On Wednesday, 24 September 2014, Archbishop Jose S. Palma, D.D., Archbishop of Cebu and Chairman of the International Eucharistic Congress led the briefing on the 51^st International Eucharistic Congress in 2016.

The briefing, which was arranged by the Embassy in cooperation with Pontificio Collegio Filippino headed by Fr. Gregory Gaston, was attended by leaders and representatives from different religious and social organizations from the Filipino community.                         CDA a.i. Leila Lora-Santos, in her opening remarks, warmly welcomed Archbishop Palma and his accompanying delegation to Italy, and also took the opportunity to announce some important matters for the information of the leaders and members of the Filipino community.

During the briefing, key background information about the Congress in 2016 was conveyed and discussed.  Infomercials were also shown to promote the Congress and to encourage support and participation, not only among the Filipinos but also from other nationalities.  Consul Enrique V. Pingol provided information on visa related matters for participants from other countries.

Archbishop Palma stressed that the Philippines is privileged and blessed to host for the second time the International Eucharistic Congress.  The first time was way back in 1937 when the Philippines hosted the 33^rd  International Eucharistic Congress in Manila, which was also a first in Asia.

The 51^st International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Cebu, Philippines on 24-31 January 2016 with the theme “Christ in You, Our Hope of Glory.”  For further information, please visit the website www.iec2016.ph or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..