CBCP chief: No pressure from Palace on Pope Francis’ PHL itinerary

The head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has belied claims that Malacañang is trying to pressure it into scrapping Pope Francis' visit to Tacloban City in Leyte.

 

CBCP president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said there was "no such pressure," referring to reports that the Palace does not want the pope to visit the province hit by super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013.

 

"There was no such pressure," an article posted early Friday on the CBCP news site quoted Villegas as saying.

 

According to the CBCP news article, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez claimed Malacañang tried to have the pope's itinerary include a visit to Cebu instead of Leyte.

 

A separate report on Manila Standard Today cited sources saying the Palace was trying to prevent the pope from visiting Tacloban, and wants the CBCP to divert the pope to Cebu instead.

 

Pope Francis is scheduled to visit the Philippines on Jan. 15 to 19, 2015. His itinerary includes activities in Manila and in Leyte—including a Mass near Tacloban Airport.

 

During his visit, the Pope is to visit Yolanda survivors in Tacloban City and Palo town in Leyte.

 

He will also have lunch with some victims of last year's calamities at the archbishop’s residence in Palo.

 

In the afternoon, he is to bless the Pope Francis Center for the Poor, also located inside the archbishop’s residence compound. —Joel Locsin/KG, GMA News