The Pope who loved children

MANILA, Philippines - Every time Christmas comes around, I am reminded of the time when I had a private audience with Pope John Paul II, the most beloved and traveled pope in history, at the Vatican on Dec. 15, 1989.

I was then mayor of Manila. The visit was originally scheduled for only five minutes, but it stretched for another 10 minutes after I mentioned to His Holiness my favorite project — the rehabilitation and maintenance of Boys’ Town, which is financed and managed by the City of Manila.

It was then that Pope John’s interest perked up, and he asked me many questions about the project. He also inquired about Smokey Mountain, which was then a focus of international attention as a symbol of dire poverty in the Philippines, as well as in Asia. 

His Holiness was very much interested in the welfare of street children, orphans and offspring of impoverished families. He was deeply concerned if they were able to go to school, to get proper medical care and nutrition, and have a wholesome environment. He wanted to know what the government and civil society were doing to improve their conditions and give them hope for a better future.

It turned out that aside from his many saintly virtues that made him one of the most beloved and venerated popes in the Church’s history, Pope John Paul had a special love for children. That is why, Christmas, which was only 10 days away, was utmost on his mind, as it is the birthday of the infant Jesus. That is why, to him, Christmas is for children.

Pope John Paul’s love for children, especially the unfortunate, was especially demonstrated by him at age 25, during the last days of World War II. In 1945, while he was still studying for the priesthood in Krakow, Poland, Karol Józef Wojtyla (his birth name), had chanced upon a 14-year-old Jewish refugee girl named Edith Zierer who had run away from a Nazi labor camp. 

The future pope and seminarian found Edith collapsed on a railway platform, carried her to a train and accompanied her to a safe place. Edith credited Wojtyla for saving her life. According to witnesses, Wojtyla helped protect many other Polish Jews from the Nazis. He was therefore very much interested in what I was doing to save destitute and unfortunate children from a desperate future.

I told him that when I assumed the mayoralty in 1986, following the downfall of the Marcos dictatorship and the assumption to the presidency of Corazon Aquino, I found Boys’ Town to have fallen on hard times, its buildings and facilities dilapidated and many of the underprivileged children who have sought shelter there made to fend for themselves.

Having been born and grown up in Tondo, Manila’s poorest district where slums abounded, I was familiar with poverty. I determined to rehabilitate Boys’ Town, the refuge and haven of disadvantaged children, then already located in Parang, Marikina, and barely supported by Manila City funds. The youth center was originally established in Bilibid Viejo in Manila, behind the City Jail, in 1945 by City Mayor Manuel de la Fuente and then Police Chief Valeriano Fugoso (who later became city mayor).

The first thing I did was to cement the rutted road to the shelter, which was done by Pacific Concrete Products Inc., a private company. This made it more accessible to construction activity. Then I rigorously conducted a fundraising campaign among benevolent and affluent private citizens and corporations to augment the financial support of the city government, which was then experiencing budgetary difficulties.

Among those who enthusiastically responded with generous donations were then PLDT president Tony Boy Cojuangco; my late father, Dr. Gemiliano C. Lopez Sr., who helped build the Olympic-size swimming pool; my late brother, Congressman Jaime Lopez; Cesar Buenaventura, then president of Shell Philippines, who helped finance the world-class tennis court; then House Speaker Ramon V. Mitra; Philippine National Bank President Edgardo Espiritu, Mrs. Lourdes Aboitiz, Mrs. Betty Go-Belmonte, Mrs. Maur A. Lichauco, sister of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, and architect brothers Gilbert and Willie Yu. Many others donated materials and services. Thus Boys’ Town became once more a true haven for underprivileged youth, orphans and abandoned children.

I added more school buildings and classrooms to the 23-hectare compound. Aside from the first-class sports facilities I constructed to keep the boys and girls fit, I also established livelihood courses so that they could make a decent living in their adulthood. Boys’ Town also served as a rehabilitation center for drug abuse. 

Pope John Paul II’s eyes lit up when I told him this. Acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century, Pope John Paul II is widely held to have significantly improved the Catholic Church’s relations with other religious faiths, such as Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. He was known as the Ecumenical Pope. 

Pope John Paul II paid pastoral visits to the Philippines twice, in 1981 and in 1995, indicating his special interest in the Philippines, the biggest Catholic country in Asia. When he came on Jan. 15, 1995, during the 10th World Youth Day, he offered Mass to an estimated crowd of between five and seven million at Luneta, which was considered to be the largest single gathering in Christian history. I am proud that my family, myself and millions of devout Manilans were among those who attended the historic Luneta Mass that day. 

Included in my party in this memorable audience at the Vatican were my son Manny, who was the integrated sports director of Manila, my daughter Rosanna Duavit, and Atty. Vic Tantoco. The visit was the fruit of my representation to Bruno Torpigliani, then Apostolic Nuncio for Manila, who kindly interceded for me and arranged for my private audience with the Pope.

I formally requested for a private audience with his Holiness in a letter dated Nov. 24, 1989. On Nov. 27, I received a reply from the Apostolic Nuncio, stating that he had immediately forwarded my request to the proper office of the Holy See. 

On Dec. 14, I received a notification from Rome, officially informing me that my party’s audience with the Pope was scheduled on Dec. 15, at 11:40 a.m. It was an experience that I will forever cherish in my memory.