CBCP sets special day to honor medical frontliners

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines announced a “Day of Prayer” for the medical frontliners against coronavirus, as nine doctors have died from the disease.

In a circular issued Friday, Archbishop Romulo Valles, CBCP President, invited all the dioceses to offer prayers for the country’s health workers on March 29, the fifth Sunday of Lent.

“We do this in all our Masses, our Rosaries, during our Holy Hour, and in our moments of personal prayer,” he said.

Valles said it’s up to each diocese and its parishes to concretize the general call to prayer in their liturgies and pastoral activities.

He said this may be articulated in our introduction to the masses, homilies, prayers of the faithful, and intentions in our rosaries and holy hour.

“Of course we continue praying our Oratio Imperata,” Valles added.

He said that among the support to healthcare workers the Church can offer is reminding the people to “cooperate” with the quarantine measures imposed by the government.

Valles also asked the dioceses to open their facilities as temporary shelters for hospital workers who are hesitant to go home for fear of transmitting the virus to their families.

The CBCP head was acting on reports that some medical workers have been shunned by their landlords for the risk that come with their job.

“May our prayer move us to action,” he said.