Church warns public against ‘holy’ alcohol, face masks

The Liturgical Commission of the Archdiocese of Pampanga warned the public against a marketing gimmick, saying there is no such thing as “holy” alcohol, face masks, and other medical supplies used to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“It is fake news that during this time of pandemic, the Church has replaced holy water with holy alcohol even if it has been temporarily set aside as we enter the church to prevent contamination,” the commission said in a Facebook post on Monday, June 8.

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“There is no sacramental holy alcohol that we should make the sign of the cross when we rub it on ourselves,” it added.

“Moreover, it should not be sprinkled on the faithful, there is no substitute to holy water.” the post read.

“Blessed water is the matter of baptism. Using another material element or liquid makes such baptism invalid,” it said.

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“There are no such things as holy face masks, holy face shield, holy sanitizer, holy personal protective equipment (PPE), holy goggles, etc. This is an irreverent marketing strategy or gimmick,” it clarified.

Churches imposed health and safety protocols for churchgoers such as wearing of face masks, physical distancing, and use of alcohol. 

Also read: 2 Chinese nationals arrested for selling ‘COVID-19 cure’ in Cavite

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President Rodrigo Duterte earlier warned the public against scammers who are taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to fool customers, shifting to online shopping in fear of acquiring the virus outside. 

“Do not fall for that thing, online. Nobody has perfected this thing,” Duterte said in a taped briefing with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases aired Friday morning.

“They are perpetrating this on the public,” Duterte added.

The President specifically mentioned those selling face masks on the internet. The government required everyone to wear a face mask when going outside. 

“Wag kayong bumili ng mga online-online na lalo na magpadala ka ng pera, I’d like to address this to everybody.  Ang iyo dyan is, i-deliver mo, tapos tignan mo yung maskara, kung hindi sangayon sa inorder mo, papasukin mo sa loob ‘yung nagdala ng mask, talian mo,” Duterte said.

“Kung ako, iyan ang gawin ko sa inyo: talian ko iyong paa ninyo, pati kamay ninyo, saksakan ko iyong bunganga ninyo ng medyas niyong mabaho, limang araw na walang laba. Tapos talian ko ng panyo. Ihulog kita sa Pasig [River],” he added.

Duterte also asked the people not to buy from businesses that use his name.