on cotabato bombing

Bishop appeals to people
Pray for Mindanao

Following the series of explosions in Mindanao, the bishops in Cotabato City appealed to the people to storm heaven with their unceasing prayers for the conversion of the hearts of attackers and for peace in Mindanao.

Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo asked the people to pray for peace and to ask Mary, the Queen of Peace to intercede for the suffering people of Mindanao.

“Pray…Pray…Pray for peace. Don’t be afraid. Let us all together pray for peace in Mindanao,” Archbishop Quevedo told the people on Sunday, July 5 following the deadly blast in front of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Cotabato City.

Archbishop Quevedo also called on the people not to easily jump into conclusions as to those who are responsible for the bombing even as he also appealed to the government to conduct an in-depth investigation.

The military has immediately put the blame on the suspected members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as responsible for the series of atrocities in Mindanao.

MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu, in an interview with Davao Catholic Herald denied the accusations of the military and also condemned the series of violence in the region.

Meanwhile, Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin M. Bagaforo reminded the people that in this fragile situation of Mindanao, there’s no room for violence because it will only cause more violence.

Bishop Bagaforo said that the Church has called for sobriety and asked all sectors from the government to various religious groups and organizations to pray for the conversion of the attackers.

He also pointed out the trauma and stress that will affect the lives of the people due to violence.

In Notre Dame University (NDU)–Cotabato, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) News Service reported that the students’ trauma due to bombing will still be addressed by experts before they return to their normal classes.

He said that they never failed in informing the people to be vigilant of packages left behind by unidentified people and report the same to the authorities at the soonest possible time.

The cathedral will also implement security measures not only inside the church building but also its perimeter through the Philippine military personnel who have been trained for the purpose.

Bishop Bagaforo said that this policy is not only implemented in the city but to all churches in the Archdiocese of Cotabato. (Mark S. Ventura w/ cbcpnews)