Papal power brings back people power

There is even a hashtag for the separation anxiety (#sepanx) felt by millions of Filipinos, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, who shed tears during and after Pope Francis’ historic five-day visit to the Philippines.

Thai Airways’ Malu Oclarence Dueñas said, “He left. And it hurts because I miss him already. Some undergo expensive therapy, some listen to overzealous evangelists, some conduct team-building exercises just to put their lives in a better perspective. But nothing quite compares to the transformational power of just listening to the words of Pope Francis: simple, direct but finding their way straight to your heart.”

Millions were moved by the pope’s visit because of his unabashed pro-poor stance, his bias for the weak and underprivileged. One couldn’t help but notice that his widest smiles erupted at the sight of children, his hugs were tighter for the poor and the sick, and his daily uniform was that of an ordinary priest’s — save for the skullcap.

After she kissed his ring at the tarmac of the Villamor Airbase shortly after he arrived last Thursday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima asked the Pope, “Please pray for the victims of injustice.” He stopped, nodded and prayed with her.

Those who braved the rains, hunger, discomfort and the danger of being in a crowd said it was all worth it.

Kris Aquino, who had a chance to meet the Pope at Malacañang and hear Mass celebrated by him at the Quirino Grandstand under the steady rain, says the experience, “strengthened my faith and inspired me to help even more the churches I’ve been helping and to do more to tell the world of His love. I took to heart his message that when we are blessed with more, we should share more.” She was down with fever the day after the Mass.

A three-second glance from the Pope, says my sister Valerie Sotto, was worth being sandwiched by a crush of strangers under the tropical heat on Saturday.

A front-row view of the Pope even as she was shivering during his Sunday Mass was worth it, too, for my cousin Karen Parungo. Karen got separated from all her companions last Sunday, but she stood her ground and had not just one but two glimpses of the beloved pontiff. After the Mass, she walked back to the Mall of Asia and bought new clothes because she was drenched and cold — but warm at the core of her heart.

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On “Shepherd One,” the code name for the special Philippine Airlines flight that took him back to Rome, the Pope talked about his Philippine sojourn, saying it “annihilated” him. A hyperbole, to be sure, but we all know what he meant. Like those being “slain” in an emotional moment of faith, he must have been totally bowled over by the ocean of people (a record six to seven million at the Quirino Grandstand at the Luneta) who came to see him, and the tsunami of affection that rose from their depths.

Jesuit Fr. Jett Villarin, president of the Ateneo de Manila University, says the Pope’s visit is a resounding sign of God’s love and presence among us.

“God is always present but it is but human to want to see some visible signs of that presence,” Villarin told me at the general papal audience at Malacañang.

“His visit was an affirmation of faith and I hope it inspires goodness, mercy and compassion. I hope that when all the (euphoria) dies down, we will be guided into reflecting on what his visit means, and see in it the consolation that God has not abandoned us.”

Another Jesuit priest, Fr. Johnny Go, notes, “Clearly, there is something special about this man, about whom someone once said, ‘The papacy was made man.’ His very ordinary and human touch is what makes every encounter with him so extraordinary and divine. During his entire homily at his inaugural mass, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna sat helplessly in the audience, reduced to tears. Leaning over to Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, he explained, ‘He (Pope Francis) speaks like Jesus!’ To which Cardinal Dolan quipped, ‘I think that’s his job description’!”

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PAL president Jimmy Bautista, who joined the flight back to Rome on Shepherd One, shares that 14 hours on the same plane with the Pope, “is the highest level of happiness.” Literally (at 35,000 feet) and figuratively.

Bautista received a rosary and a medallion from the Pope, who walked around the Airbus 340 and greeted everybody.

The Pope carried his own bag as he boarded the plane, and didn’t ask for a reconfiguration of his seat at the Business Class section of the plane, even for privacy.

According to Bautista, the Pope enjoyed the arroz caldo, puto and dinuguan served to him during the flight.

The plane’s chief pilot, Captain Manuel Antonio Tamayo, also PAL’s vice president for flight operations, is said to be a deeply religious man. He was assisted during the flight by Captain Eric Isaac, deputy chief pilot of A340-A330 division. Also part of the flight deck were First Officers Marlowe Valencia and Anthony Atendido.

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The Pope is back in Rome. He will soon visit Africa. Life goes on.

The challenge for us all is to not just to keep memories of his visit but to transform those memories into future happy memories for the “lost, the last and the least” among us.

Ultimately, papal power is powerful when it brings back people power that topples apathy, unseats poverty and installs mercy and compassion in places high and low. #papalpower

(You may e-mail me at [email protected].)