ShareThisAll church bells ring on his arrival; Pnoy, Binay lead welcomers
MANILA (PhilAmPress) – Church bells all over the country were pealed simultaneously as the charismatic Pope Francis landed on Thursday, January 15, on board a Sri Lanka Airlines plane at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City for his four-day Apostolic and State Visit in the Philippines, the fourth Papal visit in the predominantly Roman Catholic country.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Socrates Villegas of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan and Manila Archbishop Jose Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who led local Church leaders in welcoming the Pope, said the ringing of the bells at 5:45 p.m., was “a symbolic gesture of welcome to the Holy Father.”
President Benigno S. Aquino III, for his part, led government leaders who met the Pope, considered by many as a rockstar due to his popularity, at the Villamor Air Base tarmac. Also there were Vice President Jejomar Binay who was seen greeting each of the Roman Catholic bishops before the Pontiff arrived and Cabinet members led by Foreign Secretary Alberto del Rosario, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima who were introduced by Mr. Aquino to the Pope.
Minutes after his plane landed on schedule after a six-hour trip from Colombo, Sri Lanka, a smiling Pope was seen through television several times through the airplane’s window apparently excited to get down and begin his official visit as hundreds of young children sang and dance and many faithful waving the Papal and the Philippine flags while others shouted “Viva Santo Papa!”
Earlier at a press conference with Vatican media, including Manila-based journalists, on the plane, the Pope revealed his message to millions of Filipinos: “I am always thinking of you,” ABS-CBN’s Lynda Jumilla, one of the Filipino journalists on board, repored.
The Pontiff’s main reason for visiting the Philippines as he himself explained before setting his unprecedented trip was to meet and see for himself the victims of super typhoon Yolanda and the big earthquake in Bohol. Immediately after the typhoon devastated Visayas, especially Leyte and Samar provinces, he appealed to the international community to assist the victims and help rehabilitate the region. The Pope will be visiting Tacloban City and Palo, Leyte where he will celebrate Mass and meet and dine with some Yolando victims.
It was a joyous and fiesta-like welcome that rocked Pope Francis the moment he landed and later motored on an open Pope mobile from the air base to the Apostolic Nunciature along Taft Avenue in Malate, Manila passing through Andrews Avenue, Airport Avenue, then Roxas Boulevard and Quirino Avenue where several thousands of Filipinos, some of them children and those suffering from ailments, lined up to greet the Pope, shouting and waving with many carrying Vatican and Philippine flags.
Thousands of people from all walks of life and of various ages braved intense heat and waited for hours just to get a glimpse of Pope Francis.
The Pope, now 78 and without any indication of tiredness, smiled and waved to the big crowds all throughout the motorcade. Many shouted “We love you Pope Francis!” along the way.
The Pope was fetched in the plane by Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, the apostolic nuncio in the Philippines, and the Philippine protocol officer. The Papal nuncio and Cardinal Tagle later joined the Pope in the pope mobile for the trip to the Apostolic Nunciature.
Others who welcomed the Pontiff were Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo, who was elevated by Pope Francis to cardinal; Archbishops Antonio J. Ledesma of Cagayan de Oro, Romulo G. Valles of Davao, Sofronio A. Bancud of Cabanatuan, Rodolfo F. Beltran of San Fernando in La Union, Jose A. Cabantan of Malaybalay, Bernardino C. Cortez, Prelate of Infanta; Gilbert A. Garcera of Daet, Angelito R. Lampon of Jolo, and Jose Marquez of Lucena City.
Two children, Lanie Ortillo, 9, and Mark Angelo Balbero, 10, both orphans, offered the Pope a bouquet of flowers during the welcome ceremonies.
Archbishop Socrates earlier said: “Every step he makes, every car ride he takes, every moment he stays with us is precious for us.” He added: “Seeing him pass by is a grace. Waving our hands at him in loving welcome is an experience of a lifetime.”
Later, it was learned that the Pope was impressed with the warm reception given to him by an estimated 800,000 to a million Filipinos who gathered at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City to the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila.
Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ, the director of the Vatican Press Office, said the Filipino faithful did not at all disappoint..”
“The Pope was very impressed and very happy,” Lombardi said in a news conference at the Vatican Media Center at the Manila Diamond Hotel. “The first encounter of the Pope [with the Filipino people] was very impressive, important, and touching,” he added.
Lombardi said the Holy Father was pleased on how the Filipino people warmly welcomed him.
“He is happy to be here finally in the Philippines. First encounter with the Filipino people was very impressive, touching. Important, the pope has received a very strong impression, spiritual experience with your people,” he said.
The pope was likewise overwhelmed with the mammoth crowd who patiently waited for more than three hours and cheered him as his motorcade passed the streets towards his Apostolic Nunciature residence in Taft Avenue, Manila.
“The pope was very impressed. The Holy Spirit has to work to touch the hearts of the people that we see. The Holy Spirit has to work during these days of grace of mercy and compassion,” the Vatican official said.
A fiesta-like atmosphere greeted Pope Francis upon his arrival in the country late Thursday afternoon for his five-day state and apostolic visit.
The plane carrying the 78-year-old Holy Father landed at the Villamor Air Base at 5:30 p.m.
Lombardi noted that the pontiff did not give his arrival message since he will give a number of speeches, messages and homilies during his stay in the country.
“The pope would have a number of public speeches and homilies and this evening no public speech of pope,” he explained.
The Vatican spokesperson added that Pope is excited on his scheduled activities in the coming days.
“Yes, obviously, but he loves people and he knows Filipino people in Europe and Argentina and Filipino people are everywhere and he understands very well the enthusiasm that he will experience here is something particular and the entire action would be around him waiting for word of consolation of love, hope. And he said the Holy Spirit would have to work, and he hopes that the Holy Spirit would find prepared heart to receive more grace in these days,” Lombardi said.
Asked if the Pope is in good shape, the Vatican official noted that even if the Pope is tired, the people or big crowd encourages or energizes him.
“The pope has a charisma that if he is with the people, he gets energy from the people around him. The audience, the big celebration, he feels encouraged, inspired by the people present and he feels energized even if he is already tired before,” he said.
He added that Pope Francis scheduled meeting with President Benigno Aquino III on Friday, January 16, will be personal and short.
“This visit normally these meetings are not meeting with the long and profound discussion. More friendly, courtesy meeting. Normally, there is discussion of concrete points, but on this occasion the President and Pope would have short time,” he said.
The pontiff will meet the country’s Chief Executive in Malacanang as well as the members of the diplomatic corps.
After the meeting with Aquino, Pope Francis will proceed to the Manila Cathedral, where he will lead the Eucharistic Celebration for bishops, priests, men and women religious to be followed by the meeting with the families at SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Pope Francis has several engagements in Manila and in Tacloban City but Church leaders said the Holy Father’s main intention was to personally comfort the survivors of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in Leyte.
Pope Francis, who is the only Jesuit Pontiff and the first to come from South America, flew in from Sri Lanka where he gave the country its first saint, Catholic priest Joseph Vaz, who led in rebuilding of the Church in the country during he 17th and 18th centuries after the Dutch declared Calvinism as the official religion.
The highlight of the Pope’s visit will be an open air Mass at the Luneta or Rizal Park which is expected to draw some six million devotees.
In Leyte, the Pope will celebrate Mass with the survivors at the airport in Tacloban City , one of the worst-hit cities by the typhoon.
Pope Francis will depart the country Monday morning, January 19.
The Pope is only the third Pontiff to visit the predominantly Catholic country after Pope now Blessed John Paul II who visited the Philippines twice and Pope Paul VI whose visit included Cebu City.
The Pope will officiate two Eucharistic Celebrations at the Tacloban Airport in Leyte on Jan. 17 and at the Quirino grandstand in Luneta in Manila on Jan. 18 in English as he wanted the people to understand him, according to Bishop Villegas.
“He (the Pope) wants to reach out to more people,” he said.
However, the Mass to be held at the Manila Cathedral on January 16, will be in Latin. The attendees will be priests, nuns, religious men and women..
The Pontiff is expected to mingle with the faithful before he goes to the closing mass of his Apostolic Visit to the Philippines on January 18 at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.
The Pope will also visit and meet the youth at the Pontifical University, the University of Sto. Tomas, and the SM Mall of Asia Convention Center.
While in the country, Pope Francis will also have a face-to-face meeting with some survivors of natural calamities such as the Bohol earthquake and super typhoon Yolanda that struck Eastern Visayas in 2013 which, based on his earlier pronouncements, was one of the main reasons for this trip to the Philippines.
The Pope will also meet with the Filipino priests, members of religious organizations and families.
While Pope Francis makes his way to the Quirino Grandstand, the Cebu-based Sandiego Dance Company will perform the traditional Sinulog dance as a “welcome gesture
Fourteen Filipino journalists will join the Pope in his from Rome to Sri Lanka and then finally to Manila as part of the Vatican Accredited Media Personnel (VAMP). They were told to be ready to be fascinated by the Holy Father when they accompany and cover the Pope.
“He’s an icon, globally recognized. But what is he like? Expect the unexpected,” said Alan Holdren, EWTN Rome correspondent. “[Pope Francis] never stops. He keeps on going. He hardly sleeps. He does things spontaneously.”
Malacañang said the five-day state and pastoral visit of Pope Francis would provide spiritual renewal and discernment to all Filipinos, including the leaders of the country.
“This is a high-impact event. It is a time for spiritual renewal,” Secretary Herminio Coloma, chief of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, said in a briefing at the international media center at the Manila Hotel aired over PTV4.
“It gives us tremendous inspiration, after all it is not every day we are visited by the Vicar of Christ,” he added.
Coloma acknowledged the papal visit comes at a time when the Philippines is facing many challenges.
“We have a Pope who can give us guidance on what actions we can take in light of these challenges,” Coloma said.
“It is difficult to imagine that our people and our leaders will forget this experience. His message of mercy and compassion are basic principles that would resonate with the people,” he said.