A senior Vatican official will visit the Philippines to meet with the country's bishops and discuss with them the value of charity, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said Wednesday night.The CBCP website said Cardinal Paul Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, will be in Manila on January 22 next year.
Cordes' visit is at the invitation of the CBCP, which will have its 98th plenary assembly at the Pope Pius XVII Catholic Center in Manila from Jan. 24 to 25.
CBCP secretary general Msgr. Juanito Figura said Cardinal Cordes is expected to share "Church teachings and his experiences and in the field of Catholic Charity."
The CBCP said Cordes' job is to make sure Catholic teaching on charity becomes concrete.
During his visit, Cordes is also scheduled to give a lecture at the University of Santo Tomas on Jan. 23.
Representing Pope Benedict XVI, Cordes travels to disaster areas bearing not only a papal blessing for the victims, but often also financial assistance.
He has delivered papal donations worth some $8 million in 2006 to victims of disasters, and administers two foundations started by Pope John Paul - the Populorum Progressio Foundation for farm workers and the indigenous of Latin America and the Caribbean and the Foundation for the Sahel, which funds projects to combat desertification in Africa.
Before being appointed head of Cor Unum in 1995, he was vice president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. His work there, especially with members of new lay movements and communities, gave him a firsthand experience of the fact that "all over the world there are a lot of new attempts to live Christianity sincerely."
Cordes' work and his approach to Catholic charity got a big boost with the publication of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical "Deus Caritas Est" (God Is Love), particularly its section underlining the link between Christian faith and charitable activity.
The agency also has a secretary, undersecretary, 38 members and nine consultors, all appointed for five-year term, plus a permanent staff of nine.
One of the consultors is former Philippine ambassador to the Vatican Henrietta de Villa, who currently chairs the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and the National Movement for Free Elections.
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(Source: GMA)