The Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of Jimenez, Misamis Occidental has declared a vlogger who allegedly spat into the holy water font of St. Joseph Church last week as persona non grata.
SB Resolution No. 150-2025, approved in August, declared Christine Medalla, also known as “Thine Medalla,” persona non grata following the circulation of a video on social media reportedly showing her spitting on the baptismal font inside St. John the Baptist Church.
The resolution described the act as gravely offensive, sacrilegious, and a direct insult to the sanctity of the place of worship and the faith of the local community.
The Archdiocese of Ozamiz has since shut down the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist in Jimenez indefinitely pending resolution of the “grave act of sacrilege.” The closure was decreed by Archbishop Most Rev. Martin Sarmiento Jumoad of the Archdiocesan Chancery in Ozamiz City.
“The Parish Church of St. John the Baptist shall remain closed until further notice as a sign of penance and reparation. This is to invoke conversion of heart and communal purification as guided by the Catholic teaching,” the decree stated.
Jumoad said the closure was a liturgical and pastoral response to encourage repentance and communal reparation. He added that the reopening of the church would only be allowed after appropriate acts of penance are observed by the faithful, including participation in the holy hour and confession, and after due pastoral assessment.
The archbishop led the padlocking of the church’s main door on Tuesday, 5 August, as hundreds of parishioners watched. Two priests later placed a large white “X” made of tape across the entrance.
Jumoad cited Roman Catholic Church laws stating that sacred places such as churches must not be used for religious rites if they have been violated by actions considered gravely disrespectful.