Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said he welcomes the announcement of Pope Francis’ planned visit to the country in January 2015.
But Palma said it would be even better if the Pope returns for the International Eucharistic Congress to be hosted in Cebu City in January 2016.
Palma has yet to receive an official letter about the Pope’s visit related to his desire to visit those who suffered from supertyphoon Yolanda.
“That only proves that he understands the plight of those in the third world countries,” Palma said yesterday.
“It would be best if he will come back here in 2016,” Palma added.
The Pope’s response to an invitation to the international conference in Cebu has been the subject of much speculation, as his desire to visit typhoon victims is well-known.
Palma said the Pope usually confirms his attendance to the IEC a year before the event.
Archdiocese workers said it was highly unlikely for the Pope to visit the Philippines twice in as many years if he comes to visit typhoon victims in the Visayas in 2015.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle was quoted as saying the Pope wants to be close to the people who suffered from supertyphoon Yolanda (Haiyan) and the 7.2-magnitude earthquake last year.
Malacañang took the news as a pleasant surprise.
“This is a moment of joy,” Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters yesterday.
“It’s always a time of joy whenever the Pope comes to the Philippines,” he added, recalling the Filipinos’ “exuberance” when the late Pope John Paul II visited the country back in 1981 and 1995.
Lacierda said the visit would be something to look forward to, especially for the Philippines.
“We are a country [where] majority of the population are Catholics. This would be an opportunity for us to welcome His Holiness Pope Francis,” he said.
The spokesman said they have yet to discuss preparations for the event.
Pope Francis confirmed on Monday that he will visit the Philippines in January next year as well as Sri Lanka for two days, but gave no definite dates and details.
Early this year, Palo Archbishop John Du was quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer as saying that “the Holy Father might just come,” adding that although there was a plan, “there is no calendar yet (for this possible visit). But we are praying for it.”
Du spoke during the visit of Robert Cardinal Sarah to Leyte on Jan. 28, 2014, during which he expressed Francis’ “oneness and solidarity” with the people of Leyte and the rest of the areas hit by supertyphoon Yolanda.