500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines

Pope Francis offered a festive Eucharistic celebration on March 14, Sunday in St. Peter´s Basilica with the Filipino Community in Rome to commemorate the 500 years anniversary of Christianity in the Philippine archipelago. In his homily, he thanked the Filipino Catholic migrants not only in Rome but also in many other countries of the world. Pope Francis said: “Five hundred years have passed since the Christian message first arrived in the Philippines. You received the joy of the Gospel: the good news that God so loved us that he gave his Son for us. And this joy is evident in your people.

We see it in your eyes, on your faces, in your songs and in your prayers.” Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, also joined the mass. In his speech before the end of the mass, he acknowledged the enormous contribution of more than ten million Filipinos who are bearing witness to their Christian faith in more than 100 countries in the world. On April 4, Easter Sunday, the Catholic Church in the Philippines will officially inaugurate the year-long jubilee celebration. The ocassion will be celebrated with the opening of the „Holy Doors“ of pilgrim churches across the country. The theme of the jubilee celebration is „Gifted to Love“. In Germany, the Filipino Catholic Communities in the Diocese of Limburg will hold a commemorative celebration of the 500 Years of Christianity on April 11, Feast of the Divine Mercy.