MANILA, Philippines — The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) asked the faithful for continued financial support to the Catholic Church, as dioceses and parishes nationwide experience financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a pastoral statement on stewardship, CBCP president and Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles said the Church and the Catholic faithful share the responsibility of helping those who have less in life through their stewardship program.
“We all share responsibility for the Church. Thus, we encourage all the baptized to regularly, wholeheartedly and generously contribute to the Church so that we can fulfill our common mission of spreading the Good News, of serving humanity and caring for the whole of creation,” Valles said, adding that the Catholic faithful “belong to the Church, the one family of God.”
“Let us not be afraid to give freely and cheerfully, even in times of crisis and difficulty like the COVID-19 pandemic that we are presently experiencing. Let us sustain the spirit of generosity that has spontaneously overflowed during this pandemic and has kept our communities in operation,” he said.
Valles also said they are “deeply inspired” by people who continue to extend support to the Catholic Church despite the pandemic.
For his part, CBCP vice president and Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David said that while the pandemic brings a very challenging time for the Catholic Church especially in terms of finances, they are overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity from the people.
“A lot of funds have poured in. People have been really generously contributing (for outreach programs). But the aspect of the administrative expenses of the Church, that is where we are really challenged,” David said.
The Catholic Church turned to “digital contributions” coursed through digital financial services to ensure they will not run out of funds, especially for charity work.