Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu lays down his hands over the newly ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu Ruben Labajo, in Cebu City. (Photo: Archdiocese of Cebu)
Cebu Archdiocese in the Philippines has warned Catholics not to be duped by a fake solicitation letter asking them to donate for an upcoming priestly ordination of a seminarian in Cebu.
“Scam alert. If you happen to receive this kind of letter, asking for financial assistance for an ordination, please do not entertain,” said the archdiocese in a Facebook post on Sept. 3.
The notice came after a solicitation letter surfaced on social media asking Catholics to donate a certain clergyman from the Society of Saint Paul, a religious congregation based in the island region.
The letter, dated Aug. 20, also used a forged signature of Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu and the soon-to-be-ordained priest. It refers to a parish called St. Gregory the Great in Ginatilan municipality in Cebu province.
“It is with great joy and thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father to announce that one of my scholar-seminarians will be ordained for the Sacred Order of Presbyters… In view of this may I ask for prayers and knock at your generous hearts to help him defray the cost for his ordination expenses (eg. Chalice, Vestments, etc.),” the letter read.
“For donations, it may be directed to my scholar thru his Gcash Account… Kindly provide proof of donation for proper acknowledgment. Any amount coming from the heart generously given is surely of big help,” it added.
The archdiocese has confirmed that the priest mentioned in the letter was not soliciting funds for his ordination and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma’s signature was forged.
“The letter is a scam. The priest mentioned is not soliciting for any ordination whatsoever. The signatures of both the priest and the archbishop were also forged,” the archdiocese added.
Several parishioners have reportedly fallen into the trap by depositing at least 3,000 pesos (US$60) each.
Cebu parishioner Emma Reyes said she deposited her contribution because she has been a donor to the archdiocese for decades.
“I’ve been supporting the Archdiocese of Cebu by giving donations to parishes, especially to priests’ projects. This time the fake letter was forwarded by a religious sister, so I believed it to be true,” Reyes told UCA News.
Reyes said she even received a text message thanking her for her contribution.
“Someone even sent me a text message thanking me and confirming that the recipient has already received the amount. I didn’t expect it was a hoax. People responsible for this should be brought to justice,” Reyes added.
A priest from Cebu whose signature also appeared in the letter said candidates in the priesthood would not resort to a public appeal for their ordination.
“Seminarians to be ordained in our Archdiocese do not write open solicitation letters. Before asking the public for help we would tap their families and relatives first. So, it is impossible to solicit from strangers,” Father Silvino Figues, Jr. said in an interview with Radio Veritas.
Fake solicitation letters for donations to the Catholic Church are common in the Philippines.
In 2020, the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila urged Catholics not to fall into the trap of scammers asking for donations for former papal nuncio Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, who is now the Vatican’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations.
Monsignor Julien Kabore, Chargé d’Affaires, said the Nunciature has uncovered an attempt “to swindle” the public by “fraudulently” using the name of Archbishop Caccia.
In 2021, Baguio Diocese cautioned parishioners not to respond to text messages illegally collecting money for a supposed relief project.
“We did not ask for any help for fundraising for a relief operation for the indigents in the northern lands,” said Bishop Victor Bendico of Baguio Diocese.