Cebu Archdiocese suspends holy masses

What I recently got from my social media network was a colored map that revealed the areas and the numbers of people infected with the COVID-19 or coronavirus… and it showed that in the Visayas, only Negros Oriental was colored red, like the rest of Luzon, including Abra and Davao and Lanao in Mindanao. Also Department of Health (DOH) Regional Director Jaime Bernadas as of Mar. 17, 2020 confirmed that there are still no positive cases of COVID-19 in Cebu and are still waiting for the test results. Bernadas also added that there are over a thousand Persons Under Monitoring (PUM) that have completed the 14 days quarantine while 150 Influenza-like illnesses were discharged. This is very good news.

However, despite the fact that most of the Visayas has not been infected by the COVID-19, last Tuesday afternoon, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma has declared that the Cebu Archdiocese will suspend all holy masses in all the churches in the Archdiocese of Cebu including all other religious events like Via Crusis, Visita Iglesia (this is going to be difficult to do with Social Distancing being imposed) and processions especially that Holy Week is coming. This will be starting March 18, 2020. This was the response of the Cebu Archdiocese to ensure the health and safety of everybody. But all churches would remain open for anyone who wants to visit or pray inside the Church. At this point with the churches still open, I just hope that they would enshrine the Blessed Sacrament in the altar. 

Meanwhile, I read in the Facebook page of fellow Freeman columnist Fr. Roy Cimagala who wrote that it is the priests’ duty to say mass, even if public masses are suspended due to Corona. He added that the priest’s first duty is to preach the Faith by word and example. That is clear in the language of the Second Vatican Council, when it calls preaching the “primary duty” of the priest (Presbyterorum Ordinis 4). But his chief and most valuable role, according to the same council, is to celebrate the sacrifice of the Eucharist. This was what I learned during my days as a Catholic Apologist. 

According to Fr. Cimagala, “This role is so valuable that the Church strongly encourages priests to celebrate every day even when the faithful cannot be present. Why is this? It might seem strange for a priest to celebrate mass without any of the faithful present, but the Church says his daily celebration is a “just and reasonable cause” when he cannot have a congregation.” I hope that the Opus Dei would continue holding holy masses. 

Meanwhile, I read an article from Rome that said, “After a brief closure, Rome’s parish churches are once again open to the faithful. The reopening came less than one full day after Rome’s Cardinal Vicar, Angelo De Donatis, ordered every church in the diocese closed.

The emergency closure was billed as part of measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus that has strained Italy’s healthcare system and caused widespread disruption to ordinary life up and down the peninsula.However, chapels, shrines, and other worship spaces are to remain shut, but parish churches and mission seats are once again open to the faithful for private prayer and devotion. The reopening came last Friday, shortly after Pope Francis urged pastors not to abandon the faithful in this time of crisis. 

Pope Francis said, “Let us unite ourselves in these days with the sick, [and] with families suffering in the midst of this pandemic.” Then the Pope prayed at the start of daily mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae on the morning of Friday, March 13, the seventh anniversary of his election to the See of Peter.

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Meanwhile we learned that Pres. Rodrigo Duterte declared the entire Luzon under enhanced community quarantine, which would be similar to the measures taken by the Chinese government in Wuhan City. Luzon’s more than 53 million residents would be forced to stay home. If this solves the problem existing in the National Capital Region (NCR) then so be it!

Meanwhile in Region-7, Land Transportation Office (LTO) Central Visayas Regional Director Vic Caindec’s statement on the “no back-rider” policy of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) as safety measure against the spread of COVID-19 in the country. This means that back riding on motorcycles and motorcycle taxis is no longer allowed as DOTr issues guidelines on social distancing and community quarantine. Personal use of motorcycles is allowed as long as it follows social distancing measures required by the Department of Health (DOH).  Motorcycle taxis in Central Visayas have been temporarily suspended, effective last Monday, March 16.

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