SEE YOU IN CEBU NEXT YEAR? Pope Francis waves to bid thousands of well-wishers goodbye before walking into a Philippine Airlines plane bound for Rome on Monday morning. If he accepts the invitation, he will return for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu province in January next year. EDWIN BACASMAS
MANILA, Philippines–A “miracle” was how Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle described Pope Francis’ four-day visit, which drew an estimated record-shattering crowd of 6 million at its concluding Mass on Sunday.
At sunrise, three hours before his scheduled departure, a half rainbow decked the sky, as tens of thousands of Filipinos began turning up along the route from the Apostolic Nunciature to the airport in a continuing outpouring of love for the Pontiff.
Francis on Monday left the Philippines—the “greatest home court” for any Pontiff according to a Vatican analyst—leaving behind euphoric Catholics reenergized in their faith.
Under sunny skies, a stark contrast to Sunday’s daylong rain, the Pope and his delegation boarded a special Philippine Airlines flight. Standing at the top of the stairs, the Pope waved, slightly bowed his head before the crowd and then walked into the plane, which took off for the 13-hour flight to Rome at 10 a.m.
About 700 street children yelling “Pope Francis we love you” saw him off.
“It’s very hard work so I’m here just to say thank you, in the name of the Holy Father Pope Francis, to the government… and all sectors of the government,” Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Guiseppe Pinto said in a press conference.
Best hospitality
Pinto said Francis and his delegation “received the best hospitality everywhere they went.”
Tagle described the papal visit as an “act of communion, an act of solidarity and it is a miracle in itself.”
“Thanks to God and everyone, we were able to show to the world that it is possible,” he later told reporters. “Communication, cooperation, collaboration—these are not just ideas, they can be put into action.”
Indicative of Francis’ solidarity with Filipinos was when he wore a disposable yellow poncho while saying Mass in Tacloban City, Ground Zero of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in 2013. “That was a very powerful image… you saw him as one of us,” said Pasig Bishop Mylo Vergara.
President Aquino, who led the sendoff ceremonies with members of his Cabinet, said Francis repeatedly expressed “how he felt the love” of Filipinos.
Tagle said there was “so much to learn” from the visit of Francis, who spoke strongly against corruption and about protecting the family against what he called “ideological colonization.”
The Pope urged people “at all levels of society, to reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor, and to make concerted efforts to ensure the inclusion of every man and woman and child in the life of the community.”
“I don’t think he was referring to us,” said Aquino, citing his programs to address poverty.
Record turnout
The huge turnouts during Francis’ visit—an estimated 6 million to 7 million people attended his rain-drenched Mass at Quirino Grandstand on Sunday—were “another affirmation that the Philippines is the greatest home court advantage for a Pope on the planet,” said veteran Vatican analyst John Allen Jr.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, thanked the Pope for the assurance that “you will be with us, suffering with us who are poor, aged, sick, disabled, deaf, crippled, abandoned and ignored.”
“Gracias, Santo Padre, for personally showing us the face of mercy and compassion, the human face of Jesus Christ, the joy of the Good News in your words,” he said in a statement.
“Your words in our stories will be imbedded in our and their hearts; a constant reminder of the love of Jesus; a voice pricking our conscience: Love the poor, always have hope amidst trials, keep faith in the Lord, and pray, always pray. It is the voice of Jesus telling us, I am with you and I will not leave you orphans.”
Tagle urged the faithful to reflect both on the “spiritual” and “missionary” dimensions of the Pope’s message, particularly the centrality of appreciating children who are helpless.
“Implementing it is not for the Pope anymore to do. It’s a decision all of us have to make and as far as the leaders of the Church are concerned, we will reiterate, we will repeat that message and we will call on the priests and the religious and the lay people also to implement the message of the Pope,” he said.
Even before Francis left for Rome, there was already a clamor for him to visit the Philippines again when Cebu province hosts the 51st Eucharistic Congress next year.
“Because he’s already come for a visit, let’s see. If he comes [again], ‘Wow. Thank you,’” Tagle said.
Reflect Christ’s poverty
Infanta Bishop Bernardino Cortez welcomed the Pope’s call at the Mass at Manila Cathedral to the bishops and clergy to serve with love and lead lives that reflect Christ’s poverty.
“Because of the modern times, we also forget these things. It’s a good reminder [because] each one of us needs reminders,” said Infanta Bishop Bernardino Cortez in an interview with the Inquirer.
“Definitely, it will inspire each one of us for the simple reason it brings us to the basic reason why we are priests. It’s because of our love for Jesus. And if you love Jesus, that love will flow to others,” said Cortez.
For Bishop Prudencio Andaya, who heads the Tabuk apostolic vicariate, Pope Francis’ presence was in itself an inspiration for priests like him to continue following Christ as a servant leader.
He said the Pontiff’s reminders did not mean that the Filipino clergy had been lacking in their ministry.
“Whenever a shepherd reminds us, it’s always a reminder for us that these are basic things that we need to do so we can be a good follower of Christ, a shepherd to the people,” Andaya said.
‘Do you love me?’
Fr. Rolando Quijano from the Diocese of Bacolod also said the Holy Father’s sense of humor was what Filipino priests needed in carrying out their apostolic work.
“I find it very relevant even in his preliminary statement, which was ‘Do you love me?’ then all the priests replied ‘yes’ and we were all laughing about it. We need that kind of sense of humor in our ministry,” said Quijano.
Children who had previously experienced abandonment and abuse, the subject of his homily on Sunday, were at the airport: 440 under the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and 300 youngsters from the charity Tuloy Foundation.
As Francis, joined by the President, walked on the red carpet toward the plane, the children danced and a choir sang “Tell the World of His Love” and “We are All God’s Children.” A band played, making the mood festive.
RELATED STOREIS
Malacañang thankful to Filipinos for ensuring safety of Pope Francis
Pope ends record-setting Asia tour
Tagle lists ‘firsts’ in Pope’s visit to Leyte