It goes without saying that your outfit shouldn’t lead anyone into temptation or turn them into pillars of salt. (Sorry, Catholic joke. We couldn’t resist.)
At a recent forum in Manila, Father Marvin Mejia, Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), reminded churchgoers to dress properly.
Mejia was quoted as saying, “It’s important to realize that this is a church. We have all the time to go to the beach but this is a sacred place so people should dress decently. If you wear two-piece (bathing suit) in church then that’s something else. This is not a beachfront this is a church. I think that’s common sense already. People should know the proper attire that they should wear.”
The Manila Bulletin report went on to point out that in 2007, the Ministry for Liturgical Affairs of the Archdiocese of Manila issued a dress code for churchgoers.
The report noted: “In the guidelines, male Catholics are encouraged to wear long-sleeved polo shirts, collared shirts, or t-shirts paired with either slacks or jeans. Women are asked to wear dresses, long gowns, or collared blouses.”
Corporate attire and school uniforms are also OK.
As for the “forbidden clothes,” the report said that “male Catholics are discouraged from wearing caps, basketball jerseys, tank tops or jersey shorts and shorts, while women are urged not to wear spaghetti-strap tops or tank tops, short skirts, skimpy shorts or sleeveless shirts with plunging necklines when they go to mass.”
Photo by Darth Narutorious (WikiCommons)
