Church: Pope’s absence slashes turnout for meet

Terrorists did not keep them away, the Pope’s non-appearance did.

The drop in the number of delegates to the coming fourth World Meeting of Families was caused by the fact that Pope John Paul II will not be at the international gathering in Manila, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Socrates Villegas said yesterday.

In an interview at Villa San Miguel during the EDSA II anniversary, Villegas said the information cited in letters received by the Archdiocese of Manila was that the Pope was not coming to Manila for the international meeting of families.

It was also earlier reported that Vatican Secretary of State Angelo Cardinal Sodano had prevailed upon Pope John Paul II in his recommendation that the Pope skip meeting in Manila for health reasons.

Villegas, also a spokesman for Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, said they had originally expected some 10,000 delegates to attend the meeting, 1,000 of whom are foreign delegates. So far, only 3,700 foreign and local delegates have confirmed their intent to attend the meeting.

Originally, Villegas said, delegates from 84 countries were scheduled to come. That list has been trimmed to 72 countries as "the Pope is not here. People still want to see the Pope."

Villegas said they have also received information that one of the causes for Pope John Paul’s absence from the meeting is "difficulty mobilizing the Pope," who suffers from Parkinson’s disease and has experienced problems with his hip that prevent him from kneeling or standing too long.

Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican Henrietta de Villa concurred with Villegas’ statement. "Just like Bishop Socrates Villegas said, it is the non-appearance of Pope John Paul II which caused the drop (in attendance)."

De Villa added that the unfavorable travel advisories made by foreign governments about the Philippines may also have affected the attendance to the 4th World Meeting of Families.

"That (the travel advisories) had some toll, but not as much as the Pope’s non-appearance," she said. – With Aurea Calica