Catholic bishops will convene over July 6-7. 2019, to finalize activities for the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines, according to CBCP News.
It will be among the top agenda when bishops gather for their 119th plenary assembly at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has previously set “Gifted to Give” as the theme for the 2021 Jubilee.
“Hopefully, they can already finalize the activities for 2021,” said Fr. Marvin Mejia, CBCP Secretary-General.
Earlier this year, the CBCP held a logo design competition for the celebration, also dubbed as “500YOC”. The winner has yet to be announced.
In 2012, the bishops launched “a nine-year journey for the New Evangelization” with a different theme for each year to prepare the faithful for 2021.
Halfway into the celebration of the Year of the Youth, Fr. Mejia said the bishops will also discuss the next theme: the Year of Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue.
“The CBCP Commissions on Ecumenical Affairs, Inter-Religious Dialogue, and Indigenous People will be presenting their plans,” he said.
Aside from the upcoming historic event, Fr. Mejia said the issue on ecology may also get some spotlight during the three-day assembly.
He said the conference has invited some experts to discuss environmental issues with the bishops.
“There will be a talk on current environmental issues, on what happened to our beautiful land. We need to take look into that,” Fr. Mejia added.
The CBCP usually issues a pastoral statement at the conclusion of its plenary assembly.
