Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma
500th YEAR OF CHRISTIANITY in PH
Several big events will greet guests and Cebuanos celebrating the 500th anniversary of the coming of Catholism in the country in 2021.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said that several events fostered by the national government and the Catholic Church are in the pipeline to celebrate the fifth centenary of the Christian faith in the country.
“There are a lot of events coming from the CBCP and coming from the government. For the part of the CBCP ( Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines), the big celebration will be in remembrance of the first mass, first baptism and the giving of the Sto. Niño image to the first converted Filipinos,” Palma told Cebu Daily News.
Palma added that the church-sanctioned events in 2021 will be culminated with a mission-sending in line with the celebration of the Year of the Mission to the Nations.
Palma also confirmed that the Catholic leaders in the country invited Pope Francis to witness the events of the fifth centenary.
“We have invited the Holy Father but we can only pray that he will come. With regards to how sure are we, time will tell,” Palma said.
Dr. Rene Escalante of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) said that the NHCP, along with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) sent an Executive Order for President Rodrigo Duterte to formulate a preparatory committee for the event.
Palma also said that the government-sponsored events are mainly anchored on the historical events that have brought Christian faith in the country.
“Many of them (government-chartered events) will center on the Christianization of our forefathers, Magellan’s circumnavigation and other historical events like the Battle of Mactan,” Palma said.
Palma underscored the importance of the 500th year since the coming of Christianity in the country, saying that it reflects the roots of our devotion./With USJ-R Intern Gerard Vincent Francisco