'Emulate late Pope's example'

source: philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines - Pope John Paul II is a “model of simplicity, openness and compassion” who must be emulated by Filipinos.

Malacañang yesterday called on the faithful to extol the virtues of the late pontiff, whose visits to the country in 1981 and 1995 left an imprint of lasting unity being shared by Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Malacañang joins the nation in sharing the excitement over the beatification of Pope John Paul II today.

John Paul II died on April 2, 2005 and in April 2009, his successor Pope Benedict XVI prayed for “the gift of beatification.”

The Holy See released the decree for the beatification of John Paul II last Jan. 14.

Based on reports, the choice of the Feast of Divine Mercy today was not accidental as the late pope had a deep devotion to his fellow Pole Sr. Faustina Kowalska and to the Divine Mercy devotion identified with her.

Filipinos - Catholics as well as members of other religious groups - have been following developments leading to the late pope’s beatification today.

Filipinos remember Polish Karol Józef Wojtyla, the first non-Italian pope, for his visits to the country and his prayers for the Philippines every time there were developments he found significant.

Lawmakers said the present generation of Filipinos owes much of their character and moral strength to John Paul II.

Ang Kasangga sa Kaunlaran party-list Rep. Teodorico Haresco said John Paul II helped the nation pull through dark times and upheavals like economic crises and the two people power revolutions in 1986 and 2001.

“Maybe we don’t fully realize it, but we have always been spiritually, morally guided by the late Blessed Pope John Paul II,” Haresco said. “He has always been there, just barely beneath our consciousness and in our hearts.”

“This is the reason why, despite the relentless assault of so-called ‘modern’ values that degrade our dignity as human beings, Filipinos have remained mindful of the true moral values and have not, in general, strayed,” he said.

Haresco, a member of the Pabahay ng Diyos Foundation chaired by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, said the “extraordinarily fast process by the Vatican to beatify him shows indeed that he was God’s man and instrument.”

Quezon Rep. Winston Castelo said the beatification means that “Catholics throughout the world have reason to rejoice.”

“Filipinos will have this sense of pride as the late pope was very close to us,” Castelo said.

Parañaque City Rep. Roilo Golez said Filipinos have a very close emotional attachment to John Paul II.

“His visits were meaningful and we all warmed up to him,” Golez said.

Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara said the beatification comes as no surprise “given his inspirational leadership of the Catholic Church and his efforts to reach out to many faiths.”

House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez said John Paul captured the hearts of Filipinos, regardless of their faith, because of his humility.

Pangasinan Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil fondly recalled his daughter Carmela was kissed by the late pope in 1995 when she was three years old.

“With the beatification of the pope, we join the whole world in prayer and thanksgiving,” Bataoil said.

‘Choose the path of righteousness’

Tuguegarao City Archbishop Diosdado Talamayan also urged the faithful to emulate the virtue of humility of John Paul.

Talamayan said the late pope has led the life following the footsteps of Jesus Christ by choosing the simple life in his mission to unify his flock in his advocacy of love and peace.

“Anyone of us could be saints for as long as we choose the path of righteousness manifested by the pope during his lifetime,” Talamayan said.

The Archdiocese of Manila is set to hold a fun run this morning at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in celebration of the beatification of John Paul II, who is loved by many Filipinos because he visited the country twice.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said the fun run was a way for them to celebrate the beatification.

A Mass to be officiated by Pabillo would also be held at the finish line.

To mark the beatification, the Philippine Postal Corp. (Philpost) intends to come out with limited edition stamps of the pontiff this month.

Philpost general manager Antonio de Guzman said they are now looking for the appropriate pictures as designs for the stamps.

Though there was no request from the Catholic Church to issue the stamps, De Guzman said Philpost would take the initiative of informing the Church of their intention to come out with stamps in honor of the late pope.

“We intend to come out with limited edition of Pope John Paul II stamps, hopefully this month of May or within the year. We might produce between 200,000 and 300,000 stamps, depending on the demand. But if there would be great demand then we could always reprint the stamps,” he said.

The stamps may be sold in the denomination of P7 each.

This is not the first time that Philpost is issuing Pope John Paul II stamps. It printed stamps during his two visits to the Philippines in 1981 and 1995, and at the time of his death in 2005.

John Paul II has been acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. It is widely held that he was instrumental in ending communism in his native Poland and eventually in all of Europe. Conversely, he denounced the excesses of capitalism.

He is widely said to have significantly improved the Catholic Church’s relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion.

Though criticized by progressives for upholding the Church’s teachings against artificial contraception and the ordination of women, he was also criticized by traditionalists for his support of the Church’s Second Vatican Council and its reform of the Liturgy as well as his ecumenical efforts.

John Paul II was one of the most-traveled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate.

He spoke a variety of languages, including Italian, French, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Croatian, Latin and Ancient Greek, as well as his native Polish.

As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified 1,340 people and canonized 483 saints, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the last five centuries. - With Paolo Romero, Evelyn Macairan, Raymund Catindig

source: philstar.com