Church says no to summer wear

MANILA, Philippines - An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday stressed that the summer heat is no excuse for the faithful to wear skimpy shorts or outfits when going to Church.

CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Canon Law and Tagbilaran, Bohol Bishop Leonardo Medroso’s reminder to the public on the dress code comes at a time when many churchgoers have been spotted wearing summer attire, usually consisting of shorts or skimpy skirts or spaghetti-strapped tops, to beat the heat.

Medroso said that while such clothing is comfortable to wear these days, it is not the appropriate outfit to wear when attending Mass.

Medroso told the Church-run Radio Veritas that wearing the summer getup “is not allowed by Church rules because the Church is a place of worship and therefore it has to be respected. We have what we call decent or dress code when entering Churches.”

He said that in his own diocese, he printed a list of proper Church attire on a tarpaulin for the guidance of parishioners.

To those who would stubbornly defy the dress code, Medroso said that he has asked the parishes in his area to provide shawls to women who reveal too much skin.

The Catholic Church had issued the regulations long before and last year, the Archdiocese of Manila came out with specific guidelines.