Antipolo Cathedral (Photo courtesy of Antipolo Cathedral Facebook page)
MANILA – Over 80 bishops are expected to be present during the declaration of the Antipolo Cathedral as an international shrine on Friday.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news website reported on Wednesday that the Catholic prelates would attend the Mass at 10 a.m. to be celebrated by Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles Brown.
Before the Mass, a procession of the image of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage will be held at 8 a.m. from the sacristy to the church’s facade.
A rite of coronation of the image will then be held at 9:30 a.m., led by Brown and Antipolo Bishop Ruperto Santos.
In June 2022, the Vatican announced the approval of the petition to elevate the cathedral into an international shrine —the first in Southeast Asia and the 11th worldwide.
According to a Vatican decree, the cathedral’s new status took effect on March 25 last year.
A shrine is a sacred place that must meet specific requirements outlined in the norms for shrine designation.
The cathedral, also the Philippines' first national shrine, is a popular pilgrimage site visited by many devotees of Our Lady of Antipolo.
The bishops from across the country are currently in Manila for a seminar in preparation for their 127th plenary assembly at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center from Jan. 27 to 29. (PNA)
