Church asks faithful to maintain health protocols this Holy Week

MANILA - A top official in the Catholic Church has called to maintain health protocols as Catholics are expected to flock to churches on Holy Week.

Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said that Covid-19 remains a serious threat.

“Even though the pandemic has subsided, let us not let our guard down. Let us continue following the health protocols so that we can finally defeat this pandemic,” David told Radio Veritas on Friday.

“We must continue wearing face masks and observe physical distance as a way to care for one another,” he said.

The Kalookan bishop’s statement comes after the health department appealed to churches to reconsider the holding of some Holy Week traditions such as “pahalik”.

The agency said such religious practices may result in the transmission of the virus and a subsequent surge in cases.

The CBCP head also reiterated the Church’s stand against self-flagellation.

“Until now, we discourage people from doing those practices as there are other ways to sacrifice or do penitence,” David said.

“The most important way of penitence is to do charity, especially for the poor,” he added.