THE NUMBER of families to meet Pope Francis on Jan. 16 at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena will be limited to ensure a more “personal” encounter, Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara, chair for the papal visit committee on information and media relations, said.
Vergara said Vatican officials who visited during the first week of December specified that the area in the arena facing the stage where the Pope will deliver his message should be the only place where the families and individuals attending can be seated.
“The Holy Father wants this event to be a real personal encounter. He wants the visit to be a respectful encounter in a sense that he wants families to have eye contact with him personally. As much as we want to fill the whole arena, this is what the Vatican specifies,” Vergara said in a media briefing at the Knights of Columbus Center in Intramuros, Manila.
Only 100 individuals per diocese will be chosen to be part of the event. In Metro Manila, 300 individuals coming from urban poor families will be chosen. Delegates from different ecclesial movements and associations in the Philippines will also be present.
The MOA Arena will open its gates to papal visit attendees at 11 a.m. on Jan. 16. Program will start at 1 p.m. with a live feed of the Pope’s trip from the nunciature to the arena. The Pope is expected to arrive at MOA at 5:30 p.m.
No Mass will be celebrated but there will be readings andprayers focusing on the Liturgy of the Word. Three families were also selected to share their testimonies and experiences on the topics of poverty, migration and persons with disabilities, said Fr. Dennis Soriano, MOA Liturgist in Charge. Danielle Ann F. Gabriel
