Pope Francis’ Philippine Visit Itinerary Released

The Archbishop of Manila, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, officially announced on Friday the itinerary of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Visit to the Philippines.

The official itinerary is as follows:

Thursday, January 15, 2015

09:00 Departure by plane from Colombo to Manila

17:45 Arrival from Sri Lanka – Villamor Air Base, Manila

Motorcade to the Apostolic Nunciature – Taft Avenue, Manila

Friday, January 16, 2015

9:15 Welcome Ceremony – Malacañan Palace, Manila

10:15 Meeting with Civil Authorities and the Diplomatic Corps (Speech by Pope Francis)

Motorcade to the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral)

11:15 Mass with Bishops, Priests, and Religious – Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Manila (Homily by Pope Francis)

Motorcade to the Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay

17:30 Encounter with Families – Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay (Speech by Pope Francis)

Saturday, January 17, 2015

08:15 Departure for Archdiocese of Palo – Villamor Air Base

09:30 Arrival at Tacloban Airport

10:00 Holy Mass – Tacloban Airport (Homily by Pope Francis)

12:45 Lunch with the Poor and Survivors of Calamities at Gonzagahaus (Residence of the Archbishop of Palo) – Palo, Leyte

15:00 Blessing of the Pope Francis Center for the Poor – Palo, Leyte

15:30 Meeting with the Priests and Religious at Cathedral of Our Lord’s Transfiguration (Palo Cathedral) – Palo, Leyte (Speech by Pope Francis)

17:00 Departure for Manila

18:15 Arrival at Manila – Villamor Air Base

Sunday, January 18, 2015

09:45 Brief Meeting with the Religious Leaders

10:30 Encounter with the Youth – Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila (Speech by Pope Francis)

Motorcade to Rizal Park, Manila

15:30 Concluding Mass, Rizal Park, Manila (Homily by Pope Francis)

Monday, January 19, 2015

09:45 Departure Ceremony at Villamor Air Base

10:00 Departure for Rome – Villamor Air Base

17:40 Arrival at Rome’s Ciampino Airport

Archbishop Socrates Villegas, the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of thePhilippines, sends his invitation to his fellow Filipinos to extend a hearty and warm welcome to Pope Francis and to open the hearts to the message that the Pope will. He also enjoined all to work and act together to make the Pope’s visit a moment of grace for all and the country.

Holy Communion and Divorce

The Body of Christ. Amen.

It is a painful sight to behold when during mass, pews are still full but the communion line is very short. I am talking about the divorced and the civilly remarried who go to mass but for some grave reasons cannot receive Holy Communion. On one hand, I admire these people for their humility and bravery despite the embarrassment. On the other hand, it pains me to see these people who because of an error would be deprived of what nurtures spiritually for the rest of their mortal lives.

While the issue rages on, the Church as a mother empathizes with the suffering of her children who are prohibited to receive Holy Communion. Nevertheless, the prohibition to the divorced and civilly remarried stands. Why? The Church does not have the freedom and right to alter the Gospel. Jesus taught, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery” (Mark 10:11-12). Adultery is a grave sin that makes one unworthy to receive communion and to receive the Lord unworthily does not confer the graces that it can give but all more the makes the person deep in sin. St. Paul wrote, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily, will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27). In a way, to deny them communion can be seen as the Church’s way to protect her children from further harm that is from committing more serious sins.

The Church also upholds that marriage is a sacrament of unity between a husband and a wife. Jesus affirms this when he said, “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder” (Mark 10:19). Marriage reflects the union between God and his people. It is the same union that is expressed in the Eucharist because by partaking of communion, Jesus gathers us into one body. The Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio number 84 says, "They are unable to be admitted thereto from the fact that their state and condition of life objectively contradict that union of love between Christ and his Church which is signified and effected by the Eucharist.” They maybe prohibited receiving communion but that does not mean that they are shunned away from the Catholic Church. While they cannot receive communion they are not forbidden to attend mass.

Admittedly, the issue about the reception of Holy Communion by divorced and remarried couples is a complicated one. The issue has become a pastoral emergency in the Church but to give in to the demands to allow them to receive Holy Communion out of mercy will not address all the issues involved. Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller said, “One can draw close to God by turning to him in faith, hope and charity, in repentance and prayer. God can grant his closeness and his salvation to people on different paths, even if they find themselves in a contradictory life situation.”