Palace expects Pope visit to have 'profound effect' on Phl political landscape

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is expecting Pope Francis’ five-day visit to have a profound impact on the country’s political leaders and to bring about a “spiritual renewal” to Filipinos who are facing difficulties.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Sec. Herminio Coloma Jr. said the terms mercy and compassion, the theme of the papal visit, are “very basic and very deeply emotional concepts that could find resonance in the heart of every Filipino.”

“It is difficult to imagine that our people especially our leaders will not be profoundly affected by this experience especially when you speak of mercy and compassion,” Coloma said in a press conference in Manila Hotel yesterday.

“I think it will provide a good opportunity for Filipinos, especially our leaders, to be more discerning, to be more reflective and to be more considerate of the values that are indicated by the two concepts of mercy and compassion,” he added.

Pope Francis’ visit came a little more than a year before the 2016 presidential elections. It also happened as the Philippines is coping with the effects of natural disasters and grappling with issues like poverty, political divisions, and corruption allegations.

Coloma said Filipinos have an extended family system, which he described as a manifestation of a “culture of caring and sharing.” He said such culture is rooted in faith, which is part and parcel of the lives of Filipinos.

“The presence of pope in the country always brings on a spiritual renewal, a feeling of tremendous inspiration because it’s not everyday we are visited by the vicar of Christ, especially coming from the time when we’re dealing with many challenges,” the Palace official said.

“We have a pope that is able to give us enlightenment and guidance on how to discern what appropriate responses we should make in the light of these challenges,” he added.

When asked about the impact of the papal visit on Philippine policies, Coloma said the government remains sensitive to the views of the public.

“Our laws and national policies are prepared by our legislators who are directly voted into office by our people and so in all of these, we are mindful of the sentiments of the vast majority of our people,” he added.

Coloma said Pope Francis will be meeting a country that is “vastly different” from the one encountered by Pope John Paul II in 1995. He said the population of the Philippines has risen to more than 100 million from about 68 million two decades ago.

Coloma also claimed that the government has adopted a different approach in addressing poverty, a recurring theme in Pope Francis’ speeches and homilies.

“The conventional wisdom is the government could just focus on attaining macroeconomic targets like GDP (gross domestic product) growth and hope that by some benevolence there will be riffle effect that will allow those in the bottom of pyramid to rise. that is not the approach anymore,” he said.

“There is now a purposive and deliberate effort to bring the fruits of development to the doorsteps of Filipino families living in the margins of poverty.”

More than 80 percent of Filipinos belong to the Roman Catholic faith, which was brought to the country by Spaniards in the 16th century.