MANILA, Philippines — With Holy Week drawing closer amid the spike in coronavirus cases, a Manila bishop asserted the Church's right to worship amid the stricter general community quarantine imposed over the "NCR+ bubble." The pastoral instruction also asserts our right to worship but setting a limit to the physical attendance of those who feel the need to do [so]," the letter read. "We come to this limit of 10% of our church capacity because we feel that this number does not constitute a 'mass gathering'. "Not all religious activities per se should be lumped together as a 'mass gathering'...We assert our right to worship and the state should respect this and not unnecessarily hamper it. Religious activities are essential services for the well-being of people," he wrote.

Source: Philippine Star March 24, 2021 10:07 UTC