Pope lands in Manila, focuses on poverty
MANILA: Pope Francis said yesterday that his visit to the Philippines, Asia’s largest Catholic nation, will focus on the plight of the poor, the exploited and victims of injustice — themes sure to resonate in a country where poverty afflicts nearly a fourth of the 100 million people.
Church bells tolled across the country and hundreds of children danced and waved small Philippine and Vatican flags as the pontiff emerged from his plane and was welcomed by well-wishers led by President Benigno Aquino III. A sudden gust of wind blew off his papal cap seconds after he appeared, and Francis grabbed futilely for it and then smiled and descended the stairs from the aircraft.
The pontiff revealed his priorities for the second leg of his Asian trip to reporters during his flight from Sri Lanka to Manila.
``The central nut of the message will be the poor, the poor who want to go forward, the poor who suffered from Typhoon Haiyan and are continuing to suffer the consequences,’’ he said.
Powerful Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,300 dead and missing and levelled entire villages in the central Philippines in 2013, including Leyte province, which the pope will visit tomorrow to console survivors.
He said he also had in mind the poor who “face so many injustices _ social, spiritual, existential”.
“I think about them,” he said, recalling a recent lunch he had with some Filipino workers at the Vatican.
The Philippines is one of the world’s largest labour exporters. About a tenth of the population has left the country in search of work, and tales of their abuse and exploitation are common.
President Aquino has waged a campaign against poverty, an issue close to Pope Francis’ heart, although the Philippine leader has clashed with the local Roman Catholic Church over a reproductive health law that promotes artificial birth control. Congress, which is dominated by Aquino’s allies, passed the legislation in 2012.
The government has declared national holidays during the pope’s visit, which runs through Monday.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, archbishop of Manila, said he hopes the visit by Francis would be festive and spiritually uplifting and nurture compassion at a time when the country is still recovering from recent deadly disasters.
“It’s like a big, big, big, big national fiesta,” a beaming Tagle said in an interview on the eve of the pope’s arrival.
The visit, he said, “comes at that point when people would really be helped by a moral and spiritual boost coming from someone who really cares”.
Meetings with Filipino families, Roman Catholic Church leaders and young people are also slated during Pope Francis’ fiveday tour.