PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte’s latest tirade against the Catholic Church shows his “ignorance on its workings,” an official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said.
In a statement, CBCP Public Affairs Committee Executive Secretary Jerome Secillano said Duterte’s appeal to the public to build chapels in their homes instead of going to Church is unnecessary.
Contrary to what Duterte implied in a statement on Monday, Secillano said the Church does not compel people to “give, donate or make love offerings” to sustain its operations.
“When people pray in the church, we do not oblige them to pay for electric consumption and its maintenance…It doesn’t even force them to attend church’s services but merely ENCOURAGES them,” Secillano said.
The same, Secillano said, could not be said of “pseudo-churches that obligate their followers to shell out money to support their leaders” and government officials, who “conduct their meetings in high-end hotels” using taxpayers money.
“So, who now obliges people to pay?” Secillano asked.
Secillano explained the faithful go to mass in churches since it houses the Eucharist, Christ in the form of host (bread) which is reserved in the tabernacle.
Citing Canon 935 of the Code of Canon Law, he said the Eucharist cannot be placed in houses as the risk of desecration is high.
The only exemption to the rule is if pastoral necessity urges it and the prescripts of the diocesan bishop are observed.
Following Duterte’s latest anti-Catholic Church pronouncement. Secillano said the faithful should seriously consider ignoring the President’s similar statements.
“I’m not sure if the President’s urgings can be considered ‘pastoral necessity’ (well, maybe for his followers), but his ignorance of the Church’s workings tells us Catholics that we should neither believe this guy nor even take him seriously,” Secillano said.
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I hope Duterte continues to expose this corrupt institution. The Catholic Church is one of the number 1 reasons why the Philippines remain poor — they don’t pay taxes!!!!