500 YEARS OF FAITH. Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, speaks before devotees of the Sto. Niño during the open-to-public conference before the Holy Mass to mark the grand launching of the 500th anniversary of the Christian faith in the country at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño on Wednesday (Nov. 13, 2019). He was joined by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, Auxiliary Bishop Midyphil Billones and the members of the clergy in the Holy Mass. (PNA photo by Fe Marie Dumaboc)
CEBU CITY – Around 3,500 Catholic faithful gathered on Wednesday at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño here to witness the official launching of the 500th year anniversary celebration of the birth of Christianity and the arrival of the holy image of the Child Jesus in the country.
Maj. Joemar Pomarejos, chief of the Station 3 of the Cebu City Police, said the celebration went smoothly because of the cooperation of the people who flocked to the historical church, to participate in the ceremony launching the quincentennial celebration of the Christian faith.
“So far, generally peaceful. We recorded no untoward incidents, even petty crimes,” Pomarejos said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
He said the police expected a crowd of 6,000 but only more than half showed up at the basilica to join the grand opening of the celebration which will culminate in 2021.
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the papal nuncio of the Vatican to the Philippines, led the clergy in an open-to-public conference at 3 p.m.
After the conference, Caccia, along with Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, Auxiliary Bishop Midyphil Billones, priests and religious, proceeded to celebrate the Holy Mass to mark the opening of quincentennial of the Christian faith in the country.
Caccia, in his homily, invited the faithful to reflect on the mystery of the image of the Sto. Niño who, despite being a child, carries a globe, a scepter and wears a crown and robe.
“The Sto. Niño also reminds us of our call to spread Christ throughout the world,” he said.
Caccia underscored the childlike mystery of the Child Jesus.
“And this is the image of God. God wants us to take the best of our nature, without fear but with joy, because the definition of God is love,” he added.
The Augustinian friars implemented strict security measures like mandatory inspection of every faithful who wants to enter the basilica and to prohibit backpacks inside the church.
City Mayor Edgardo Labella, who attended the grand launching, expressed his full support to the church’s celebration.
“We have already tasked our Cebu City Traffic Office to make sure the traffic flow, as some of the roads around and towards Basilica are closed. We are coordinating with the PNP (Philippine National Police) for the security,” he said. (PNA)
