Pope Francis back in Nunciature after long day

MANILA, Philippines—After the traditional stop at the University of Santo Tomas and the Eucharistic Celebration in Luneta Park, Pope Francis has returned to the Apostolic Nunciature on Taft Avenue in Manila.

Pope Francis was initially scheduled to celebrate his two-hour long concluding Mass at 3:30 p.m. but started a few minutes earlier.

His Holiness’ activity began as early as 9:45 a.m. when he arrived at UST for a meeting with religious and youth leaders.

The atmosphere was euphoric inside the campus of Asia’s oldest university when the Pontiff passed through the archaic Arch of the Centuries, the original gateway of the university, and circled around the Main Building.

Thousands lined up outside UST for several hours to ensure that they would have a spot in the area allotted for more than 250,000 patrons in and around the campus.

Pope Francis led the Angelus and celebrated as Darren Espanto sang “Tell the World of His Love,” which was the anthem of the 1995 World Youth Day.

After a short break that included his daily afternoon siesta at the Nunciature, Pope Francis headed to the Quirino Grandstand for the concluding Mass that attracted at least 3 million people.

In the homily, Pope Francis reminded the faithful to “see each child as a gift to be welcomed and cherished.”

“We need to protect, guide and encourage young people, help them to build a society worthy of great spiritual and cultural heritage,” he said.

He also warned against the distraction of “ephemeral pleasures, superficial pastimes.”

“We forget to remain focused on the things that really matter. We forget to remain, at heart, children of God,” he said.

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