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The Manila Cathedral (Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception) has been closed beginning February 7, 2012. The Cathedral’s closing was officially announced by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle in a press conference on February 13, 2012 at the Arzobispado de Manila. Earlier in February, in a circular, Archbishop Tagle informed all the priests in the Archdiocese of Manila of the planned closure in view of a report pointing to questions on the structural integrity of the Cathedral, the mother church of the Archdiocese. In a circular to them the Archbishop said that the decision to close was done after consultations with the Archdiocese’s College of Consultors, and Board of Trustees of the Manila Cathedral Basilica Foundation. The report was made by Angel Lazaro and Associates International (ALAI), a reputable structural engineering consulting firm. In the circular, Archbishop Tagle pointed to three items of greatest concern (which were also tackled during the press conferenc...

JARO, Iloilo City, Jan. 17, 2012—The Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral will be formally declared as the National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles on February 2, feast day of Our Lady of Candles or Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines declared on July 16, 2011 the elevation of the shrine of Our Lady of Candles into a national shrine. On February 21, 1981, the image of Our Lady of Candles was canonically crowned by the Blessed Pope John Paul II— the only Marian image in the Philippines that was canonically crowned by a Pope. The Marian image is venerated not just by the people of Jaro but also by the people of Western Visayas and beyond. On April 21, 1982, Blessed Pope John Paul II named Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria as Patroness of Western Visayas. Both canonical coronation and the naming of the image as Patroness are official recognitions of what has already been a fact in the spiritual life not just of the people of Panay but also of th...