Cebu prelate to skip Sinulog for Pope

CASHING INONVISIT Pope Francis calendars are sold for P50 apiece in Quiapo, Manila. The Pope is visiting the Philippines on Jan. 15-19 after a trip to Sri Lanka. KIMBERLY DELA CRUZ

CEBU CITY, Philippines—This is probably one occasion when the archbishop is wishing he can be in two places at the same time.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma will have to skip the culminating activities of the Sinulog celebration here because these will coincide with Pope Francis’ visit to the country.

Palma told reporters he had been asked by Fr. Marvin Mejia, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), to be present at several papal events.

Francis is expected to arrive in Manila at 5 p.m. on Jan. 15 and will leave the country for Rome on Jan. 19. He is scheduled to visit Leyte province on Jan. 17 to be with the victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in Eastern Visayas and of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Bohol province.

This means that Palma will have to skip the Sinulog activities scheduled for Jan. 16-18 because he will need to be in Manila and in Tacloban City with the Pope.

The prelate has been asked to be one of the celebrants of the Masses to be held by Pope Francis at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Jan. 16; at Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City, Leyte, on Jan. 17; and at Quirino Grandstand at Rizal Park in Manila on Jan. 18.

The dates will coincide with a fluvial parade and a procession on Jan. 17, eve of the feast day of the Holy Child Jesus, and the Pontifical Mass and the Sinulog Grand Parade on Jan. 18, the feast day.

Since Palma was installed as Archbishop of Cebu in 2011, he has led the fluvial parade and the Pontifical Mass during the festival.

Considered the grandest festival in Cebu, the Sinulog is held every third Sunday of January to celebrate the feast of the Holy Child Jesus.

“I was thinking of giving to others the chance to be with the Pope … . I have met this Pope four times,” Palma said.

“But Manila wrote me and said, ‘Archbishop, you are one of those being picked out to concelebrate with the Pope in Tacloban.’ So I will be with them in Tacloban and in all the other activities,” he said.

Palma said he had informed the Augustinian priests—administrators of Basilica del Sto. Niño—that he would have to skip the fluvial parade and the Pontifical Mass because of his role during the Pope’s visit.