The Pontificio Collegio Filippino (PCF) in Rome, Italy continues to welcome priests not only from the Philippines but also from different countries who are doing further studies in Rome.
Pontificio Collegio Filippino (Photo courtesy of CBCP)
PCF Rector Fr. Gregory Ramon Gaston said that aside from Filipino priests the institution welcomes student priests from other countries.
“The CBCP serves the Church in other countries by welcoming their student priests at the Collegio. African and Asian countries in general have no collegios of their own,” said Fr. Gaston over Radio Veritas.
Malaysian Cardinal Sabastian Francis was a recent visitor at the PCF before he attended the Synod of Bishops with the Philippine contingent.
“Cardinal Francis stayed at the PCF from 1981 to 1983 when he took his Licentiate in Dogmatic Theology at the Angelicum University in Rome,” said Fr. Gaston.
In its 62 years of existence, the institution has served as home to priests from Indonesia, Myanmar, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, China, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Angola, Nigeria, Tanzania, Congo, Kenya, Ruanda, Cameroon, Malawi, Senegal, Mozambique, Uganda, Madagascar, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Venezuela, United States of America, Columbia, Trinidad, Tobago, Haiti, Samoa, New Zealand and Italy.
“This rich history of service to the Universal Church reflects in a concrete way the theme of our celebration of 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines, ‘Gifted to Give’,” stressed Fr. Gaston.
The Church leader expressed his gratitude to those who continue to support the PCF.
Antipolo Bishop Ruperto Santos is the current chairperson of the CBCP Commission on Pontificio Collegio Filippino.
The PCF was established in 1961 by Pope John XXIII to serve as home for Filipino priests doing further studies in Rome. This year, 17 priests from different dioceses arrived to stay at the institution which currently serves as home to 50 Filipino priests and seven priests from other countries.