By Fernan Angeles
DESPITE limited allowable capacity inside worship places, implementing physical distancing among thousands of church goers is quite difficult, said Quiapo Church rector Monsignor Hernando Coronel.
Part of the measure to keep the virus from spreading is to prohibit the traditional kissing of the images inside the church, Coronel added.
Coronel lamented that in spite of a government guideline strictly imposing just a 10 percent venue capacity, thousands of Catholics swarmed the Quiapo Church in Manila on Friday.
As the government eased community quarantine guidelines, the first Friday mass saw at least a thousand of devotees come to Quiapo Church, which could only accommodate 100 people inside per mass. Those who were not able to enter the worship house, refused to go home and instead heard mass from outside the church.
Coronel said that Catholic devotees showed cooperation as they were seen standing at least one meter apart.
On regular days, Quiapo Church is visited by no less than 4,000 devotees.
In compliance with health measures, Coronel said there would be no more “pahalik” or the kissing of sacred images.
In lieu of “pahalik”, Coronel hinted at “pasulyap,” which allows devotees to see the image at least two meters away. In “pasulyap,” devotees fall in line one meter apart to “see and pray to Jesus” for a minute. Touching the Black Nazarene is also a No-No.
Confessions will continue with booths reinforced with glass barrier between the priest and the penitent.
The distance between the two, he said, was “close enough to hear the confession and far enough to prevent the transmission of the virus,” he added.
Catholic churches in Manila under general community quarantine, he said, had resumed performing special sacraments like confession, baptism and even weddings.
Temperature checks are done and the use of alcohol, masks and face shields are enforced inside and around the church area. Church personnel also direct churchgoers to leave their information for contact tracing.
Despite the limitations, Coronel said he admired the efforts of the faithful to go to Quiapo, even in the absence of jeepneys and other means of transportation. Some attendees, he said, would walk very early to the church.
Several miracles, he said, had happened since the past weeks because of prayer. Coronel said it was good that people go to church and find God in churches.