STO. TOMAS, Batangas. Inendorso ng Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) ang petisyon sa Vatican na naglalayong iangat ang National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio bilang isang international shrine.
Sinabi ni CBCP president Bishop Pablo Virgilio David na ang panukala ay pinagtibay sa kanilang ika-128 na pagpupulong plenaryo sa Cagayan de Oro City noong weekend. “We have approved to endorse the application of the National Shrine of Padre Pio into an international shrine,” ayon sa ulat ng CBCP News.
Matatagpuan ang 12-hektaryang shrine sa Santo Tomas, Batangas, na madalas binibisita ng mga manlalakbay mula sa iba’t ibang bansa at sa buong mundo.
Sinabi ni Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera na maliban sa endorsement ng CBCP, ang parokya ay nakakuha ng suporta mula sa ilang pinuno ng episcopal conferences sa buong Asia na maging international shrine. “We are really convinced there is a need for Rome to recognize it is an international shrine because of the strong devotion to Santo Padre Pio,” sabi ng Arsobispo.
Ang parokya sa Santo Tomas ay kinilala bilang isang archdiocesan shrine noong 2008 at kalaunan ay idineklara ng CBCP bilang isang pambansang dambana noong 2013.
Kapag naaprubahan na ng Vatican ang petisyon, ito na ang magiging pangalawang international shrine sa bansa, kasunod ng International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage sa Antipolo City.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
