Vatican urges PH to minimize papal visit spending

The Vatican urged the Philippines to minimize papal visit expenditures and devote more resources to help victims of recent calamities. Speaking at a press briefing Thursday, papal visit media relations sub-committee chair Fr. Anton Pascual said the Vatican wants a simple papal visit to create savings for the rehabilitation of areas devastated by typhoon Yolanda and other disasters.

“The call of the Vatican that this visit not be costly is important because the desire of the Holy Father is that donations be given instead to the victims of calamities. That is the primary purpose of his visit,” Pascual said in Filipino.

Pope Francis earlier said he wants his visit to the Philippines on January 15 to 19 next year to be “pastoral and simple.”
“He wants that whatever graces received in terms of donations be given instead to victims of calamities, especially with the ongoing rehabilitation for Yolanda victims and survivors of the earthquake in Bohol,” Pascual added.

But the priest said the Church is still open to donations to defray the expenses for the papal visit.

“For those who would like to help, individuals and institutions, the Church is accepting donations,” he said.

He said donations may be coursed through Quiapo Church rector Msgr. Clemente Ignacio and Palo Archbishop John Du in Leyte. Both are part of the papal visit finance committee.

Fr. Marvin Mejia, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said though there are many aspects of the papal visit that require funding, “it still should not be a fund raising event.”

“The bishops are donating from their own pockets and from their own personal account and not from their dioceses because there’s no fundraising in the dioceses,” Mejia said.

Since the Pope’s coming to the country is also a state visit, he said all aspects of the papal visit are being planned in partnership with the government.

“We are on time with the preparations. We have a timeline and everything is in place,” he added. (CBCPNews)