|
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Bishop: Healing priest violates faith doctrine
MANILA -- A senior Catholic bishop said "healing priest" Fr. Fernando Suarez violated the instruction of the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith on prayers.
In a press briefing, Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros said the Toronto, Canada-based priest, who is conducting healing sessions all over the country, violated the second part of the instruction, which deals about discipline.
Sun.Star Network Online's coverage of the Sinulog 2008 Festival
"I think its paragraph 4, line 3, which says that the explicit permission of the bishop must be given in order to have a prayer session or healing session," he said.
He said Suarez repeatedly violated the doctrine as pointed by two instances last year when the healing priest conducted healing sessions in the diocese under his (Oliveros) diocese without permission.
"There have been two instances in the past. One, at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy and the other in another chapel in a subdivision also in Marilao that he (Suarez) has not sought my explicit permission," said Oliveros.
The Filipino-Canadian priest is scheduled to conduct another healing session in the area, but Oliveros did not approve it since it was only Suarez's organizer that informed him about the event.
"They said I would like to inform you that there is a healing mass schedule at Sta. Rita and I said, you should not only inform me, you should ask for my explicit permission because they have been broadcasting this for a long time without my permission. I therefore did not grant that permission that is within the prerogative of the bishop. Fr. Suarez and his organizers are not following that norm," he said.
Oliveros also learned from the parish priest where Suarez was supposed to hold his healing session, that the organizer has given him a piece of paper with certain reminders on it.
"They gave a piece of paper with 10 points. The first point is for them not to expect that the collection will be given to the parish and the second point is they want a table where they can sell something. So I said, do not proceed. I don't need to know the rest. So for that reason I said as a bishop I'm canceling that schedule healing mass. In the first place they didn't ask for my permission," he revealed.
On the other hand, Oliveros is planning to file a formal complaint against Suarez before Companions of the Cross -- the healing priest's religious community.
"Make a formal complaint there that one of their priests is coming to my diocese without following the norms that is stated not by me, but by the congregation of the Doctrine of Faith," he said. (FP/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio. (January 29, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Cessna plane crashlands in Bohol