Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco. (File photo)
MANILA – The Diocese of Cubao will reopen its churches to the faithful beginning Saturday (July 11).
In a post on its Facebook account on Friday, Bishop Honesto Ongtioco said the Quezon City government has given permission for churches to conduct religious activities particularly the holding of public Masses.
“The QC government has just allowed churches to celebrate public masses during GCQ (general community quarantine) per IATF’s (Inter-Agency Task Force) 10 percent venue attendance. We welcome this development as many of our faithful have been longing to participate in our Eucharistic celebration,” he said.
Ongtioco, meanwhile, said he is leaving it to the discretion of the priests whether to reopen their church in the wake of increasing cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in some areas in Metro Manila.
“Please be aware of the increasing number of new Covid-19 cases in NCR, hence, the risks in mass gatherings. Some barangays (or some parishes) have more Covid-19 cases than others. I will leave it therefore to the discretion of the parish priests the decision to reopen their churches based on their readiness and safety,” he said.
He added that it is important for the parishes to be prepared and assess the situation in their areas.
“It is important that you prepare your parish, your ministers, and your parishioners; and assess the risks especially if your community has a big number of Covid-19 cases. It would be wise to coordinate first with the barangay and ask if it is safe to reopen public worship in your community. Make sure that you have diligently followed the Diocesan Implementing Guidelines for the Reopening of Public Worship in the Parishes and the IATF guidelines,” he said.
Ongtioco added that Sunday obligation is still suspended.
“As we bring our people to worship, their health and safety should be a primary consideration at all times,” he said.
Earlier, the Diocese of Pasig announced that its parishes will also start allowing people to attend Masses on Saturday.
The government has allowed churches to resume the holding of public masses at 10 percent seating capacity in areas under the general community quarantine (GCQ) beginning Friday.
On the other hand, churches in provinces that are under the modified GCQ (MGCQ) have been allowed to accept churchgoers at 50 percent seating capacity. (PNA)
