The May 2022 polls will be one of the topics that will be discussed by members of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in their plenary assembly this week.
Msgr. Bernardo Pantin, secretary general of the CBCP, said the meeting will bring speakers from a range of sectors to discuss election issues.
“The discussion aims to gather points and ideas that can be included in the statement,” he said in a CBCP News post.
Pantin said the initial plan is to release the document by early February.
Another item of the meeting is on the need to strengthen environment and climate actions.
Pantin said the dscussions on the topic will be led by the Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace (ECSA-JP), also known as Caritas Philippines.
Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, the new CBCP president, will preside the virtual meeting.
This will be the third time that the plenary assembly will be held online because of mass gathering restrictions due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The plenary assembly is the highest decision-making body of the country’s Catholic Church leaders, which meets in regular session twice a year in January and July.
The bishops’ permanent council acts on decisions on behalf of the CBCP when the plenary is not in session.
Currently, the CBCP is composed of 86 active bishops, two priests administrators, and 41 honorary members who are retired bishops