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Cardinal calls on faithful to stop praying for rain


Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales on Thursday called on the faithful to stop the Oratio Imperata Ad Petendam Pluviam or the prayer to request for rain. In a circular dated August 15, Rosales directed all parish priests, rectors, chaplains, and school directors in the Archdiocese of Manila to lift the prayer for rain as the weather bureau announced the end of the dry spell in portions of Luzon. The directive came even as the country braced for the effects of typhoon 'Egay' which has gained more power as it nears the Philippines. Only days before, the country was lashed by typhoons Chedeng and Dodong that rendered areas flooded, caused landslides, and destroyed crops. “The rains have come and the Philippine weather agency has pronounced the end to the dry spell. We thank God for this blessing, a sign of His providence and love for us," Rosales said. The cardinal had issued the circular on July 31, instructing priests to recite a prayer for rain during every Mass starting August 3. At that time, Rosales said that our relief will come from nature and that the faithful should implore God, "at whose command the winds and the seas obey, to send us rain." The Oratio Imperata Ad Petendam Pluviam is a five-paragraph prayer both in English and Filipino. It was recited together with the regular prayers during Mass. Instead of the oratio, Rosales urged the faithful to continue to pray for people’s enlightenment to protect the environment. “The floods and landslides are not all the result of too much rain, most of these come because of the denudation of our forests, the silting of our rivers, the clogging of our esteros and waterways with non-biodegradable waste, and other harmful practices," he said. A known environmentalist, the cardinal also called on Filipinos to repent for destroying the environment and to change their “destructive actions" towards nature. “We cannot continue to test God's mercy and kindness with our destructive actions towards nature and the environment He has provided us for our habitat, our home. In this time of gratitude for the rains, let us acknowledge our offenses against our beautiful land and habitat. Let us be truly sorry for them and promise not to commit them again," he added. For his part, Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said there is no oratio or prayer to request for the rain to stop. “There is only a devotional practice in giving eggs to Sta. Clara Convents for the sisters to pray for rain to stop or not to rain," he said. The late Jaime Cardinal Sin also issued an Oratio Imperata in 1998 at the height of the El Niño phenomenon. - GMANews.TV

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