Pope Francis in PH: Things to remember
PAPAL VISIT 2015 composite image from Inquirer file
MANILA, Philippines—“I felt that I had to be here.”
This was Pope Francis in 2015, expressing his love to thousands of Filipinos hit by a typhoon that killed over 6,300 people and left damage worth P571 billion.
He had said in a Mass in Tacloban City, considered as ground zero of Supetyphoon Yolanda (Haiyan) which unleashed a seven-feet high storm surge, that “when I saw from Rome that disaster […] I decided to come here.”
READ: Oh, what a beautiful mornin’ but storm ‘Amang’ cuts trip short
“A little bit late, I have to say, but I’m here,” he told 200,000 to 500,000 people drenched in rain, as no one left. They all wanted to see Pope Francis.
It was all worth it – the Vicar of Christ consoled them, saying that “we have a Lord who is able to weep with us, who can be at our side through life’s most difficult moments.”
READ: Pope Francis in PH: A look back at his 2015 trip to Manila, Leyte
“I’ll be with you silently, with my heart,” he said.
Pope Francis’ visit to the province of Leyte, and in the Philippines, was indeed a sparkle of hope. As Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan said, “we knew that in him, Jesus was in our midst.”
READ: At lunch with survivors, Pope ‘reduced to silence’
He left for Rome on Jan. 19, ending his five-day pastoral visit that was concluded with a Mass at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, which was attended by six to seven million people – a crowd that would later be regarded as the largest in history.
GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan/INQUIRER.net
But there’s a lot more to remember about his stay in the Philippines 10 years ago, such as the food prepared for him and the vehicles he rode to traverse the streets of the metropolis and the province of Leyte.
- Filipino-prepared food
A Filipino chef, Jessie Sincioco, was chosen to serve Pope Francis throughout his stay at the Apostolic Nunciature, and has prepared four different menus for the four meals that he had at the residence.
One of the dishes prepared for him was the Chicken Chimichuri, which reminded him of home, or Argentina, and the Philippines. A special ube was likewise served as his dessert.
“He liked everything,” Sincioco said.
Interestingly, when Pope Francis visited the United States the same year, a Filipino-American executive chef of the White House, Cristeta Comerford, served him food, too.
- Simple altar decorations
The altar where Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the Quirino Grandstand a day before he left the Philippines for Rome was not decked with blooms but with San Francisco and Pandan plants that are a mainstay in rural backyards.
READ: Pope Francis: Around PH without leaving Luneta altar
Rev. Fr. Alex Bautista, who designed the papal chair, said “in the design consideration […] the concept is to serve the liturgical purpose and to have Filipino character and reflect the simplicity of the Vicar of Christ.”
- Special popemobiles
For his five-day stay in the Philippines, three popemobiles have been prepared: one for Manila, one for Tacloban City, and one “backup” vehicle.
Throughout his travels in Manila, Pope Francis rode a white converted single cab vehicle, except when he used a Volkswagen Touran for his state visit to Malacañang as the head of the Vatican City.
READ: Why Pope Francis didn’t ride popemobile on the way to Malacañang
The vehicle he used in Tacloban City was the same one he rode when he went to South Korea in 2014 for the celebration of the World Youth Day.
Pope Francis took a jeepney ride at the Rizal Park when he said Mass before millions of people who gathered for the second to the last day of his pastoral visit.
READ: Jeepney popemobile drives to history
The vehicle was built on a brand-new jeepney chassis, converted to a secure platform to give the faithful a good view of the Pope.
- Do you love me?
Pope Francis, then 78 years old, exhibited his lighter side as he responded to the bishops, priests, and religious men and women who answered “yes” to the first words of his homily.
Celebrating his first Mass in the Philippines, the Pope started his homily at the Manila Cathedral by saying “do you love me?” The people immediately answered and said “yes.”
Pope Francis laughed and said “thank you very much”, but eventually explained that he was actually reading the word of Jesus, as stated in the Gospel of John: “Do you love me? […] Tend my sheep.”
- Message from the heart
When Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Tacloban City before thousands of people drenched in rain, he opted to disregard his prepared English homily to “speak from the heart” in his native Spanish.
