SW News: In what is seen as a perfect symbol of the centuries-old Christian heritage of the Philippines, Pope Francis was gifted a painting of explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who is credited with bringing the faith to the Asian nation, at the end of the Thanksgiving Mass for the Filipino community on March 14 at St. Peter's Basilica. It was held to mark 500 years of the arrival of Christianity in the archipelago. Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who led the Spanish expedition to the East Indies in the 16th century and he claimed the islands, which later came to be known as the Philippines, for Spain.
Magellan led the expedition from 1519 to 1522 and he reached the archipelago on March 16, 1521. It is believed that the first Holy Mass was celebrated on the island of Limasawa by one of the friars in his entourage on March 31, 1521, marking the beginning of Christianity in the region.
The painting is a masterpiece by Filipino artist Ryan Carreon Aragon, depicting Ferdinand giving a statue of Sto. Niño (Child Jesus) to Doña Juana, who received the Christian faith.
According to Fr Ricky Gente, chaplain of the Filipino community in Rome, a family donated the painting to be gifted to the Holy Father. It was selected from among the entries for the Quincentennial Painting Competition.
Due to the pandemic regulations, only 100 people were allowed to attend the Holy Mass in the basilica. However, faithful all over the world were able to participate in the Mass through live-streaming.
There were 10 concelebrants, including Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and former archbishop of Manila, and Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, the Pope’s vicar for Rome. The Thanksgiving Mass marked the start of the quincentennial celebrations in Rome.