The Archdiocese of Cebu has ordered the temporary closure of the Parish Church of San Fernando Rey in Liloan, Cebu, after a crime was committed inside it on Friday.
In a statement on Saturday, Archbishop Alberto Uy said the order was issued after an investigation into the incident that desecrated the church.
An unidentified woman was found dead inside the church. She reportedly sustained head injuries, suggesting she was beaten.
“After a preliminary review of the incident and the available evidence, including CCTV footage confirming that the assault took place inside the church itself, it is judged that the sacred place has indeed been desecrated through an act of grave violence, which has caused profound scandal and pain among the faithful of Liloan and beyond,” Uy said in the statement.
“In accordance with the same canon, and mindful also of Canon 1210, which commands that only those things which serve to exercise or promote worship, piety, and religion are permitted in a sacred place, I, as the Archbishop of Cebu, decree the temporary closure of the Parish Church of San Fernando Rey, Liloan.”
The rule under the Code of Canon Law states: “A sacred place is desecrated when it suffers grave injury through acts done in it, which are seriously disrespectful and give scandal to the faithful.”
Uy said the exercise of worship in the church is thus forbidden until the injury has been repaired by a penitential rite.
“During this period, I, in consultation with the parish clergy and the Chancery, will determine the rite of reparation prescribed by the liturgical books, after which divine worship may once more be licitly celebrated in the said church,” he added.
The head of the Archdiocese of Cebu offered prayers for the family of the victim.
“We unite in prayer for the victim’s family as we condemn in the strongest terms this act of violence committed within the very house of God,” Uy said.
He also asked the faithful to be calm and not be angered by the crime.
“I ask the faithful to respond to this tragedy not with anger, but with prayer, compassion, and solidarity, especially for the victim and her family. Let us all reaffirm our respect for every human person and for the sanctity of our sacred spaces, which are meant to be places of refuge, reverence, and healing,” he said.
