Palma to attend youth event in Brazil

CEBU, Philippines - Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma will be flying to Brazil for the 14th International World Youth Day slated on July 22-28 in Rio de Janeiro.

Palma will be accompanying the 38 youth members of the Commission on Youth (COY) of the Archdioces of Cebu as well as the other Filipino pilgrims.

In the World Youth Day, the COY Cebu delegation, according to the CBCP News, will be bringing the advocacy to educate young people about the martyrdom of St. Pedro Calungsod.

Aside from Palma, Legaspi Bishop Joel Baylon and Kabankalan Bishop Patricio Buzon will also attend the WYD and will be accompanying some 182 pilgrims under the Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY)-Philippines Delegation.

According to the CBCP website,  ECY-Philippines is considered as the official country delegation to the WYD but there are other dioceses that chose to deploy delegations separately including Novaliches with 30 pilgrims, Cubao and Manila with 25 and 35 delegates, respectively.

Delegates from the diocese of Novaliches will be escorted by Bishop Antonio Tobias. In CBCP News, ECY-Philippines delegation secretariat Fr. Conegundo Garganta said that Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros will also attend the WYD.

Garganta confirmed that there are 182 pilgrims from the ECY-Philippines delegation representing 28 origins nationwide. However, he said that it is not yet the definite number of WYD pilgrims coming from the Philippines since there may be schools, parishes, communities, congregations and organizations that chose to send delegates on their own.

The delegation is expected to depart for Rio de Janeiro from July 13 to July 15, just in time for the Missionary Week, which will be held from July 17-21. The diocese of Petropolis will host the ECY-Philippines delegation during the Missionary Week.  (FREEMAN)