By Fr. Mickey Cardenas
September 23, 2019
Baguio City
Bishop Victor Bendico of Baguio has withdrawn his endorsement of a devotion promoted a lay group because of “deception”.
Bendico recalled his support for the activities of the New Earth of Love and Peace Foundation, Inc. because of its ties with the controversial “Maria Divine Mercy”.
The prelate had earlier allowed the movement to introduce activities concerning the total consecration to Jesus through Mary in the diocese after meeting its officials.
He said, however, that the group failed to present their other activities like intense deliverance training, discipleship activation, and books “which are contrary to official Church doctrines”.
“We have found out their connection with ‘Maria Divine Mercy,’ whose teachings and activities bring confusion and propagate erroneous, false and distorted teachings to our Catholic faithful,” Bendico said in a circular letter dated Sept. 20.
“Thus, the total consecration that is being promoted by the New Earth of Love and Peace” is no longer welcomed in the ecclesiastical territory,” he said.
In a letter to the dioceses last June, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines had already warned the faithful against the Maria Divine Mercy movement.
Bishop Bendico said that the diocese will still push through with the total consecration but in its spirit, as taught by Saint Louis Marie de Montfort on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary on December 8, 2019.
The activity, he said, will be under the guidance of the diocese’s Commission of Formation, the Commission of the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Commission on the Laity.
He stressed that no other organizations can introduce activities concerning the total consecration to Jesus through Mary and other devotions other than said diocesan commissions.