Catholic Church

Pope Francis leads Vatican Mass for 500 years of Christianity in PH

Jezreel Ines

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Pope Francis leads Vatican Mass for 500 years of Christianity in PH

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(UPDATED) 'Join us in Rome to pray, praise, and thank God for his gift of the Christian faith,' says Father Ricky Gente of the Filipino Chaplaincy in Rome

Pope Francis is leading Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica at 5 pm (Manila time) on Sunday, March 14, for the celebration of 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.

Click the video below to watch the livestream of this Mass:

Pope Francis leads Vatican Mass for 500 years of Christianity in PH

The Mass will be concelebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, who is also former Manila archbishop, and Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, the Vicar of Rome.

Only a limited number of people will be allowed to attend the Mass inside Saint Peter’s Basilica because of COVID-19 restrictions, reported the news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). The celebration at the Vatican will be livestreamed, however, to reach Filipinos around the world.

“Join us in Rome to pray, praise, and thank God for his gift of the Christian faith,” said Scalabrinian priest Father Ricky Gente of the Filipino Chaplaincy in Rome, as quoted by CBCP News.

After the Mass, the Pope will lead the traditional Angelus prayer at noon.

In 2019, Pope Francis made history by celebrating the Filipino tradition of “Simbang Gabi” with the Filipino community in Rome and called on Filipinos to “continue to be smugglers of the faith.”

Italy has the largest population of overseas Filipino workers in Western Europe with a total number of 168,000 Filipinos. – Rappler.com

Jezreel Ines is a Rappler intern. He is a third year journalism student at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

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Jezreel Ines

Jezreel is a researcher-writer at Rappler mainly focused on governance and social issues.