Bacolod marks 31st year of papal visit

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — A resolution declaring the days from February 13 to 20 this year as the Blessed John Paul II Week in Bacolod was unanimously passed by the City Council.

Authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, the resolution states that Bacolod City was one of the few cities in the Philippines honored with a visit by then Pope John Paul II on February 20, 1981.

This council’s declaration paved the way for the city to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the visit here of now Blessed John Paul II.

“This year marks the 31st anniversary of the papal visit—a historic event that rekindled the faith and renewed hope in this part of the Catholic world,” said Msgr. Victorino Rivas, vicar general of the Diocese of Bacolod.

To celebrate this historic visit, Bacolod will hold ‘Totus Tuus!’ Week on February 13-20, a weeklong fest highlighting, among others, the institutions that have risen in Bacolod in honor of Blessed John Paul II, Rivas said. 

‘Totus Tuus’, a Latin phrase for “All Yours!” or “Completely Yours!,” and means “a total commitment to God” is the motto of Blessed John Paul II during his papacy, and was the people’s cry that rang out in the major streets of Bacolod as the Pope’s motorcade passed through in that historic day, Rivas said.

The ‘Totus Tuus’ Week is being organized by the Pope John Paul II National Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family (or simply JP II Institute), of which Rivas is the director.

Another highlight of the celebration will be the national conference on “Nuptial Theology: Call to Family Ministry, Agenda for Humanity” from February 13 to 17, to be hosted by the Pope John Paul II National Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family and the Diocese of Bacolod.

This conference, a project of the Pontifico Istituto Giovanni Paolo II in Rome in partnership with the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, will have about 200 participants from various religious groups, Rivas said.

Among the prominent guests expected are Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, and Msgr. Jose Granados, vice president of Pontifico Istituto Giovanni Paolo II in Rome.

The City Council’s resolution stated that Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005 and his cause for sainthood in the Catholic Church has been started since, and that the rare and distinct honor of being visited by a pope has spawned the rise of a number of landmarks and institutions in the city to honor him.

These institutions are the Pope John Paul II National Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, the Pope John Paul II Tower at the Reclamation Area and the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center at the Sacred Heart Seminary at Lacson Street.

On February 14, the Centro Giovanni Paolo II, which will serve as a retreat and resort facility in Punta Taytay will be inaugurated, while on February 15, the Centro Giovanni Paolo II for Research at Lacson St. will also be inaugurated, the resolution said.

These landmarks and institutions bolster Bacolod City’s tourism program, especially in religious pilgrimages, which attract visitors from all over the Philippines and the world, the resolution added. - THE FREEMAN