Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila, stood by his decision to hold religious services despite a government ban on mass gatherings.
The prelate said it is “not a defiance” of government restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic but “an affirmation of our right to worship.”
On March 23, Tuesday, Bishop Pabillo issued a “pastoral instruction” for the observance of the Holy Week despite a two-week government ban on religious gatherings.
The prelate said the Archdiocese of Manila will continue religious services at 10 percent church capacity starting Wednesday, March 24.
In a statement aired on Church-run Veritas 846, Bishop Pabillo slammed the government’s renewed ban on religious gatherings.
“They are wrong, and we should not follow such guidelines that lack consultations,” he said, adding that “it somehow breaks the separation of Church and State.”
Bishop Pabillo clarified that his “pastoral instruction” provided local churches options on how to observe the Holy Week.
“The implementation still depends on the priest and pastoral leaders,” he said in the radio interview. “The public must understand that we practice the so-called ‘principle of subsidiarity,’” he said.
“We issued an instruction but it is up to the local churches how to implement it based on the situation in their community,” added the prelate.
“Subsidiarity” means the decisions should be taken at a local level if possible, rather than by a central authority.
Bishop Pabillo said that since the onset of the pandemic last year, parishes have always had the independence and authority to impose or implement their own protocols.
He said priests and pastoral lay leaders can decide whether to open or not their churches for religious activities during the Lenten season.
Bishop Pabillo said the clergy of the Archdiocese of Manila have discussed the guidelines on the implementation of his pastoral instruction during a meeting this week.
In a clarificatory note released on Wednesday, March 24, the prelate said the important part of the pastoral instruction “is to take care of the poor, especially those who have no food.”
“The conversation should not just be on the ‘10 percent’ but on addressing the problem of growing hunger among the people,” he said.
The prelate urged the government to act on the pressing issues of hunger and poverty amid the pandemic “and not just limit their responsibility to the exercise of control over the people’s activities.”
Despite the “misunderstandings” on the content of the pastoral instruction, Bishop Pabillo said the archdiocese is “happy” that that issue “brought to the fore” the Church’s concerns on the government’s handling of the health crisis.
“State regulatory bodies should consult the sectors concerned when making policies,” he said
“I lament the fact that the religious sectors are not represented, not even consulted when they make policies affecting our life of worship,” added the prelate.
Government spokesman Harry Roque has earlier threatened that authorities will close churches if Church leaders defy health protocols.
“In the exercise of police powers, we can order the churches closed, I hope we don’t get there,” he said.
The government has earlier issued strict guidelines prohibiting the mass gatherings of people, including religious services, to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease.
On Tuesday, March 23, the Philippines recorded 5,867 new cases of COVID-19 with 620 new recoveries and 20 deaths. The country has a total of 86,200 cases as of Tuesday.
