VATICAN CITY, APRIL 30, 2002 (Zenit.org).- Preparations are under way for John Paul II´s meeting with families in Manila next Jan. 23-26, an event that could be one of the largest of his pontificate.
Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, the institution that has organized these meetings since 1994, visited the Philippine capital last March to address details of the preparation with Cardinal Jaime Sin, archbishop of Manila.
The topic for the upcoming meeting is “The Christian Family: Good News for the Third Millennium.”
The Vatican has published 12 catechetical reflections on its Web page, for anyone wishing to prepare spiritually for the meeting.
The event will be preceded by a pastoral-theological congress, which will be closed by the Pope. It will be followed by an evening of testimonials and a large public Mass.
The Vatican Press Office said one of Cardinal Trujillo´s most important meetings in Manila was with the pro-life family movements.
The meeting was organized by Marriages for Christ, a Philippine association that has 1.4 million members worldwide. The pro-life movements expressed their willingness to accommodate participants in next year´s meeting.
