Pope Francis is scheduled to visit the Philippines this coming January 2015. His itinerary has been released by the Vatican today.
Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle announced the itinerary in a media brief on Friday. Some who expected the Pope to take an extended stay in the typhoon ravaged regions of the Philippines are just now finding that he in fact is staying most of his time in the regions of Manila.
The Pope’s itinerary is as follows
January 15
5:45 pm – Arrive in Manila
January 16
9:15 am – Welcome Ceremony in Malacañang
10:15 am – Meeting with Government Authorities and Diplomats
11:15 am – Holy Mass with bishops and priests at the Manila Cathedral
5:30 pm – Meeting with families at the Mall of Asia Arena
January 17
8:15 am – Departure for Tacloban City
9:30 am – Arrival in Tacloban City
10 am – Concelebrated Mass near the Tacloban International Airport
12:45 pm – Lunch with some survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda at the Archbishop’s Residence in Palo, Leyte
3 pm – Blessing of the Pope Francis Center for Poor in Leyte
3:30 pm – Meeting with priests, religious, seminarians, and families of Yolanda survivors at the Palo Cathedral
5 pm – Departure for Manila
6:15 pm – Arrival in Manila
January 18
9:45 am – Meeting with leaders of various religions at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila
10:30 am – Meeting with the youth in the sports field of UST
3:30 pm – Mass at Rizal Park, Manila
January 19
9:45 am – Ceremony at Presidential Pavilion of the Villamor Airbase, Pasay City
10 am – Departure for Rome
5:45 pm – Arrival in Rome – time reflected is Rome time
Many are asking why the Pope is only staying for a 6 hour short stint in Leyte, the region, he has stated, is the reason for his trip to the Philippines.
Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines will mark the first time in 30 some years that any Pope has gone beyond the region of Manila. In fact this event is only the 2nd time in history.
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