Tomorrow, the Sunday before Easter, the predominantly Christian Philippines will start celebrating Holy Week, with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem marked in many Christian churches by processions in which palm fronds are carried.
Every day during the week, from Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday, in the Christian tradition, the first day of Holy Week and the Sunday before Easter, Masses are held in churches from Tawi Tawi to Batanes.
We say hallelujah to Catholic Church officials in the National Capital Region and in Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal round Metro Manila—described by the authorities as the “NCR plus” as they are placed in one bubble from March 22 to April 4—for agreeing to hold Masses but without public participation inside churches.
This is in compliance with the protocol set by the government’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has chewed up hundreds of thousands in infections and more than a dozen thousand in deaths.
Before the weekend, after lockdown restrictions were eased, saw the rise of infections and deaths, the percentage not seen previously since the government clamped Enhanced Community Quarantine in mid-March last year.
Infections have climbed up to 702,856, deaths 13,149 deaths, with recoveries in the vicinity of 580,689.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines executive secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano, in an interview with Manila Standard, said only those officiating the Mass during the Holy Week would be allowed inside.
“We can hold Mass, that much is clear, for as long as we adhere to the limits set by the IATF on the number of people inside the church. There will be no public participation. We will hold Mass and livestream it on Facebook,” Secillano added.
This followed a meeting Thursday of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet to discuss the recommendations of its technical working group that held a dialogue Wednesday night with CBCP representatives.
The IATF earlier prohibited all religious gatherings with the implementation of the general community quarantine bubble in the “NCR plus.”
Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila wjic covers Manila, Pasay, Makati, Mandaluyong and San Juan, earlier insisted that allowing a maximum attendance of 10-percent capacity did not constitute mass gathering.
While Secillano declined to comment on the IATF meeting “because the CBCP was not involved in that meeting,” he said the Archdiocese of Manila “will not defy” the limitations set by the government, stressing that “Bishop Pabillo already said he is not defying the IATF.”
The faithful do not need to make a choice between heeding their Catholic faith and ensuring they are protected from the danger of COVID-19. Prayer is a deeply personal experience, and could be done anywhere as long as there is an open and sincere heart of the believer. Certainly, the God we know and believe in would not demand that we put ourselves in harm’s way just to prove our devotion, or punish us if we fail to do so. There should be no conflict between the church and our officials, because their ultimate goals are one and the same: To be safe, and to save lives.