Zamboanga City (AsiaNews) – The Easter Triduum began in the Philippines in an atmosphere of fear and threats by Islamic terrorists. And though churches may be patrolled by armed soldiers, they are also crowded with the faithful, with people who might be afraid but still willing to take part in the services, this according to Fr GiovanBattista Sandalo, a PIME missionary in Zamboanga City, on the southern island of Mindanao, a stronghold of Islamic guerrillas.
Speaking to AsiaNews, Father Sandalo noted that "there is soldier every five metres (15 feet) and anger against Muslims, understandable given the danger of attacks" by the Abu Sayaf Islamic extremist group.
Such attacks are not simply hypothetical. Yesterday in Manila, the Filipino army discovered ten bags containing explosives and 18 rudimentary bombs, and arrested a man linked to Abu Sayyaf.
Furthermore, in the wake of prison violence that took the lives of some suspected Abu Sayyaf members, some of the group's militants recently said they were "going to take the war to Manila".
They will have plenty of easy targets since Easter in the Philippines is a time when millions of people are on the move—to and fro bus and railway stations, churches and department stores.
Father Sandalo explains that "it is quite normal" to see the army on high alert during Holy Week, but this year the "alert seems to be exceptionally high".
"On Basilan Island, where the diocese's Chrismal Mass was celebrated, the cathedral was patrolled by an entire company and protected by three tanks," the PIME missionary said.
As a precaution all Triduum services must be completed by 7 pm, but despite security concerns, "people still flock in great numbers to participate in them and churches are jam-packed".
Tomorrow morning Catholics will follow the procession of the Via Crucis, a tradition strongly rooted in the local customs of many Filipino cities.
"In this situation," Father Sandalo said, "we must urge people to overcome the gap between faith and life. It is not easy to celebrate mass under threat the menace of attacks."
"In the homily of the mass in Coena Domini I tried to explain to them that the Eucharist impels us to change by dedicating ourselves to the service of our brothers". (LF)
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