Pope John Paul II shrine to rise at former Bataan refugee camp

A former refugee camp in Bataan province will be the site of the Philippines' first shrine for the late Pope John Paul II, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said. The CBCP said the shrine will be inaugurated at the former Philippine Refugee Processing Center (PRPC) – now Bataan Technology Park, Inc. (BTPI) – in Morong town on May 2. “Now the establishment of the memorial shrine is symbolic for the love and reverence to Pope John II who loved our country and remembered and remain in the hearts and minds of the people," BTPI executive director retired Navy Commodore Amado Sanglay said in an article posted on the CBCP news site. Leading the shrine’s inauguration will be Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos, BTPI officials, and Bataan Rep. Herminia Roman. The BTPI was the home of some 400,000 Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian refugees nicknamed the "boat people." It was also home to thousands of Filipino and international staff and volunteer workers during its 14-year existence from 1980 to 1994. At noon on Feb. 21, 1981, John Paul II held a mass at the refugee camp attended by thousands of Indo-Chinese refugee with different beliefs and religions. The CBCP cited reports that almost all of the refugees did not even know who Pope John Paul II was. “Some thought he was a King. And like a King, he was received by the Indo-Chinese refugees," recalled Sanglay. Sanglay said there were about one million former refugees who have been resettled. About 90 percent of them were resettled in the United States. The remaining 10 percent were resettled in Australia, Germany, Norway, Canada, France and a few to Switzerland. John Paul II’s memorial shrine was established January this year as a joint undertaking between the Balanga Diocese and BTPI, and is now eyed as an eco-tourism destination. The BTPI maintains a museum to showcase the history and development of the PRPC and its legacies. The park has also retained most of the historical landmarks – the former shrines and monuments crafted as a legacy of the “boat people" in the former refugee camp. Aside from venerating the late pope, he said other objectives of the shrine include serving as a “vehicle of uplifting the moral, religious and spiritual life of the Filipinos." Churches can now be named for John Paul II Churches may soon be dedicated to the late – and soon-to-be beatified – Pope John Paul II, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has ruled. The Vatican said this means dioceses can insert the newly beatified in their liturgy without seeking permission from the Holy See. “The choice of naming a church for the beatified John Paul II requires permission from the Holy See except when celebrations are already included in the calendar. In these cases there is no need to request permission and the Blessed after whom the church is named may hold celebrations in his honor," the Union of Catholic Asian News quoted a CDF document as saying. Rome and Poland have fixed John Paul II's day of liturgical memory on October 22, the anniversary day of the Mass for the inauguration of his pontificate. John Paul II, born Karol Wojtyła, served as Pope from October 16, 1978 until his death on April 2, 2005. Many consider him one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. He is popular among Filipino Catholics, having visited the Philippines in 1981 and 1995. — LBG, GMA News