Palace mulls declaration of holiday for papal visit

Pope Francis attends a holy liturgy celebrated by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014. AP

MANILA, Philippines – A Malacañang official on Sunday said that the government is considering to declare a five-day holiday to coincide with the state and apostolic visit of Pope Francis in the country on January 15 to 19 next year.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said that the declaration of the said holiday is being eyed as a measure to ensure the safety of the pontiff.

“For now, the government’s top priority is to ensure the smooth conduct of activities during the papal visit. In order to attain this, we are considering the possible declaration of a holiday [during the visit of Pope Francis],” Coloma said over state-run DZRB.

In a report by Radyo Veritas, Marciano Paynor Jr., a member of the Papal Visit Central Committee, said that when Pope St. John Paul II visited the country in 1995, a papal holiday was also declared.

Paynor, a former ambassador to Israel, said that the non-working period “will enable Catholics who may want to take part in any of the papal activities to do so.”

The local government of Manila has earlier declared suspension of classes in all levels and work in government offices in the city during the papal visit.

Executive Order 75 signed by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada states that the suspension of work in government offices and classes has been recommended “to ensure public order and convenience.”

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