By LiCAS.news
PHILIPPINE bishops on Monday told Catholics that mental illness is neither a sign of weak faith nor a punishment from God and urged Church communities to reject stigma, encourage professional care, and accompany those who struggle with psychological suffering.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) made the appeal in a pastoral letter released following its 132nd Plenary Assembly.
The document offers one of the bishops’ clearest statements on mental health, calling for a more compassionate pastoral response while affirming that faith and professional treatment go hand in hand.
“Mental illness is not a sign of weak faith. It is not a punishment from God,” the bishops said. “Like any illness, it deserves understanding, appropriate care, and compassionate accompaniment,” they added.
The bishops urged Catholics not to view psychological treatment as incompatible with faith.
“Seeking medical or psychological help is not a lack of faith,” they said, adding that God’s healing “often comes through the dedicated service of doctors, psychologists, counselors, and other caregivers, whose work we gratefully acknowledge.”
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