Gambling' nuns face CBCP sanctions
Nuns who tried out slot machines of the Philippine Amusement and Gamings Corp. (PAGCOR) will be investigated and could face sanctions from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said.
"Uusisain ko iyan at aalamin ko iyan. Ipapaalam ko sa CBCP ang pangyayaring ito at para maka-aksyon, para makagawa ng hakbang sa mga madre na iyan (I will investigate that and inform CBCP about that incident so that we can take steps on the sister's actions)," Cruz told.
Cruz said the Catholic Church strictly prohibits men of the cloth, including nuns, from gambling. "No clerics, no religious [leader] may engage in any activity unbecoming of their state of life," he said, quoting the Code of Canon Law of 1983.
Cruz said that recently, the Church ordered the dismissal of a parish priest who was caught gambling in a Casino Filipino provincial branch. The bishop refused to identify the priest.
He described as "shameful" Church people seen gambling or merely trying out gambling machines.
The nuns were captured by photographers and TV cameramen playing blackjack and trying out slot machines in the launching of the Gaming Expo held Thursday at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
In a separate DZMM interview, PAGCOR spokesman Edward King said the nuns came at the trade center with Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias, who was invited to lead the event's invocation.
King said newly released gambling machines were showcased in the expo, which was attended by casino operators from around the world.
Cruz, however, said the nuns who "gambled" during the expo were "caught flatfooted" by PAGCOR, labeling the incident as a "trap."
"The sisters are innocent from the ways and means of the world. I'm not saying they are saints, but [even if they played out of curiosity] it's really wrong to play [gambling cards and slot machines]," he said.
Cruz said CBCP would ask the nuns' superior to explain the incident.
For his part, King said the nuns played without money. He denied that the nuns were lured by PAGCOR men to play blackjack and use the slot machines.
"They played but they had no money," King said, adding that PAGCOR did not tip photographers and TV cameramen to take pictures and footage of the nuns.
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