ECONOMIC WOES MAY HIT CHURCH COFFERS

ECONOMIC WOES MAY HIT CHURCH COFFERS

MANILA, MAY 2, 2008 (STAR) By Evelyn Macairan - Catholic churches in the country may soon feel the crunch of hard times as the faithful cut down on their contributions to Church coffers.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo yesterday said people belonging to the middle class make up a majority of churchgoers during Sunday Mass.

If the middle class are experiencing financial woes and are looking for ways to trim down expenses, there is a possibility that they would also reduce their contributions during the Mass offertory.

“It is possible that since the income of the middle class workers has lesser value, it is expected that their support (to the churches) would depend on how much is their income,” Archbishop Lagdameo said in an interview with Radio Veritas.

It is from these contributions that churches are able to draw their assistance to poor families in their parishes, or those belonging to the fourth or fifth class families.

“The Church is helping the poor, that is the social action of the Church so that whatever the Church is receiving, whether it came from the rich, middle class or poor people, it is used to help (other people) through its social action project,” said the CBCP president.

He admitted that most of the ordinary needs of the Church, such as the daily operations of the parishes, would depend on the contributions made by those going to parishes.

Lagdameo also said the celebration of Labor Day marks the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker.

“On this day, it is timely to commemorate fathers who have worked hard to become good providers to their families especially now, with the rising cost of commodities, let us pray for these workers, fathers of families,” he said.

Lagdameo said the government must do its share to help the Filipino families by providing stable and appropriate employment and income.

In the end, the Iloilo archbishop said the two sides of the issue on wages, namely the laborers and employers, have to enter into a compromise.

“While the rights of the workers have to be respected, we should also consider how much the employers could give. They could make adjustments if the employer could not give in to the demand wages,” Lagdameo said.

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi

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