ISANG opisyal ng Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) nitong Biyernes ang nagpahayag na mas makabubuti kung isasabuhay ng mga tao ang spiritual intervention at health protocols upang makatulong na mapigilan ang higit pang pagkalat ng coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“My take in this kind of situation is, it would be good to combine both, the spiritual intervention and the practical (approach) that we can do while we face this kind of crisis,” pahayag ni Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary ng CBCP– Permanent Committee on Public Affairs (PCPA), sa isang panayam sa radyo.

Tugon ang naging pahayag ni Fr. Secillano sa homily kamakailan ni Lipa Archbishop emeritus Ramon Arguelles na nagsabing hindi na kailangang magsuot ng face mask at panatilihin ang social distancing hangga’t mayroong paniniwala at pagmamahal sa Diyos.

Nilinaw din ng opisyal ng CBCP na ito’y personal na opinyon ng retiradong arsobispo dahil bahagi ito ng kanyang homily.

“Number one it’s a Homily, it’s his personal reflection,”aniya.

Dagdag pa ng ni Secillano, ang tinding ng Simbahan ay ang sumunod sa health safety protocols na iniimplementa ng pamahalaan.

“We can see the response of the church regarding the guidelines being implemented by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF). It is very clear that when the Task Force ordered for churches to temporarily closed, we complied. We required all the faithful to wear mask and face shield, when we were told to do so. When only 10 percent capacity are allowed inside the church, we also abide. It only means that the church is in full cooperation with the government,” aniya.

Naniniwala din si Secillano, na nadala lamang ng kanyang emosyon si Arguelles nang magpahayag ito ng kanyang mensahe sa misang idinaos bilang pagdiriwang sa kapistahan ni San Padre Pio, na kilala bilang saint of healing.

“What I know, the mass was held to celebrate the feast of Padre Pio, we all know that Padre Pio is a priest of healing. So he delivered his message maybe he is overwhelmed. There is nothing impossible with God. I would believe that, so there is nothing impossible with God,” dagdag pa ng pari.

Samantala, sinabi naman ni Joint Task Force Covid Shield commander, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, na inirerespeto nila ang opinyon ng retiradong pari.

“We fully understand the personal opinion of former Archbishop of Lipa Ramon Arguelles as one of the former leaders but still an influential personality of the Roman Catholic in the Philippines. As a Roman Catholic myself, I believe that the Almighty God is the Great Healer and the reason why our nation continues to stand its ground despite the adverse impacts of Covid-19,”pahayag ni Eleazar.

Gayunman, naniniwala aniya ang task force sa kasabihang, “Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa.”

Saad pa ni Eleazar, ang kanilang aksiyon ay nakabase sa siyentipikong pananaw at rekomendasyon mula sa mga eksperto sa kalusugan.

“Regardless of our religious affiliations and beliefs, we in the JTF Covid Shield believe that the responsibility of protecting ourselves, protecting our families, protecting our community and protecting our nation as a whole from the Covid-19 still lies in our actions based on the scientific points of view and recommendations of health experts who are the persons in authority when it comes to this pandemic,” paliwanag ni Eleazar.

Hindi rin, aniya, magkalaban ang siyensiya at relihiyon kaya’t hindi ito dapat magtalo sa aspekto ng proteksyon mula sa COVID-19.

“Instead, both science and religion should serve as our shield and armor as Filipinos and as a nation to fight, to win and to heal as one,” ani Eleazar.