They wore white, lingered for hours, and even attended Mass twice.
But during Mass, a number of them didn’t know when to kneel or sit or stand. And, when asked why they went to this Catholic shrine along EDSA, some had no idea.
The iconic EDSA Shrine posted a Facebook advisory on Tuesday, November 26, about hundreds of new churchgoers who flocked to the 34-year-old place of worship as early as sunrise.
In an interview with Rappler, shrine rector Father Jerome Secillano said 400 to 600 people stayed inside and outside the EDSA Shrine from morning till afternoon on Tuesday.
Inside the 300-seater church at EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue in Quezon City, the number of churchgoers in white ranged from 100 to 200.
Their numbers reached their peak at noon, but their presence inside the church had already decreased at the time of the interview at around 4 pm on Tuesday.
“I don’t know who’s behind this, but it is obvious why they’re here. They were mobilized, I think, because of what’s happening today,” Secillano said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Secillano declined to explicitly link them to a political camp, but his assumption is that they might have come from the “other camp” that is “embattled right now” and is “facing multiple controversies.”
He said there are unverified reports that there are plans to stage a rally outside the shrine on Tuesday afternoon or evening.
EDSA Shrine — formally known as the Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of EDSA — is significant for Filipinos because it was built on December 15, 1989, to commemorate the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution that toppled the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.
It is owned and administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila.
The shrine’s advisory comes at a time of fresh political turmoil. Supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte, erstwhile ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., are calling for a new “People Power” to oust the dictator’s son.
Secillano’s advisory on Facebook said: “As early as 6 am today, November 26, hundreds of people trooped to EDSA Shrine for reasons only known to them, and for some, unknown to them. They were warmly allowed inside the shrine and they participated in the celebration of the 7 am Mass.”
“After the Mass, they opted to stay inside and were again accommodated and not shooed away as alleged by some. They again attended the Mass at 12:15 pm, and we were glad that they filled up the pews, which does not normally happen on weekdays,” Secillano added.
The church management said that “they will be allowed again to stay inside the shrine on the pretext that they are praying and not doing things not proper for a house of worship.”
Churchgoers will not be allowed “to eat, drink, carry slogans, shout, vlog, sleep, make noise, debate, and loiter in the areas leading to the doors of the shrine.”
“We insist that proper decorum be practiced in this sacred place, a house of worship, and a repository of the Blessed Sacrament. Be informed that we won’t tolerate any unruly behavior and untoward activities that may compromise the sanctity and dignity of the House of God,” Secillano said, adding that EDSA Shrine will continue its normal operations.
Secillano urged Filipinos to pray that “whatever may have caused this sudden surge in the number of ‘shrine-goers’” would be addressed “with utmost sobriety and decency.”
“Let us also invoke the Holy Spirit to give wisdom and understanding to all parties concerned to avert the deterioration of peace and order, not only in the shrine but in our country as well,” the shrine rector said.
The tension between Marcos and Duterte, Secillano told Rappler, “is already becoming irrational for both sides, because emotions, I think, are getting the better of them.”
“Our political leaders right now are actually missing this opportunity to be of service to the Filipino people, especially since our countrymen are still reeling from the onslaught of so many typhoons,” added Secillano, who is also executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Commission on Public Affairs.
“I guess the focus should be on how to really serve the people, but they are more concerned about their own political survival,” the priest said.
With the vicious nature of the Marcos-Duterte feud, it might take more than a battalion of angels to keep the peace between their disciples. – Rappler.com
