CBCP chief: Let church bells ring at 5:45 pm on Jan. 15 to welcome pope

The head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines on Saturday evening called for the ringing of church bells across the country at 5:45 p.m. of Jan. 15 to "welcome" Pope Francis.

 

CBCP president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas also called on those who may not be able to see the pope in person to pray for him during his Philippine visit.

 

"As we come close to the arrival of Pope Francis on January 15, 2015 for his first Apostolic Visit to the Philippines, may I kindly request that all church bells all over the Philippines be pealed simultaneously on JANUARY 15 AT 5:45 IN THE AFTERNOON to signal the arrival of the Holy Father," he said over social media.

 

The pope is due to arrive at about 5:45 p.m. on Jan. 15 from Sri Lanka. He will stay in the Philippines until Jan. 19.

 

During his stay, the pope will attend events in Metro Manila and Leyte.

 

Villegas said the ringing of the bells will be "a symbolic gesture of welcome to the Holy Father," calling on the people who are unable to see him personally to "at least pray for the pope for the duration of his Philippine visit."

 

"Let them ring all over our land!" he added. — Joel Locsin/JDS, GMA News