ILOILO CITY – A statue of Saint John Paul II has been unveiled in this city 42 years after his visit as Pope.
Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo of the Archdiocese of Jaro and Monsignor Jomarie Delgado presided over the blessing of the bronze statue at the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral complex.
THE statue of Saint John Paul II on the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral grounds in Iloilo City. (Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral)
A newly built hall named after Saint John Paul II near the statue was also inaugurated.
The archdiocese’s Commission on Social Commission said the Saint John Paul II Hall serves as an “additional multi-purpose facility for the functions of both the Cathedral-Shrine and its parochial school.”
The Polish saint visited the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral on February 20, 1981.
The then Pope John Paul II canonically crowned the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (Our Lady of Candles), the patroness of Western Visayas.
The Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria still remains to be the only Marian image in the country to be canonically crowned by a Pope and saint.
The Marian image, which is believed to grow in size, is said to have miraculous powers. It has thousands of devotees.