Masses to be said for Filipino facing execution in China

MANILA, Philippines—The Catholic Church will offer Masses on Sunday for a convicted Filipino drug trafficker facing execution in China.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in a statement said the Masses would seek  “divine intervention” for the grant of the Philippine government’s request that China’s highest court commute the Filipino’s sentence to life imprisonment.

It said Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, CBCP president, had directed all the dioceses to offer Sunday’s Masses for the intention of the Filipino convict scheduled to be executed on Dec. 8.

“We are united with our government leaders in the appeal to the Chinese government for a commutation of the death penalty to life imprisonment. I have already given instructions to the bishops to ask their priests to offer prayers during Masses tomorrow for the Filipino convict,” the CBCP quoted Palma as saying.

“We will include in the prayers of the faithful a positive reply from the Chinese government to the appeal of our government for the commutation of the death penalty,” said Msgr. Joselito Asis, CBCP secretary general.

Asis said the move was also in response to Vice President Jejomar Binay’s request for prayers for the Filipino convict.