How do our churches secure parishioners from terrorism?
Today, five million Catholics will troop to the Quiapo Church for the Black Nazarene “Traslacion.” What if the terrorists should attack? How about the Sinulog in Cebu? How does the Church prepare for such an attack?
If I am praying fervently inside a Catholic Church, how do I feel secure and be assured that the man kneeling next to me is not a Jemaah Islamiya or a CPP-NPA-NDF terrorist with a bomb inside his clothing? Does my good parish priest have a security plan to protect me and the other parishioners? Is there any semblance of crowd control or screening of entrants into the church? Is there a single parish personnel assigned precisely to provide security services to the Church during a religious activity like the celebration of the Holy Mass?
A number of years back, there was a bombing in the San Pedro Church in the city of Davao. There were many fatalities and the terrorists accepted full responsibility for the terroristic act. It took place when the incumbent president, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, was still the city mayor. That bombing can be repeated in Davao or here in Cebu. It is important, nay, imperative that church authorities should consider security as a vital component of the pastoral duties of every parish priest. I strongly suggest that Archbishop Jose Palma should convene his viar foraignes and his archdiocesan council to come up with a new security plan and protocol to be observed by all parishes in the archdiocese.
It is important for every parish priest to convene his parish council and mobilize all mandated organizations and church commissions, including the extraordinary ministers of the Holy Communion, the Knights of Columbus, the Mother Butlers’ Guild, and the Catholic Women’s League, among others, and discuss security on a proactive and strategic manner. This is very timely in the light of the upcoming Sinulog celebration. How do Catholic churches help secure the lives and safety of all Catholic faithful? This is not just a matter of prayer. Faith without action is dead.
The latest intelligence reports indicate that the rebel forces led by the CPP-NPA-NDF will target Catholic churches and hit big crowds for maximum effect. There are many elements of the Church who are being suspected as having links with these groups. But they should realize that the reds do not respect religion and do not believe in God. Thus, the Catholic Church hierarchy is now challenged to show its parishioners that it cares not only for spiritual salvation but also protection of life and security.
I am a very devout Catholic. I am the head of the lay minsters in our parish in the diocese of Parañaque under Bishop Jessie Mercado. My wife is the head of the Mother Butlers. Here in our parish our parish priest has put in place a complete security protocol for all our parishioners. How about here in Cebu?
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