Manila, Philippines, Dec 1, 2016 / 14:02 pm
An uptick in terrorist activity may cause Masses and other liturgical celebrations to be suspended in the capital city of Manila, Philippines, the country's bishop's conference has announced.
"The church, for practical purposes, will be more than willing to suspend any liturgical activity if there are threats to the safety of churchgoers," said Father Jerome Secillano of the bishop conference's public affairs committee, according to reports from UCANews.
On Sunday, a bomb detonated at the gate of a Catholic church in the southern city of Esperanza, injuring two, as churchgoers were leaving Mass for the first Sunday of Advent.
The following day, Philippine police safely detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) found in a trash can meters away from the U.S. Embassy in Manila. The device was discovered early in the morning by a street sweeper, who then contacted the authorities.