The Catholic Church in the Philippines on Tuesday warned devotees against purchasing "holy" products including alcohol, face masks and other protective equipment to protect against the novel coronavirus.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued the alert after an archdiocese outside of Manila reported receiving fake news about churches replacing holy water with holy alcohol.
"There is no sacramental holy alcohol that we should make the sign of the cross with when we rub it to ourselves," the CBCP said in a statement. "Moreover, it should not be sprinkled on the faithful."
The bishops also stressed that there are no holy face masks, face shields, sanitizers, goggles and other personal protective equipment.
"This is an irreverent marketing strategy or gimmick," the statement added. The Philippines is Asia’s largest predominantly Catholic country, with more than 80% of the population adhering to the religion.
Churches closed for 2 months
Churches in the country were closed for more than two months amid the coronavirus lockdown that started in the middle of March, but has been gradually eased since the start of June.
On the weekend, some Catholic churches opened for worshippers, who had mostly heard masses online since the lockdown was imposed.
In metropolitan Manila, only 10 people are allowed to hear mass at a time.
But in other areas where infections are lower, churches can fill up to 50% of their seating capacity.
As of Monday there were 22,474 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the Philippines, including 1,011 deaths, the Department of Health said.
