TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Braving the rains and strong winds due to tropical storm Amang, Pope Francis yesterday arrived via Philippine Airlines at the DZR Airport in this city at 8:47 a.m., an hour earlier than scheduled. Later he also had to leave earlier than scheduled because of the storm.
An estimated crowd of at least 100,000 pilgrims, wearing transparent yellow raincoats, cheered and cried as the pope and his entourage emerged from the plane, as they chorused “Viva il Papa, Papa Francesco!”
The Holy Father, wearing the same raincoat as those of the pilgrims, was welcomed by Palo Archbishop John Du, Leyte Governor Dominic Petilla, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, Palo town Mayor Remedios Petilla and Leyte 1st district Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
Many people cried upon seeing the pope, and those from the heavily-devastated coastal Barangay 88 of San Jose district in Tacloban, where most Yolanda deaths were, said they may not have been rehabilitated but the pope’s presence had rehabilitated them spiritually.
An old man at the terminal building, while craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the pope from afar, said, “I feel like Jesus Christ is here.” The crowd stood on their assigned areas, disciplined and orderly, as they waved to the Pontiff who in turn smiled and waved at them.
PAPAL MASS
The Papal Mass started at 9:27 a.m. It began with gospel readings in Visayan and entrance songs in Waray rendered by the archdiocese’s Grand Choir.
In his homily, Pope Francis spoke in Spanish which was translated to English, by an interpreter.
“When I saw from Rome that catastrophe I had to be here. And on those very days, I decided to come here. I am here to be with you — a little bit late, but I am here. I have come to tell you that Jesus is Lord. And He never let us down. We have a Lord capable of walking with us in the most difficult moments of life... Christ also suffered,” he said.
The Pope ended his message by thanking the people in Leyte for welcoming him. The pilgrims, most of whom were Yolanda survivors, cried as they listened to the pope’s homily. They said it gave them comfort and assurance of God’s presence, as they recalled the time when they were battered by disasters.
Du, who spoke when the Mass was about to end, said, “The suffering of our people defied imagination... It was our Christian faith that helped us through. The Lord will never let us down.”
He also thanked the Pope for visiting Leyte.
“Your visit strengthens us and consoles us. Thank you very much.”
The Mass ended at 9:55 a.m. The communion to the congregation was given after the Mass by assigned priests, as the pope, on board the Popemobile and his convoy, circled at least twice around the crowd at the airport tarmac. The pope waved and smiled frequently at them before leaving towards Palo town.
ACCIDENTS
Minutes after the Mass, a 27-year-old woman from Eastern Samar was killed after the scaffolding of the sound system near the altar collapsed due to strong winds and fell on her.
In an interview with reporters, Fr. Amadeo Alvero, archdiocese social communications director, confirmed the death of the woman in the accident that occurred right after the papal motorcade exited the airport.
Medical responders tried to rush her to the hospital but then the ambulance could not get through the convoy that was still cruising the highway on its way to Palo.
“We are sorry that this had to happen,” said Alvero.
Fr. Neil Gavan Tenefrancia identified the victim as Cristal Mae Padasas, a CRS volunteer and a pilgrim from Borongan City.
Also, near the terminal building, local and international journalists sustained bruises when the steel trusses of a tent they were taking shelter in, suddenly collapsed on them due to strong winds. One of them, Imelda Quijano Magbutay, special correspondent of The FREEMAN was hurt in her right shoulder and arm. They were immediately given treatment by health personnel there.
VISIT CUT SHORT
Downpour and strong winds kept on as the papal motorcade exited the airport into the San Jose area and Barangay Marasbaras of Tacloban, and then to Barangays Pawing and Guinapundan of Palo into the Archbishop’s Residence, which was secured by Vatican guards and off-limits to the media, the local and national security forces, and the public.
An estimated one million people lined the motorcade route, while at least 2,000 people gathered outside the Archbishop’s Residence and thousand others at the Palo Cathedral.
At the Archbishop’s Residence, the pope had a quick lunch with 30 selected survivors of typhoon Yolanda and the magnitude-7.2 earthquake in the Visayas. Fifteen of them were from Leyte and five each from Eastern Samar, Calbayog City in Samar and Tagbilaran City in Bohol.
After about 15 minutes, the pope skipped the scheduled blessing of the Vatican-funded P30-million Pope Francis Center for the Poor, near the Archbishop’s Residence (or Gonzagahaus), where he was supposed to meet with the orphans, the elderly and some people with disabilities.
Church officials had to forego with the pope’s stop at the Center and cut short his stay because the pope had to fly back to Manila, before the forecast landfall of Amang at 2 p.m.
“I was a bit disappointed,” said Cecilia Pang, a 73-year-old Taclobanon who came all the way from New York for the papal visit in Leyte
She, together with other elderly, person with disabilities and children, were waiting for the Pope at the Pope Francis Center. They were ushered out into the courtyard in their yellow raincoats and made to sit and wait for the pope’s coming, but then it was announced that the visit will be aborted.
However the Pope passed by them in his vehicle and gave them and the Center his blessing.
The pope rushed to the Palo Cathedral at about 12:15 p.m. where he met with priests, religious men and women, seminarians and survivors’ families then said a prayer at the mass grave of Yolanda victims at the cathedral’s yard. He also told the crowd that Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin was celebrating his birthday, prompting them to sing a birthday song for the latter.
By about 12:35 p.m. the pope was immediately motored back to the airport where he boarded a PAL plane which took off at 1:10 p.m. for Manila.
Pope Francis said he was “saddened” for leaving Leyte earlier than scheduled because of the storm.
“I’m sad about this; truly saddened, because I have something prepared especially for you. We need time to get to the airplane because the weather forecast said that after 1 p.m. it’s going to get much worse, so I apologize to you all,” he earlier told the crowd at the Palo Cathedral. — with reports from Primo A. Cayubit, Imelda Q. Magbutay, Lalaine M. Jimenea, Marlon Necito Taño and Edgar Allan Vilbar/BRP (FREEMAN)