EDITORIAL - By all mean, check up on our religious items

Following the controversy regarding the pulpit panels allegedly stolen from the Patrocinio de Maria Santisima Parish Church in Boljoon resurfacing at the National Museum of the Philippines, the Archdiocese of Cebu said it will check if other churches in its jurisdiction also lost heirlooms, artifacts, or other items to souvenir hunters, robbers, or collectors.

“We may check with other churches…. In fact, I will not mention a diocese, sometimes, careless…mga simbahan bukas pirmi…. Careless. These objects (religious heirlooms attract unsavory characters),” Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma was quoted as saying in a report in this newspaper.

This is a good idea, partly because we see parish personnel or duly-recognized representatives of the archdiocese exploring old storerooms and checking up on forgotten relics and other items put away from public display.

Who knows? They may yet find more items that are worthy of being displayed out in public, whether these are to be admired as works of art or items that can be used to reinforce the Christian faith.

The Cebu Archdiocese has over 160 churches under its authority; all these are located in different localities ranging from highly-urbanized cities to and small and sleepy towns. It’s not farfetched to think there is a relic, article, or item of artistic or religious significance just hidden away in some church storeroom or warehouse waiting to become relevant again.

And considering our hundreds of years of being a Christian nation and our love for art, we can say some of our churches boast art or artifact collections that are actually worth displaying. Aside from being stolen, many of these may just have been put away and forgotten.

So by all means, check up on our religious items, heirlooms, articles, and whatnot. Who knows what other treasures worth showing or adoring that we might find.