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Cardinal Quevedo condemns 'wicked desecration' of Cotabato chapel

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ABS-CBN News

Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo on Friday condemned the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters&#x27; (BIFF) &quot;wicked desecration&quot; of a chapel in Pigcawayan town, North Cotabato, calling the act &quot;gravely sinful.&quot;&quot;As the leader of the Archdiocese of Cotabato, I condemn in the strongest terms possible the wicked desecration of the Catholic Chapel of Malagakit in the parish of Pigcawayan and most especially of the Sacred Hosts that were kept there for the Catholic faithful,&quot; Quevedo said in a statement.Quevedo, the Church&#x27;s highest-ranking official in Mindanao, likened the chapel&#x27;s desecration to the destruction of mosques and Qur’an by non-Muslims. &quot;If the BIFF wants to have an image as a respecter of all religions, it must punish its members who perpetrated the odious desecration in Malagakit and educate all its members in strictly respecting other religions,&quot; the prelate added. The cardinal is calling on the Catholic faithful in North Cotabato to help bring back the sacredness of the chapel and pray for lasting peace and harmony among believers of different religions. On Wednesday, several BIFF members launched an attack in Pigcawayan, storming a school and taking several hostage. The gunmen fled several hours later.<ul class="op-related-articles" title="">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/21/17/biff-gunmen-free-pigcawayan-hostages-after-day-long-drama">BIFF gunmen free Pigcawayan hostages after day-long drama </a></li></ul>The military said 63 civilians were rescued while two members were arrested after the attack. Authorities added that 31 hostages were used as human shields by the BIFF. As the military pursued the bandits, 32 more residents caught in the crossfire joined the hostages and were also rescued. Aside from the chapel, armed men also destroyed a school and several houses. Fr. Dominic Villa, the assigned priest in San Blas Parish, was shocked to see several consecrated hosts and sacred images destroyed and scattered on the floor of the chapel after the attack. &quot;Just like what they did in Marawi church. Sinira ang mga statues at consecrated hosts sa tabernacle,&quot; Villa said in a report from the Church-run Radio Veritas. The Catholic Church believes and teaches that the hosts consecrated during the Mass become the body and blood of Jesus Christ through the process called transubstantiation. Meanwhile, the images are considered sacred and are venerated by the Catholic faithful. The military said the BIFF attack in North Cotabato had nothing to do with firefights between government troops and terrorists in Marawi City, which has been raging for a month.

Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo condemned the destruction made by several members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) to a chapel in barangay Malagakit, Pigkawayan calling it a wicked desecration and gravely sinful.

Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo condemned the destruction made by several members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) to a chapel in barangay Malagakit, Pigkawayan calling it a wicked desecration and gravely sinful.