In a press briefing at the Palo Chancery, Archbishop Du emphasized the importance of the event for he considered this a rare opportunity to experience the mercy and compassion of God through Christ’s vicar, the Pope.
The objective of the briefing is to address the queries and questions of the media pertaining to the apostolic journey of Pope Francis. Likewise, the gathering is also a way of asking the support of the media to invite and encourage people to actively participate in this once in a lifetime event.
The Archdiocese of Palo also called the media to help the church to encourage support and enthusiasm of the faithful despite some restrictions on the security aspect.
“Let’s focus on the spiritual side that we will gain from the visit of the Holy Father,” Fr. Chris Arthur Militante, information and social communication officer of the Archdiocese of Palo said.
As of yesterday, some 60, 649 pilgrims from different vicariates in Visayas and Mindanao have signified to attend the Holy Mass of Pope Francis at Tacloban DZR airport on Saturday, January 17. However, Archbishop Du expects that as the day comes closer, more pilgrims will signify.
Some 85 local journalists have been accredited to cover the first-ever visit of Pope Francis in the Archdiocese in Palo. (jrc/cba/PIA-8)