‘Thank you, come back’

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos gave Pope Francis an emotional send-off yesterday, with local Church officials expressing the nation’s deep gratitude for his presence and urging him to return – this time for the 51st Eucharistic Congress in Cebu next year.

Thousands of Filipinos including street children bade Pope Francis a tearful goodbye, from the time his convoy left the Apostolic Nunciature on Taft Avenue to the moment the aircraft carrying him was barely visible and some 100 kilometers into its 14-hour journey back to Rome.

“Will the pope come again? We hope. The Episcopal Council has invited him. Let us see,” Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said Sunday during the regular nightly press conference for the papal visit. The Eucharistic Congress, held every four years, was last hosted by Ireland.

Tagle said he would follow up the invitation on the Eucharistic Congress when Philippine cardinals go to Rome next month.

“If he’s coming, wow! Thanks,” Tagle said in a press conference yesterday at Villamor Air Base shortly after the Philippine Airlines plane carrying Francis and his entourage had left.

Tagle said the international congress would be held from Jan. 24 to 31 with some 15,000 delegates expected to attend.

On Sunday, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said the Philippines, the foremost Catholic country in Asia, is a gift of God and blessing to Asia and to the world.

“Filipinos are called to be outstanding missionaries of faith in Asia. The Philippines, a major Catholic nation in Asia, has vocation for evangelization of Asia,” Lombardi said.

Thousands of Filipinos lined the streets of Manila to catch a final glimpse of the pope as he went to the airport.

Before boarding the plane yesterday, the pope told Tagle, “See you in Rome in February.”

The mass officiated by Francis in Rizal Park last Sunday reportedly drew six to seven million people, the largest crowd ever to attend a papal event.

Tearful sendoff

When the gates of the Apostolic Nunciature opened at around 9 a.m. to let his popemobile out, thousands cheered the pope, waving at him with one hand and capturing the moment on their tablets or mobile phones with the other.

Some chanted “Viva Il Papa,” while others looked in silence and were teary-eyed.

A multitude lined the streets from Quirino Ave. to Roxas Blvd., Andrews Ave. to the Philippine Air Force’s Villamor Air Base.

“We need to have some reflection. I feel I need to go to mass more and live the words of God through the pope,” said a young man, who biked all the way from Quezon City just to bid Francis goodbye.

Juliet Baltazar, 72, said she hopes the Filipinos would practice the “mercy and compassion” message of the papal visit.

Another well-wisher waiting to get a last glimpse of Francis on Roxas Blvd. said the pope’s message was all about love and compassion for the poor.

“He left us not just star struck but also a challenge to reflect on how we should continue with our lives by living for others, spreading love, being loved and loving others,” he said.

A young mother of two said she would always remind her children about their encounter with the pope at the University of Santo Tomas and his message of “giving more to the poor and loving them more.”

For former members of student Catholic group Pax Romana, the encounter at UST felt like a renewal of faith and spiritual bond. “Reconnected. Such a happy encounter,” said Beng Ragon.

Meng Salita, a resident of Cavite City, said on her Facebook account that her joy after the Rizal Park mass was “beyond words.”

“I guess it’s divine intervention that we were able to see the pope and attend the mass, considering the late decision we made (to go to Rizal Park),” she said.

Just like many other Filipinos, Salita and her husband Ric and their youngest son walked from the Film Center to the park amid rain and chilly wind.

“I didn’t know that the teary-eyed experience when one sees the pope was true until I experienced it. Such Pope Magic!” she wrote.

Even as far as Lingayen in Pangasinan, the pope’s message during his homily last Sunday had touched hearts.

Hundreds of Catholics trooped to Lingayen’s Epiphany of Our Lord Parish Church to watch live on a large screen the mass officiated by the pope.

“We strongly felt the presence of the Holy Father even if we were here in Pangasinan,” said Gov. Amado Espino Jr.

Carrying own bag

Pope Francis was carrying his black bag and waving to the crowd, including street children and families of soldiers, as he slowly climbed aboard PAL Flight 001.

The throngs included people in wheelchairs and mothers carrying their children, many hoping for the pontiff to mingle for the last time with the crowd and bless them.

Some 1,000 street children from the Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation were still shouting “Francis!” and singing as the papal plane maneuvered to the runway.

“As tradition we will not leave the tarmac until the plane of the pope is already 50 miles away,” an airbase loudspeaker announced.

Before the arrival of the pope, tight security was in place at Villamor Air Base and only those with accredited IDs were allowed entry.

Visitors had to pass through two checkpoints – one at the main gate where the names of visitors were verified and at the Presidential Security Group checkpoint where their IDs issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines were scanned to determine if the bearers’ names and photos matched.

Surprisingly, dozens of Swiss knives and other bladed material were detected and confiscated.

The crowd gradually dispersed after it was announced that the aircraft carrying the pope was already 50 miles away.

“I’m happy that I was able to get near the pope but I am also sad because I missed touching his hand,” an elderly man said.

The rest of the six to seven million people who participated in the pope’s concluding mass on Sunday in Rizal Park may have tuned in to radio or watched his departure on TV.

Gracias, señor

Stories of compassion, mercy and conversion will linger for generations long after Pope Francis’ visit, the CBCP said yesterday.

In its “Statement at Departure of Pope Francis from the Philippines,” the CBCP thanked him in Spanish – his native tongue: “Gracias Señor! Gracias Santo Padre!”

“We will never forget these five days. Our children and their children will never forget these five days, because we will tell them the stories of these five grace-filled days and they will tell them to their children,” CBCP president Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said in the statement.

“Your words in our stories will be imbedded in our and their hearts; a constant reminder of the love of Jesus; a voice pricking our conscience: love the poor, always have hope amidst trials, keep faith in the Lord and pray, always pray,” he said.

“It is the voice of Jesus telling us, I am with you and I will not leave you orphans,” he said.

He recalled that Pope Francis’ voice “pierced through the rains and strong winds” in Tacloban City where he celebrated last Saturday an open-air mass clad in a yellow plastic raincoat just like the close to a million rain-drenched faithful.

“Gracias Santo Padre for your tenderness as you comforted us and reassured us that Jesus will never abandon us,” said Villegas.

Francis earlier said he was prompted by the urge to visit Leyte and comfort the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

“You thanked the Lord for not leaving us orphans amidst desperation, loss, misery and pain. And at that moment we were one with you in your thanksgiving to God. But we were also lifting up our own gratitude to God for sending you to us,” Villegas said.

“We know that you, too, will not leave us orphans. That you will be with us, suffering with us who are poor, aged, sick, disabled, deaf, crippled, abandoned and ignored,” he added.

Warm smile

The Pangasinan prelate also thanked the “people’s pope” for his warm smile that “came from your eyes, penetrating our heart, even our soul.”

Many were also thrilled whenever he would stop his motorcade to touch or kiss a baby or a child.

“How spontaneously did your face brighten at the sight of the young people and the children whom you embraced and carried in your arms,” said Villegas.

During his homilies and preaching, Pope Francis appealed to government officials and the youth to help the poor and the marginalized.

The 78-year-old pontiff had also called on government officials to “reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor.”

Prior to his departure from the Apostolic Nunciature, the pope also bade goodbye and expressed his heartfelt thanks to members of the Aquino Cabinet for making the five-day pastoral and state visit successful.

In the past few days, the pope had also welcomed guests at the nunciature, including a group of Jesuit priests and members of his close-in security team from the PSG, the Philippine National Police and the military.

On Sunday, the pope also met briefly with barangay officials before meeting with the youth at UST. He cited them for their roles in ensuring his safety. With Perseus Echeminada, Jaime Laude, Evelyn Macairan, Cesar Ramirez