ARMED Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang, Jr. during novena prayer at St. Ignatius Cathedral in Camp Aguinaldo on Monday encouraged all Catholic faithful under his command to dedicate their daily rosary prayer for the safe visit of Pope Francis to the country from January 15 to 19, 2015.
During a mass held in celebration of the 97th Anniversary of the ‘Great Miracle of the Sun in Fatima’ at the St. Ignatius Cathedral in Camp Aguinaldo where 500 soldiers and civilians were in attendance, Catapang also invited other Marian devotees to attend daily rosary prayers to be recited at the church every morning.
Expressing concern for the Pope’s safe visit, Acting AFP Chief Chaplain Service Col. Bernardo T. Odfina expressed gratitude for the initiative of Catapang in leading the whole armed forces in supporting the government’s efforts to ensure the safe and peaceful visit of the Pope.
Catapang also urged the soldiers and civilian employees as well as their families to dedicate the daily novena prayers for the civilian hostages believed to be in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf group.
On Sunday, he was in Sulu to boost the morale of the frontline soldiers who are currently tasked to conduct focused-military operations against the terrorist group.
Recently, several units were deployed to Sulu to augment security operations in the area, including the 35th and 32nd Infantry battalions known to be veterans in fighting the Abu Sayyaf Group.
Almost 90% of the 120,000-strong AFP are Catholics, although houses of prayers for other major religions such Islam, Iglesia Ni Cristo, and Protestants are also present in all major military camps all over the country. BEEN THERE DONE THAT/JOSEPHINE JARON CODILLA
