Archdiocese says 30 people to have lunch with the pope

PALO, LEYTE, Philippines – Officials of the Archdiocese of Palo yesterday revealed that at least 30  people will be given an opportunity of sharing lunch with Pope Francis during his visit to Leyte in January next year.

Reverend Father Amadeo Alvero, social communications director of the archdioses, in a media briefing, told reporters the rehabilitation committee have already identified those who will be joining lunch with Pope Francis.

The names, which were not divulged to the media, were already submitted to the committee recently, but Alvero said 25 of them were victims of Yolanda in Leyte and the earthquake in Bohol.

“One of the main purposes in this occasion is for the pope to help rebuild their spiritual lives and hope especially of those who lost their loved ones and properties. ... The pope really want to comfort them,” Alvero said.

Pope Francis, during his visit to Leyte on January 17, will share the word of God in a Mass that will be held at the Tacloban City Airport, expecting around 1 million devotees and pilgrims from the region and other places.

Father Chris Arthur Militante, information and social communications officer of the archdiocese, also said the airport can only accomodate about 160,000 people.

“At least four people will occupy every one square meter, in standing position, which means 1,200 people in a quadrant,” Militante added.

The Church officials however encouraged people to welcome the pope in their homes, through radio and TV coverages, because of the limited space of the venue that could no longer accommodate a high number of people.

Alvero said the transportation committee was instructed to provide a “simple transportation” that will be used during the motorcade from the airport to the Palo Cathedral, the seat of the archdiocese. “The transportation committee is doing that because Pope Francis wanted a very simple mobile car,”he said.

On security matters, the entire police force in the country earlier established a multi-agency Papal Visit national organizing committee tasked with the management and coordination of all plans and activities, maintain peace and order, and safeguard participants.

The committee’s task will include public safety assistance necessary for order maintenance and police services for crowd control, vehicular and pedestrian traffic direction and route, parking and venue security.

The Police Regional Office-Region 8, for its part, has been in close coordination with other government forces specifically to provide tight security to the pope and his party.

As earlier officially announced by the Vatican, Pope Francis will visit the survivors of super typhoon Yolanda,  the strongest of its kind ever to hit land, which devastated Tacloban and much of Eastern Visayas on November 8, 2013.

Some 6,300 people were killed and 1,060 more are listed missing, with Tacloban, the hardest hit area, accounting for almost a third of the fatalities and more than P25 billion in damage to property and public structure.