MANILA (SE): The Archdiocesan Shrine of the Black Nazarene—Quiapo Church—was elevated to the status of national shrine by Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines [CBCP], CBCP News reported on July 9.
During its 126th plenary assembly in Kalibo, Aklan province, the CBCP approved the petition Cardinal Advincula of Manila, declare the church, located in the heart of Manila, as the country’s 29th national shrine.
The church was given the title, “National Shrine of the Black Nazarene” according to CBCP News.
In 1987, Pope St. John Paul II elevated the church to the status of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene due to its significant role in fostering a profound popular devotion to Jesus Christ and its cultural impact on the religious practices of Filipinos.
Feast of the Black Nazarene will also be recognised as a national feast to be celebrated in all churches in the country. Devotees will no longer have to go all the way to Quiapo Church during the feast, ABS-CBN News reported.
