World | Philippines
Philippine priest finds unborn foetus in offertory present
A priest received a rude shock upon finding a human foetus hidden in a "gift" he had received at church on Sunday.
- By Gilbert Felongco, Correspondent
- Published: 00:09 July 8, 2008
Manila: A priest received a rude shock upon finding a human foetus hidden in a "gift" he had received at church on Sunday.
According to the Catholic Church-run Radio Veritas, Monsignor Gerry Santos had said mass at the Quiapo Church in downtown Manila and had returned home to have breakfast with his parents when a fruit basket given to him as a Sunday offertory present caught his attention.
On untying the ribbons and removing the elaborate gift wrapping, however, the priest and his family found the preserved body of an unborn child concealed in a bottle of cream cheese.
Last rites
"It was the maids who spotted the foetus - which had clearly formed hands and feet - inside the bottle," said Santos, the regional director of the Catholic Educators Association of the Philippines during the interview.
Santos said he immediately made arrangements to bring the foetus back to Quiapo Church so that it could be given a proper burial. "I asked the staff to bring it to La Loma Cemetery in Manila where they have a place for aborted foetuses."
Authorities believed the grisly present could be the handiwork of groups at loggerheads with the Church over its long-standing position against artificial birth control methods.
Organisations campaigning for population management say the Church and the government are to blame for a rise in the number of unwanted pregnancies because of restrictions imposed on artificial birth control measures.
Every year, an estimated 400,000 abortions are reported in the Philippines on account of unwanted pregnancies. Santos advised women faced with unwanted pregnancies not to seek abortions but instead bring infants born in such circumstances to the church for adoption.
With inputs from Cher Jimenez
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