Philippine bishops launch website for papal visit

News, features and official theme song go online.

Manila:  The Catholic bishops' conference has launched a website dedicated to the visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines in January.

The website, papalvisit.ph, went live this week, days after Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila formally announced the dates of the papal visit from January 15 to 19, 2015.

The website carries news, features, and statements related to the pope's visit.

A video titled We are all God's Children, the official theme song of the 2015 Apostolic Visit, and the "National Prayer for the Papal Visit" are also available on the site.

A digital clock serves as a counter to keep track of the number of weeks, days, hours, and seconds left before the arrival of Pope Francis.

The Philippine bishops' conference, in a pastoral statement issued July 7, said the underlying spirit of the papal visit to the country is "mercy and compassion".

"Our compassionate shepherd comes to show his deep concern for our people who have gone through devastating calamities," the bishops' statement said.

The bishops encouraged the faithful to prepare for the pope's visit by spending more time in prayer.

Pope Francis will be the third pontiff to visit the country after Pope John Paul II in 1995 and Pope Paul VI in 1970.

Source: ucanews.com