Christmas officially commences for the Catholic faithful with the Misa de Gallo. | CDN file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Archdiocese of Cebu has already prepared several alternatives in case the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases will not allow the holding of Misa de Gallo or dawn masses starting December 16, 2020, in relation to the Christmas celebration.
Msgr. Joseph Tan, the spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Cebu, said that they are still waiting for the decision of the IATF on the matter. Tan, however, did not elaborate on the options that they are preparing.
Earlier, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has expressed their opposition to the holding of dawn masses due to the threat of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
They are afraid that they might not be able to control the crowd of the said religious activity.
But Tan assured authorities that they are prepared to implement the health and safety protocols if ever the government will allow the celebration of the Misa de Gallo and lift the implementation of the curfew.
One of the options that they are preparing, is to decongest churches by holding two dawn masses every day.
“Naay proposal nga duhaon ang Misa de Gallo sa kadlawon, dunay alas-3 ug dunay alas-4, ingkaso ma-lift ang curfew,” Tan said.
They will also conduct virtual masses so that those who cannot attend the dawn masses can still view it online.
Another option is to hold masses at night before the curfew hours./rcg