Church understands fears of people in going to church

An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said the result of a survey showing 69 percent of

Filipinos consider it risky to attend religious services right now proves that the “threat of the coronavirus is real.”

CBCP Public Affairs Committee Executive Secretary Father Jerome Secillano said they understand the fear of the people and they respect their decision.

“We just have to respect the people if they decide not to attend church services yet,” he said in an interview Sunday.

Secillano, however, reminded the faithful the importance of prayer, especially during this time.

“They also need to pray. Divine intervention is most needed in this time of crisis,” he said.

“They can continue attending masses thru television, radio and the social media,” added Secillano.

As for those brave enough to go to church, he asked them to practice the health protocols enforced by the Inter-Agency Task Force for their protection.

Based on the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, 69% consider it risky to attend religious services right now while 18% consider it a little risky, and 8% consider it not risky.

The remaining 5% volunteered to say that they do not attend religious services.

By area, those who consider it risky to attend religious services right now are highest in the Visayas (76%), followed by Balance Luzon (70%), Metro Manila (69%), and Mindanao (62%).

According to SWS, the September 17 to 20, 2020 National Mobile Phone Survey was conducted using mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) of 1,249 adult Filipinos (18 years old and above) nationwide.