Popemania sweeps Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Well before Pope Francis’ plane touches down in this Asian bastion of the Roman Catholic faith, Filipinos have been snapping their selfies beside his life-sized cutout image in churches and malls.

His face beams from welcome posters, shirts, cookies, coins, stamps, coffee mugs and all imaginable mementoes.

There’s even “Pope Francis, the Musical,” in which the pontiff is portrayed singing a little One Direction.

Filipinos have welcomed popes with rock-star intensity since 1970; the late John Paul II visited twice.

Pope Francis’ Jan. 15-19 trip, following his ongoing Sri Lanka visit, promises to be as big or bigger, in part because the country has many painful reasons to look for hope.

The leader of the 1.2-billion-strong Catholic world will visit Leyte, where Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) killed thousands and leveled entire villages in November 2013.

In addition, the pontiff’s focus on poverty, inequality and such social ills has resonated in this poor country of 100 million, where a tenth of the population work abroad to support their families back home.

“Filipinos are excited about the visit because people have a lot of problems and have been through a lot of calamities,” retired government employee Josephine Graza told AP after mass at a Catholic church in Manila.

“They want to see the pope so their heavy hearts can be relieved, so their problems can be bearable,” she said.

“You always feel that he cares,” said retired doctor Marina Bringas.

Pope mania has hit the road, cyberspace and the airwaves.

Flood of souvenirs

In Manila, a company sells 12-inch bespectacled Pope Francis dolls.

T-shirts, button pins, posters, key chains and mugs with pictures of the pontiff smiling and waving are sold by Catholic charities, street vendors and online shopping sites.

In northern Benguet province, an artist created pontiff bobblehead dolls, with one hand waving.

An official website runs a countdown to Francis’ arrival and offers meticulous details of his visit and life, including the fact that he once worked as a nightclub bouncer.

Tarpaulins with Francis’ smiling image line the spruced-up streets of Manila, where preparations for the visit have peaked. Three workdays falling within his visit have been declared holidays. In churches, nine days of prayers for the pope’s safety commenced Jan. 6.

In a country where singing is a passion, local artists have recorded at least two papal visit souvenir albums of mostly original songs. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, known for his baritone, is one of the crooners.

With excitement building up, President Aquino appealed on national television Monday for Filipinos to strictly follow security guidelines. He said while there are no direct threats to the pontiff, even an admirer trying to pass through barricades for a selfie, or to touch the pope’s frock, could trigger a stampede.

Francis, the musical

On Saturday at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Rev. Enrique Luzung will play a dream role: the young Francis.

The 39-year-old theologian stars in the musical about the Argentinian pope’s life, portraying him back when he was known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The show revolves around Francis’ life and a visit to a fictional Philippine parish. Another priest will play the older Francis.

Reading up on Pope Francis’ life and playing him in the musical “has been life-changing for me,” Luzung said, praising the pope’s humility and compassion for the poor, the sinner and the lost. “Through him we see the presence of God.”

“Pope Francis the Musical” has been playing to full-house audiences in Angeles City since November. The mostly young crowd goes wild at the show when the elder Francis, wearing a headset, dances and sings briefly to One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful,” which director Andy Alviz said is among the pope’s favorite English songs.

Around 150 Filipino and Asian bishops will be in the audience when the musical opens in Manila. The pope is not likely to attend – he is scheduled to spend most of Saturday in Leyte province – but when he returns that night, the cast plans to serenade him after walking from the theater to the Vatican’s diplomatic mission in Manila, where Francis is staying.

Donnavie Argoncillo and her husband made sure they’ll have a lifetime remembrance of the pope’s visit. They named their fourth child, a chubby nine-pound, 15-ounce baby boy, partly after the pope. She gave birth early Thursday.

Argoncillo said she hoped the name, Francis John, would rub in to make her latest child “a good boy.”

“All my three older children are boys and they are all naughty,” Argoncillo said, grinning.

‘Color splash’

Even militant youth groups have prepared a welcome program – but a rather somber one – for the pope.

Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP) spokesperson Einstein Recedes said they are setting up a youth camp beginning today in front of the gates of the University of Santo Tomas.

He also said members of the group will have a “color splash” activity outside the university.

“The Filipino youth will welcome His Holiness Pope Francis to the Philippines with a series of activities meant to send to the pope not only messages of support but also messages that show the genuine situation of the youth and the people in the country,” Recedes said.

“The youth is excited to meet Pope Francis. Beyond the official itinerary, we hope that this visit will be made more meaningful by the pope’s words and actions that will surely inspire the youth to serve the people,” he added.

They will march to Liwasang Bonifacio tomorrow to join a Misang Bayan led by the People’s Committee to Welcome the Pope.

“By 4 p.m., youths will return to España to unveil a 30-foot tapestry depicting the pope and his role in the struggle of the Filipino youth and people at the España footbridge,” SCMP said.

“As church bells peal for the pope’s arrival by 5 p.m., the Youth Camp will also clang pots and pans, a move aimed at depicting the ordinary Filipino’s way of heralding the arrival of the pope,” the group added.

On Jan. 16, the youth groups will join a rally on Mendiola as the pope meets with government officials at Malacañang.

A youth vigil starting Jan.17 will be held at the Dapitan gate of UST. A candle lighting ceremony, an ecumenical service and a youth concert will also be held during the vigil.

Meanwhile, youth groups will converge at UST and Luneta on the pope’s last day in the country on Jan.18.

Recedes said a miniature version of a tapestry, as well as a letter of the youth, will be given to Pope Francis during his visit at UST.

“The painting and the letter will be handed by a representative of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, who will be meeting Pope Francis alongside other religious leaders,” said SCMP.

Meet with PNP imam

One of the activities at UST is the pope’s meeting with leaders of other religions, including a Muslim imam officer of the PNP.

Superintendent Ebra Moxsir, chief of the Spiritual Ministry Division of the PNP’s Chaplain Service, said his meeting with the pope is “a once in a lifetime opportunity and a blessing.”

“Meeting him is an opportunity and a blessing, a manifestation of continuous dialogue on understanding and respect,” said Moxsir.

Another Muslim religious leader, Prof. Din Waddi, will join the symbolic inter-faith meeting to be held in front of the Arch of Centuries, the original gate of the old university.

Moxsir, who is also the president of the Imam Council of the Philippines, said he received a letter from Cardinal Tagle last Dec. 8 inviting him to the meeting.

“The pope’s visit is about mercy and compassion, which is also the principle of Islam. We have an Arabic term, ‘Bismiallah,’ which means in the name of Allah, God is most compassionate, most gracious and most merciful,” Moxsir said. He said he was touched by Francis’ gesture of visiting and praying at a mosque in Turkey.

“I can’t believe I was chosen to meet him, maybe my work with other faiths was a factor,” Moxsir told Radio Veritas. He joined the PNP in 1996.

“Islam needs peace and Christianity needs peace, love and hope. Meeting Pope Francis will be an advantage of the PNP, I hope the PNP will learn a spiritual lesson from it,” Moxsir added.

Moxsir pointed out the need for everyone to respect each other’s religion. He said disrespect of religious figure may have triggered the recent killings in Paris, France.

“I hope to tell him to help us push for three aspects, especially for the youth: not to disrespect Allah, not to disrespect the prophet Mohammad and to respect the Quran,” Moxsir said.

One-on-one meet

Malacañang, meanwhile, announced President Aquino will have a one-on-one meeting with Francis on Friday and will join the mass to be officiated on Sunday by the pontiff at the Quirino Grandstand where millions are expected to attend.

In their “four eyes” meeting, the two will only be accompanied by interpreters as the pope will partly speak in Spanish, the Palace said.

The President himself will welcome the pope on his arrival at Villamor Air Base tomorrow.

The following day at the Palace, the pope will have a joint statement with Aquino after the signing of the guest book, viewing of gifts and a photo opportunity with members of the First Family.

Select members of the Senate, the House of Representatives and the diplomatic corps will be present during the pope’s visit to the Palace.

In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. called on the people to stay still at all times as much as possible and in case of commotion, wait for the ushers, marshals and police officers to respond.

Coloma said the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police would have the primary responsibility for screening and inspecting those who would gather at the Quirino Grandstand for the mass.

“Authorities will be reasonable,” Coloma said.

Coloma discouraged those with intentions other than participating in the pope’s activities from attending the mass.

“The pope’s visit is the primary focus and the center of attention will be on the pope…the others who are seeking prominent (exposure) should just choose another occasion,” Coloma said.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, for his part, called on the public to be vigilant during the papal visit.

Pimentel reminded the Catholic faithful that Francis’ principal reason for his visit is “to strengthen our faith in God.”

He said the government alone cannot prevent stampedes or attempts by some groups or individuals to stir trouble.

The President’s meeting with the pope is likely to be cordial even if he has locked horns with local prelates over some issues.

Aquino, on Monday, admitted having disagreements with the Catholic Church, but he said he has no problem with its leaders getting more involved in social matters.

Church leaders have opposed the passage of the reproductive health bill, which Aquino vigorously pushed until it was passed into law.

Aquino explained he was taught in a Jesuit school that after the Second Vatican Council, “we should care about what’s happening in the world” and not just be concerned about spiritual matters.

Pope Francis is known for his advocacies for the poor and the vulnerable and has spoken on various issues in his trips abroad, apart from spirituality or the Catholic faith.

“I’ve had my disagreements with some members of our own church and at the same time…I am, like so many other people, inspired by the works and the deeds of the current pope,” Aquino said.

“So what he’s doing is that he is bringing back, bringing the Church closer (to the people), directly addressing the problems of every citizen. And I agree with that. It can’t be that…it would be all spiritual aspect only. There are really world needs and concerns that should be addressed so that the whole spiritual (life) will progress,” he added. With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Marvin Sy, AP