'Emulate saints, not ghouls'

MANILA, Philippines - An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday urged the faithful to emulate the goodness of saints and not glorify witches and ghosts during the observance of All Saints’ Day.

CBCP Media Office director Monsignor Pedro Quitorio III also discouraged Filipino Catholics from celebrating All Saints’ Day dressed up in scary costumes such as the devil, skeletons, witches, and ghosts because it distorts the essence of the occasion.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church also teaches that these are regarded as somewhat “occult.”

He said it is not part of the Filipino culture to wear frightening outfits, which has been the recent trend in the Philippines and other parts of the world holding Halloween parties on the eve of All Saints’ Day.

The celebration of saints, who are the icons of the faith, “has morphed into the icons of evil. They wear devil horns and it is terrifying. We are not glorifying the saints. Actually, this is a glorification of Satan himself,” he added.

On the eve of Nov. 1, children dressed up in their most scary costumes would be visiting houses for the annual “Trick or Treat,” a habit copied from Western countries.

“This is a worry because if we teach our kids to use symbols associated with Satan, it sends out a scary subliminal message that is very deep. It is as if you are saying that ‘I am Satan’. It is a good thing that the person is not being possessed by Satan, that would be really bad,” Quitorio said.

He added that instead of wearing Halloween-themed clothes, the children should be exposed to “symbols that would enhance their faith and values.”

He encouraged Catholics to spend All Saints’ Day by hearing mass and families and friends sharing a meal.

Quitorio said he would understand if people would celebrate the occasion in different ways, depending on the tradition of a particular area or family, “for as long as you don’t fall down to that level that we would be glorifying the Evil One.”