Website for Pope Francis visit launched

MANILA, Philippines - Preparations for the visit of Pope Francis in the country in January next year went into full swing with the launch yesterday of the official website, www.PapalVisit.ph.

The website launched by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) allows the Filipino faithful to know the life and teachings of the Pope and his message of mercy and compassion, the official theme of the apostolic visit set from Jan. 15 to 19, 2015.

It will provide updates on the event, covering breaking news from the Philippines and all the way from the Vatican, as well as the latest videos and photos including from social media. It will also be the main resource for catechesis, official prayers, songs, and liturgy guides.

The website also provides historical context on previous apostolic journeys and why the Philippines holds a special place in the heart of the Pope and in the life of the universal Church. Infographics will help explain the rationale for the papal visit and other interesting topics about the Holy See, the papacy, the Church in the Philippines, and the Catholic faith in general.

It will also be the go-to site for media accreditation and the official source of statements, press releases, homilies, speeches and publicity materials.

Commissioned by the Papal Visit 2015 Central Committee through the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Social Communication (ECSC) and the CBCP Media Office, the website was formally launched during the Catholic Social Media Summit v3.0 at the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese of CBCP president Archbishop Socrates Villegas.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, head of the country’s Catholic hierarchy, expressed hopes that the papal visit would open ways for further journeys of faith and mission.

“The pastoral visit of Pope Francis focused on Mercy and Compassion would certainly offer vast opportunities to experience grace, to hear callings, to disturb comfort zones, to value the poor, to renew society, to care for creation and to live honorably. At the end of the visit and at some unknown future, let us share stories of how the journey of Pope Francis to us has led us to other journeys of faith and mission,” he said in his message on the website.