Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II are scheduled to be canonized this coming Sunday (April 27) with a special ceremony held in Vatican, Rome.
Filipinos and Catholic faithfuls will be able to witness the whole event LIVE on TV5.
‘The Canonization: John XXIII and John Paul II will be aired LIVE from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on TV5 and from 3:30 to 6:00 pm on Aksyon TV, before returning to usual programming by 7:30 pm. TV5’s veteran news anchor Erwin Tulfo will report LIVE from the Vatican, while Cheri Mercado and Paolo Bediones man the studio from the NEWS5 headquarters in Reliance.
Blessed Pope John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła) is known to have a special place in the hearts of Filipino people. Known also as “The Traveling Pope”, he visited the Philippines twice: first in 1981, and another in 1995 on the occasion of World Youth Day – a privilege enjoyed only by few other countries. The event was attended by 5 million people mostly youths.
On April 30, 2000, John Paul II declared the second Sunday of Easter as the Divine Mercy Sunday, emphasizing the devotion to the Divine Mercy of Christ. The beloved pontiff, who died on April 2005 on the vigil of the Divine Mercy Sunday, was beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday, May 1, 2011, by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.
Blessed John XXIII, meanwhile, is known by many as “The Good Pope”. During his pontificate, he called for the Second Vatican Council in order to address the issues faced by the Church in the modern world. Vatican II institutionalized changes that reshaped the face of Catholicism, including the use of the vernacular in the liturgy, a stronger emphasis on ecumenical dialogues, and a new approach to the world.
The ceremony to sainthood of Blessed Popes John XXIII and John Paul II will be celebrated by Pope Francis this Sunday, April 27, 2014, and the Filipino people will again be part of this momentous event through TV5’s LIVE coverage.