黑料社

Pangasinan bishop seeks return of saint鈥檚 image missing since 2016

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas on Thursday reinforced his position as both a priest and a Filipino citizen, reiterating the patriotic duty to partake in politics 鈥淧ro Deo et patria鈥 (for God and country). pangasinan bishop missing image

Archbishop Socrates Villegas. FILE PHOTO / Roy Lagarde

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas has formed a team tasked to track down the image of San Jacinto de Polonia that has gone missing for around seven years in San Jacinto town parish church in Pangasinan province.

According to an Aug. 17 circular signed by Villegas, the icon of San Jacinto was purportedly replaced by a newer version that had a different 鈥渟lant of the head.鈥

The supposed switching was estimated to have occurred when the image was repainted between Aug. 17 and Sept. 23 back in 2016.

The committee members, along with the parish priest, were ordered to 鈥渆xplore all means鈥 in recovering the religious icon. The team is composed of Auxiliary Bishop Fidelis Layog, and priests Rafael Cruz and Melquiades Serraon.

鈥淭he team has concluded, based on empirical data, that the current image in the side retablo of the said parish church is different from the available photos鈥 from the parish archives, particularly the slant of the head,鈥 Villegas said in the memo.

The prelate thanked the lay faithful who raised the matter and called on the perpetrators to heed their 鈥渧oice of conscience鈥 and return it to the Catholic Church, which he said was the 鈥渞ightful owner.鈥

鈥淚t is indeed a demand of Catholic morality that the image be returned,鈥 added Villegas.

He also reminded San Jacinto devotees that icons of saints 鈥渄o not have intrinsic spiritual powers,鈥 adding that 鈥渕ore important than having images of saints is the imitation of their virtues.鈥

READ: 鈥楴o room for neutrality鈥: Bishop urges Catholics to protest vs misuse of public funds

鈥擪ATHLEEN DE VILLA
MOST READ
LATEST STORIES
Read more...