Cebu to host Eucharistic Congress
-A A +ASaturday, June 30, 2012
POPE Benedict XVI has announced that Cebu City was chosen to host the next International Eucharistic Congress in 2016.
Msgr. Achilles Dakay, Archdiocesan media liaison officer, said the Holy Father made the announcement in a speech delivered in Rome and televised at the end of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress held in Dublin, Ireland.
“Towards the end of his message, ingon siya ‘I would like to invite you to join me in praying for God’s blessing upon the next International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place in 2016 in the city of Cebu!’” Dakay told Sun.Star Cebu in a phone interview.
“This would be big event that would entail a lot of work,” said Dakay.
In the same speech, the Pope also sent greetings to the country.
“To the people of the Philippines I send warm greetings and an assurance of my closeness in prayer during the period of preparation for this great ecclesial gathering. I am confident that it will bring lasting spiritual renewal not only to them but to all the participants from across th e globe.”
Congress
He said the Archdiocese of Manila hosted the Congress held in 1937 during the time of Pope Pius XI.
The Manila Archbishop at that time was Archbishop Michael O’Doherty while in Cebu it was Archbishop Gabriel Reyes.
Dakay said the preparations will involve parishes, dioceses and archdioceses in the country.
He said the archdiocese is in the midst of preparations for the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod in October, there is enough time for the Archdiocese of Cebu to prepare for the international event that would take place after four years.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma was a delegate at the Congress in Ireland that was held from June 10 to 16 together with other Filipino bishops including Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Committee on Eucharistic Congresses president Bishop Sofronio Bacud of Cabanatuan.
The Philippines vied for the opportunity to host the international event with Vietnam and South Korea.
The event was one of Palma’s first campaigns after he was installed as Archbishop of Cebu in January 2011.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on July 01, 2012.
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