2016 Eucharistic Congress to open at CICC

THE Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) has been chosen as the venue for the opening ceremony of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in January 2016, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said yesterday.

“The congress will spend more than hundreds of millions of pesos but we won’t seek monetary help from politicians. I don’t want the people to get the wrong impression. It is a congress, a spiritual event and it is for them,” Palma said.

In yesterday’s press conference, Palma said the warehouse located behind Park Mall will be used for the Eucharistic activity while the procession will start from Fuente Osmeña and end at the Plaza Independencia.

The Cebu City Sports Complex in Abellana National High School will also be used for another activity while the South Road Properties (SRP) will be the venue of the culminating event.

“During my previous experiences in a congress, the average number of participants was 12,000. I hope half of the participants will come from outside the country,” Palma said.

The chairmen of the various committees will meet in Manila with the bishops and some institutions to conduct a theme song and logo contest.

“The winning piece will be used starting this December in preparation for the incoming IEC event,” Palma said.

Anne Griffin, overall manager of the 50th IEC in Dublin, Ireland urged the Cebuano faithful to pool their efforts for the event. “There are a lot of things that will happen and this will be a big milestone in the history of Cebu, Philippines,” she said.