Why fewer people are going to church

Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

Technology and recreational activities were the reasons Filipinos find it hard to make time and go to the Church, an archbishop said on Tuesday.

“Sa mga panahon pong ito ang dami-daming libangan. Noong panahon namin, mayroon bang text, mayroon bang Facebook, mga puntahan sa beaches etc.? Wala po eh, kaya bahay lang at saka simbahan,” Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz said over church-run Radio Veritas.

“Marami pong masyadong libangan at parami nang parami ’yan kaya pahirap talaga nang pahirap na sabihan ang tao na magsimba muna kapag Linggo. Marami pong kalaban ang pagsisimba tuwing Linggo,” he added.

This is after latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that 48 percent Filipinos said they go to religious services regularly, followed by 34 percent who go monthly. Seventeen percent said they occasionally attend services while 0.4 percent said they never go to church.

The poll was conducted from March 25-28 among 1,200 respondents which include Catholics, Muslims, members of Iglesia ni Cristo and other Christian groups.

READ: 8 in 10 Filipinos still believe religion is important — SWS

Cruz said that in order to address the issue, a household should have a family and life apostolate.

“Ang pinakamahusay ‘yung family life apostolate. Ito po ang dapat pagtibayin sapagkat ito talaga ay sumesentro sa tatay, sa nanay at sa mga anak at ito po ay makakatulong talaga sapagkat malaki ang impluwensya niya,” he said.

Meanwhile, Former Ambassador to the Vatican Henrietta De Villa expressed worry over losing the importance of attending to Sunday Mass, saying that this may be a cause of an unsteady Catholic family.

Though she is pleased with the survey result that 8 in 10 Filipinos believe that religion is important, she expressed dismay over “millennials” whom she said are the least religious generation.

“Ang karamihan sa hindi na o they don’t feel na importante pa ang pagsisimba tuwing Linggo ay ang mga ‘millennials’ yung mga kabataan kaya dito natin makikita ang kahalagahan ang ika nga pamilya yung ‘solid Christian family’, very important yun…,” De Villa said.

She said that molding a person’s faith and relationship to God should start with the family.

Still, De Villa is hopeful that priests and bishops would share meaningful homilies to the faithful, particularly the youth.