Pope to skip UST's 400th year fete

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos hoping to catch a glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI are in for a disappointment after the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines announced that His Holiness would not be attending the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) 400th founding anniversary next year.

The CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Edward Adams, reported that the Pope would not be attending the grand quadricentennial anniversary. The UST is the country’s only pontifical and royal university.

In his May 7, 2010 letter to CBCP president and Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar, Adams said the Holy Father could not come to Manila to attend UST’s historic event. Adams did not give an explanation for the Pope’s absence in next year’s celebration.

“The Holy Father will not be coming to Manila for the anniversary, but given the importance of the quadricentennial celebrations of the university, His Holiness will be sending for the occasion his special envoy, whose name will be published in L’osservatore Romano (on Nov. 27),” Adams said.

As of press time, UST officials could not comment on the news of the Apostolic Nuncio saying that university rector Fr. Rolando dela Rosa is currently out of town.

It was the third time that Pope Benedict XVI is expected to visit the Philippines since his installation to the Papacy in 2006. The Holy Father declined invitations to grace the Asian Youth Day held in Cavite last November and the 2nd National Congress of the Clergy held at Pasay City last January.

Founded on April 28, 1611, the UST holds the distinction of being the oldest existing university in the Philippines and in Asia. Being under the authority of the Holy See as a pontifical university, the UST has been visited by Pope Paul VI on Nov. 28, 1970 and by Pope John Paul II on Feb. 18, 1981 and Jan. 13, 1995.