MANILA, Philippines - Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas has urged the public not to give too much attention to a reported prophecy about a deadly disease from the Philippines that would spread across the world.
In an interview with government-run Philippine News Agency, Villegas said the prophecy and a subsequent report about a supposed mysterious flesh-eating skin disease in Pangasinan is the least thing the country would have to deal now.
"I think it is causing unnecessary panic to the people and it is not what we need at this time," Villegas, the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, told the state-owned news outfit.
According to reports, Indian prophet Vincent Selvakumar has prophesized about a "deadly disease that would spread across the world, consume human flesh and would pierce through the bones."
He reportedly claimed that the illness would originate from the country.
A late-night news program has reported that two people from Pangasinan are suffering from a mysterious flesh-eating skin disease.
But on Tuesday, the Department of Health belied the report, saying the two patients have leprosy and psoriasis.
Read: DOH: No flesh-eating skin disease in Philippines
Villegas, meanwhile, criticized the news program for causing panic and being sensational.
"We don’t need something to be afraid of. We have suffered enough. This can't be from God. This kind of news is unfair to people who need hope at this time," the prelate said in the PNA interview.