MANILA, Philippines – Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle is set to gather up to 5,000 people for the 3rd Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE), a 3-day series of talks and prayer sessions on “the merciful Filipino.”

The PCNE is scheduled from July 15 to 17, Friday to Sunday, at the Quadricentennial Pavilion of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila. The PCNE this year goes by the theme, “Awa, Unawa, Gawa: The Filipino Experience of Mercy.”

While the PCNE was also convened in 2013 and 2015, the 3rd PCNE is unique because it is held during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. During this Jubilee Year, the Catholic Church encourages more acts of mercy, as it also opens more opportunities for the forgiveness of sins.

The 3rd PCNE also comes at a time of rising violence in the Philippines, as President Rodrigo Duterte wages a bloody war to curb crime and corruption in 3 to 6 months. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) itself warns of the recent rise of “vigilantism.” 

‘Culture of life and mercy’

Father Jason Laguerta, director of the Office for the Promotion of the New Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Manila, explained how the 3rd PCNE is relevant in relation to spate of violence in the country.

“How can we promote the culture of life and mercy…in the context of killings all around us and perhaps the violation of the rights of people? That’s what this conference is about – to remind all of us that we should not compromise the quality of mercy in our relationships,” Laguerta said in a news conference Wednesday, June 29. 

He added, “PCNE will try to go deeper into that aspect of our life as Filipinos – the merciful Filipino. And it’s a good reminder for us nowadays, especially during the Jubilee Year of Mercy.”

Tagle leads the line-up of speakers at the PCNE. Other speakers include Jesuit priests Father Manoling Francisco and Father Albert Alejo.

In 2013 and 2015, the PCNE was also held in UST, a pontifical university. In 2013, the PCNE was also where Pope Francis delivered his first video message addressed to the Philippines. – Rappler.com