CATHOLIC Bishop Valles called on the Filipino clergy and the faithful to pray for the four bishops charged with sedition over their alleged involvement in the viral “Ang totoong narcolist” videos.
Last month, the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) filed sedition raps against Vice President Leni Robredo, the four bishops, and other opposition figures in relation to their alleged involvement in the viral "Ang totoong narcolist" videos.
In particular, he said that, on August 6, the faithful are urged to remember them in Masses by praying for them, and including them in reflections, homilies, and in the prayers of the faithful. Similarly, on August 15, he also asked the faithful to include them in the prayers in all Masses as a way of entrusting them to the maternal protection of the Mother of God.
With the preliminary investigation on the sedition case set Friday, August 2, 2019, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Archbishop Romulo Valles called on the Filipino clergy and the faithful to include the four prelates charged by the government in their prayers.
In a statement titled "Solidarity in Prayer," Valles urged his fellow archbishops and bishops to lead the prayer in solidarity for Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, Bishop Teodoro Bacani, Jr. and Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, all of whom are facing sedition raps.
"Today, my invitation and my appeal to all of you, brother archbishops and bishops in the whole country – let us be in solidarity with them in prayer. Let us invite our priests, our religious, our people to join us in this solidarity in prayer," said Valles.
Valles also asked the faithful to include in their prayers the people in government involved in the processes of cases filed against the four bishops.
"We pray to the Lord for them, with the intercession of the Blessed Mother, that a deep sense of fairness, justice, and truth will guide them," said Valles.
The Davao archbishop said the prayers are imperative as the four bishops are "now facing difficult days ahead".
"The processes related to the charges of the crime of sedition have now started to move. They are now asked to submit their counter affidavits. We ask ourselves as brother bishops, what can we do for them?" pointed Valles.
Earlier, Valles also issued a statement saying the filing of sedition and other criminal complaints against the four bishops is "beyond belief".
The Department of Justice has since set the preliminary investigation on August 9 at 10:00 a.m. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)