CBCP to speed up abolition of ‘arancel’ system

MANILA, Philippines — The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has created a new office that will focus on helping dioceses move toward stewardship in a bid to hasten the abolition of the “arancel” system.

In a CBCP News post on Monday, secretary general Msgr. Bernardo Pantin said among the tasks that must be carried out by the Episcopal Office on Stewardship was to implement a previous pastoral letter encouraging dioceses to get rid of a system that charges the faithful for church services, such as baptism, confirmation, weddings and Masses.

—MEG ADONIS