Vatican officials to visit UST for 4th ‘new evangelization’ conference

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UST Office for Public Affairs Director Giovanna Fontanilla, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, CBCP Office of the Promotion of New Evangelization Director Fr. Jason Laguerta, and Catholic Educational Assocation of the Philippines' Mary Ann Cruz during the press conference for the 4th Philippine Conference on the New Evangelization last July 4. Photo by Sigrid B. Garcia

OFFICIALS from the Vatican are among the top speakers in the 4th Philippine Conference on the New Evangelization (PCNE), which will take place at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion from July 28 to 30.

Archbishop Salvatore Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council on New Evangelization, will deliver the keynote speech on the second day, July 29, with the theme “Being Christian in the age of indifference.”

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations, will talk about “The role of the Church among community of nations” on the third day, July 30.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle will lead the opening of the conference and the first plenary session.

The three-day event, which will have the theme “Of One Heart and Soul (Acts 4:32),” will center on the “Year of the Parish as Communion of Communities,” declared by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

“Magandang hamon ito (PCNE) sa … pag-ugat sa ebanghelyo, marinig muli si Hesus, maranasan siya ulit sa simbahan, mag-ebanghelisasyon, mag-misyon [na] naaayon sa atin pong katayuan sa mundo ngayon,” Tagle said in a July 4 press conference.

‘Bridge of unity’

Tagle said the evangelization conference comes at a time when the world needs a “bridge” to unite people amid the problems.

“Ang paanyaya po ng PCNE ay pwede kaya tayo sama-samang magtanong, umunawa, sama-samang tumingin sa mga komplikadong mga sitwasyon, sama-samang mangarap, magdasal, [at] tumahak sa iisang daan?” he said.

“Hindi lang ito para sa atin, sa Simbahan, kundi para sa ating lipunan at para sa buong mundo,” he added.

Fr. Jason Laguerta, director of the Office of the Promotion of the New Evangelization, said the PCNE will be an opportunity to spread the message of unity.

“Magkakaiba man tayo, ngunit sa loob natin at sa pagkatao natin, iisa lang ang ating pinagmulan, iisa lang ang pamilyang ating kinabibilangan at iisa lamang ang Ama na ating pinanggagalingan,” Laguerta said.

The gathering will feature testimonies, plenary sessions, Eucharistic celebrations and 10 concurrent sessions with topics ranging from catechism, the family, ecumenical affairs, parish and the youth.

UST Office of Public Affairs Director Giovanna Fontanilla said UST was “hands-on” in its logistics and security preparation for the event, which was expected to draw thousands of participants.

The first PCNE was held in October 2013 in UST with the theme “God Makes All Things New (Rev. 21:5).” The event featured a video message from Pope Francis.

The second edition, themed “Blessed are you…(Matthew 5: 1-12),” coincided with the Papal Visit last January 2015.

PCNE III, held in July 2016, had the theme “Awa, Unawa, Gawa: The Filipino Experience of Mercy” in line with the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.

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