Some churches in PH designated as pilgrim sites for Jubilee 2025

Some churches in the Philippines were designated as pilgrimage sites for Holy Year 2025, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). 

Cardinal-elect Pablo Virgilio David, CBCP president, said the pilgrim churches will “offer the faithful an opportunity for deeper reflection, conversion, and the experience of God’s infinite mercy” for the jubilee year. 

With the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”, next year’s jubilee will officially begin on December 24, 2024, with Pope Francis opening the “Holy Door” in St. Peter’s Basilica and presiding over a Mass.

According to the CBCP, bishops designate their cathedrals and shrines as special places of prayer for pilgrims since many cannot travel to Rome for a pilgrimage.

Among the pilgrim churches in the country for next year are  St. Joseph Cathedral Parish, the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, San Sebastian Cathedral, and Our Lady of the Atonement Cathedral. 

“These designated places will offer opportunities for reconciliation, indulgences, and other events intended to strengthen and revive faith,” Msgr. Bernardo Pantin, CBCP secretary general, said. 

Pope Francis has urged pilgrimages to Rome, local churches, and shrines in this holy year, emphasizing the blessings of pilgrimage and indicating that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the starting point for such a journey.

The full list of the pilgrim charges in the Philippines for 2025 can be accessed here.

—VAL, GMA Integrated News