Pope Francis expresses ‘cordial solidarity’ with CBCP

New officials of the CBCP, led by its president, Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao (center), take their oath during a Mass to start their plenary assembly at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018. (Photo from CBCP News)

Pope Francis extended his “cordial solidarity” with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines as its members met for their first plenary assembly for 2018.

In a message sent to Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, CBCP president, the pontiff assured the prelates of his “prayerful solidarity” as they discussed the life and mission of the Church during their biannual meeting.

“His Holiness prays that your fraternal dialogue will bear fruit for the benefit of all the faithful in an environment of living communion following the ideal of the first Christian communities, in which the believers were of one heart and one soul,” read part of the message sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state.

The CBCP began its three-day plenary assembly on Saturday in Cebu City, the first under Valles, its new president.

After a Mass celebrated by the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, Valles and the other recently elected CBCP officials took their oath of office before Caccia.

The papal nuncio even greeted the Filipino prelates in Cebuano before beginning his homily, bidding them a “maayong buntag sa tanan.”

The first plenary assembly for this year will be held in Cebu City, from Saturday to Monday. More than 80 bishops, both active and retired, are expected to attend.

The plenary assembly was the first for Valles as president of the CBCP, and for Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David as CBCP president.

Valles, a friend of President Rodrigo Duterte, assumed his post in December last year.

He succeeded Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, an outspoken critic of the spate of killings under Duterte’s war against illegal drugs.

The prelates are expected to discuss pressing issues of the day, particularly efforts to change the 1987 Constitution and pave the way for a federal form of government.

Earlier, Valles said other issues likely to be discussed during the plenary assembly would be the new guidelines from Rome on priestly formation and 2018 as the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons.

He is also expected to report on the progress of the CBCP’s plans for the 500th celebration of the arrival of Christianity in the country, which will be held in 2021. /atm