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NEWS PROVIDED BY
Women of Grace
May 24, 2023
MANILLA, Philippines, May 24, 2023 /Christian
Newswire/ -- A Filipino priest who defended the Church's findings regarding
the non-supernatural status of the alleged apparitions of Our Lady in Lipa City
has been arrested and charged with offending the religious feelings of a former
government official.
Harriet Demetriou, a devotee of the Lipa apparitions and former chief of the
Commission on Elections, filed a complaint against Father Winston Cabading, OP,
an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Manila and instructor at the University of
Santo Tomas, for statements he made during a Facebook program.
The program, hosted by Brother Wendell Talibong entitled, "Fragrant oil flows
from image of Our Lady of Mediatrix-Expert issues Warning," discussed an alleged
extraordinary event involving a statue similar to that of Our Lady, Mediatrix of
Graces, who devotees believe appeared at a Carmelite Monastery in Lipa City in
1948. The statue, which is located in an undisclosed parish is reportedly
exuding a fragrant oil.
Prior to the show, Brother Wendell contacted Fr. Cabading for comments which he
used during the program. Fr. Cabading called for careful discernment of the
phenomenon because the alleged apparition of Our Lady, Mediatrix of Graces in
Lipa City in 1948 was declared non-supernatural in character by the Vatican in
1951 and again in 2015.
Because of his quoted statements, Fr. Cabading was charged with Offending
Religious Feelings under Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code, which carries a
penalty of up to two years in prison. This law pertains to crimes committed in a
place devoted to public worship or during a religious ceremony when a person
performs any act notoriously offensive to the feelings of the faithful.
The Prosecutor in the case considered the online program (a talk show) as a
religious ceremony and held that Fr. Cabading's description of the Lipa statue
as being demonic in character is deemed a notoriously offensive act. However,
after reading the Prosecutor's Resolution, several Catholic Lay groups noted
that nowhere in his quoted statements did Fr. Cabading use this description. In
addition, Article 133 only punishes acts performed and not statements made,
because Fr. Cabading's statements are protected by the Constitutionally
guaranteed freedom of speech and of expression.
Various Catholic lay groups have condemned the actions taken against Father
Cabading and are urging Catholics to obey the guidance of the Church on matters
of faith.
SOURCE Women of Grace
CONTACT: Veronica Jiminez, (Viber) +639175500302, veronicajiminez888@yahoo.com