‘Hold confab in Cebu parishes’

Instead of looking for a large venue for conferences during the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in 2016, church officials in the Philippines may need to consider other options.

Msgr. Achilles Dakay, media liaison officer of the Archdiocese of Cebu, said conferences regarding various aspects of the Holy Eucharist can be made in different parishes in Cebu.

“There will be different topics that will be discussed during the IEC. But instead of holding them in one huge venue, the conferences can be held in different parishes,” he told reporters.

Dakay said parishes in Cebu are already equipped with sound systems, other necessary materials, and even parking lots for participants.

In case Pope Francis will celebrate Mass during the IEC, Dakay said it can be held in a huge open area, possibly in the South Road Properties (SRP) in Cebu City.

pope’s visit

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma earlier said Church officials are hopeful that Pope Francis would visit the country in January 2016 after the Vatican asked that the date for the IEC be moved to accommodate the Holy Father’s schedule.

Palma said Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the Pontifical Committee on the IEC, requested that the event scheduled in Cebu City on May 23-29, 2016, be moved to another date since the Pope had a full calendar for May.

Due to Marini’s request, the IEC, which carries the theme “Christ in You: Our Hope of Glory” will now be held from Jan. 25 to 31 in 2016.

Palma, who is also the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Cebu (CBCP), expressed concerns over the absence of a large venue in Cebu that can house at least 15,000 participants.

The IEC is held every four years to promote awareness of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Church, to improve understanding and celebration of the liturgy, and to draw to the social dimension of the Eucharist.

The last time the Philippines hosted the IEC was in 1937 in Manila./Ador Vincent S. Mayol