Bangued church, not Baguio cathedral, lost Mass money

The rector of Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral in Baguio City yesterday denied news reports that thieves stole at least P50,000 from the offering in their church.

Baguio Rev. Fr. Benedict Castaneda told CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), that he was saddened by the recent news report because the incident did not happen.

It was later learned that it was actually the St. James the Elder Cathedral of the Diocese of Bangued in Abra that was victimized by thieves.

Police said burglars carted away the “Simbang Gabi” offerings during the Dec. 16 Mass in the church.

In an earlier news article, Bangued, Abra Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian, who was mistaken as a monsignor, was reportedly the one who noticed the missing offerings after the 4 a.m. Misa de Gallo last Dec.16, the start of the pre-dawn mass novena. The money reportedly went missing while he was exchanging pleasantries with Mass attendees.

“To set the record straight, Most Rev. Leopoldo Jaucian, D.D., is the Bishop of the diocese of Bangued in Abra. Bishop Jaucian is not the parish priest of Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral, popularly known as Baguio Cathedral, as the erroneous report claimed. The Rector and Parish priest of Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral Parish is Rev. Fr. Benedict Castaneda, or Fr. Benny as his parishioners and friends dearly call him,” the CBCPNews reported.

In fact, Fr. Castaneda said the Baguio Cathedral is currently undergoing renovation and they have beefed up security to ensure the safety of parishioners and to secure Church property.

Security personnel, with the aid of multiple close-circuit cameras, monitor the Cathedral interiors and grounds. The guards also check on the identity of visitors, the CBCPNews said.   – With Artemio Dumlao