Bishop scraps fixed fees for church documents

MANILA, Philippines - To prevent the commercialization of church services, parishes under the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan are prohibited from charging fees for the issuance of church certificates.  

The CBCPNews yesterday reported that Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas issued a circular on Jan. 11, prohibiting the imposition of fees.

The CBCPNews is the official news provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

The policy said baptismal, confirmation and marriage certificates as well as wedding banns and similar documents should be issued to requesting parishioners without requiring them to pay a fixed amount.

“This is in consonance with our collective vision to cleanse the church of any semblance of commercialism in the rendering of church services,” Villegas said in the circular.

A majority of the priests and religious men of the archdiocese expressed support for the circular during their regular meeting on Jan. 8.

Instead of the fixed rates, Villegas wants the pananabangan or stewardship spirit, which means the parishes will accept whatever the parishioners can offer.