The president of the Philippines bishops’ conference has asked his fellow prelates to ban priests from receiving or blessing new statues made of ivory. Archbishop Socrates Villegas said new religious statues or images made from ivory or other materials from endangered or protected species should not be used as objects of veneration in churches. “The Read more
The church in the Philippines has been forced to recruit more exorcists to cope with a three-fold increase in reports of demonic possessions. Manilia archdiocese said the Church now has 80 to 100 exorcism requests on its books at any one time. Some Christians are taking matters into their own hands, seeking out healers and Read more
The members of girl band from the Philippines making a mark in the UK’s X-Factor show have revealed they are all teetotal and none have ever been kissed. The Cercado sisters – Almira, 27, Irene, 25, Mylene, 23, and Celena, 19 – have made it through to a “challenge” phase of the competition on ITV. Read more
A nun from the Philippines known for her anti-mining advocacy is to receive a German human rights award. Sr Stella Matutina is this year’s recipient of the Weimar Award for Human Rights. The Benedictine nun will receive 2,500 euros [US$2,730], which she said will help support the advocacy of her organisation. She is secretary-general of the Read more
The Philippines bishops’ conference has been asked to dramatically increase the number of exorcists in the nation. Fr Jose Francisco Syquia, the chief exorcist for Manila archdiocese, said he has seen a steady increase in cases in the past decade, with 200 so far this year. In 2006, a National Office of Exorcism was opening Read more
The reaction to a chance photo of a Filipino boy studying on the street by the light of a McDonald’s restaurant has shown the power of social media. Daniel Cabrera, 9, was photographed doing his homework outside a McDonald’s outlet in Mandaue City, Cebu, by medical technology student Joyce Torrefran. There is no lamp in Read more
Women posing as nuns have tried to abduct Filipino girls for human trafficking. According to news outlets, human traffickers are trying to take advantage of the desperation after Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. One group of traffickers disguised themselves nuns from a foundation and tried to lure girls to Manila. One of the 14-year-old girls involved Read more
Catholic Church leaders in the Philippines will seek to limit expenses for Pope Francis’ January visit to the country to US$1.5 million. The move is in response to concerns from the Vatican over the potential cost of the visit in a country where millions of its citizens live below the poverty line. Cardinal Luis Antonio Read more
A Filipino cardinal says media coverage of last month’s synod on the family was dominated by the concerns of the West. Speaking to Filipino media, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle said synod media coverage was correct, but focussed on same-sex unions and divorced people. Yet the synod fathers also discussed families separated by economic migration, the Read more
Filipinos have been warned not to treat Pope Francis like a celebrity during his visit to their country early next year. Bishop Pedro Arigo of Puerto Princesa said activities during the Pope’s visit from January 15 to 19 should be “simple and not extravagant”. “Sometimes people treat occasions like this as if a celebrity is Read more