Papal itinerary excludes Cebu, Bohol

CEBU CITY — Despite the wishes of church and government leaders for Pope Francis to also visit Bohol and Cebu when he comes to the Philippines in January, 2015, the official Papal itinerary has excluded the two equally calamityhit provinces.

The Vatican released the official itinerary of Pope Francis during his visit to the Philippines from January 15 to 19, 2015, as announced by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle to media last Friday.

The itinerary showed that the activities of the Pope will be concentrated in Manila, Tacloban City and the town of Palo in Leyte.

Pope Francis will arrive in Tacloban on January 17, where he will hold a concelebrated mass near the Tacloban International Airport. He will then have lunch with survivors of super-typhoon Yolanda at the Archbishop’s Residence in Palo, Leyte.

Earlier, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma added a voice to the call for Pope Francis to visit Bohol province as part of his Philippine itinerary in January.

Palma supported the call of Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto and Archdiocese of Tagbilaran Bishop Leonardo Medroso who both expressed hope that the Pope would drop by Bohol to also see the damage wrought by the over 7 magnitude earthquake that rocked the province in October last year.

Cebu archdiocese spokesman Monsignor Joseph Tan said he still has not seen the official itinerary but stressed that if it is true that the Pope is not coming to Cebu, there will be some disappointment.

However, he urged the faithful to think of it holistically and to keep on praying.

Fr. Jonas Mejares, rector of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, said he was disappointed with the news but stressed that everything happens for a reason.

Organizers of Cebu City’s Sinulog Festival were gearing up for a possible change of schedule as they anticipate the possibility of the Pope dropping by Cebu during the festivities.