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Novaliches diocese launches E-Pray linking COVID-19 patients with priests for counseling, prayers


The Diocese of Novaliches has opened an online platform for prayer requests for patients with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and confined in isolation facilities, according to a post on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website.

Through "E-pray," which was initiated by the social communications ministry of the diocese, patients can connect with priests spiritual counseling and prayers. 

The link uses the free web-based application, Google Form, in which people can type in their contact details.

The program was launched to help patients in the middle of a stressful environment and are isolated from friends, relatives and spiritual counselors because of the highly infectious illness, said Fr. Luciano Felloni, the social communications director of the diocese.

“The problem is there’s no direct contact because priests are not allowed to enter in hospitals, in ICUs, and in quarantine facilities,” Felloni was quoted as saying.

“We can’t offer at this point in time the anointing of the sick, we can’t offer confession. What we can offer is a priest to pray over them,” he said.

The program is manned by a number of volunteers who will match any sick person with available priests.

He added that about 30 priests from different parts of the country and one from New York have volunteered “to listen and pray with the COVID-19 patients”.

“Let’s not allow any single patient to go on without prayer, to go on without being blessed by a priest,” he said. “Let’s help in our little and very simple way. Let us help with the grace of prayer.” -- BAP, GMA News

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