Statues of Pedro, Pope John Paul II soon in Cebu City

CEBU, Philippines - The Archdiocese of Cebu and the Ayala Group in Cebu, Cebu Holdings Inc., have agreed to erect statues of St. Pedro Calungsod and soon-to-be saint Blessed Pope John Paul II in Cebu City.

Monsignor Achilles Dakay said that Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma had a discussion regarding the matter with the management of the Cebu Holdings Inc. the other day.

Cebu Holdings Inc. president Francis Monera said that the statue of Blessed Pope John Paul II, which will be somewhere in Cebu IT Park, is planned as one of the highlights of the company’s 25th anniversary this year.

“We have taken the cognizance of this and in fact we had already taken initiative to commemorate this historic event,” said Monera.

“We are currently finalizing plans to integrate an appropriate structure marking the event in the park which is planned as one of the highlights of our company’s 25th anniversary this year. We have also met with some groups who have expressed their interest and suggestions in relation to this,” Monera added.

The late pope celebrated Mass in the area where the Cebu IT Park is located now when he visited in 1981.

It was Vidal who suggested the idea to make a statue of St. Pedro Calungsod since the International Eucharistic Congress is set to be held in Cebu in January 2016.

And with the announcement of the canonization of Blessed Pope John Paul II in December, they also suggested to have a statue of the late pope since the latter has a great significance to the Philippines especially to Cebuanos, when he visited Cebu in February 1981.

The Juan Luna Ave. formerly San Jose dela Montaña Avenue in Mabolo, Cebu City, was also renamed to Pope John Paul II Avenue, which was used as the main route to welcome the pope during his apostolic voyage in 1981.

The said avenue also houses important spiritual centers, including the Carmelites Monastery and St. Joseph Parish as well as three diocesan seminaries including the San Carlos Seminary, Seminario Mayor de San Carlos and the Blessed John XXIII Minor Seminary.

Dakay said that the statue of St. Pedro Calungsod will most probably be erected somewhere in the South Road Properties but as to where in particular, they have yet to decide.

Calungsod was beatified by Pope John Paul II last March 5, 2000 while the latter was beatified last May 1, 2011. —/BRP (FREEMAN)