The Catholic Church doesn’t require donations, especially from the poor, but it "must" ask for offerings as stated in the Bible, a priest said Monday. "We cannot really require those who cannot afford, but it must be requested," Father Gerry Tapiador, parish priest of the Good Shepherd Cathedral in Novaliches, told ABS-CBN’s morning show, "Umagang Kay Ganda."
Tapiador said offerings and requests for donations are activities guided by a verse in the bible.
"Ito ang sinasabi namin na ‘Ask and You Shall Receive,’" the priest said.
Tapiador said the Church doesn’t charge anything from "legion cases" or cases endorsed by a religious organization called Legion of Mary.
He said the legion cases are usually poor people who cannot afford to make donations before receiving a holy sacrament, particularly baptism.
For poor people who want to receive the other holy sacraments, including matrimony, Tapiador said they can always ask the parish priest and avail of discounts.
Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, a deputy majority leader in the House of Representatives, said people, no matter how poor they are, are bound to donate cash out of respect to the Church.
"If you ask somebody to donate because of his or her faith, mapipilitan ka talaga eh," Garin said.
She said usual fees for marriages are usually priced at P500 to P1,500.
Garin had asked the Church to lessen its fees being charged to those who want to get married and get their children baptized.
She said the Church should also "contribute" to the government’s efforts in mitigating the effects of high food and oil prices to poor Filipinos.
The congresswoman also urged the Church to stop "second and third offerings" during Mass.
Church fees are voluntary
Dagupan-Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz defended the Catholic Church’s collections during Mass, stressing that the exercise is different compared to the government’s collection of Extended-Value Added Tax (EVAT).
"’E-Vat is compulsory. It’s a far cry from church collections," said Cruz.
Cruz said Filipinos cannot escape EVAT. "When you give birth, there’s EVAT. When you die, there’s still EVAT."
He said church services can be availed for free and that a part of the church's collections is use to help the less fortunate.
Tapiador, meanwhile, said the Church is currently implementing second to third collections during Mass for the victims of Typhoon Frank, which devastated Iloilo province.
The priest clarified that Church people don’t receive a single centavo from the collections.
He said priests only receive "remunerations," which is translated in the dictionary as "pay" or "reward."
Tapiador said 35 percent of a parish’s income go to the diocese, which distributes remunerations for the priests.
He added that other donations being given to the Church go to its charity programs for needy people.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce