The Archdiocese of Manila will open churches on Holy Week; Palace warns vs. defiance of COVID curbs

MANILA – The Archdiocese of Manila said Tuesday it would open its churches for worship with limited capacity over Holy Week, a move Malacañang said was against protocols to curb the rise in COVID-19 infections.

In a pastoral instruction for Holy Week, Bishop Broderick Pabillo, Manila’s apostolic administrator, said that “there will be no religious activity outside of our churches, such as senakulo, pabasa, processions, caravans and church visits.”

“But within our churches as of March 24 we will have our religious worship within 10% of our maximum church capacity,” he said in a pastoral instruction uploaded to Facebook by the Archdiocese of Manila Communications Office.

“Let the faithful separate within our churches, using the health protocols that we have been implementing so consistently,” the document said.

The interagency task force has banned gatherings of more than 10 people in Metro Manila and 4 surrounding provinces until April 4 to curb the increase in COVID-19 cases.

The planned opening of churches “would be contrary to the decision of the IATF,” said Palace spokesman Harry Roque.

“We ask Bishop Pabillo not to encourage non-compliance with the IATF rules. This is for the good of all,” he said at a press conference.

(Anyway, this is for everyone’s good.)

If the churches advance with their opening, said Roque, “in the exercise of police powers, we can order the closing of the churches.”

“Please do not come there, Bishop Pabillo. We will not be able to achieve any goal if you challenge and force the state to close the doors of the church,” he added.

(We hope it doesn’t get to that Bishop Pabillo. We can’t achieve any goal if you defy and force the state to close the doors of the church).

The Philippines reported a record daily increase of 8,019 COVID-19 infections on Monday as authorities implemented tighter restrictions in the congested capital region and hospital capacity approached critical levels in some areas.

In a bulletin, the health department said total confirmed cases had reached 671,792, while deaths rose by four to 12,972. It was the third time the Philippines posted a new record for daily cases in the past four days.

Intensive care departments in the capital’s hospitals were approaching critical levels, government data showed.

The new wave of cases in the Philippines, which has the second highest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Southeast Asia, also threatens hopes for a strong economic rebound after a record contraction last year and the loss of millions. of jobs.

Tighter measures could reduce the number of new cases by at least 25 percent, Roque said at a news conference Monday.

The Philippines, which launched its vaccination campaign later than its neighbors earlier this month, has received 1.125 million donated doses of the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.

The government plans to vaccinate 70 million adults as it seeks to achieve herd immunity.

– With a Reuters report.

Video courtesy of PTV