Sin to re-consecrate Filipino nation to God

Archbishop of Manila Jaime Cardinal Sin will say Mass outside the Our Lady of EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City on Sunday afternoon to "re-consecrate" the nation to God.

Monsignor Socrates Villegas, the shrine’s rector and Sin’s spokesman, told The STAR yesterday the Catholic hierarchy as well as religious and other sectors will assemble at the shrine to "re-consecrate the entire Filipino nation" to God and the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima.

"The entire Filipino nation has to be consecrated so that we may truly become a Church of the poor," he said.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) invited yesterday the youth to take part in a prayer vigil and candle-lighting campaign on the eve of election day.

In an official statement, the CBCP said: "Like a lamp shedding light to the truth that we all seek, the candle symbolizes the dispelling of darkness of election irregularities."

Last May 4, Sin issued a circular in which he called on Filipinos to "be united in expressing to God our gratitude, our penance, and our commitment to be a Church of the poor."–Sandy Araneta