Fake priests roaming cemeteries

MANILA, Philippines - In a bid to prevent fake priests from blessing crypts this All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, Kalookan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez yesterday asked security guards assigned in cemeteries to ask for identification cards from those claiming to be clergymen before they are allowed to say prayers for the dead.

Bishop Iniguez told Church-run Radio Veritas that he already gave instructions to the security personnel of the La Loma Catholic Cemetery and other cemeteries covered by his diocese that before they allow a priest to enter the premises and bless or offer prayers for the dead, they should first ask him to present his celebret ID.

“We have to put a stop to the sinister plans of those who are pretending to be priests who want to bless the gravesite of a dead person and ask for payment from the unsuspecting relatives,” said Iniguez, chairman of the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

“We should stop these fake priests at the gate of the cemetery. We are prohibiting fake priests in all the cemeteries under the Diocese of Kalookan,” he said.

Radio Veritas president Fr. Anton Pascual informed the public that it is easy to separate the legitimate priests from the bogus ones.

A real priest carries a celebret ID that bears the priest’s name, the date of his ordination, the signature of his bishop and the diocese where he belongs. It would also indicate that the priest is in good standing.

The celebret card is difficult to duplicate, he said.

Apart from showing the celebret ID, Pascual pointed out that a real priest does not bless the tomb in a cemetery since the coffin has been blessed before the person is buried. A priest can only bless a tomb if there is a request coming from the family and friends of the deceased.