements that Pope Francis supposedly said.

“We urge our Catholic faithful not to patronize items with misleading posts and statements,” Villegas said in his statement posted on CBCP News.

Villegas pointed to the shirts with the words “No Race No Religion” printed on them as “definitely misleading and quite frankly erroneous.”

Shirts printed with the design of the official logo of the Papal visit have gone on sale bearing the texts “Ganito ako. Ganyan ka. Who am I to judge?” and “No Race No Religion. Embrace Diversity.”

Pope Francis has been known for his openness but Villegas said that the Pope would never disregard both race and religion.

“He has never said and taught that religion and race do not matter, because they most certainly do,” Villegas, who is also the head of the archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, said. “It is what selfish, uncharitable and judgmental people do with religion and race that is a problem.”

He added that Pope Francis does not wish to undermine the centrality of faith and religion or the significance of cultural identity.

“Pope Francis is aware of the fact that he heads an organized religion with a vast membership throughout the world,” Villegas said. “He is also as aware that race forms part of the identity of individuals and of peoples.”