Author: Ernestodepedro

►With the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 Project (MMSS3) in its completion stage, rehabilitation for the Takayama Memorial will start in September 2018. Target completion date is Dec. 21, 2018 – 404^th anniversary of the Manila arrival of Lord Takayama and 350 Japanese Christian exiles in 1614.

The elevated expressway, which bisects Plaza Dilao, is designed to ease Metro-Manila traffic through the eight (8) access ramps/interchanges strategically located as follows: ◘ Buendia Avenue, (South Super highway, Makati City), ◘ Pres. Quirino Avenue, (Malate, Manila), ◘ Plaza Dilao (Paco, Manila), ◘ Nagtahan/Aurora Boulevard (Manila), ◘ E. Rodriguez Avenue (Quezon City), ◘ Quezon Avenue (Quezon City), ◘ Sgt. Rivera St. (Quezon City) and ◘ NLEX.

Major Stakeholders in Plaza Dilao

The major stakeholders, meeting with Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada to plan Plaza Dilao’s renovation are: ◘ The City of Manila, ◘ The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, and◘ The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). Implementing the renovation is the construction consortium behind Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 Project (MMSS3).

►Overall project coordinator for the renovation of the Takayama Memorial is Director Arsenio Lacson, Jr, of the Manila Parks Development Office which overseas 47 Parks, Plazas and Monuments throughout Manila.

►The Embassy of Japan in Manila was represented by Mr. Atsushi Kuwabara, Minister and Consul-General; Mr. Shinya Yabe and Mr. Tomoyuki Honda, first and second secretaries respectively, and Mr. Ken Nakamura, Director of the Japan Information and Cultural Office.

Historical Background of the 1977 Memorial

►MANILA ENABLERS — The Takayama Memorial was erected in 1973-1977, under the auspices of the Manila Ladies’ Committee — the Kababaihan sa Pagpapaganda ng Lungsod ng Maynila – formed for this project only.

►JAPANESE COUNTERPART –The Counterpart Japanese organization was an ad-hoc group led by Rev. Ryoichi Katoh, director of the Southeast Asian Friendship and Culture Association (SEAFCULA).

►JAPANESE CONTRIBUTIONS — One-hundred percent of the enabling funds came from some 180 Japanese Breakfast Prayer Clubs – supplemented by contributions from Japanese chambers of trade and industry.

Land for Friendship Park Donated by City of Manila

►The City of Manila donated the 2,000-square meters parcel in front of Paco Station of the Manila Railroad in Plaza Dilao — and provided labor.

►The renovation project is being undertaken by a consortium represented at the Manila City Hall meetings by: ◘ Engr. Efren Rabot, Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) ◘ Atty. Jinky Magpantay, CCEC/SMHC ◘ Mr. Jose S. Tanqueco, Jr., CCEC/SMHC ◘ Engr. Rolando M. Recio, CCEC/SMHC ◘ Engr. Rolly Escamilian, DMCI ◘ Engr. Clyde E. Sotto, Gemwealth Construction & Trading ◘ Engr. Chavez, Gemwealth Construction & Trading.

Plaza Dilao — in 1973-1977

►Plaza Dilao was a nondescript plaza that was an eyesore when the First Lady, Imelda Romualdez Marcos, then the Governor of Metro Manila, requested Manila Mayor Ramon Bagatsing to beautify the spot.

Foreign dignitaries visiting Malacanan Palace were bound to pass by the unsightly place which had squatters scrambling all over the place.

The fact that it had once been the resettlement area for Japanese refugees and migrants (since 1593, at its original Manila City Hall area, and since 1764 at its present location in front of the Paco Railway Station) was lost to many. The last time this fact was remembered was in 1942 when the wartime National Historical Commission proposed that a historical marker be installed to denote that this was the site of the first “nihon-machi” – or Japan-town. (No marker was installed.)

To support the call of Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos (1929- ), for a beautification program for Metro-Manila at the start of martial law (1972-1981), Manila Mayor Ramon D. Bagatsing (1916-2006) organized on Feb. 1, 1973, the Kababaihan sa Pagpapaganda ng Lungsod ng Maynila [Ladies’ Committee for the Beautification of the City of Manila].

Their assignment: Beatify the parks and open spaces that dot Metro-Manila. But first: Beautify Plaza Dilao.

Manila Ladies’ Committee

FOR THE RECORD: The members of the Kababaihan were: Mrs. Julita C. Benedicto (wife of Philippine Ambassador to Tokyo, Roberto S. Benedicto), chairman; Mrs. Purita Ponce-Enrile, co-chairman; Mrs. Leonora Pascual, co-chairman; Mrs. Elisa Abello (wife of Philippine Ambassador to Washington, Emilio Abello), vice-chairman, and Miss Lourdes R. Caruncho, executive secretary. Members were Mrs. Carmen P. Caro; Ms Mariquita Castelo; Ms Remedios Francisco (historian); Mrs. Leticia de Guzman; Mrs. Minerva G. Laudico; Mrs. Milagros Sumulong; Ms Albina Tuason, and Ms Juanita Valera.

When the ladies’ research indicated that the Dilao area – the old site, that is — had been reserved by the Spanish colonial government for Manila’s Japanese population in 1593, finally relocating at the Plaza Dilao area in Paco in 1764, the “Japanese connection” crept in. Perhaps a Japanese garden – “with plenty of plants and benches for people to rest and relax especially during the evening when traffic is less” — could be developed?

They decided to consult Japanese Ambassador Toshio Urabe (1969-1974) about the possibilities.

Not readily recognized by the Manila ladies at that time, Ambassador Urabe was the longest-serving Japanese diplomat engaged in rebuilding postwar Philippine-Japanese relations. Ambassador Urabe was a veteran Philippine hand, having been first assigned to Manila in 1953 as Counsellor of the Japanese Overseas Liaison Office. He led the team that negotiated the Philippine-Japanese Reparations Agreement that was ratified by the Philippine Senate in 1956. He was returned to Manila in 1964 as Ambassador, staying on till 1974.

Now in 1973, Ambassador Urabe – who is credited with the Japanese Garden at the Rizal Park and the Japanese Memorial Garden in Caliraya (Laguna) — discouraged the “garden” idea. He was not being a killjoy. Being located at a very busy traffic intersection, he thought “a Japanese garden would not be safe for residents to relax in.”

The Manila ladies countered that, whatever project was suitable, this could be jointly undertaken by the cities of Manila and Yokohama (Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken), a sister city of Manila since July 1, 1965.

Urabe assured the ladies that he would contact the City of Yokohama for funding support, but — now he wanted to enlarge the base of Japanese public involvement and support — “he was quite vocal in saying that Manila’s sister city Yokohama should not be the only one to help in this project, but the other cities of Japan as well,” the Kababaihan reported to the Manila mayor.

AMBASSADOR URABE could not believe his luck. Only 28 years after the war (and only 17 years after the Philippine ratification of the Reparations Agreement), the Manila ladies — entirely on their own initiative — were proposing a joint people-to-people endeavor that the Japanese themselves had not even thought of.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs then logically turned to the Japanese sector most concerned: the small minority of Japanese Christians who comprised less than one percent of Japan’s total population. The Gaimusho contacted the Southeast Asian Friendship and Culture Association (SEAFCULA), whose founder and managing director was Rev. Ryoichi Katoh, minister of the Tokyo Ikebukuro Church, an affiliate of the United Church of Christ in Japan (KYO-DAN). Providentially, the SEAFCULA had been founded “on the concept of ‘Redemption’ for the wrongful deeds committed during World War II against the Asian nations.” They set to work at once.

“When they [the Foreign Ministry] approached us, requesting our cooperation on the matter, we were of course glad and ready to accept their proposal, since we thought it proper to cooperate with them fully on the project, as part of the said redeeming activities,” Rev. Katoh would relate to Dr. Ernesto A. de Pedro, Takayama Trustee, some years later.

Lord Ukon Takayama, Epitome of the Japanese Spirit

After Rev. Katoh conferred with Osaka Archbishop Paul Yoshigoro Taguchi, a dedicated promoter of the “Samurai of Christ, Justo Takayama,” a memorial to Ukon Takayama as “the epitome of the Japanese spirit” became central to the SEAFCULA’s beautification plans.

The “Prospectus for the Construction of a Statue of Ukon Takayama and a Memorial Japanese Garden at Manila (SEAFCULA 73-142),” confirms that in Japan, Pastor Ryoichi Katoh and Archbishop Peter Seiichi Shirayanagi, archbishop of Tokyo and chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan, agreed to sponsor the memorial project “as an ecumenical effort of Protestants and Catholics in Japan and the Philippines.” Certainly, at that time, it was most audacious to propose to the Philippines to erect a memorial to a Japanese personality — a samurai at that! — a scant 32 years after the brutal Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

In Manila, the Kababaihan sa Pagpapaganda ng Lungsod ng Maynila, after studying the possibilities, proposed on March 28, 1973, to Mayor Bagatsing:

“We women recommend that a memorial monument be constructed to honor the Christian feudal lord Takayama at a site of 2,000-square meters in front of Paco Station of the Manila Railroad in Plaza Dilao. This land had been assigned by the former Spanish government to the Japanese refugees. The realization of this plan should pave the way not only for closer fellowship between Japanese and Philippine churches, but also promote better friendship between the two countries.”

With the guaranteed financial support of SEAFCULA; the Executive Committee of Takatsuki City; the Keizai-Doyukai [the Japanese Council for Economic Development]; and Catholic and Protestant churches in Japan, the Kababaihan now proceeded with the project.

Scrambling for an Inauguration Date

The Plaza Memorial (covered by tarpaulin) was already standing for several weeks in early 1977, awaiting its inauguration by Governor Imelda Marcos – but with her busy schedule, the scheduled blessing was cancelled twice — after guests from Japan had already arrived.. After two agreed dates had been scrubbed, the Kababaihan finally set the inauguration date on Nov. 17, 1977 – “with or without Mrs. Imelda Marcos.” The set date was necessary because of the logistics of bringing a hundred invited sponsors from Japan who had to fix their own schedules and hotel reservations.

Finally, the Arc of History is Set

1977 – (Nov. 17, 1977) — Plaza Dilao memorializes the checkered Philippine-Japanese history that has spanned four centuries – with Lord Justus Takayama Ukon (高山右近) as the best exemplar of friendship and amity between the two peoples.

1992 – (Nov. 17, 1992) — The National Historical Commission declares the Takayama Memorial a National Monument.

2006 – On May 1, 2006, Plaza Dilao is named by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as one of five “Freedom Parks” in Manila — where no prior permit will be needed for public protests. On April 25, 2006, the Supreme Court ordered local governments to designate freedom parks in their jurisdictions, as provided for in Batas Pambansa 880 or the Public Assembly Act.

Bronze Kanji Marker (高山右近)

There was never a chance to install the bronze marker – with Lord Ukon Takayama’s name written in Kanji. Two cast-iron markers were earlier pilfered, so this was replaced by a granite slab on which was engraved Ukon’s name.

With the renovation completed, it will be possible to install a bronze marker donated by Rev. Minoru Yamagata, pastor of the “Jun-ai Christ Church” of Kanazawa City, and Mr. Teiji Motoki (a fervent Buddhist) of Takatsuki City, to replace the black granite slab with Ukon’s name in Kanji.#

Dr. Ernesto A. de Pedro
Takayama Trustee

►2021 will mark the fifth centenary or 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines.

The Jubilee Year is considered significant for the Catholic faithful, especially to the Cebuanos, since history has it that Christianity first took root in the shores of Cebu in 1521. Christian faith was then propagated to other islands in the country and is continuing to flourish until today.

Cebu, a Bastion of Christianity

The oldest and most popular Santo Niño image is the Santo Niño of Cebu –which was brought from Spain by the sojourner Ferdinand Magellan (Fernando Magallanes). That image is particularly revered by Cebuanos, people from the region in and around the city of Cebu, where the Spaniards set up the first colonial capital. But the devotion to Santo Niño of Cebu has spread beyond that region, and images of it are a common sight in home altars around the country and in the Filipino diaspora.

Cebu is recognized as the “cradle of Christian civilization” with the most number of Catholics, seminarians, and priests and its Archdiocese is considered as the largest in the country.

In the year 2021,  Cebu will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Christianization of the Philippines.#

Dr. ERNESTO DE PEDRO
Takayama Trustee

►THE GOAL we fervently pray for is the CANONIZATION of Blessed Justo Ukon Takayama (1552-1615), “Son of Manila” – the only Japanese “Samurai of Christ” who was “martyred” outside Japan. That can happen only if we pray for Blessed Takayama to intercede with God for the miracle-healing of one of God’s children, through Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed Justo Ukon Takayama (高山右近), 1552 Osaka-1615 Manila) had an illustrious career as a Daimyo (feudal governor) in Japan. A Christian convert from Buddhism at age 11, Ukon became a pillar of the early church of Japan when he became Daimyo of Takatsuki (r. 1573-1585), building churches and seminaries in his territory as well as other domains. He fought battles for Three Hegemons of Japan:  Oda Nobunaga;  Hideyoshi Toyotomi and  Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1587, Takayama was stripped of his domain in Akashi for refusing to abjure his Faith and went to domestic exile in Kanazawa, where he served as guest-general (“Kyakusho”) of Lord Toshiee Maeda of Kaga. During his exile in Kanazawa, 1587-1614, Takayama built two Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) for 600 displaced Christian samurai he gathered in  Shika-machi (志賀町) and  Shio-machi (志雄町), both located in Hakui District, Ishikawa Prefecture. When ordered expelled from Japan in 1614, along with missionaries and Japanese Catholics, Takayama led the first exile boat with 350 Catholics deportees to Manila, a precursor of waves of Japanese Catholic migrants and refugees over the next 262 years. Only 44 days after his arrival in Manila, Takayama earned his martyrdom with his death on Feb. 3, 1615. Takayama was recognized as a Japanese-born Manileno — and was proposed for beatification in 1630 as the first candidate of the Philippine Church.#

Aida M. de Pedro
Auxuliary, Missionary Disciples for the New Evangelization

►AS PROPHESIED BY MALACHI — Just before the Consecration, the priest intones the Eucharistic Prayer, based on Malachi’s prophecy in the last book of the Old Testament: “For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 1:11) The Old Testament prophet Malachi lived some 400 years before Christ.

The Eucharistic Prayer echoes Malachi: “You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all You have created rightly gives You praise… You give life to all things and make them holy, and You never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to Your name.”

►Malachi’s prophecy 400 years B.C. has come to pass: Fr. George W. Kosicki, CSB, estimates that about “four-to-five Masses begin each second,” and that “there are approximately 8-to-9,000 Masses going on at any moment.” (George Kosicki, “Intercession: Moving Mountains by Living Eucharistically,” Faith Publishing Company): p. 22.

Even if Father Kosicki’s calculations are on the high side, “it is truly inspiring and breathtaking to consider that at any given moment thousands of Masses are being said throughout the world and the infinitely perfect sacrifice of Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity is being lovingly offered to the Eternal Father.”

What an amazing fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy!

►Whether on a jeepney-hood, in a barrio chapel, in a parish church, in a grand cathedral or basilica – whether celebrated by a newly-ordained priest or the Pope himself – whether celebrated by one priest, or concelebrated by the Pope and 100 Cardinals — the Eucharistic Mass remains the same ritual sacrifice instituted by Christ: “At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood.”

When we participate in the Holy Mass, we recall and make the passion, death and resurrection of Christ happen again here and now. It is a holy remembrance of what Jesus Christ went through to win our salvation. Holy Mass becomes the highest form of prayer then in such a way that we directly encounter Jesus Christ in His real presence in the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is the “source and summit of our Christian life” (CCC 1324).#

Comp. by Dr. Ernesto A. de Pedro
Managing Trustee

►On Thursday. June 28, 2018, Pope Francis convened an Ordinary Public Consistory at the Vatican Basilica, for the creation of 14 new cardinals, representing 11 countries in five continents.

The new cardinals, following their order of creation, knelt before the Holy Father, who imposed upon them the cardinals’ zucchetto and the berretta, consigned the ring and assigned to each one a church of Rome as a sign of participation in the Pope’s pastoral care for the city.

The celebration began with the greeting, prayer and reading of a passage from the Gospel according to Mark (10: 32-45).

Pope Francis’ Exhortation

►In his homily, Francis told the new cardinals the best promotion a person can receive is to serve the person of Christ as seen in the least of his people. AngelusNews.com was there at the consistory and reports: “This is the highest honor that we can receive, the greatest promotion that can be awarded us: to serve Christ in God’s faithful people.”

Speaking to the new and to the existing cardinals, he said credible authority stems from “sitting at the feet of others,” serving those “who are hungry, neglected, imprisoned, sick, suffering, addicted to drugs, cast aside… real people, each with his or her own life story and experiences, hopes and disappointments, hurts and wounds.”

“None of us must feel ‘superior’ to anyone,” he continued. “None of us should look down at others from above. The only time we can look at a person in this way is when we are helping them to stand up.”

The pope reflected on a passage from the Gospel of Mark, which recalls when the disciples were walking on the road to Jerusalem, and Christ, walking ahead of them, made his third announcement of his impending passion and death.

In recalling this event, St. Mark, he noted, “does not shrink from disclosing secrets present in the hearts of the disciples: their quest of honors, jealousy, envy, intrigue, accommodation and compromise.”

Yet Christ does not worry about this, Francis said. He keeps walking, telling the disciples forcefully: “But it shall not be so among you; whoever would be great among you must be your servant.”

The pope repeated: “‘But it shall not be so among you.’ The Lord’s response is above all an encouragement and a challenge to his disciples to recoup their better part, lest their hearts be spoiled and imprisoned by a worldly mentality blind to what is really important.”

“What does it profit us to gain the whole world if we are corroded within? What does it profit us to gain the whole world if we are living in a stifling atmosphere of intrigues that dry up our hearts and impede our mission?”

Christ teaches that conversion, change of heart, and reform of the Church should be carried out in the light of mission, he continued, pointing out the need to forget one’s own interests for the sake of upholding the Father’s – the dignity of every person.

He urged the cardinals to strive to always be ready to accompany and embrace their distressed brothers and sisters, and to avoid “useless wrangling about who is most important.”

“Only in this way, can the authority of the Shepherd have the flavor of the Gospel and not appear as ‘a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal’,” he said.#

Reading the Papal Bull

The Holy Father then read the formula for the creation of cardinals and solemnly pronounced the names of the new cardinals, announcing the presbyteral or diaconal order. The rite continued with the profession of faith of the new cardinals before the people of God and the oath of fidelity and obedience to Pope Francis and his successors.

After the consignment of the Bull of the creation of cardinals and the assignment of the title or diaconate, the Holy Father Francis exchanged an embrace of peace with each new cardinal.

Among the 14 New Cardinals is Osaka Archbishop Manyo Maeda

►Cardinal Thomas Aquinas Manyo Maeda of Osaka is currently the vice president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan (CBCJ).

Born March 3, 1949, in Tsuwasaki, Kami-Goto, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Nagasaki in 1975. Over the years, he served as a parish priest, editor of the diocesan bulletin and directed the diocese’s commission for social communications.

He served as secretary general of bishops’ conference from 2006 until 2011, when he was made bishop of Hiroshima. Pope Francis appointed him to lead the Archdiocese of Osaka in 2014.

As a native of Nagasaki, Bishop Maeda was widely involved in the peace movement in Hiroshima. He also worked for the beatification of “hidden Christians” who had been exiled to Tsuwano in present-day Shimane prefecture, part of Hiroshima Diocese. In the final outbreak of anti-Christian persecution in Japan 150 years ago, some 3,400 Christians from Nagasaki were exiled to various places throughout the country.

After Pope Francis announced his list of new cardinals in Rome on May 20, Archbishop Maeda was deluged by emails from congregants who had heard the news. The prelate told UCANews.com: “I myself did not know about the announcement at all and I had no contact in advance. Personally, I don’t think I’m the most suitable person to be a cardinal, so I still find it hard to believe.”

A Fisherman – Like the Apostles

►Archbishop Maeda can be called a legitimate successor to the Apostles who were fishermen. When he was a parish priest, he frequently went fishing in his own boat and carried the sort of colorful flag that Japanese fishermen raise when they net a large catch.

For many years, he has also been involved with people with disabilities, while as a member of the CBCJ, he has been on its committees for education and ecumenism.

Like Blessed Takayama, Cardinal Maeda Is a Haiku Poet

►The new cardinal is also a master of the short Japanese poetic form called “haiku” and his poems often appear in his sermons and articles.

Archbishop Maeda wrote a haiku – for the Beatification Ceremony of Blessed Takayama on Feb. 7, 2017:

「冬の虹 仰ぎて行くや 右近祭」

It reads: “Fuyu no niji Aogite ikuya Ukon-sai”

It means: “Rainbow of winter,
Let us go and look up to,
Ukon Festival”

Singular Significance of Blessed Takayama – to Both Japan and the Philippines – According to Cardinal Maeda

►“During the Sengoku Period (戦国時代 Sengoku Jidai, “Age of Warring States”; c1467-1603) — that is, the period associated with the hegemons who united Japan: Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, there lived a feudal chief who led a life imbued with the conviction that “Jesus was Lord,” and who sought to build a Kingdom of God, a kingdom abounding in love. That was Takayama Ukon.

“Ah, what peace Ukon has found in Christ the Lord!”

►What manner of life did Justo Takayama seek to follow? “Despite being the Son of God, Christ humbled himself to be born as a man, he emphatized with mankind, and he partook of human joys and sorrows to the moment of death.” This was the life led by Jesus who died on the Cross, and it was a life that Justo Ukon Takayama sought to emulate. In other words, the path he chose was that of a true king, a king who sought to unite Heaven and Earth, mankind and God, by means of the Cross. As a result, he was also intensely engaged in the performance of many acts of mercy.

“The Beatification of Ukon who chose a Crucifix in place of a Sword.”

►Ukon was not a priest, and yet, besides churches he built theologates and seminaries, and he was a zealous participant in catechism, contemplation, devotional works, Holy Mass, sacraments and other related activities. As well as the Church in Japan, where calls now are being made for the provision of innovative forms of Gospel transmission, let us reflect over and pray for a revival of the work Ukon did to spread the Gospel, starting with the Philippines with which he enjoyed a special kinship, and extending over the entire world.

“The Blessings of Ukon’s Beatification Unite Japan and the Philippines”

►In conjunction with the construction of the Osakajo of Hideyoshi, Ukon erected churches in Osaka for a fresh communcation of the Gospel. In the same way, let us in conjunction with the Beaitification of Justo Takayama, begin now this fresh communication of the Gospel.

“Let us begin by emulating the compassion of Ukon.”

The College of Cardinals Now Has 226 Members

►Archbishop Maeda is the sixth Japanese to be named a cardinal, but unlike his predecessors, he has not been active in international matters.

With Thursday’s ceremony, there are now 226 cardinals worldwide, 74 of them named by Francis during his five-year-old papacy.

Of that total, 125 cardinals are younger than 80 and can vote in a conclave for the next pope when the current pope dies or resigns: 59 of them appointed by Francis, 47 by Pope Benedict XVI, his predecessor, and 19 named by Pope John Paul II.

Three of those named Thursday are too old to participate in selecting the next pope.

The Challenge Ahead — For the College of Cardinals

►At a post-ceremony reception, Pope Francis asked which pressing questions churchmen should urgently address.

The new cardinals shared with the Associated Press (AP) that the “social exclusion” of migrants is an issue “all must address.” Francis recently has appealed to all nations to be more welcoming to the refugees they can adequately integrate into society.

The new Cardinal from Peru, Huancayo Archbishop Pedro Barreto Jimeno,  cited the need to fight corruption worldwide. Francis has made battling corruption inside the church also one of his papacy’s priorities.

After the ceremony, the pope and the new cardinals took minivans to the monastery on Vatican City grounds where Benedict XVI, who retired from the papacy in 2013, lives.

Courtesy Call on Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

►The cardinals each went up to greet the frail 91-year-old Benedict, who was sitting in a chair, taking his hand and briefly chatting with the emeritus pontiff.

Addressing his “dear brother cardinals and new cardinals,” the pope said the “only credible form of authority is born of sitting at the feet of others in order to serve Christ.”

Serendipity?

Osaka Archbishop Thomas Aquinas Manyō Cardinal Maeda has been designated Cardinal-Priest of Santa Pudenziana. The Basilica of Santa Pudenziana (Santa Potenciana) serves as the national church for the Filipino community of Rome.  A happy coincidence?#

Compiled by Dr. Ernesto A. de Pedro
Takayama Trustee

►Following the end of World War II, an Urakami-born Trappist priest, Father Kaemon Noguchi (†2001), visited the ruins of the destroyed Urakami Cathedral. He wished to find something in the rubble that he could take as a memento, but could not find anything suitable. He stopped and prayed for a blessing.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the charred face of a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, looking at him with a “sad and familiar” regard. The priest immediately recognized that it was the head of the statue of the Immaculate Conception placed over the main altar of the cathedral.

Wood Carving — Based on Murillo Painting

The original Marian statue, carved from wood, was brought to Urakami Cathedral in the 1930s from Italy This image is based on the painting by the Spanish painter, Bartoleme Esteban Murillo (1618-1682) of the Immaculate Conception motif. It stood two meters tall.

This was the statue that he had seen regularly as a child and before which he had prayed for guidance and protection and for his vocation, the statue he had never forgotten even after entering the monastery.

The Trappist priest brought the burnt head of the statue back to his monastery in Hokkaido and kept it in his room, praying in front of it. He finally returned it to Urakami Cathedral when he attended a ceremony held there to mark the 30th anniversary of the atomic bombing.

A Return to Urakami Cathedral

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the bombing, the statue, which has come to be called “Hibaku no Maria” (‘Atomic-Bombed Mary’), was installed in a newly-erected small chapel at the cathedral.

Five years later, in 2010, Hibaku-no Maria accompanied Archbishop Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki on his world peace pilgrimages to the Vatican and Spain, where the head was presented at a memorial ceremony held for air raid victims in Guernica.

The statue was then taken to the United Nations in New York in time for the Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference.#