Archbishop wants removal of fixed fees for issuing church certificates

A Catholic archbishop wants to end parishes' practice of charging fixed rates for issuing certificates, the Catholic Bishops Conference Of The Philippines' (CBCP) news site reported.

CBCP president and Lingayen-Dagupan Parish Archbishop Socrates Villegas pushed for this change to abide by the "ongoing archdiocesan reform" that aims to stop commercialization of church services.

This means that churches within the archdiocese must issue baptismal certificates, confirmation certificates, marriage certificates, wedding banns, and similar documents "without requiring any fixed amount."

Instead, the parishes will only rely on what the parishioners can offer. The goal is to inspire “Pananabangan,” or the stewardship spirit, among their members.

Villegas is also closing parish-run religious stores in line with the reform, a separate article in the CBCP website said.

Villegas also appealed for the support of parishioners, requesting them to donate regularly. — Jessica Bartolome/BM, GMA News