MANILA, Philippines - Boxing champion Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao will talk about how reading the Bible changed his life, and his audience will be priests from the diocese of Marbel, South Cotabato, a church official said yesterday.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said that in a recent conversation he had with Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez, he was told that the 33-year-old Pacquiao would be giving a testimony on March 13.
“Pacquiao would give a recollection to the priests of Marbel. He would talk about the importance of the Bible. Pacquiao has changed. Because of the Bible, he no longer gambles,” said Pabillo, who is also the chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (CBCP-Nassa).
CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Biblical Apostolate (ECBA) chairman Pampanga Auxiliary Bishop Pablo David believes it would be a good idea if Pacquiao shares his experience. “Since it is a recollection, it is really a sharing of spiritual experiences. His religious experience is really worth sharing,” he said.
David said if Pacquiao has some questions about the Bible, there should be priests to whom he can turn for “spiritual direction.”
Last January, Pacquiao – rumored to be a gambler and a womanizer – said he rekindled his faith after an “encounter with God” in a dream.