(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila, thanked Pope Francis for his visit to the Philippines on Sunday. At the conclusion of Mass celebrated by Pope Francis for millions gathered in Manila’s Rizal Park, Cardinal Tagle said his fellow Filipinos would be praying for the Pope and would follow him “to the…
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(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila, thanked Pope Francis for his visit to the Philippines on Sunday. At the conclusion of Mass celebrated by Pope Francis for millions gathered in Manila’s Rizal Park, Cardinal Tagle said his fellow Filipinos would be praying for the Pope and would follow him “to the peripheries” as missionaries of Christ’s light. Pope Francis is due to leave the Philippines on Monday.
Listen to Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle’s words of thanksgiving at the conclusion of Mass at Rizal Park in Manila:
Below, please find the prepared text for Cardinal Tagle’s remarks:
Most Holy Father,
In the name of the Archdiocese of Manila, the people who worked tirelessly for your pastoral visit, and the Filipinos whom you have been strengthened in faith these past days, I once again say Thank You. I say “Maraming Salamat po” (Thank you very much) on behalf of the street children, the orphans, the widows, the homeless, the informal settlers, the laborers, the farmers, the fisher folk, the sick, the abandoned elderly, the families of missing persons, the victims of discrimination, violence, abuse, exploitation, human trafficking, the Filipino migrant workers and their families, the survivors of natural calamities and armed conflicts, the non-Christian Catholics, the followers of non-Christian religions, the promoters of peace especially in Mindanao and creation that groans. We say again, “Maraming salamat po, Santo Padre.”
You often end your encounters with people by saying, “I ask you to pray for me.” We promise to pray for you. But we want to assure you that Jesus prays for you. Jesus himself declared to Peter, “I have prayed for you that you own faith may not fail.” (Luke 22:32). Your Holiness, you are blessed. Jesus prays for you. We your beloved Filipinos unite ourselves with Jesus in praying for you to God the Father.
You arrived in the Philippines three days ago. Tomorrow you will go. Every Filipino wants to go with you – not to Rome – but to the peripheries, to the shanties, to prison cells, to hospitals, to the world of politics, finance, arts, sciences, culture, education, and social communications. We will go to these worlds to bring the light of Jesus, Jesus who is the center of your pastoral visit and the cornerstone of the Church. We will go where the Light of Jesus is needed. Here in Luneta, the Qurino Grandstand, where heroes are revered, newly elected presidents take office and popes meet the Filipino faithful, here in a place of new beginnings, send us forth as missionaries of the light. Before you go, Holy Father, send us to spread the light of Jesus. Wherever the light of Jesus shines, you and the Filipino people will always be united. Mabuhay, Santo Padre! Mabuhay si Kristo! Let the light of Christ shine!
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met with young people on the campus of Santo Tomàs University in Manila, Philippines, on Sunday morning, hearing their stories and leading them in prayer. Departing from his prepared text, the Holy Father addressed the young people in Spanish, with his translator from the Secretariat of State, Msgr. Mark Miles, providing…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday met with the father of Kristel Padasas, the 27-year old volunteer who died at Saturday’s Mass in Tacloban.
Padasas was mortally injured when scaffolding by the stage where the Mass took place collapsed during the wind caused by Tropical Storm Anang, which was approaching the area.
The meeting took place in the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila, and lasted over 20 minutes, with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle acting as an interpreter.
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, said during the meeting, two childhood photos of Kristen were on the table. He also said the father was shocked by his daughter’s death, but consoled by the fact that she had been able to help prepare for the arrival of the Pope.
Kristel’s mother was in Hong Kong at the time of the accident, and is due back in the Philippines on Monday.
During his meeting with young people on Sunday morning, Pope Francis led a prayer for Kristel and her parents.
Kristel worked for the U.S. bishops’ international relief and development agency, Catholic Relief Services, on a recovery project for Typhoon Yolanda [Haiyan].
“Her dedication to the people affected by the typhoon extended beyond her official work with CRS,” the organization said in a statement. “ She traveled a great distance to volunteer at today’s papal mass and to remember the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.”
The statement also said CRS Philippines mourns her loss along with her family, friends and loved ones.
“[Kristel] colleagues remember her as someone who loved to laugh and who was always ready to assist outside her normal duties,” it continues. “She found great joy in being able to contribute to the recovery effort by working directly with communities and families. Our deepest prayers are with Kristel’s family and loved ones.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday called on Filipinos to be “outstanding missionaries of the faith in Asia” during a mass attended by millions in Manila’s Rizal Park. In his homily, Pope Francis described the Philippines as “the foremost Catholic country in Asia,” saying “this is itself a special gift of God, a blessing,” and a “vocation.”
Listen to Pope Francis’ Homily:
The Pope recalled that each of us has been chosen by God to be “witnesses of his truth and his justice in this world” and to care for creation. But man, he said, has “disfigured that natural beauty; through sin, man has also destroyed the unity and beauty of our human family, creating social structures which perpetuate poverty, ignorance and corruption.”
The Pope warned against the devil, “the father of lies” who hides his snares behind the appearance of sophistication, the allure of being ‘modern’, ‘like everyone else.’ We are distracted, he said, by “ephemeral pleasures and superficial pastimes” and “squander our God-given gifts by tinkering with gadgets,” and “squander our money on gambling and drink.”
On the day the Filipino Church celebrates the “Santo Niño,” Pope Francis urged Filippinos to look to the Christ Child, the protector of the Philippines, as their model, and reminded them of the importance of protecting the family. He added, “we need to see each child as a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected” and recalled that young people need our care so they will not be “robbed of hope and condemned to life on the streets.”
He urged Filipinos to work together to build “a world of justice, integrity and peace.”
Below please find the text of Pope Francis’ Homily at Sunday’s mass in Manila’s Rizal park:
“A child is born to us, a son is given us” ( Is 9:5). It is a special joy for me to celebrate Santo Niño Sunday with you. The image of the Holy Child Jesus accompanied the spread of the Gospel in this country from the beginning. Dressed in the robes of a king, crowned and holding the sceptre, the globe and the cross, he continues to remind us of the link between God’s Kingdom and the mystery of spiritual childhood. He tells us this in today’s Gospel: “Whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it” ( Mk 10:15). The Santo Niño continues to proclaim to us that the light of God’s grace has shone upon a world dwelling in darkness, bringing the Good News of our freedom from slavery, and guiding us in the paths of peace, right and justice. The Santo Niño also reminds us of our call to spread the reign of Christ throughout the world.
In these days, throughout my visit, I have listened to you sing the song: “We are all God’s children”. That is what the Santo Niño tells us. He reminds us of our deepest identity. All of us are God’s children, members of God’s family. Today Saint Paul has told us that in Christ we have become God’s adopted children, brothers and sisters in Christ. This is who we are. This is our identity. We saw a beautiful expression of this when Filipinos rallied around our brothers and sisters affected by the typhoon.
The Apostle tells us that because God chose us, we have been richly blessed! God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens” ( Eph 1:3). These words have a special resonance in the Philippines, for it is the foremost Catholic country in Asia; this is itself a special gift of God, a special blessing. But it is also a vocation. Filipinos are called to be outstanding missionaries of the faith in Asia.
God chose and blessed us for a purpose: to be holy and blameless in his sight ( Eph 1:4). He chose us, each of us to be witnesses of his truth and his justice in this world. He created the world as a beautiful garden and asked us to care for it. But through sin, man has disfigured that natural beauty; through sin, man has also destroyed the unity and beauty of our human family, creating social structures which perpetuate poverty, ignorance and corruption.
Sometimes, when we see the troubles, difficulties and wrongs all around us, we are tempted to give up. It seems that the promises of the Gospel do not apply; they are unreal. But the Bible tells us that the great threat to God’s plan for us is, and always has been, the lie. The devil is the father of lies. Often he hides his snares behind the appearance of sophistication, the allure of being “modern”, “like everyone else”. He distracts us with the promise of ephemeral pleasures, superficial pastimes. And so we squander our God-given gifts by tinkering with gadgets; we squander our money on gambling and drink; we turn in on ourselves. We forget to remain focused on the things that really matter. We forget to remain, at heart, children of God. That is sin: [to] forget at heart that we are children of God. For children, as the Lord tells us, have their own wisdom, which is not the wisdom of the world. That is why the message of the Santo Niño is so important. He speaks powerfully to all of us. He reminds us of our deepest identity, of what we are called to be as God’s family.
The Santo Niño also reminds us that this identity must be protected. The Christ Child is the protector of this great country. When he came into the world, his very life was threatened by a corrupt king. Jesus himself needed to be protected. He had an earthly protector: Saint Joseph. He had an earthly family, the Holy Family of Nazareth. So he reminds us of the importance of protecting our families, and those larger families which are the Church, God’s family, and the world, our human family. Sadly, in our day, the family all too often needs to be protected against insidious attacks and programs contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our culture.
In the Gospel, Jesus welcomes children, he embraces them and blesses them ( Mk 10:16). We too need to protect, guide and encourage our young people, helping them to build a society worthy of their great spiritual and cultural heritage. Specifically, we need to see each child as a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected. And we need to care for our young people, not allowing them to be robbed of hope and condemned to life on the streets.
It was a frail child, in need of protection, who brought God’s goodness, mercy and justice into the world. He resisted the dishonesty and corruption which are the legacy of sin, and he triumphed over them by the power of his cross. Now, at the end of my visit to the Philippines, I commend you to him, to Jesus who came among us as a child. May he enable all the beloved people of this country to work together, protecting one another, beginning with your families and communities, in building a world of justice, integrity and peace. May the Santo Niño continue to bless the Philippines and may he sustain the Christians of this great nation in their vocation to be witnesses and missionaries of the joy of the Gospel, in Asia and in the whole world.
Please don’t forget to pray for me! God bless you !
(from Vatican Radio)…