Vatican execs in Cebu for IEC final meeting
Vatican officials are in Cebu for the final meeting on preparations for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in January 2016.
The first batch of the 59 delegates comprising the Pontifical Committee for the IEC arrived yesterday afternoon and attended a Mass at the St. Therese Parish Church in Lahug, Cebu City.
Cebu Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said the delegation would be in Cebu for five days to finalize the program of activities for the huge gathering of Catholics from around the globe happening in Cebu.
The delegation, a combination of individuals speaking Italian, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, were accompanied by Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines officials led by Archbishop Socrates Villegas and Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.
The group is set to visit today the construction site of the Pavilion, which will hold the EIC plenary, at the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos compound in Mabolo, Cebu City.
The main discussion and press conference would then happen at 11:30 a.m. at Marco Polo Plaza Hotel the next day, Sunday.
The delegation would also be joining the celebration of the 450th Kaplag, or the discovery of the image of the Señor Sto. Niño by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi’s men this Tuesday, April 28.
A cultural site tour, which includes a visit to the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center and its world-famous dancing inmates, is being prepared for the delegation this Monday.
Monsignor Dennis Villarojo of the Cebu Archdiocese, who is also part of local organizing committee, assured the public that construction of the Pavilion is right on schedule.
The Piso Para sa Misa ng Mundo, a fund-raising drive to fund the construction, has so far collected P8million.
The entire IEC is working on a total budget of P250 million, which Villarojo said is “achievable” and likewise “adjustable”. — Jessa J. Agua/RHM