‘Lolo Kiko’ tag closest to Pope’s heart
VATICAN CITY — From his simple lifestyle to his modern ways of spreading love and compassion, Pope Francis has attracted admiration from throngs of Catholics in every place he visited. He has even been given many nicknames but “Lolo Kiko” appears to be among the closest to his heart.
Several months after his momentous apostolic journey to the Philippines, the Argentine Pope who inherited the throne of St. Peter still has fond memories of his visit, including the “Lolo Kiko” given by Filipinos.
“You must all know our intimate name for him, Lolo Kiko, which he fondly talks about even to his bishops,” Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See Mercedes Tuason said in a media interview here.
Tuason said relations between the Philippines and Vatican are “very close and blessed,” citing the three papal visits back home.
“And you know how the Filipinos are, they are really very religious. And that makes us close to the Vatican. The Filipinos here are loved by all the Italians. And I am very happy that this is so,” she added.
In one occasion, the charismatic Pope, fully aware of the strong faith of Filipinos, even told Tuason that she will go straight to heaven.
“One time Pope Francis saw me at a Wednesday audience. His Holiness told my companions, ‘This one will not be accepted below, she will go straight up,’ Tuason recalled. “Wish he was talking infallibly on this issue,” added the ambassador who has been stationed in the Philippine embassy here since 2009.
Francis, dubbed the people’s Pope for his humble existence,recently asked Filipinos to pray for him as he leads the ministry in spreading Catholicism and peace across the world. The appeal was made during the pope’s meeting with President Aquino last Friday at the Apostolic Palace.
The President also used the occasion to invite the Pope to visit the Philippines again but did not immediately get a positive response. Aquino learned that the 78-year-old pope will have a busy schedule next year, including the observance of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
Last January, the charismatic Pope received a rock star treatment when he visited the predominantly Catholic Philippines to spread message of mercy and compassion. One of the significant moments of the papal trip was when the rain-soaked Francis celebrated mass in Super-typhoon Yolanda- hit Tacloban and delivered a personal and emotional message of comfort to the survivors.
Tuason, meantime, expressed optimism that the relations between the Philippines and the Holy Father will continue to deepen and flourish following President Aquino’s visit to the Vatican. The Philippines and the Vatican will mark 65 years of diplomatic relations next year.
She said Aquino’s private audience with the pope was significant to show the Filipinos’ thoughts and prayers are with the Holy Father.
“We thank the President for coming and sharing the ardent affection of the Filipinos, responding to the January visit the Pope made to the Philippines, especially at this time, at the cusp of the Jubilee of Mercy and the 2016 celebration of the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu,” she said.
“We hope for more diplomatic engagements between the Philippines and the Holy See in the future and we continue to pray for the intentions of the Holy Father and our president,” she added.