In a pastoral letter issued Thursday, Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula also directed the ringing of bells at 8 p.m. starting Saturday, the same day of the start of the Oratio Imperata.
"We hereby mandate the praying of the Oratio Imperata for Integrity, Truth, and Justice in all shrines, parishes, oratories, and chapels of the Archdiocese of Manila," Advincula said in his two-page letter.
The prayer will be as follows:
Heavenly Father,
You led Your people out of slavery as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
In this time when shadows of deceit and corruption cloud our land, shine upon us Your light that scatters all darkness.
We confess that we ourselves have often walked in darkness.
In our silence, in our compromises, and in our indifference, we have allowed corruption to grow and falsehood to spread.
Forgive us, Lord, and cleanse our hearts of this grave moral evil that robs the poor of bread and the nation of hope.
Give us leaders after the Heart of your Son: shepherds who serve, not wolves who devour.
By the power of your Holy Spirit,
Give
us the courage to reject lies, expose deceit, uphold justice and defend
the truth, in all our dealings-whether public or private-that integrity
may flourish in our land like a river and righteousness like a mighty
stream.
O God of justice and mercy,
Make our
nation a vineyard that bears good fruit-not poisoned by greed,
manipulation and selfishness, but nourished by honesty, compassion, and
love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Mary Mirror of Justice, St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
St. Lorenzo Ruiz and St. Pedro Calungsod, pray for us.
The obligatory prayer, Advincula said, will replace the Prayer of the Faithful during the celebration of the Holy Mass — "a rare practice reserved only for the gravest of circumstances — as a clear expression of the urgency and seriousness of our situation."
The ringing of the bells, meanwhile, would be "both a prophetic cry of indignation and outrage against the evil of corruption, as well as a resounding call to contrition and conversion," he said.
"At the same time, it will be a manifestation of our fervent hope and undying love for our beloved country, trusting that God's justice and mercy will triumph," the cardinal added.
Advincula issued the letter amid investigations into alleged corruption in government flood control projects involving officials and private contractors.
He noted that the magnitude of corruption in the country has become "more and more appalling as we continue to discover its enormity and extent."
Advincula added that corruption has caused "untold damage" to institutions, people and to "the very fabric of our moral and social life."
"The evil of corruption is not merely a political or economic problem; it is a profound moral and spiritual crisis that gravely wounds the dignity of the human person and betrays the common good," the cardinal said.