Eleventh International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Following the suspension of most economic, recreational, educational, and religious activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic, religious leaders and their respective churches all around the world have either cancelled their services indefinitely or have adopted virtual alternatives to continue their processions. With the church and society’s changing dynamics, beliefs, and modalities, what role, then, does the church perform in the Covid-19 pandemic, and is the role of clergy in navigating the current crises still crucial in sustaining the community? How does the church enact its role in response to the current global public health emergency? The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is the official episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the Philippines whose primary mandate is promoting that greater good which the Church offers to humankind, especially through forms and programs of the apostolate which are fittingly adapted to the circumstances of the time and place. With the institution’s mandate and ascendancy considered, this study investigates how the CBCP responds to the national crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic through a rhetorical analysis of their Covid-19 related pastoral statements as performatives. Employing Burke’s cluster-agon in the rhetorical criticism, the god term identified in the statements was universal, supported by good terms collective action, greater good, faith communities, and public discernment, analyzed vis-a-viz the agon, “devil” terms: separation and isolation.