Almost everybody is on their feet in full anticipation and excitement for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis here in the Philippines. It’s an honor for our country to welcome the Roman Pontiff but it also entails a great challenge and responsibility on our part as a host nation. I am not talking merely on the cost of the preparation that we will be going to spend for his visit. What I am pointing here as a great challenge and responsibility on our part is our disposition to receive and integrate in our lives the message and purpose of his coming. Mercy and Compassion, two words yet so deep and touching. This is the very purpose of Pope’s visit. He is here not take “selfies” together with our political and church leaders but he is here to commune with the poor and spread Jesus’ message of mercy and compassion!
The pope never fails to remind us that “he should not be the center of this visit” but the message and the person he represents should be our focus-Jesus Christ! I read several negative reactions coming from the atheists and other sects. They said that because of Pope Francis’ visit, the Philippine constitution is compromised. The separation of the Church and state is violated. According to them also, our government spend millions of pesos in preparing for his coming which is very inappropriate and imprudent. The fund the government is using is coming from the taxpayers in general and not all tax payers are Catholics. Well, all I can say is that Pope Francis is a simple man, in fact he told our Church and government leaders to make their preparation simple. If our leaders welcome him grandiosely as an expression of our hospitality then it’s not his fault but I believe that there’s nothing wrong in that also. We are just living our identity as Filipinos, the identity of being hospitable to our visitors. Anyways, this a very rare event for us and it calls for celebration I think. It is a celebration in moderation imbibing the message of Mercy
and Compassion
basically, Papal visit is not a contradiction to the separation of the Church and the State because The Roman Pontiff is the head of state of Vatican. But well, the purpose of his visit is not on political aspect. A wonderful reflection Charles.
ReplyDeleteIt is an undeniable fact that the Pope's visit is both a state visit as a head of vatican state and at the same time as head of Catholic Church... THe Pope therefore deserves a hospitable treatment that he trully deserves.
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