BALANGA CITY – The area near the St. Joseph Cathedral here was in a sort of fiesta atmosphere Thursday morning when street dancers, children, priests, nuns, municipal and provincial officials, hordes of the religious and “Little Bishops” welcomed the papal nuncio to the Philippines in his first pastoral visit to the historic peninsula.
Bishop Socrates “Soc” Villegas of the Diocese of Balanga with Gov. Enrique Garcia led in welcoming the arrival of the Most Rev. Edward Joseph Adams, papal nuncio or representative of Pope Benedict XVI in the Philippines.
“The papal nuncio goes around the different parishes in the country to extend the love and blessings of Pope Benedict XVI and we are fortunate and blessed with his visit,” Bishop Soc said.
“Little Bishops” or children dressed in the attire of bishops fell in line and greeted the Pope’s ambassador.
The papal nuncio blessed the faithful and the St. Joseph Information Center with holy water. Later, in the company of Villegas and dozens of priests from 11 towns and one city in the province, Adams joined the processional march from the church ground preparatory to the holding of the Mass at the St. Joseph Cathedral.
Life-sized statues of saints lined up the frontage of the beautiful cathedral.
The Pope’s ambassador shook hands with provincial and municipal officials who were in the front rows of the church filled by parishioners to the rafters so to speak before leading in the celebration of the Eucharist.
After the mass, the faithful could not be controlled in approaching and kissing the hands of the papal nuncio as he and Bishop Soc left the church.
“The Pope will be pleased by the warm welcome, hospitality and how his representative was treated here and I bless Bataan and its people in the name of Pope Benedict,” Adams said.
After lunch, the papal nuncio motored to Mt. Samat in Pilar, Bataan to “pay respect to the heroes of World War II.”
Bishop Socrates “Soc” Villegas of the Diocese of Balanga with Gov. Enrique Garcia led in welcoming the arrival of the Most Rev. Edward Joseph Adams, papal nuncio or representative of Pope Benedict XVI in the Philippines.
“The papal nuncio goes around the different parishes in the country to extend the love and blessings of Pope Benedict XVI and we are fortunate and blessed with his visit,” Bishop Soc said.
“Little Bishops” or children dressed in the attire of bishops fell in line and greeted the Pope’s ambassador.
The papal nuncio blessed the faithful and the St. Joseph Information Center with holy water. Later, in the company of Villegas and dozens of priests from 11 towns and one city in the province, Adams joined the processional march from the church ground preparatory to the holding of the Mass at the St. Joseph Cathedral.
Life-sized statues of saints lined up the frontage of the beautiful cathedral.
The Pope’s ambassador shook hands with provincial and municipal officials who were in the front rows of the church filled by parishioners to the rafters so to speak before leading in the celebration of the Eucharist.
After the mass, the faithful could not be controlled in approaching and kissing the hands of the papal nuncio as he and Bishop Soc left the church.
“The Pope will be pleased by the warm welcome, hospitality and how his representative was treated here and I bless Bataan and its people in the name of Pope Benedict,” Adams said.
After lunch, the papal nuncio motored to Mt. Samat in Pilar, Bataan to “pay respect to the heroes of World War II.”
