30 Yolanda, quake victims to dine with Pope Francis

CEBU CITY , Philippines  – A chance to dine with Pope Francis awaits 30 survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas and the earthquake in Bohol last year, a church official disclosed over the weekend in Palo, Leyte.

Palo Archbishop John Du said some 20 typhoon victims from Tacloban City, five typhoon survivors from Cebu, and five earthquake victims from Bohol would be chosen to have the once in a lifetime chance to dine with the Pope.

The Archdiocese of Palo will pick the lucky people who will dine with Pope Francis at the residential house of the archbishop.

Du said the pope will arrive in Tacloban City on Jan. 17, 2015 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

“There is no special preparation for the meal with the Pope, who wants to eat with the poor people with simple food,” Du said.

He said that as of now nobody had been chosen but the Pope wants to dine with people who lost relatives during the typhoon.

Pope Francis wants to first visit Tacloban City, the worst hit by Yolanda last November 8, 2013.

“His visit is exclusively dedicated for poor victims of the typhoon, no more politics and VIPs,” Du said.

The archdiocese, together with the local government of Tacloban City, is preparing for the papal visit.

“The government, they are already starting to widen the roads and (we at) the church are preparing for the place of the open mass to be held in the airport and we will put our template there,” Du said.

Du said that after a mass, the Pope will bless an orphanage, a home for the elderly and a clinic for the poor.

He said the pope will visit the town cathedral and bless the religious people there.

In Manila, the government will send a popemobile that the holy father would use in Leyte.

“We are appealing to residents of neighboring provinces not to flock to Tacloban anymore since the Pope will only be here for six hours and 30 minutes. Anyway he will be going to Manila and stay there three days,” he said.

It was learned that Vatican representatives who visited the Philippines last July drafted the tentative itinerary of the Pope.

Du said the itinerary does not show a papal stopover in Cebu, which celebrates Sinulog during that time.