The Archdiocese of Manila has instructed churches under its care to resume religious services at limited capacity starting Wednesday, March 24, even as the Metro Manila quarantine bubble prohibits public gatherings. It also encouraged those who cannot be accomodated to participate online.
Manila Archdiocese caretaker Bishop Broderick Pabillo in a pastoral instruction on Tuesday said religious worship would resume inside churches starting Wednesday at 10% of the venue’s capacity.
“Let the worshippers be spread apart within our churches, using the health protocols that we have been so consistently implementing,” he said.
“We follow the minimum standards of the health protocols but we continue to pray and worship the Lord,” he added.
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Pabillo however clarified that churches cannot hold religious activities outside of their halls.
“We will not have any religious activity outside of our churches such as senakulo, pabasa, processions, motorcades, and Visita Iglesia," he said.
The government on Sunday announced the prohibition on mass gatherings, including religious ones, from March 22 to April 4 as Metro Manila and nearby provinces were placed under a GCQ Bubble to curb the surge in COVID-19 infections.
The restrictions will coincide with the Holy Week, which Filipino Catholics will have to mark indoors for the second straight year.
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Churches such as The Manila Cathedral, Quiapo Church, and Baclaran Church initially announced that in-person masses would be suspended for the duration of the bubble but with Pabillo's latest directive, churches under the Archdiocese of Manila might resume in-person masses at limited capacity.
While Pabillo allowed the resumption of limited religious gatherings, he encouraged the Filipino faithful to join in the religious activities via online participation.
“Even in our homes, through our online participation, we can worship God," he said.
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