MANILA (UCAN): The Catholic key to dialogue with Protestants about the Blessed Virgin is to explain Marian devotion biblically, Father Luciano Felloni, an Argentinian missionary said on November 20 on the sidelines of a recollection for officials and staff at the Philippine House of Representatives.
The priest, who has been serving in the Philippines for two decades, maintains that Catholics need to take the Bible as the common ground between them and Protestants, and that Marian devotion needs to be explained Biblically.
“You will listen to me if my answer is biblical. We have no problem with that because our faith is biblical,” explained Father Felloni who is a parish priest in the Diocese of Novaliches.
Philippine government data shows that Christians form 90 per cent of some 100 million people in the country, with 80 per cent Catholics and 10 per cent Protestants.
According to Father Felloni, the Catholic-Protestant conflict over the Blessed Virgin stems from misunderstanding.
“Protestants are so upset that we worship images, but we do not. The problem is we don’t understand each other … A lot of our differences are reconcilable, if only we listen to each other,” Father Felloni explained.
He said Catholics and Protestants could “perfectly talk about Mama Mary” if they listen to each other.
“If you need to offend someone to defend your faith, then your faith is wrong,” said Father Felloni.
The Church in the Philippines has designated 2020 as the Year of Ecumenism. It is part of a nine-year celebration leading up to the fifth centenary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021.
