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Philippine Ambassador to Vatican Grace R. Princesa (left) with Pope Francis (right). (Vatican PE photo)

VATICAN 07 February 2020 — The Mass for the “Sunday of the Word of God” was celebrated by Pope Francis at the Basilica of Saint Peter on 26 January 2020.

This special day was the first one in which the Holy Father, successor of Saint Peter, declared the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time as “Sunday of the Word of God”. The papal decree “Aperuit Illius” dated 30 September 2019 aims to consecrate and stimulate all Christians and deepen their faith by reading the Holy Bible.

The Liturgy was opened with a solemn enthronement of the Lectionary like all the sessions of the Second Vatican Council, and at the conclusion the Pope, in a symbolic gesture gave a special edition of the Bible to 40 people in his words representing the “different expressions of our daily life: from the bishop to the foreigner, from the priest to the catechist,  from the consecrated person to the policeman, from the Ambassadors of various continents to teachers of all grades, from poor to journalists, from the “Gendarme” to the prisoner serving a life sentence”.

In the act of receiving the Bible during the Mass, Philippine Ambassador to Vatican Grace R. Princesa reminded Pope Francis of the words “Contrabandista de Fide” (smuggler of the faith). This statement lighted his face and made him smile. It recalled his same assertion said to her during the recent New Year audience and greetings to all the members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See and his statement during the 15 December 2019 start of the Simbang Gabi which he celebrated for the first time with Filipino communities not just from Italy but around the world.

It seems to be a recognition of Filipinos being missionaries of the Catholic faith in their global “Diaspora”. END

The Mass for the “Sunday of the Word of God” was celebrated by Pope Francis (right) at the Basilica of Saint Peter on 26 January 2020. (Vatican PE photo)

 Pope Francis in a symbolic gesture gave a special edition of the Bible to 40 people in his words representing the “different expressions of our daily life: from the bishop to the foreigner, from the priest to the catechist,  from the consecrated person to the policeman, from the Ambassadors of various continents to teachers of all grades, from poor to journalists, from the “Gendarme” to the prisoner serving a life sentence”. (Vatican PE photo)

For more information, visit www.vaticanpe.dfa.gov.ph.