Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14) – Pope Francis on Sunday thanked the Filipino Catholics for bringing joy to the world as he led a mass to mark the 500 years of Christianity in the country.
“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,” said the Pope during his homily at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.
The Pope, who is sometimes referred as Lolo Kiko by Filipinos, shared that he often described Filipino women in Rome as “smugglers of faith.” He noted that they “sow the faith” wherever they go to work.
“Keep bringing the faith, the good news you received five hundred years ago, to others. I want to thank you for the joy you bring to the whole world and to our Christian communities,” said the Pope.
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan brought Christianity to the country in 1521, after he landed and planted a cross in Cebu. Government data showed that over 80 million Filipinos are Roman Catholics.
Also present in the mass is former Manila Archbishop and now Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.
Tagle read a message to the Pope on behalf of the Filipino community.
“We also recognize the great contribution of the Christian faith in shaping Filipino and the Filipino nation,” he said.
“The gift must continue being a gift. It must be shared. If it is kept for itself, it ceases to be a gift,” added Tagle. “By God’s mysterious design, the gift of faith that we have received is now being shared by the millions of Christian Filipino migrants in different parts of the world.
