VATICAN VISIT: A RETROSPECTIVE
A look back at how Thailand marked the first-ever papal trip to Thailand by Pope John Paul II in 1984
Almost 400,000 Thai-Catholics are looking forward to showing their unwavering faith next week when Pope Francis makes a three-day pilgrimage to Thailand for peace and inter-religious dialogue ahead of his trip to Japan.
Pope Francis is scheduled to have an audience with His Majesty the King and the Supreme Patriarch. Then he will hold masses for tens of thousands of Catholics at the National Stadium and Christian youths at Assumption Cathedral.
The apostolic visit eventually comes after Pope John Paul II visited Thailand 35 years ago in 1984 when late Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda, then prime minister, led the country. He goes down in history as the first Roman Catholic leader to come to Buddhist-majority Thailand.
The Bangkok Post looked at copies of the May 11, 1984 edition of the newspaper and spoke with those who met Pope John Paul II almost four decades ago ahead of Pope Francis’s visit.
MEETING HEADS OF STATE AND RELIGION
Upon his arrival on May 10, 1984, Pope John Paul II got off an airplane and knelt down to kiss Thai soil. Then he had an audience with Their Majesties the King and Queen at the Chakri Throne Hall.
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great (King Rama IX) acknowledged that the Roman Catholic Church had operated in Thailand since the Ayutthaya period and then assured the Pope that Thai-Christians had fulfilled their duties. His Majesty also recalled his visit to the Vatican City in 1960 when he met Pope John XXIII.
Meanwhile, the Pope said his visit was “a tribute to the long and friendly relations between Thailand and the Holy See [the government of the Catholic Church]”. He also commended Thailand’s sympathy for war refugees taking shelter in the country.
Then the Pope met Supreme Patriarch Somdej Phra Ariyawongsa Katayan at Wat Ratchabophit who told his counterpart that Catholics and Buddhists can bring happiness
and peace to mankind.
HISTORIC MASS
On the same day, Thai-Catholics steadily streamed into the National Stadium at noon. Many of them took lunches, ice boxes and umbrellas to protect themselves from the scorching heat.
Around 45,000 devout Christians turned out for the public mass. Some lived in Bangkok and neighbouring areas, others came from provinces. Among them were Hmong hill tribesmen from Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces.
The sky grew dark and it thundered, but every cloud had a silver lining. As soon as Pope John Paul II arrived at 5pm, the stadium reverberated with the peal of church bells while the drizzle abated.
When the Pope showed up in the Royal Box, the crowd gave him a rapturous reception. The pontiff waved in recognition.
Premier Catholic and first Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu thanked His Holiness for visiting Thailand. When he moved forward, the pontiff embraced and kissed him on both cheeks.
When the mass service came to an end, the entourage of priests marched out of the stadium. Nevertheless, Pope John Paul II did not follow the procession. He walked around the stage waving to all Christian disciples. In response, the crowd cheered and waved national flags.
As the pontiff headed to the exit, people frantically raced up and tried to touch him and shake his hand. He beatifically touched as many people as possible. Cardinal Michai said to John Paul, “You are with us at last — in our very own country.”
Although security officers managed to separate the Pope from the crowd, people still followed him. The pontiff tried to turn back, but was prevented by guards.
A Catholic press source said the pontiff did it on his own because “he wanted to show his appreciation to the Thai Catholics who had turned out to see him”.
POPE IN THE FLESH
“There was no chance that I would meet Pope John Paul II because at the age of 15 I had never been abroad and it would be a Catch22 situation to have an audience with him. Accordingly, it was unimaginable to meet him in person not just once, but twice,” said Saifon
Mungsoongnern, 50, assistant nurse manager at St Louis Hospital, recalling her encounter when she was still a Mathayom 4 student at Assumption Convent.
On May 10, 1984, Ms Saifon participated in the welcome performance for the pontiff before the mass started at the National Stadium.
“I could not remember the name of the show, but it ended with the cross shape. I was among 800-900 Thai Catholic students in the performance. When we formed a line to welcome him, the crowd jostled me to the front. At that second, the Pope put his hand on my head. At a loss for words, I touched his hand,” she said.
Ms Saifon met the pontiff again at her school the following day when he was expected to meet Christian youths.
“Hundreds of students waited to see the pontiff walk on the red carpet. When I saw him with my own eyes, I felt he was beatific. It was an indescribable quality that evoked reverence for him,” she said.
Meanwhile, Nukul Choikrua, 55, the chief of the transport department at St Louis Hospital, met Pope John Paul II when he started working there at the age of 19.
“A lot of preparation got underway two months ahead of his visit. After meeting the prime minister, government officials, and diplomats at Government House, the Pope came to our hospital [on May 11, 1984],” he said.
Mr Nukul said he was among over 100 hospital staff waiting outside the little church. Although he was five metres away, he felt overwhelmed to see the leader of Roman Catholicism.
“He went there to plant a Mok tree and pray with Supreme Patriarches from all over Asia. When he left, he was welcomed by children and escorted to the hall brimming with people. They cheered and shouted ‘Viva il Papa!’ while the pontiff, accompanied by Cardinal Michai, was heading to the OPD. Almost 100 patients in wheelchairs gathered in the room. The Pope interacted with them and gave blessings cordially. One of them took his hand to kiss his papal ring. Some shed tears,” he said.
On Pope Francis’s upcoming visit, Mr Nukul said it is a holy sign that Thailand has received two pontiffs in nearly four decades.
“They bring peace and love everywhere they go. Although Thailand has a small Catholic population, our presence is never ignored,” he added.