By CBCP News
January 28, 2021
Manila, Philippines
The country’s Catholic bishops on Thursday said they are willing to transform church facilities into Covid-19 vaccination sites.
Archbishop Romulo Valles, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said the Church’s role is to serve God and His people.
And during this pandemic, he said that helping in the vaccine roll-out is an effective way they can do those things.
“The bishops decided to offer, if needed, church facilities to be vaccination centers or facilities related to the vaccination program,” Valles said in a virtual press conference after their two-day online plenary assembly.
The bishops acknowledged how daunting the vaccination program can be so they wanted to help out.
“We can offer our church facilities to help in this massive and complicated and very challenging program of vaccination,” Valles said.
The government earlier said it is targeting to inoculate at least 50 to 70 million individuals within the year.
If necessary, Valles said they are also willing to roll up their sleeves in public and get vaccinated if it can help build confidence in vaccine campaign.
“If the Holy Father and the Pope Emeritus had themselves vaccinated (in public) and, in my estimation, it helps… if people would see me publicly vaccinated, then why not” Valles said.
“The point is because our people understandably have this fear of the vaccine. So if our being vaccinated is a big help, then why not,” he added.
Echoing Valles’ statement, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, CBCP Vice President, said they are willing to help allay some people’s fear of the vaccine.
“Anything that can allay the fears of vaccination, we will offer in the Church,” he said.