No more Halloween parties, Catholic schools told

The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) has called on its member schools to shun Halloween parties and said they should instead uphold the dignity of the deceased.

 

“Iwasan natin ang mga ganyang Halloween party kasi hindi naman Christian holidays. Ang dapat nating i-focus ay yung November 1 at November 2 (Let's avoid holding Halloween parties because Halloween is not a Christian holiday. We should be focusing on the solemnity of Nov. 1 and 2),” CEAP president Fr. Gregg Bañaga reportedly said in a CBCP News article.

 

The report also noted that the Catholic Church has been against the idea of glorifying evil during Halloween rites.

 

Bañaga, president of Adamson University, said All Saints' Day seeks to honor the saints in heaven, while All Souls' Day is a chance for people to pray for all the faithful departed.

 

“Knowing that even if they are not here with us, they are still members of the Church and that there is some bond that unite us with them even if physically they are not here anymore,” he said.

 

Also, the CBCP News post said several bishops are concerned with young people, especially children, who may get wrong and questionable values because of the practice.

 

During Halloween, where participants are mostly children, most activities tend to highlight death, ghosts, evil, magic, and monsters. — ELR/DVM, GMA News