A Catholic parish church in the southern Philippine archdiocese of Ozamiz has been ordered closed indefinitely after a woman was seen spitting into a holy water font.
In a decree issued Aug. 5, Archbishop Martin Jumoad of Ozamiz called the act a “grave act of sacrilege” against a sacred object intended for the sanctification of the faithful.
Citing Church law, Jumoad said the closure is a liturgical and pastoral response meant to foster repentance and communal reparation.
The Parish Church of St. John the Baptist in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental, will remain closed “until further notice as a sign of penance and reparation,” he said.
“This is to invoke conversion of heart and communal purification as guided by Catholic teaching,” Jumoad said.
Jumoad directed that a Holy Hour of Adoration and a service for solemn confessions be held at 3 p.m. Aug. 7 to aid in the community’s spiritual healing.
He said the church’s reopening will depend on the faithful’s participation in the acts of penance and a pastoral assessment of the parish’s spiritual disposition.
The archbishop also issued a stern warning to the unidentified individual involved, calling the act “a grave sin and desecration” that carries ecclesiastical penalties and jeopardizes the person’s communion with God and the Church.
“Immediate confession and sincere repentance are required to restore one’s standing in the community of faith,” the archbishop added.
Jumoad also called for renewed reverence and spiritual commitment among the faithful.
“Sacred objects and places are vessels of God’s grace and deserve our utmost respect and reverence,” he said.
