Bishop longing to preach before people

MANILA, Philippines — An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has expressed his lament that the country continues to struggle for more than a year now with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a lengthy Facebook post, CBCP vice president and Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David asked how much longer will he be preaching in front of cameras and not before warm bodies.

“How long O Lord, will you make me celebrate mass without joy before empty pews? How long will you make me preach homily to a camera and imagine people attending virtually from their homes?” David said.

“How long will I break the Eucharistic bread and have no one to partake it with? How long will we keep reciting the ‘Oratio imperata’ which we have prayed for more than a whole year already?” he added, referring to the invocative prayers the CBCP issued last year to storm the heavens with prayers to put an end to the pandemic.

The Catholic church closed its doors to the faithful last year to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“How long before we can again sing our hearts out in Church, belt out our praise songs or just speak in tongues again? How long before we can ever see a joyful smile again behind those masks and face shields?” he said.

“How long before we can ever again hold, or shake, or kiss each other’s hands? How long will we have to leave our loved ones to suffer or die alone in a hospital ICU? How long will we have to endure the loss of our loved ones without the chance of grieving together, of hugging or embracing each other or wiping away each other’s tears?” he added.

In another development, Manila apostolic administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo said the Archdiocese of Manila would gradually abolish the arancel system in all churches under their jurisdiction starting April 14.

Pabillo said the fixed rates for baptism, confirmation and offering of mass intentions in the Archdiocese of Manila, which covers all Catholic churches in the cities of Manila, San Juan, Pasay, Makati and Mandaluyong, will no longer be imposed.

He clarified though that donations “are encouraged.”

Meanwhile, Philippine National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana appealed to the Catholic church to forgo plans to hold religious services despite the stricter quarantine measures in Metro Manila and adjacent provinces.

He cited the need to comply with the standards set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to contain the spread of COVID-19. – Emmanuel Tupas