Photo from UST website
MANILA, Philippines–The Catholic faithful are expected to gather in a huge conference on faith at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in January next year, coinciding with Pope Francis’ trip to the Philippines.
In a circular, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said the Archdiocese of Manila would hold the second Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE II) at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion from Jan. 15 to 17, 2015.
The event coincides with the Pope’s Philippine trip from January 15-19, 2015. But there is no confirmation yet whether the Holy Father will grace the UST event.
In a previous interview, Tagle neither confirmed nor denied reports that the Pope would visit UST for a youth rally.
“UST always figured in previous [papal] visits to the Philippines. We’re coming from that historical datum. Whether or not that will happen, we hope for confirmation at the end of the year,” Tagle said.
Pontifical
If Pope Francis visits UST, it will be the fourth time for a Pope to visit the university, which was founded by Dominicans in 1611 and declared a “Pontifical University” by the Holy See in 1902 even ahead of European institutions.
UST was visited by Pope Paul VI in 1970 and by Pope John Paul II in 1981 and 1995.
The PCNE, which Tagle started last year, aims to rekindle the Filipinos’ Catholic faith in the face of secularism.
Tagle explained that his office would convoke PCNE II in response to the continuing call for New Evangelization and the pastoral visit of Pope Francis.
‘Blessed are you’
This year’s PCNE carries the theme “Blessed are you…,” which will explore the relationship between the Beatitudes and evangelization.
“We would like to explore the relationship between the Beatitudes and evangelization. As we marveled at the possibilities for evangelization that the First Philippine Conference of New Evangelization (PCNE I) opened to us, we wish to focus on the blessedness that Jesus offers for our individual and communal transformation and mission,” the prelate said in a statement posted on papalvisit.ph website.
“Nothing can prevent us from proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ,” he said.
“We remember 2013 in the Philippines as the year of a destructive earthquake and of Super Typhoon “Yolanda.” But it was also the year of many graces, among them the election of the Pope Francis and the impetus he has brought to evangelization,” Tagle added.
Tagle said he considers PCNE I as “grace-filled” for giving hope amid the “rubble of natural calamities, escalating poverty, scandalizing corruption and worrisome violence.”
Inspired by Pope Francis, PCNE II seeks to reflect on The Beatitudes of Matthew 5 and the radical revolution it demands, and intends to take on the challenges posed by PCNE I.
The Holy Father chose the same theme for the celebration of the World Youth Days beginning this year to 2016 in Krakow.
In line with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) declaration of 2014 as the Year of the Laity, and 2015 as the Year of the Poor, PCNE II aims to “deepen our appreciation of the beatitudes in relation to our struggles with inequality and poverty.”
“Pope Francis’ visit to the country, with its focus on ‘mercy and compassion’ all the more highlights the need to understand these cherished ideals of Jesus,” Tagle said.