(Eagle News) — Catholic missionary nuns were among those who attended the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) evangelical mission in Rome last Saturday, February 18, held at the INC’s local congregation in the Italian capital.
The nuns were among the many people — including those from the religious sector — who were given invitations for the INC evangelical mission in Rome, the most notable of whom was Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church.
The Pope was invited a day before by a Filipino third-year law student at the Roman Tre University, Klein Mendiola, an INC member.
Although Pope Francis did not show up at the event, the Catholic nuns who were invited by other brethren to the Missione Evangelica” (evangelical mission) of the Church of Christ at the Church of Christ local congregation in Rome, came and listened intently during the event.
One of the nuns who came said she was very glad to have attended the INC evangelical mission. She said she was looking forward to attending such an occasion again.
“I was touched very much by the passages of the Scriptures. They are very well selected, and they contain a very deep message which helps us to be united and to be careful to God Himself and to be faithful to our mission,” said a Catholic missionary nun, Sister Anupa.
“If I get the opportunity, surely, I would like to join again, because this is very beautiful occasion to come together, and to reflect upon the word of God together and to experience God’s love together and to share the experience with one another, like that.. to grow together in God’s love and brotherly love,” she said in an interview.
“I’m happy, I’m thankful (for being) given this opportunity,” she added.
While the Catholic Pope did not attend the event, Mendiola’s earnest endeavor to invite him to the INC evangelical mission did not go unnoticed.
That moment was even captured by news photographers in the Vatican and was featured in the article written about the Pope’s visit by La Repubblica, an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. (See: http://www.repubblica.it/vaticano/2017/02/17/news/papa_francesco_a_roma_tre_dialogo_con_gli_studenti_mancanza_lavoro_causa_suicidi_e_terrorismo_-158536513/)
The Vatican Television Center or Centro Televisivo Vaticano (CTV), the official media of the Catholic Pope, also captured that moment when the Pope was handed two copies of the PASUGO or God’s Message magazine of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, or Church of Christ.
This also inspired many INC members to all the more re-envigorate their efforts in inviting more people to their evangelical missions.
Recalling the event, Mendiola said that he was among those who waited for the Pope at the Roman Tre university where he delivered a speech and where he had a dialogue with the students on various issues.
Mendiola said the Pope approached them as he was leaving the university after his speech.
“He approached us, we were behind the barrier, and when he got close to us I immediately showed him our “God’s Message” magazines. There were two special editions where the Aid to Humanity projects of the Church are featured,” Mendiola said in an interview.
“Also inside our magazine are invitations for our evangelical mission which would be held the next day. I simply told him that we have projects to defeat poverty especially in Africa and the Philippines,” he said.
The Iglesia Ni Cristo has been intensifying its efforts to spread the words of God as written in the Bible throughout the world, including its “Aid to Humanity” activities to help those in need in various parts of the globe.
(Erratum: We deeply apologize for the earlier report entitled “Catholic Pope sends representatives to INC evangelical mission in Rome”. The article above is the correct version of the event)