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Following the killing of a third priest in the Philippines, Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, Socrates Villegas and other leaders of his archdiocese released a strongly-worded statement.
They called on President Rodrigo Duterte “to stop the verbal persecution of the Catholic Church because such attacks can wittingly embolden more crimes against priests.”
The church leaders have declared June 18, the ninth day after the murder of Fr. Richmond Nilo, a Day of Reparation.
During the Day of Reparation, all the masses in the archdiocese will be offered as reparation for “the murders that continue without relent.”
All parish church bells will be rung for fifteen minutes at 6pm “to commemorate the time when Father Richmond Nilo was killed”, after which the Day of Reparation would be closed with a procession.
Father Richmond Nilo was shot dead on Sunday, June 10, as he was preparing to celebrate Mass.
He was the 3rd Catholic priest killed since December 2017.
In their statement, the church leaders made a passionate appeal to stop the officially sanctioned killing spree that has engulfed the Philippines.
“They are killing our flock. They are killing us the shepherds. They are killing our faith. They are cursing our Church. They are killing God again as they did in Calvary.
“Killing is the solution. Killing is the language. Killing is the way. Killing is the answer. Killing is encouraged. Killing is their job. Killers are rewarded. Killers boast of their murders.
“They kill in the streets. They kill inside homes. They kill in tricycles and jeeps. They kill in plazas. They kill in the malls. They kill in the chapels. The nation is a killing field. They kill everywhere. They are happy to kill. But we are not a nation of killers.”
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