By Santosh Digal
Manila: "The priest must proclaim to the world and throughout his life that he belongs to God." With this invitation Card. Gaudencio Rosales, archbishop of Manila, closed on 29 January, the second national conference of Filipino priests. The meeting, entitled "Faithfulness of Christ, faithfulness of priests," was organized by the Filipino bishops' conference on the occasion of the Year for Priests and was held from January 25 at the World Trade Centre in Manila. Over 5 thousand of the 7 thousand priests resident in the country attended.

"Through this congress priests and bishops have renewed and invigorated their reasons for joining the priesthood - said Msgr. Jacinto Agacoili Jose, bishop of Urdaneta (Pangasinan) – gifting themselves to serve the Church faithfully and with renewed missionary zeal”.

The 6 day meeting was marked by prayer retreats, seminars and testimonies focused on the significance of the priestly mission and role of the priest in the modern society. It also saw the participation of Italians: Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the Papal Household in charge of organising retreats and Maria Voce, President of the Focolari Movement.

"The gift of the priesthood and mission are inseparable - said Msgr. Fiorentino Lavarias head of the commission for clergy of the Episcopal Conference of the Philippines - Priests are fragile and imperfect like all human beings and they need the grace of God and divine providence to live the mystery of their vocation and mission, they are aided in this by daily prayer” . According to the prelate, the priest's life is a journey that goes from self-realization to conversion of heart.

The first national conference of priests was organized in 2004. That event involved about 3 thousand priests and was centred on the theme: "A renewed clergy, a renewed Church, a renewed nation”. With over 5542 priests from 86 different dioceses, the 2010meeting was one of the key events for the Filipino Catholic Church, especially to redefine its missionary role as the only Catholic country in Asia along with East Timor.

Courtesy: AsiaNews