Pope Francis: “Don’t be afraid”

Esteri
La Stampa in English

The Holy Father speaks about his pain in these days of crisis because of the virus: “The darkness that entered our homes will disappear, with wounds in the heart a united humanity will rise again”.

Domenico Agasso Jr
Pubblicato Il
20 Marzo 2020

“Here we cry, and we suffer. All of us. We can only get out of this situation together, as a whole humanity”. For this reason, we have “to look at each other with a sense of solidarity” and act accordingly. Pope Francis is following with concern the development of the Coronavirus emergency. However, on the phone on Monday, March 16 he also wants to instill hope that the “light” will come and will illuminate the darkness, which “entered everybody’s home”, in the form of pain and concerns. After this suspended time, it will be “a bit like a post-war period”, the Pontiff warns. We will have to rebuild. On four important pillars: “the roots”, which are represented by the grandparents and the elderly; “the memory” of these very surreal days; “the brotherhood” among all human beings; “the hope, which never disappoints”.

Your Holiness, Easter is approaching “behind closed doors” with celebrations that will take place only via web, television and radio: for many devotees this will be a double suffering. How should we live this Easter while in the midst of the pandemic?

“With penance, compassion and hope. And humbleness, because many times we forget that in life there are “dark zones”, the dark moments. We think they can happen only to someone else. On the contrary, this is a dark time for everybody, none excluded.”

During the Angelus, you stated that Lent can help find a meaning to what is happening: how?

“The preparation time to Easter, with prayers and fasting, trains us to look at the others with solidarity, especially those who suffer. While waiting for the glow of that light that will illuminate everything and everybody again.”

Is it particularly important to pray in this period?

 “I think of the Apostles in the storm when they invoke Jesus: “Master, we are drowning”. The prayer makes us understand our vulnerability. It is the scream of the poors, of those who are drowning, who feel threatened, alone. And in a difficult situation, desperate, it is important to know that there is the Lord to hold on to”.

How can God help us?

“God supports us in many ways. God gives us strength and closeness; in the same way He did with the disciples who asked for help in the storm. Or when He gave His hand to Pietro who was drowning.”

Where can the nonbelievers find consolation and encouragement?

“I don’t want to make a distinction between believers and nonbelievers. We are all human beings and as human beings we are all in the same boat. And no human thing must be alien to a Christian. Here we cry because we suffer. All of us. What helps us is synergy, mutual collaboration, the sense of responsibility and the spirit of sacrifice that is generated in many places. We don’t have to make a distinction between believers and nonbelievers, let’s go to the root: humanity. Before God we are all children”.

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Pastoral Instruction on Days of Fasting and Prayer

My dear people of God in the Archdiocese of Manila,

In the Scriptures, in moments of difficulties such as plagues, defeat in battle, impending attack of the enemy, and famine, the call to the people by the prophets, kings and priests was to fast and pray. This expresses the belief that our intense connection with God is vital for our survival, and that He does intervene when together as a people we turn to him in earnest. So we are told: “If then my people, upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and heal their land” (2 Chr. 7:14).

So the CBCP instruction last March 13, 2020 states: “We are enjoining all the Local Ordinaries and the Diocesan Administrators to call for a Day of Prayer and Fasting for all those who are infected with the COVID-19 and those who have died, and for our deliverance from this pandemic.” In response to this appeal the bishops of Metro Manila wrote: “We call for days of penance, prayer and fasting during all the Fridays of Lent (March 20, 27, & April 3), including Good Friday (April 10)” (Pastoral Letter of Metro Manila Bishops, March 16, 2020).

Let us all be one in prayer and fasting, although we are in our homes. Let us together seek Divine intervention. On these days let us take time to pray, especially pray as a family. You can join in the online Holy Mass, you can pray the rosary, even all the four mysteries, and you can read the Scriptures as a family and have some kind of Bible sharing. Let us pray for the healing of those afflicted by the virus, let us pray for the eternal repose of those who have died and their families, let us pray that the spread of this contagion be stopped, let us pray for the protection of the health care workers.

As for fasting, you can lessen the intake of food, like no merienda, or only two meals, or take only one full meal that day, depending on the health condition of each one. These Fridays are also days of abstinence from meat. Let us be reminded, though, that fasting is not just measured by the feeling of hunger. The Lord says: “Is this the manner of fasting I would choose, a day to afflict oneself? To bow one’s head like a reed, and lie upon sackcloth and ashes? Is this what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, ….. and breaking off every yoke? Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh?” (Is. 58:5-7)

Real fasting brings us in solidarity with the sufferings of others. This COVID 19 brings a lot of suffering. I refer not only to the suffering of those afflicted with the virus, not only to the great sense of fear and uncertainty of many. I refer most specifically to many in the Archdiocese who are in dire physical and economic need because they have no income at all – the street people, the daily wage earners, those who are engaged in the informal sector for a living, and many others. We are also called to be in solidarity with the health care workers. They are in the frontline helping people, thus exposing themselves to the disease. Being in solidarity with them does not only mean to feel sorry for them. Solidarity challenges us to go out of our way to extend help to them.

I appeal to all to set aside whatever they may have saved because they have fasted and give this to those who are in need. Those who are capable can even go much further. They can donate more generously to the poor and the health care workers. Our call of entreaty to God will be heard if we also hear the silent cry of those who have none. You can send your donations to your parishes or to Caritas Manila. The Archdiocese has a program to reach out to them through the parishes and other church institutions.

I take this opportunity to call on Christian businessmen and women and those who employ people. Be generous to your employees in these times. It is no longer just paying them for their work. They are unable to work not because they do not want to, but they are prevented from doing so. True justice is always tempered by love, and love is also expressed in gratuity. Be gratuitous to them. God will bless you for being so. The Lord promises: “Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: ‘Here I am!’” (Is. 58:9)

Let our prayer be intense. Let our fasting be generous! Let us all enter set aside the remaining Fridays of lent as days of prayer and fasting.

Mother Mary, Health of the Sick, intercede for us.

Yours truly in Christ,

+ BRODERICK PABILLO
Apostolic Administrator of Manila
18 March 2020

The Holy Father’s Invitation to Prayer

Circular No. 20-17
March 23, 2020

To All the Bishops and the Diocesan Administrators
Your Eminences, Your Excellencies and Reverend Administrators,

Re: The Holy Father’s Invitation To Prayer

At the instruction of Abp. Romulo G. Valles, CBCP President, we would like to share with you the following information:

1. The Holy Father Pope Francis at the Angelus on Sunday, March 22, has invited all Christians to join in praying the “Our Father” as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, he has called the “heads of Churches and the leaders of every Christian community, together with all the Christians of the various confessions” to recite at the same time the “Our Father.”

Heeding the Pope’s invitation, we recommend that we will pray together the Lord’s Prayer at 6 o’clock in the evening on March 25.

2. The Holy Father has also announced that on Friday, March 27, he will preside over a moment of prayer with him giving the Urbi et Orbi Blessing, with the possibility of gaining plenary indulgence for all those who listen to it through the various forms of communication. The live broadcast from the Vatican will begin at 6:00 PM Rome time (midnight Saturday.

For more information please refer to vaticannews.va “Pope announces extraordinary Urbi et Orbi Blessing.”

With our prayerful wishes of good health, I remain

Sincerely yours,

GENERAL SECRETARIAT: 470 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila P.O. Box 3601, 1076 Manila, Philippines
 (+632) 527-4054, 527-4138 ●  (+632) 527-4063 ●  www.cbcponline.net ●  cbcpsecretariat@gmail.com , cbcpsecretariat@yahoo.com

Decree of the Holy Father concerning the celebration of the Triduum 2020

CONGREGAZIONE PER IL CULTO DIVINO E LA DISCIPLINA DEI SACRAMENTI

ENGLISH
Prot. N. 153/20
DECREE
In time of Covid-19

            During this difficult time through which we are living because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and considering the impediment to the community celebration of the liturgy in church as per the direction of Bishops for their territories, a number of queries have come to this Congregation concerning the imminent celebration of Easter.  In this regard, the following general indications are offered along with some suggestions for Bishops.

1 – Concerning the date of Easter. Easter is the heart of the entire liturgical year and is not simply one feast among others.  The Easter Triduum is celebrated over the arc of three days which is preceded by Lent and crowned by Pentecost and, therefore, cannot be transferred to another time.

2 – The Chrism Mass. Having evaluated the concrete situation in the different countries, the Bishop has the faculty to postpone it to a later date.

3 – Indications for the Paschal Triduum.

            Wherever the civil and ecclesiastical authorities have put restrictions in place, the Sacred Triduum must be celebrated in the following way:

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Celebrations of the Holy Week During the Quarantine Period

Circular No. 20-15
March 20, 2020

To All the Bishops and the Diocesan Administrators
Your Eminences, Your Excellencies and Reverend Administrators,

RE:      Recommendations for the Celebrations of the Holy Week During the Quarantine  Period (2020)

“The greatest mysteries of the redemption are celebrated yearly by the Church beginning with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday until Vespers of Easter Sunday. This time is called “the Triduum of the crucified, buried and risen”, it is also called the “Easter Triduum” because during it is celebrated the Paschal Mystery, that is, the passing of the Lord from this world to his Father. The church by the celebration of this mystery, through liturgical signs and sacramentals, is united to Christ her Spouse in intimate communion” (Paschales Solemnitatis no. 38).

The annual celebration of the Paschal Triduum is the apex and heart of the whole liturgical year. This is greatly manifested in the way we celebrate the Holy Week as Filipinos full of faith, life and color. All our parishes take time to prepare for these great celebrations. Filipinos abroad long to be back to the country during this time to experience the life and beauty of the mysteries we celebrate therein. Our national life is truly influenced by these great celebrations.

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Global Principles for a Just COVID-19 Relief Sign On

There is a request from the Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI) to consider signing on on the Global Principles for a Just Response to COVID-19.

Here’s a summary of the principles:

  1. health is the top priority, for all people, with no exceptions
  2. provide economic relief directly to the people
  3. rescue workers and communities, not corporate executives
  4. make a down payment on a regenerative economy, while preventing future crises
  5. protect our democratic process while protecting each other

The response to global COVID-19 Pandemic and economic recession will take months, maybe years. The actions we take now will have an impact on people immediately and in the future. We do not have all the answers, and there will be many other fights to come, but we believe it is important that our voices are heard right now by decision-makers and the public. Building upon an initiative that has already gained robust support in the US across a wide range of constituencies and organizations, (see here https://tinyurl.com/tl4tkwn), we are looking to bring together civil society and movement voices to set a tone in this early stage.

Link : Principles for a Just Response to COVID-19 sign-on

To be involved in this, you need to sign by 9am UTC Tuesday 24th of March. Please consider signing on (quickly) to display a broad powerful voice and counter the corporate lobbyists already knocking on politicians’ doors.

NASSA/ Caritas Advocacy Calls to Plug the Gaps in Government Response to Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis

As the entire country has just been placed under the state of calamity due to the escalating spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we offer our prayers for our people, particularly the poor and most vulnerable sectors, who will bear the heavier burden caused by the present crisis.

With the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) we also acknowledge our responsibility to participate in addressing this national emergency: “This is a time of difficulty but also a time for growing in true discipleship as we strive to follow the Lord in selfless love and service of others.”

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#FightCOVID19: People’s action against COVID-19 and government neglect

March 19, 2020

The Duterte regime’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was too little, too late. While the epidamic was rampaging in China and nearby countries, government officials led by Duterte himself belittled the threat. A travel ban from China’s affected areas should have immediately been put in place. Government should also have made provisions for massive testing and extensive contract-tracing in preparation for the eventual arrival of the disease in the country. Measures should have been taken for the public health system, down to the community level, to prepare for the crisis. But these were not done.

By March 18, 2020, only 1,030 have been tested for COVID-19, a miniscule number compared to the 75,000 possible infections in the last three months, according to the DOH. Currently, more there are more than 200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines and the number is expected to grow dramatically in the coming days.

The current lockdown, euphemistically called “enhanced community quarantine” in Luzon is a result of the widescale neglect and late response to the crisis that was already foreseen in early February. Worse, government planners failed to take into consideration the conditions and needs of the sectors most vulnerable to the negative consequences of the lockdown.

There is an urgent need to halt or significantly delay the spread of COVID-19 considering it is incurable and will most likely cause many deaths of vulnerable sections of the population. This is the most immediate task that government has to address even as it needs to provide socio-economic support to those most affected by the lockdown.

Our calls

The following are our demands in the light of the lockdown and other measures to address the COVID-19:

Medical measures:

  1. Provide adequate funds for free testing, treatment and containment of COVID-19, as well as the rehabilitation of our health services. Immediately tap the P13 billion Contingency Fund, P16 billion Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund, and the President’s more than P4.5 billion Confidential and Intelligence Fund, aside from funds alloted for counter-insurgency, tourism, debt servicing and others. Congress should immediately act on the  P1.6 billion  supplemental budget for COVID-19 measures.
  2. Provide free and systematic mass testing. Test all those suspected of COVID-19 infection (Persons Under Investigation or PUI and Persons Under Monitoring or PUM) especially in high priority areas (surveillance or sentinel testing) to identify who are infected, where and how it is spreading in order to come up with concrete plans and measures against its spread. Priority should be given to those with symptoms like sore throat, colds, cough, fever, pneumonia – whether severe or not – and those exposed to confirmed COVID-19 victims. In relation to this, increase the number of available testing kits, build more testing centers and laboratories with trained personnel.
  3. Provide hospitals with additional equipment, supplies and personnel. Assign COVID-19-specific hospitals (public and private) in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao with adequate equipment, supplies and trained personnel to provide free treatment to suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. Add isolation rooms and ensure no less than 3,000 ventilators to be distributed to various hospitals. Subsidize private hospitals if necessary. Implement mass hiring of nurses and other health workersto fill the  17,000 vacant plantilla positions in public hospitals and the 42,000 nurses needed to complement current health staffing in our community health centers. Tap those taking the March 2020 Medical Licensure Examination to complement the number of doctors.
  4. Build community-based sanitation facilities and quarantine centers. Establish handwashing facilities, sanitation tents, disinfection facilities, and  quarantine centers at various levels – baranggay, municipality, city and region – to halt the spread of the disease and provide care to patients. Home quarantine is not realistic nor practical in our many small and crowded communities, aside from there being a lack of proper care and monitoring of PUMs and PUIs sent home.
  5. Ensure support and protection to our frontliners. Provide adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to health workers, doctors, nurses, medical and ex-ray technicians, and others directly involved in anti-COVID19 efforts. Provide them adequate transport services to and from work. Ensure safe and healthy working conditions – nutritious food, rest, hazard pay, free and regular COVID-19 testing, and other forms of support. This includes both hospital-based personnel, those in triage areas outside hospitals tasked to screen patients, and those deployed to collect specimens for testing. Community health workers that help in public information, education and sanitation drives should be provided PPEs like masks, alcohol, gloves, etc.
  6. Improve systems and protocols to address COVID-19 down to the community level. Ensure correct, timely and understandable public information about COVID-19 and how to avoid infection. Provide clear instructions on the nearest and facility for suspected COVID-19 patients. Provide transportation to patients needing hospital care. Train Barangay Health Workers (BHW), relief and disaster management personnel, and volunteers for their effective participation in anti-COVID-19 efforts. Fix the loopholes and deficiencies in the unified and comprehensive health system and management of the crisis. Issue clear guidelines and support mechanisms from the national to the local governments, recognizing each LGU’s capabilities and limitations. Use persuasive and participatory mechanisms instead of repressive measures and intimidation for people to follow quarantine protocols.

Socio-economic measures:

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Sangguniang Laiko Statement

The Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas at this time of crisis encourages all our Lay Organizations and Members to heed the call of the government to observe the Community Quarantine and to use this time by staying home and to build a stronger spiritual stamina.

Let us all pray for those affected, those at the front lines and those in government who are trying their best to stem the tide of this pandemic. We are also praying for the whole world, especially for those countries badly affected, that they might recover soon through the mercy of God.

Let us ask for the intercession of ST JOSEPH, Patron of the Universal Church, to GUIDE US, FROM CRISIS TO WHERE CHRIST IS. Lastly, pls join and pass this announcement for the Worldwide Rosary tonight.

For the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas
Bro. Rouquel Ponte
National President