Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines warned the Filipino Roman Catholics on Friday, July 18, that they should not buy fake tickets to papal m(–foul word(s) removed–) and events in connection with the highly anticipated visit of the world’s most popular religious leader, Pope Francis’ trip to the Philippines next year.
Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto: Papal Nuncio to the Philippines
The Papal Nuncio noted that there will be no tickets intended for sale in any of the papal gatherings in the country. He condemned some groups who wanted to gained financially in the Pope’s visit to the Yolanda-affected areas in the Visayas region.
The representative of the Holy See in the Philippines urged the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to “persuade people to desist from purchasing such tickets.”
In a letter sent to the CBCP President Archbishop Socrates B. Villages, the Papal Nuncio, was quoted as saying “It is regrettable that some cabal might wish to take advantage of the Papal visit to exploit innocent people and enrich themselves,” Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto wrote.
As of press time, the official representatives from the Vatican has yet to formally announce the complete details of the Papal Visit to the Philippines. Previous reports from the Catholic News Agency stated that Pope Francis will arrive in the Philippines for the first time on January 15, 2015.
The Pope on his official statement revealed earlier, he expressed his intention to visit the Philippines to personally condole with thousands of survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Pope Francis personally prayed for the Philippines during his first Christmas as head of the billion-strong Roman Catholic church worldwide.
