International and local flavor to mark Papal Visit masses

Pope Francis will be 3rd pontiff to celebrate Mass at Manila Cathedral

Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines in January will mirror both the universality of the Church and the Filipino faith as expressed in their culture, particularly in the scheduled Eucharistic celebrations.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, during the regular press briefing held at the Papal Visit media office in Intramuros yesterday, said the masses to be celebrated by the Holy Father during his 5-day visit will be “regular masses”.  But these, he added, will be expressions of “the internationality of the Church because these will be multi-lingual and will use the major languages of the Filipinos.”

The first of three masses that Pope Francis will celebrate in the Philippines will be held at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral) at 11:15 a.m. on January 16, the second day of his visit.  He arrives from Sri Lanka in the late afternoon of the 15th but no public events are scheduled after the arrival ceremonies at Villamor Air Base.

The Pope’s official schedule begins with a welcome ceremony at Malacanang Palace at 9:15 a.m., led by President Benigno Simeon Aquino Jr. This will be followed by a meeting with government leaders and members of the diplomatic corps.

From Malacanang, the Holy Father will proceed by motorcade to the Cathedral-Basilica in Intramuros for the Eucharistic Celebration to be participated in by some 2,000 diocesan priests and members of religious congregations for men and women.

Msgr. Nestor Cerbo, rector of the Cathedral-Basilica, noted the timeliness of the completion of the restoration work on the structure, which began two years ago. Though the restoration was not in anticipation of a Papal Visit, he clarified, the timing was fortuitous as the newly-restored Cathedral-Basilica will be graced yet again by the presence of a Pope.

Pope Francis is the third pontiff to celebrate Mass in the Cathedral-Basilica, the premier church of the Archdiocese of Manila, following his predecessors, Pope Paul VI in November 1970 and St. Pope John Paul II in February 1981 and January 1995.

After his first visit in 1981, St. Pope John Paul II declared the Manila Cathedral as a basilica by virtue of a Papal Bull (decree) on April 27, 1981.

“The local Church received a rare gift from Pope John Paul II when he declared the Manila Cathedral as a basilica as an expression of his great love for the Filipinos,” Msgr. Cerbo said.

Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara, head of the Committee of Information and Media, said the Pope’s Mass at the Cathedral-Basilica is open only to bishops, priests and religious men and women. All 86 ecclesiastical jurisdictions will be represented by an equal number of delegates.  Other Asian Bishops are also expected to arrive in Manila and participate in the Mass.

For the lay faithful who wish to witness the celebration, LED screens will be set up outside the venue.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Tagle urged the faithful to pray for the priests and other consecrated men and women during the Manila Cathedral mass. “We look at the Holy Father as one who is a father to the ordained and consecrated. Mangangaral siya sa amin. Sasabihin po niya sa amin kung ano ang dapat na uri ng paglilingkod namin lalo na sa Pilipinas (He will teach us, and we will learn from him how we can best serve the Church and the faithful in the Philippines,” he shared.

Pope Francis will be in the Philippines from January 15-19, 2015 for an Apostolic and State Visit. Among the highlights of his trip is an interaction with the victims of Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban, Leyte.