Will Pope Francis be back in the Philippines next year (January 2016) to attend the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Cebu? Pope got an invitation from Cardinal Tagle and hopefully he will come back.
He might just be, and as early as next year.
This is according to Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle in a press conference Sunday night at the Diamond Hotel.
Asked the question, he quipped that Filipinos should probably wait until the Pope was back in Rome first before wondering when he would return.
Turning serious, he said that Cebu would be hosting the 51st International Eucharistic Congress from January 24 to 31, 2016, and that the Pope had already received an invitation to the event.
“Will the Pope come again for that? We hope!” Tagle said.
Reflecting on the activities of the day, meanwhile, he said that the Pope “was just mesmerized” seeing the crowd in Luneta Park.
“He kept asking, ‘How many people are here?’” Tagle said.
Amidst the sea of people, the Pope could only say, “I cannot fathom the faith of ordinary people.”
Vatican spokesperson Fr. Federico Lombardi called the crowd “impressive,” adding that it might just be the largest event in the history of popes.
He said authorities told him it numbered about six to seven million.
“We have seen so many people that we believe it is possible,” he said.
The previous record of 5 million was set during the visit of Pope John Paul II for the World Youth Day in Manila in 1995, Lombardi added.
“We have to come back to Manila,” he said in jest, if only to see how many people would turn out the next time.
In general, Lombardi said that the way the Pope had been received was “marvelous, extraordinary.”
“I think the pope was very touched. The numbers were incredible… The Pope has appreciated this very much,” he said.
Before leaving the Apostolic Nunciature, the Pope asked how many kilometers it would take to reach Luneta Park. Tagle answered, “Around seven,” to which the pontiff replied, “Oh, that will be 14.”
Seeing the crowds, however, “energized him,” Tagle said.
He added that the Pope liked the jeepney-inspired popemobile.
“So we might send it to him to Rome as a gift,” Tagle said.
Lombardi was full of praise for the Luneta event.
“The music was wonderful,” he said, noting that it fused western and eastern influences, as well as harmonies from different parts of the Philippines.
He also commended the organizers for including a family with triplets and a blind lady in the offertory and first reading, respectively.
For the Pope’s meeting with the youth at the University of Santo Tomas, Tagle said that as the motorcade made its way around the campus, the pontiff would turn to them and exclaim, “Hey, where are these young people getting their energies from?”
“We have experienced in the Philippines great religious devotion, great (willingness) of the people to listen to the Church and the Gospel,” Lombardi said.
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