INFOGRAPHIC: Highlights of the third day of Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines Here are the highlights of the third day of Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines, at a glance.
Jan 172015
GMA News Online / News / Nation
Jan 172015
Pope Francis on Saturday pushed for political and economic policies that will benefit the poor in the Philippines, calling on those responsible for society to renew their commitment to making life better for the less fortunate. In his prepared speech for his meeting with survivors of Yolanda-hit areas in Leyte, Pope Francis called on “all responsible for the good of society, to renew your commitment to social justice and the betterment of the poor, both here and in the Philippines as a whole.” “Today, from this place which has known such profound suffering and human need, I ask that even more be done for the poor,” Pope Francis said in the speech that was meant to be delivered before survivors, particularly the poor, at the Palo Cathedral. The speech was left undelivered as Pope Francis had to leave at 1 p.m. four hours earlier than scheduled due to an oncoming tropical cyclone that made a return flight to Manila later in the afternoon too dangerous. Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press Office, later said in a news briefing that the speech although undelivered at the venue could already be referenced by the public and the media. The speech was also posted on the Vatican website. “Above all, I ask that the poor throughout this country be treated fairly—that their dignity be respected, that political and economic policies be just and inclusive, that opportunities for employment and education be developed, and that obstacles to the delivery of social services be Read More …
Jan 172015
Pope Francis has been attending different events, greeting thousands of people, and delivering speeches ever since he started his Asian leg in Sri Lanka earlier this week. And, yes, the 78-year-old pope gets tired, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said on Saturday evening. “At the end of every event, I would tag him, ‘How are you? Do you feel tired?’ And he is very frank and very honest and says, ‘Yes, a little,’” he said. The cardinal also shared that he told Pope Francis that it is okay for him to sit down on his popemobile–as recommended by a doctor after spending hours standing–but whenever he sees a crowd of people, he would stand up right away. “I told him that and he sat but when he saw a crowd, he stood up again,” Tagle said. Pope Francis is energized by the people for a reason. “He said, ‘They have been sacrificing, waiting for me, so deprive them of this opportunity?’,” the cardinal said. Vatican Press Office director Father Federico Lombardi added that Pope Francis also expresses fatigue after a long day in The Vatican. “We are always surpriseD that a man of his age can do what he is doing in Rome and also abroad,” he said. Lombardi also told the press that after the pope’s activities were in Tacloban were cut short, he decided to rest upon arriving at the Apostolic Nunciature. “He has decided not to take new initiative in the afternoon,” he said. This is Read More …
Jan 172015
Devotee on seeing Pope Francis in person: ‘Daig pa ang tumama sa Sweepstakes’ Long walks, standing for hours, jostling for a better view — the experience may be gruelling, but fatigue was the last thing on the mind of those who trooped to areas surrounding the sprawling SM MOA in Pasay City on Friday afternoon to witness Pope Francis in person. “[We feel] overwhelmed kasi once in a lifetime lamang pupunta yung Pope. Isang malaking pribelehiyo para makita namin si Pope, para makapag-serve,” said Jimmy Banca, a choir head with National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians – El Shaddai. He said 2,000 volunteers from different parishes lent their services to keep the area clean and safe even after the Pope left for the Nunciature. At least 13,000 people joined Pope Francis at the SM MOA for the meeting of families, an event where he got the chance to listen to touching stories on poverty, migration, and disabilities shared by Filipinos Keeping a more professional upkeep of the surrounding areas were Metro Manila Development Authority streetsweepers, some of whom already met Pope Francis while attending to their duties at Roxas Boulevard. “Ang saya, ang ganda ng pakiramdam, lalo na nung pagdaan kagabi. Parang ang lamig-lamig ng pakiramdam, ang sarap talaga, daig pa nun na tumama ka sa Sweepstakes,” said Anita Lucas, who has been with the MMDA since 1983. Even if they weren’t assigned to the event, Lucas and her fellow streetsweepers agreed that they would exert all their efforts Read More …
Jan 172015
Pope Francis returned to the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila at 2:55 p.m. Saturday, after his visit to Leyte was cut short by Tropical Storm Amang (Mekkhala). The Pope, who was aboard a black Volkswagen minivan, was greeted by cheering Filipinos waiting at the corner of Taft and Quirino Avenues. Amid the drizzle, people — young, old, and families leaving near the Nunciature — began lining up the streets as early as 12 noon or more than seven hours before Pope Francis’ expected time of arrival back in Manila from Leyte. Located at the corner of Quirino Avenue and Taft Avenue in Malate, Manila, the Nunciature serves as the embassy of the Vatican State in the Philippines. It also serves as the official residence of the Apostolic Nuncio or the Holy See’s ambassador to the country, Most Reverend Giuseppe Pinto. The late Pope Paul VI and the late Pope John Paul II, who was recently proclaimed as St. John Paul II, also stayed at the same Nunciature during their respective visits in the Philippines. For the Pope’s privacy and security, media and even government officials were not allowed inside the Nunciature. The roads surrounding it were also closed to vehicles as early as Wednesday evening. Earlier on Saturday, Pope Francis led a Mass in Tacloban City followed by a motorcade going to Palo town where had an intimate lunch with some survivors of Yolanda, the world’s strongest typhoon recorded to make a landfall. He also blessed the mass grave of the Read More …
Jan 172015
Pope Francis posed for a selfie upon his return to Manila, after his visit to Leyte province was cut short due to Tropical Storm Amang. The Pope approached well-wishers including children and senior citizens at Villamor Air Base. GMA News’ Ruth Cabal reported the pope gave his zucchetto to a member of the Philippine Airlines crew. He then boarded a black Volkswagen minivan en route to the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila. — Joel Locsin/VC, GMA News
Jan 152015
Roughly an hour after he first set foot in the country, and after thousands welcomed him in the streets, Pope Francis will retire for the night at the Papal Nunciature here in Taft, Manila. Francis, whose official visit to the Philippines commenced when he landed at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City, arrived at the Nunciature at around seven in the evening, Thursday. Pope Francis travelled from Villamor Air Base, where he landed, to the nunciature in an open popemobile. Aside from serving as official residence of the Pope, the Nunciature is also the Vatican’s embassy in the country. The streets around the Nunciature, which were closed to vehicular traffic in anticipation of the Pope’s arrival, were filled with people eager to catch a glimpse of the Holy Father. Tears, cheers As Pope Francis’ motorcade approached, the crowds cheered, applauded and waved in greeting. Criselda Cabial, who came with her husband and grandchildren, was moved to tears after seeing the Pope speed by in his open aired Popemobile. “Nakita ko siya, nakita ko si Pope!” Cabial cried, saying she felt blessed because she was able to witness a historic event. “It’s so overwhelming. Sinama ko yung mga bata para ma-bless sila ni Pope. I prayed for good health sa family and sa mga bata,” she added. This particular encounter with the Pope is special to the Cabial family, as they initially travelled to the Vatican to witness the canonization of Pope John Paul II. However, the thick crowds in Rome Read More …
Jan 152015
After less than an hour of travel from the Villamor Air Base, Pope Francis arrived at the Apostolic Nunciature, his official residence in Manila, early Thursday night. As seen in a live report of GMA News, Pope Francis’ convoy arrived at the Apostolic Nunciature on Taft Avenu in Malate, Manila at 6:55 p.m. The charismatic pontiff was seen smiling and waiving enthusiastically to the cheering crowd that began trooping in the area since Thursday morning. Located at the corner of Quirino Avenue and Taft Avenue in Malate, Manila, the Nunciature serves as the official residence of the Apostolic Nuncio, the Holy See’s ambassador to the country. The late Pope Paul VI and the late Pope John Paul II, who was recently proclaimed as St. John Paul II, also stayed at the same Nunciature during their respective visits in the Philippines. Pope Paul VI was in the country in 1970; John Paul II, in 1981 and 1995. For the Pope’s privacy and security, media and even government officials were not allowed inside the Nunciature. The roads surrounding the Nunciature were also closed to vehicles as early as Wednesday evening. —NB, GMA News
Jan 152015
On board a customized pickup truck, Pope Francis began heading to the Apostolic Nunciature or his official residence in the Philippines a few minutes since arriving in the country. As seen in a live feed of GMA News, Pope Francis’ convoy left the Villamor Air Base at past 6 p.m. after a short welcome ceremony marked by dance performances by about 1,000 youths from the Diocese of Parañaque. Also seen welcoming the Pope were President Benigno Aquino III, Vice President Jejomar binay, and other Cabinet members and religious leaders from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Straight from Sri Lanka, Pope Francis, together with his delegation and a few members of the Philippine media, arrived at the Villamor Air Base from Sri Lanka at exactly 5:32 p.m. The white pickup truck, which is one of the three Popemobiles to be used by Pope Francis during his five-day stay in the country, is an open-type vehicle, enabling the public to see him face-to-face during his motorcade. Thousands of people lined up outside the Villamor Air Base and along the route of the motorcade as early as Thursday morning to get a glimpse of the Pope. At the hotel where the media center for the papal visit is located, even the chef kept tabs on the pope’s arrival. The public was not disappointed as the charismatic pontiff was seen repeatedly waving to the crowd with a warm smile on his face. Event organizers and police earlier estimated that the motorcade Read More …
Jan 152015
A joyous, fiesta-like welcome greeted Pope Francis upon his arrival in the Philippines late Thursday afternoon for his much awaited five-day state and apostolic visit. Thousands of people gathered on the streets to witness Pope Francis’ nighttime motorcade that would bring him from Villamor Air Base to the Apostolic Nunciature on Taft Avenue, his official residence during the visit. All over the Philippines, a pre-dominantly Catholic country, Church bells tolled when the 78-year-old Pope arrived for the final leg of his week-long Asian tour. His plane landed 5:32 p.m. and he was fetched from the plane by Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, the apostolic nuncio. Before the Philippines, Pope Francis visited Sri Lanka for the canonization ceremony of Joseph Vaz. He chose Sri Lankan Airlines to fly him to the Philippines instead of the Italian carrier Alitalia. The trip comes just five months after Pope Francis visited South Korea, signalling the hugeimportance the Vatican places on Asia and its potential for more followers. Pope Francis, who arrived via Sri Lanka A340, was welcomed by Philippine government and Church officials led by President Benigno Aquino III. At Villamor Air Base, a festive dance number was performed by Filipino students to greet the Pope.Nine-year-old Lanie Ortillo and 10-year-old Mark Angelo Balbero, both orphans, offered him a bouquet of flowers. The Philippines is one of the Catholic Church’s modern success stories, counting roughly 80 percent of the former Spanish colony’s 100 million people as Catholics, which has helped to offset waning influence in Europe and Read More …