MANILA — A Catholic prelate on Tuesday urged the faithful to pray for the safety and success of the visit of Pope Francis to Thailand and Japan starting this week.
Bataan Bishop Ruperto Santos assured that they are one with the people particularly members of the clergy of the two Asian countries.
“Yes, in solidarity with them as our brothers and sisters in faith and as Asian neighbors, let us pray for the safety of Holy Father’s travel there and the successes of his pastoral visits with unending graces to all,” Santos said in an interview.
Santos, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines – Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant Peoples’ (CBCP-ECMI), also asked Filipinos there particularly in Japan, to participate in the activities during the visit.
“We have appeal to our OFWs especially in Japan with their chaplains and pastoral workers to take this as God’s graces and gifts to serve as volunteers in their Archdioceses and chaplaincies, to kindly ask their employers to allow to attend the Holy Father’s holy masses, and especially those who are free to participate and offer their time, talents and even treasures for this grace-filled and historic visits of the Holy Father,” Santos added.
Pope Francis is set to arrive in Thailand on Wednesday where he will stay for three days.
This will be the second visit of a Pontiff to the Southeast Asian nation in over 35 years, the first one was St. Pope John Paul II in 1984.
He will then visit Japan from November 23 to 26 and will celebrate masses in Nagasaki and Tokyo.