CHURCH officials in Ozamiz City have indefinitely closed the 19th-century San Juan Bautista parish church in Jimenez after a female vlogger allegedly spit into a holy water font.
Archbishop Martin Jumaod of Ozamiz said the closure is a "sign of penance and reparation" and called the act "a grave act of sacrilege." He stated the church, a Baroque-style structure, will remain closed until further notice.
Jumaod led the padlocking of the main door last Tuesday as parishioners watched. Two priests later placed a large white "X" of tape across the door.
In a pastoral decree, Jumaod said the church will reopen only after the faithful observe "appropriate acts of penance," including attending a holy hour and confession. He has directed parishioners to attend a Holy Hour of Adoration and a service of solemn confessions at 3 pm on Aug. 7.
The vlogger, Christine Medalla, known as "Christine Gwaps," denied the accusation on her Facebook account. "Why should I spit when there were people following me," she said in the vernacular. Weeping, Medalla said she deleted the video after someone told her it was inappropriate to post on social media. While she apologized for any harm she may have caused, she maintained that she did not spit.
Though Medalla removed the video, some netizens saved it. The clip reportedly shows her leaning forward toward the holy water font, making a spitting motion instead of dipping her fingers.
The San Juan Bautista church was built by the Augustinians between 1862 and 1863 and was declared a national cultural treasure in 2001.
