MANILA – After asking people to dress properly during mass, a top church official is now appealing to bridesmaids and sponsors to dress conservatively during weddings to avoid distracting other churchgoers.

Churches are places of worship, and as such must be respected, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales said in Tagalog over Catholic-run Radio Veritas.

He said proper church attire means clothes that are suitable for religious occasions. Jeans were a no-no before Vatican II and that women in the past were required to put on a veil each time they entered a church.

“Even the cathedrals in Europe follow rules on proper dressing for churchgoers," Rosales said.
Earlier, the Archdiocese of Manila came up with guidelines for a dress code in church after being swamped by complaints.

It approved collared shirts or T-shirts, jeans or slacks, polo shirts, long-sleeved shirts, collared blouses, corporate attire or office or school uniforms, and dresses or long gowns for women. But the archdiocese frowned on caps, jerseys, shorts, spaghetti straps, tank tops, skimpy shorts, and sleeveless dresses and plunging necklines.