Official statement of Bishop Jess on behalf of the people
of Paranaque and the rest of the Philippines in welcoming the Holy Father
Statement for the media
Dear friends,
I cannot be present with you this
morning because we priests of the Diocese of Parañaque are offering a special
Mass for our brother priests and esteemed lay leaders who have passed away in
2014. They have spent their lives for God and for country. We owe them
our thanks and our prayers. We are also having our Advent recollection
in preparation for the 2015 Year of the Poor. Our theme is “Pamayanan
ng mga abá, bayang pinagpala”.
Nevertheless, i am happy to send this
greeting to you. We shall be welcoming the Holy Father at dusk on January
15next year. Despite the gathering darkness, we plan to brighten the night with
the warmth of our love. Pope Francis, as the successor of St. Peter and
Vicar of Christ, speaks not only for Jesus, but especially in behalf of the
poor. When he disembarks from the plane, 1200 young men and women will greet him
with vibrant music and dance. Two children will offer him flowers. They will be
orphans who have come to know God as our Father through the love and care of
selfless men and women.
We are still working on other
details. We shall share them with you so that you can share our excitement,
because Pope Francis has brought us together: man and women of faith, men and
women of government. We thank God for the good will with which we work
together. We are confident that, after the Pope’s plane has left on January
19, after the red carpet has been rolled up, after the last light bulb has been
switched off, we shall sleep soundly with the hope that Filipinos can forge a
nation of mercy and compassion through a life of integrity: personal integrity,
integrity in the family, integrity in work and in politics, integrity in
communities of faith, promoting the integrity of creation.
God bless you all!
+ Jesse E. Mercado
Chairman, Arrival-Departure Committee
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