National Church News

MANLA, April 8, 2014 — Despite RH proponents’ outright claiming of victory, the much-contested RH law lost much of its sting with the Supreme Court declaring several key items in the said law unconstitutional, says the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines...

BAGUIO City, April 7, 2014— Whatever the Supreme Court rules on the controversial birth control law, the Catholic Church will not give up its teachings on family and life.

“With or without the SC’s decision, it is the duty of the Church to be teaching life. Our duty does not depend on civil laws, our duties come from God,” said Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president Archbishop Socrates Villegas...

MANILA, March 27, 2014 — The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Thursday lauded the signing of the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

In a statement, CBCP President and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said, the signing of the peace pact may be regarded as a “milestone in the peace process,” marking the end of the long-running insurgency between the government and the Moro insurgency group in Mindanao...

MANILA, March 19, 2014— Handing out condoms, as part of the government strategy to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, will continue to be a failure, a Catholic bishop reiterated recently.

Church officials, who preach fidelity and abstinence, said, the practice only worsened the problem...

MANILA, March 7, 2014— For the third attempt, the Manila Cathedral is set to reopen its doors in time for the Holy Week next month, a church official said.

Monsignor Nestor Cerbo, its rector, said the target is to reopen the cathedral for the churchgoers starting on Palm Sunday, April 13 after two years of repair.

MANILA, Jan. 30, 2014— A Church-based group will troop to the Supreme Court next week to support the filing of complaint against the privatization of the country’s only public orthopedic hospital.

MANILA, Dec. 2, 2013—Palo Archbishop John Du declared December 8, Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception, as the “Archdiocese Day of Prayer and Remembrance” for all the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda that hit the region last November 8...

The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Guiuan, Eastern Samar has been totally destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda. What remained of this centuries-old church are the stone walls and the belfry.

According to historical records, the first church in Guiuan was built in the late 17th century. The original was then replaced with a more permanent structure in 1718. The church survived fires and years of neglect during the Spanish times, and was thus renovated in several occasions...

MANILA, Oct. 30, 2013—With Bohol getting on its feet after the powerful temblor that hit the province, the National Secretariat for Social Action of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP-NASSA) has intensified its rapid relief operations to help quake survivors...

MANILA, Sept. 6, 2013–The head of Manila’s Roman Catholic Church is asking the Congress to reconsider and heed the Church and public’s clamor to abolish the pork barrel.

Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said the bishops’ moral judgment on the issue seeks to help create reforms in the government and for the common good...

MANILA, Sept. 4, 2013— Catholic Church leaders on Wednesday sounded alarm on the spread of leaked sex videos of some local celebrities. 

Fr. Conegundo Garganta of the Church’s youth ministry said that such videos are “not giving a good example” to other people especially the youth. 

“Actions like these manifest poor discernment and lack of moral grounding,” Garganta said. 

An alleged sex video of comedian Wally Bayola and EB Babe dancer Yosh this week leaked on video sharing site YouTube. 

MANILA, August 23, 2013— A group of traders and Catholic bishops have joined calls for the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). 

In a statement, the Bishops-Businessmen‘s Conference for Human Development (BBC) is concerned over the alleged P10 billion pork barrel scam implicating a number of senators and congressmen.