by pna.gov.ph
A senior prelate urged those who are using ivory to create religious images to use wood instead.
Retired Lingayen-Dagupan Oscar Cruz said that ivory is a good material for religious images, but it is time for religious image-makers to shift to wood, which is a good substitute.
“A time came when ivory became so expensive and so rare that by and large there were images that were already made of wood. In fact, the (Black) Nazarene that came from Spain was not made of ivory but wood,†he said.
He said that in the past, ivory from elephant tusks is not yet prohibited.
“There was a time when ivory was freely marketed because the elephants were not yet endangered so marketing of ivory in those times were not an issue,†he said.
Cruz noted that Churches should not be blamed of having religious images made of ivory as they were made long time ago.
“These religious images made of ivory were made long time since. It’s very easy to know the new ivory images because they are very white just like chalk. If you see the older ivory of 500 years ago they are yellowish,†he said.
He explained that if the image is yellowish, the image has been made many years ago but if the color is white, it may be assumed as newly made.
Cruz said that there is no Church law that bans the use of ivory on religious images.
“I don’t know of any Church law coming from the CBCP or coming from abroad expressly banning the use of ivory for religious images. I think that reason itself dictates that we should get rid of ivory,†said the former Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president said.
He noted that there are materials such as kamagong, molave, iron wood.
Ivory trade was banned under a 1989 United Nations Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species to help in the recovery of the elephant population in some African countries.


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