Philippine Church officials expect Pope Francis' Jan. 15-19 pastoral visit to bring healing to victims of disasters. They also emphasized that the visit will not be a fundraising event for the church. Members of the media relations committee for the papal visit told reporters on Thursday that the Vatican sought a cap on spending for Pope Francis' visit. They said the pope had requested that money saved go toward rebuilding after disasters such as Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones to hit the Philippines. The pontiff's visit includes a stop in Tacloban and nearby Palo, cities in the central Philippines where the November 2013 typhoon took the most lives of the 7,300 dead and missing. Msgr. Marvin Mejia, secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said bishops were chipping in toward the costs of the visit out of their own pockets. He said they had not yet tallied how much has been given. He also said the only special seating at the pope's outdoor Mass in Manila would go to the poor and people with disabilities in groups of five from all dioceses across the country; everyone else would get in on a first-come, first-served basis. The conference and the Archdiocese of Manila have been reminding the faithful that no tickets are being sold to any papal events, and they have warned against scammers. (Source: CNS)
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