CBCP declares Sept. 14 national day of prayer

DAGUPAN CITY -
In response to the mounting persecution of Christians in many parts of the
world, particularly in Iraq and Syria, the head of the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) declares September 14, 2014—the Feast of
the Exaltation of the Cross”—as National Day of Prayer for Peace, calling on
all Church leaders to celebrate mass for the special intentions of these
modern-day martyrs and to raise funds for them.

We request
the Most Reverend Archbishops and Bishops to oblige all priests to celebrate
all Masses that day for the special intentions of the persecuted Christians in
Syria and Iraq,” says CBCP chief and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates B.
Villegas in a letter addressed to his brother-bishops.

Special
intentions for peace

At the
Permanent Council meeting held September 2, the bishops unanimously chose
September 14, Sunday as National Day of Prayer for Peace in Iraq and Syria”,
coinciding with the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

In all our
Masses on the feast of the Holy Cross, let us unite ourselves with our
suffering brothers and sisters, commending to the God who is our hope their
pains, their shattered lives and dreams, their bereavement and their loss,”
says Villegas.

He explains,
Helpless and defenseless persons are victims of a brutal imposition of a rigid
and unforgiving version of faith. Religion is as much a victim, for those who
kill and slaughter, wound and maim, destroy, and burn in the name of God, send
the world the awful message that religion divides, that faith is oppressive,
that belief can engender so much unkindness!”

The prelate
urges the faithful to pray that even as many of the persecuted Christians now
see no way out of the misery that has been visited on them, the God who opens
paths through the sea and ways in the desert, may make a way for them to the
future that can only be His gift!”

According to
Villegas, the Gospel of peace, love and brotherhood is under siege in many
parts of the world, especially in Iraq and Syria”.

Villegas notes
that the same Gospel of brotherhood and peace invites Filipinos to respond
first and foremost through prayer accompanied by charity and solidarity”.

Calling on
Pinoys’ generosity

The archbishop
of Lingayen-Dagupan also requests for a charity collection for the Iraqi and
Syrian Christians, stressing that it is Christ in Iraq and Syria” who has been
evicted from his home.

He adds,
Places of worship—many of them, thousands of years old—have been razed to the
ground by a godless rage with which no genuine religion can ever identify!” For many, the
food and drink that sustain life are daily issues. They rise from sleep each
day to struggle just to keep themselves alive. We must be generous, and the
fact that we have our own needs here in the Philippines does not excuse us from
the Christian obligation of sharing with our suffering brothers and sisters in
Iraq and Syria from our own need.”

The
collections, which will be remitted to CBCP Secretariat by September 30, 2014,
will then be immediately sent to the charity aid of the Apostolic Nunciatures
in Iraq and Syria.

Quoting
Matthew 25:40, Villegas shares, Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one
of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Raymond A. Sebastián)