THE Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has approved an “alternative” Filipino version of the prayer “Hail Mary.”
The “Ave Maria,” which was approved last month during the 129th CBCP Plenary Assembly, is “more contextualized, simple, and adaptable to the changing times,” said CBCP secretary general Msgr. Bernardo Pantin in a report of CBCP News.
Pantin said the Ave Maria also “enhances our understanding and appreciation of the significance and richness of its biblico-theological foundation.”
The alternative version reads: “Ave Maria, puno ka ng grasya, ang Panginoon ay sumasaiyo. Pinagpala ka sa kababaihan, at pinagpala ang bunga ng iyong sinapupunan na si Jesus. Santa Maria, Ina ng Diyos, ipanalangin mo kaming makasalanan, ngayon, at sa oras ng aming kamatayan. Amen.”
Pantin stressed the Ave Maria does not replace the “Aba Ginoong Maria.”
“The Ave Maria was approved… as an alternative to the Tagalog-based ‘Aba Ginoong Maria,” he said.
He explained the revisions are guided by principles of biblical accuracy, simplicity, prayerfulness, adaptability to contemporary life, and synodality.
