Pope lauds deep faith of Filipinos

CEBU CITY—Pope Francis on Sunday praised Filipinos for spreading Christianity “to all the ends of the earth” while his personal representative to the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) held here called on them “to multiply” and evangelize the world, especially Western countries where there are “more [pets] than children.”

Appearing in a video to a million people at the end of the Statio Ordo, or closing Mass, of the IEC at South Road Properties, Pope Francis announced that the next IEC would be held in 2020 in Budapest, Hungary.

The Pope said he was happy that the Cebu congress “brought many people from the vast continent of Asia and throughout the world.”

He pointed the 15,000 IEC delegates from 71 countries to the strong Catholic faith of Filipinos, saying he was able to experience it firsthand when he visited the Philippines last year to console victims and survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in 2013.

“I was able to witness firsthand the deep faith and resilience of the people,” Francis told the delegates.

The Pontiff said that while the typhoon caused destruction, it also brought out the goodness in other people.

“Here I think of the aftermath of the typhoon. It brought immense devastation to the Philippines. Yet it also brought in its wake an immense outpouring of solidarity, generosity and goodness. People seek rebuilding not just homes but also lives,” the Pope said.

Migrants as missionaries

He added that the Philippines’ “deep fidelity” to the Gospel had enabled its millions of migrant workers to perform the role of missionaries in other countries.

The Filipinos “have spread the faith in Asia and all the ends of the earth,” he said.

Referring to the Church of Cebu, the Pope said Christianity was first received in the Philippines in Cebu in the image of the Santo Niño de Jesus, the beloved icon of the Visayas whose devotion was promoted by the Augustinians, the first missionaries in the country.

He said the congress was a good preparation, as the Philippines would mark the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in 2021.

Although he had initially accepted the invitation to the Cebu congress upon his election in 2013, the Pope later had to beg off because of his 2015 visit to the Philippines and his tight schedule.

But the special video message apparently more than made up for the nonappearance as the faithful stood up after the papal address and heartily applauded.

Police estimated the crowd to be at least a million.

‘Hope of the world’

Burmese Cardinal Charles Maung Bo said the Philippines was “the hope not only of Asia but [also] of the world.”

“Filipinos, your time to rise has arrived,” said Bo, the archbishop of Rangoon (Yangon), Burma (Myanmar). He lavished praise on Filipinos for their intense faith and their love of family.

Big Filipino families mean more missionaries, he said.

“[Have many children. Increase the number of your missionaries],” he said in Filipino, to the delight of the crowd.

Filipinos, he added, should spread out to places like Europe, where, he said in Filipino, “they have few children but many dogs and cats.”

The Eucharist

The papal legate appeared to repeat the message of Francis in the Pope’s Rizal Park homily in January 2015. The Pontiff said that Filipinos fill the churches everywhere they go and urged them to be missionaries.

In his Cebu address, Francis said the Holy Eucharist, referring both to the liturgical ritual and the Communion host, had a “missionary dimension.”

He explained that the Eucharist was initiated during the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples.

He said there were “two gestures” of Christ in the Last Supper: the fellowship of the meal and the washing of the feet.

“Both have to do with the missionary dimension of the Eucharist,” Francis said.

He explained that the washing of the feet meant that Christians would have to perform works of mercy to help and defend the poor and the oppressed and ease the misery of refugees and outcasts of society.

He said fellowship of the meal meant Catholics had to reach out to sinners with mercy and compassion.

The Pope said he had in fact announced 2016 as the Year of Mercy.

“We are called to bring the bond of God’s merciful love to the whole of humanity,” he said.

While Christianity is a minority in Asia, the Church is committed to dialogue with other religions, the Pope said.

“The Church in Asia is committed to respectful dialogue with followers of other religions,” he said.

Sadness

“I love Cebu!” Bo said at the start of his homily.

The prelate was echoing the widespread appreciation of foreign delegates for Cebu’s hospitality and its vibrant faith and very warm people.

Speaking sometimes in Filipino and sometimes in Cebuano, Bo said he was sad he would be leaving Cebu soon.

Cebu Archbishop Jose S. Palma, speaking at the close of the Mass, thanked the delegates, then added, “But now it’s time to say goodbye,” drawing a collective moan from the foreign delegates.

A Taiwanese delegate said she was impressed by the participation of young Filipino Catholics in the congress.

“I have brought my daughters with me and they are very happy,” she said. “Now we know that the IEC is not only for old people but for young people as well.”

She was referring to the jocular representation of congress organizers who, pressed to explain what the IEC was, pointed to the more popular but more recent World Youth Day, a festival started by St. John Paul II in the 1980s and held every two years.

“While the World Youth Day is for young people, [the] IEC is for old people,” organizers said.

The IEC has been held by the Catholic Church at fairly regular intervals since 1881, when it was first mounted in Lille, France.