MANILA, Philippines – Congressman and boxing champ Manny Pacquiao may just be the first-ever Filipino to be a guest speaker at the World Youth Day (WYD) celebrations. This year, the World Youth Day festivities will be held in Spain.
The Sarangani representative was one of the many personalities invited by the World Youth Council, based in Vatican, to partake in the grand gathering that takes place from August 16 to 21 in Madrid, related Eugene Alzate, a board member in the Mindanao province, as reported by Bomboradyo.
Pacquiao has not yet acceded to the invitation, the report added.
The eight-division world champion, a devout Roman Catholic, often credits his achievements as blessings from his Creator. Pacquiao’s spirituality likewise translates to his firm yet frequently criticized position against the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) Bill.
Blessed John Paul II, who served as Pope from 1978 to 2005, initiated the World Youth Day back in 1985 as an annual “great meeting of young people from all over the world… to celebrate and learn about their faith,” as stated in the event's official website.
In 1995, the World Youth Day was held in the Philippines, the first time for an Asian country to be a host. To this day the five million-strong crowd that participated in the closing mass in Luneta Park holds the world record for the biggest Papal gathering in history.
The anthem for that year’s WYD, “Tell The World Of His Love,” was composed by award-winning Filipino songwriter and record producer Trina Belamide.
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