Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 23) — The Catholic Media Network, the broadcasting arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said Tuesday there will be no processions during the Holy Week as the pandemic drags on.
“Sa Palm Sunday, wala muna ang prusisyon na dala dala mo ang palms,” Catholic Media Network President Fr. Francis Lucas said in a briefing.
[Translation: On Palm Sunday, there will no procession of palms for the meantime.]
He added the Palm Sunday celebration, which commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, should be held within sacred buildings.
The priest also said the procession of the Blessed Sacrament, believed to be the body of Christ, as well as the Washing of the Feet — religious activities traditionally held during Holy Thursday mass celebrations, will not be observed this year. Washing of the Feet marks the Last Supper of Jesus and the institution of the Holy Eucharist.
Lucas noted these rules are based on the guidelines released by the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
“Ito po ay alituntunin ng Vatican at ito rin ang pinapakalat ng CBCP,” he said.
[Translation: These are Vatican rules, which are being disseminated by the CBCP.]
The mass celebrations during Holy Week next week will go on in churches but the Vatican urged the churches to “maximize” the use of social media so Catholics can still worship remotely amid the restrictions on religious gatherings due to the health crisis, Lucas said.
The Inter-Agency Task Force prohibited until April 4 religious gatherings in the so-called NCR Plus ‘bubble’ namely Metro Manila, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, and Bulacan amid the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.
Meanwhile, in his pastoral instruction for the Holy Week, Bishop Broderick Pabillo said they will not observe any Holy Week rituals such as “senakulo, pabasa, processions, motorcades, and visita iglesia.”
But he said churches in the Archdiocese of Manila can accommodate up to 10 percent of their capacity beginning March 24.
“Let the worshippers be spread apart within our churches, using the health protocols that we have been so consistently implementing,” he added.
From Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday, the prelate urged the faithful to join the masses online.
CNN Philippine sought comment regarding Pabillo’s pastoral instruction from Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, who speaks for the IATF, but he has yet to respond.
