Clamor to allow religious gatherings? CBCP says it will defer to experts

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will defer to experts' decision on whether or not to allow the resumption of religious gatherings in places under general community quarantine (GCQ), an official said Tuesday.

In an interview on Dobol B sa News TV, Father Jerome Secillano of the CBCP's public affairs committee said their leadership is coordinating with some members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on the matter.

Secillano said feedback received by the CBCP shows there is public clamor for physical Masses but said they need to balance it with the safety of churchgoers.

"Sa ganang amin naman, it's a choice between celebrating it and then risking the lives of people. We don't want to be blamed also. That's why we are being extra cautious," he said.

He said there are experts who can better assess the situation. "We are going to defer to them," the official said.

In case religious gatherings are allowed to resume, churches will ensure physical distancing by reconfiguring seating arrangements and mass schedules, encouraging parishioners to go to church at less crowded times, and assigning crowd control marshals, he said.

He said each diocese is independent and will have to come up with their own guidelines. In the Archdiocese of Manila, he said, there is a proposal to leave gaps in between masses to allow time for disinfection.

For now, the Catholic church is celebrating Masses online and on radio and television, Secillano said.

Archdiocese of Manila administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo has said religious services are also considered essential services, urging the government to consider reopening churches.

Malacañang said last week that religious gatherings will be allowed in GCQ areas as long as safety protocols are observed, only to backtrack hours later. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on April 30 that no such gatherings will be allowed in GCQ areas until the IATF decides the matter with finality. --KBK, GMA News