Archbishop Du: Sacraments are not for sale

TACLOBAN CITY,, — Reacting to reports that some parishes have allegedly impose high fees for sacraments, like baptisms, Palo Archbishop John Forrosuelo Du said the sacraments, which the Church administers to the faithful, are not for sale.

The archbishop told CBCP News that the fees, assessed at a fixed rate, are not for profit but intended to help the Church sustain its operations and administrative requirements, such as wages of the parish staff and subsistence of the clergy.

Du, in an earlier press conference at the Palo Chancery, warned that no parish or clergy member should take advantage of the sacraments as means for personal gain.

Father Oliver Mazo, assistant vicar of the Santo Niño Church in Tacloban, commented during a meeting with the parish lectors that they should help make the people understand why there is a need to impose a specific tariff for each of the sacraments.

Mazo said the arancel system is regulatory in nature and does not impose exorbitant fees so as not to discourage the faithful from availing themselves of the sacraments.

Since January 2013, the Archdiocese of Palo, through the initiative of Du, has started giving out standard living allowances to about 175 priests in the archdiocese.

The SLA, which is fixed across the board, has been intended to level off the remuneration that a parish priest receives monthly, regardless of the amount of revenues a parish generates.  — Eileen Nazareno Ballesteros/CBCP News