Cebu Archbishop Jose S. Palma said he wasn’t visible during the visit of Pope Francis because he wanted to give other bishops the chance to meet him.
“I will not deprive others and give them the opportunity,” he told the reporters.
Palma said he has met the Pontiff several times and he is due to be in Rome this year.
Palma remains hopeful that Pope Francis will be in Cebu for the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) on January 24-31 next year.
Cardinal Louis Antonio Tagle and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) have extended an invitation to the pope for the event.
Waiting
Palma said former Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal also invited Pope Francis.
“We will leave everything to the planning committee. Who knows he might surprise us with his decision,” Palma added. When asked if they are expecting Pope Francis for the IEC, he answered, “We are also praying that he will be back here but there are also 200 other nations that are waiting for him to visit.”
When asked about President Benigno Aquino III’s statement that the church was silent during the administration of his predecessor Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Palma answered, “There are many inspirations but why do we have to linger in the past?”
In a speech he delivered in Malacañang, President Aquino criticized church officials for being “silent on the abuses of the previous administration.”
“Anyway, everyone is entitled to their own perception. It might be good to look at the present and move forward than to start from the past,” he told reporters.