Rama hopes Pope joins 2016 Cebu Eucharistic Congress

CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma yesterday said the Catholic Church in the Philippines is joyful following the election of Argentina Archbishop Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio to the papacy.

“We are happy that we have a new pope and like many others, we also accept the surprise that he is not European,” Palma, who is also president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said.

“Like all Christians, we are invited to give our full trust to him and give our allegiance to him and help him in all his programs,” the prelate’s message posted on the CBCP website last night said.

Malacañang yesterday hailed the election of ardinal Bergoglio as the new Pope, saying this brings the “promise of renewal” in the Catholic Church.

“From the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica came an announcement of great joy: that Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio had been elected as Pope, and taken the name Francis. From the city to the world, the joyful news has been accompanied by prayer and goodwill born of new beginnings,” President Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a statement.

The President, together with the Filipinos, “joins all the Catholic faithful as they receive their new leader and meet his proclamation with a sense of boundless promise,” Lacierda said.

“As the first pope from outside Europe in a millennium—the first pope from the Society of Jesus, and the first from Latin America—the election of Pope Francis brings with it the promise of renewal in the Catholic Church, as it strives to fulfill its mission here on earth,” he said.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is hopeful that Pope Francis can visit Cebu during the celebration of the 2016 Eucharistic congress.

But Rama said it will be up to Archbishop Palma and Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal to make representations for Pope Francis to come to Cebu.

“I wish he will be in Cebu,” he said.

He said that while Filipino cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle was not chosen as the new pope, this should not be reason for Filipinos to feel bad.

Before Filipinos pray for a Filipino pope, they should first pray for the appointment of more Filipino cardinals “because the more we have cardinals, the more connections we will have to the Vatican.”

The election of Cardinal Bergoglio ,who chose to be called Pope Francis, came as a plesant surprise to Church officials and lay leaders in Cebu.

“We never made the right guess as to who would be elected pope. One enjoyed the guessing game but the Holy Spirit works in His own ways,” said Msgr. Achilles Dakay, the media liaison officer of the Archdiocese of Cebu

Dakay urged the faithful to never cease praying for tne new pope.

“We renew our loyalty to the pope, whoever he is, wherever he comes from. Let’s unite and walk with him. As Pope Francis said, ‘I’m going to walk with you as brother.’ This is a journey again. Let’s see what he can do. As the Jesuits always say ‘Let’s pray for one another’,” he said.

Retired Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Antonio Rañola was elated with the election of Pope Francis whom he said is a “very simple man.”

“We are happy that the new pope chose the papal name Francis because St. Francis of Assisi is a man who exemplified what is meant by the ‘blessed are the the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God.”

St. Francis of Assisi was an Italian friar from a wealthy family who chose to live in poverty and preach the teachings of Jesus Christ. He is also known for his love for animals and the environment. St. Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscan Order.

Pope Francis’s name is also derived from St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish missionary and one of the founders of the Society of Jesus or Jesuit congregation.

“We wish him long life, good health, and good shepherding of more than one billion Catholics all over the world. He’s relatively young and we hope he will visit his flock in different parts of the world,” Rañola said.

Msgr. Esteban Binghay, episcopal vicar of the Archdiocese of Cebu, said he admired the humility of the new pope.

“He is the first pope who asked the people to bless him before imparting his blessing. He is also the first pope who did not wear the big red cape which symbolizes power and triumph. He was very simple,” he said./with Inquirer