Devotees venerate blood relic of St. John Paul II in Mandaluyong

Catholic devotees gathered at St. Francis of Assisi Parish church in Mandaluyong to venerate the blood relic of St. John Paul II.

The public veneration was part of the celebration of the Year of the Youth with the theme "Filipino Youth in Mission: Beloved, Gifted and Empowered."

John Paul II, who had been a pope of the Catholic Church for 26 years from 1978 to 2005, was known for his compassion for the youth.

He died in 2005 and was canonized in 2014.

According to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the blood relic of St. John Paul II that was brought to Manila on December 2017 as a gift from his former secretary, Cardinal Stanislaus Dziwis, to the Manila Cathedral.

His relic will remain in St. Francis of Assisi Parish until Wednesday, 14th of August 2019. — BAP, GMA News