Pray for me, pope tweets on ‘Shepherd One’

MANILA, Philippines - As he flew back to the Vatican, Pope Francis asked the citizens of the countries he had just visited – Sri Lanka and the Philippines – to pray for him.

While on “Shepherd One” – Philippine Airlines’ special direct flight to Rome – Pope Francis sent out a tweet in two languages on his @Pontifex account at around 3 p.m. yesterday.

The first tweet was in English: “To my friends in Sri Lanka and the Philippines: May God bless you all! Please pray for me.”

He also sent the same tweet in Tagalog: “Sa aking mga kaibigan sa Sri Lanka at Pilipinas: Naway pagpalain kayo ng Diyos. Sana’y patuloy niyo akong ipagdasal.”

As of 6:30 p.m. yesterday, the English tweet was retweeted 6,600 times and was picked as a favorite 13,000 times.

Meanwhile, the Tagalog message was retweeted 11,112 times and became a favorite 17,000 times.

Pope thanks gov’t officials

Prior to his departure, Pope Francis met with government officials who worked for the success of his five-day visit to the Philippines, and thanked them for their efforts.

The pope met with Cabinet secretaries Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa Jr., Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, acting Health Secretary Janette Garin, Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya and PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina at 8 a.m. at the Apostolic Nunciature, his residence during his stay in the country from Jan. 15 to 19.

Most of the Cabinet secretaries also went to Villamor Air Base to see the pope off as he returned to Rome. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe