November 2 should be a holiday – Cardinal Quevedo

MANILA, Philippines – The government’s decision not to declare November 2, or All Souls’ Day a holiday, sends “a wrong message” to Catholics, according to a ranking official of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. 

Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo said the appropriate day for remembering the dead is on November 2, not on November 1 or All Saints’ Day.

The Cardinal told priests to emphasize this to their parishioners, as he said most Catholics now prefer visiting their deceased loved ones on November 1.

“What is happening is that, (we) many Filipinos and dioceses have emphasized All Saints’ Day as the time of blessing the dead and blessing the grave. I think that’s a wrong one,” Quevedo said over Radio Veritas.

With this, Quevedo lamented the government’s recognition of November 1 as the sole non-working holiday in this Catholic celebration, as Malacañang earlier said November 2, Monday, is a regular working day.

“I would think that the time to travel to the province would be November 1 and the actual honoring is November 2 and the time to return would be November 3,” added Quevedo. 

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) earlier appealed for a meaningful and celebration of the Catholic tradition. 

Another church official, Bishop Ruperto Santos of Balanga, called on Filipinos not to turn grave sites into picnic spots.

“We go to cemeteries to remember them and their good deeds, not for picnic, not for reunion,” Santos said. – Rappler.com