Public to be allowed to venerate blood relic of St. John Paul at Manila Cathedral

Fr. Reginald Malicdem unveils to reporters a relic, a small vial of blood of St. John Paul II at a press briefing in Manila Cathedral. INQUIRER / Grig C. Montegrande

A blood relic of St. John Paul II will be made available for the public to venerate this weekend at the Manila Cathedral.

Manila archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle will celebrate a welcome Mass on Saturday morning in honor of the relic, which was donated by the former Pope’s secretary, Cardinal Stanislaus Dziwisz.

After the 9 a.m. Mass, the blood relic will be available for public veneration until Sunday, after which it will be secured once more.

The relic may be brought out for special occasions like St. John Paul II’s feast day on October 22, said Fr. Reginald Malicdem, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Manila.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Malicdem, appealed to the faithful to observe a solemn decorum when paying their respects to the relic.

“It’s okay to take photos, but remember that this is not a museum piece. This is the presence of a very holy man who is close to us Filipinos,” he said.