ASIA/PHILIPPINES-In a former refugee camp of "boat people" the first sanctuary dedicated to John Paul II

Manila (Agenzia Fides) - It will be a symbol of new life in a place of suffering: a former refugee camp in the province of Bataan on the island of Luzon (Northern Philippines), will host the first sanctuary dedicated to the Blessed John Paul II in the archipelago of the Philippines.
As the local Church refers to Fides, the former “Philippine Refugee Processing Center” in Morong town - cha, hosted over 40 thousand “boat people”, refugees, Vietnamese, Laotians and Cambodians –it will become a place where all the faithful Filipinos can remember, honor and seek the intercession of the Blessed John Paul II. On the official inauguration of the Sanctuary, May 2 next, the civil authorities of the Province and Bishop Ruperto Santos, Bishop of the Diocese of Balanga will be present, on whose territory the sanctuary stands. In the same place John Paul II, on the first of his two trips to the Philippines (1981 and 1995), celebrated the Mass in which thousands of Indian and Chinese refugees from different denominations took part, and who at the time were astonished by the arrival of " a white angel”, says the local church.
Today all the refugees passing through the center have been integrated into the social Filipino context or accepted in countries like U.S., Australia, Germany, Norway, Canada and France.
The area of the refugee camp has become, thanks to the fruitful collaboration between the Church and civil authorities, a green park, eco-friendly, useful for eco-tourism and religion. A monument in the park recalls the presence of "boat people", while the new sanctuary will be a place of pilgrimage and prayer for the faithful Filipinos.
Besides, in the Philippines, a museum has been opened recently that tells the life and work of John Paul II in Bacolod City (province of occidental Negros in Central Philippines).
On the occasion of the beatification, the country has been mobilized, in particular, in the Episcopal Conference, the "Youth Committee", the "Commission for the Family and the John Paul II National Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family”. A wide range of preparatory steps foresees a national pilgrimage in the country, study meetings, prayer vigils. In addition, a Filipino choir, the "Karilagan Singers, composed of Filipino migrants, now living in Italy, have been admitted to sing during the celebration of beatification in St. Peter`s and will bring to the Pope the prayer and the voice of the Filipino people. " (PA) (Agenzia Fides 30/04/2011)