Vatican inspects papal visit sites

CATHOLICS in Tacloban City keep the faith, attending Mass a month after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” flattened entire communities in the city. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

TACLOBAN CITY—A team from the Vatican arrived here on Thursday to inspect the possible sites where Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in January next year during his visit to the Philippines.

The Vatican team was composed of Alberto Gasbarri, chief organizer of the pastoral visit; Paolo Corvini of the Office of the Protocol and Stefania Izzo, of the Vatican state secretariat.

They were joined by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and Papal Nuncio Giuseppe Pinto and were welcomed by Palo Archbishop John Du.

Corvini said the team’s visit was part of preparations for the visit of Pope Francis to Supertyphoon “Yolanda”-ravaged Leyte province in January next year.

The group first visited a five-hectare paved lot in front of Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban that can accommodate about 700,000 people.

The group then visited the Government Center, Sacred Seminary and a vacant lot in Palo town, Leyte.

According to Corvini, these areas were among the possible sites for the Mass to be celebrated by the Pope during his visit, which he said could take place between Jan. 15 and 20.

He, however, did not say what the Vatican’s requirements are for an area where the Holy Father should celebrate Mass.

Msgr. Ramon Aguilos, of the Palo Archdiocese and who also acts as local protocol officer for the visit of Pope Francis in Leyte, said all these places are big enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people who are expected to come see the Pope and attend Mass.

Asked if the Holy Father would also visit typhoon victims still living in bunkhouses, Aguilos could not give any categorical answer.

“We will see what the actual visit will do because definitely that is the main purpose—to visit the Yolanda-affected areas,” said Aguilos.

“It is for the Pope’s pastoral visit but I have no idea about the details on which areas will be visited,” he said.

“We will just wait for the decision of the Vatican officials,” Aguilos said.

Lawyer Lila Czarina Aquitania, chief of staff of Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, said she was hoping that the Pope would eventually celebrate Mass in Tacloban.

“His primary reason for coming here is because of Yolanda. Tacloban is considered to be the ground zero of Yolanda and it is the hardest-hit among areas hit by Yolanda,” she said.

She said aside from being physically present when the Pope celebrates Mass, people could still attend the Pope’s Mass by watching it through live Internet streaming.

She said that the city government could feed live streams of the event in areas where thousands of evacuees are still languishing.

Some areas served as temporary sites for more than 1,500 families after their homes were destroyed when Yolanda struck.

If his visit pushes through, Pope Francis would become the first Pope to visit Eastern Visayas, which is home to more than 4 million Catholics.