Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma/ CDN Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma reminded the public to be cautious of the viral posts online, specifically about the statues of a naked Sto. Niño, or the ‘Sto. Niño Hubad.’
Palma issued a statement on Monday, October 16, through the Facebook page of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu, to debunk the rumors that he blessed the Sto. Niño Hubad.
“Wala akoy gibenditahan nga hubad nga Snr. Sto. Niño, ug ang gisulti (sa nikatag nga video) dili tinuod,” Palma said in a pre-recorded message on Monday.
READ MORE: Church warns faithfuls over ‘Sto. Nino Hubad’, lucky charms
He said that on top of that, he would never bless the naked statue because the owner of the post claimed that the statue is good luck for business and “gayuma (charm).”
The next day, Tuesday, during the press conference for the National Retreat for Priests (NRP) 2023 at the Archbishop’s Palace, Palma made himself clear again that he never blessed any statues of the Holy Child.
Moreover, Palma said that he did not coordinate with any law enforcement personnel to address the matter or to trace the person behind the false rumor.
“I just needed to make a disclaimer that it is not true. I have not [blessed any Sto. Niño Hubad],” Palma said.
The archbishop told the public to be careful with posts like this on social media.
Sto. Niño Hubad Viral post
The Sto. Niño Hubad has been widely circulating online.
A Facebook page with the name Viva Sto. Niño Items has been promoting the so-called Niño-inspired lucky charms since September.
The video showed what looked like an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated animation of a priest, enticing viewers to avail themselves of the naked statuettes of the Holy Child.
It also used locations inside the Basilica compound as background pictures.
According to the video, while the Sto. Niño Hubad is free, anyone interested in getting one would have to pay the shipping fee.
The post has already generated over 40,000 reactions, and shared more than 1,500 times since its publication on September 16.