The Vatican has formally declared the Shrine of St. Padre Pio in Santo Tomas, Batangas, an international shrine, making it only the second such shrine in the Philippines and the first in the world dedicated to the Italian saint outside Pietrelcina.
The declaration was made during a Mass marking the feast of St. Padre Pio on Wednesday, with the decree from the Vatican read in Latin before the start of the celebration.
The Mass began at 10 a.m. and was presided over by His Eminence Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, Bishop of Caloocan.
The celebration was attended by Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles John Brown, Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula, and Asian bishops from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Taiwan, India and Indonesia.
Thousands of devotees, pilgrims and other faithful from different parts of the country also attended the celebration.
The Vatican designation gives the shrine a higher level of recognition and is expected to draw more pilgrims and strengthen devotion to Padre Pio in the Philippines.
The shrine is only the second international shrine in the country after the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo.
It is also the first international shrine in the world dedicated to Padre Pio outside Pietrelcina, Italy, where the saint was born and served as a priest.
The 12-hectare shrine began as a small chapel in 2003 and houses first-class relics of St. Padre Pio. It was elevated to an archdiocesan shrine in 2008 and became a national shrine in 2015.
The new designation is expected to further establish the Santo Tomas shrine as a destination for Filipino and international pilgrims devoted to Padre Pio.
