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CBCP confirms Pope Francis’ visit to PHL next year


Catholic Church leaders officially announced on Monday the visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines next year.

In a pastoral letter, Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Socrates Villegas said the Pope will visit areas devastated by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), “God willing at the beginning of next year, 2015."
 
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said the Vatican would release the exact date of the visit either by the end of July or early August while the schedule and itinerary of the pontiff's visit will be released by November.
 
"The Vatican officials organizing the visit of the pope came to Tacloban and Manila. They would report to the Holy Father and the office in charge of the papal visit. We don’t know what will happen next, we would wait," Tagle said at a press briefing at the end of the three-day 109th Plenary Assembly in Manila.
 
Last week, Dr. Alberto Gasbarri, chief organizer of the Pastoral Visit; Dr. Paolo Cornvini, office of the protocol and Dr. Stephanie Izo, secretariat of the Vatican, conducted inspections of the areas to be visited by the Holy Father.
 
Tagle said Pope Francis requested that his visit be pastoral and simple.
 
"The request communicated, he wants the visit to be pastoral and simple. He wants to encounter people who suffered..." he said.
 
Tagle said because of the Pope's age and medical condition, they would have to limit his movements by designating certain areas which he will visit.
 
Villegas called on the people to be spiritually prepared for the coming of Pope Francis by reviving personal and family prayer and by being charitable.
 
"We must prepare the nation to receive the Holy Father by setting our kinds and hearts in communion with our dear Pope Francis, the messenger of peace, love, and the apostle of poor," he said.
 
He added: "Our compassionate shepherd comes to show his deep concern for our people who have gone through devastating calamities, especially in the Visayas. He comes to confirm us in our faith as we face the challenges of witnessing to the Joy of the gospel in the midst of our trials."
 
Prior to his visit to the Philippines and Sri Lanka early next year, the Pope Francis is set to grace the Asian Youth Day in South Korea this August.
 
Pope Francis will be the third pontiff to visit the country, the first two popes were Pope Paul VI in 1970 and Pope John Paul II in 1981 and 1995. 

Before the Pope's visit to the areas affected by super typhoon Yolanda, the Catholic Church's social action arm will soon roll out typhoon-resilient chapels and churches in the said communities.

National Secretariat for Social Action Justice and Peace executive secretary Fr. Edu Gariguez said these structures could also withstand powerful earthquakes.

According to the CBCP, the project was part of Nassa’s P60-million pastoral infrastructure repairs program funded by Germany-based Missio Aachen.

It said the project covers the restoration of at least 37 churches and chapels in Palawan; 33 in Leyte, three in Western Samar and 12 in Eastern Samar.

“We did an experimental project about this in Mindanao before but because of Yolanda, we are implementing this in areas hit by the typhoon,” Gariguez said in an article posted Sunday on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site.

“We are making sure that the architectural design is strong,” he added.

Gariguez also said these chapels and churches can be sturdy enough to serve as evacuation centers during calamities.

Yolanda left more than 6,000 dead after devastating Visayas and parts of southern Luzon last November. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ/NB, GMA News
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