Pope Francis waves to the crowd upon his arrival at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) to give his traditional address to the youth at the UST football field. EDWIN BACASMAS
MANILA, Philippines–Many waited outside the University of Santo Tomas (UST) gates since 2 a.m. to get inside the campus in Manila by 7 a.m., a few hours before the arrival of Pope Francis for his encounter with the Filipino youth.
A flood of people blocked all gates of the UST on Sunday dawn and the flock could only move forward inch by inch.
At one point, there was pushing and shoving causing some pilgrims to be unruly. Medical teams on standby attended to Catholics who fell and fainted in the middle of the crowd.
But Mae Borbon, a 22-year-old teacher from Batangas, said her thoughts about the chaos and disorder outside UST was immediately cleared away after she saw the Pope.
“We waited outside for more than five hours. But when we saw him, the exhaustion from the lack of sleep was gone,” she told the Inquirer.
The drizzle on Sunday morning did not dampen the pilgrims’ enthusiasm. One student said in jest: “Thank God, this is holy water.”
Vigil on España
Policemen initially restricted the area on España Boulevard overlooking UST’s Arch of the Centuries, where the Pope met briefly with the country’s religious leaders. But they failed to contain the thick crowd bursting with excitement and anticipation.
Eufracia Osorio, 73, had trouble walking but she was among the hundreds of thousands of people who kept vigil outside the campus.
Osorio, who came with her daughter and a grandchild studying at the university, initially hoped that she could get inside the campus since organizers of the youth rally had announced that students and the alumni and their companions would be allowed to enter for the event.
Assisted by a walker, Osorio and her family waited near one of the gates of the school on España Boulevard, but they later learned that they could no longer be accommodated inside. “I was here as early as 4 a.m. and my grandchild has been waiting since last night,” she said. Still, she waited for the Pope under a tree in the rain, praying the rosary.
Perched on trees
Joyce Bennett, who is 6 months’ pregnant, also endured the edgy crowd outside so she could see Francis and pray for a safe delivery. “I am not scared to go out here because I really want to see the Pope,” she said.
Like Bennett, everyone else who gathered on España, longed to see the Pope. Some were so desperate that they even asked permission from the police if they could climb the trees lining the sidewalk.
Others did not wait for the go-signal. Oblivious to the cold rain, they perched on the trees for hours until the Pope exited the university.
ID for Jorge
A street kid gave Pope Francis a UST ID card, complete with his full name Jorge Mario Bergoglio and a special No. 16112015-001.
The young boy, Jun Chura, put the ID lace on the Pope, who lowered his head and warmly accepted it. Unlike the common UST IDs that feature a 1 x 1 size photo, the identification card of His Holiness has a picture of him smiling and his hand raised in a wave.
The ID gives the 78-year-old Argentinian Pontiff an “Administration” position.
Early at the Arch
Riding a black-covered Volkswagen Touran, the Pope arrived 20 minutes early for a brief meeting with religious leaders of various faiths. The photo opportunity was held with the UST iconic Arch of the Centuries as backdrop.
The crowd cheered wildly when the Pope was heading toward the open white popemobile.
At 10 a.m., as he began his speech, the rains started to pour. Hardly any of the young people at the football field or those all over the campus and even those in the streets surrounding the campus left their place.
Francis asked the crowd to forgive him for dispensing with his prepared English speech. “My English is not very good. May I do it in Spanish?” He added: Fr. Mark (Gerard Miles) “is a very good translator.”
Stroke survivor
Imelda Victoria, a stroke survivor, also came to see the beloved Argentine Pontiff despite the youth rally being an “invitation only” event.
“I want to see the Pope because he has this certain kind of effect. When you see him you will feel happy and light as if your sins have all been forgiven,” she said.
Carrying her 6-year-old daughter, who was running a fever, Maricris Suico did not budge from where she was standing despite admonitions from policemen so she could grant her child’s wish to see the Holy Father.
“She slept very late last night watching the news about the Pope and she also woke up at 4 a.m. today,” Suico said of her daughter. Despite the fever, Phoebe did not go home until she got a quick glimpse of the beloved Pope.
“We stayed because it’s good luck to see the Pope,” Suico added.–With reports from Julliane Love de Jesus, Maile Ager of Inquirer.net
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