THE Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has agreed to declare the first Sunday of February every year as the National Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking (NDPAHT).
It was the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) which petitioned the CBCP to declare the annual day of prayer for all victims of modern-day slavery.
“We thank the Philippine bishops for their concern. They have shown us their compassionate attitude and concern for Filipinos,” CBCP-ECMI vice chairman Bishop Ruperto Santos told CBCP News.
He said the bishops’ decision can go a long way in the country’s fight against human trafficking activities.
“The move will further help protect the Filipinos against human trafficking, especially our people on the move,” the prelate said.
The decision of the bishops was made during the ongoing 125th CBCP Plenary Assembly being held at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila.
For the first NDPAHT, Santos said it will be held at the EDSA Shrine in Quezon City and shall be highlighted by a Mass to be presided over by CBCP vice president Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara.
A candle lighting ceremony for the victims and survivors of human trafficking is also set to take place.
The CBCP has earlier declared February 5, 2023 as the NDPAHT.
CBCP-ECMI, however, believes that making it an annual event will better unite communities against human trafficking as well as exert more efforts to combat the problem.
At the same time, CBCP president Bishop Pablo David expressed displeasure over the prevalence of the “cancel culture,” especially on social media.
In his speech during assembly, David said: “Nowadays, with a click of a finger, it is so easy to simply unfollow, unfriend, or cancel out the social media account of anyone who represents a contrary opinion.”
Cancel culture is defined as a way of behaving in a society wherein people reject and stop supporting someone after they said or did something that offends them.
David said the culture goes in direct opposite with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
He also recalled how even Pope Francis lamented that the culture is “invading many circles and public institutions”.
“We are called to participate in the role as a supreme bridge-builder, a facilitator of dialogue, reconciliation, and communion in the local churches entrusted to our care. Cancel culture is the exact opposite of synodality in the sense that it stops any further dialogue or conversation,” David said.
Since Saturday, members of the CBCP have been attending the three-day plenary meet at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila.
Some 80 bishops and archbishops are currently attending the assembly, which happens only every January and July.
