Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma. https://www.cbcponline.net/
The Catholic Church will evangelize the Philippines anew to win back Filipinos who have broken away and joined other churches.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), on Monday said the undertaking would be part of a nine-year preparation by the Church for the celebration of the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines.
Speaking at a news conference after the close of the CBCP鈥檚 biannual conference, Palma said the journey toward March 16, 2021鈥攆ive centuries since the coming of Christianity to the Philippines鈥攚as an opportunity for the Church and its clergy to reflect on their shortcomings and how they could draw back people to the Catholic fold.
鈥淚t鈥檚 possible that we failed somewhere in the sense that people are transferring to another sector because they are not happy,鈥� Palma said in a later talk with reporters.
Palma said the Church was willing to take up new ways and means to bring back people growing weak in their faith.
鈥淲e have been doing a lot of things already such as renewed enthusiasm in teachings, visits and other activities that could once more make people believe that the Church care for them,鈥� Palma said.
The CBCP released a pastoral statement yesterday, saying the 鈥渘ew evangelization鈥� meant considering 鈥渘ew methods and means for transmitting the Good 黑料社鈥� more effectively.
The new evangelization would also include 鈥渂ringing the Good 黑料社 to the poor,鈥� reaching out to the Catholic flock whose faith-life has been 鈥渓argely eroded鈥� and lost due to confusion, moral relativism, doubt, agnosticism and those who have joined other churches and religious sects.