(Photo from Manila Cathedral's Facebook page)
MANILA – The Manila Cathedral on Tuesday night said only virtual Masses will be held for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Wednesday.
This came as Metro Manila will remain under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until Sept. 15, based on the latest decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
"Because the government revoked its earlier declaration that NCR will be under GCQ starting September 8, and placed NCR again under MECQ, public celebration of Masses is once again prohibited. We regret to inform you that we cannot accommodate mass-goers tomorrow, as we earlier announced," the cathedral said in a Facebook post.
Under the MECQ in Metro Manila, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said religious services may only be performed through “online video recording and transmission.”
Prior to the IATF's latest announcement, the cathedral said Masses for the religious occasion will be held at 7:30 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. at 10 percent seating capacity on Wednesday, when Metro Manila is supposed to shift to the less strict general community quarantine.
The Catholic faithful celebrates the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8 of every year.
In August 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11370, declaring September 8 as a special working holiday in the country to commemorate the religious occasion. (PNA)
