Is the BCBP a transparochial organization? What is its relationship to the Catholic Church?
‘Transparochial’ refers to an organization that draws its members from more than one parish and, because of this, is not a parish organization, but a diocesan organization and should be directly under the diocese. In fact, in the archdiocese of Manila (during the time of Cardinal Jaime Sin), all organizations like the BCBP, Ligaya ng Panginoon, etc. were all classified as transparochial communities. However, the BCBP is not really a transparochial group in the above sense. It is a national organization. As a whole it relates to the Catholic Church through its membership in the Council of the Laity. It is a recognized association of the faithful by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines through the Episcopal Commission on the Laity (ECLA). Since the BCBP has chapters in different places, it is also a diocesan organization, but not a parish organization, because it draws its members from the different parishes. It should relate to the bishop and not to a parish or a particula
