The Philippines has been blessed by Pope Francis’ state and pastoral visits (the other one was in Sri Lanka). Jorge Mario Bergoglio is the third pontiff to visit the country after his predecessors Blessed Paul VI and Saint John Paul II who visited twice — in 1981 when he beatified Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and in 1995 during the celebration of the 10th World Youth Day.
He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, who surrendered his earthly possessions to be with and to serve the poor. Likewise, Pope Francis is known as a simple and humble man. Stories abound that he took the bus going to work and cooked his own meals while in Argentina. When he was elected Pope, he decided to live in Domus Sanctae Martae instead of the Papal apartments and eschewed the papal limousine and hopped in a minibus together with the other cardinals to go back to the hotel to collect his things and pay for his bills. He is comfortable wearing his white cassock and black leather shoes.
The theme of Pope Francis’ papal visit to the country was Mercy and Compassion. Millions of Filipinos longed to see him up close (and even personal) since the good news of his coming to the Philippines was announced. Security measures were carefully planned and implemented to ensure his safety and the safety of people. For five straight days, Filipino Catholics patiently lined up the streets day and night, rain or shine where his convoy would pass just to get a glimpse of The People’s Pope who waved and blessed the people.
Pope Francis had a haywire schedule while in the country — meeting with high-ranking officials, religious leaders, selected families and the youth; lunch with some Yolanda survivors; and celebrating Holy Mass at the Manila Cathedral, in Tacloban and at the Quirino Grandstand.
In line with the Papal events, more than 100,000 copies of the papal liturgy book have been donated by the Augustinians of the Assumption (Assumptionist Fathers) to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for the scheduled activities. This was made possible through the International Solidarity Fund of Bayard Presse France and the Augustinians of the Assumption. Bayard is the publisher of Living with Christ, a monthly liturgical tool used by the laity, religious and schools for Christian formation.
It is said that one of the highlights of his pastoral visit was his rain-drenched trip to Leyte. Pope Francis braved the stormy weather and proceeded to celebrate the Eucharist donning a yellow raincoat like the faithful. He deviated from his prepared English speech in his homily during the Mass in Tacloban and opted to speak in Spanish so he could speak from the heart. “Some of you have lost part of your families. All I can do is keep silence and walk with you all with my silent heart,” he told the survivors. “Let us know that we have a Mother, Mary and a great Brother, Jesus. We are not alone.” His trip to Tacloban and Palo in Leyte was cut short because of the bad weather due to tropical storm Amang.
It was estimated that a record-breaking six million people attended the concluding Mass in Luneta despite the biting cold rain. According to Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, “This is the largest event of the history of the Pope Visit.”
Weeks have passed since Pope Francis left our country but we still feel what is dubbed as the Pope Francis effect. I had a once-in-a-lifetime chance of meeting His Holiness during his state visit in Malacañang. Like everyone else, I was taken.