Team DailyPedia
Archbishop Socrates Villegas of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) warned politicians last July 13, 2015 not to use religious paraphernalia for their campaigns. (Philstar)
Photos of rosaries/bracelets with the letter “B” (which stands for presidential candidate Vice President Jejomar Binay) printed on the cross circulated on social media. One netizen even thanked Binay for the rosaries he gave out.
Archbishop Villegas said not to use sacred means for secular purposes.
“If we speak of separation of Church and State, there should also be a distinction between what is sacred and what is secular. So if your intention is a purely secular motive, I beg of you to use secular means to pursue your secular purposes.”
In addition, the Archbishop also said that misuse of these sacred items may boomerang on those who use them.
“Do not use the sacred in order to pursue your secular motives because your abuse and misuse will boomerang on you.”
The rosaries were apparently given out by Binay’s camp to the people of Ormoc City in Leyte province.
Bracelets, not rosaries
Binay’s camp, however, denied that their camp were giving away rosaries. They said they were only giving out bracelets.
