Christians and Muslims pray together for peace in the country during a service at the Amoranto Theatre in Quezon City, July 7, 2017. ROY LAGARDE
MANILA— The country’s Catholic schools have embarked Monday on a 14-day prayer for peace as fighting continues in Marawi City.
The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) said such ‘communal action’ is needed to help end the ongoing conflict in Mindanao.
“The intention of the prayer and reflection is for peace in Marawi and other areas in the Philippines where there are conflicts,” said the CEAP, the country’s largest private educational organization.
“This communal action also intended to touch the hearts of the Catholic educational community to assist in the rebuilding of the city of Marawi,” it said.
In solidarity with other prayer initiatives, the prayer for peace is a project of the National Advocacy Commission (NAC) and has been adopted by the entire CEAP community.
The Islamic city of Marawi remains on lock down as clashes between government troopers and the Maute terrorist group continue.
Since fighting erupted on May 23, the number of people who have died has reached 529 as of Saturday.
In the total number of fatalities, the military reported that 399 were terrorists. Civilian death toll remains at 45, while government casualties at 93.
Catholic bishops earlier called for prayers and increased inter-religious dialogue to fight “violent extremism”.
They also appealed for a “return to normalcy and peace” as soon as possible as the humanitarian crisis of displaced persons soared to around 410,400 from about 89,500 families.
